National Guard in DC go from dealing with ‘crime emergency’ to picking up trash

National Guard in DC go from dealing with ‘crime emergency’ to picking up trash

The Independent reports:

The National Guard, called in to deal with a “crime emergency” in DC declared by Donald Trump, have been spotted picking up trash.

Troops were seen donning yellow marigolds and orange high-visibility vests over their camouflage gear Tuesday as they picked up litter in Lafayette Park, just outside the White House.

According to officials, the military was deployed as part of a “beautification and restoration mission” in Lafayette Square, the National Mall, and the Tidal Basin.

At least 2,234 active guardsmen are on duty throughout the city; 929 of those are from the D.C. National Guard, while 1,305 come from Louisiana, Mississippi, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, and West Virginia, say the Joint Task Force-DC Office.

Trump previously said he’d deployed the National Guard to grapple with “complete and total lawlessness” in the city, despite crime rates hitting a 30-year low earlier this year. [Continue reading…]


Reuters reports:

Few Americans outside President Donald Trump’s Republican Party support his deployment of National Guard troops to police the streets of Washington, D.C., according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll.

The three-day poll, which concluded on Sunday, found that just 38% of Americans support using troops for law enforcement in the U.S. capital, with 46% opposed. The rest were unsure or declined to answer the question. [Continue reading…]

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