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The Club PUBlication 08/26/2024

8/26/2024

How 2020 riots, Walz’s response unfolded

Minneapolis Police Department's third precinct station on fire the night of May 28, 2020.

Actions of Minneapolis, state criticized in reports.
By ANDY MANNIX and LIZ SAWYER • Star Tribune staff

Soon after news broke that Tim Walz would join the Democratic ticket as a prospective vice president, his opponents coalesced on what they see as a major weak spot in the governor's record: his response to the 2020 Minneapolis riots.

His Republican rival, JD Vance, told crowds that Walz "let rioters burn down Minneapolis."

The sound bite appeared in a new campaign ad for Donald Trump's ticket, cut over footage of rampant fires and looting, followed by more claims on social media that Walz "was nowhere to be found" during the civil unrest.

Walz was a little more than a year into his first term as governor when Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin murdered George Floyd, and video of the fatal encounter ignited five days of protests that evolved into riots. The unrest caused an estimated $500 million in damages to Twin Cities buildings, culminating on May 28 with the torching of Minneapolis' Third Precinct police station.

Walz ultimately imposed a citywide curfew and deployed the Minnesota National Guard; soldiers and other law enforcement snuffed out most of the violence by May 30.

In the four years since, politicians in Minnesota have debated whether the Guard should have been deployed earlier and have traded blame as to who is at fault for allowing the situation to spiral out of control.

Through videos, interviews, data requests, city and state investigative reports and other public documents, the Star Tribune has pieced together a timeline of Walz's response to the riots. It began with a promise to protect the rights of peaceful protesters, then turned to pleas for them to go home amid destructive demonstrations, and ended with Walz blaming leadership in Minneapolis City Hall for their "abject failure" to suppress heavy looting and arson.

Walz did not respond to requests for comment for this story.

May 27: Outrage prompts widespread unrest
Walz held his first news conference about 48 hours after Floyd's killing, promising that the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension would investigate and expressing a desire for a federal civil rights probe. Chauvin and the other three officers had already been fired.

The night before, thousands had marched from the location of Floyd's death to the Third Precinct on E. Lake Street. The protesters had been mostly peaceful, though some had broken windows at the police station and in squad cars. Minneapolis police responded by shooting rubber-coated bullets and chemical irritants indiscriminately into the crowd without issuing any official dispersal order, and some threw rocks back at them.

Walz said he shared the "urge of just a primal scream" watching the bystander video, and that protesting is "how people express their pain, process tragedy and work to create change."

"I would encourage them to do so with a mask, to socially distance," he said. "We certainly don't want to see things turn violent in any way, but I also think this is a pretty normal response."

Later that evening, looters broke into a Target store across the street from the precinct.

Mayor Jacob Frey called Walz about 6:30 p.m. to ask that he send in the National Guard.

"We expressed the seriousness of the situation. The urgency was clear," Frey told the Star Tribune in 2020. "He said he would consider it."

At 8:13 p.m., Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo forwarded an email to Minnesota Public Safety Commissioner John Harrington asking for the Guard and providing mission plan details. "MPD has expended all available resources," the email said, including assistance from surrounding law enforcement agencies.

That night, rioters set ablaze an AutoZone across the street from the precinct and destroyed other buildings.

Walz tweeted that the area near the precinct had become "extremely dangerous."

"For everyone's safety, please leave the area and allow firefighters and paramedics to get to the scene."

May 28: Assault on Third Precinct station
U.S. Gen. Joseph L. Lengyel of the National Guard warned two of the highest-ranking officials at the Pentagon that the situation in Minneapolis was about to get a lot worse.

Lengyel said the Minnesota National Guard was expecting up to 75,000 people to descend on the city that weekend, in emails to Deputy Secretary of Defense David Norquist and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley. The Guard had 200 military police officers standing by to assist.

"They are prepared to be armed should MPD and the governor request it," Lengyel wrote, in emails obtained by the Star Tribune through a Freedom of Information Act request.

State Adjutant General Jon Jensen followed up an hour later with more details, saying he expected a "late afternoon" deployment. Walz activated the Guard at 2:30 p.m. and declared a peacetime emergency. The Guard was given missions to support the Minneapolis Fire Department, St. Paul critical infrastructure and the State Capitol complex.

Crowds were far smaller than expected that night but still overwhelmed the law enforcement response. Police surrendered the Third Precinct about 10 p.m. It was soon breached by a man with a Molotov cocktail, and by midnight the south Minneapolis police station was engulfed in an inferno.

May 29: Guard mission expands
About 12:15 a.m. Friday, Walz authorized a new mission for the Guard at the Third Precinct.

By the time the soldiers arrived, about 3:45 a.m., the building had been burning for hours.

Jensen said the delay also came from lack of information, such as details related to equipment for the mission, and he was concerned about soldiers moving into an unfamiliar area in the darkness.

Walz said "there's an argument to be made" that adding soldiers to a protest over police brutality could be a "catalyst" in the situation, and he was trying to strike the right balance.

"You will not see that tonight," he said, vowing to restore order heading into the weekend. "There will be no lack of leadership, and there will be no lack of response on the table."

"I will assume responsibility if the issue was the state should have moved faster — that is on me."

Yet, arson, looting and violence continued in parts of the city that night, forcing residents to flee their homes or douse flames with buckets of water and garden hoses.

May 30: Soldiers across the Twin Cities
Shellshocked residents held meetings Saturday in city parks and at neighborhood intersections, sharing safety tips and organizing patrols to protect their own homes.

A somber Walz struck a new tone at his news conference: "The situation in Minneapolis is no longer in any way about George Floyd."

That night, several thousand National Guard soldiers dispersed across the Twin Cities to try to restore order. MPD and the State Patrol clamped down on anyone out past curfew, firing rubber-coated bullets and tear gas and making mass arrests. The use of force targeting journalists led to several major lawsuits and expensive settlements.

Walz hailed a night of fragile peace in Minneapolis, following what he called "the most complex public safety operation in our state's history."
The aftermath

On June 1,
Trump privately praised Walz's response to the riots, saying on a call to governors that Walz "dominated" the situation and that other states should follow his example, according to audio obtained by ABC last week.

"I was very happy with the last couple of days, Tim," Trump said. "You called up big numbers and the big numbers knocked them out so fast it was like bowling pins."

Meanwhile, Minnesota Senate Republicans released a scathing report accusing the governor and other elected officials of being too sympathetic to the plight of the protesters, "causing them to lose sight of their responsibility to protect the public from criminal acts committed during the riots."

The city and state each commissioned independent after action reports. They identified a breakdown in communication, including Minneapolis failing to enact its emergency planning protocols.

Neither points to Walz — or any other individual — as being solely responsible.

Staff writer Abby Simons contributed to this report.
Andy Mannixl; 612-673-4036 Liz Sawyer; 612-673-4648

The Club PUBlication 08/12/2024

8/12/2024

Stranger gives car to arson victim

By SYDNEY PAGE Washington Post

Carla Bannister was startled awake at 4:30 a.m. by police knocking on her front door. They told her that her car was on fire.

"I was terrified. I was discombobulated," said Bannister, 38, who lives in Cincinnati with her 4-year-old twin daughters.

Surveillance footage from her apartment building showed that someone intentionally torched her 2007 Chevrolet Traverse in the parking lot on the morning of July 9.

"This is definitely not a common thing that occurs in our area," said Nicco Gumino, a detective with the Woodlawn Police Department who is working on the case.

"You can see him lighting something on fire, throwing it into the vehicle, and it just ignited," Gumino said.

The arson incident is still under investigation. Bannister said she has no idea who targeted her car or why someone would do this to her.
"I'm not a mean person or an evil person, so I don't have anybody that I would suspect that would do this to me," said Bannister, who is a manager at a local business.

Bannister was worried about what she would do without a car. She has car insurance, but not full coverage. Her insurance company is assessing the damage.

In the meantime, Bannister had no way of driving her daughters to day care or getting herself to work.

"I was overwhelmed and just at a loss," she said.

Then a total stranger showed up with a stunning offer: Jim Davenport wanted to give Bannister his old vehicle.

"She needed the car more than I did," said Davenport, 67.

Davenport — who bought a new car for himself last December — saw a TV news report about Bannister's car and was disgusted by what happened to her.

"Everything in life comes full circle, and this guy will get what's coming to him," he said. "It's just a matter of time."

Aside from some dents and dings in his old vehicle, "it's a great running car," he said.

"I felt bad for what happened to her," said Davenport, who works as a security guard. "I figured, why not bless her with a car?"

He went to the police station in an effort to track her down, and officials contacted Bannister to let her know that someone wanted to give her their old car.

"I was in awe," Bannister said. "There are good people in the world."
Davenport met Bannister at the police station July 12 to give her the car.

"He handed me the keys and told me where to go to get the title," said Bannister, who requested that the make of the vehicle not be disclosed because she is concerned about someone targeting her again.

After such a frightening event, Bannister said, meeting Davenport helped restore her faith in humanity.

"He's a very nice man, a very genuine-hearted person," she said.

Davenport has esophageal cancer, which has spread to his liver.

"I don't know how much time I'm going to be in this world," Davenport said, noting that he has another old vehicle that he also intends to give to a person in need. "I want to bless somebody else with another car."
He said he was glad to be able to help Bannister during a difficult time.

The Club PUBlication 08/05/2024

8/5/2024

Confront your fears and learn from them

OUTSWIMMING THE SHARKS
HARVEY MACKAY

A city mouse went on a visit to his cousin in the countryside. The cousin welcomed him with a modest meal of beans. The city mouse turned up his nose and said, "I cannot understand how you can live with such poor food. Come to the city, and I'll show you what a real feast is like."

The two mice traveled to the city. In the dining room, they found the remains of a meal left by humans who lived in the house, and soon the two mice were enjoying jellies, cakes and puddings. Suddenly, they heard a noise. The country mouse said, "What is that?"

"It's just the dog who lives here," his cousin replied.

Just then, the door flew open and in charged a huge snarling dog. The two mice ran off.

"Goodbye, cousin," said the country mouse. "You're going so soon?" said his cousin. "Yes," he replied. "Less at peace is better than more in fear."

Fear is a fascinating adversary.

It is not just an emotion; it is a force that can dictate our actions and affect our lives profoundly.

But fear has only as much power as we allow it to have.

When we are faced with fear, we have a choice. We can let it paralyze us, or we can confront it and learn from it.

Fear often prevents people from taking risks. By stepping out of your comfort zone, you open yourself to experiences that can lead to success.

Managing your fears requires you to regulate your emotions, which enhances your emotional intelligence.

When you do that, it can improve your relationships and decision making.

Identifying your fears helps you understand your limitations and the boundaries you need to push. It reveals your values and priorities by highlighting what you are afraid to lose or fail at.

By anticipating what you're afraid of, you can then take steps to mitigate risks.

I'll be the first to admit I have some fears that follow me. On the silly side, I'm afraid of embarrassing myself on the golf course. I have never let that stop me from playing, and somehow, I have survived every double bogey that becomes fodder for a lot of ribbing from my buddies.

More seriously, I fear threats to my company — another pandemic, supply shortage, finding enough qualified staff.

However, we keep the doors open despite it all.

We all have fears; it's how we deal with them that matters.

Use fear as a signal you are about to do something brave and worthwhile. Every encounter with fear is an opportunity for growth.
Whether you succeed or fail, there is a lesson to be learned in your bravery.

Every time you face fear you build resilience, which is the ability to bounce back from setbacks. Confronting and overcoming fears leads to personal growth and a stronger sense of self-efficacy.

"Do the thing you fear to do and keep on doing it. ... That is the quickest and surest way ever yet discovered to conquer fear," advised Dale Carnegie, the motivational author.

Being courageous isn't about the absence of fear; it is about moving forward despite feeling afraid. It is about using fear as a catalyst for growth, not a barrier to success.

Mackay's Moral: When you make friends with fear, it can't rule your world.

Harvey Mackay is a Minneapolis businessman. Contact him at 612-378- 6202 or email [email protected].