As violent protests continue in the wake of George Floyd’s death, thousands of National Guard members have been deployed across the country to help calm the civil unrest.
On Sunday, 5,000 soldiers and airmen were activated in 15 states — including Colorado, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Minnesota, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wisconsin — and Washington, D.C., while another 2,000 are prepared to deploy if needed.
“State and local law enforcement agencies remain responsible for security,” the National Guard Bureau of Public Affairs said in a statement. “The National Guard personnel assigned to these missions are trained, equipped and prepared to assist law enforcement authorities with protecting lives and property of citizens in their state.”
After Floyd, an unarmed black man, died after a white Minneapolis police officer restrained him by pushing his knee into the back of Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes. In a viral video of the incident, Floyd can be heard pleading with the officer that he couldn’t breathe from the pressure.
The officer, Derek Chauvin, has been fired and was charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter on Friday. Three other officers involved in Floyd’s detainment were fired but have not been charged with any crimes.
The event sparked outrage and heightened racial tensions across the country, prompting nationwide protests in major cities that spiraled into public destruction of businesses and property, looting, arson, and clashes with the police over the weekend.
“Guardsmen live in the communities they serve, and are there to protect their neighbor’s right to protest peacefully,” the bureau added. “Governors have used Guard members many times during response efforts to support local and state law enforcement in a wide range of capacities, to include assisting in upholding the rule of law. While conditions may change the National Guard’s ability to respond is constant.”
