Two men who described themselves as ‘armed rednecks’ standing guard outside Minneapolis shops during the George Floyd riots have defended taking the law into their own hands.
Stephen, 35, who did not want to give his surname, told DailyMail.com he took his AR-style pistol to the Lake Street area in south Minneapolis to prevent looting, and protect the mainly peaceful protesters.
Minnesota was wracked with protests on Tuesday and Wednesday night, after the killing on Monday of a black man, George Floyd, by a white police officer.
Michael Solomon, left, and Stephen, centre, with two friends standing guard outside the tobacco shop in southern Minneapolis on Wednesday night, to prevent looting
Protesters in Minneapolis on Wednesday night, when demonstrations against the killing of George Floyd turned violent for the second night in a row. One man died in the chaos
This still image taken from a May 25, 2020, video courtesy of Darnella Frazier via Facebook, shows a Minneapolis, Minnesota, police officer arresting George Floyd on Monday night. Floyd, 46, was killed in the incident. The police officer has been fired from the force
One man was killed in the violence on Wednesday night, reportedly shot dead by a shop owner. The Minneapolis Fire Department said crews responded to around 30 fires along East Lake Street between Wednesday evening and early Thursday morning. Fire vehicles were hit with rocks and other projectiles, but no firefighters were hurt.
Stephen was accompanied by three friends – Michael Solomon, who like Stephen is white, and two African American men he didn’t name.
The four ‘mostly met through recent gun rights rallies,’ Stephen said.
He said they supported the protests that have sprung up in the aftermath of the killing.
But they did not support the looting that some of the protesters engaged in.
Solomon wrote on Facebook asking for advice on equipment, ahead of further protests
Michael Solomon and friends at the protests demanding justice for George Floyd
Solomon and his friends support the protests, but say they are against the looting and rioting
‘We went out for a couple of reasons,’ said Stephen, who spent seven years working as a private security guard.
‘One was recon. This is our state and our metro area. This incident will be heavily spun. So seeing it ourselves made sense.
‘Also we weren’t sure what the intentions of the police were.’
He said he felt they were determined to protect the police precinct where the officers were stationed, at the expense of other buildings in the neighborhood.
He also worried that the police would not be there to protect the non-violent majority of protesters.
‘Lastly, due to the looting and violence to property, if anyone harmed people there would be no help coming.
‘That would also be likely twisted by the police, as the main thrust of the protest.
‘Which would be really wasteful.’
Pedestrians walk past destroyed buildings after looters struck, following a demonstrations over the death of George Floyd. Police in Minnesota have appealed for calm after two nights
Steve Krause, owner of Minnehaha Lake Wine and Spirits for 32 years, surveys the damage left by looters following demonstrations over the death of George Floyd on Wednesday night
Looters in Minneapolis on Wednesday night ransacking shopping centers and stores
Thieves swept the destroyed stores, taking away anything they could on Wednesday night
Stephen, a mixed martial arts fan, describes himself on Facebook as ‘a warrior sage’. He adds: ‘An American patriot, love my nation. I’ll spread hope like fire.’
His page promotes an ‘OTSS War’ – believed to be an acronym for only the strong survive.
He described Tuesday and Wednesday’s riots – his first experience of an uprising – as being ‘a sort of mildly-organized chaos.’
‘It was dark and noisy,’ he said.
‘Lots of breaking glass and just outrageous amounts of broken glass and mass theft.’
Local media captured footage of Stephen and his friends standing outside the GM Tobacco store in a strip mall off Lake Street, close to where a Target store was set on fire.
Stephen explained: ‘We heard from some folks about 40 minutes after getting on site that the tobacco shop was fighting off looters, and so we immediately headed over to assist.
‘One came swinging a hammer at the shop owners vehicles. A local escorted him off before he could make contact with us and pose a threat.
‘The awesome Palestinians who owned the tobacco shop were ready to defend their shop with machetes.’
Fire breaks out on Wednesday night, on the second night of protesting the death of Floyd
A multi-story affordable housing complex under construction near the Third Precinct burns on Wednesday night in Minneapolis – the second night of protests which turned violent
Stephen said they stood guard outside the shop, to the relief of the grateful owner. Other shop owners in the area had already abandoned their stores.
‘Sam, the owner, immediately gave us water and smokes for free,’ he said.
‘We exchanged numbers, he thanked me profusely for all our help.’
Both Stephen and Solomon have been described on social media as ‘boogaloo boys’ – boogaloo being slang for a civil war.
On Facebook Solomon ‘likes’ pages including Vigilante Arms, Vigilantes for Children, The New Sons of Liberty, Make America Full Auto Again, and Boogaloo Network.
On Thursday afternoon Solomon was appealing on social media for someone to lend him their body armor, saying that he intended to be on the streets again on Thursday night.
‘Hey y’all I need plates and a carrier, I know I’m gonna be a Target,’ he wrote.
‘Help me out and link me to good deals and stuff. I don’t have much but I’m trying to make sure I’m covered.’
But Stephen insisted they were not extremists, and rejected the word vigilante.
‘There’s no vigilanteism in defending the innocent for free, where the police and first responders cannot or refuse to go,’ he said.