SAN FRANCISCO—California Governor Gavin Newsom has rejected President Donald Trump’s proposal to activate the National Guard to “dominate” protesters.
On Sunday, May 31, Trump tweeted: “Other Democrat run Cities and States should look at the total shutdown of Radical Left Anarchists in Minneapolis last night. The National Guard did a great job, and should be used in other States before it is too late!”
However, during a press conference on Monday, June 1, Newsom said, “Your rage is real – express it so we can hear it.”
Although Newsom reported that a total of 4,500 members of the National Guard had been mobilized to maintain order in California communities during the protests for George Floyd, numerous San Francisco businesses were damaged by looting that occurred on Saturday, May 30.
Businesses located in San Francisco’s Union Square including Louis Vuitton, Apple, and Swarovski were targeted by looters on Saturday night. According to Karin Flood, Executive Director of the Union Square Business Improvement District, 25 to 30 businesses were damaged and looted. Flood estimates that the damages will cost millions.
The Westfield San Francisco Centre and other Market Street businesses including CVS, Old Navy, Starbucks, and Walgreens were also looted on Saturday. Additionally, several fires were ignited throughout the city of San Francisco, including locations such as the Westfield San Francisco Centre and the Nordstrom Rack on Market Street.
Cannabis businesses in San Francisco including Mission Cannabis Club, California Street Cannabis Co, The Green Cross, Dr. Greenthumb’s, The Apothecarium, Urbana, Moe Greens, and Grass Roots were also targeted by looters on Saturday night in San Francisco. An estimated $300,000 worth of products were stolen from the Mission Cannabis Club in San Francisco.
Mayor London Breed said that although she did not want to put members of the National Guard on standby, she did so as a safety measure. On Monday, June 1, Breed said, “For those of you who are using this movement as a way to push violence, to go after other black people, to tear us down – we will not tolerate that.”
With the National Guard being on standby 33 people were arrested for felony looting. San Francisco Police Department made 87 arrests as a result of the city’s curfew. According to San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott, 19 of those arrested for looting are awaiting charges from San Francisco District Attorney, Chesa Boudin.
On Monday, June 1, Newsom tweeted: “The Black community is not responsible for what’s happening in this country right now – we are. Our institutions are. We are accountable to this moment. People have lost patience – I’ve lost patience – because they haven’t seen progress.”
During a press conference on Monday, June 1, Newsom added, “I have a choice. We all have a choice. I could be part of the daily back and forth in the news cycle and continue to perpetuate the problems that persist in this country, I could choose to go back and forth and just be another voice in that cause, or I can choose to focus a message that I think is so much more powerful, and I hope more resonant for people watching, and that is, I care more about them than some of the noise I heard on the morning phone call.”
During the call mentioned in Newsom’s statement, Trump said that the governors were being “weak” in their responses to the “lawlessness” of the protests. In a tweet, Trump added, “Get tough Democrat Mayors and Governors. These people are ANARCHISTS. Call in our National Guard NOW. The World is watching and laughing at you and Sleepy Joe. Is this what America wants? NO!!!”
However, other Democratic governors such as Oregon Governor Kate Brown also disagreed with Trump’s approach for controlling protesters. “You don’t defuse violence by putting soldiers on the streets,” said Brown. While Brown announced the mobilization of 50 members of the Oregon National Guard, on Monday, June 1, she tweeted: “They will not be on the front lines, making arrests, or doing crowd control. They will act as support personnel – care for the injured, processing arrests, directing traffic – much as they do when they are asked to respond to wildfires. I’m incredibly grateful for their service.”
Persistent, Trump, on June 1, said that if the governors do not “defend the life and property of their residents,” he will deploy the United States military and “quickly solve the problem for them.”
