Governor Baker activates members of National Guard as protests occur across the country

Today, Governor Baker signed an order activating members of the Massachusetts National Guard in the event municipal leaders require their assistance.

An EPOSS Spokesperson issued the following statement:

“Governor Baker today signed an order activating up to 1,000 members of the Massachusetts National Guard in the event that municipal leaders require assistance to protect opportunities to exercise first amendment rights and to maintain public safety during large scale events. National Guard personnel are deployed only at the request of, and in coordination with, the communities seeking support.”

The Executive Office of Public Safety and Security issued the following background on the order:

-The order allows the National Guard to activate up to 1,000 personnel. That number does not necessarily reflect the number of personnel who could be deployed at any given time.

-The Massachusetts National Guard’s diverse and highly-trained members live and work in communities across the Commonwealth. The Guard has a proven track record of success supporting civilian authorities during and after emergencies, and its units frequently train side-by-side with state and local first responders, making them well-suited for in-state operations.

-Personnel drawn from MANG’s military police units undergo federally-accredited police training and receive additional instruction on Massachusetts police training standards. When assisting a local police department, they use that department’s policies, radio frequencies, etc., whenever possible.

-Guard personnel provided assistance to local law enforcement throughout the COVID-19 response.

Protests, mainly peaceful, occurred across the country Wednesday night in response to police not being charged in the death of Breonna Taylor. Not all protests were peaceful, however, as two Louisville Police Officers were shot. Protestors were also hit by vehicles in multiple protests.