US quarterbacks have been told. USA They must prepare to defend national monuments across the country, after several of the structures were toppled or destroyed during recent protests, a report said on Wednesday.
The service “has been asked to immediately prepare to provide federal police support to protect national monuments,” Marshals Assistant Director Andrew C. Smith wrote in an email obtained by The Washington Post.
“This is a difficult task due to the breadth of possible targets for criminal activity,” wrote Smith.
To coordinate, the Marshals Incident Management Team will start a Joint Operations Center in Springfield, Virginia, and each MP from the Special Operations Group will be available to assist you as soon as Thursday, he wrote.
Early Wednesday, the Trump administration activated the National Guard to protect monuments in Washington, DC, as protests against racism continue in the nation’s capital.
The move came after a statue of Confederate leader Albert Pike was overthrown on Friday near the city’s police headquarters.
On Monday, protesters attempted to tear down a statue of President Andrew Jackson in a park next to the White House, but police with riot gear detained them.
President Trump tweeted the next day that he had “authorized the Federal Government to arrest anyone who destroys or destroys any federal monument, statue or other property in the United States with up to 10 years in prison, in accordance with the Preservation Act of the Veteran Monument, or such other laws that may be relevant … “
Across the country, protesters against racism and police violence have overthrown or labeled monuments from the United States’ past, including several statues of Confederate generals.
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