“When the looting starts, the shooting starts.”
Protests have erupted throughout the country following the death of George Floyd on Monday. A white police officer killed Floyd, a black man, when the police officer kneeled on Floyd’s neck for more than 8 minutes. A video captured Floyd’s death (some readers may find the video disturbing) and was shared widely on social media. George Chauvin, the officer who kneeled on Floyd’s neck, was arrested on Friday and charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter.
So far, protests have broken out in major metropolitan cities, including Washington, New York City, Atlanta, and Minneapolis — the epicenter of the national outrage.
In New York City, the 88th Precinct in Brooklyn has reportedly been overrun. In Atlanta, the police commissioner attempted to de-escalate protests by speaking with protesters and discouraging the use of force by Atlanta police. In Washington, the White House was temporarily locked down after protestors arrived at Pennsylvania Avenue and Lafayette Park.
President Donald Trump released a statement through the official White House Twitter account that hinted at the military’s involvement in quelling the Minneapolis protests. The tweet read, “These THUGS are dishonoring the memory of George Floyd, and I won’t let that happen. Just spoke to Governor Tim Walz and told him that the Military is with him all the way. Any difficulty and we will assume control but, when the looting starts, the shooting starts. Thank you!”
Twitter flagged the tweet for glorifying violence, but did not remove the tweet, saying, “Twitter has determined that it may be in the public’s interest for the Tweet to remain accessible.”
Attempting to clarify his remarks, President Trump issued a follow-up tweet that stated, “Looting leads to shooting, and that’s why a man was shot and killed in Minneapolis on Wednesday night — or look at what just happened in Louisville with 7 people shot. I don’t want this to happen, and that’s what the expression put out last night means…it was spoken as a fact, not as a statement.”
Before President Trump’s statement, Minnesota governor Tim Walz already activated the national guard to respond to protests in Minneapolis. The Minnesota National Guard’s mission is “to protect life, preserve property and the right to peacefully demonstrate. A key objective is to ensure fire departments are able to respond to calls.”
Despite the concerns raised by the White House statement, the national guard has not used lethal force. To enforce the curfew ordered by Gov. Walz and to disperse crowds, national guard soldiers are deploying tear gas and rubber bullets.
While nothing prohibits Army personnel from speaking out about cultural issues, many choose not to. However, at least one high ranking Army officer has commented on Floyd’s death. Maj. Gen. Xavier Brunson, commander of the 7th Infantry Division, tweeted, “Very Sad this past week 😢 every life matters and talking does not equal breathing.”
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Brennan Randel
@BrennanRandel
