Ž.Norvilaitė-Petersen on anxiety in Minneapolis: “We were afraid to wake up and see the house on fire”

“It just came to our attention then. But it seems that we have already passed the most unpleasant period, when we really feel insecure and in danger, said a 16-year-old Lithuanian living in the United States. – There have really been many seemingly unmanageable events. But we’ve been sleeping a little bit calmer for the past few nights. “

The Lithuanian community in Minnesota is small but close, and maintains strong ties. There are about 200 people registered in the community, and it is estimated that there may be five times as many in Minnesota in total.

Community members organize events here and have a Lithuanian school. They also communicated closely during the riots: they called each other and asked if everything was okay. Ž.Norvilaitė-Petersen’s family had also left town with their Lithuanian friends when they feared gangs would come to their district.

Firefighters watched the fires from afar and could do nothing.

Ž.Norvilaitė-Petersen, who recently moved to Minneapolis from another suburb, said that she had never thought such events could occur in this city, it seemed extremely safe. But after an alleged unarmed African American George Floyd suffocated under the leg of a police officer, Minneapolis was embroiled in mass protests and nighttime riots.

“It just came to our attention then. We already knew on Monday (May 25) that a crime had been committed, but that day there was very bad weather, heavy rains, so there were no protests, the interlocutor recalled. – On Tuesday, people started protesting. On Wednesday, as it is now, people have already started to come from other states to take advantage of this situation. “The protests and night riots reached their peak on Thursday and Saturday.

The president of the Lithuanian community admitted that she does not usually take into account local knowledge in the family, but now she follows all the events on a daily basis. The riots did not cover the entire city – they were concentrated in one district, so even the townspeople saw all of the destruction primarily in news reports.

“The news was often streamed live on the streets. The footage from Wednesday to Saturday was such that large crowds of people were uncontrollably enraged. It showed how people break into business. You see directly, for example, how they go to the mail I break the window, drop it, take packages, boxes, ”said Ž.Norvilaitė-Petersen.

Many companies caught fire even without any attempt to put them out: firefighters were unable to enter.

It was a very strange feeling, the Lithuanian recalled, to see directly how the windows were broken, how the police station burned. “And the first few nights no one put out the fires. No more fighting because firefighters couldn’t get close safely. Even they watched from afar,” said the woman. Many companies caught fire even without any attempt to put them out to rescue them.

In the early days of the riots, no police officer was seen. “There were journalists on the streets, they showed us everything directly, but the police were not involved anywhere.” At first, it seemed perhaps logical: to bother someone, because everything happened because of the police. But then we start to think: where are the officials? Why does no one stop people? Why nobody controls? Ž.Norvilaitė-Petersen recalled.

Friday, May 29 was probably the worst night for Minneapolis. Lithuania said that most of the fires were caused last night and that most of the business intrusions were done. “But they did not enter private houses,” he said. – They broke into business, stole it. Sometimes they didn’t even kidnap, they just broke up and continued. It’s just vandalism. “

At night, people were also not attacked in anger, although some of the streets in Minneapolis seemed like a war zone, there were no deaths or serious injuries. However lake the street would be difficult to recognize, according to Ž.Norvilaitė-Petersen, several miles were destroyed.

“We woke up on Thursday and Friday, and because the windows were open, we could smell smoke and fire. We didn’t see all that destruction, but we could smell it,” recalled the Lithuanian.

Prepared for the worst: took the streets of the district, observed

Seeing the deterioration of the situation, the residents of the district also took action. “Because they will not call the police, people have taken care of themselves,” explained the interlocutor. Neighbors began to negotiate, strategically thinking about how to protect their homes if gangs reached the area. People blocked the streets with their cars, self-made barricades appeared. Residents flocked to groups of volunteers, walking the streets at night and observing the situation.

“We did not attend because I had small children, but we sat with my husband in the kitchen at night and saw the neighbors go by in pairs, with flashlights, inspecting fences, inspecting if nothing had changed,” recalled the interlocutor.

The Lithuanian family also took precautions at home. For example, the hose has always been connected to water, if you suddenly have to put out a fire. The dumpster is removed from the home so that, if lit, it does not pose a threat.

“Thinking has changed to some kind of combat, survival. I think this trauma will last a long time for everyone, ”he said of the constant feeling of anxiety.

“I live in a good enough area, and it was very strange to see such an area, where you feel completely safe, completely insecure,” said Ž.Norvilaitė-Petersen.

Fortunately, the riots to the district and did not disappear. “But we could smell the fires, we could hear the army helicopters,” he recalled. Soldiers from the air searched the city for angry gangs. For the first time in Minnesota history, the 7,000 were called up. volunteer soldiers

I decided to leave the house: “We didn’t want to wake up and see the house on fire”

With the reinforcement of the force at the end of the week, the control of the rioters finally began to be revoked. “When we finally focused on how to gather the army, the police, we all saw on Saturday that the gangs were under control.” Firefighters were even helped to catch the fires, “Ž.Norvilaitė-Petersen said.

Still unsure if the unrest could not occur until her district, Ž.Norvilaitė-Petersen’s family left home on Saturday, staying with Lithuanian friends further from Minneapolis. He saw the situation worsen every day, and on Saturday morning the governor also warned that maximum gang activity was expected that night.

“We decided we didn’t want to wake up in the middle of the night and see the house catch fire,” the woman explained. – We didn’t know where the gang was going. All kinds of people who don’t live in Minnesota have come here. “

“It just came to our attention then. We carried everything: passports, cash, some clothes and closed the door. We did not know what we would return to after the night,” Ž.Norvilaitė-Petersen recalled.

After spending the night with friends and seeing through the knowledge that officers and soldiers were still successfully dealing with the riots, the family decided to return home. “But that fear, the leap of sound from every door or window that closed, has not yet disappeared,” he admitted.

We did not know what we would return to after the night, – Ž.Norvilaitė-Petersen recalled.

Due to the riots, the curfew was also introduced in the city for a time. Ž.Norvilaitė-Petersen’s family did not change the rhythm of his life, he only realized that it revealed even better how the atmosphere had changed.

“8 p.m. at the start of the curfew, if a car passes, you are already beginning to think: who is driving here? There is anxiety immediately,” he said.

Now the situation in Minnesota seems to be getting worse, and the curfew has also been canceled. According to Ž.Norvilaitė-Petersen, the discomfort is now greater elsewhere in the US. USA “It just came to our attention then. We count everything at night. Everything is fine during the day, only at night, when the sun goes down, we are afraid of what will happen,” said the Lithuanian.

But for several days, there have been no major fires or attacks in the city. There are still protests and rallies in the days, but at first they were as peaceful as they are now.

According to the president of the Minnesota Lithuanian community, Lithuanians or their companies have not been affected by the unrest. Most of them live in the suburbs, on the highway; the situation was observed only from the country. “Only emotionally, morally,” he admitted.

Damage from unclear features to Black Lives Matter movement

Ž.Norvilaitė-Petersen emphasized that there is no need to confuse two groups of people: peaceful protesters, fighters and protesters who rage at night.

“It is very important not to force one,” he emphasized. – Of course, a small part of the same people may be there, but it is now becoming clear that people have come to Minnesota from completely different states, they belong to anarchist groups, alternative anti-states, various groups gathered on digital platforms. They carry weapons everywhere, they want a second civil war, they are a completely unknown group for Minneapolis. “

According to the woman, these newcomers probably saw an opportunity to take advantage of the massive dissatisfaction of citizens and thus achieve their goals. They are also said to have brought explosives to the city, distributed them to the locals, called for an attack on officials, broadcast everything live on Facebook as well, and then simply fled the state.

“I feel sorry for the Black Lives Matter movement, because it is now based on the same aggressive and destructive actions that took place here,” said Ž.Norvilaitė-Petersen. “It must be distinguished: there were peaceful mass protests during the day and what happened at night.”

Inequality, also due to the desire to avoid sensitive issues

“This is a very sensitive issue,” said a Lithuanian when asked about racism in Minnesota. – We do not experience this, because most of the Lithuanians here are white, but this is a very delicate problem. I work in the health system and I see that this inequality, even in terms of access to the health system, to the justice system, is always very clear between the different races. ”

The Minnesota governor requested a thorough and thorough investigation by the police department to help uncover systemic issues of discrimination against blacks.

“But that data is still available now, even journalists have already announced that brutal force is used 6 times more often against a black criminal than against a white,” Ž.Norvilaitė-Petersen said. “It is known and it is very old.”

Another big problem is that the public cannot speak about this problem. “It just came to our attention then. If you are not black, you do not know how to speak or what to do to improve the situation, – said Ž.Norvilaitė-Petersen.” If you are not in his place, it is difficult to understand everything, articulate problems. “

“I can also attribute myself to this group of people. I see bad luck, but I don’t know how to change it, what to bring. Unfortunately, I am only a passive observer, he admitted. “I think there are the majority of these people, and that’s why nothing changes.”

The United States is unique in that regard. It seems to be a country of equal opportunities, but in reality they are very unequal, admitted the Lithuanian.

Although mass protests for racial inequality continued to shake up in the United States, Ž.Norvilaitė-Petersen noted that this time they were distinguished by the reaction of society and institutions. For example, city schools and parks have announced that they are ending cooperation with the Minneapolis Police Department: Private events will be hired for events rather than appealing to the police.

“Organizations are beginning to show their position,” he said. – They say we need a change, and until you change, we don’t want your services. It’s new. “

Protests, he said, can also teach people to talk about sensitive issues, not to avoid painful topics. This can lead to constructive solutions to reduce inequality.

“The United States is unique in that regard. It appears to be an equal opportunity country, but in reality they are very unequal, admitted the Lithuanian.” Both the color of their skin and their zip code often determine their options. “