When the tanks rolled through the streets, I could hear some people clapping and laughing over the barricade while a protest formed on the streets below.
It was June 14 and Washington, D.C., was celebrating the 250th anniversary of the United States Army with its 250th Birthday of the U.S. Army Grand Military Parade. I was interning in the city this summer, and I happened to witness the procession on the corner of Constitution Avenue Northwest and 12th Street NW near the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. I still feel the rush of awe, worry and fear from that moment. President Donald Trump’s mobilization of our armed forces evokes the same sentiment.
On Sunday, Oct. 25, Trump deployed the California Army National Guard to Portland, Oregon. His efforts were temporarily blocked by U.S. District Judge Karen Immergut. Similar actions are being taken in Chicago, however, where Trump is attempting to deploy members of the Texas Army National Guard in response to increased protests concerning immigration enforcement in the city.
It is a rare and strenuous event, not to mention the financial burden such actions impose on American taxpayers. Some estimates reveal the National Guard’s deployment in cities could cost nearly $1 million a day.
This presents a frightening use of federal power, which has historically been contested for decades. Besides the most recent uses of the National Guard in Chicago and Portland, the National Guard has been deployed hundreds of times throughout U.S. history, with nine notable instances over the past two centuries. Two of those instances occurred this year. It’s not a particularly effective tactic for controlling public opinion, or else more administrations would have likely pursued this more frequently as a means of enforcing law during moments of political strife.
Citing the obstruction of federal law enforcement and aggressive behavior against Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers and facilities, Trump conflates protest with violence and crime. Meanwhile, the city of Portland has seen a reduced homicide crime rate by 51% in the first half of the year, contrasting public images of the city with federal statements. The two don’t line up.
According to the Brennan Center for Justice, “In all cases and regardless of the statutory device used, domestic deployment of the military should be treated as an option of last resort.” It goes on to include, “There is a tradition in American law and political thought, with roots that can be traced to medieval England, that opposes any kind of military interference in civilian affairs outside of emergencies.”
Few sources, however, actually stop the president from defining any situation as a last resort. The short answer is: there are little to no barriers for the president to determine when the National Guard is a particularly useful tool. When people protest, and they’re met with the military, the country flirts with fascism along a boundary that’s too thin to really draw.
The Brennan Center for Justice also emphasizes the use of “limited military resources” that are consistent with “foundational” American beliefs that separate federal forces and civilian affairs managed by civilian authorities.
In few circumstances is such mobilization ever an appropriate use of military resources, especially to expunge ideological differences. It impedes the daily lives of concerned citizens, literally trampling public infrastructure to show a sign of military force or power.
None of us is truly removed from this fear, either. It was only two generations ago that the Ohio Army National Guard was in Athens, patrolling the streets while students moved out early in the wake of protests following the shootings on May 4, 1970, at Kent State University. Any day could bring military forces upon our streets, but it depends on how we react to it.
Staying complacent in the wake of violence, especially as a means for political control, makes people grow cold to harsher realities down the road. As a result, active participation in democracy is, and must continue to be, an endeavor without party politics nor fear.
Aiden is a sophomore studying journalism. Please note that the views expressed in this column do not reflect those of The Post. Want to talk to Aiden? Reach him on Instagram at @aiden_with_an_i_ or email him at ar260223@ohio.edu.
