Ferguson: Where was the National Guard?

2014-12-05T09:41:31-05:00

From: Army Times

FERGUSON, Mo. – The smoke has cleared here in this riot-battered city, but the answer to one burning question remains hazy: where was the National Guard on the night of the riots?

Governor Jay Nixon had called up 700 members of the Missouri National Guard in advance of the grand jury decision. His order and the accompanying press release made it clear the primary mission of the soldiers was to secure "command posts, fire stations, and other locations" to "free up law enforcement." In short, they were there in a support role.

St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay made it even clearer. "The Guard is not going to be confronting protesters and is not going to be on the front lines interacting directly with the demonstrators," Slay said in the days before the decision.

Slay had asked for 400 Guard members, and he got them. They could be seen protecting empty buildings and landmarks in the downtown area at the very same time rioters faced no resistance lighting fires in a dozen buildings in Ferguson and Dellwood.

Ferguson Mayor James Knowles was clearly upset when he assessed the situation the next morning. "It was my understanding they would be deployed when needed to maintain order and protect businesses. They were not," Knowles said.

The question remains: why call up the National Guard and then keep them garrisoned outside Ferguson, the prime target of demonstrators?

The person to answer is the commander in chief of the Missouri National Guard, Governor Nixon. Gannett investigators filed public records requests with the Guard and the governor's office. The Guard responded that all of its records are exempt from disclosure under Missouri law. The governor's deputy chief of staff responded that his officer was working on the request, "you should expect to hear back about the status of your request by no later than December 23, 2014."

We requested an interview with Governor Nixon, driving to Jefferson City after giving his staff a day's notice. "The governor won't be available tomorrow, but we're also not scheduling any interviews at the current time," his spokesperson replied.

We did find one person at the state capital willing to talk about the deployment. Lt. Governor Peter Kinder, a Republican, is a political rival of the governor, a Democrat. Kinder supported using the National Guard, but not the way Nixon deployed the soldiers.

"Missourians are asking what intervening event caused the governor to withhold them," Lt. Governor Kinder said, "and we don't have an answer to that question."

Governor Nixon confirmed his own criticism by reversing the decision the morning after the Ferguson riots. "The violence we saw in the areas of Ferguson last night can not be repeated," he told the TV cameras. "That is why to protect lives and property, we are bringing more resources to Ferguson and other parts of the region to prevent a repetition of the lawlessness experienced overnight," the governor added.

Nixon tripled the number of soldiers to more than 2,200. They were deployed to Ferguson and Dellwood where there a stunning image developed – armed soldiers guarding the smoldering remnants of buildings no longer in need of saving.

"I have another question for the governor," Kinder said. "Where were you Monday night? Were you at the command center? Were you back in the mansion in Jefferson City? Where were you?," Kinder asked.

When we asked the National Guard for numbers to confirm the deployments, the Department of Public Safety sent us a governor's press release from two weeks earlier. Lt. Governor Kinder said his staff was also given a press release when he wanted more information before appearing on a national TV news network.

Kinder is calling for public hearings at the state capital. "There's no question the governor can not hide forever," Kinder said. "The legislature convenes the first week of January with subpoena power, and there will be all his department heads brought to the table, and they will be put under oath. They can appear voluntarily, or they can appear pursuant to a subpoena."

http://www.ksdk.com/story/news/local/ferguson/2014/12/04/ferguson-where-was-the-national-guard/19932493/

Response by SSG Peter Ludlum made Dec 5 at 2014 9:55 AM

2014-12-05T09:55:30-05:00

Why call in the National Guard for something that is a Police matter? Did we forget Kent State? Last time I looked protesting is not an INSURRECTION so why? I am not in any way defending what those idiot protesters are doing but to ask our Guardsmen to potentially fire on US citizens is irresponsible. Just another wrong use of power. It is a State police and local PD matter. If the Governor thinks that is ok then he should be there with them. I am so tired of the Guard being used for civilian matters. The real reason is money. It costs far less to pay the Guard then to pay police overtime. Stupid Governor.

Response by SGT Ben Keen made Dec 5 at 2014 10:47 AM

2014-12-05T10:47:50-05:00

Maybe its the fact that I really stopped following this whole mess but honestly, I feel this whole situation went from bad, to worse, to out of control all because of the action or lack of action of certain people. Put aside how you feel about the court ruling. Go back further. This was a soup sandwich from the start. Way too much finger pointing and he said/she said.

Now lets look at this article. Just think of the reaction the media would have had IF a protester got mixed up with the National Guard. People would be screaming about the militarization of states and all this other stuff. There is no clear lines anymore in that city. There is no perfect "exit plan". Things will only continue to get worse until the people look around and realize that what they are doing is only making the situation worse.

Response by SGT Gordon Green made Dec 5 at 2014 10:51 AM

2014-12-05T10:51:24-05:00

I was pondering the same exact thing. As I watched the footage live both on CNN and live from LiveStream cell phone footage, I saw no military on ground. Prior news reports had the FBI, Nat. Guard and tactical police units staged in a parking lot adjacent to the municipal bldg.

It looks like a handful of police with MRAPs and Riot gear Oh and 1 LEO with a megaphone who was absolutely NOT intimidating to the crowds.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 5 at 2014 11:42 AM

2014-12-05T11:42:53-05:00

the Lt Governor had some things to say, so what did happen?:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dut6F93ZXL4

Missouri Lt. Gov: Did Obama Admin Lean on Governor to Keep Out Nat’l Guard?

Response by SrA Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 5 at 2014 11:44 AM

2014-12-05T11:44:04-05:00

I just imagine if the military was directly involved with confronting rioters. What would've everybody said after that? Damned if you do, damned if you don't. I just feel if the military got involved, perhaps more violence would've ensued as it would've enraged the communities. It also may have made the police departments seem more incompetent than what the majority already feels. Damage control?

Response by SGT William Howell made Dec 5 at 2014 12:43 PM

2014-12-05T12:43:36-05:00

I would have asked where was the Air Guard. One A-10 gun run and this would have been over in 30 seconds!

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 5 at 2014 3:57 PM

2014-12-05T15:57:31-05:00

Don't make this about the guard. From what I see daily, they are ready to rule, so let me ask, who has the power to tell the governor to tell the guard to stand down?

Response by SFC Mark Merino made Dec 5 at 2014 11:15 PM

2014-12-05T23:15:30-05:00

I guarantee that the National Guard did exactly what they were ordered to do. Any finger pointing in their direction is a waste of time.

Response by SFC Mark Merino made Dec 5 at 2014 11:20 PM

2014-12-05T23:20:30-05:00

I have been reaching out to RallyPoint members in that area for the last week trying to get the non-media point of view. Has anyone talked to people in the area?

Response by SSG Mark Matteson made Jun 18 at 2019 12:55 AM

2019-06-18T00:55:25-04:00

Obama gave the rioters presidential permission when he told them to" Stay the Course" there. I heard the guard was ordered to stand down.