Alabama Governor Kay Ivey’s office on Wednesday said she is prepared to send hundreds of National Guard personnel to Wisconsin to assist with growing civil unrest if necessary.
This comes after protests in the wake of police in Kenosha, Wisconsin, shooting Jacob Blake have devolved into rioting, arson, vandalism, looting and violence. On Tuesday night, three people were shot — two fatally — amid the unrest. The deadly scene was caught on video by reporters at the scene.
On Wednesday, President Donald Trump tweeted that he — as agreed to by the governor of Wisconsin — would be sending federal law enforcement officers and National Guardsmen to help restore order in Kenosha.
It should be noted that state governors have control over their own respective National Guard, unless federalized by the president. He has not taken such an action at this time, so Wisconsin is currently dependent on their own National Guard as well as other governors voluntarily sending assistance if requested.
…TODAY, I will be sending federal law enforcement and the National Guard to Kenosha, WI to restore LAW and ORDER!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 26, 2020
The Kenosha News reported that the governor of Wisconsin has already mobilized hundreds of their own National Guard personnel to assist law enforcement on the ground and to protect critical infrastructure.
“The governor is continuing to work with other states in facilitating additional National Guard and state patrol support,” the publication reported.
That is where Alabama and Gov. Ivey could come into play.
“[I]f needed, she has approved the [Alabama National Guard] to send up to 350 military police to handle civil unrest in Wisconsin,” stated Gina Maiola, press secretary for Ivey.
Further, Ivey’s office said that the State of Alabama stands ready to assist as Hurricane Laura bears down on west Louisiana and east Texas.
Ivey has reportedly “approved the Alabama National Guard to send four Black Hawk helicopters to Louisiana tomorrow morning (Thursday) to assist with hurricane impact,” per her office.
The governor earlier in the day had tweeted her support for Louisiana and Texas as the hurricane approached.
As #HurricaneLaura approaches the U.S. as a potential Cat 4 storm, Alabamians are keeping our friends to the West in our thoughts & prayers. Many of our people work along the Gulf Coast, & we’ll be ready to assist them & our neighbors in any way we can. @LouisianaGov @GovAbbott
— Governor Kay Ivey (@GovernorKayIvey) August 26, 2020
Sean Ross is the editor of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn
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