A number of protests are scheduled to take place Saturday across the United States, including in Missouri.
The governor of Missouri on Thursday declared a state of emergency and activated the state’s National Guard over possible riots and protests following unrest in Los Angeles over the past week.
Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe said he had declared a state of emergency due to civil unrest and called on officials in the state to activate portions of the National Guard to “protect life and property.”
“We respect, and will defend, the right to peacefully protest, but we will not tolerate violence or lawlessness in our state,” his statement said.
“While other states may wait for chaos to ensue, the State of Missouri is taking a proactive approach in the event that assistance is needed to support local law enforcement in protecting our citizens and communities.”
The order said that protests and unrest that might occur in Kansas City, Springfield, St. Louis, and other cities in the state “have created or may create conditions of distress and hazards to the safety, welfare, and property of the citizens and visitors of the communities beyond the capacities of local jurisdictions and other established agencies.”
Multiple so-called “No Kings” protests are scheduled to take place in Missouri on Saturday, coinciding with President Donald Trump’s birthday and Flag Day. Protest locations include St. Louis, Kansas City, Columbia, St. Joseph, and others, according to a map. The events are meant to serve as protest platforms against the Trump administration’s policies, namely around the enforcement of immigration law.
In a statement responding to Kehoe’s order, Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas, a Democrat, said he has concerns about the decision to declare an emergency and deploy the National Guard.
“Mayor Lucas is concerned with enhanced state enforcement for one set of protestors, but no action or aid to local law enforcement when Neo-Nazis march through Missouri’s urban streets,” his office said.
“The Mayor has confidence in responsible protestors to use their First Amendment rights peacefully and in compliance with the law. More than one thousand Kansas Citians protested peacefully and responsibly just days ago.”
