Gov. Jay Nixon declared a second state of emergency and signed an executive order on Monday re-activating the Missouri National Guard. He did so in August as a response to heightened unrest – that included small factions of violence – following the death of unarmed teen Michael Brown Jr.
The National Guard will support local law enforcement during unrest that might occur following the grand jury’s decision whether or not to indict Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson in Brown’s fatal shooting. The grand jury’s decision is expected by mid – to –late November, St. Louis County Prosecutor Robert P. McCulloch reiterated to The St. Louis American last week. Therefore the announcement could come any day.
“As part of our ongoing efforts to plan and be prepared for any contingency, it is necessary to have these resources in place in advance of any announcement of the grand jury’s decision,” Gov. Nixon said.
The National Guard has been deployed a total of 32 times since 2001 to assist local communities with emergency preparedness and response.
Gov. Nixon’s executive order also establishes that the Missouri State Highway Patrol, St. Louis County Police and St. Louis City Police will operate as a unified command. The National Guard will be commanded by Brig. Gen. Gregory Mason, a retired 30-year veteran of the Missouri State Highway Patrol. Requests from local law enforcement for duties to be performed by the National Guard will be handled through the Missouri State Highway Patrol. Under the executive order, the St. Louis County Police will have command and operational control over security in Ferguson.
Under St. Louis Metropolitan Police Chief Sam Dotson’s command, the Guard will be accompanied by St. Louis police officers and stationed at various locations throughout the city as determined by Dotson – and could include shopping centers and government buildings.
“We are used to working with other agencies in times of necessity,” Dotson said. “Having the support of the National Guard available will enable local officers to continue to respond promptly to calls for service.”
Gov. Nixon said the National Guard will provide support for law enforcement’s objectives of maintaining public safety and protecting constitutional rights. Jeffrey Mittman, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri, said the ACLU will monitor the implementation of the executive order.
“And we will continue to make sure that all law enforcement agencies uphold constitutional rights and civil liberties,” Mittman said in a release.
St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay held a press conference on Monday at City Hall in response to Gov. Nixon’s decision to activate the National Guard – a decision Slay said he supported. Slay said he is uncertain of how many service members the city will receive or when they will arrive, but said he expects them to be deployed sometime this week. Slay was asked whether or not he thought lawlessness would increase if Wilson is not indicted. After a brief pause, Slay said he understood the “high-level of emotion” that has permeated the region since Aug. 9 – the day Brown was killed. He said he’s not sure what the grand jury decision will be, but said it was best to be prepared.
Slay stressed that, unless major circumstances warranted it, the National Guard will only play a “secondary role” and will not be directly interacting with protestors on the front lines. When asked why Slay chose not to put the National Guard on the front lines, Slay said St. Louis City police officers are the most familiar with the city and how to engage with its residents.
“These are our police officers. These are their neighborhoods. We feel more comfortable having our police officers dealing directly with protestors in various settings,” he said.
However, Slay said he does not want the National Guard’s presence to seem like a militarized-approach. But, that’s exactly what Denise Lieberman, an attorney and co-chair of the Don’t Shoot Coalition, thought of Gov. Nixon’s decision to “prematurely” activate the National Guard. Lieberman believes their presence will have an opposite effect of provoking tensions, rather than easing them.
“Those have been the very people who have targeted them for violence,” she said. “We have a problem with over-militarized police force and particularly how they interact with communities of color.”
By issuing a state of emergency, she said Gov. Nixon again has the power to demonstrate leadership by recusing McCulloch and appointing a special prosecutor to investigate Brown’s death.
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