Thousands of troops are pouring into Washington, DC, in response to continued mass demonstrations against police brutality and racism, but keeping track of who's who is tough, especially with confused reports about the presence of active-duty troops. However, the difference between them and guards has become blurred by US overseas wars.
‘We Don't Want Those Things on DC Streets'
“We don't want the armed National Guard, armed military, and we don't want any of those things on DC streets,” Washington, DC, Mayor Muriel Bowser said on Wednesday – a position she reiterated on Thursday.
Despite this, US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper reversed an earlier decision on Wednesday that would have sent active-duty troops near the nation's capital back to their home bases, including roughly 200 soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division.
Now, after several days of increasingly peaceful protests that followed nights of rioting, troops and their war equipment have continued to arrive in the capital city, and increasing layers of fencing and other barriers now enclose the White House, where US President Donald Trump lives.
Thousands on Patrol
On Thursday, some 4,500 National Guard troops occupied Washington, DC, an increase of 900 from just the day prior. An influx of troops sent from state guards has steadily flooded into the capital, coming from states including Indiana, South Carolina, Tennessee, Maryland, Utah, New jersey and Florida, the lattermost of which…
