St. Paul Primary Winner John Thompson Leads BLM Protest to Police Union Leader’s Neighborhood, Calls for Violence

Over the weekend, Democratic candidate John Thompson spoke at a Black Lives Matter protest by the home of Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis president Bob Kroll and his wife, WCCO anchor Liz Collin. Thompson recently won the Democratic primary for District 62A in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Multiple video coverages of Thompson’s seven-minute speech show him calling for violence against the “racists” of Hugo, Minnesota.

“Why the f*** is we so peaceful in this brackety-a** neighborhood? F*** yo motherf****** peace, white racist motherf******!” Thompson shouted. “This whole g****** state burned down for twenty f****** dollars, you think we gonna give a f*** about burning Hugo down?”

Thompson also accused Kroll of membership in the Ku Klux Klan, referring to him as a “f****** clansman,” and “the Grand Wizard.”

Across the street from the police union leader’s residence, five teenaged girls and several adults were watching the protest from what appeared to be a cookout by their garage. Thompson addressed the girls when they attempted to retreat inside:

“Don’t run now racist white people! I’m here! Oh yeah, we pull up! We pull the f*** up! Come on over here with yo ‘Blue Lives Matter’ self! Blue Lives ain’t s***! Hugo don’t support black people! F*** Hugo, Minnesota!”

Thompson finished his speech with a hint at what his time in office might look like, if he were to win November’s election.

“I didn’t come here to be peaceful in Hugo. ‘Kumbaya My Lord,’ no. F*** Hugo, Minnesota! F*** Bob Kroll! And f*** anybody who support his racist a**!”

Many protestors wore black shirts that read “BOB KKKROLL MUST GO!” in white; some held signs calling for revolution and “no peace until justice.” Later on in the videos, protestors can be seen walking and kneeling with raised black power fists on residents’ private property. At one point, protestors beat piñatas bearing the likenesses of Kroll and his wife, WCCO anchor Liz Collin. Rally leaders encouraged protestors to dump their signs and trash across the front of the Kroll property.

Thompson issued an apology the following evening via his Facebook campaign page, referring to his speech as “inflammatory rhetoric” that was unhelpful for making a “positive difference.” Comments from both his supporters and critics were unforgiving, calling Thompson “divisive,” “hateful,” and “racist.”

The Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL), Governor Tim Walz, and Representative Betty McCollum (DFL-MN-04) all endorsed Thompson for the primary election. McCollum and Walz both called Thompson “exactly what’s needed in the state legislature right now.”

None of his endorsers have published any comment on Thompson’s speech.

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Corinne Murdock is a reporter at The Minnesota Sun and the Star News Network. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to [email protected].
Photo “John Thompson” by John Thompson and “BLM Protest” by AlphaNews.