The radical elements within the city and beyond seemed to be converging on Lake Street and Minnehaha Avenue. Beyond a Minneapolis police convoy that quickly retreated just as quickly as they appeared, because of the mob attacking them, there was no authority to keep people safe. If you needed help, you were on your own.

It all culminated when the Third Precinct was attacked after the sun went down. Despite holding onto the building for days against the odds, officers were about to be overrun. Multiple times I heard rioters wanting to set the building on fire with the officers still inside. Mayor Jacob Frey ordered the officers to evacuate.

To highlight how much the rioters wanted to keep the officers trapped in the building’s perimeter, someone chained the back gate, forcing police to ram it to allow the evacuation to continue. After the officers were gone, the rioters’ dream became reality after the infamous fire was set. The crowd became ecstatic at the flames. They took selfies with the fire in the background. Fireworks were set off in the air.