The Derek Chauvin murder trial in Hennepin County is a little over a month away. Gov. Tim Walz and public safety officials are asking the legislature to discuss and approve a $35 million contingency fund to support local departments responding to protests they expect to coincide.
Walz said the swell of protests and strength of riots following George Floyd’s death “overwhelmed” them. To be able to have mutual aid support from surrounding local departments, there needs to be assistance, he said.
“It’s reimbursement mechanisms to local governments for unplanned or extraordinary public safety events,” Walz explained.
“I want, with this SAFE Act, to be in a position to say, ‘We’ve not only learned from history, but we’re well-prepared to not repeat the destruction we saw in Minneapolis and St. Paul and other venues within the state of Minnesota,” Dept. of Public Safety Commissioner John Harrington said.
Steve Cramer of the Minneapolis Downtown Council said at a time when businesses are trying to rebuild, preparation in the law enforcement response is vital.
“Businesses and law enforcement were in a reactive position last year, but now we can plan and prepare,” he said.
Republican senate majority leader Paul Gazelka in a statement said “we are not going to bail out the Minneapolis city council,” referring to its effort to remove and replace the Minneapolis Police Department with a new public safety department that includes police officers. He did not detail his stated alternative that he said would come this week.
Walz pushed back claiming the opposition is “punishing” Minneapolis residents.
“I didn’t send a bill to the rural legislators who were at the rally on Jan. 6 that cost millions of dollars in national guard and state patrol because we’re all in this together,” Walz said. “The idea of punishing 99.9% of folks in Minneapolis who watched a man die in front of them and as a magnet for the country to come around is simply unacceptable.”
There’s another complication. At Tuesday’s House Public Safety Committee Meeting, State Patrol Col. Matt Langer told lawmakers they’re worried they won’t be able to meet the mutual aid needed to respond to possible violence around the trial. Three law enforcement group leaders, the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association, Minnesota Sheriffs Association and Minnesota Police Chiefs Association, said in a joint statement the “continued demonization of law enforcement officers” will lead to mutual aid response that will “not be as robust as the public may expect.”
Republicans criticize as 'bailout for Minneapolis'; Walz calls it 'punishment'
