The chairman of the Minneapolis Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party wrote a column praising the rioters who burned down the Minneapolis Police Department's 3rd Precinct during the collapse of law and order following the murder of George Floyd last year.
As Townhall reported at the time, rioters had surrounded the 3rd Precinct and were trying to break into the building so they could set it on fire with the officers still inside. Mayor Jacob Frey (D) ordered the building to be evacuated instead of providing reinforcements. Once the officers were gone, the mob was able to set the building ablaze.
This is the moment when Minneapolis police officers abandoned the 3rd precinct building. Rioters chased them as they left and continued to throw objects at the police vehicles. pic.twitter.com/KoxAAYiUIN
— Julio Rosas (@Julio_Rosas11) May 29, 2020
Once they achieved their long-desired goal, rioters and looters continued their rampage through the city at the expense of business owners and residents.
In a column published last Monday, Devin Hogan wrote all of this was the fault of the city's police department and falsely claimed police attacked protesters without reason on May 26:
"Friends and family were reaching out. How come words won’t satiate people? Why Minneapolis? The cops started it, I replied. They killed George Floyd and took every opportunity to escalate, agitate and make things worse. The cops are rioting and the people are responding. Like it or not, setting the Third Precinct on fire was a genuine revolutionary moment. An act of pure righteousness to open new worlds of understanding. The people declared themselves ungovernable and unilaterally took their power back. The largest international human rights movement in modern history had begun. The youth of Minneapolis carried all of this. The cops started it."
With Hogan's comments gaining attention, he released a statement saying "the truth hurts."
To those upset with my new column in Southside Pride who won’t say anything to my face: the truth hurts. To the TV station writing a story about the mad people: I’ll be writing a column every month. Accurately describing reality is not a call to violence. https://t.co/9xSkizh7A8
— Devin Hogan (@devinforparks) August 7, 2021
He also added on Facebook: "Accurately describing reality is not a call to arms. Explaining the conditions of violent repression with the reasons why and how people react to that oppression is not condoning violence."
"Fetishizing decorum over substance is a hallmark of white supremacy," Hogan continued. "If antiracism offends your sensibilities then please use this moment to examine the role you play in maintaining and upholding these systems. Which side are you on?"
The rioting in Minneapolis and St. Paul last year resulted in at least $550 million worth of damage to over 1,500 property locations, 150 of which were set on fire.