By Daniel Carter Public Policy Analyst, The US Report January 24, 2026
We have watched Minneapolis burn, bleed, and apologize for its own existence for too long. The “leaders” in Minnesota—if you can call them that without choking on the irony—have tried everything to stop the agitators. They’ve tried dialogue. They’ve tried “de-escalation.” They’ve tried surrendering police precincts. They have tried everything, in fact, except the one thing that actually establishes order: Force.
It is time to stop pretending that these are “peaceful protests” requiring a gentle touch. When a mob takes over a street, burns a business, or threatens the safety of law-abiding taxpayers, they have forfeited their right to a polite conversation. They are a contagion. And how do you deal with a contagion on the surface of a city? You wash it off.
The Solution: Water Cannons
The US Report has a solution to the violence in Minneapolis, and it is elegant in its simplicity: Water Cannons.
Why are we so afraid of this tool? It is non-lethal, it is cost-effective, and it provides an immediate physical barrier that no amount of chanting can penetrate. And let’s be practical—Minneapolis in January is the perfect testing ground. You want to occupy a bridge in sub-zero temperatures? Fine. Let’s see how committed you are to the “cause” when you are being hosed down with 300 gallons of freezing water per minute.
Hypothermia is a fantastic de-escalator. It doesn’t negotiate. It doesn’t care about your grievances. It simply sends you home to get warm. If the goal is to clear the streets without firing live ammunition, turning the agitators into human icicles is the most humane and efficient option available.
The Escalation: The Sandblaster Option
But perhaps water isn’t enough for the most entrenched elements—the career anarchists who come prepared with shields and gas masks. For them, we need something more abrasive.
Sandblasters could be an alternative, or better yet, used in conjunction. Think of it as a two-stage purification process. You hit them first with the sandblaster to strip away the defenses—the plywood shields, the arrogance, the false sense of security—and then you follow up with the water cannon to flush them into the gutter.
Is it harsh? Absolutely. Is it necessary? Look at the crime statistics. Look at the businesses that have fled and never returned. When the rot is this deep, you don’t use a feather duster. You use grit. You scour the pavement until it’s clean again.
The Accountability: Subpoena Walz
Of course, none of this will happen as long as Governor Tim Walz is sitting comfortably in St. Paul, wringing his hands and lecturing us on “equity” while his state crumbles.
It is probably about time to haul Walz in. We need to stop asking him nicely to do his job and start demanding answers under oath. We need to subpoena his records—his communications during the riots, his directives to the National Guard, and his private coordination with the very groups tearing his cities apart.
We need to find out how many laws he has actually broken by refusing to enforce the peace. Negligence is a choice. Allowing a city to be held hostage by a mob is a choice.
Minneapolis doesn’t need more empathy. It needs a pressure washer. It needs to be scrubbed clean, from the Governor’s mansion down to the street corners. And if that requires ice water and sand, then turn on the taps.
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