KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Missouri Gov. Mike Parson says the decision whether to deploy the U.S. military in Missouri amid ongoing protests over racial injustice and police brutality is "not my call to make."
“That is the president’s call to make,” Parson said at a briefing Wednesday afternoon, where he also discussed the state’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. “The National Guard falls under my umbrella, so that’s who I would utilize.”
Parson said that he doesn’t see the need for active duty troops in the state “at this point.” President Donald Trump on Monday called on governors to be stronger in their response to protesters and said he was ready to deploy troops to enforce order.
"I'm confident in the law enforcement in this state, all across this state," Parson said. "...I will let them do their jobs, and I'm confident they will get the job done."
So far, Parson has activated more than 1,000 Missouri National Guard members in response to protests in both Kansas City and St. Louis, where demonstrations have continued for days in the wake of George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis. Floyd was killed on Memorial Day when a now-fired police officer knelt on his neck for minutes while Floyd said that he couldn’t breathe.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol also has assisted local law enforcement agencies with the protests. Parson, who called Tuesday night’s protests “peaceful,” said had the “utmost confidence” in the highway patrol and National Guard to help law enforcement.
Parson also said he was preparing to send Missouri National Guard troops to Washington, D.C., “in the next day or so.”
“All of our jobs, no matter what state you’re in, no matter who the president is, protecting Washington, D.C., protecting the monuments, protecting our history of who we are is important and should be important to every citizen,” said Parson, a former sheriff and U.S. Army veteran. “And politics out the window… we’ve got to maintain that law and order. We’re more than willing to help to preserve that.”
