‘How many more Americans need to die?’: Minneapolis mayor lambastes Trump after fatal shooting | Minneapolis

The following is a statement from Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey at a press conference following the fatal shooting of a local citizen by federal law enforcement on Saturday.

I just saw a video of more than six masked agents beating and shooting one of our voters to death.

How many more residents, how many more Americans, need to die or be seriously injured before this operation ends?

How many more lives must be lost before this administration realizes that a political and partisan narrative is not as important as American values?

How many times must local and national leaders beg you, Donald Trump, to end this operation and realize that this is not creating safety in our city? We have seen these types of operations elsewhere, in other countries, but not here in America, not in the form of an occupation of a major American city by its own federal government.

I am tired of being told that our community members are responsible for the abuse on our streets.

I’m tired of being told that local elected officials are solely responsible for lowering the temperature. Just yesterday we saw 15,000 people protesting peacefully in the streets, speaking out, defending their neighbors. Not a single broken glass, not a single injury.

These peaceful protests embody the principles on which both Minneapolis and America were founded; On the contrary, the masked, militarized force and unidentified agents occupying our streets, this is what weakens our country. This is what erodes trust in both law enforcement and democracy itself.

So everyone listening, stand with Minneapolis. Stand up for America. Remember that your children will ask you which side you are on. Your grandchildren will ask what you did to make sure the foundational elements of our democracy were rock solid and to prevent this from happening again. What did you do to protect your city? What did you do to protect your nation? That’s not what America is about. This is not a partisan issue. This is an American tradition.

This administration and everyone involved in this operation needs to think. They should think right now and ask themselves: What exactly are you achieving?

If the goal is to ensure peace and security, this is doing the exact opposite.

If the goal is to achieve peace and prosperity, this does the exact opposite.

Are we defending American families right now, or tearing them apart?

This occupation of heavily armed, masked agents roaming our Minneapolis streets, emboldened by a sense of impunity, must end. This is not how it should be.

So this is the perfect time for President Trump to act like a leader. Put Minneapolis, put America first right now, and let’s have peace. Let’s end this operation. And I tell you, our city will come back. Security will be restored. We ask that you take immediate action to eliminate these federal agents.