Gov. Pritzker calls out National Guard to support Chicago police

Posted on June 1, 2020
Gov. JB Pritzker, at a news conference Sunday announcing the deployment of National Guard troops, responded to a question as to whether there will be enough protection. (Photo courtesy: WJBC/File)

By Dave Dahl

CHICAGO – The National Guard’s been called out to support Chicago police during the rioting over the death of George Floyd at the knee of a Minneapolis cop. While decrying the violence which has grown from the protests, Chicago mayor Lori Lightfoot still has a hard time processing now-former-Officer Derek Chauvin’s actions.

“The casualness with which this individual killed George Floyd,” Lightfoot told a Chicago news conference Sunday, “with his hand in his pocket, knowing he was videotaped, without a care in the world — seemingly — that is such a deep offense, and so unnecessary.”

To those of us who live it,” said Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, “we know the anger is deeper than the almost nine minutes of Officer Derek Chauvin’s knee squeezing the life out of George Floyd. Those nine minutes symbolized centuries of oppression.”

Lightfoot and Stratton, like Floyd, are black. Chauvin, who’s been fired and charged, is white.

A news conference Sunday in Chicago announced the activation of 375 Illinois National Guardsmen and -women to support Chicago police.

Dave Dahl can be reached at [email protected]. 

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