The National Guard, part of whose mission is to quell civil uprisings, has arrived in the Los Angeles area in force. Meanwhile, the unrest is still simmering, although on Sunday, as of this writing, there have been no cars set on fire. Small favors.
The Guard troops appear to be equipped with M4 carbines, face shields, plastic riot shields, and the standard field gear, including helmets and gas masks. It’s not known if they have been issued live ammo. At least 300 Guard troops have been deployed so far, as the police are still being confronted by rebels.
Law enforcement authorities fired tear gas on a group of protesters gathered in Los Angeles on Sunday, hours after President Donald Trump deployed the National Guard to the city in an effort to quell recent unrest against federal immigration authorities.
The confrontation broke out as hundreds of people protested in front of the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles, where several of the newly-arrived National Guard troops stood shoulder to shoulder behind plastic riot shields.
Video showed uniformed officers shooting off the smoke-filled canisters as they advanced into the street, causing protesters to retreat. It was not immediately clear what prompted the use of chemical irritants or which law enforcement agency fired them.
Around 300 National Guard troops arrived in Los Angeles early Sunday on orders from Trump, who accused Gov. Gavin Newsom and other Democrats of failing to stanch recent protests targeting immigration agents.
The president’s directive ordering the Guard to support law enforcement states that at least 2,000 troops will be deployed. And in that directive, it sure looks like the commander-in-chief is serious:
The members and units of the National Guard called into Federal service shall be at least 2,000 National Guard personnel and the duration of duty shall be for 60 days or at the discretion of the Secretary of Defense. In addition, the Secretary of Defense may employ any other members of the regular Armed Forces as necessary to augment and support the protection of Federal functions and property in any number determined appropriate in his discretion.
One of the purposes of the National Guard is to preserve civil order in the event of riots, rebellions, and civil unrest, which is precisely what is happening in California. When going through initial entry (Basic) training, National Guard enlistees, while undergoing all of the same training that active and reserve troops do, are also given training in riot suppression and how to deal with civil unrest. That’s why these 300 troops and others to follow are being deployed to the city.
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The last time the National Guard was activated without a governor’s permission was in 1965, when President Lyndon B. Johnson sent troops to protect a civil rights march in Alabama, according to the Brennan Center for Justice.
The president doesn’t require a governor’s permission to deploy the National Guard. When operating under federal authority, the Guard answers, like any other military, to the orders of the commander-in-chief of all the country’s armed forces, that being President Trump. The president neither requires Governor Newsom’s permission, nor, unless I miss my guess, does he care much about what Governor Newsom thinks one way or the other.
This remains a developing situation. Stay tuned, folks; this ain’t over yet.
Editor’s Note: Leftist domestic terrorists are blocking city streets and assaulting law enforcement officers to prevent the legal detention and deportation of illegal aliens. They must face justice.
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