"MPD is short, we have to think of other ways": Minneapolis councilmember now calling for State Patrol to help curb violence
MINNEAPOLIS -- We're hearing more from a member of the Minneapolis City Council who said Tuesday that Mayor Jacob Frey needs to call for help from the Minnesota National Guard to deal with surging violence, like what was seen over the holiday weekend.
But Michael Rainville, who represents the Third Ward, now says he thinks other state resources could help Minneapolis police.
"What I saw was mass chaos," said Rainville, describing the shooting at Boom Island Park on the Fourth of July that left seven people hospitalized.
He says Boom Island Park was the one of several backdrops for senseless violence in the city that night. He walked a few blocks from his home to watch first hand what was happening.
His big concern: how first responders, including police officers, were treated when they tried to help.
"By my estimate, there were close to 1,000 people here all with ill intent," Rainville said. "People were shooting fireworks at first responders, I mean big rockets, how could you not let someone get medical attention when they've been horribly shot?"
With the chaos in the park and across the river in downtown Minneapolis, Rainville said he thought the city should get help from the Minnesota National Guard. On Wednesday, he said that the State Patrol would be best.
"I've called for the governor to bring in the National Guard, maybe that's not the right move, but the state troopers are. They are licensed peace officers jut like MPD. MPD is short, we have to think of other ways, " Rainville said.
DFL Gov. Tim Walz said Wednesday that legally the National Guard would have to be partnered with law enforcement.
He said the State Patrol and BCA are assisting with stopping carjackings, gangs and street racing. He called for surrounding jurisdiction to join in to help.
"This is a multi-faceted approach," Walz said. "We know this: This is about having the number of folks in the streets to do the work. It's also about making sure there are opportunities back upstream to stop these types of incidents from happening originally."
Rainville says he believes shutting down the park early should be the first step of many to help stop the violence.
"It's going to take a lot of cooperation from the park board, who has this park," Rainville said. "I've asked them to consider changing the hours of operation ... at 10 o'clock at night, no one needs to be in this park, that's when the trouble starts coming."
The mayor's office says it is working to find new police officers to replace the ones who retired or left the department.
