Roughly 400 Guard members have been activated.
As protesters continue to deface and destroy monuments of national significance, hundreds of troops with the Washington, D.C. National Guard have been mobilized to protect those in the nation’s capital, the Pentagon has confirmed.
Interior Secretary David Bernhardt requested the action earlier this week as demonstrators targeted statues and other historical markers during ongoing demonstrations.
The Pentagon confirmed that roughly 400 Guard members have been activated and are on standby.
“Since their activation, more of the National Guard members have been dispatched to actual monument locations to provide assistance to the NPP [National Park Police],” the Pentagon spokesperson said in a statement. “They remain on standby at the DC Armory at this time. They will support U.S. Park Police at key monuments to prevent any defacing or destruction.” The Guard members are not armed, and are intended to serve as a uniformed deterrence and in a crowd management capacity.
On Monday, demonstrators attempted to tear down a statue of Andrew Jackson in Lafayette Square by the White House, defacing it. The Lincoln Memorial and WWII Memorial were also defaced in earlier demonstrations. One protester said they would tear down the statue of Abraham Lincoln in front of the Emancipation Memorial.
The historic St. John’s Church was vandalized Monday as rioters attempted to set up a “Black House Autonomous Zone” within it.
President Trump warned that anyone caught vandalizing monuments or any other federal property would be subject to arrest and face up to ten years in prison under federal law.
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For an end to the destruction of statues and monuments which are part of America’s history, whether of good times or not.
- For Congress to have discernment as they respond to the message of the demonstrators.
Sources: ABC News, Fox News
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