The Long History of Black Police and Soldiers Resisting Federal Takeovers

(WIB) – President Trump has deployed federal law enforcement officers and the National Guard in Los Angeles and Washington D.C., and threatened to take over predominantly Black Democratic cities by decree. The presidential orders are conducted on the pretext of fighting crime, but critics condemn them as nefarious acts of political provocation and racial intimidation.

The deployments have spurred a debate over the legality of the administration’s use of federal police and the National Guard generally — and the role of Black cops and troops in carrying them out in particular. Should they follow orders of questionable legality, or instead disobey and protest through the appropriate channels?

What follows is a cursory account of how Black police and militia have handled federal deployments