Harris’s running mate oversaw much of the law enforcement response to this historic period of civil unrest.
    • FuglyDuck@lemmy.worldEnglish
      495·
      3 months ago

      It’s also important to know that he couldn’t legally send in the national guard with out Fry (Minneapolis mayor) declaring an emergency and requesting it. Walz more or less browbeat Fry into getting that; while at the same time ensuring a safe space for legitimate protestors instead of agitators who just wanted to set shit on fire. (right wing terrorists, and anarchists.)

      • idiomaddict@lemmy.world
        231·
        3 months ago

        Just as an aside, most of the anarchists I know are not about property destruction in that type of situation, but instead crowd defense (for example, unarresting and anti tear gas treatments).

        • FuglyDuck@lemmy.worldEnglish
          161·
          3 months ago

          Yup, anarchists come in all sorts of flavors. Reducing them to a single point of view or even political philosophy is folly.

          Most of the agitators we’re from out-of-state and mostly of the militant right variety.

    • mozz@mbin.grits.dev
      28·
      3 months ago

      This quick little one-off:

      Walz would fully mobilize the National Guard, speak with Secretary of Defense Mark Esper and Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley, and acknowledge that the situation had gotten worse because “outside agitators” had entered the region.

      People on the ground at the time were saying that groups of boogaloo boys were driving around all that first night, lighting fires in random places and brandishing rifles at people who tried to stop them. IDK if that never got reported in the news because they couldn’t verify it, or because it wasn’t true, but that’s what people were saying at the time.

  • triptrapper@lemmy.world
    12·
    3 months ago

    I experienced both sides. I was out there protesting every night the first weekend after Floyd was murdered. Friday night the cops and NG were present, but they didn’t intervene and didn’t stop any vandalism. Saturday they set an 8pm curfew and NG started tear-gassing at about 8:15pm. At the time I thought it was despicable that they were gassing even those of us who were marching peacefully. The government can murder people but we can’t walk down the street in protest?

    Then I went to work on Monday (I was leading therapy groups with teens) and they were saying they felt scared all the time. Humvees on their street, gunshots, fires, people screaming, talk of civil war. Then I understood why Walz was saying, “The people of Minneapolis deserve to feel safe.” The protests continued during the day, and at the provocateurs couldn’t hide in a crowd of 50,000 people.

    Over time I’ve come to think that Walz couldn’t have had a better response to what happened, and he was willing to be the bad guy. Jacob Frey was a scared little boy the entire time (still is) and had no fucking clue what he was doing (still doesn’t) without Walz.