Trump Supporters Attacked At Capitol Upset With Law Enforcement
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Some Minnesota veterans are recovering from cuts and bruises after a clash on the steps of the State Capitol.
It happened Saturday as supporters of President Donald Trump tried to get inside the Capitol to attend a rally -- but they were met by counter protesters spreading a different message.
Now, organizers are planning changes after how it all played out.
It was the second time in two months a pro-Trump rally turned violent at the Capitol.
Organizers now want some questions answered by protesters and police before they ever make plans to meet here again.
John Weiss and Dee Dee Buckley looked forward to hearing lawmakers and supporters speak inside the Capitol to mark the president's first 100 days in office.
"I thought it was going to be a good political event," Weiss said.
But Weiss and Buckley had no idea how hard it would be to get there.
"The two guys who were blocking me out grabbed a hold of the back of my backpack and flung me down the stairs," Weiss said. "I fell on my right shoulder, my right hip and my right knee."
Weiss said it came shortly after another Trump supporter was pushed to the ground and kicked in the head.
"After that had happened too, some of the Antifa, they spat upon me and I did not appreciate that," Buckley said.
They blame the Antifa for the scuffles. It is estimated a couple hundred members of the anti-fascist group showed up on Saturday.
"Why they were not removed is the question of the day," Buckley said.
Organizers for the Trump rally said they had a permit to use the space.
More frustration came when those that were hurt asked the Minnesota State Patrol to make arrests or at least take a report. Neither happened on scene.
"At that point I decided, 'Nah, screw it, nobody's going to do anything,'" Weiss said.
Lt. Tiffani Nielson, public information officer for the state patrol, said in a statement that they "received reports and an investigation is underway."
"Why aren't we enforcing the laws of this country?" Weiss said. "I don't understand it."
No one from the Antifa group got back to WCCO-TV for comment.
An organizer with M4T USA, a pro-Trump group, told WCCO they have been meeting this week to figure out how to do things differently.
They are considering renting a private venue in the future, saying they simply cannot continue to have people get hurt.
Six arrests were made when counter protesters interrupted another rally in March. One was Linwood Kaine, son of former Democratic vice presidential candidate Sen. Tim Kaine.
The St. Paul City Attorney told WCCO Friday he hopes to have a decision on whether or not to file misdemeanor charges by the end of the month.