Gov. Tim Walz and his wife, Gwen, attended and spoke at a candlelight vigil Sunday night in remembrance of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died Friday.
According to Star Tribune reporter Liz Sawyer, “several hundred” people gathered at Boom Island in Minneapolis for the event, which was hosted by the left-wing group Gender Justice.
Several hundred people are gathered at Boom Island in Minneapolis for a candlelight vigil honoring Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Event kicks off with music from members of the MN Orchestra. pic.twitter.com/PlqcMrvrat
— Liz Sawyer (@ByLizSawyer) September 21, 2020
A Facebook event page for the vigil states that 597 people planned to attend and another 3,400 were interested. The page makes no mention of maximum attendance requirements, but says masks were mandatory.
The governor recently told Joe Biden and President Donald Trump to comply with the “state’s COVID-19 safety guidelines” ahead of their Friday campaign stops in Minnesota. Under Minnesota’s Stay Safe Plan, Walz said the campaign events were not to exceed 25% capacity, or 250 people.
“You may be able to increase total attendance if you choose a venue with multiple event spaces with separate capacity limits, as long as you limit each separate space to the lesser of 250 people or 25% capacity,” Walz wrote in a letter to both campaigns. “Attendees must maintain social distancing of at least six feet at all times, including when entering and exiting the event. Face coverings are required indoors and strongly encouraged outdoors.”
The governor’s executive orders also limit indoor and outdoor worship services to 250 people – a requirement that applies to funerals and weddings as well.
Walz said “it’s not just chance” that “200,000 of our fellow Americans are dead” while speaking during the memorial.
“It happened because of poor choices, deliberate choices,” he said, according to a live-stream of the event provided by Gender Justice.
The governor mentioned the recent campaign events in northern Minnesota, saying some of it was “good and kind” and some of it was “hateful and divisive.”
“If we’re going to say we’re going to continue this fight for gender equity, yup, we’re going to get political. If we’re going to continue this fight for the idea that you can marry who you want, yup, we’re going to get pretty political. If we’re going to continue to fight and say ‘all are welcome here,’ and all are valued – black, white, brown, or indigenous – yup, we’re going to get political with them,” said Walz.
“And if they’re going to tell us that this nation is those who have and those who have not, and some states that are blue if their people die it’s not as important as others, or if we’re going to separate children at the border from their parents and they’re going to do those things, they can be damn sure we’re going to get political because if there was anything that was clear, Justice Ginsburg’s life was a political life,” he continued.
Alpha News reached out to the governor’s office for comment, but did not receive a response.
View more photos of the event below:
Remembering Ruth Bader Ginsburg tonight in silence, song, and word. pic.twitter.com/e03C6oexvw
— Jim Davnie (@jdavnie) September 21, 2020
A small group of musicians with MN Orchestra perform melancholy song after organizers urge residents to honor RBG’s legacy by voting and getting involved in issues they care about. pic.twitter.com/A5hSXtHSaO
— Liz Sawyer (@ByLizSawyer) September 21, 2020
"Real change, enduring change, happens one step at a time." -Ruth Bader Ginsburg pic.twitter.com/k4WcnarcpT
— TCAnelle (@TCAnelle) September 21, 2020
When I grow up I want to be like @ErinMayeQuade and use my grief to organize an amazing vigil in less than 48 hours #MayHerMemoryBeARevolution pic.twitter.com/TJYls4tZct
— Jackson Sump (@JacksonSump) September 21, 2020
Anthony Gockowski
Anthony Gockowski is Editor-in-Chief of Alpha News. He previously worked as an editor for The Minnesota Sun and Campus Reform, and wrote for the Daily Caller.
