Minnesota Governor Tim Walz announced Saturday that he is fully mobilizing the state’s National Guard for the first time ever in response to the ongoing unrest in Minneapolis.
“The situation in Minneapolis is no longer in any way about the murder of George Floyd,” Walz said at a press conference with law enforcement and the mayors of Minneapolis and St. Paul. on Saturday.
The governor said the state has already deployed about 700 law enforcement, including National Guard members, to handle the protests. He said the Minnesota National Guard will now be out in “full force.”
“More than 1,000 additional Citizen-Soldiers and Airmen are activating today,” the Minnesota National Guard tweeted Saturday. “This is in addition to the 700 that were on duty as of late last night.”
“This represents the largest domestic deployment in the Minnesota’s National Guard’s 164-year history.”
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said most protesters are no longer residents of the city.
“This is no longer about protesting,” Frey said. “… This is about violence and we need to make sure that it stops.”
