Some National Guard troops are uncomfortable with 'aggressive tactics' they're using against protesters

National Guard troops are used to being "viewed as the heroes," usually stepping in after natural disasters, First Lt. Malik Jenkins-Bey tells The New York Times. But when it comes to combating protesters, sometimes with aggressive tactics, members of the Washington, D.C. Guard say they're becoming increasingly uncomfortable.

The Trump administration has encouraged states to call in National Guard troops to crack down on protests against police brutality and systemic racism in the U.S., and in D.C., brought in more than 5,000 of them to clear a path for President Trump to take a photo in front of a church. "Some of the Guard troops were just out of basic training, and others had no experience in controlling disturbances in the streets," the Times reports. But they were still pushed to employ "aggressive tactics" so Army leaders could "prove" they could quell protests "without active-duty force," the Times continues.

More than 60 percent of D.C.'s Guard force are people of color, and one of them said he and fellow troops felt "ashamed" of fighting the protests to the point that "they have kept it from family members," the Times writes. Jenkins-Bey, who is black, described incidents where that discomfort got personal. "It's a very tough conversation to have when a soldier turns to me and they're saying, ‘Hey sir, you know my cousin was up there yelling at me, that was my neighbor, my best friend from high school," he said. Read more at The New York Times.

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