Tim Walz on Criminal Justice: George Floyd, Gun Control Laws, and More

Now that Vice President Kamala Harris has chosen Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz to be her operating mate, voters will flip their consideration to his file on quite a lot of points, together with felony justice.

Crime will possible be a key theme on the marketing campaign path, and conservatives have already been attacking Walz on the difficulty. A press release from the RNC slammed him for his positions on immigration and policing. In the meantime, felony justice reform advocates have praised among the sweeping adjustments signed by Walz, who turned governor in 2018 and received reelection in 2022.

Listed below are 5 key issues to find out about his file:

Final yr, Walz signed a legislation that overhauled the state’s felony justice system.

In 2023, Walz signed into legislation a serious felony justice reform invoice aimed toward drastically chopping the variety of individuals unnecessarily underneath probation and parole supervision, lowering the quantity of people that land again in jail after launch and clearing among the obstacles for individuals returning residence, amongst different provisions. Previous to this legislation, individuals could possibly be sentenced to probation for many years, which consultants say results in extra individuals touchdown again in jail however little further public security. Due to the adjustments, Minnesota has 5,470 fewer individuals on probation, in line with Lauren Krisai of the Justice Motion Community, which helped shepherd the reforms. “There weren’t numerous governors that supported these things in 2023, so the truth that he was pleasant was big,” Krisai mentioned. “There was simply this nationwide narrative that crime was going up; we should always maintain off on any reforms. In Minnesota, they had been like, ‘We’re going to disregard the nationwide narrative and cross good coverage.’”

Different main adjustments that fell underneath the auspices of that reform package deal embrace: eliminating life with out parole for crimes dedicated as a teen; enacting a “clear slate” provision that routinely expunges sure crimes from individuals’s information after a time frame; restoring the suitable to vote to individuals on probation or parole; and legalizing leisure marijuana. This yr, Walz additionally signed a invoice to finish jail gerrymandering; on the subsequent Census, individuals in jail will rely as residents of the neighborhoods the place they lived earlier than they had been incarcerated, not the cities the place they’re locked up.

Walz, who tapped his legal professional normal to prosecute the officer who murdered George Floyd, additionally confronted some criticism for a way shortly he responded to protests in 2020.

Amid protests that rocked Minneapolis and the nation after the homicide of George Floyd, Walz confronted robust selections about methods to deal with the unrest. As peaceable protests turned to looting and arson, town’s mayor referred to as Walz and requested for assist from the Nationwide Guard, telling him the native police wouldn’t be capable to deal with the scenario on their very own. However Walz waited an extra day earlier than signing an govt order to ship the troops in. Within the meantime, a five-mile stretch of Minneapolis and St. Paul burned, together with the police precinct and a whole lot of companies. To his critics, that hesitation was an indication that “he froze underneath stress, underneath a calamity, as individuals’s properties had been being burned down,” as Republican State Sen. Warren Limmer informed the New York Occasions.

To Walz’ supporters, he was delicate to protesters’ frustrations. Kevin Reese, a group organizer who was concerned within the protests and has since labored with the governor on felony justice reforms, mentioned the governor did not need to convey extra hurt to an already tense scenario. “He learn the room.”

On the time of Floyd’s homicide, Justin Terrell was govt director of Council for Minnesotans of African Heritage, a state company meant to empower Black individuals statewide. Walz got here right down to the nook the place Floyd was murdered to speak to individuals “whereas town was nonetheless smoldering,” Terrell mentioned. “No picture ops. He wrote on the bottom, ‘Justice Now’” in sidewalk chalk. “That mentioned lots to me.”

Walz additionally tapped Minnesota Legal professional Common Keith Ellison to prosecute Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin in Floyd’s homicide, a transfer that observers say was key to Chauvin’s conviction and prolonged jail sentence.

Not lengthy after Floyd’s homicide, Walz advocated for and signed police reform payments.

Because the protests continued, Walz referred to as a particular session of the state lawmakers, difficult a divided legislature to cross a collection of police reform payments in July 2020. Walz signed the package deal, described by the native press as “among the most substantial adjustments to legislation enforcement and police accountability in a era,” lower than 60 days after Floyd’s loss of life underneath Chauvin’s knee. The legislation bans chokeholds, “warrior-style” coaching that encourages “aggressive conduct,” and requires officers to step in if a colleague is utilizing extreme power, amongst different main adjustments.

“This name to a particular session shouldn’t be a name simply from me. It is that primal scream you heard from individuals on the streets demanding justice, demanding it now and demanding us step into this second,” Walz mentioned on the time.

State officers underneath Walz additionally negotiated a consent decree with town of Minneapolis over policing practices that the state human rights division mentioned had been discriminatory. The 144-page doc is binding on town and will increase police accountability amongst different adjustments. The Walz administration additionally reinvigorated the board that licenses and disciplines law enforcement officials statewide within the wake of the George Floyd protests.

The large felony justice invoice that Walz signed final yr included a package deal of gun security measures. The legislation offered funding for violence prevention applications, expanded background verify guidelines, and instruments to forestall individuals deemed a danger to themselves or others from proudly owning weapons. It was praised by gun-control advocacy teams like Everytown for Gun Security and Mothers Demand Motion as a method to curb gun violence. However gun rights teams slammed it.

Walz was as soon as a darling of gun rights teams, in line with the New York Occasions. Early in his profession, he was endorsed by the Nationwide Rifle Affiliation, a conservative group selling gun rights, and Weapons & Ammo journal included him of their listing of prime politicians for gun house owners in 2016. However after Walz started supporting stricter gun legal guidelines, he fell out of favor with the NRA, bragging the group now offers him “straight F’s.” Walz mentioned the ranking proved that he was uniquely positioned to construct the coalition essential to lastly cross widespread sense gun laws.

Walz’ file on immigration consists of driver’s license legislation, help for a pathway to citizenship.

Final yr, Walz signed a legislation permitting Minnesotans, no matter their immigration standing, to acquire a driver’s license. A press launch from the governor’s workplace mentioned the brand new legislation would “enhance security throughout Minnesota by guaranteeing that each one drivers are licensed, insured, and have taken driver’s schooling programs.” Walz has additionally supported permitting individuals delivered to the U.S. as kids, typically referred to as “dreamers”, a pathway to citizenship.

Immigration has been a scorching button subject through the presidential election, and former President Donald Trump was fast to assault Walz for being pro-immigrant. Trump, this yr’s Republican presidential nominee, has falsely claimed there’s a “migrant crime wave.” Knowledge evaluation reveals no connection between undocumented immigration and crime, and analysis reveals immigrants are considerably much less more likely to commit crimes than individuals born within the U.S.