Military personnel will be deployed to maintain order in US cities

US President Donald Trump threatens to deploy military personnel to maintain order in US cities if mayors and governors fail to control violent protests. Trump said that on Monday evening during a press conference in the garden in front of the White House.

“Mayors and governors must establish an overwhelming presence of law enforcement until the violence is suppressed,” Trump said. “If a city or state refuses to take the necessary measures to protect the lives and property of civilians, I will send the United States military to quickly resolve the problem for them.”

After his speech Trump walked to St. John’s Episcopal Church at nearby Lafayette Park. Here, a large group of peaceful protesters were dispersed by the federal police with the help of rubber bullets and tear gas. Washington D.C. mayor Muriel Bowser strongly condemned the action.

The church, damaged by the protests on Sunday evening, served as the backdrop for a photo opportunity of Trump standing with a Bible in his hand. The bishop of the diocese to which the church belongs was outraged that he ‘abused’ the church and a Bible “after threatening military strength, the opposite of what Jesus Christ stood for.”

Around the White House in Washington, D.C., National Guard reserve forces were deployed to keep order on Monday evening.

The Department of Justice is going to deploy all law enforcement officers under the Department to deal with the violent protests. Trump gave that order to his Justice Minister William Barr on Monday. These include law enforcement officers from, among others, the FBI, the DEA drug control agency and the US Marshals, the federal police officers.

The unrest in the US arose last week after the death of George Floyd. He was killed by suffocation from a cop who put his knee in his neck for minutes. A coroner concludes Monday after examination on Floyd’s body that he was murdered.

Earlier in the day, an independent autopsy requested by Floyd’s family also revealed that Floyd was killed by asphyxiation. Three officers are said to have contributed to his murder, in addition to the one who had his knee on Floyd’s neck, two officers pushed on his back.

One point of difference is that the independent report does not provide other medical reasons why Floyd died. The official report states that Floyd had high blood pressure and coronary artery disease and that he had taken heavy painkillers and had recently taken methamphetamine.

The protests began last week in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where Floyd was killed.

In recent days, protests have spread to many other American cities. A state of emergency was declared in Atlanta on Saturday. Many cities have now enlisted the help of the National Guard and instituted a curfew. Demonstrations are also taking place in other countries, such as the Netherlands, Brazil and the United Kingdom.