Tim Walz’s handling of George Floyd’s killing by police comes back into view

For his handling of George Floyd’s killing by police, Tim Walz has largely been commended by progressives both nationwide and on the local level. The vice-presidential candidate and Minnesota governor’s role in the 2020 case has come back into view since he was selected as Kamala Harris’s running mate on Monday.

Many have credited Walz for tapping Keith Ellison, the attorney general, to prosecute the case, which resulted in an unlikely conviction of the Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin for the murder of Floyd while on duty. Former officers J Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao were later convicted for violating Floyd’s civil rights.

“At the time, the Hennepin county attorney [Mike Freeman] was someone who the community did not have any trust in being able to try the case effectively,” said Elianne Farhat, executive director of the political advocacy group TakeAction Minnesota. “So the community and George Floyd’s family raised the demand that the case be moved to the attorney general. What we saw is that [Ellison] and his team led a powerful case and those police officers were ultimately held accountable.”

The Rev Al Sharpton, founder of the civil rights organization National Action Network, agreed with Farhat’s sentiment in a statement released on Tuesday. “Governor Walz tapped Attorney General Ellison to lead the investigation as a direct result of our advocacy in the streets and in the halls over government,” Sharpton wrote. “I learned then that he was a man who will listen and do what is right by those he represents. A year later, justice like we had rarely ever seen was delivered for George Floyd, his family, and this nation.”

But activists have also critiqued Walz for deploying the state’s national guard during racial justice protests that followed Floyd’s murder, as well as for his tepidness about substantive police reforms, including reducing police budgets.

Farhat noted that even though the use of national guard officers was a decision that was largely pushed by Jacob Frey, Minneapolis’s mayor, Walz ultimately used his power as governor to deploy the troops. The heavy police presence, Farhat said, created feelings of anxiety for many on the ground.

“Governor Walz would say, ‘We activate the national guard to help people feel safer’. My experience of it was that having a person in full fatigues and a big gun standing on the corner of my block did not, in fact, make me feel safer. It made me feel less safe.”

Farhat also critiqued Walz’s support for policing, specifically how he dealt with unrest following the 2021 killing of 20-year-old Daunte Wright by police. Walz again deployed the national guard to Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, amid demonstrations over Wright’s death. Police fired teargas and less-lethal munitions at demonstrators, leaving scores of protesters and local residents injured.

“We would have liked to see more progress from Governor Tim Walz when it comes to investing in community and not continue investing in policing,” Farhat said. Walz has boasted about sending an additional $300m to local cities and towns to spend on law enforcement and other, self-determined public safety measures, the Minnesota reformer reported .

But despite her misgivings, Farhat believes Walz is a “great pick” for Harris’s second-in-command. “I think Governor Walz is a great pick for the ticket, and that’s not because he has been perfect on all the policies. In fact, [our members] deeply disagree with him on many fronts,” Farhat said.

“He has his stances,” Farhat said, referencing his attitude on policing “but he actually does govern in a way that is negotiating and productive with the Minnesota state legislature, with community organizations with people who agree and disagree with him.”

Jeremiah Ellison, the Minneapolis council member whose father led the prosecution of Derek Chauvin, said that he had a “generally positive” opinion of Walz, but remained uncommitted ahead of the Democratic national convention next week due to his concerns about the US’s policy on Palestine.

In terms of Walz’s view on safety and policing, Ellison said Walz was not entirely progressive on major components, but was “reasonable”. Following Floyd’s murder, Walz signed a number of bipartisan police reforms, including a ban on certain types of chokeholds and a ban on “warrior style” police training, which emphasizes the use of force. He also signed a ban of certain police restraints in schools, but later repealed the mandate following outcry from some police officers.

“His views aren’t scary. He’s not against accountability. He’s not against reform. He’s not for reallocation of [police] funding, either,” Ellison said. “So I would count his views as moderate.”