Minneapolis police chief defends using tear gas on protesters, says it was necessary to de-escalate
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA: Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara on Wednesday, January 28, defended his department’s use of tear gas on protesters on two occasions amid ongoing demonstrations tied to federal immigration enforcement operations in the city, saying the deployments were authorized, necessary to restore order, and aimed at de-escalating unsafe situations.
O’Hara’s comments came during a CNN town hall, moderated by Anderson Cooper and Sara Sidner, focused on public safety and protest tensions in Minneapolis.
Brian O’Hara says a dozen Minneapolis police officers have been injured
Quin Mudry Nelson, a grad student from the University of Minnesota, showed up at the town hall and wanted to know why police used chemical munitions at protests she saw as peaceful.
O’Hara answered that both times they used tear gas, the crowds had turned into "unlawful assembly" and were causing safety concerns, so the police had to step in.
“In both of those instances, those were the times where it was very clearly an unlawful assembly and very, very much unsafe, and it was necessary in order to try and de-escalate the situation and remove local police and state police from those areas,” O’Hara said.
The police chief said about a dozen Minneapolis police officers have been injured trying to step in during clashes.
On Saturday, people were throwing glass bottles and setting fires, O’Hara claimed. According to him, that was an instance where police needed to regain control.
Brian O’Hara defends Minneapolis Police Department
When asked whether Minneapolis police were at protests primarily to protect residents or to shield federal agents from demonstrators angry about immigration enforcement, O’Hara said the department’s responsibility was to ensure public safety above all.
O’Hara said, “The reality is the responsibility of the Minneapolis Police Department is to keep the streets and the people in this city safe, period.”
This means when there is violence happening, local officers “insert ourselves into that chaos” to slow things down.
The comment points out how tough things have gotten for Minneapolis police as protests keep breaking out over the federal immigration crackdown.
Lately, thousands of officers from ICE, CBP, and other Homeland Security agencies have poured into the city.
A string of high-profile incidents, especially deadly shootings by federal agents, has only fueled the demonstrations.
Recently, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said he had a "productive" conversation with border czar Tom Homan, but that he didn’t receive any assurances that the immigration crackdown in the city would come to an end.
Separately, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said he is concerned that the evidence in Alex Pretti’s case will be compromised by federal agents.
