Rosen: Must read testimony from MPD commander about Minneapolis riots

Friends and neighbors –

Many of you probably saw that recently the Legislature reconvened for a one-day special session, which Gov. Walz called so he could extend his emergency powers. (I voted to remove his powers, for the 4th time. Democrats in the House did not.) 

But what amazingly did not receive as much coverage was the release only one day earlier of incredible testimony from a Minneapolis police commander regarding the riots, looting, and lawlessness that began at the end of May.

The commander’s testimony directly contradicts what Gov. Walz told us about requests for National Guard support, and he has documentation to prove it. You’ll remember the governor told us that the city only made a nonspecific request in a phone call between Mayor Frey and Gov. Walz. As it turns out, the city wrote a specific, detailed request and sent it to the commissioner of public safety. That request went unacknowledged by the governor’s office.

I wanted to quickly share with you the release that we sent out about the commander’s testimony, as well as all of the supporting documents. Please take a look – it is eye-opening. You can find everything below.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask. 

Sincerely,

Julie 

Early, detailed request for National Guard help from Minneapolis Police ignored by Walz administration

New testimony from Minneapolis police commander contradicts Walz excuse that “we never got a detailed plan from Minneapolis”

The Minnesota Senate Transportation and Public Safety Committees released new testimony today from Minneapolis Police Commander Scott Gerlicher outlining a detailed request he prepared asking for National Guard help when violent riots were breaking out on Wednesday, May 27, 2020. This directly contradicts Gov. Walz’s contention that the City of Minneapolis did not ask for specific help from the Guard which resulted in a slow state response that led to several more days of rioting. 

According to Commander Gerlicher’s testimony, he personally drafted a detailed, written initial request for National Guard resources. That request was then submitted by Chief Arradondo via email to the Department of Public Safety Commissioner John Harrington on Wednesday evening – contradicting earlier statements from Gov. Walz that he only received a nonspecific request during a phone call from Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey. During a committee hearing in July, Commissioner Harrington testified he advised Gen. Jensen to ready the Guard on Thursday morning based not on Chief Arradondo’s formal request, but on a feeling he had watching the events unfold. He made no mention of the Minneapolis Police Department’s (MPD) formal request for support. 

With Commander Gerlicher’s detailed plan delivered Wednesday night at 9:11 pm, the Walz administration waited almost 24 hours to formally call up the National Guard. In the intervening time, the Third Precinct was lost. The state never informed MPD that the email to Commissioner Harrington was not a valid request, nor did MPD hear anything back from Gov. Walz or Commissioner Harrington the remainder of Wednesday night. 

In addition, Commander Gerlicher noted a plan was in place to hold the Third Precinct without loss of life, but Mayor Frey overruled that plan resulting in the abandonment of the Third Precinct building.  

“Not only has Commander Gerlicher’s stunning testimony confirmed that Gov. Walz was not being truthful with the public about Minneapolis’ request for assistance during the May riots, but the Governor’s lack of commitment to stopping the riots is on full display,” said Sen. Scott Newman, Chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee. “Commander Gerlicher paints a grim portrait of a department stretched impossibly thin while struggling to regain control of a besieged city without the support and backup from the state’s Commander in Chief. His testimony makes it crystal clear the lawlessness that took place at the end of May would have unfolded much differently had MPD received the support they asked for.” 

Commander Gerlicher is the highest-ranking officer of the Minneapolis Police Department to provide an on-the-record account to the two Senate committees investigating the city’s response to the riots. According to Commander Gerlicher’s written testimony, Minneapolis police officers recognized early on that they lacked the manpower to quell the violent riots. At various times, Commander Gerlicher describes the rapidly growing violence and explains the actions taken by officers to attempt to manage the riots while severely lacking resources.  

Among other charges, Commander Gerlicher noted: 

  • The police department’s resources were exhausted almost immediately, forcing officers to adopt a defensive posture that left them with no ability to safely respond to stop the looting and extinguish fires. 
  • Many critical 911 calls were left unanswered for extended periods due to lack of resources. 
  • By the time the Walz administration realized a National Guard response was necessary (almost 24 hours too late), it required the call-up of the entire contingent of Minnesota’s guard troops, the first time that’s happened since World War II. Even after the governor took over the operation, MPD still lacked sufficient resources and was forced to continue a defensive posture with limited ability to stop looting or fires. 

Commander Gerlicher’s testimony (attached and linked below) also provided an hour-by-hour daily account of the violence and harrowing events that officers faced during the riots.  

SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS

  • A cover letter submitted by Minneapolis Police Chief Maderia Arradondo to the Minnesota Senate committees
  • Read this press release online