There are now 5,100 National Guard troops activated in Washington, D.C. -- 1,200 from the D.C. National Guard and 3,900 from 11 other states -- and the city's mayor no longer wants them there.
The entire D.C. National Guard force -- 1,200 strong -- was activated over the weekend when protests in response to the killing of George Floyd by a white police officer in Minneapolis first began to escalate. In the week since, the DCNG has been joined by troops from Utah, South Carolina, Tennessee, Indiana and more.
Ex-cop charged with George Floyd's death is an Army Reserve veteran
Other states -- including Maryland, Virginia and Pennsylvania -- declined requests from the nation’s capital for assistance.
Now, D.C.’s Mayor Muriel Bowser has asked that President Donald Trump withdraw all extraordinary law enforcement and military presence from the city.
“The protestors have been peaceful, and last night, the Metropolitan Police Department did not make a single arrest,” Bowser’s letter reads. “Therefore, I am requesting that you withdraw all extraordinary federal law enforcement and military presence from Washington, D.C.”
Bowser also wrote of “unidentified federal personnel” operating outside of established chains of command within the city, “inflaming demonstrators and adding to the grievances.” These unidentified individuals along with Guard troops from multiple states wearing a wide range of identifying insignia are just “adding to the confusion," she said.
Several of those unidentified federal personnel were standing guard outside the Department of Veterans Affairs headquarters in D.C. this week, but VA officials said they did not know what agency the guards were from.
In the meantime, Utah’s Republican Sen. Mike Lee said he was told Bowser intends to begin evicting the 1,200 Utah National Guard troops deployed to the nation’s capital from D.C. hotels.
Those allegations have not been confirmed, and the mayor’s office did not respond to a request for comment.
No incidences of violence between protestors and Guard troops have resulted in any reported injuries thus far. However, Thursday night as strong thunderstorms moved through, two Guard troops reportedly with the South Carolina National Guard were struck by lightning.
75,000 National Guardsmen called up for domestic operations, COVID-19 and 'civil unrest'
Across the country, 41,500 Guard troops have been activated in 33 states in response to “civil unrest.” On top of the 38,000 still activated in the fight against COVID-19 this 84,000-strong activation far exceeds the previous largest domestic activation from Hurricane Katrina response in 2005.
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Reach Elizabeth Howe on Twitter @ECBHowe.
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