(Newswire.net— May 31, 2020) — As protests spread to dozens of U.S. cities over the murder of George Floyd, an African-American from Minneapolis, the Pentagon has taken a step that is rarely decided upon: it has ordered the military to put several active U.S. military police units on standby in case troops need to be sent to Minneapolis, CNBC reports.
Military police from Fort Bragg in North Carolina and Fort Drum in New York were ordered to be ready to deploy within four hours if they are called, said three people who have direct information about the orders, but wished to remain anonymous because they are not authorized to give statements.
Military police in Fort Carson, Colorado, and Fort Riley in Kansas were told to be ready in 24 hours. Also, Soldiers from Fort Bragg in North Carolina and Fort Drum in New York were ordered to be ready to deploy within four hours if called, said a source who has direct information about the orders but wished to remain anonymous. About 800 American soldiers could be dispatched to Minneapolis if they are called, according to the sources.
In addition to the initial demonstrations of angry citizens in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where the National Guard was deployed yesterday and a temporary state of emergency was imposed with a curfew, thousands of people took to the streets in Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, Kentucky, Washington, Atlanta, Denver, Memphis, New York and many other cities across the States.
The orders for the readiness of the military police were sent orally yesterday, after President Donald Trump asked the Minister of Defense, Mark Esper, for the army’s help in suppressing the demonstrations in Minneapolis because the protests turned into looting and arson in some parts of the city.
Trump sent the request by phone from the Oval Office of the White House, which included Esper, as well as national security adviser Robert O’Brien, and several others.
The protests took the first victims – a nineteen-year-old was killed in Detroit, and a police officer was killed in Auckland.
Protests erupted in at least 30 American cities over the death of George Floyd, an African American from Minneapolis who was arrested on Monday, then was pronounced dead later while in custody.
A police officer, Derek Chauvin who can be seen in a video recording of the arrest as he presses Floyd’s neck with his knee has been arrested and charged with murder, and three of his colleagues are under investigation.
At least 8000 protesters gathered to protest the death of George Floyd, CNN reports, according to the Auckland police.
Floyd’s case revived the anger of the American public over the numerous police killings of black Americans and opened a deep wound of racial inequality in the nation.