Learning that the "out of state" narrative was overstated was pretty infuriating today.
I'm still in our old neighborhood Facebook group, which is one of the neighborhoods that has been targeted the past few days. Shortly before curfew, a large park in the neighborhood was cleared out by police after it was reported that a number of vehicles with no license plates had converged there. This was heard over the police scanner and witnessed by many neighbors.
Over the next few hours there were nonstop, uncorroborated reports in the Facebook group of KKK appearing around the neighborhood. It appeared as though people were seeing the posts online and calling and reporting it to the police. Neighbors in the vicinity started verifying that these reports were false. People started to realize they were likely being targeted by an online misinformation campaign, calling out users that had newish accounts and had been added to the neighborhood group in the past 2-3 weeks.
Additionally, there appeared to be ongoing issues with vehicles scoping the neighborhood, stopping on the street and then driving away, no license plates, keeping everyone's anxiety high and causing additional emergency and non-emergency calls into the police.
The point I'm trying to make is, while I enjoy thinking through conspiracy theories as much as the next person, tonight it feels like umbrella man is everywhere. The coordination used both online and on the streets to cause fear and confusion and flood emergency services with false reports has felt quite deliberate.
Also, we all began the evening with being told our metro interstates would be shut down just 1 hour before they shut them down, and with warnings like this, which of course gets the heart pumping...
Important update from the MN Department of Public Safety.
*Community Guidance to Maintain Safety Tonight
The Department of Public Safety is asking all local communities to NOT be in the streets tonight, for any reason.
The situation has shifted. The coordinated response tonight will be different.
The coordinated National Guard, State Patrol, and Law enforcement presence will triple in size – and it continues to grow.
This response is to address a sophisticated network of urban warfare. We expect the individuals involved to use deadly force – both with fires and other weapons.
A primary tactic they have used is to locate civilians and use them as both shields from law enforcement and distractions to effective response.
YOU MUST STAY IN PLACE.
Do not patrol, do not be out walking, do not drive your car unless is it an emergency situation.
We cannot have innocent people caught up in the sweep of those inflicting violence and danger on our communities.
These people are sophisticated and coordinated and we need to allow our law enforcement to focus response and resources on the legitimate threats attacking our communities.
Just because you don’t see the coordinated response – such as National Guard soldiers, know that they are out in the community. DO NOT ASSUME THAT YOU ARE NOT BEING SEEN BY THEM. Our response teams have airborne surveillance. If you are out patrolling the street, our response teams cannot know if you are there to do damage or to protect and will divert resources to find out.
If you are out, you are making the response operation more difficult. You are taking resources and attention away from effectively responding to threats.
Protecting and keeping watch from safe, non-mobile locations is fine.
