Fires raged through the night in our city.
Minneapolis 2020
by Dennis Griebenow
Editor’s Note: The following article was written by Clermont native, Dennis Griebenow, who
has lived in Minneapolis with his wife, Rose, for the past thirty-seven years. Dennis grew
up in Clermont and graduated from Valley High School in 1960.
To paraphrase Dinah Washington, “What a difference 8 minutes makes”! I live in Minneapolis and those eight minutes on May 25th changed so many lives and our surroundings. That change will affect us for a long time.
It started out with the murder of George Floyd, a Black man, 3 miles away from our house. As time progressed that day the climate in our area changed. Most, like myself, were appalled that once again a life was lost that didn’t have to be. Sad to say, but it happens more than we’d like to think. Not good. Not good, at all!
The next few days made me feel like being in a war zone, even though I’ve never been in one. You see on TV how other countries suffer at the hands of warring factions and you feel compassionate for them. But, that’s there, not near my home.
As the day progressed it was evident that things had heated up. Helicopters flew constantly over our home and area. In the evening and through the night we could hear them overhead. Added now was the sound of what was like gunshots but were rounds of teargas, markers, and flash/bangs. It sounded so close! Sleep was impossible and our little dog was terrified of the unfamiliar sounds and smells.
The next day my wife and I took a tour of our neighborhood and found that private houses were not damaged or vandalized. It was a whole different story in the commercial area we frequent almost daily. Our main grocery store had been broken into, looted, and there was graffiti all over. Rumor has it that they may not rebuild at this site. That would be sad.
As we moved on, we saw that other stores had been broken into and looted as well. It would be worse as the days passed.
