Operation Safety Net Draws Criticism for its Militaristic Response to Protests

Racial Reckoning: The Arc of Justice

Samantha HoangLong reports:

Authorities have arrested more than 130 protestors so far this week in the wake of Daunte Wright’s death in Brooklyn Center. Police and National Guard used pepper spray, tear gas, flash bangs and rubber bullets to disperse the crowds.

Several elected officials and community leaders have called for the end of such militarized actions. CAIR Minnesota President Jaylani Hussein says the so-called Operation Safety Net has only led to greater injustice.

“The governor right now needs to stop and end Safety Net. They are not helping, they are only hurting us,” said Hussein.

The Wright family is now represented by civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who also represented the family of George Floyd. He says the fact that the officer in Wright’s case has already been charged is a sign of change.

“We are making progress, so I want to encourage those protestors, those young people, those activists, that you are making a difference,” said Crump. “And Minneapolis, Minnesota, right here right now, is ground zero for that change.”

Meanwhile, the defense rested its case in the Derek Chauvin murder trial Thursday morning. Chauvin invoked his Fifth Amendment privilege and did not testify.

Court is in recess until Monday morning when both sides will give their closing arguments. After that, the jury will be sequestered and deliberate until they reach a unanimous verdict on Chauvin’s second-degree murder, third-degree murder and manslaughter charges.