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.”
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) said in a separate statement that Kehoe’s decision is tantamount to a provocation.
“The right for people to join in protests or peaceful assembly is core to the First Amendment, and critical to a functioning democracy,“ the ACLU said. ”Government and law enforcement officials have the moral and constitutional responsibility to stop the escalation, practice restraint, and allow Missourians to exercise this foundational right.”
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott also this week deployed more than 5,000 Texas National Guard troops, along with more than 2,000 state police officers, to manage protests in his state.
“No Kings” protests are planned on Saturday in San Antonio and across Texas in cities such as Houston, Austin, and Dallas, according to the group’s website.
Protests earlier this week in Austin and Dallas led to brief clashes with police who used chemical irritants to disperse crowds. About a dozen people were arrested.
“Peaceful protests are part of the fabric of our nation, but Texas will not tolerate the lawlessness we have seen in Los Angeles in response to President Donald Trump’s enforcement of immigration law,” Abbott, a Republican, said in a statement on June 12.
“Anyone engaging in acts of violence or damaging property will be arrested and held accountable to the full extent of the law.”
In California, meanwhile, Trump deployed the California National Guard and 700 Marines to Los Angeles after multiple days of unrest. Earlier this week, the White House said that hundreds of illegal immigrants who allegedly took part in riots were arrested, including more than 100 individuals with prior criminal records.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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