Anonymous Reemerges After Minneapolis Police Department's Website Crashes

As anticipated in the thick of a tumultuous humanitarian crisis, activist hacker group Anonymous is rearing its head during the current uprisings.

On Saturday, the internet discovered that the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) website was taken offline. Although the group didn't take direct responsibility for the act, an account associated with Anonymous revealed that the site was disabled. 

The site disabling came after a video in which Anonymous directly addressed the killing of George Floyd as well as threatening to "expose [MPD's] many crimes to the world."

"Police brutality and murder is a widespread problem in the United States, which has undoubtedly infected nearly every jurisdiction in the country. But, the Minneapolis police department is among the worst and has a horrible track record of violence and corruption," the figure in the Facebook video said. "This week’s brutal killing of George Floyd, which has sparked protests and national outrage, is just the tip of the iceberg in a long list of high profile cases of wrongful deaths at the hands of officers in your state."

Anonymous goes on to point out that over 190 people have been killed by Minnesota police officers—including Jamar Clark, Philando Castle, Justine Damond, Thomas Blevines, and Brian Quinones. The hackers allude to more cases that have been swept under the rug by officials. 

"These are only the cases that caught headlines, where videos and other evidence prove that the police are lying," the video continues. "You may have fired the officer to save face, but it is obvious that this type of behavior is condoned, if not encouraged in your department, as it is in others. Officers who kill people and commit other crimes need to be held accountable just like the rest of us; otherwise, they will believe they have the license to do whatever they want."

The video finished with a message that the government-sanctioned system of policing has carried out corruption and oppression for far too long and "the world is finally starting to wake up to this." The Anonymous speaker directly called out Derek Chauvin, the officer currently charged with the murder of George Floyd, and left off with a warning to the department.

"Unfortunately, we do not trust your corrupt organization to carry out justice," the speaker said. "So we will be exposing your many crimes to the world. We are Legion. Expect us."