>> Cathy: HERE WITH US IN STUDIO ONE OF THE MANY ELECTED OFFICIALS WHO SPOKE THIS MORNING, DFL REPRESENTATIVE AISHA GOMEZ REPRESENTS SOUTH MINNEAPOLIS THE STATE LEGISLATURE.

HENICE TO HAVE YOU HERE.

>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.

>> Cathy: SO I'M A PROUD SOUTH SIDER.

>> I DIDN'T KNOW THAT.

>> Cathy: I GREW UP ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF MINNEAPOLIS.

>> OKAY, OKAY.

>> Cathy: AND THAT AREA OF MINNEAPOLIS HAS REALLY TAKEN SOME HITS.

GEORGE FLOYD.

ANNUNCIATION.

AND NOW THIS.

HOW'S THE COMMUNITY FEELING?

>> AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, I MEAN, I THINK THAT PEOPLE AROUND OUR CITY, OUR STATE AND OUR COUNTRY ARE FEELING THE HEAVINESS OF THIS MOMENT.

YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT IT'S BOTH THE PERSONAL KIND OF INTIMATE TRAGEDY OF LOSING SOMEBODY LIKE THIS.

SO TRAGICALLY, EARLY IN HER LIFE, A MOTHER, A BELOVED COMMUNITY MEMBER, A SPOUSE.

AND HEN THERE'S, YOU KNOW, AT THE SAME TIME THAT WE'RE IN THAT MOMENT AND WE'RE IN A TIME WHEN OUR COMMUNITY HAS BEEN FACING FIVE WEEKS OF ABDUCTIONS ON THE STREET OF AN INCREASE IN, YOU KNOW, BRUTALITY TOWARD LEGAL OBSERVERS, THERE'S ALSO THESE BIGGER ISSUES, YOU KNOW, WHAT KIND OF A COUNTRY ARE WE GOING TO HAVE?

WHAT KIND OF A COUNTRY ARE WE GOING TO ACCEPT?

WHAT KIND OF AN ADMINISTRATION ARE WE -- HOW MUCH IS TOO MUCH, YOU KNOW?

I WANT TO -- I WANT TO ASK SOME OF MY COLLEAGUES ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE AISLE THAT.

>> Cathy: AND YOU MIGHT HAVE A CHANCE WHEN THE SESSION STARTS, OBVIOUSLY.

>> YEAH.

>> Cathy: I'M CURIOUS, TOO, BECAUSE YOUR DISTRICT IS SO CLOSE TO LITTLE EARTH, EVIDENTLY THE LITTLE EARTH COMMUNITY, WHICH IS MOSTLY NATIVE, WE'RE GETTING REPORTS FROM RAPID CITY, SOUTH DAKOTA, THAT FOUR NATIVE MEN WERE SWEPT UP IN AN .C.E.

OPERATION YESTERDAY AROUND THE LITTLE EARTH AREA, PHILLIPS NEIGHBORHOOD.

WHAT DOES THAT TELL YOU?

>> I MEAN, IT TELLS YOU WHAT'S EVIDENT, IF YOU JUST ISTEN O THE WAY THAT THE FEDERAL ADMINISTRATION IS TALKING ABOUT THIS ISSUE.

THIS IS NOT ABOUT PUBLIC SAFETY.

IT'S NOT ABOUT TARGETED CRIMINAL APPREHENSIONS.

IT'S ABOUT A CAMPAIGN OF DIVISION, OF RACISM AND NATIVISM, AND, YOU KNOW, ANYBODY IS SUBJECT TO IT.

WE SAW -- YOU KNOW, THE IDEA THAT THIS IS ABOUT KEEPING OUR COMMUNITIES SAFE IS JUST SO INSULTING AT THIS POINT, YOU KNOW.

I ARRIVED AT THE SCENE OF RENEE'S MURDER SHORTLY AFTER IT HAPPENED.

AND THERE WAS A GROUP OF I.C.E.

AGENTS THERE.

GREG BOVINO WAS THERE STALKING AROUND THE SCENE INSPECT HIS LITTLE, LIKE, COS-PLAY HELMET.

AND THERE WERE COMMUNITY MEMBERS THERE.

AND FROM THAT SCENE, GREG BOVINO AND HIS MASKED, UNACCOUNTABLE, UNIDENTIFIED TROOPS WENT TO ROOSEVELT HIGH SCHOOL, WHICH I'M SURE YOU KNOW, AND IT WAS DISMISSAL TIME, AND THEY WENT THERE AND THEY TEAR GASED KIDS AND THEY TEAR IT GASED EDUCATORS AND MOMS COMING TO PICK THEIR KIDS UP.

AND THE GROUP OF COMMUNITY MEMBERS WHO WAS THERE WENT OUT AND DEFENDED THEIR NEIGHBORS.

THEY WENT OUT AND DID EXACTLY WHAT RENEE WAS DOING WHEN SHE WAS MURDERED.

AND, SO, THAT IS LIKE THE STORY OF TWO ALTERNATIVES FOR US.

IT'S LIKE WE CAN GIVE N TO THIS ADMINISTRATION, THIS AUTHORITARIAN ADMINISTRATION THAT IS TESTING US, WAS GARCIA BEING DENIED DUE PROCESS RIGHTS AND TAKEN TO C-COT TO A CONCENTRATION CAMP, WAS THAT NOT ENOUGH FOR YOU, IS THE MURDER OF AN AMERICAN CITIZEN WHO IS, OU KNOW, ENGAGING IN CONSTITUTIONALLY PROTECTED ACTIVITIES, IS THAT NOT ENOUGH FOR YOU?

THAT'S ONE VISION OF A COUNTRY THAT WE CAN HAVE RIGHT NOW, A VISION OF HATRED, DIVISION.

OR WE CAN HAVE A COUNTRY THAT ACTUALLY -- AND A STATE THAT ACTUALLY REFLECTS WHO WE ARE AS HUMANS, ONE OF LOVE AND CARE FOR ONE ANOTHER.

>> Eric: I'M VERY CURIOUS ABOUT THE COMMUNITY'S RELATIONSHIP TO MINNEAPOLIS POLICE DEPARTMENT.

DURING THE GEORGE FLOYD INCIDENT, OF COURSE, THEY WERE SEEN AS THE PROBLEM.

ARE THEY SEEN NOW AS MORE OF A POSSIBLE SOLUTION?

>> I MEAN, I THINK, YOU KNOW, YOU JUST HAD CHIEF O'HARA ON, HE'S N A REALLY HARD SITUATION, RIGHT?

THERE'S NO POLICE CHIEF ACROSS THE COUNTRY THAT HAS ARRESTED AN I.C.E.

AGENT WHO'S COMMITTED A CRIME.

AGAINST ONE OF OUR RESIDENTS, OUR CITIZENS.

NOBODY HAS DONE THAT.

YOU KNOW, I'M NOT A LEGAL SCHOLAR OR ANY OF THOSE THINGS.

I MEAN, IT'S A VERY -- WHAT WOULD HAPPEN?

YOU KNOW, WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF A LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AUTHORITY ARRESTED A FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENT IN THIS POLITICAL KIND OF CLIMATE?

IT'S HARD TO SAY.

>> Cathy: YOU MENTIONED THAT RENEE GOOD WAS DOING SOMETHING THAT WAS CONSTITUTIONALLY PROTECTED.

NOW, THERE ARE SOME VIEWERS OF THIS PROGRAM ARE GOING TO SAY, WELL, SHE WAS BLOCKING THE STREET WITH HER CAR.

AND I'M WONDERING, THERE'S GOING TO BE A BIG PROTEST TOMORROW AT POWDERHORN PARK.

WHAT DO YOU TELL PROTESTERS, WHAT DO YOU TELL THEM HOW TO ACT NOW THAT THERE'S BEEN DEADLY FORCE USED AGAINST A PROTESTER?

>> WELL, I JUST WANT TO SAY THAT I THINK PEOPLE WHO ARE CONCERNED ABOUT ONE OF THE LANES OF TRAFFIC BEING BLOCKED ON PORTLAND AVENUE AND RE USING THAT AS A JUSTIFICATION FOR THE EXECUTION OF SOMEBODY IN THE STREET WITHOUT A TRIAL REALLY NEED TO EXAMINE HEIR THINKING.

YOU KNOW, I'M -- I THINK THAT WE ARE IN DANGEROUS TIMES, THERE'S NO DENYING THAT.

IF THERE WAS ANY DOUBT, THEN THERE IS NO DOUBT ANY LONGER, AFTER WEDNESDAY MORNING.

BUT, YOU KNOW, WHAT WE'RE CALLED ON TO DO IN THIS TIME, RIGHT, IS TO DO WHAT COMMUNITIES ACROSS MINNEAPOLIS, ACROSS THE TWIN CITIES AND MINNESOTA ARE DOING, AND THAT'S ORGANIZING TO TAKE CARE OF EACH OTHER.

YOU KNOW, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT PEOPLE ARE WALKING EACH OTHER'S KIDS HOME FROM SCHOOL WHO ARE SCARED, PEOPLE ARE DELIVERING GROCERIES TO FAMILIES THAT DON'T WANT TO LEAVE THEIR HOMES, AND PEOPLE ARE DOING WHAT RENEE WAS DOING.

WHICH IS SHOWING UP ON THE STREET TO INTERRUPT THESE SECRET POLICE FROM ABDUCTING NEIGHBORS WITH NO DUE PROCESS AND OFTENTIMES, YOU KNOW, U.S.

CITIZENS, NATIVE PEOPLE, INDIGENOUS TO THIS LAND.

WE'RE IN ABSURD TIMES.

WE HAVE TO BE AWARE OF SAFETY, BUT ALSO IT'S LIKE WE HAVE TO -- WE HAVE TO THINK ABOUT WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO AND WHAT IS REQUIRED OF US IN TIMES LIKE THIS.

>> Cathy: REPRESENTATIVE, THANK YOU FOR BEING WITH US.

WE APPRECIATE IT.

>> THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING ME.