Users on social media are mislabeling video and photographs of a housing complex in flames during the protests in Minneapolis. Users are misleadingly claiming the footage shows a police station, which was also set on fire during the protests, but the building in question is an apartment complex that was under construction.
A post with the misleading claim reads: “#GeorgeFloyd the police station where officer was based burnt to the ground. One corrupt racist Police officer causes this. #Minneapolisprotests #BlackLivesMatter #JusticeForGeorgeFloyd” ( here ). Other examples of the posts are visible here and here .
The footage in these posts shows an apartment building under construction located at the corner of E 29th St and 26th Ave S in Minneapolis, next to a 7-Sigma Inc building (this building is visible on Google maps, but the complex set on fire was yet to begin construction bit.ly/36IolCi ). The Star Tribune reported the 189 unit complex was to be a six-story “affordable housing development” ( strib.mn/2McjoZ7 ).
Other angles of this fire circulating online (see here , here ) match up to scenes on Google Maps, albeit prior to the apartment complex being built (goo.gl/maps/VwYRxBgYT57yZ2Cd7 and goo.gl/maps/4viKsg77GzLYqSwc7 )
The Third Precinct is located a short distance from the apartment complex in these posts ( goo.gl/maps/Wk6P4DxNgJt7T9y98 ). It also was set on fire during the protests, visible in images reut.rs/2ZQH25E and here .
Protests erupted in Minneapolis this week over the death of George Floyd on Monday, May 25. Floyd, 46, was seen in a widely circulated video, lying face down and handcuffed by police, groaning for help and repeatedly saying, “please, I can’t breathe,” before growing motionless ( here ).
VERDICT
Partly false. Photos and videos show apartment building in flames during Minneapolis protests, not police station.
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