What We Lose by Distorting the Mission of the National Guard

"In October 2006, an early winter storm buried western New York under two feet of snow, knocking out power to more than 300,000 homes as temperatures plunged below freezing. Local agencies were overwhelmed. That was the first time I mobilized with the National Guard for domestic-disaster response. We did what Americans expect the Guard to do: Neighbors in uniform arrived with trucks, generators, and training to help our communities recover."

"But over the past six months, that trust has shattered. Guardsmen have been called up to fulfill roles far outside their intended purpose, in ways that don't deliver safety and instead escalate tensions in the very neighborhoods they're meant to protect. They've been sent to L.A. to support immigration enforcement and deployed to Washington, D.C., to address an alleged crime"

In October 2006 an early winter storm buried western New York under two feet of snow, knocking out power to more than 300,000 homes and overwhelming local agencies. The National Guard mobilized to provide trucks, generators, and training, reinforcing civilian authority and protecting neighbors. Over the past six months Guard deployments have shifted toward roles outside disaster response, including support for immigration enforcement in Los Angeles and deployment to Washington, D.C., for alleged crime suppression. Specialized units may be organized to travel the country for crime suppression and protest control. That shift has eroded public trust and reframed the Guard as policing rather than community support.

Read at The Atlantic