(ST. PAUL, MN) –Senate Republicans held a joint committee hearing today to review the recently released Review of Lawlessness and Government Responses to Minnesota’s 2020 Riots. The report documents findings and suggestions from a series of hearings held after the unprecedented violence and rioting in the Twin Cities this summer.
“The purpose of the report,” Transportation Committee Chair Scott Newman said, “is to document what happened this summer and provide a resource to prevent it from happening again. We all know this is probably not the last riot we will see in our lifetime, and we all know that we can respond better to preserve the safety and security of individuals, businesses, and communities.”
The report highlights the findings from the hearings that included testimony from law enforcement, the National Guard, local leaders, and community members. It includes more than 300 citations, supporting documents and links, and is over 50 pages long.
In a stunning dereliction of duty, Senate Democrats on the committees did not provide any written response to the report or even attend the joint committee hearing. Senate Democrats previously complained they were only allowed one hour to review the document last week before it was made public. Newman stated publicly he would welcome additional comments to be submitted to the record from anyone on the joint committees. With more than a week to respond, Democrats provided no additional comments for the Senate record.
“It really is demonstrative of the political climate we’re in today,” commented Newman. “In the US Senate, Democrats didn’t show up to vote today. In the Minnesota Senate, we have hearings and provided the report for accountability, and Democrats decided they didn’t want to participate today. This is not how we solve problems and bring people together. Everyone needs to be at the table to engage.”
Update on August 8, 2024: On Page 1 of the report, the second paragraph should read: Lives were lost, over 1,500 businesses and buildings were damaged, approximately $500 million in property damage occurred, and community morale was deeply affected.
The Minnesota Legislative Reference Library created a digital archive to host the original source material from the report. It can be found here: https://www.lrl.mn.gov/edocs/edocs?oclcnumber=1205588485