Kristi Noem: ‘Hard-working Americans Are Left to Fend for Themselves’ in Democrat-run Cities

Gov. Kristi Noem (R-SD) castigated Democrats for the recent wave of protests and rioting that have roiled America’s cities on Tuesday, arguing that the party’s leaders have left hard-working “to fend for themselves.”

“It took 244 years to build this great nation — flaws and all — but we stand to lose it in a tiny fraction of that time if we continue down the path taken by the Democrats and their radical supporters,” Noem told the Republican National Convention while delivering a prime-time address.

“From Seattle and Portland to Washington and New York, Democrat-run cities across this country are being overrun by violent mobs. The violence is rampant,” the governor added. “There’s looting, chaos, destruction, and murder. People that can afford to flee have fled. But the people that can’t — good, hard-working Americans — are left to fend for themselves.”

Noem’s remarks came as rioting extended to its third day in Kenosha, Wisconsin. The tumult began on Sunday when local police shot Jacob Blake, a 29-year-old black American man, several times in the back. According to local media reports, police were called to respond to a “domestic incident” at the site of the shooting. Several witnesses have claimed that Blake was attempting to break up a fight between two women when police arrived.

Video from the scene, which went viral on social media, shows Blake walking away from police as the officers have their weapons drawn. In the video, Blake is seen opening the door of an SUV as a police officer attempts to stop him before firing at least seven shots into his back.

After the video of the shooting appeared on social media, protests erupted on the streets of Kenosha. Those protests quickly turned violent On Monday, in particular, several businesses were burnt to the ground, including, a local charity.

The situation only intensified on Tuesday with more looting and confrontations occurring across Kenosha. One of those incidents caught national attention when a 17-year-old Illinois resident, Kyle Rittenhouse, killed two individuals and wounded a third with a rifle. Rittenhouse, who had identified himself as a supporter of law enforcement, was arrested on Wednesday for the shootings.

In the wake of such incidents, the Department of Justice announced it is deploying federal resources to Wisconsin to help quell the unrest.