SE Twin Cities

Minnesota Senate Republicans hosted a hearing on Oct. 22 to discuss the Review of Lawlessness and Government Responses to Minnesota’s 2020 Riots report that was recently released. 

The documents show that the recent riots were unprecedented and violent over the summer.

“The purpose of the report is to document what happened this summer and provide a resource to prevent it from happening again. We all know this is probably not the last riot we will see in our lifetime, and we all know that we can respond better to preserve the safety and security of individuals, businesses and communities," Transportation Committee Chair Scott Newman said in a press release.

After the report was made public, the Senate Democrats complained that they were only allowed one hour to read the document before it was released to the public. Newman said he welcomes additional comments regarding the Senate report.

“It really is demonstrative of the political climate we’re in today,” Newman said in a press release. “In the U.S. Senate, Democrats didn’t show up to vote today. In the Minnesota Senate, we have hearings and provided the report for accountability, and Democrats decided they didn’t want to participate today. This is not how we solve problems and bring people together. Everyone needs to be at the table to engage.”