Printer-friendly version
Conflicting Information About Action Causes Media Confusion
By Paul Kruze, Contributing Editor
Photos by Rebecca Jefferis Williamson: National Guard patrols La Mesa's downtown village
June 4, 2020 (La Mesa) -- At the request of San Diego County Sheriff William D. Gore, the California National Guard has been deployed to downtown La Mesa to support law enforcement there as protests continue calling for racial justice and police reform.
Confusion and misinformation prevailed Wednesday night, however, when East County Magazine received conflicting information from various normally reliable sources as to whether or not the California National Guard had been deployed at the La Mesa City Center in the aftermath of the devastating destruction that took place on Monday night.
According to a Tweet on the San Diego Union Tribune’s Twitter account, the California National Guard public affairs officer originally told the newspaper’s reporter Alex Riggins that the National Guard had not been requested to deploy to La Mesa, but later called back to apologize that he had been incorrect in his statement.
In the original t
weet, Riggins said, “California National Guard public affairs officer says they have NOT received a request from San Diego County, are not sending troops here. He was unsure where La Mesa got that info, but said it is untrue.”
Riggins then later retreated, posting that he had deleted his tweet about the National Guard not coming to La Mesa. “They are indeed here already. The California National Guard public affairs officer told me they were not requested. He later called back to apologize. I apologize for spreading wrong information.”
The City of La Mesa official said in a statement, “San Diego County has requested the National Guard (to) assist with security in the region due to the recent civil unrest. A portion of them will be responding to La Mesa this evening. You may also see the throughout the county.”
The Union Tribune reports that the Sheriff’s department confirmed that 100 members of the California National Guard were being deployed to La Mesa and 100 more would be deployed alongside sheriff’s deputies elsewhere for a total of 200 across the county.
“The National Guard will work alongside law enforcement providing security to critical infrastructures (public buildings, courthouses, power grids, etc.) during the protests to prevent looting & arson,” according to the San Diego Union-Tribune.
San Diego County remains on high alert while many cities continue to extend overnight curfews late this week after local rioting, looting and fires followed protests against police violence. Many local stores and other businesses have returned to early closure schedules since Saturday’s protests similar to those instituted during the COVID-19 retail shutdowns.
The protests here and nationwide arose as calls for justice over the death of a 46-year-old black man, George Floyd, who died after a white police officer in Minneapolis pressed his knee into Floyd’s neck for almost ten minutes. The suspected officer has been charged with second degree murder; three fellow officers who failed to intervene are also facing criminal charges related to the death.
The California National Guard is a federally funded military force under the command of the National Guard of the United States, which utilizes both the U.S. Army and Air National Guard units. They are often deployed during non-emergency situations for full-scale enforcement of martial law when local law enforcement officials can no longer maintain civil control, such as during national disasters, terror attacks or civil unrest.
The California National Guard can be deployed by the Goovernor. The National Guard can be called into federal service in response to a call by the President or Congress. The California National Guard is the largest national guard force in the United State with over 23,000 soldiers and airmen. There has been no indication how long the National Guard will be deployed in San Diego County.
Sheriff Bill Gore today issued the following statement:
Paul Kruze, contributing editor of East County Magazine, is a multimedia journalist with experience in print, broadcast and web platforms. A tenacious investigative journalist, he has covered a variety of subjects, particularly governmental and educational issues.
He has been recognized with multiple awards from San Diego Press Club and Society of Professional Journalists, including the Gloria Penner Award for political reporting from SPJ as well as first place honors for investigative reporting, news features and multicultural reporting from SDPC. His work appears in local and regional venues as well as in nationwide syndication. His honors for works with ECM include his in-depth reporting on the El Cajon City Council, Cajon Valley Union School District, local business news, and the East County Performing Arts Center.
East County Magazine thanks the Facebook Journalism Project for support through its COVID-19 Local News Relief Fund Grant Program to help sustain reporting on vulnerable local populations and rural communities. Learn more at #FacebookJournalismProject.
You can donate to support our local journalism efforts during the pandemic at https://www.EastCountyMedia.org/donate.
Copyright ©2020 by PaulKruzeLive.com, All Rights Reserved
Recent comments