MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA On Monday, November 14, 2016, another anti-Trump protest rolled through downtown Minneapolis. Photos show a group of about 100 protesters blocking the street outside of the WCCO television station at 11th and Nicollet.
Police officers were in the area helping to control traffic as the protesters moved through downtown. Jake Duesenberg, of Action 4 Liberty, witnessed the protest and the interruption of downtown traffic. Duesenberg told Alpha News that he talked with some of the police officers on the scene and asked them why the protesters were allowed to block traffic and if there were any plans to arrest the protesters.
The police officers told Duesenberg, “We are under orders to make no arrests, we are to only escort the protesters.” When questioned where those orders originated, the police officers responded, “They came directly from the Mayor.”
Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges recently posted on her Facebook page sympathy and solidarity with those in her constituency upset with the presidential election’s outcome, saying, “ “We must continue, as always, to stand against what is coming, to fight for and with people against the meanness that is upon us.” (emphasis added) She goes on to say, “The first order of business, however, is to grieve, to rage…” (Alpha News). In order to allow those people to “grieve, to rage” she has apparently told the police to stand down.
Alpha News also recently reported that Hodges plans to fight President-elect Donald Trump’s statement that “sanctuary cities” will no longer continue to be allowed to flout federal immigration laws without losing federal funding. Hodges recently stated, “If police officers were to do the work of ICE it would harm our ability to keep people safe and solve crimes. Witnesses and victims of crimes won’t come forward if they think our police officers will question or detain them about their immigration status. Our ordinance has helped us solve crime and keep communities safer. If our police were doing the work of ICE, Minneapolis would be less safe for everyone, regardless of immigration status.”
Andrea Mayer-Bruestle
Andrea Mayer-Bruestle is a former writer for Alpha News.
