When is Daunte Wright's funeral? Minnesota Freedom Fighters stand guard as his mother strokes his hair at wake
Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old, was killed, April 11, after he was stopped at a traffic stop by a cop who mistook her gun for a taser. The death of this young man resulted in demonstrators taking to the street for a week at which time more than 130 people were arrested. In the early hours of Sunday, April 18, two members of the National Guard who were patrolling the area, also happened to be lightly wounded in a drive-by shooting.
On the eve of Wright's funeral, April 21, the Minnesota Freedom Fighters, identified by their yellow patches and their assault weapons stood guard outside the Shiloh Temple International Ministries. This was where the visitation for Wright was held on Wednesday. The group was formed last year at which time they had stood guard to provide security in Minneapolis' north side neighborhoods during unrest following the death of George Floyd.
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Daunte Wright's funeral is to be held on Thursday, April 22, and Reverend Al Sharpton who delivered the eulogy at George Floyd's funeral last year will also deliver the eulogy. Ahead of the funeral, during the visitation, that was held on Wednesday, Wright was laid in a white, open casket. This was covered in red roses, with a large screen behind him which showed videos and pictures of his family and friends.
His aunt Kristie Bryant said that "It's horrible. I feel sadness. I feel like my heart was tore out of my chest," as she viewed his casket. Wright's mother Katie Wright was spotted stroking her son's head as she stood by his casket along with Sharpton. It had been revealed that Wright called her moments before he was shot and killed, and had asked his mother for advice on how to handle the situation.
The viewing saw mourners gather at the Shiloh Temple to view the body of Wright. This public viewing took place a day after the verdict was passed in the case of Derek Chauvin on Tuesday, April 20. According to Star Tribune, Sharpton spoke about the verdict and said, "People celebrated all over the country." He also added, "As I was crying, the thing that bothered me was right down the road was Daunte Wright. … Don't tell us what you did for George Floyd and ignore what happened to Daunte Wright. … We're going to get Wright right in Minnesota."
Wright died on April 11 after he was stopped for driving with expired tags. He is survived by a two-year-old son. His aunt also opened a GoFundMe page which requested support for Wright's girlfriend Chyna Whitaker. The page says, "All funds raised through this site will go towards covering funeral and burial expenses, mental health and grief counseling for Daunte's family, to help the Wright family in their fight for justice, and to provide support for family. 100% of the funds raised on this site will go to the Wright family. NO PART OF THESE FUNDS WILL BE USED TOWARDS LEGAL FEES. The road to justice is very long, and the Wright family will not let what happened to Daunte be forgotten. The officer(s) who took his life must be held responsible." Of the $1,000,000 goal, at the time of writing, $969,472 had been met.