President Donald Trump invoked a law dating back to 1807 on Monday, letting him send military forces to the states that were hit hardest by the riots and looting following George Floyd’s death, according to the New York Post.
“We cannot allow the righteous cries of peaceful protesters to be drowned out by an angry mob,” Trump said at a White House Rose Garden address—blaming extremist groups like Antifa for the current state of chaos.
Trump held up a bible while outside of St. John’s Episcopal church after making his way across Lafayette Park.
“I am mobilizing all available federal resources, civilian and military, to stop rioting and looting, to end the destruction,” he said, invoking the Insurrection Act of 1807. The act gives him the ability to deploy troops anywhere in the country.
The last time the law was used was by President George H.W. Bush in 1992, to put an end to the LA riots which began after police brutality against Rodney King.
“If a city or state refuses to take the actions that are necessary to defend the life and property of their residents, then I will deploy the United States military and quickly solve the problem for them,” Trump said.
Federal troops are not able to take domestic law enforcement actions including searching people, seizing property or making arrests under the Posse Comitatus Act. But in extreme cases, the president is able to call on the Insurrection Act, allowing the National Guard or active-duty troops to perform law enforcement.
—-> pic.twitter.com/lseMGUYzux
— Zolan Kanno-Youngs (@KannoYoungs) June 2, 2020
The address came as military vehicles and police were situated outside at Lafayette Park clashing with protestors.
Trump called the rioting and looting a “total disgrace” and said that those who do not abide by curfew orders will be “prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
“I am taking these actions today to reaffirm resolve and with a true and passionate love for our country, by far our great days lie ahead,” he said.
Following the address, Trump made his way through Lafayette Park to St. John’s Episcopal Church which was in bad shape after it was lit on fire by rioters on Sunday.
Earlier in the day, Trump said that governors had taken a “weak” approach to the situation following Floyd’s death.
There were 4,000 troops deployed to South Central Los Angeles by Bush on May 1, 1992 in order to put an end to two days of heavy rioting that had included 40 deaths, more than 1,500 injuries, over 3,700 fires and over 3,000 arrests.
On that day, Bush addressed the country saying the violence was “not about civil rights” or about “the great issues of equality” but was about “the brutality of the mob, pure and simple.” He also said that to restore order he would “use whatever force necessary.”
That rioting followed the beating of Rodney King on March 3, 1991 by four Los Angeles police officers which was caught on tape. In 1993, a federal jury found two of the officers—Stacey Koon and Laurence Powell—guilty of violating King’s rights. They each received 30 months in prison and did not work in the police force again. The LAPD fired the other officers—Theodore Briseno and Timothy Wind.
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