After the death of George Floyd at the hands of police, protests erupted across America. While most were peaceful, Minneapolis and its sister city, St. Paul, were racked with looting, arson, and violence. Protestors burned entire city blocks to the ground in a bid to have their voices heard.
Governor Tim Walz‘s response to the tragedy and the ensuing chaos has largely been praised in the years since Floyd’s murder, but as he and Kamala Harris prove to be a likable and competent ticket, the opposite is throwing everything at the wall, hoping something will stick. Their current targets range from his military history to, of course, how he handled the tumultuous weeks.
George Floyd’s murder and Walz’s initial response
In May 2020, George Floyd, an African American man, was murdered by a white police officer in Minneapolis Minnesota. Floyd was suspected of using a fake $20 bill, prompting the clerk to call the police. Derek Chauvin, one of four officers on the scene, knelt on Floyd’s neck for 9 minutes and 29 seconds, slowly asphyxiating him to death. Before he died, Floyd attempted to get the officer’s attention to his distress, repeatedly telling them, “I can’t breathe.”
Floyd’s final words became a rallying cry as demonstrations against police cruelty – which impacts Black Americans at a disproportionate rate – kicked off across the globe. Protests unlike anything the city had ever seen before began in Minneapolis the day after his murder. Two people were killed, more than 600 arrests were made, and hundreds of millions in damages were reported across Minnesota.
The unrest rapidly overpowered local police prompting Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey to request National Guard support within two days of the murder. The same day the police chief requested 600 more soldiers after the force had “expended all available resources,” according to BBC. It was the largest deployment of Minnesota’s National Guardsmen since World War II.
When the police station where Chauvin worked was burned down, Walz requested for the chaos to calm down and asked his constituents to help rebuild the trust between the community and law enforcement.
“Our community, especially our black community, is hurting beyond words. Minneapolis and St. Paul are on fire. The fire is still smoldering in our streets. The ashes are symbolic of decades and generations of pain and anguish unheard.”
The following day, the National Guard took over the response as Walz called for an end to the “looting and recklessness,” saying it “took away the attention from the stain we need to be working on.”
State Republicans, who controlled the Minnesota Senate at the time, declared that Walz “had the ability and duty to use force and law enforcement to stop violence, but he did not.” Despite State Republicans slamming his response and several Tweets from then-President Donald Trump calling the protestors, “Thugs” and saying “When the looting starts, the shooting starts,” the ex-POTUS also heaped praise on Walz, saying he was “very happy with the last couple of days.”
The aftermath of George Floyd’s murder and Tim Walz’s response
Inquiries into the events showed a clear communication breakdown occurred. Rather than use proper channels, Frey reached out to Walz directly and failed to provide information, according to a report assembled by the city of Minneapolis. However, Frey has defended Walz since, calling him “an excellent governor.”
“During one of the city’s most difficult moments, we collectively tried our best to navigate unprecedented times and do so quickly,” Frey told the BBC. The mayor, who won his 2021 reelection campaign, has fully thrown his weight behind the potential VP.
Walz has defended his administration’s efforts, despite calling the response an “abject failure.” “Decisions were made in a situation… And I simply believe that we tried to do the best we can in each of those,” he added, Despite Walz seeing the response as a failure, leaders of the black community have praised his handling of the situation, lauding his focus on the police brutality and social justice that spurred the protests to begin with.
In the aftermath, Walz’s restraint has been highly commended. We’ll never know what could have happened if force had been the city’s response, but it’s terrifying to wonder what an escalated situation might have looked like. Doubtless, an aggressive response would have added kerosene to the fire.
According to The Pioneer Press, addressing racial inequalities has been a priority for the State’s Democrats in recent years, and Walz’s commitment shines through his words. Speaking to the paper a year after the riots Walz openly reflected on the aftermath and accepted that the state has failed the black community as “there’s folks that maybe just don’t feel safe.”
The idea that his constituents don’t deem themselves safe in the place they call home was disturbing to the Governor and it was “not just our reputation” he was concerned about. Walz had “tried to think about” the racial disparities and sense of injustice in the black community from an economic standpoint before the murder, but Floyd’s death opened his eyes to the systemic issues in both his personal and professional life.
“There’s the human side of me and then there’s the manifestation of the state. For me, I was ashamed that this happened, more committed than ever that we have to fix it, but a realization that this is hard. This is gonna be really hard. But it has to be fixed.”
Walz campaigned on the idea of a united Minnesota — “One Minnesota” — but according to his black constituents, it’s not a reality they can live in. “A lot of those folks talked to me about ‘One Minnesota,’ and they say they really want that, but it isn’t true. It isn’t true right now.”
It remains to be seen what may or may not happen if the Harris-Walz team does win the upcoming election and whether his newfound power in the future will play a factor in fulfilling the promises he made.
Published: Aug 8, 2024 02:52 pm