Photo By Staff Sgt. Melanie L. Nolen | U.S. Army Soldiers with California National Guard Joint Task Force 184 stand ready at...... read more read more
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SACRAMENTO, Calif. (June 19, 2020) – In the wake of the arrest and death of George Floyd in Minneapolis late last month, citizens from all across the country took to the streets to voice their anger and exercise their First Amendment right to protest. Despite the risks of contracting the COVID-19 virus, many felt that the protests addressed an underlying problem within the U.S.: systemic racism.
As tension, unrest, and a desire to be heard fueled citizens across the United States to leave their homes and protest, some of these assemblies were marred with violence, looting, and acts of vandalism.
The nightly news showed many cities struggling to manage the masses of people and Sacramento officials knew what they needed to do. They needed to not only listen to the voices of the people that had filled the streets, but they also needed to keep the people and infrastructure safe.
“There was some looting and violence on the first few days which I think could have been a lot worse,” said Daniel Bowers, City of Sacramento director of emergency management. “The first day or two was pretty much law enforcement on their own, but once we folded in some of the planning and resources that we were ready for, it became a lot more unified.”
In addition to calling in other area law enforcement agencies, the decision was made to call in more than 1,200 California National Guard troops that would prove to be key in encouraging peaceful assemblies, by protecting protesters and local businesses and deterring acts of needless vandalism and violence.
“Law enforcement agencies asked us to detect, deter and defend,” said Capt. Robert Woodson, an operations officer with the 1st Battalion, 184th Infantry Regiment, California Army National Guard. “We were 400 extra sets of eyes and ears looking for, detecting, anything out of the ordinary. We couldn’t get involved as it’s not what we are asked to do, but our presence was a deterrent for criminal activity. Lastly, we were there to defend property and if necessary, defend the lives of protesters, civilians, law enforcement and ourselves.”
The Cal Guard proved to be a significant help to stabilize the city by guarding critical sites that were key targets for damage and looting. Their presence provided civilian law enforcement with increased mobility and the ability to respond quickly to areas that needed attention, said Bowers who is also an intelligence officer with the Marine Corps Reserve.
As criminal activity lessened and the city stabilized, more city resources became available to help the protesters assemble peacefully.
“City officials worked with law enforcement and city services to ensure routes were cleared of traffic and hazards and that boundaries were clearly defined, which allowed protesters to maximize their First Amendment rights without jeopardizing the safety of law enforcement or opening up the possibility of criminal activity,” said Woodson.
There was a phenomenal dialogue between the city and community... Sacramento leadership, elected and appointed, and law enforcement went out of their way to bring in community leadership and get the voices of the protesters involved in the management of the situation, Woodson said.
Swarming with an array of uniforms, the Cal Expo grounds became the management site for Sacramento city leaders, local and county law enforcement, Cal Guard members, and emergency management to plan how to work together to keep the area safe.
“What was advantageous for us is that we all speak the same language,” said Lt. Dan Donelli with the Sacramento Sheriff’s Office. “The forms and processes that have been standardized within the Incident Command System allowed all of the different agencies to work very well together.”
ICS is a management system designed to enable effective and efficient domestic incident management by integrating a combination of facilities, equipment, personnel, procedures, and communications operating within a common organizational structure, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency website.
With Sacramento city leadership and law enforcement working with the California National Guard, the previous days acts of vandalism and violence quickly disappeared. Protesters using Chavez Park and the Capitol grounds returned to their peaceful beginnings, despite the sizes of these assemblies growing even larger, said Bowers.
The proper systems and planning by the city of Sacramento allowed resources and manpower, including the California National Guard, to be used efficiently and effectively.
“The goal here is to remember why we are here and that’s to protect our community and help it rebuild, to prevent any type of further destruction and to let people exercise their right to speak freely,” said Kathy Lester, Sacramento Police Department deputy chief.
| Date Taken: | 06.19.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 06.19.2020 21:16 |
| Story ID: | 372524 |
| Location: | SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 366 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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