On Thursday, Walz signed an executive order activating the national guard “to help protect Minnesotans’ safety and maintain peace in the wake of George Floyd’s death.”
“It is time to rebuild. Rebuild the city, rebuild our justice system, and rebuild the relationship between law enforcement and those they’re charged to protect," Walz said in a press release.
"George Floyd’s death should lead to justice and systemic change, not more death and destruction. As George Floyd’s family has said, ‘Floyd would not want people to get hurt. He lived his life protecting people.’ Let’s come together to rebuild, remember, and seek justice for George Floyd," the governor continued.
According to the government, about 200 troops are being dispatched "for the next several days."
"We are ready and prepared to answer the Governor's request. We are currently in process of assigning and preparing units to respond," Minnesota National Guard Maj. Gen. Jon Jensen said in a statement tweeted by the service's Twitter account.
Floyd, 46, was killed on Monday evening after being tackled by several police officers, one of whom held a knee to Floyd's neck as he said "I can't breathe." Floyd was black and the responding officer was white. The police were responding to a call by a local grocery store, which claimed he had tried to pay using a counterfeit bill.
The four officers involved have since been fired by the police department.
After video of the incident emerged online, protests erupted in Minneapolis, soon swelling to several thousand people, who smashed the local precinct where the responding officers worked, and other stores were soon also looted. Police have responded to the protests with prolific use of tear gas and so-called nonlethal ammunition fired into the crowds.