REINFORCEMENTS

Pentagon Puts Military Police on Standby to Head to Minneapolis

The National Guard has already been activated, but protests continue to rage in Minneapolis.

In a rare move, the Pentagon has put military police on standby to head to Minneapolis amid violent protests there, according to the Associated Press. The National Guard has already been activated to respond to unrest raging in Minneapolis and St. Paul, but it has not stopped the growing chaos over the death of George Floyd in police custody. Floyd, an unarmed black man, died earlier this week after a white police officer—who has since been arrested and charged with murder—was caught on video kneeling on his neck for more than eight minutes. News of the Pentagon’s move came as the Star Tribune reported that the state's top Republican, state senator Paul Gazelka, had called the White House and begged for help. “I said, ‘Minnesota needs you. Our governor is not able to keep the peace. And we need help before our city burns down,’” the Star Tribune quoted him as saying.