Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar blamed outside groups for lighting fires during the nationwide protests over the death of George Floyd.
\n\u201cIn Minneapolis, we have marched, \u2026<\/b>
\nDemocratic Rep. Ilhan Omar blamed outside groups for lighting fires during the nationwide protests over the death of George Floyd.
\u201cIn Minneapolis, we have marched, we have protested, we have organized. And when we see people setting our buildings and our businesses ablaze, we know those are not people who are interested in protecting black lives,\u201d Omar, whose congressional district includes Minneapolis and some of its suburbs, said on ABC News\u2019 \u201cThis Week\u201d
\u201cThey might say they care about black lives, but they\u2019re not interested in protecting black lives, because when you set a fire, you risk the community that you are saying you are standing out for.\u201d
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz set a curfew and mobilized the National Guard on Saturday to try to tamp down looting and burning of businesses over the past several nights since Floyd\u2019s death.
Omar said \u201cthe community did feel safe\u201d that their homes and businesses would not be set ablaze because of the National Guard presence \u2014 but the military response shook some.
\u201cThere really was also many people who chose to demonstrate and not abide by the curfew, who felt like they also were terrorized by the presence of tanks, by the presence of the National Guard and the militarized police,\u201d she said.
\u201cWhat we are trying to do is try to figure out something between extreme aggression and ways to figure out how to get our city burned down. And it\u2019s a challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n