I should probably blog about this differently, because it really isn't about the virus, but the social unrest is undoubtedly exacerbated by the social distancing, and it certainly impacts our reaction.

Overnight the protest turned into rioting and looting. The 3^rd Precinct police station was abandoned as protesters broke in and set fires. And more businesses were broken into and looted.

We woke to news that reporters were being arrested, albeit very briefly. Protests were also turning into riots in other cities. This was in the news before, but it was more protest and less riot.

The governor came on television and gave his opinion on the murder that instigated this, a reasonable ask for calm patience while the law pieces fell into place, and a demand for a return to civility. He noted that the preparations at the state level were there for the mayors and civil leaders to leverage, but none had. He declared a state of emergency, took over managing the safety of citizens and property, and mandated a curfew to keep the protesters at home.

At 8PM, the curfew went into effect. Crowds still gathered.

The news I watched started with an apparent bonfire on a freeway interchange. That crowd abruptly left and joined another at the 5^th Precinct, just south of Downtown. There the news feed showed looters breaking into a convenience store. Then a bank was lit on fire. Eventually a post office and neighborhood restaurant were ablaze. Another restaurant on fire in another part of the city was also covered by the news.

The talking heads on the news kept wondering where the police are. The 5^th Precinct seemed abandoned already, although surrounded by concrete barricades and fences.

Just before I turned in, the news man started sharing the abundance of police and Minnesota National Guard approaching the intersection where the police station protesters stood. Within minutes, the crowd scattered, with tear gas and flash grenades leading the way.

Thankfully, this is all far from our home.

The rest of the day was pretty normal. Work, lunch, nap. I cut out of work a little early, keeping up just in instant messaging. It was the daughter's last day of school meetings, so she had some farewell sessions. We tried relaxing, but both of the adults were a bit into recovering from the news, and then all of that happened after putting the kids to bed.

Everyone is healthy.