Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) on Saturday announced that the state's entire National Guard will be deploying to Minneapolis. This is the first time in Minnesota's 164-year history that the full National Guard is being deployed.
"The tactics and the approach that we have taken have evolved and need to evolve the same way, with a sensitivity to the legitimate rage and anger that came after what the world witnessed in the murder of George Floyd and was manifested in a very healthy gathering of community to memorialize that Tuesday night, which was still present to a certain degree on Wednesday," Walz said, according to Fox News. "By Thursday it was nearly gone and last night is a mockery of pretending this is about George Floyd's death or inequities or historical traumas to our communities of color."
“Let's be very clear. The situation in Minneapolis is no longer in any way about the murder of George Floyd. It is about attacking civil society, instilling fear and disrupting our great cities. With that being the case as we indicated last night, our tactics again, is to try and reduce loss of life, to do what we can to restore order."
According to Walz, 700 members of Minnesota's National Guard we deployed Friday night. At the time that was the largest deployment in state history.
"We pulled in state patrol and state assets to augment Minneapolis and St. Paul's force," he explained. There are roughly 700 officers who make up the state patrol.
"As you saw this expand across the United States, and you start to see, whether it be domestic terrorism, whether it be ideological extremists to fan the group, or whether it be international destabilization of how our country works, those elements are present in all of this," Walz said.
St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter revealed that every single person that was arrested in his city Friday night was from out-of-state.
