Walz Activates National Guard for Trials in Death of George Floyd

ST. PAUL -- The Minnesota National Guard will be assisting public safety officers in the Twin Cities during the upcoming trials of former Minneapolis police officers Derek Chauvin, J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane, and Tou Thao.

Following requests for assistance from Minneapolis mayor Jacob Frey and Saint Paul mayor Melvin Carter, Governor Tim Walz signed Executive Order 21-06 on Friday.

The order grants Adjutant General Shawn Manke the ability to mobilize guard members and resources as needed during any potential civil unrest surrounding the trials in the death of George Floyd which are scheduled to begin on March 8th.

Earlier this week, members of the state senate discussed different security options for the trials, but have yet to come to an agreement.