Milwaukee sheriff honors service members in Minneapolis

MINNEAPOLIS (KMSP) - Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke, one of Donald Trump’s most outspoken supporters, spoke in Minneapolis on Saturday. Clarke spoke at an event honoring first responders and service members.

Throughout the evening, Clarke weighed in on a number of issues, including immigration and crime. The event was called “A Celebration of Law and Order,” and honored many individuals, including a soldier from Rochester wounded in the Fort Hood attack.

The event was hosted by a conservative grassroots group, Rightway Minnesota, the mission of which was supported by all of the speakers during the night.

Clarke, the keynote speaker for the evening, was quite outspoken in his support of President Donald Trump during his campaign, and continues to be supportive in Trump’s early presidency.

Clarke’s criticism of activist groups like Black Lives Matter is also well known. He says these groups unfairly malign law enforcement.

Clarke says President Trump will help bring order back to the inner cities.

“Donald Trump's made it clear that it is not acceptable to him. That the folks that live in these areas deserve the same quality of life,” Clarke said. “They deserve better schools for their kids, they deserve adequate housing, that sort of thing."

Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek also spoke at the event, and gave a full-throated endorsement of President Trump’s agenda during his first days in office. Stanek cited the executive actions banning immigration from seven Muslim-majority countries until proper vetting procedures can be put in place, and the stripping of federal  funding from so-called sanctuary cities, such as Minneapolis and St. Paul.

"Remember the Arab Spring, well my friends, in the United States, we've begun the 'patriot spring,’" said Stanek to his audience. “We can celebrate a return to constitutional government and of course, the rule of law."

Some protesters briefly showed up outside the event, but didn’t stay long. The program continued without interruption.