Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker activated up to 1,000 National Guard members in the state on Friday, though he's yet to give a reason for the order.
The measure comes amid civil unrest in Kenosha, Wisconsin in the aftermath of the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man. Here's what to know:
- National Guardsmen have been present in Massachusetts twice already in 2020. Once in March during the earliest stages of the response to the coronavirus pandemic, and again in late May in the days following the murder of George Floyd at the hands of officers. It is not believed that this order is related to the virus.
- The order began on Friday and will continue until the further order of the Adjutant General.
- In a statement, the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security said that "National guard personnel are deployed only at the request of, and in coordination with, the communities seeking support."
- The state is paying for the deployment of the National Guard this time around, unlike in March, when the federal government footed the bill.
