Minnesota Republican Party Chairwoman Jennifer Carnahan called on Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey to resign for their “failed” leadership during last week’s riots.
“Gov. Walz and Mayor Frey have been largely silent, other than a handful of unhelpful tweets and press conferences blaming everyone but themselves. Minneapolis is decimated. Minneapolis is damaged to a level we never could have imagined. The destruction caused this past week will unfortunately live in our memories forever. It’s a dark stain on our state,” Carnahan said in a statement released over the weekend.
Riots erupted across Minneapolis last Tuesday night in response to the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who was allegedly murdered by a Minneapolis police officer. The chaos and destruction lasted for four nights, requiring a heavy law enforcement presence throughout the Twin Cities.
“These gentleman have demonstrated they are not equipped to run Minneapolis or Minnesota. Their inaction has led to riots across our country. Our state cannot move forward or start to heal with either in office. We call for the resignation of both, so no additional harm and damage comes to our people and state,” Carnahan continued.
Gov. Walz is already facing a recall effort for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, which has resulted in the permanent closure of many small businesses across the state and left record numbers of Minnesotans out of work.
Carnahan joined Fox News Tuesday to discuss her push for resignation, saying Walz and Frey “completely failed all the residents and citizens of Minneapolis and Minnesota.”
“It was unfortunate to see because it took three nights of full chaos, the destruction of our city, burning down of a police precinct, rioting of businesses before they did anything,” she continued. “It took multiple nights before the National Guard was enacted and came into Minneapolis and St. Paul, and then when a curfew was imposed, there still was burning of the city, there still was looting of businesses.”
“These cities and neighborhoods have been completely decimated and I think it’s inexcusable because they failed all the people of Minnesota,” she added. “It shouldn’t take three or four days of a city burning to finally take action.”
Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani has also called on Frey to resign. In various interviews, Giuliani has said Frey should be “replaced by somebody who can protect his people.”
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Anthony Gockowski is managing editor of The Minnesota Sun and The Ohio Star. Follow Anthony on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Jacob Frey” by Jacob Frey. Background Photo “Minneapolis Destruction” by Fibonacci Blue. CC BY 2.0.
