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What Happened to the People Who Set Fire to the Minneapolis Police Station?
Note: this story was updated on November 21, 2021 to reflect the final outcome of each trial.
In the wake of the unprecedented mob assault on the United States Capitol on January 6th, many are thinking about other mob actions that have taken place over the last year.
The media and legal experts speculate that some of the Capitol mob will face federal charges and could get more than 10 years in prison depending on the charges. Undoubtedly, there will be questions about the application of criminal justice on the perpetrators of mob violence, trespassing and property destruction. Is justice applied fairly between mobs claiming to represent different ideologies? Are right-wing mobs singled out unfairly when compared to mobs of the left, anarchists or run-of-the-mill opportunistic looters?
Note that my use of the word “mob” refers to those who engaged in actual crimes against life or property as part of a group. I am not referring to the vast majority of people who protested peacefully in the various scenarios. Yes, that includes the majority of Trump-supporting rally-goers who did not storm the Capitol.
Let’s revisit one major mob assault to see what happened in the aftermath.
