Listen to the moment of silence held by delegates at the state GOP convention here.
Kendall Qualls, fresh off the endorsement of Republican state delegates this weekend, was forced to brush off questions Monday about one of the first events at the convention Saturday: A moment of silence for Derek Chauvin, the convicted murderer of George Floyd.
In an interview with Chad Hartman of WCCO, Qualls deflected a question about whether he would have OK’d a moment of silence: “I don’t know. That was probably not the venue to do that, or the timing to do that.” Qualls added, “I do have my own concerns about the trial itself and the condition of Derek Chauvin, how he was treated.”
During a press call Monday, Qualls didn’t address a Reformer question about whether he’d vote to pardon Chauvin. (Minnesota’s governor, attorney general and chief justice of the Supreme Court sit on a pardon board.)
Qualls, an Army veteran and former health care executive, prevailed Saturday after 10 rounds of delegate voting and an interruption from malfunctioning voting devices. MyPillow guy Mike Lindell has filed to run in the Aug. 11 primary, while House Speaker Lisa Demuth has not declared whether she’ll drop out or continue her campaign.
The convention day began in the morning with a prayer from Father Richard Kunst of Duluth that the adopted platform of the party “promotes true, good, conservative values, fiscally and socially,” followed by the Pledge of Allegiance.
Christopher Rocco, one of the over 2,000 delegates, then called for a 30-second moment of silence for Chauvin, who was convicted of murdering George Floyd in 2020 after kneeling on Floyd’s neck and back for over 9 minutes in an arrest over a suspected $20 counterfeit bill. Chauvin is still alive and in prison.
“I apologize because I know you asked me not to do this. I’d like to suspend the rules for a moment of reflection for Derek Chauvin,” said Rocco, who emphasized to the Reformer that he’s known as Rocco or Mr. Rocco.
He said that Chauvin should get a retrial and a federal pardon for his related civil rights conviction.
State Rep. Danny Nadeau, R-Rogers, who chaired the convention, corrected him and called for a vote: “I said I preferred — I’ll tell you what. I’m gonna put it to the body. I’m gonna let the body vote. If you would like to have a short 30 seconds stand in silence for Derek Chauvin, all say aye” — a loud aye from the crowd. “Opposed?” — quieter nays.
Nadeau then led the crowd in a moment of silence that ended up being 10 seconds, not 30. He told the Reformer on Monday that the brevity was intentional: “I wanted it to be short. I wanted to move on, to get back to business.”
Rocco had come to Nadeau earlier to ask about the moment of silence for Chauvin. Nadeau said he asked Rocco to not make the motion.
“He asked why. I said that it’s not the time or the place. It’s a very divisive issue,” Nadeau said. Nadeau said that, as convention chair, he is careful not to opine from the dais, but personally “would never offer such a motion.”
“I don’t question even remotely whether he was rightfully convicted,” Nadeau said.
Attorney General Keith Ellison, whose office prosecuted Chauvin, released a statement about the moment of silence: “To honor the man convicted of murdering George Floyd — days after the very anniversary of that terrible day — is an act of profound cruelty to the Floyd family and to every Minnesotan who believes in accountability under law.” May 25 was the sixth anniversary of the murder of Floyd.
Rocco made a YouTube video Monday on his channel “Rocco’s Had Enough” explaining why he called for the moment of silence: “Not because he died, but because the moment you were silent on injustice is the moment that you are complicit in injustice.” Rocco referenced a debunked claim that an “original” autopsy of Floyd’s body said that he died of a drug overdose, not of asphyxiation.
Rocco said in a call with the Reformer that, after Saturday, people in his district, which encompasses parts of St. Paul and West St. Paul, encouraged him to run for Minnesota Senate. He said he plans to file for candidacy Tuesday. He’ll almost certainly lose: Kamala Harris defeated President Donald Trump in the district by more than 50 percentage points. Rocco declined to say who he supported in the endorsement; a photo in the Pioneer Press shows Rocco giving Qualls a hug after Qualls won.
“It’s my thing that I did — I didn’t do it on behalf of anyone else.”
–Alyssa Chen, Minnesota Reformer
Pat Stote says
Am I reading this correctly? A moment of silence for a white cop who knelt on a black man’s neck for nine minutes. This is the most outrageous and disgusting thing I’ve read in a very long time. Please correct me if I misunderstood this.
I watched that entire trial. Chablis should die in prison.
Brian says
Who is Chablis? Are you thinking of wine again?
Laurel says
“Chauvin” as in chauvinistic.
Life is interesting.
S. Peters says
A whole nation watched that A-hole so called cop murder George Floyd on national TV and others around the world. WTH is wrong with Republicans? That’s disgusting behavior. Makes me sick. The evil racism in this country is soooo Un-Christian and yet you all run to church. SMH. You’ll be judged someday
Samuel L. Bronkowitz says
“The house Negro usually lived close to his master. He dressed like his master. He wore his master’s second-hand clothes. He ate food that his master left on the table. And he lived in his master’s house–probably in the basement or the attic–but he still lived in the master’s house.”
“So whenever that house Negro identified himself, he always identified himself in the same sense that his master identified himself. When his master said, “We have good food,” the house Negro would say, “Yes, we have plenty of good food.” “We” have plenty of good food. When the master said that “we have a fine home here,” the house Negro said, “Yes, we have a fine home here.” When the master would be sick, the house Negro identified himself so much with his master he’d say, “What’s the matter boss, we sick?” His master’s pain was his pain. And it hurt him more for his master to be sick than for him to be sick himself. When the house started burning down, that type of Negro would fight harder to put the master’s house out than the master himself would.”
T says
Republicans are disgraceful un-American unconstitutional unlawful now Republicans say they left is violent give me a break
Deborah Coffey says
The entire Republican Party continues to commit suicide…. They have become completely devoid of morals, truth, and everything that most humans consider to be godliness. Worse, they can’t seem to get out of the downward swirling drain. It’s really hard to watch; it’s sickening, and so very sad. God, if you’re listening, America needs a miracle.
Pogo says
Irony is not dead, but happily obese; the same racists who pine for plantations, and dutifully keep Hayek next to their modern bible, fervently lead the country to the AI slave quarters, and human breeding sheds, needed by the hereditary feudal lords of the consumer/military spending economy that provides their view from private jets and bullet proof SUVs.
Just send the bills to the serfs who buy this shit life they can’t afford.
EC: File
Kennan says
In most any country in the world, this would be considered outrageous and unacceptable.
Not in America though. Law and order party huh? 1,675 full on criminals pardoned. A slush fund for said criminals that the American taxpayer would pay for had it not been blocked by the courts.
We as a country are an absolute embarrassment on the world scene.
American exceptionalism? Exceptionally stupid. It took way to long for people to realize that this
“Orange shit stain” is destroying the country. His illegal, bad and narcissistic behavior emboldens ASSHOLES all over the country. Shittle Down Socianomics.
Laurel says
Rewarding people who were found guilty, including Trump, by a jury of their peers. It’s astounding that any member of the public supports this obscene injustice.
More to come.
R.S. says
Jim Crow is a Republican, and he’s on his way back darned quickly.
Brian says
George Floyd was no hero. He was a career criminal drug addict. Did he deserve to die? Of course not – nobody does, unless thay are sentenced to death by the legal system for crimes that in fact call for the death penalty. Anyone who watches the entire bodycam video can easily determine that Floyd had plenty of opportunities to comply with the demands and directives of the police before he ever ended up on the ground, but he chose defiance over compliance. Therefore, he became another Minneapolis recipient of the FAFO award.
Deborah Coffey says
BS! And, you know it is. The rest of us have eyes the actually SEE!
Gina Weiss says
Meanwhile we have a former drug addict in the WH who is killing infants and children with his
no vaccine protocol, who fired most of the CDC and thinks he is smarter than scientific research
and facts. That is criminal!
The dude says
Yes and grand wizard Chavin had nine minutes of opportunity to take his knee off the neck of a man cuffed and prone on the ground, but he chose not to.
Choices have consequences.
I guess Chavin got the ultimate FAFO award… now MAGA morons wish to (again) rewrite history.
Kennan says
You’re full of shit, Brian.
Skibum says
Succinct and to the point. Thank you, Kennan. I couldn’t have said it better myself.
Laurel says
Brian: You cannot call a man who stated he couldn’t breath, and called out for his mother “a choice.” It was a case of murder, and a jury of peers agreed. That’s that, whether you like the murdered man or not.
Skibum says
Brian, you obviously need a refresher about this criminal case. Not only was this disgraced police officer facing the state charge for which he was convicted by a jury and sentenced to more than 20 years in prison for murdering George Floyd, he was also charged in federal court for civil rights violations under color of authority.
And guess what? He plead guilty to the federal charge… he admitted doing it. If that is the kind of person who you hold up as some type of hero, then you are no better than him. Chauvin was not a victim. He murdered a man and lost both his career and his marriage, and is right where he belongs… in a 6X8 prison cell. Good riddance.
Sherry says
Absolute PIGS!
JimboXYZ says
This is just another perfect example of the stupidity of the last 6 years. Rewarding the flawed actors of drug addiction & over-policing of 2020 for those that committed BLM 2020 fraud & abuse, that led to this new era of Somalian fraud & abuse of Federal Daycare & Food programs with historical significance. These are types that nobody will miss. Leave the moments of silence for those that are truly the victims of their brand. It just gets better doesn’t it ?
Jeff says
Might be time to ease up on the FauxRoganLoomer Entertainment.
Edith Campins says
Speaking of somalian fraud…it turns out the architect of the fraud is not Somalian but a hwite American Woman. What FAUX doesn’t tell you. https://www.msn.com/en-us/crime/general/meet-the-real-face-of-fraud-in-minnesota-she-s-not-somali-despite-what-trump-says/ar-AA1TqOrn
The dude says
Somalis commit “fraud” with no evidence, older white dudes like Rick Scott commit fraud, have it proven in a court of law, and get elected to Floriduh governorships and senator positions.
Now… what could possibly color your conflicting opinions on this matter??? Hmmmm?
I’m sure you also fell for the whole “they’re eating the pets” line as well…
Kennan says
George Floyd was not a violent criminal. Eight minutes and 49 seconds. Derek Chauvin pressed his knee upon George’s neck for eight minutes and 49 seconds. George had a bad $20 bill. Really jumping the shark on this one. You’re full of shit too, Jimbo.
Samuel L. Bronkowitz says
Alzheimer’s is an insidious disease in that it destroys short term memory and over time deletes the person with it, both mentally and physically. It distorts people’s base political ideologies and makes them victim to things on facebook and other propaganda-driven “news” outlets. It’s sad but I find myself having to remind people with it that it’s not 2020 but 2026, and the current state of the union is mainly a consequence of republican and democrat behavior. For example, I’m uncertain as to how “black lives matter” could cause an entire room filled mainly with republicans to celebrate a person in prison for kneeling on someone’s neck until they died. No doubt somehow obama was involved, I know he’s probably responsible for the celebration of child rape the GOP seems to engage in on a daily basis.
Sherry says
As usual. . . a despicable racist statement!
Skibum says
Another reminder that racism is alive and well within the republi-con cult party. Not only alive, it is usually uppermost in the minds of the maga trumpers who seem so willing to blame all of their own faults, deficiencies and short comings on any convenient minority in society. It is obscene that these GOP idiots would have the gall to call for a moment of silence out of “respect” for a convicted murderer! But there you go… that is who they show themselves to be.
And just yesterday, lo and behold, another example straight from the WH in Washington D.C. Not only is the racist-in-chief going to have a MMA cage fight on the grounds of the WH, he is also wanting to stage a car race through the city streets of D.C. “to celebrate America’s 250th” supposedly. WH organizers had t-shirts made to advertise this latest blatantly racist nonsense. In big, bold letters on these t-shirts either being sold or given away, they say on the top of a car race graphic ‘ONE AMERICA” and below the graphic they say ‘ONE RACE”. The t-shirts are ONLY available in white… of course.
Hmmm, subtle racist metaphor for all that the racist president is and has been doing, or just an unfortunate mistake in messaging? For me, there are no mistakes being made in his messages, his goals, his in your face blatant acts. It is intentional!
Koyote says
I’d say disgusting … but it has instead become the norm.
Laurel says
Oh…my…God! The craziness never seems to end.
James says
What terrible disgrace the Republican party has become.
Just my opinion.
kendall says
Are we really surprised that the GOP is worshipping the white cop that knelt on the neck of a black man until he died? After all they have deified a disgusting slob that rapes women and molests children. They are the party of pigs.
Me says
We witnessed what took place on live television, the GOP is not who they once were. Prayers to George Floyd for being murdered on national television.
The dude says
Whatever Floyd did… once they had him in custody, it was their responsibility to ensure his safety as he could no longer do so for himself.
Instead, Chavin knelt with a knee on his neck, while the man was cuffed and laid out on the ground face down for 9 minutes until he died.
Atwp says
I am surprised you all are upset about this. African Americans have been through pure hell because white people hate us so much, stole, raped, burnt, hung, murdered, flooded our cities, don’t forget Central Park. I have seen pictures of my people hanging from trees and white people looking up at the hanging bodies. Don’t forget about gator baiting. I’m not surprised at the Republicans thinking about a moment of silence for a white man killing a black man. Wake up people racism never died it will never die, the sad thing is my people got the bad end of the stick. Any demonic deed a white person does to my people make me angry but it isn’t surprising. Racism is alive and killing, it will not stop killing. We all have a right to be upset.
Brian says
While you are busy being “upset”, please consider the FACT that violent crime is predominantly intraracial, meaning that offenders and victims typically share the same racial background. FBI and CDC mortality data show that roughly 80% to 90% of black homicide victims are killed by other blacks. But don’t take my word for it – look it up. The information is readily available.
Samuel L. Bronkowitz says
Cool story bro. Want to explain how this somehow makes it ok for almost an entire state legislature to take a moment of silence for the guy who’s in prison for kneeling on someone’s neck until they died? Were they celebrating that finally, a white guy killed a black man?
Laurel says
Atwp: The fact of the matter is, people are people. I remember a time when black people thought they could not be racist. Anyone can be racist. You frequently exhibit your prejudice towards white people. How is that any different?
Black Africans sold black Africans to while people. There were black African Americans who owned black slaves. Many different colors and religions have had slaves, not whites alone. You call whites “demons.” We alone do not hold that title. Many white people risked or lost their lives trying to protect those who were wrongly dominated.
Point is, you need to accept that people of all colors and religions have done atrocious things to people they wanted to hurt, for whatever reason. Power, money, or simply bigotry. Every “race” is capable. We are the human race. The sooner you accept that, the sooner you can let go of your anger, that only eats at you.
R.S. says
Laurel, you probably didn’t know that there are no black people in Africa. There are Yoruba, Bantu, Xhosa, Zulu, Hausa, Ibu, Ibibio, Ogoni, Shona, Berber, etc. Do yourself a favor and read Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s novel “Americanah” and learn why an African woman coming to the US of A suddenly turns into a black woman. Or was it a surprise to you that white people killed white people in wars, say, when the French white people killed German white people and vice versa? Our brains are so addled by deep-seated racism that we’re not even aware of when we’re talking nonsense.
Atwp says
Laurel what you are saying is probably true. I do agree with some of the statements you wrote. It is also true that white folks hung and murdered more of my people than my people killed themselves. The reason is because we have a right to bear arms, back in the day my people didn’t have that right. I do believe white peoples have killed more people than any other race. I do have something against white folk, look at the history of this country whites running and ruining the lives of my people. White peoples did help my people I will not deny that. White peoples are continuing to help my people. They are also continuing to kill my people and get away with it. Cops killing people and stand on qualified immunity. Most them are white cops. People killing my people, the Buffalo incident sometime ago. The church murders sometime ago. The lynchings years ago. I will not continue I hope you get my point. People killing people, white folks kill more. Blacks are not perfect white folks are less perfect. There are colorblind white folks I believe, can’t prove it. I’m stopping because it is hard to focus.
Laurel says
Atwp: I just hate to see you hold on to the pain. No, white people do not kill more than any other “race”. World, human history is full of horrible incidents, portrayed by all sorts of groups. Sadly, that’s just human nature. I’d like to believe we will elevate, and evolve beyond that.
Our family is made up of “white” and “black” people. We have some of the smartest, kindest, big-hearted people in our family, that makes us so very fortunate! My husband’s first wife is African American, and when I found out, it made him more attractive because I knew I didn’t have to worry about him being a bigot. A bigot is a deal breaker for me. So, I *inherited* a wonderful family, and feel blessed.
Don’t hold onto your hate, it is a waste of your precious life. It is a waste of your energy. Move on, and know that you don’t want to be a part of the hate, but a catalyst of love and understanding. It will free you. I wish you the best!
R.S. says
And do look for the reason for the problem, Brian: How many cities have you lived in where you were living door on door to Blacks or subcontinental Indians or Native Americans? We’re still a darned segregated society in the extreme. So, does it really surprise you that ethnic groups are more likely to get into it with the identical ethnic groups? Place a bunch of, say, Euro type people into a pressure cooker environment such as ghettos or reservations or other highly concentrated poor areas are and see where the predominant crime rates will occur? Statistics don’t tell all; there are reasons for why statistics are the way they are.