Last time a president sent in the National Guard, it was to protect protesters

Australia Broadcast Center

3 hours ago

Clad in tactical gear and backed by armoured vehicles, the National Guard this week marched into Los Angeles on the orders of President Donald Trump.
The 2,000 National Guard officers were there to "address the lawlessness that has been allowed to fester", according to the White House.
The deployment marked a new stage of ongoing protests against an immigration crackdown which saw immigration officers raid workplaces in the city's downtown area.
"I told them, nobody is going to spit on our police officers, nobody is going to spit on our military," Mr Trump told media.
It was the first time a president had called in National Guard troops without a state governor's permission since 1965.
At that time, president Lyndon B. Johnson stepped in, in an effort to protect civil rights protesters as they marched in Selma, Alabama.
Violence against activists — including an attack by state police — in the days leading up to the march had been watched by millions.
Standing before media at his Texas ranch, the president declared: "I have called selected elements of the Alabama National Guard into Federal Service."
By the time Johnson called in the National Guard, tensions had been rising for almost two weeks.
Civil rights organisations had converged for a march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, calling for federal protection of voting rights.
Americans, along with the rest of the world, had already been stunned by footage of state and county police firing tear gas and marching over the top of demonstrators.
Sheyann Webb-Christburg was just eight years old when she joined the procession on March 7, 1965.
She had left a note to her parents — saying she was sorry for sneaking out but that she had to march "for our freedom".
Angry white residents of Selma abused the estimated 600 marchers, spat at them, and attacked them in an effort to halt their progress.
At a bridge along the route, a wall of state police attempted to block their way.
"The dogs began to push their way into the crowds as if we weren't human beings," an adult Sheyann, now in her 60s, told MSNBC in 2023.
As the youngest participant in the march, she labelled the events "traumatic" and "devastating".
"I remember running home … and the late [activist] Hosea Williams picked me up.
"And I said to him in my childish voice, 'Put me down, because you are not running fast enough.'"
Ultimately 17 marchers were hospitalised and dozens more were treated for injuries.
The violence had unfolded in front of TV cameras and news media, blasted into the homes of millions of Americans.
Tensions continued to rise. More marches were organised.
By this time the president had spoken out publicly against attacks on demonstrators, and repeatedly attempted to convince Alabama's governor Geroge Wallace to offer them some protection.
His attempts were unsuccessful.
On March 20, 1965, Johnson sent a telegram to governor Wallace, stating "maintaining law and order" was a state and local responsibility.
"On the basis of your public statements and your discussions with me, I thought that you felt strongly about this," he said.
"I was surprised, therefore, when … you requested federal assistance in the performance of such fundamental state duties."
Because of governor Wallace believing the state was "unable" to keep the peace, the president was calling in the Alabama National Guard.
"These forces should be adequate to assure the rights of American citizens … to walk peaceably and safely without injury or loss of life from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama," he said.
The National Guard is a section of the military with a unit in each state, which usually answers to the relevant state governor.
One day after Johnson's federalising the National Guard, the march from Selma to Montgomery officially began.
Under an official order by a judge, only 300 people were allowed to march while the procession was on the four-lane highway.
More than 3,000 National Guard troops accompanied demonstrators along the route.
By the time it reached the State Capitol Building in Montgomery on March 25, the march had grown to include 25,000 people.
There, on the building's front steps, Martin Luther King Jr delivered what would come to be known as his "How Long, Not Long" address.
Donald Trump's decision to deploy the National Guard did not, as it did in 1965, de-escalate the situation.
The street demonstrations had been sparked by ICE agents arresting more than 100 immigrants across Los Angeles.
As of Sunday night local time, about 300 National Guard members were already on the ground of the 2,000 deployed by the president.
Hundreds more US Army Marines were on stand-by.
As troops created a perimeter around the Metropolitan Detention Centre, protesters gathered to demand entry.
They were met with military-style vehicles and riot shields.
In 1965, the state governor could not be convinced to protect protesters.
This time around, California Governor Gavin Newsom said the president did not even raise the topic with him beforehand.
He has formally requested Mr Trump withdraw the order — warning they run the risk of further "inflaming tensions".
"Indeed, the decision to deploy the National Guard, without appropriate training or orders, risks seriously escalating the situation," his office wrote to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.
'There is currently no need for the National Guard to be deployed in Los Angeles, and to do so in this unlawful manner … is a serious breach of state sovereignty that seems intentionally designed to inflame the situation[.]'
He has since announced he will file a lawsuit against the Trump administration for deploying troops without his permission.
"There's a protocol, there's a process," Mr Newsom said, labelling the move "unconstitutional".