The new zone has seen rises in crime and huge increases in gun violence.
The newly created impromptu ‘mourning and reflection zone’ set up at the site of the George Floyd incident has seen a significant increase in crime.
Local authorities are denying reports from multiple sources that the area is inaccessible to law enforcement. Nevertheless, the FBI is now involved, assisting the police in monitoring the de facto ‘autonomous zone’.
Since the police have effectively retreated, there have been 18 non-fatal victims of gunshot wounds. This compares to only three in the prior 12 months.
In terms of the area’s automated gunshot-detection system, there were only seven activations in the whole of 2019. This increased significantly to 185 detections in 2020, representing a 2543% increase in activations.
The reported information shows a range of crimes, including, sadly, a murder that took place moments before Derek Chauvin’s guilty verdict was announced.
Elsewhere in the zone, a sign has appeared at its entrance, issuing a number of patronising and disrespectful ‘rules’ to visitors to the area, targeting white people.
The reaction to the sign has been somewhat mixed, with critical race theory supporters welcoming its approach.
However, many point out the obvious arguable racism in the rules, with its seeking to issue instructions based on skin colour.
On Tuesday, Derek Chauvin was convicted of second and third-degree murder as well as third-degree manslaughter. His fate is to be decided in June, where he faces a prison sentence of up to 40 years.
