At Trump’s request, the Department of Defense asks the Washington, D.C. National Guard to use military weapons on demonstrators in Lafayette Park near the White House.
The first weapon is an ADS (Active Denial System), a heat ray that makes its targets feel as though their skin is burning / melting off of their body. The second weapon Defense requests is a LRAD (Long Range Acoustic Device), a sonic weapon known to cause pain and hearing damage but that can also be used as a loud speaker.
The D.C. National Guard does not comply with the request because they don’t have the weapons. Also, protesters are not being destructive and have not broken curfew.
Trump orders police to attack the protesters before curfew anyways, without a warning to disperse.
Major Adam DeMarco of the D.C. National Guard was copied on emails with the DoD. In the emails, the DoD referred to protesters as “potential adversaries.”
DeMarco blows the whistle to Congress in September. The administration does not deny his claims.
External Sources
Photo: Joe Piette
