By T. Jayani, JadeTimes News
Republicans have intensified their criticism of Minnesota Governor Tim Walz regarding his response to the mass protests that erupted after the 2020 police killing of George Floyd. As Walz launches his campaign as Kamala Harris's vice-presidential running mate, detractors claim he mishandled the situation by delaying the deployment of the National Guard. During the protests, two people were killed, over 600 were arrested, and hundreds of millions of dollars in damages were incurred across Minnesota.
Governor Walz recently defended his actions, stating that his administration did its best in a challenging situation. Floyd's death at the hands of Derek Chauvin, a white Minneapolis police officer, ignited days of protests, some escalating into riots and looting. The unrest quickly overwhelmed local authorities, leading Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey to request National Guard deployment two days after Floyd's death on May 25, 2020. A written request for 600 troops followed shortly after from the city's police chief.
Walz did not sign an executive order to activate Minnesota's National Guard until May 28, citing extensive property damage and dangerous conditions for protesters and first responders. Although some troops were deployed that night to protect federal buildings, they could not prevent riots, including the burning of a local police station. An unnamed local official, in a review prepared for Minnesota's Department of Public Safety in 2022, said, "We were abandoned. By the time the National Guard came, mostly everything had quieted down." A separate report by the Republican controlled Minnesota Senate in October 2020 criticized Walz, stating he failed to use force and law enforcement to stop the violence.
The criticism has resurfaced following Walz's announcement as Harris's running mate. At a rally shortly after the news, Republican vice-presidential hopeful JD Vance questioned whether black business owners in Minneapolis appreciated Walz's actions, implying he allowed rioters to destroy their businesses. The BBC reached out to the governor's office for comment. Walz defended his actions, explaining that the city's mayor did not provide adequate information for deploying the troops at the time. "Decisions were made in a situation that is what it is," Walz said at a recent news conference. "And I simply believe that we tried to do the best we can in each of those."
Experts note the situation on the ground in May 2020 was complex and confusing. Duchess Harris, a professor at Minnesota's Macalester College, explained that Minneapolis city leaders were unfamiliar with the process for requesting National Guard assistance. "It was unprecedented," Harris said. Several after action assessments highlighted communication breakdowns between city and state officials. One review by the city of Minneapolis in 2020 found that city officials bypassed proper channels and contacted Walz directly for troop deployment. Harris, appointed by Walz to Minnesota's board of public defense, noted that as a 24 year National Guard veteran, Walz pressed the Minneapolis mayor for details, fulfilling his role.
The activation of Minnesota's National Guard during the protests was the largest since World War II. At the time, then President Trump reportedly approved of Walz's handling of the protests, according to a recording obtained us. In a June 1, 2020, call, Trump praised Walz's leadership, stating, "You called up big numbers and the big numbers knocked them out so fast it was like bowling pins."
Michelle Phelps, a sociology professor at the University of Minnesota, suggested that a more forceful response could have backfired. "There's a vision in which if we had had a more conservative governor that escalated the state response in the way that President Trump wanted, we would have seen more violence and more destruction," she said. Some advocates, including civil rights leader Al Sharpton, praised Walz's handling of the aftermath and credited him for addressing social justice and police brutality issues.
Walz was re-elected as Minnesota's governor in 2022, two years after the protests. While both Harris and Phelps expect Republicans to continue attacking Walz's protest response, they believe it won't be a significant political liability for him among undecided voters. "It's not surprising that Republicans are using this line of attack. It highlights that there are just not that many weaknesses of Walz to attack," Phelps said. "I don't think it's going to be particularly effective or decisive," she added.
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