More Suburbs Ban Protesters from Harassing Officials at Home

So-called protests by leftist agitators, anarchists and activists have left a devastating mark on the Twin Cities that will likely take decades to erase. But that’s not good enough for some hardcore demagogues who have taken their mantra of “the personal is political” to a potentially dangerous new level by targeting their ideological adversaries in their neighborhoods and homes.

KSTP-TV compiled a scorecard of public officials and their families who’ve been harassed at home, sometimes to the point of fearing for their family’s safety.

Since May, there have been more frequent protests outside the homes of Minnesota political leaders, with the most recent occurring on Oct. 24 at the condominium of Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey.

In photos posted on social media, protesters can be seen climbing the outside staircase to Frey’s home, attempting to hang a banner while Frey’s wife tries to stop them from putting the banner up on the outside wall of their condo.

In recent weeks the homes of Frey, Hennepin County Attorney, Mike Freeman, Minneapolis City Council President, Lisa Bender and Minneapolis Police Federation President Bob Kroll have all seen protests with some of them threatening.

Several Twin Cities suburbs view the threat so seriously they’re taking steps to bar protests like the angry mob that gathered outside Kroll’s suburban residence last summer, according to the Pioneer Press.

The crowd waved signs, shouted through bullhorns, and smashed effigies of Kroll and his wife, WCCO-TV anchor Liz Collin. In videos that circulated on social media, John Thompson, a DFL-endorsed candidate for House District 67A who won election earlier this month, threatened to burn Hugo and said “Blue Lives ain’t (expletive).”

Protesters attempting to export their tactics to suburban neighborhoods will not be welcome in an increasing number of cities.

Several cities are adopting or considering rules preventing protests at the homes of their residents. The proposed rules are a response to an August protest at the Hugo home of a Minneapolis police union official.

Hugo enacted a ban on protests that target residences, and Lino Lakes on Monday began a process to adopt a similar ban. In Lake Elmo, the city’s Public Safety Committee heard a presentation Monday about ban.

Several other cities, including Woodbury and Mahtomedi, already have protesting bans in place.

No doubt the usual suspects will do what they do best in response to the residential restrictions, namely protest. But even they acknowledge the bans are likely legal.

“People can find other places to protest,” said Washington County Sheriff Sgt. Tim Harris, who gave a presentation about the ban to Lake Elmo officials. “You have a right to be in your home and not be harassed.”