‘While the Department respects every American’s right to protest peacefully, violence and civil unrest will not be tolerated…’
(Michael Barnes, Liberty Headlines) After a month of nationwide chaos, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security is finally putting its foot down to protect America’s historic monuments, memorials and statues.
Lawless mobs have swept through mostly Democrat-controlled cities and desecrated bipartisan symbols of American heritage with seeming impunity.
Few, if any, city or state elected leaders have shown the courage to enforce the rule of law, thereby forcing the Trump administration to take action.
“DHS is answering the President’s call to use our law enforcement personnel across the country to protect our historic landmarks,” DHS Acting Secretary Chad F. Wolf said on Wednesday.
“We won’t stand idly by while violent anarchists and rioters seek not only to vandalize and destroy the symbols of our nation, but to disrupt law and order and sow chaos in our communities,” said Wolf.
The task force is the result of a June 26 executive order, titled, “Protecting American Monuments, Memorials, and Statues and Combating Recent Criminal Activity.”
It will work with the department’s vast law enforcement agency assets and personnel to protect historic property across the country, according to a statement.
DHS’s Office of Operations Coordination will also partner closely with the departments of Justice and Interior to establish information and intelligence sharing.
Wolf said the task force will begin by conducting assessments of potential civil unrest and will then allocate DHS resources to protect historic monuments and statues, as well as innocent communities where violent mobs have been allowed to sow terror without consequences.
The announcement sets up a potential showdown with rioters and left-wing mobs, Wolf acknowledged, especially ahead Independence Day.
“As we approach the July 4th holiday, I have directed the deployment and pre-positioning of Rapid Deployment Teams (RDT) across the country to respond to potential threats to facilities and property,” he said.
“While the Department respects every American’s right to protest peacefully, violence and civil unrest will not be tolerated.”