Whitmer sends Michigan National Guard units to Wisconsin

LANSING, Mich. (FOX 2) - Governor Gretchen Whitmer authorized the use of two companies of Michigan National Guardsmen and women in Wisconsin Thursday after Governor Tony Evers requested it. 

They will operate under State Active Duty through an Emergency Management Assistance Compact responding to the unrest in Kenosha following the officer-involved shooting of Jacob Blake, an African-American, during a police stop.

They are not federalized, and Governor Whitmer can call them back to Michigan at any time, her office said.

After a series of protests that escalated into police confrontations and in some cases, riots and destructive fires, came a deadly shooting. 

A white teen, described as a "police admirer," Kyle Rittenhouse, fatally shot two people and wounded a third Wednesday night.

In the wake of the killings, Evers authorized the deployment of 500 members of the National Guard to Kenosha, doubling the number of troops in the city of 100,000 midway between Milwaukee and Chicago. The governor’s office said he is working with other states to bring in additional National Guard members and law officers.

Authorities also announced a 7 p.m. curfew, though protesters ignored it again Wednesday.
 
“Michigan’s dedicated National Guardsmen and women have played a vital role to keep Michiganders safe in recent months during the pandemic, and they were a key factor in ensuring peaceful protests in Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, and Lansing after the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor earlier this summer,” said Governor Whitmer. “Following a request from Governor Evers, I have authorized the use of two companies of the Michigan National Guard to assist civil authorities with public safety. 

"I am confident that our guardsmen and women will work hard to keep our neighbors in Wisconsin safe while working to protect their First Amendment rights to peaceful assembly.” 

“The Michigan National Guard is always ready to support civil authorities when requested to assist,” said Maj. Gen. Paul Rogers, Adjutant General and Director of the Michigan Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. “The men and women of the Michigan National Guard are well trained, equipped, and ready to assist our neighbors and emergency response partners in Wisconsin to protect people, their property, and their right to peacefully protest.” 

-The Associated Press contributed to this report.