National Guard call wise move by Baker

As abruptly as it began, the Baker administration Monday night deactivated the 1,000 National Guard members it had activated Aug. 28.

A statement by an Executive Office of Public Safety and Security spokesperson shed some light on both decisions: “Following coordination with municipal leaders through the weekend regarding potential large scale demonstrations, Governor Baker today authorized the Adjutant General of the Massachusetts National Guard to end the Governor’s Aug. 28 activation order,” it read in part.

Gov. Baker, who did not offer a detailed explanation when he activated 1,000 Guardsmen on Friday, told reporters Tuesday that city and town leaders flagged event pages on social media and inquired about assistance from the state.

While officials were apparently concerned about several large gatherings with a potential for violence, we don’t believe it’s a coincidence the mobilization occurred days before two protests planned for Boston on Sunday — one outside the Statehouse in opposition to the governor’s flu-shot mandate, and another in Roxbury demanding the arrests of the Kenosha, Wisc., police officers involved in the shooting of Jacob Blake.

As it unfolded, both events got their points across peaceably, without any interference by counter protesters — or law enforcement.

But that apparently didn’t prevent one organizer of the Roxbury protest to declare the National Guard activation “unacceptable” because it showed the governor was more interested in suppressing dissent than protecting it.

That’s a hard case to make in light of the violence-free outcomes.

While Baker often receives criticism for his reactive responses to the coronavirus pandemic, in this case, we believe he should receive a thumbs-up for his proactive approach to potentially incendiary situations.