Hennepin County Medical Examiner

3 photos · 2020–2021

3 photographs tagged Hennepin County Medical Examiner, 2020–2021.

Boarded entrance at the Hennepin County Medical Examiner in Minneapolis behind security fencing. — Security fencing and boarded-up entrances surround the Hennepin County Medical Examiner's office at 530 5th Avenue in Minneapolis. This measure was taken in anticipation of the Derek Chauvin trial, which began in March 2021. The office is responsible for investigating deaths in Hennepin County, including those that occur under suspicious circumstances or involve law enforcement. The plywood covering the building's entrances suggests a response to potential unrest or damage during the period of heightened public attention surrounding the trial.

Concrete barriers line a snowy downtown Minneapolis street at night near the Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office during trial security preparations. — Concrete barricaded shown on February 22, 2021 around the Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office in downtown Minneapolis in anticipation of the Derek Chauvin murder trial. On May 25, 2020, Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin murdered 46-year-old George Floyd during an arrest outside Cup Foods at the intersection of 38th Street and Chicago Avenue in south Minneapolis. Video recorded by bystanders showed Chauvin kneeling on Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes while Floyd repeatedly said he could not breathe. Three other Minneapolis police officers - J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane, and Tou Thao — were also present during the arrest and later faced criminal charges for their roles in Floyd’s death. Floyd’s murder sparked protests and civil unrest across Minneapolis and around the world, leading to widespread demonstrations against police violence, major policy debates on policing, and the conviction of Chauvin on murder and manslaughter charges in 2021.

Abolish the police and autozone them again graffiti — Graffiti covers a wall of the Hennepin County Medical Examiner building in downtown Minneapolis. The spray-painted messages include "Abolish the police" and "AutoZone them again," referencing the burning of the AutoZone building during the 2020 Minneapolis Uprising. The AutoZone fire was one of the first major acts of property destruction during the widespread protests and civil unrest that followed the murder of George Floyd. As the official body responsible for investigating deaths in Hennepin County, including those involving law enforcement, the Medical Examiner's office became a site for expressions of public dissent and calls for systemic change.

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