Name: MN Public Safety Commissioner Harrington cautions lawmakers about inflamed rhetoric after ‘insurrection’
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MN Public Safety Commissioner Harrington cautions lawmakers about inflamed rhetoric after ‘insurrection’

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By | | Pioneer PressMinnesota’s top law enforcement official has cautioned state lawmakers against using rhetoric that could incite violence against public officials, including their own colleagues.The admonishment of Public Safety Commissioner John Harrington was carefully worded in the form of a written memo to all lawmakers Thursday that initially discussed increased security at the Capitol in St. Paul.But its target audience clearly included Republicans who have sought to encourage increasingly confrontational protests, including Wednesday’s local franchise of the deadly pro-Trump event that spawned the mob that overran and ransacked the U.S. Capitol in Washington — an event Harrington called an “unprecedented insurrection.”On Jan. 2, demonstrators, some armed, gathered outside the homes of at least two Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party House members, and on Tuesday, as the mob was descending on the U.S. Capitol, a pro-Trump rally outside the state Capitol in St. Paul featured violent rhetoric from speakers. At least five Republican House members attended that rally, with some stoking calls for action.Here’s a key part of Harrington’s memo from Thursday, a day after the D.C. mob action that was stoked by President Donald Trump, who has perpetuated a series of falsehoods about his November loss to President-elect Joe Biden:“As we saw yesterday, words do matter. The calls to action by elected leaders can and have had substantial consequences and can change that safe environment in an instant. As (Martin Luther) King once said ‘In the end, we will remember not just the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.’ We all play a critical role in ensuring the continuation of safety at the Capitol and I encourage you to carefully consider the effect of our rhetoric. As leaders in our state, I think it is up to all of us to call out language or activity that endorses or encourages illegal or destructive behavior. We simply cannot stand by — and certainly not participate — while some choose to instigate violence or ignore law and order in our state and nation.“We are also aware of protests targeting elected officials and state agency commissioners over the past months. Last weekend, we saw demonstrators appear at the homes of state representatives in different parts of the state. Some of these protesters were seen carrying handguns and long guns as they stood outside the residences. Groups have also communicated they plan to begin protesting local judges as well as state constitutional officers and state legislators. We have communicated with all chief law enforcement officers in the state to ensure they are aware of the increasing likelihood of this kind of activity and to let them know that the Department of Public Safety is tracking this activity.”Harrington, a former St. Paul police chief and DFL state lawmaker who was appointed by Gov. Tim Walz, didn’t provide specifics on the previous incidents to which he was referring, and a spokesman declined to discuss specifics Friday, citing “security reasons.” At least one of the protests was outside the home of Rep. Carlos Mariani, DFL-St. Paul, who about the affair. Video of the event on social media showed scores of demonstrators with pro-Trump flags and signs. Their stated purpose was to protest coronavirus restrictions. Some of those attending wore combat fatigues and carried sidearms or combat-style rifles.“Terrorism has many faces,” Mariani tweeted, in part. “Democracy is fragile.”The protesters then traveled to the South St. Paul residence of state Rep. Rick Hansen. That was days before the Democrat became the lead signer of a letter of protest that eight DFL House members lodged against eight Republican House members who signed a letter of support for a failed Texas lawsuit seeking to overturn Biden’s victory. The Republicans claimed Minnesota’s election was “illegal” under an argument that courts have also rejected. The Democrats’ letter called the Texas lawsuit — brought by the state of Texas and supported by numerous Republican attorneys general, “seditious.”On Wednesday, some of those same lawmakers spoke at the pro-Trump “Storm the Capitol” event outside the state Capitol, including Reps. Steve Drazkowski, R-Mazeppa; Eric Lucero, R-Dayton; Glenn Gruenhagen, R-Glencoe; and Rep. Mary Franson, R-Alexandria, according to videos shared on social media posts and the . state Rep. Susan Akland, R-St. Peter, also spoke.The event, during which no actual effort was made to breach the fence surrounding the Capitol, was attended by hundreds and also included speeches by activists that included statements like “there will be casualties” and the nation was on “the threshold of a civil war” and involved chants against officials, including judges involved in election-related court-cases.The group then traveled to the Governor’s Residence, where the rhetoric continued. In his memo, Harrington said that despite the rhetoric, no attempts were made to breach state buildings.The Governor’s Residence on Summit Avenue, which is owned by the state, has long been the site of protests, but there’s been pushback to the practice of taking demonstrations to front lawns of the private dwellings of lawmakers and other public officials. On Jan. 2, as demonstrators took to the homes of Mariani and Hansen, Rep. Pat Garofalo, R-Farmington, against it, saying: “The cause or issue is irrelevant. Left wing? Right wing? It doesn’t matter. Involving a person’s home means targeting their family. Families are off limits. If you support this behavior, Stop it. Now.”Aggressive demonstrations outside home residences are hardly the exclusive domain of the political right.In August, then-DFL-endorsed House candidate after a George Floyd protest in front of the Hugo home of Minneapolis Police Federation President Bob Kroll. Thompson was caught on video screaming anti-police profanities and calling a group of white girls watching from a neighboring house “racist motherf—–s.” Thompson, who later apologized, won his election from St. Paul’s East Side-based district and was sworn into office Tuesday.Staff writer Mara H. Gottfried contributed to this report.We invite you to use our commenting platform to engage in insightful conversations about issues in our community. We reserve the right at all times to remove any information or materials that are unlawful, threatening, abusive, libelous, defamatory, obscene, vulgar, pornographic, profane, indecent or otherwise objectionable to us, and to disclose any information necessary to satisfy the law, regulation, or government request. We might permanently block any user who abuses these conditions.Sign up for Newsletters and AlertsFollow UsMost PopularClose

By | | Pioneer PressMinnesota’s top law enforcement official has cautioned state lawmakers against using rhetoric that could incite violence against public officials, including their own colleagues.The admonishment of Public Safety Commissioner John Harrington was carefully worded in the form of a written memo to all lawmakers Thursday that initially discussed increased security at the Capitol in St. Paul.But its target audience clearly included Republicans who have sought to encourage increasingly confrontational protests, including Wednesday’s local franchise of the deadly pro-Trump event...

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MN Public Safety Commissioner Harrington cautions lawmakers about inflamed rhetoric after ‘insurrection’

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