OPINION: Protests over the death of George Floyd escalated in a big way in Minneapolis, Minnesota on Wednesday, as activists let their fury be known that he was killed in police custody. It’s now been reported that the mob of protesters quickly became out of control, and a man who appeared to be a supporter of Donald Trump ended up being assaulted by them.
Reporter Karen Scullin of KMSP-TV was live tweeting the chaotic scene [1] in Minneapolis yesterday, saying that the crowd of protesters grew throughout the day despite the fact that the protest was not actually set to begin until 5 p.m. She tweeted at one point that activists were trying to break into the Minneapolis Police Department’s third precinct, causing officers to fire rubber bullets as they attempted to push back the mob, which Scullin described [2] at that time to be “not huge but very vocal and angry.”
“Emotions high…mad dads calling for a peaceful protest…another group staring down police…all is calm right now,” Scullin tweeted [3] later in the afternoon, adding mere minutes later, “Getting bad out here, the 3rd precinct is being destroyed.”
It was after this that Scullin noticed [4] “protestors destroying a car that says Trump on it. Driver out walking around. After taking a few punches he was helped to his smashed up vehicle and drove off with people still throwing things.”
It’s ironic that the mob would turn their anger to a Trump supporter when the president had announced that he’s asked the Department of Justice to investigate Floyd’s death, a publicized announcement Trump made well before Scullin’s report came out.
“At my request, the FBI and the Department of Justice are already well into an investigation as to the very sad and tragic death in Minnesota of George Floyd,” Trump tweeted. “I have asked for this investigation to be expedited and greatly appreciate all the work done by local law enforcement. My heart goes out to George’s family and friends. Justice will be served!”
….I have asked for this investigation to be expedited and greatly appreciate all of the work done by local law enforcement. My heart goes out to George’s family and friends. Justice will be served!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 27, 2020 [5]
There’s no question that what happened to Floyd is a travesty, but President Trump and his supporters should not be blamed for it. They had absolutely nothing to do with what happened, and they want to see justice served in this case just like every other American.
This opinion piece was written by PoliZette Staff on May 28, 2020. It originally appeared in LifeZette [6] and is used by permission.