- “We Are In A Position Of Strength Tonight”
- State Patrol Moves In To Guard 5th Precinct In South Minneapolis
- WCCO Photographer Hit By Rubber Bullet, Arrested
- Tear Gas, Rubber Bullets Used To Clear Out Protesters
- Curfew Begins In The Twin Cities
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — Never before has the Minnesota National Guard been fully mobilized to respond to a crisis in the state, but that is what is happening Saturday night, as more aggressive tactics are being used to address the unrest in the Twin Cities following the death of George Floyd.
“Tonight will be different,” Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said Saturday evening, not long before the 8 p.m. curfew was set to begin and all major highways in the Twin Cities closed to traffic for the night.
RELATED: Ex-MPD Officer Charged With Murder In George Floyd’s Death
Several times Saturday, the governor urged Minnesotans to stay home so that Minnesota National Guard soldiers, law enforcement officers and first responders could more easily respond to any looting or fires in the metro. Leaders in the state’s various religious and cultural communities also urged people to obey the curfew, which expires at 6 a.m. Sunday.
RELATED: MnDOT Announces Closures Of I-35W, I-35E, I-94, I-394 & Hwy 55 Beginning 7 p.m. Saturday
“If you are on the street tonight, it is very clear: You are not with us,” Walz said Saturday evening. “You do not share our values. And we will use the full strength of goodness and righteousness to make sure that this ends.”
About a half hour after the curfew started, Minnesota National Guard soldiers began firing tear gas and rubber bullets at the groups of protesters violating the curfew in Minneapolis’ streets. Many protesters ran as law enforcement advanced and nightfall began. One video posted to Twitter showed the citizen soldiers firing tear gas at people sitting on their porch while yelling, “Light ’em up.”
Share widely: National guard and MPD sweeping our residential street. Shooting paint canisters at us on our own front porch. Yelling “light em up” #JusticeForGeorgeFloyd #JusticeForGeorge #BlackLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/bW48imyt55
— Tanya Kerssen (@tkerssen) May 31, 2020
WCCO cameras captured the aggressive tactics near the 5th Precinct in south Minneapolis, where fires burned for blocks on Friday night, and on Nicollet Avenue, just south of downtown. There, WCCO photographer Tom Aviles was hit with a rubber bullet and arrested, although he identified himself as a member of the media, which are not subject to the curfew. Aviles was released from custody shortly before 11 p.m.
The @MnDPS_MSP has arrested @wcco photojournalist Tom Aviles, who clearly identified himself a day after arresting a @CNN crew live on the air. @wccophotogs pic.twitter.com/4fjjAVAnH3
— Guy Still (@mplstvguy) May 31, 2020
President Donald Trump tweeted Saturday night about the deployment of the Minnesota National Guard in the Twin Cities and criticized Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey for not deploying the citizen soldiers earlier. On Saturday, Frey defended the city’s response to the unrest this week, saying that Minneapolis was simply overrun with rioters.
The National Guard has been released in Minneapolis to do the job that the Democrat Mayor couldn’t do. Should have been used 2 days ago & there would not have been damage & Police Headquarters would not have been taken over & ruined. Great job by the National Guard. No games!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 31, 2020
Across Minneapolis and surrounding cities, storefronts boarded up Saturday in anticipation of the fourth night of chaos and violence. Many of the barricaded stores bore spray-painted messages calling for justice for George Floyd, showing support for the protesters. Floyd, a black man, died Monday after a white police officer pressed his knee into his neck for nearly nine minutes. He pleaded with the officer for mercy, repeatedly saying he couldn’t breathe.
Floyd’s death sparked protests across the country over police killings of unarmed black men. In the Twin Cities, many of the protests have been peaceful, including one in south Minneapolis on Saturday afternoon. The last several nights, however, have brought escalating violence, with ransacked gas stations and grocery stores, burned banks and restaurants, torched dumpsters, and explosives thrown at law enforcement officers.
RELATED: Officials Blame Differing Groups Of ‘Outsiders’ For Violence Across U.S.
The rioters are “domestic terrorists,” the governor told reporters Saturday, adding that many of the people arrested so far have been from out of state. Earlier in the day, St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter III said that all the people arrested in the Capital City on Friday were not from Minnesota. He corrected that hours later, noting that some of the rioters were locals.
Derek Chavin, the ex-Minneapolis officer who pressed his knee into Floyd’s neck, was fired Tuesday after cellphone video of fatal encounter spread on social media. On Friday, he was arrested and charged with manslaughter and third-degree murder.
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May 31, 2020 at 10:55AM
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‘We Are In A Position Of Strength Tonight’: Tear Gas, Rubber Bullets Used To Clear Streets - CBS Minnesota
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