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Minnesota teenagers have had enough.
Thousands of students across Minnesota walked out of class today, amid a widespread reckoning on race and policing. Just over a week ago, a Brooklyn Center police officer killed 20-year-old Daunte Wright; and Monday saw the closing arguments in the trial of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer charged with murder in the killing of George Floyd.
Downtown, hundreds of Minneapolis students gathered outside U.S. Bank Stadium. In St. Paul, some students gathered at the state Capitol. Suburbs and small towns across the state experienced walkouts, too.
A group called MN Teen Activists used Instagram to coordinate the walkout. The scheduled time—from 1 p.m. to 1:47 p.m.—matched the hour then-officer Kim Potter shot and killed Daunte Wright in his car.
Students gave speeches, chanted, and held a moment of silence during the protests. And they cited the death of Wright and Floyd, the heavy National Guard presence in recent days, and racial injustice in their own schools.
Here are some scenes from the walkout:
