KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe announced Thursday that he’s activated the Missouri National Guard as a “precautionary measure” for the possibility of civil unrest.
The activation came via an executive order issued earlier Thursday by Kehoe.
Earlier this week, the Missouri Department of Public Safety, Missouri State Highway Patrol and the Missouri National Guard established a Unified Command.
The executive order tasks the Adjutant General with making the call whether to “call and order into active service such portions of the National Guard as he deems necessary to aid executive officials of Missouri to protect life and property.”
“We respect, and will defend, the right to peacefully protest, but we will not tolerate violence or lawlessness in our state,” Kehoe said. “While other states may wait for chaos to ensue, the State of Missouri is taking a proactive approach in the event that assistance is needed to support local law enforcement in protecting our citizens and communities.”
LINK | Read the executive order
Kehoe cited “recent instances of civil unrest across the country.”
Last weekend, protesters in Los Angeles gathered in opposition to deportation operations by Homeland Security Investigations, prompting additional demonstrations in other communities.
A spokesperson for Kansas City, Missouri, Mayor Quinton Lucas said the mayor was concerned over Kehoe's decision, saying that protests earlier this week in Kansas City were "peaceful and responsible."
"For those who do not act responsibly, the Mayor stands by the women and men of local law enforcement at KCPD and other agencies to handle any necessary enforcement actions," the spokesperson said. "Unnecessary escalation from our nation's capital and state capitals undermines local law enforcement and makes all less safe."
Several hundred Kansas City-area protesters took to the streets Tuesday between the West Side and the National World War I Museum and Memorial.
KSHB 41 News reporter Isabella Ledonne was there as the protesters marched in solidarity. You can watch her report in the video player below.
On Saturday, several protests are planned throughout the day across the Kansas City area.
Missouri House of Representatives Minority Leader Ashley Aune (D - Kansas City) called Kehoe's activation "a blatant attempt to intimidate and suppress First Amendment rights."
"The protests planned this weekend across Missouri and throughout the nation were sparked by the president's unwarranted and heavy-handed military response to opposition to his policies," Aune said. "By doing the same, the governor will only heighten tensions and increase the possibility of conflict."
"Governor Kehoe should staunchly defend the rights of Missourians, not mimic the authoritarianism of the president," Aune said.
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