Minnesota’s ‘nice’ culture shattered by political violence

Jesse Iberz stood her tears while standing in front of a temporary memorial to honor Democratic politician Melissa Hortman and her husband who was killed last week.

“Minnesota felt some safe haven.”

“This has exploded from the water.”

Hortman’s death and her husband, Mark, have sent a shocking wave across the state. They were shot dead early on Saturday morning by a disguised man as a police officer.

The lawmakers in the democratic state, John Hoffman and his wife, were also expected to survive.

But the attacks, which seem to be political, have shocked poorly confidence in the reputation of the state for politeness, courtesy and respect, a position for its own title and page Wikipedia: “Minnesota Nice”.

Prosecutors say that the suspect in Vans Poelter visited two other houses early on Saturday in search of politicians.

The largest festival in the state ended late on Sunday when Poelter was arrested near his home in a rural area spread with farms, gravel roads and small villages, about an hour from the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul.

Many have noted that Mrs. Hortmann was known for her ability to work with Republican colleagues, including recently to pass the state budget vote.

On Monday, the local radio station with dialogue materials restarted one of the last interviews, in conjunction with Republican colleagues, where they discussed among other things what they might do if they spent some time together.

The idea that this friendly state in the upper Middle West can avoid political hatred that often wandering into violence in other places.

The center office was shot last year in what the tank research officials described as a political motivation attack. No one was accused of the crime.

“Some people, even here in Minnesota, have really allowed politics to direct their thinking and how they feel about their neighbors, friends and relatives,” says Ms. Stcker.

In extreme cases, this led to severe procedures. Several recent studies indicate that political violence is growing throughout the United States, as it has reached an unprecedented level since the 1970s.

Reuters evaluated more than 300 cases of political motivated violence since the Capitol riot in January 2021. A study conducted in 2023 from the Brennan Center for Justice, the left -wing institute, found that 40 % of legislators in the states were subjected to threats or attacks in the previous three years.

Despite the large -scale fears, which it fed in part from two assassination attempts against Donald Trump and US Capitol riots for 2021, there was no widespread violence soon from the presidential elections in November 2024.

But relationships have become tense since this vote.

In April, the Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, a democratic, was shot. Policy appears to have motivated the alleged murderers of a healthcare executive in New York and two employees of the Israeli embassy in Washington.

In Washington, members of the US Congress were scheduled to get emergency surroundings around security this week.

Here in Minnesota, in the meantime, many people inherited what the attacks on politicians in the state mean in a place that is proud of its openness and its ability to avoid the wicked of national politics.

Despite the recent rocks of the attacks, there were few visible signs of heavy security – and there are no metal detectors – on Monday afternoon.

Among the mourners, many Hortman’s relatives put flowers in front of the country’s home room, where a table loaded with packages and signs read “changing demand” and “comfort in power”.

Between news cameras and flowers, a group around the building toured the guides tour, and legislative officials went on to work in a strange silence.

But with the mourning of people here, partisan arguments continued at the national level.

President Trump said on Tuesday that he will not call him the governor of Minnesota state, Tim Walz, the Democratic Vice President, who is candidate for a secret in the elections last year, describing him “chaos.”

“The man has no idea,” he told reporters.

In the aftermath of the attacks, many of the major supporters of Trump and his allies – including Senator Utah Mike Lee, Eileon Musk and conspiracy theory of Laura Lumer and activist Charlie Kirk – tried without evidence to link Walzel and Democratic legislators with death.

“This is what happens when the Marxists do not go on their way,” he wrote when Musk re -sent a message including a line on the attacks with the comment “The Far Left Violence”.

It seems that both men, who did not respond to the requests for comment, have been absorbed through the theories of conspiracy that floats on the Internet.

Many have pointed out that Walzal and a former democratic ruler appointed the suspect in a position in the State Economic Council.

However, Boelter was a supporter of President Trump, who made conservative opinions, according to interviews with friends and neighbors. According to the evidence revealed by the authorities, the long target list included democratic and progressive legislators, and had leaflets with information about the “La Kings” anti -Trump’s anti -Trump marches that occurred in Saint -Paul and other cities across the country on Saturday.

Although the exact motivation is still under investigation, evidence indicated that the suspect was targeting the opponents of the president and politicians left and democratic parties.

“It is a terrifying order,” said Kamiko White, the neighbor who lived near a suspect’s homes in northern Minneapolis, who was raided by the police on Saturday.

“I saw that man every day in his annihilation,” said Ms. White. “On the last day I saw him outside smoking and writing something in a notebook.”

While picking Mr. Boelter gave a degree of relief here, discussions have turned on the ether waves in Minnesota to what can be done to cool the political temperature and prevent future attacks.

“There are good people here,” said Ms. Stoker, the editor of thinking about Minnesota.

However, the increase in “others” and the hot discourse makes it pessimistic about the chances of peace anytime soon.

“It will take a full generation of people to say that we will not take this anymore and it must stop,” she said.

“I think we need the youth to rise and say that we will not defend it.”