Minneapolis Police Department Sergeant Anna Hedberg said it was "heartbreaking" to watch officers who "could have died" during the 2020 riots in Minneapolis and not be able to respond as they had trained to. She made the comments in a Minnesota Senate testimony after the riots.
"To watch them go through that was so heartbreaking," she said about the burning of the Third Precinct. "To know that they could have died because we were not allowed to respond the way that we have been trained to respond."
Hedberg testified along other Minneapolis police, saying they had been abandoned by state officials during the riots spurred by the death of George Floyd. "I heard the Governor say 'give it up,'" she said. "Now the governor says give up the precinct, that's demoralizing for this whole state."
Minneapolis-St. Paul businesses were damaged and looted during the George Floyd riots in the summer of 2020. Retail and restaurants were hit the hardest with a total of 267 restaurants and 207 retail businesses damaged. The damage to buildings and Minneapolis-St. Paul during the George Floyd riots were not restricted to businesses, as 53 residences, churches, and nonprofits were also attacked during the riots. Damages range from fire damage, broken doors, broken windows, and even total destruction.
The Third Precinct of Minneapolis was broken into and burned by rioters in May of 2020. Officers who remained in the building were ordered to abandon the building after defending it for the past few days, as city leadership determined it was better than continuing to defend it. No official order was given through the chain of command, AMP Reports wrote, so the officers' evacuation was not smooth. Officers attempted to defend the building from the break in attempts, but rioters breached the doors and were not deterred by rubber bullets or tear gas.
After police abandoned the station, rioters set it on fire, fleeing while wearing police uniforms and equipment. They surrounded the building so firefighters couldn't access the area to put out the fire until the next morning, when it was declared a total loss.
Gov. Walz activated the National Guard during the George Floyd riots. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey requested that he do so and so did St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter. The National Guard did not receive any direction for how they should help as of May 29, 2020.
"We sort of knew what we might be doing as it related to civil disturbance in Minneapolis, but it's very important we know exactly what we're being asked to do so we have the right equipment, we mobilize the right number of soldiers," Minnesota National Guard Adjutant General Jon Jensen said. "That element was lacking."
Gov. Walz characterized the city’s response to the George Floyd riots as an “abject failure” after the evacuation and destruction of the city's Third Precinct headquarters.
David Dorn, a retired St. Louis Police Captain, was shot and killed in St. Louis during the violent George Floyd riots of June 2, 2020, protecting Lee’s Pawn & Jewelry against looters.
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