Vehicle hits protesters in Uptown Minneapolis, killing one

Editor's note: This is an overnight breaking news update of Sunday's story about the social justice battle that has emerged in Uptown Minneapolis. The current live version of the story is here.

A woman was killed and two others were injured after being struck by a car during a protest in Uptown on Sunday night, the Minneapolis Police Department said early Monday morning.

Police said the suspect was pulled from his car by protesters after the 11:39 p.m. crash and is now in custody and being treated for injuries at a hospital. Police did not say how the man was hurt or give the extent of his injuries. The man's motive was not immediately known.

There had been ongoing protests in Uptown after the shooting June 3 of Winston Boogie Smith Jr., a 32-year-old father of three.

A social justice battle is being waged particularly in an Uptown Minneapolis alley, again and again and again.

The entry lane to the parking garage where Smith was killed by a law enforcement task force has been painted and repainted at least five times in the past week as activists and the property owner strive for the last word.

Meanwhile, as residents of the area hope for peace, a high-profile business announced Sunday that it's pulling out of Uptown after 35 years, citing concerns about crime and social unrest. Juut Salon Spa, a fixture at the corner of Hennepin Avenue and Lake Street, posted the news on its Facebook page.

"It has become more and more evident that Uptown continues to struggle with store closings, social unrest, crime and street closures," it read. "We would be heartbroken if anything were to happen to our team members or clients. With that at the forefront, we made this difficult decision."

Smith was killed June 3 after police surrounded him on the top floor of the parking garage at Seven Points, the shopping mall formerly known as Calhoun Square. Authorities say he fired a gun from his vehicle as the task force tried to arrest him on a warrant from Ramsey County for being a felon in possession of a gun.

The woman who was in Smith's vehicle at the time said she never saw Smith with a weapon, her attorneys said last week. Authorities have said that no body or dash camera or surveillance footage is available in the case.

His death, coming on the heels of other high-profile killings of Black men by police, sparked several nights of protests.

It also prompted activists to paint the alley red last week, with the message, "Blood on their hands." Then Marvin Applewhite, a Minneapolis resident who leads a crew of young people removing graffiti in the city, washed off the red paint and helped others paint the alley rainbow colors.

Activists then painted it red again, according to Terri Solinger, who's been watching it all from her home in the Walkway apartment building across the street. On Saturday, a crew — it's uncertain whether it was working for the city or Seven Points — painted it light gray.

And on Saturday evening, activists painted it red again with the words "Stop the cover up."

Painting over the rainbow during Pride Month upset some members of the gay community, who took it as an insult and vented about it on social media. But Solinger, who is gay, said that's not the case.

"It wasn't about being mad at gay people," she said. "They just want it red. It's important to them." Solinger, who is in her 50s, expressed concerns about what she called the changing character of Uptown. In addition to Juut closing, another local landmark, the Uptown Theatre, recently announced it would be moving out of the iconic building it's occupied since 1939.

"Am I worried that this is an area that's going to go into the swamps? Yes," she said. There are too many bars, she added, saying the area needs more businesses like Lucia's, a popular restaurant that closed four years ago.

Applewhite said activists are striking back at the wrong people by painting on buildings and other property. Graffiti, he said Sunday, "is a form of bullying.

"If you're gonna paint something, paint a red floor at the U.S. Marshals' building. But they're too intimidated to do that," he said. Applewhite added that he doesn't have "a beef" with anyone.

"I'm just trying to help the neighborhood look better," he said. "These buildings got nothing to do with the killing. I was out here [removing graffiti] before all this happened.

"I'm not the enemy. I'm just a guy who's trying to keep it clean."

Early Sunday afternoon, Shivon Terry-Maxwell stopped at the parking garage and said a prayer, something she's done every day since Smith's killing.

"We need peace and harmony," said Terry-Maxwell, who lives in Brooklyn Center. "Calm down. Leave Uptown alone." She suggested turning the parking garage's top floor into a memorial like the ones that have gone up at George Floyd Square at Chicago Avenue and E. 38th Street.

It looks as if the paint battle may be at an end, or at least under a truce. Applewhite said he talked to Seven Points' property manager, who said they "don't want to bother with it anymore."

Staff writer Vince Tuss and the Associated Press contributed to this report.