National Guard Deployed: Controversy or Necessity?
By Victoria Hansen and Pulse Staff
On August 11, Donald Trump deployed the National Guard to serve as reinforcement for the Washington, D.C. police and ICE. On August 24, they began carrying weapons. On August 27, they were seen picking up trash and raking leaves.
According to the Department of Justice, crime in Washington, D.C. is at a 30-year low. However, its crime rate is 1,151 violent crimes per 100,000 people, which is 207.4% higher than the national average, according to USAFacts.
UF junior animal science major Ella Resor says she doesn’t have a strong opinion but has questions.
“What kind of friction are you going to see between police and military personnel,” Resor said. “There’s got to be guidelines for, like, what military personnel can do. Like, if they’re just patrolling and like keeping an eye out, kind of like being a watchman for the neighborhood, that’s different than, like, if they think they’re active taking on the role of police work and like arresting citizens.”
CBS reports that in addition to the more than 900 members of the D.C. national guard, six other states, including Ohio, have sent a combined1,300 guard members to Washington, D.C.
Proponents of deploying the National Guard say that a show of force is an important deterrent.
“Criminals don’t want to be caught, so if there’s a deterrence, criminals think twice about doing something that they may have otherwise done,” said Paul Pape, instructor of teaching in criminal justice at the University of Findlay. “That’s what this is, a strong show of force, deterrence, whether more police, National Guard accommodation, both. It’s a strong show of law enforcement.”
Detractors say it’s unnecessary and sets a dangerous example.
“I think this is unneeded and also very dangerous. It’s setting a new precedent,” said retired Army Maj. Gen. Randy Manner in an interview with PBS News Hour. “No one is requesting this additional assistance. This is something where the president is imposing the armed military to go into American cities.”
The deployment is controversial among Washington residents. In a Washington Post poll, 79% polled opposed Trump’s deployment of the National Guard. Nationally, opinions about the deployment are split along party lines, with 76% of Republicans supporting the deployment and 8% of Democrats, according to a Reuters poll.
Donald Trump deployed the National Guard through the presidential memorandum “Restoring Law and Order in the District of Columbia,” stating that “the local government of the District of Columbia has lost control of public order and safety in the city,” using the deaths of two embassy staffers in May as justification. He also invoked Section 740 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, which allows the federal government to take over the Washington police force.
After nearly three weeks, certain guard members were armed, most with M17 pistols, but some with M4 rifles. According to a District of Columbia National Guard press release, the guard members will be armed “consistent with their training, depending on the mission, operating under civilian law enforcement.”
Unarmed guard members were also seen picking up trash around the White House on Tuesday morning, with 110 assigned to beautification projects, including conducting site surveys and picking up trash around Lafayette Square, the National Mall, and the Tidal Basin.
On Monday, August 25, President Trump signed an executive order that, among other things, “directs the Secretary of Defense to create a specialized D.C. National Guard unit trained to ensure public safety and order in the Nation’s capital, when its activation becomes necessary, and ensure state National Guards are similarly trained and ready to assist in quelling civil disturbances nationwide. Further, the Secretary of Defense will ensure the availability of a National Guard quick reaction force for rapid nationwide deployment when circumstances warrant.”
As the role of the military on U.S. soil continues to change, Resor still has questions.
“Should we be putting military personnel in the cities,” Resor said. “Or should we be training more police officers to do a better job of covering the crime that’s going on?
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