Leftist protesters threw urine at the police—does the DFL disavow?

Minneapolis Police Chief, Medaria Arradondo, has confirmed that the far-left “protestors” against Trump’s October 10 Minneapolis rally threw urine at police officers. 

ANTIFA Minneapolis Trump Rally
Anarchists gathered in the streets looking for the Trump rally attendees.

Minneapolis Police Chief, Medaria Arradondo, has confirmed that the far-left “protestors” against Trump’s October 10 Minneapolis rally threw urine at police officers

Arradondo noted in a report that the event and Trump supporters were peaceful, but that the situation turned violent in the evening when the leftwing mob began to attack the roughly 20,000 Trump supporters leaving the arena. 

People were spit on, slapped, and punched. One woman was hit over the head with a stick. A man held up a sign that said “Blue Lives Don’t F–king Matter,” while another leftist carried around the flag of the murderous Soviet Union. One man was hit as he was chased down the street by a crowd of about 20. Another chant briefly said “kill a cop, save a life.” These are but a few examples of the violence that ensued.

Although it is disputed, leftist Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey reportedly told cops to go easy on protestors, and to not use chemical irritant on the mob. But the police did end up using some irritant on the most violent of the “protestors,” which caused Democrat state representative Aisha Gomez to criticize Frey in a phone call. Gomez, it turns out, was rallying with the Antifa mob, wearing all black. 

The reason for the use of the irritant, if it was used, was simple. Arradondo wrote: “Objects containing liquid believed to be urine were hurled at some of my officers along with bottles and rocks. Police horses were also assaulted by protesters striking them with sticks.” 

But stunningly, the Minneapolis Police Department made just one arrest and issued one citation during the chaos—for property damage, and for disorderly conduct.

And this writer—who walked through the protesters around 5 pm, on his way home from work—would like to disagree with the assessment that they were peaceful before the Trump rally ended. In one example, Trump supporters trying to make it into the rally were forced to “run the gauntlet” through an enraged crowd of leftists, who were screaming profanities and engaging in physically-menacing behavior. Families with young children were forced to walk through this crowd, looking terrified as they did. The police were nowhere to be seen.

What to do about it

Anyone hurt during the rally should seek legal counsel and file a suit against Frey on the basis of a civil rights violation (42 USC 1983). 

Democrats so far have refused to answer any questions about the violent protest. This is especially important, given that one of their own—DFL state rep Aisha Gomez—was among the leftwing mob.

Specifically questions that have not been answered are: 

  • “Do you disavow the protestors who threw urine at cops, and hit and spit on Trump supporters?”
  • “Do you disavow the use of rhetoric like ‘kill a cop, save a life,’ and ‘blue lives don’t matter’?” 
  • “Do you disavow political violence?” 
  • “Do you disavow Mayor Frey for not allowing the Minneapolis Police to defend themselves?”
  • “Do you disavow state rep. Aisha Gomez for associating herself with the most violent group of protestors?”

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Willis Krumholz

Willis L. Krumholz is a fellow at Defense Priorities. He holds a JD and MBA degree from the University of St. Thomas, and works in the financial services industry. The views expressed are those of the author only. You can follow Willis on Twitter @WillKrumholz.