Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey isn’t mincing his words about protestors’ response to George Floyd’s murder. But he’s actually on their side. Instead of condemning protestors as “thugs” like U.S. President Donald Trump, Frey empathized with their outrage, noting it stems from centuries of pain and trauma inflicted on Black people by America.
During a press conference about Floyd’s murder, Frey said the reactions we have “seen over the last two days, and the emotion-ridden conflict over last night, is the result of so much built up anger and sadness – anger and sadness that has been ingrained in our Black community, not just because of five minutes of horror, but 400 years.”
Floyd was murdered at the hands of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who forceful kneed him in the neck for over seven minutes while he pleaded for air and repeatedly said “I can’t breathe.”
While Chauvin and three other officers involved in the incident have been fired, the Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman said he won’t “rush to justice” and prematurely file charges.
“That video is graphic and horrific and terrible, and no person should do that,” Freeman said. “But my job in the end is to prove that he violated a criminal statute, and there’s other evidence that does not support a criminal charge.”
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The typical lack of accountability and latest atrocity in the saga of “Living While Black” has sparked even more protests and outrage. It is a feeling Frey said is justified.
“If you’re feeling that sadness and that anger, it’s not only understandable, it’s right,” Frey continued. “It’s a reflection of the truth that our Black community has lived. While not from lived experience, that sadness must also be understood by our non-Black communities. To ignore it, to toss it out, would be to ignore the values we all claim to have that are all the more important during a time of crisis.”
Trump called Frey a “very weak Radical Left Mayor” who had “a total lack of leadership” on Twitter. He then threatened the protestors in a follow-up tweet that concluded with “Any difficulty and we will assume control but, when the looting starts, the shooting starts. Thank you!”
Twitter flagged Trump’s tweet as violating its “rules about glorifying violence.” Trump responded by tweeting a quote that said he had been “targeted” by the social media platform and said it would be regulated.
At a Friday morning press conference, Frey responded to Trump’s criticism of him as weak.
“Weakness is refusing to take responsibility for your actions. Weakness is pointing your finger at somebody else during a time of crisis,” Frey said. “Donald Trump knows nothing about the strength of Minneapolis. We are strong as hell. Is this a difficult time period? Yes. But you better be damn sure that we’re gonna get through this.”
