Minneapolis Police Chief warns escalating rhetoric could spark unrest like 2020

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara warned that escalating rhetoric surrounding the fatal ICE-involved shooting of Renee Nicole Good could lead to “yet another tragedy,” potentially sparking unrest similar to that following George Floyd’s death in 2020.

During a Wednesday appearance on CNN’s “Out Front with Erin Burnett,” O’Hara was asked whether he was concerned about President Donald Trump’s Truth Social post telling Minnesotans to “FEAR NOT” because “THE DAY OF RECKONING AND RETRIBUTION IS COMING.”

“I have been concerned for several weeks about the escalating situation that’s been unfolding on our streets,” O’Hara responded. “Hours before this woman was killed, I was telling people very publicly that I was worried a tragedy was going to happen — and that is what has happened.”

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The police chief added that “no one wins when we have a loss of life,” warning that the city could face serious consequences if the rhetoric is not toned down.

“I’m concerned that the rhetoric keeps escalating, that the tensions keep rising, that we are headed towards yet another tragedy and a potential trigger to what happened here yet again in 2020,” O’Hara cautioned.

Good, 37, was fatally shot last Wednesday during an ICE operation in south Minneapolis. According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), agents were attempting to make arrests when Good allegedly tried to use her vehicle as a weapon against officers, prompting a federal agent to fire in self-defense.

Following the shooting, O’Hara told CBS News that the tragedy “was entirely predictable” and that “we recognize quite obviously that this has been building over the course of several weeks.”

“I would hope, no matter what side of politics people are on, we can recognize that the loss of a human life is a tragedy and that we do not want to compound that by having a situation which can result in destruction or further harms this community, which has been through so much over the last five years,” he said during an interview with “CBS Mornings” on Thursday.

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O’Hara has been an outspoken critic of the deportation tactics being deployed by ICE, criticizing the federal agency for drumming up chaos during an interview with The New York Times on Monday.

“A lot of the disturbances and chaos that have been happening here, as a result of the manner in which some federal enforcement activity is happening, is requiring our officers to respond to situations and try and restore the peace — situations where oftentimes they themselves then become the target of people’s frustration,” he told the outlet.

O’Hara said the issue is not that ICE is conducting immigration operations in Minnesota, but rather the tactics being used.

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“I mean, there has been immigration enforcement conducted in Minnesota as long as there has been ICE. I think the problem is what gets lost in this is — it’s not necessarily about which laws are being enforced, it’s about how that enforcement is happening,” he asserted.

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“To the extent that there are well-planned, preplanned, targeted enforcement against people who are violating the law — I think all of law enforcement can very clearly get behind that. But to the extent that things are being conducted that may not be well planned — using tactics that generally are not viewed as sound — that may unnecessarily endanger the lives of both law enforcement officers and the community.”