The president asked Esper for rapid deployment options if the Minneapolis protests continued to spiral out of control, according to one of the people, senior Pentagon official who was on the call. Units at Fort Drum are slated to head to Minneapolis first, according to the three people, including two Defense Department officials. Protests erupted in Minneapolis this week after video emerged showing a police officer kneeling on Floyd’s neck. The protests turned violent and on Thursday rioters torched the Minneapolis Third Police Precinct near where Floyd was arrested. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz ordered 500 of his National Guard troops into Minneapolis, St. Paul, and surrounding communities.

Source: Huffington Post May 30, 2020 05:15 UTC