MINNEAPOLIS — Fifty-one people were arrested during protests Wednesday after a former Minneapolis police officer charged in the death of George Floyd was released on bail.
Derek Chauvin had been in custody in a Minnesota prison as he awaits a March trial on charges of murder and other counts. He was released Wednesday after posting a $1 million bond. He had been held in a state prison instead of a local jail for security reasons.
On Wednesday evening, about 300 people marched peacefully near the site where Minneapolis police tried to arrest Floyd on May 25 for allegedly passing a counterfeit $20 bill at a convenience store. Floyd died after Chauvin, who is white, pressed his knee against Floyd’s neck for several minutes even after the handcuffed Black man pleaded for air.
Among the protesters was Gabriel Black Elk, whose brother, Paul Castaway, was killed by police in Denver in July 2015. Elk told the Star Tribune he came to show his support for Floyd’s family.