(WCCO) Gov. Tim Walz called for a press conference at 10:30 p.m. Saturday to discuss the events from the evening -- the fifth day of protests that rocked Minneapolis.
During it, Commissioner of Corrections Paul Schnell spoke and answered questions about different tactics that the police force and National Guard are taking to maintain peace after Walz earlier announced that Minnesotans should stay home and adhere to the 8 p.m. curfew order so that the National Guard can "root out domestic terrorists." He also talked about how the night started and what the plans are for the future.
“Tonight before 8:45 officers went out and began to enforce the curfew put into place,” Schnell said, “that will continue throughout the evening.”
Protestors who were out past the curfew were met with force, unlike the nights prior, when police were ordered to basically stand down while buildings burned. Officers watched while the 3rd Precinct was torched the night George Floyd died after Officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for eight minutes while he begged for his life. Chauvin was charged Friday with third-degree murder and manslaughter.
The city burned every night since Floyd's death, finally calming down into a semblance of order late Saturday when the curfew and harsher tactics were implemented.
“We believed last night that there were adequate resources to address what was necessary,” Schnell said about what happened before Saturday. They were wrong, he said.
But on Saturday, police were ready with tear gas to shut down the streets and enforce curfew.
“They are out there at a minimum to create disorder,” Schnell said about those still out late, “we are committed to bringing this to an end.”
He went on to talk about how the plan was to not be overly confident that peace will continue automatically after one night of relatively peaceful protest. They do not want Minnesotans to think this is over. The National Guard was called in with the largest numbers ever deployed in Minnesota after President Donald Trump criticized the city's lack of effective response and threatened to bring in the military. Even Walz said the city's response was a failure, and the state had to take it over.
“This large force was in place and will be here for the long haul,” Schnell said “we know this is difficult … at the same time, there is tremendous relief.”
Members of the media that were present during the press conference also asked about different photographers and journalists being arrested. Notably, a black CNN reporter was arrested while peacefully filming protests early on Friday. Walz apologized to CNN President Jeff Zucker, and the public, for that. And then Saturday night, WCCO-TV photojournalist Tom Aviles was shot by a rubber bullet and taken into police custody. He was released after a few hours.
“It is regrettable that those things happen,” Schnell said, “it's a regrettable situation.”
Schnell continued to reinforce the efforts that are being put in place to keep the city safe and that they will protect the city by any means.
“The governor will do whatever is necessary to protect Minnesota,” Schnell said.
Meanwhile, residents took to the streets earlier to begin the clean-up process on their own, sweeping up charred debris and broken glass.
“It doesn’t feel like the ‘Saintly City’,” said Steve Blake about what the city looked like i in the aftermath of five days of unrest. Blake has lived some 30 years a few blocks north of the lively University/Snelling intersection. “It’s profoundly ugly, sad, and tragic.”