HANDLE
HANDLE THE UNREST, THEY ARE CALLING IN MEMBERS OF THE
NATIONAL GUARD.
NATIONAL GUARD. >>> WE'LL BREAK IN AND HEAD TO
THE GOVERNOR WHO IS ADDRESSING
THE MEDIA, LET'S LISTEN IN TO
THAT NEWS CONFERENCE.
>>> WE SPOKE LAST NIGHT ABOUT
2:30 A.M., PROVIDED AN UPDATE
OF A HIGHLY-DANGEROUS AND
RAPIDLY-EVOLVING SITUATION WITH
FOLKS BENT ON DESTROYING
PROPERTY WITH NO REGARD FOR
SAFETY OF MINNESOTANS.
CERTAINLY NO DESIRE TO MAKE A
STATEMENT OTHER THAN WANTON,
CONSTRUCTION AND CHAOS.
I WANT TO THANK THE MINNESOTANS
WHO ABIDED BY THE CURFEW, I
WANT TO THANK OUR FIRST
RESPONDERS PROTECTING OUR
CITIES AS THEY WERE TAKING
INCOMING FIRE IMPROVISE
EXPLOSIVE DEVICES A HIGHLY-
EVOLVED AND TIGHTLY CONTROLLED
GROUP OF FOLKS BENT ON ADAPTING
THEIR TACTICS TO MAKE IT AS
DIFFICULT AS POSSIBLE TO
MAINTAIN THAT ORDER.
MY MISSION HAS BEEN VERY CLEAR
TO THE FOLKS IN MINNESOTA IN
CONJUNCTION WITH MAYOR FRY,
MAYOR CARTER IN SAINT PAUL,
PROTECTION OF CITIZEN PROPERTY
IS TOP PRIORITY, MAINTAINING
AND RESTORING CIVIL ORDER ON
THSTREETS.
THSTREETS. >> I THINK WHAT'S REALLY
IMPORTANT TO RECOGNIZE IS THE
TACTICS AND APPROACH THAT WE
HAVE TAKEN HAVE EVOLVED, NEED
TO EVOLVE THE SAME WAY.
WITH THE SENSITIVITY TO THE
LEGITIMATE RAGE AND ANGER THAT
CAME AFTER WHAT THE WORLD
WITNESSED IN THE MURDER OF
GEORGE FLOYD, AND A HEALTHY
GATHERING OF COMMUNITY TO
MEMORIALIZE THAT ON TUESDAY
NIGHT A STILL PRESENT TO A
CERTAIN DEGREE BY WEDNESDAY, BY
THURSDAY IT WAS GONE AND LAST
NIGHT IS A MOCKERY OF
PRETENDING THIS IS ABOUT GEORGE
FLOYD'S DEATH OR INEQUITIES OR
TRAUMA TO CITIES OF COLOR.
>> OUT FIGHTING HAND AND HAND
TOOK GENERATIONS FOR BUSINESSES
TO BUILD.
TO BUILD.
TO BUILD. >> INFRASTRUCTURE AND
NONPROFITS WERE TORN DOWN AND
BURNED BY PEOPLE WITH NO REGARD
FOR WHAT WENT INTO THAT.
LET'S BE VERY CLEAR, THE
SITUATION IN MINNEAPOLIS IS NO
LONGER IN ANYWAY ABOUT THE
MURDER OF GEORGE FLOYD.
IT IS ABOUT ATTACKING CIVIL
SOCIETY, INSTILLING FEAR AND
DISRUPTING OUR GRADE CITIES.
WITH THAT BEING THE CASE, OUR
TACTICS, AGAIN, IS TO TRY AND
REDUCE LOSS OF LIFE TO DO WHAT
WE CAN TO RESTORE ORDER.
WE MOBILIZED THE LARGEST
MOBILIZATION OF NATIONAL GUARD
THAT WERE IN THE FIELD LAST
NIGHT OF OVER 700.
WE PULLED IN STATE PATROL AND
STATE ACCESS TO AUGMENT THE
FORCE.
FORCE.
FORCE. AS
FORCE. AS I TOLD PEOPLE LISTENING,
THIS IS NOT AN ENFI GNAT
NUMBER, THIS IS A HIGHLY
TRAINED HIGHLY ORGANIZED FORCE.
ONE OPERATING IS ABOUT 700.
THE SAME THING WITH THE
NATIONAL GUARD AND THE CITIES.
AS YOU SAW THIS EXPAND ACROSS
THE UNITED STATES, START TO SEE
WHETHER IT BE DOMESTIC
TERRORISM, EXTREMISTS TO FAN
THE GROUP, OR INTERNATIONAL
DESTABILIZATION OF HOW OUR
COUNTRY WORKS, THOSE ELEMENTS
ARE PRESENT IN ALL OF THIS.
I SPOKE EARLY THIS MORNING WITH
THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE AND
WITH THE CHAIRMAN OF THE JOINT
CHIEFS OF STAFF TO UPDATE THE
SITUATION, RECEIVE THEIR
SITUATION REPORT AS THEY ARE
SEEING IT ACROSS THE COUNTRY,
TO SUGGEST COURSES OF ACTIONS
OF GOING FORWARD.
>> IN CONSULTATION WITH THE
MAYORS AND RESOURCES THEY HAVE,
JUST TO BE VERY CLEAR AS YOU
WITNESS THIS, WHETHER IT BE NEW
YORK OR DENVER OR LOUISVILLE OR
LAS VEGAS, THERE IS NO MAYOR IN
AMERICA THAT HAS THE RESOURCES
TO PUSH BACK ON AN ORGANIZED
ATTEMPT TO DESTABILIZE CIVIL
SOCIETY WITH NO REGARD TO LIFE
OR PROPERTY.
OR PROPERTY. IN CONSULTATION AS A GROUP AS I
SAID THIS MORNING, I'M
AUTHORIZING AND TALKING TO
GENERAL JENSEN TO FORMALIZE A
NATIONAL GUARD, ACTION THAT HAS
NEVER BEEN TAKEN IN 164 YEAR
HISTORY OF THE NATIONAL GUARD,
WE'LL PULL IN AS SETS AS WE
HAVE BEEN DOING, FOR MANY
WONDERING WHERE ARE THE FIRE
TRUCKS AND POLICE OUT THERE,
THE SITUATION WAS SO BROAD AND
SO BENT ON CAUSING DESTRUCTION,
EVERY SINGLE PERSON WE HAD
MOBILIZED, THE LARGEST IN STATE
HISTORY LAST EVENING WAS
ENGAGED IN THAT.
BY THIS AFTERNOON OUR HOPE IS
TO HAVE OUR FORCES OUT THERE
AND PARTNERSHIPS OF SISTER
CITIES AND COUNTIES TO HELP US,
I HAVE MADE INITIAL CALLS AND
WILL BE SPEAKING WITH THE
GOVERNORS OF ADJACENT STATES
WHO WILL BE PROVIDING
SIGNIFICANT SUPPORT THROUGH
THEIR NATIONAL GUARDS.
>> THE MESSAGE IS CLEAR,
MINNESOTA, WE HAD A TRAGEDY ON
MONDAY NIGHT.
MONDAY NIGHT. WE UNDERSTAND THE WORK THAT WE
KNEAD TO DO AND THE
GENERATIONAL PAIN THAT WENT IN
TO WHAT HAPPENED WITH GEORGE
FLOYD IN THAT MURDER, BUT AT
THIS POINT IN TIME, NOTHING WE
DO TO ADDRESS THOSE INEQUITIES,
NOTHING WE DO TO PROVIDE
JUSTICE TO GEORGE FLOYD AND HIS
FAMILY I SPOKE WITH LAST
EVENING, NONE OF THOSE THINGS
MATTER TO ANY OF THOSE PEOPLE
WHO ARE FIRING UPON NATIONAL
GUARD, BURNING BUSINESSES OF
OUR COMMUNITIES, MAKING INTENT
ON DISRUPTING ANY ASSEMBLANCE
OF CIVIL LIFE.
THE TEAM HERE THROUGHOUT THE
DAY TODAY, THERE WILL BE
PEACEFUL PROTESTS THAT WERE
PREVIOUSLY SCHEDULED.
PREVIOUSLY SCHEDULED. THEY WILL BE LARGE AS EXPECTED,
TODAY WILL BE AN EXPRESS OF THE
GRIEF OF THE LOSS OF GEORGE
FLOYD.
FLOYD.
FLOYD. THERE WILL BE EXERCISE OF FIRST
AMENDMENT RIGHTS, EVERYONE IN
THIS ROOM WILL PROTECT THEIR
RIGHT TO DO THAT, TO PROTECT
THEIR RIGHT TO GATHER AS
COMMUNITY.
COMMUNITY. I WILL CONTINUE TO STRESS
BECAUSE IT SEEMS A LIFETIME AGO
WE ARE STILL IN THE MIDDLE OF A
PANDEMIC AND PASSED A THOUSAND
DEATHS YESTERDAY.
DEATHS YESTERDAY. WE STILL HAVE HOSPITALS ON THE
VERGE OF BEING OVER RUN WITH
COVID-19.
COVID-19.
COVID-19. THE FOLKS GATHERING OUT THERE,
IF YOU WATCH ON TUESDAY AND
WEDNESDAY, SOCIAL DISTANCING
MASKS, THE MASKS LAST NIGH WERE
TO CAUSE CONTUSION AND TAKE
ADVANTAGE OF THE SITUATION.
FOR MINNESOTANS WONDERING AND
ASKING THE LEGITIMATE QUESTION
THE SAFETY AND CONCERN EVERYONE
IN THIS ROOM IS UP ALLNIGHT,
THE NIGHTMARE OF THESE PEOPLE
THAT CAN START FIRES, JUMP, AND
ARSON, AT THIS PINT IN TIME IT
IS NOTHING SHORT OF A BLESS
THAT NO ONE ELSE WAS KILLED.
AS YOU ARE GOING TO HEAR FROM
THE COMMISSIONER HARRINGTON,
THEY ARE ADAPTING AND RECEIVING
INFORMATION TOGETHER, FED BY
PROFESSIONALS AND PROFESSIONAL
TACTICS IN URBAN WAR FAIR,
THOSE TYPES OF THINGS ARE
HAPPENING WITH THESE PEOPLE.
AGAIN AS I SAID THEY ARE
GETTING WHAT THEY WANT, THEY
ARE GETTING ON TV, THEY ARE
SEEING THE IMAGES, THEY TALKED
ABOUT HOW THEY ARE MOVING
THINGS AROUND, THEY ARE GOING
TO HAVE AN OVERWHELMING FORCE
OF SAFETY, SECURITY AND PEACE
THAT THE CITIZENS OF MINNESOTA
AND SURROUNDING NEIGHBORS ARE
GOING TO PROVIDE TO THAT,
THEY'LL SEE A COORDINATION TO
THE BEST OF OUR ABILITY TO MAKE
SURE THIS STOPS AND IT ENDS,
I'M SPEAKING WITH GOVERNORS
ACROSS THE COUNTRY, MANY CITIES
ARE AWARE, WE WERE ON WEDNESDAY
NIGHT THAT'S WHERE WE'RE
EXPECTING TO BE THERE ON
THURSDAY NIGHT.
THURSDAY NIGHT. MINNESOTANS, THIS IS A
CHALLENGING TIME.
CHALLENGING TIME. OUR CITIES ARE UNDER ASSAULT
FOR PEOPLE WHO DO NOT SHARE OUR
VALUES AND LIFE OF WORK THAT
WENT INTO THIS, CERTAINLY NOT
FOR JOHN FLOYD.
AND WE'LL SEE TODAY