Editor,
In response to the protests that erupted over recent ICE raids in LA, the chief of the LA Police Department said, “To those who protested peacefully: We see you, we respect you, and we will continue to protect your right to speak and assemble.” Neither the LAPD chief nor the governor of California gave any indication that activation of the National Guard was necessary to deal with the protests.
Overriding the California governor’s decision, Trump federalized 4,000 California National Guard personnel to quell a nonexistent riotous rebellion. He threw in seven hundred active-duty Marines for good measure. U.S. Army Major-General Scott Sherman, who commands the task force of Marines and guardsmen, told reporters that the Marines will not carry live ammunition in their rifles, but they will carry live rounds. Tragically, that directive appears to have not reached the boots on the ground in LA. All images of these Marines I have been able to find show weapons locked and loaded, ready to fire.
This decisive, aggressive deployment of the Guard, claiming to protect federal property and law enforcement personnel stands in stark contrast to how Trump shirked his responsibility as commander-in-chief of the DC National Guard during the Jan 6th assault on the U.S. Capitol. Trump spent three hours devouring Big Macs watching TV coverage of the Capitol and DC Police being attacked by 2,000 assailants invading the Capitol Building chanting their desire to hang the vice president. During that time, the Chiefs of the Capitol and DC Police called for help no less than 12 times, pleading with those in Trump’s military chain of command to deploy the National Guard. Acquiescing to pleas from his family and inner circle, Trump authorized Acting Secretary of Defense Miller to deploy the Guard. Earlier Miller had refused a request from the VP to clear the Capitol, because he was not, “In the chain of command.”
A review by the Government Accountability Office put the cumulative cost of the attack on the People’s House at $2.7 billion. Approximately 140 police were injured, one killed and four took their own lives. It is an abomination for Trump to proclaim to the American people that he sent the military to protect federal personnel and property in LA. One January 6th, he demonstrated his indifference to his oath to the Constitution and abdication of his responsibilities as commander-in-chief of the military.
Jack Gribble
Oak Harbor
