Keith Ellison tells George Floyd rioters to direct anger at police and not the National Guard

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison told people rioting in the streets over the death of George Floyd to direct their frustration toward the Minneapolis Police Department rather than the National Guard.

"I'd like everyone to recognize the fact that the National Guard just a week ago was administering COVID-19 tests to help people," Ellison said during a press conference Friday. "The presence you see on the street, don't react to them the way you might react to the Minneapolis Police Department. It's not the same group. They have different leadership, different authority, and their job is to try to bring peace and calm back again. Please remember that this is not the group that you associate with unfair conduct."

Ellison went on to say that riots such as the one unfolding in Minneapolis are how the “unheard get heard.”

"Don't just dismiss that and ignore it and relegate it to just criminality and bad behavior,” he said. “Actually ask yourself what's going on there.”

Minneapolis erupted into riots this week following a video that surfaced online in which a white police officer knelt on the throat of a black man lying on the ground as onlookers were heard begging the officer to stop. Floyd, the man on the ground, lost consciousness and died.

The officer shown kneeling on Floyd’s throat was arrested Friday and charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter.

“The video images of the incident that ended with the death of Mr. Floyd, while in custody of Minneapolis police officers, were harrowing to watch and deeply disturbing,” Attorney General William Barr said about the incident. “The state prosecutor has been in the process of determining whether any criminal charges are appropriate under state law.”