Tension Rose At the George Floyd Protests; More Celebrities Join The Call For Justice

On Wednesday, May 27, protesters returned to the vicinity of the 3rd Precinct, with the escalating tension prompting law enforcement units to resort smoke and tear gas to disperse the gathered people.

CBS Minnesota reported that protesters had set fire to the interior of an AutoZone store located by the precinct building near the Lake Street - Hiawatha Avenue intersection. In the evening, people were looting the neighboring Target store, with the damage and loss extending to the other nearby establishment.

The 3rd Precinct, the center of the protests and damages, was where the four local police officers involved in the George Floyd arrest used to work. Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, was arrested on suspicions of forgery and later died due to the incident.

A representative for Target released a statement to the local news outlet, saying that they closed the concerned branch to ensure the safety of its employee.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz urged the people via Twitter to leave the intersection and allow the first responders to get to the scene.

In the intersection between 38th Street and Chicago Avenue, where Floyd had the unfortunate encounter, a peaceful gathering continued until late Wednesday evening. The gathering remained generally calm, aside from the passing of a group of protesters headed for the 3rd Precinct.

Athletes, Musicians, Actors Join The Call For Justice

More people are condemning what happened to George Floyd, including athletes, musicians, and actors. Basketball superstar LeBron James took to Instagram to vent his frustration, posting the side by side images of the police officer kneeling on Floyd's neck and NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick kneeling with the header "This... ...Is Why." James captioned his post "Do you understand NOW!!??!!?? Or is it still blurred to you??" Jamie Foxx and Snoop Dogg have shared the same image.

Retired NFL wide receiver Donté Stallworth shared the viral clip on Twitter and wrote: "Why NFL Players Kneel: Reason 1 Million" while comedian Michael Rapaport lashed out at the incident in an expletive-filled video on his Twitter account. "And if there's no cellphone footage, then what? Then what happens? You make up some bullsh*t," the "Prison Break" actor said, even calling the involved ex-police officers "animals."

"Star Wars" actor John Boyega also minced no words in a series of tweets. He first shared an image of George Floyd's apparent last words of pleading to the authorities with the caption "This just burns. Seems to be a never ending cycle. The murderers need to be charged severely. Even in the face of death this man was given zero empathy." An hour later, he wrote a brief but scathing statement: "I really f**king hate racists."

Boyega's statements drew criticism from other Twitter users for his strong words, but the 28-year-old English actor stood his ground. As other people attempted to weigh in the issue by arguing that racism is not just white-against-black, Boyega shot them down immediately, answering one commenter, "I don't care. That's not what I'm talking about."

Other artists, including Snoop Dogg, Madonna, Ariana Grande, Justin Bieber, Ice Cube, and Ice T have also expressed disdain over the circumstances leading to the death of George Floyd.

RELATED: Snoop Dogg, Madonna Join Growing Number of Artists Condemning George Floyd's Death

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LeBron James, Snoop Dogg