WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 31st May, 2020) The administration of US President Donald Trump is not intending at this time to mobilize the National Guard at the Federal level to counteract the George Floyd protests, National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien said at a press conference on Sunday.
The states of California, Georgia, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and Washington, and the District of Columbia have already mobilized National Guard troops to disperse protesters and help local low enforcers ensure security.
"We're not going to federalize the Guard at this time," O'Brien said, as quoted by the CNBC broadcaster.
According to the adviser, the administration wants governors to take control of their cities.
"But if a situation gets out of control there are military that can be deployed. But we hope that doesn't happen," O'Brien added.
Public unrest has been shaking the United States since Tuesday, after George Floyd, an African American man, died following his arrest by the four officers in Minneapolis. A video that went viral shows a white police officer, Derek Chauvin, pinning Floyd to the ground with his knee on his neck for nearly eight minutes. Floyd repeatedly told the police officer that he cannot breathe until becoming unresponsive. Floyd died at a local hospital shortly thereafter. The four police officers were fired, while Chauvin was also charged with murder and manslaughter.
