Minnesota Senate Republicans say they're moving quickly Monday to pass emergency funding to cover extra law enforcement costs and bring in help from surrounding states as the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin comes to a close.
Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka said Gov. Tim Walz called all four legislative leaders on Friday and asked for an additional nearly $2.8 million in funding to bring in highway patrol from other states and another $6.3 million for state costs. Minnesota state troopers, the National Guard and state law enforcement agencies are stationed across the metro in anticipation of a verdict.
Closing arguments in the case of the former Minneapolis police officer will wrap up Monday and the jury will begin deliberating. Chauvin is facing murder charges in the death of George Floyd last May, which sparked widespread unrest and destruction in Minneapolis and St. Paul.
"Everybody across Minnesota just wants their streets safe," said Gazelka. "They want to make sure justice is served ... the jury will make the decisions based on the facts that they looked at, everybody wants that, but we want our streets safe for everyone."
But the move is getting pushback from some Democrats in the divided Legislature, who say they want any additional funding for law enforcement response to be directly tied to police accountability measures that have so far been stalled in the Senate. Those calls intensified last week after the fatal police shooting of Daunte Wright in Brooklyn Center.
"We know that some individuals took advantage of the civil unrest last year to engage in criminal activities that destroyed livelihoods and neighborhood resources, and we need sufficient law enforcement personnel to respond if individuals again seek to take advantage of any civil unrest to commit criminal acts," House Speaker Melissa Hortman, DFL-Brooklyn Park, said in a statement. "At the same time, I remain concerned that individuals must have the opportunity to exercise their First Amendment rights to peacefully protest and to provide media coverage of public events."
Hortman said she was trying to get more specifics over the weekend on the exact amount of funding the Walz's administration needed, and had talked with Walz about the need for police reform legislation.
But she said the Senate moved forward with approximate numbers before those conversations wrapped up. Hortman said she will continue to work with Gazelka and Walz on emergency funding.
Rep. Carlos Mariani, the chairman of the House Public Safety and Criminal Justice Reform Committee, said he has told the Walz administration that for many House members, approval of the funding will be contingent on Walz's "clear public support" for police reform and movement on the policing changes.
Mariani said despite the "horrible behavior" of law enforcement, particularly against the press, he is open to the funding request if Walz is a leader on reform.
"I and 90% of my caucus are the only ones who have clear recorded votes for such a balanced approach," Mariani said.
A similar divide between the House and Senate occurred when Walz previously proposed creating a $35 million "SAFE Account" to help pay for the mutual aid costs of law enforcement agencies that pitch in during emergencies in other communities, such as security needs around the Chauvin trial.
The House failed to pass a bill in February that included the money and police accountability provisions, with House Republicans and some DFL members rejecting the measure. The Senate approved some money to support police offering mutual aid, but did not want to tie accountability measures to the funds.
The issue is part of a widening gulf between the divided Legislature over how to respond to civil unrest and fatal police encounters.
A handful of House Democrats are pushing for a statewide ban of using tear gas, pepper spray and other nonlethal munitions against protesters.
Meanwhile, the Senate GOP is expected to bring a resolution forward Monday honoring the Minnesota National Guard, after members were kicked out of a St. Paul union hall last week. They were using the hall as a staging area as part of Operation Safety Net, a coordinated, phased-in law enforcement response to possible civil unrest.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Briana Bierschbach • 651-925-5042
Jessie Van Berkel • 651-925-5044 i
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