Brooklyn Center, other metro cities declaring Wednesday curfews, but not Minneapolis and St. Paul

Brooklyn Center and a handful of other metro suburbs again are declaring curfews Wednesday in the wake of three nights of unrest following the Sunday killing of Daunte Wright, who was shot by a police officer in Brooklyn Center.

Brooklyn Center and adjacent Brooklyn Park will have a curfew from 10 p.m. Wednesday through 6 a.m. Thursday.

However, officials in both Minneapolis and St. Paul said they did not plan to impose another curfew Wednesday night.

Champlin — home to ex-officer Kimberly Potter, who was charged Wednesday with manslaughter in the case — announced that a curfew will begin at 9 p.m. Wednesday and end at 6 a.m. Thursday.

Some Champlin residents received letters Tuesday saying that police were "anticipating possible protest activity in your area for the next several days."

The cities of Columbia Heights, Crystal, Maple Grove and New Hope won't be imposing curfews Wednesday, according to people who answered the phones in those cities or posted on their official social media channels

Local activists and some leaders have called on cities to stop issuing curfews.

In a tweet Wednesday, St. Paul City Council Member Mitra Jalali said: "No more curfews. Call off Operation Safety Net. The police and National Guard are not the answer. What's happening to our community in the name of law, order, and even our own pain (the most galling stated justification of all), is unacceptable."

Operation Safety Net is the name given to a collection of state and local officials who are coordinating security efforts surrounding the court proceedings for ex-police officer Derek Chauvin, whose murder trial in the death of George Floyd is underway in downtown Minneapolis.

Operation Safety Net leaders intended to increase their staffing when closing arguments began in Chauvin's trial, but accelerated those plans after Wright's death prompted protests and later rioting in Brooklyn Center and surrounding areas.

Some activists and local leaders have questioned why police have chosen to use tear gas and flash-bang grenades on crowds gathered for protest. Law enforcement leaders have said their officers were struck by objects such as water bottles.

Operation Safety Net officials said that 79 people were arrested Tuesday on charges ranging from inciting rioting to unlawful assembly. Of those arrests, 73 were made by the State Patrol, five by Minneapolis police and one by the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office.

Staff writers Katie Galioto and Nicole Norfleet contributed to this report.

Liz Navratil • 612-673-4994