The Trump administration rejected a $500 million federal aid request from Minnesota after Democrat Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Democrat Mayor Jacob Frey failed to stop significant damage from being inflicted on the city in response to the death of George Floyd.
“We’re asking our federal partners to step up and help our communities recover,” Walz said in a statement at the start of the month. “We need to come together to ensure Minnesotans who were victims of this destruction have access to critical infrastructure they need so they can go to the grocery store, pick up their medication, and live their lives. Together, we will rebuild.”
Estimates provided by the state said that an estimated 1,500 businesses were destroyed by violent rioters who burned down many of the businesses and looted countless stores. The state said that the estimated damage exceeded $500 million.
The Trump administration reportedly did not approve the request after the Democrat mayor and governor failed to stop the damage from happening in the first place.
“The Governor is disappointed that the federal government declined his request for financial support,” Walz’s office said in a statement. “As we navigate one of the most difficult periods in our state’s history, we look for support from our federal government to help us through.”
After Floyd’s death, violent left-wing rioters attacked Minneapolis’s 3rd Precinct station and Frey ordered the police to stand down and retreat.
The New York Times reported:
As the night wore on, dozens of buildings burst into flames, without a fire crew in sight. A six-story apartment building that was still under construction collapsed into a ball of fire. A high-tech factory was set ablaze. Residents called 911 desperate for help, but dispatchers were overwhelmed.
Over three nights, a five-mile stretch of Minneapolis sustained extraordinary damage. The police precinct house itself was set on fire, after the mayor gave orders to evacuate the building. A month later, the city is still struggling to understand what happened and why: Not since the 1992 unrest in Los Angeles has an American city suffered such destructive riots.
The Minneapolis city government, which is controlled by Democrats, has repeatedly demonized police officers and members of the city council have advocated for defunding the police department in recent weeks even as violent crime has surged since Floyd’s death.
Minneapolis City Council President Lisa Bender was asked by CNN following the Democrats’ calls for defunding the police department what people should do if their homes are broken into.
Bender responded by saying, “Yes, I mean, I hear that loud and clear from a lot of my neighbors, and I know, and myself too, and I know that that comes from a place of privilege because, for those of us for whom the system is working, I think we need to step back and imagine what it would feel like to already live in that reality where calling the police may mean more harm is done.”
Bender later struggled in a separate interview on CNN to explain what should happen in a killer was running around on the loose shooting people.
While members of the Minneapolis City Council were advocating for defunding the police department many of them were receiving expensive private security protection at taxpayer expense.