Minnesota governor calls for calm following unrest, says he expects ‘swift’ justice for officers

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz on Friday called for calm following protests over the death of George Floyd, saying he expects “swift” justice for the officers involved and taking responsibility for the arrest of a CNN crew.

Protesters nationwide have demanded justice for Floyd, a 46-year-old black man who died this week after a white police officer used his knee to pin him down in an incident captured on video. Fires raged overnight in Minneapolis as crowds shattered windows and charged over a fence to get access to the 3rd Police Precinct.

Speaking at a press conference in St. Paul, Walz, a Democrat, attempted to recognize the sense of outrage felt by Minnesota’s African American community while declaring that order will be restored to the streets of Minneapolis. He said he expects “justice for the officers involved in this will be swift, that it will come in a timely manner, that it will be fair.”

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“The very tools that we need to use to get control, to make sure that buildings aren’t burned and the rule of law collapses are those very institutional tools that have led to that grief and pain. I understand clearly there is no trust in many of our communities. And the differentiation between the Minneapolis police department that we witness losing trust of those that are there to serve is very difficult for people to make for those standing up here with me. I understand that,” Walz said at the top of his remarks. “And I will not patronize you as a white man without living those lived experiences of how very difficult that is. But I’m asking you to help us, help us use humane ways to get the streets to a place where we can restore the justice.”

He added, “Generations of pain is manifesting itself in front of the world – and the world is watching.”

Soon after Walz spoke, Derek Chauvin, the officer who knelt on Floyd and has since been fired, was taken into custody. He’s been charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter, Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman announced Friday, adding that additional charges may be made later.

Asked about why the National Guard, which was activated Thursday afternoon, was not deployed sooner to respond to the demonstrations, Walz suggested that it was Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey’s call, though as governor he has the authority to deploy Guardsmen.

“The way this works is that the mayors ask and they take charge and lead on the missions,” Walz said. He added, “there will be no lack of leadership tonight.”

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Walz also addressed the arrest of a CNN crew Friday morning, when CNN correspondent Omar Jimenez, producer Bill Kirkos and photojournalist Leonel Mendez were taken into custody by state police while giving a live television report on the protests despite offering to move and clearly identifying themselves to officers. The crew has since been released.

Walz said there was “absolutely no reason something like this should happen,” adding that he takes “full responsibility” for the incident.

“In a situation like this, even if you’re clearing an area, we have got to ensure that there is a safe spot for journalism to tell the story. The issue here is trust,” Walz said.

Calling this week one of the “darkest chapters” for Minnesota, Walz condemned the looting and arson that has occurred as “48 hours of anarchy.”

“As we put a presence on the street to restore order, it is to open that space, to seek justice and heal what happened,” he said, adding, “We cannot have the looting and the recklessness that went on … I refuse to have it take away the attention of the stain we need to be working on.”

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz pauses during a news conference Friday, May 29, 2020, in St. Paul, Minn., as he talked about the unrest in the wake of the death of George Floyd while he was in custody of Minneapolis police.

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Walz also said that President Donald Trump’s tweet after midnight – in which he described the Minneapolis protesters as “thugs” and said “when the looting starts, the shooting starts” – was “just not helpful.”

“In a moment that’s so volatile, anything we do to add fuel to that fire is really, really challenging,” Walz said.

Walz said he spoke with Trump on Thursday night and that the President pledged “his support of anything we need in terms of supplies to get to us.”

Since Floyd’s death on Monday, protests have erupted in Minneapolis where he was killed Monday and across other US cities.

In addition to Chauvin, three other Minneapolis police officers involved in Floyd’s death have been fired, but Floyd’s family wants them to be charged with murder.

This story has been updated to include additional comment and background information.

CNN’s Jason Hanna, Melissa Alonso, Faith Karimi and Sara Sidner contributed to this report.