The courthouse where Derek Chauvin will be tried for murdering George Floyd looks like the same fortress that's around The U.S. Capitol right now ... heavily reinforced to block out the general public.
Construction crews have been hard at work over the past week fortifying downtown Minneapolis with de facto forcefields, including areas where protests and unrest are expected as Chauvin's murder trial gets underway in the coming weeks.
The blockade's going up around the Hennepin County Courthouse, the Minneapolis City Hall building and the Hennepin County Jail -- and it includes concrete barriers, non-scalable fencing and barbed wire down below.
The precautions aren't too surprising considering the City Council just carved out a piece of their budget to hire 6 social media influencers to help spread their message during the trial as well.
City Council members say it's only meant to help spread information more readily and to as many people as possible, but many see it as a PR tactic to help control the narrative.
As for the new exterior look -- we know that's not the only thing that'll be different in this case. The inside of the courthouse got a COVID-safety facelift that includes lots of plexiglass installments.
1ST LOOK: #GeorgeFloyd courtroom built on the 18th floor of the Henn Co Govt Center specifically for this case. Plexiglass dividers, spaced out seating, hand sanitizer dispensers. Derek Chauvin scheduled to go on trial for murder here 3/8. Cameras inside for whole thing. @FOX9 pic.twitter.com/mgVS5tEdV9
— Paul Blume (@PaulBlume_FOX9) February 18, 2021
Jury selection is set to begin March 8, and opening arguments are expected toward the end of the month.