November 22, 2015

By Brendan O’Brien

MINNEAPOLIS (Reuters) – A few dozen demonstrators endured bitter cold on Saturday outside a Minneapolis police station, where they have spent the last week encamped in protest of the killing of an unarmed African-American man.

Jamar Clark, 24, was shot on Sunday by police two blocks from the 4th Precinct police station and died on Monday night after his family decided to disconnect life support. Two officers under investigation in the incident have been identified, but their races have not been revealed.

Clark’s death comes at a time of heightened debate in the United States over police use of lethal force, especially against black people. Over the past year, protests against killings of unarmed black men and women – some videotaped with phones or police cameras – have rocked a number of cities.

“There are a lot of us men doing a whole lot of talking … but the men need to make sure that the talk is put into play,” Michael Wilson, 33, said through a bullhorn, imploring other male protesters to take responsibility for their community and families.

As Wilson spoke, about 50 fellow demonstrators tried to stay warm in the 20-degree Fahrenheit (-6 C) cold by drinking coffee and huddling around campfires in the middle of the street in front of the station, where protesters pitched about a dozen tents.

Cars brought firewood and food as a few protesters cleaned up trash from the muddy ground and city crews scrubbed profane graffiti off the station’s brick walls.

The mood was relatively light as police stood by and mingled with demonstrators, trading recommendations on how to stay warm and chatting about NFL football.

Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton said in a statement Saturday night that he had met with Clark’s family and community leaders and expressed his sympathy.

Protesters demanding release of video footage of the incident say Clark was unarmed and handcuffed when he was shot.

In his statement, Dayton said “I will urge that the tapes be provided to the family and released to the public, as soon as doing so will not jeopardize the Department of Justice’s investigation.”

Although protests throughout the week have been largely peaceful, police have used pepper spray and fired rubber marking bullets at least twice when demonstrations became heated.

Officials have confirmed no weapon was found at the scene and said they are looking into whether Clark was handcuffed. The police union said Clark grabbed one officer’s gun, although the weapon remained in its holster.

(Editing by Scott Malone and Matthew Lewis)