Troops deployed during previous 'protests'

By Jim Thompson
HCP columnist

There has been a lot of noise about the forces deployed in Minneapolis in recent times.   

I recall a time when deployment was more severe.  

I looked it up in order to verify it. It was when Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in 1968.  

Here is a partial listing of the numbers (I pulled this from ChatGPT and other sources):

• Washington, D.C.
Forces used:
D.C. National Guard (federalized)
U.S. Army (active duty)
Details:

Rioting began on April 4, 1968 and lasted several days.

President Lyndon Johnson ordered federal troops directly into the capital.

Roughly 13,500 total troops were deployed.

The 3rd Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne, and other Army units guarded the Capitol, White House and federal buildings.

Machine guns were mounted on steps of government buildings (not fired, but very visible).

• Baltimore, Maryland

About 11,000 federal troops deployed.

• Chicago, Illinois

6,700 National Guard deployed.

This is a good sample; and there are many more.  

I know similar actions were taken in other cities as well. 

We have people rioting now who either don’t know recent history or choose to ignore it.  

I say we call out federal troops now.  

If it was good enough for Johnson (D), it is good enough for Trump (R).

Jim Thompson, formerly of Marshall, is a graduate of Hillsboro High School and the University of Cincinnati. He resides in Duluth, Ga. and is a columnist for The Highland County Press.