Hundreds of unarmed D.C. National Guardsmen will be sent to help protect monuments in the District amid ongoing protests, the National Guard Bureau said on Wednesday.
In an emailed statement to DCist, Air Force Senior Master Sgt. Craig Clapper, a spokesman for the D.C. National Guard, said, “At the request of the Secretary of the Interior, and approval of the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of the Army activated approx. 400 D.C. National Guard members to support the National Park Police in a civil disturbance and security role around D.C.”
Clapper added that since guardsmen were activated, none of them have been dispatched to monuments to assist the Park Police with preventing them from being defaced or damaged. The guardsmen are currently on standby at the National Guard Armory.
Go here to read the rest. This really needs a full court press:
- Federalize the National Guard throughout the nation.
- Use Military Police units from the regular military.
- Establish flying squads of units to be used around the nation for riot control at a few hour’s notice.
- Order the DOJ and the FBI to focus on riot arrests and prosecutions, especially of the organizers.
- Begin Rico suits against Black Lives Matters and the various Antifa organizations. Encourage the filing of private suits for damages by businesses damaged by riots.
- Focus on possible conspiracies between local politicians and riot organizers.
- Trump addresses the nation that the time of riots is over, and that politicians who will not take steps to preserve civic order may soon be facing Federal charges.
Update:
US Marshals are being order to prepare to defend national monuments.
Too little. Too late. Shot To Kill.
T. Shaw has the right idea if anyone in authority could actually nerve up to it. In the meantime Don’s 7 recommendations are a good start.. And Trump would have to nerve up to do that too.
Given all that’s happen Trump’s voters expect strong measures from him. So they have been weak.
What good does it do to send UNARMED gurardsmen?
Not a whole lot, unless the Guard is supply communications, drones and other support. Another reason to federalize the Guard.
Unarmed guardsman with weak rules of engagement will likely be verbally verbally abused like the local police and park service. There is the risk that this action may provide a valuable photo opportunity for the press to further inflame the situation and embolden BLM and its allies.
Disarming the National Guard and placing them in a dangerous situation may be an indication of very myopic and incompetent leadership. Perhaps this would be a good time to start removing some of the military leadership for a loss of confidence.
My fear is that the Democrats will claim voter suppression and contest the President’s re-election. When riots are used as an intimidation tool our nation’s survival should not be dependent upon military leaders afraid to arm the National Guard and provide the necessary rules of engagement to suppress riots.
Arrest prosecution, felony convictions incarceration would be.a better deterrent. If law a justice can’t be achieved in Washington DC, perhaps it is time to return it back to Maryland and Virginia and move the federal government to another location.
Alert 1 , Severity ,information , Metropolitan Police and DC https://www.nps.gov/nace/planyourvisit/conditions.htm
“National Guard May Be Present
Members of the DC Metropolitan Police Department and uniformed members of the DC National Guard may be in the Capitol Hill Parks to actively encourage social distancing.”
Thank goodness there’s COVIDE-19 as an excuse.
e unarmed guardsman.
Depends what unarmed means i this case.
I served in the Illinois natioal guard in the early 70’s in a unit with the dubious distinction of having been called our for riots in 1960’s more often than any other unit in the country.
There “school of hard knocks” wisdom is that most of the unit should be issued with riot cloubs (a yard long 2 inches thick)
1) less chance of an accident,
2) if it gets taken away from you the amount of damage tat can be done is minimal.
Of course the unit would always be oerwatched with high powered rifles.
The other piece of wisdom is flood the area with guardsman, any one who causes a problem is range of two or three clubs. Every few are stupid enough to cause a problem in that saituation.
If they flood the ara around tyhe statue with guardsman with clubs it will be a very boring event.
@Hank
So… you think they’re using “unarmed” like in “unarmed person coming at you with a knife,” then?
Hank, the tactics you’ve outlined sound effective. Therefore it won’t be used. The visual would be too much Bull Connors for the average reed stiff politician.
The CCP is using an interesting tactic on the Hong Kong protesters. Spray them with bright blue dye and then arrest them later. That being said, I wouldn’t recommend using the same or similar technique here in the US. In Hong Kong the tactic is being used by the Communists against those who want freedom, here in the States it’s the opposite. The anarchists / rioters want to take away freedom and rewrite history.
I guess unarmed guardsmen would be good for yelling THHHTAAAAHHHP!!! at those vandalizing statues but little else.