Minneapolis, Minnesota: Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey on Sunday pushed back against a suggestion from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to designate a specific “peaceful protest zone” in the city, arguing that First Amendment protections for free speech should not be confined to a single area. Frey made his comments during an appearance on CBS News’s “Face the Nation,” where he emphasized that peaceful protest is allowed anywhere in the city and not just within a limited section or park.
“First Amendment speech is not limited to one park or one section of the city,” Frey said, adding that tens of thousands of Minneapolis residents are actively and peacefully expressing their constitutional rights. Noem had suggested the protest zone concept earlier in the broadcast as a way to balance free speech with efforts to ensure safety and law enforcement’s ability to address criminal activity.
The exchange comes amid heightened tensions in Minneapolis following the fatal shooting of Renee Good, a 37-year-old Minnesota resident, by an immigration enforcement officer during a federal operation earlier this month. The incident has sparked widespread demonstrations, with protesters engaging in rallies and clashes with law enforcement, and has drawn national scrutiny. Officials in Minneapolis, including Frey, have been outspoken in defending residents’ rights to protest and have criticized the large federal presence in the city as exacerbating tensions.
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