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'We need to make active change': West Michigan native protests George Floyd's death in Minnesota

Tony Preston was one of many protesters tear-gassed by police in Minneapolis.

MINNEAPOLIS — A man from the Grand Rapids area joined protests Wednesday, May 27 in Minnesota, where a black man died earlier this week after a police officer held him down with a knee to his throat.

"I wanted to go for myself and stand in solidarity with all of my brothers and sisters in the black community," said Tony Preston, who grew up in Plainfield Township and now lives in St. Paul, Minn. "[I had] a responsibility to take my white privilege and say, 'This isn't right.'"

Minneapolis firefighters responded to over two dozen fires on the second night of protests following George Floyd's death during an attempted arrest. Several businesses were looted as demonstrations turned chaotic. 

RELATED: Walz activates MN National Guard as George Floyd protests escalate in Minneapolis

"If they're truly there to honor the memory of the decedent and the family, this isn't how you do it," said John Elder, director of communications for the Minneapolis Police Department, at a press conference. 

"Many of the protesters outside the 3rd Precinct police station stood or sat peacefully to protest before police used tear gas," Preston said.

"It was almost like we were in this little utopian bubble because it was so peaceful, and you had the chaos surrounding us on every single side," he said. "[Then], out of nowhere comes this tear gas thrown at us, and it just kind of hits as a surprise."

Governor Tim Walz activated the Minnesota National Guard Thursday to assist law enforcement during the protests. 

"It is time to rebuild," Walz said on Twitter. "Rebuild the city, rebuild our justice system and rebuild the relationship between law enforcement and those they're charged to protect."

People need to actively work to make change that stops this cycle of injustice towards the black community, Preston said. 

"So many of us walk freely without thinking about the privilege that we have to...not worry about being pinned down so long that we lose our air and that we suffocate," he said. "It starts with advocacy and saying, 'Im going to make a change.'"

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