Activating the U.S. Marines to Protect the Civil Libertarians and the Fundamental Rights of Protesters: The Case for Missouri’s National Guard

“We respect, and will defend, the right to peacefully protest, but we will not tolerate violence or lawlessness in our state,” Kehoe said in a statement earlier this week. If there is a need to support law enforcement in protecting our nation’s citizens, the state of Missouri is taking a proactive approach.

The National Guard was ordered by the governor to San Antonio and Austin. And in Missouri, Gov. Mike Kehoe activated that state’s National Guard as a “precautionary measure.”

Marines are expected to protect federal buildings, such as the Wilshire Federal Building, and those inside, they will be equipped with shields and batons, among other crowd control gear, but will not have arresting powers.

The events come in the wake of the President activating the California National Guard against Governor Newsom’s and LA Mayor Bass’s wishes, as well as sending Marines to Los Angeles. The first group of 700 Marines arrived on Friday.

In honor of the US Army’s 250th anniversary and President Trump’s birthday, the army is holding a military parade in Washington, D.C.

Los Angeles, Washington, and Philadelphia “No Kings” protests: The birthplace of the Declaration of Independence and the first day of democracy in the United States

Protests have generally been peaceful, but some protesters have clashed with law enforcement, set cars ablaze, and vandalized buildings with graffiti. Dozens of people have been arrested by police.

Seattle, Los Angeles, and New York are just a few of the places that saw demonstrations this week. Protests in Los Angeles have continued all week as a response to the administration increasing immigration enforcement in the city.

The guidance for participants and organizers from “No Kings” states that they should de-escalate any conflict with outside parties.

“For those people that would like to protest, they will be met with very big force,” Trump said. And I haven’t even heard about a protest, but you know, this is people that hate our country.”

It is thought to cost between 25 and 45 million and will feature 6,000 army soldiers, 49 aircraft, 128 vehicles, and 25 horses. It was too expensive for Trump to hold the parade during his first term. He was inspired by the Bastille Day parade in France. That parade celebrates French mobs taking over the Bastille state prison in 1789.

According to the website of the organizers, the protesters are avoiding the nation’s capital to draw a contrast between their movement and the costly, wasteful, and un-American birthday parade in Washington.

“No Kings” organizers describe the protests as a “day of defiance…to reject authoritarianism—and show the world what democracy really looks like” on their website.

The demonstrations were put together by a coalition of more than 200 organizations, including the American Civil Liberties Union, American Federation of Teachers and the Communications Workers of America. Protests are scheduled in every state, but not in Washington, D.C. Instead, organizers are encouraging interested D.C. residents to gather in Philadelphia — the flagship “No Kings” protest. Philadelphia was the birthplace of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence.