Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey used Memorial Day to once again elevate George Floyd as a symbol of his administrations progressive agenda, even as the city continues to grapple with the deadly riots and long-term damage that followed Floyds death.
According to The Post Millennial, Frey marked the sixth anniversary of Floyds death on May 25, recalling the 2020 incident in which Floyd died while in police custody after being arrested for allegedly using a counterfeit bill. The viral cell phone footage of the arrest ignited nationwide unrest, as agitators torched businesses, looted neighborhoods, and sparked riots that caused over $1 billion in property damage and contributed to the deaths of at least 30 people.
Today, we remember George Floyd, Frey declared, who was murdered by a former Minneapolis police officer six years ago. That moment changed our city forever. During the summer of Black Lives Matter riots, Frey famously took a knee in solidarity with demonstrators and later aligned himself with activists calling to defund the Minneapolis Police Department, echoing claims that American policing is a racist relic of slavery.
It forced Minneapolis to confront painful truths about race, policing, inequity, and trustand demanded hard conversations and accountability. Since Floyd's murder, our city has been challenged not just to say we've changed, but to prove it, Frey said, framing the upheaval as a catalyst for systemic transformation. His rhetoric mirrored the broader left-wing narrative that treats policing as inherently suspect while downplaying the devastation inflicted on law-abiding residents and business owners.
Weve worked hard to reform policing, strengthen our department, and rebuild trust with neighbors while knowing there is still more work ahead. This anniversary also comes as reconstruction begins at George Floyd Square and work continues on the Peoples Way, he went on, highlighting ongoing projects that enshrine Floyds memory in the citys landscape. The area around the site of Floyds death, long a flashpoint for crime and unrest, is being reshaped into a permanent monument to the 2020 protests.
We are committed, Frey promised, to honoring this place both as a memorial with global significance and as a neighborhood where people live, work, gather, and heal. The work ahead is bigger than any one moment or administration. For many conservatives, however, the emphasis on symbolism and memorials stands in stark contrast to the lack of accountability for rioters and the erosion of public safety that followed.
The weight of what happened is still with our city six years later and the responsibility to keep moving forward together is too. I know we can keep building a Minneapolis that is safer, more accountable, and more worthy of the people who call it home. Yet an autopsy later revealed that Floyd died from an overdose, even as former officer Derek Chauvin was convicted of his murder, and Minneapolis burned while Frey offered lofty language about racial justice instead of restoring order.
Since then, Frey has maintained a combative stance toward law enforcement, particularly on immigration, rejecting cooperation with federal authorities seeking to deport criminal illegal aliens with active detainer orders. He went so far as to tell Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to get the f*ck out of Minneapolis, a remark that underscored his willingness to defy federal law in pursuit of progressive priorities, even as residents continue to bear the consequences of weakened policing and unchecked disorder.
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