Rep. Ilhan Omar indicated people peacefully protesting the killing of George Floyd are feeling threatened by an increased military presence in her district after riots broke out amid the demonstrations.
“We are obviously worried and feeling terrorized about that prospect, but there really was also many people who chose to demonstrate and not abide by the curfew who felt like they also were terrorized by the presence of tanks, by the presence of the National Guard and the militarized police,” Omar said Sunday on ABC’s This Week.
Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar says some felt “safe to know that there will not be a burning of their businesses and their homes” with the deployment of the National Guard but others felt “terrorized by the presence of tanks” and a “militarized police.” https://t.co/sVerbxGgdM pic.twitter.com/rIvqC0IuvK
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) May 31, 2020
Last week, the Minnesota National Guard was deployed to the Minneapolis region to help local police control crowds of angry protesters and to stop widespread looting and vandalism.
Floyd, an unarmed black man who did not resist arrest, died while in police custody last week. A now-fired police officer, Derek Chauvin, has been charged with third-degree murder after video surfaced showing him kneeling on Floyd’s neck for more than eight minutes.
Omar, whose district includes portions of Minneapolis, has voiced support for protesters and the Black Lives Matter movement.
“Our anger is just. Our anger is warranted,” Omar said after the second night of demonstrations in Minnesota. “And our priority right now must be protecting one another.”
State officials have instituted nightly curfews in Minneapolis in an attempt to separate peaceful protesters from violent rioters looking to exploit the chaos and to cause destruction.
Omar said it pains her to see minority communities destroyed in the crossfire.
“People are also understanding that there has been severe social and economic neglect in our communities. And so, we have real work to do, to heal, to begin to rebuild, and to figure out a system that works for all of us,” she said.
