Opposing view: Military forces might be needed to quell unrest

Police sirens wailed up and down 8th Avenue in Manhattan, and New York Police Department helicopters hovered overhead Monday night. The rioters, according to my social media feeds, were several blocks away from my home, pillaging a clothing outlet. A family member sent me a photo he took, from his window, of a jewelry store being ransacked, with no cops in sight. New York City, like so many others across the country, was under siege.

The police here were not in control of the streets. Anyone could turn on the television or open up social media and see rioters chanting profanely, destroying public and private property, or even attacking women shop owners.

President Donald Trump has realized that these riots have become a national- level threat to the safety and security of the American people. They are kicking at the load- bearing walls of our society. Trump knows it’s time for action. With that in mind, on Monday evening he announced in the White House Rose Garden: “If a city or state refuses to take the actions that are necessary to defend the life and property of their residents, then I will deploy the United States military and quickly solve the problem for them.”

Trump then walked across Lafayette Square in front of the White House to the graffiti- laced, boarded up St. John’s Episcopal Church, which was attacked by arsonists Sunday night, another sign of the increasing violence.

The riots were not solely in New York and Washington. Across the country, communities are reeling. On Monday night alone:

❚ Four officers were shot and wounded in St. Louis and one in Las Vegas was critically wounded.

❚ Fires tore through a looted strip mall in a Los Angeles neighborhood.

❚ Two people were killed, reportedly by “outside agitators,” during unrest in Illinois.

The president’s remarks led to speculation that Trump may invoke the Insurrection Act of 1807. It’s a rarely used law, but the White House could decide it’s the least bad option given the widespread mayhem. Military deployments to quell the uprising in America’s cities would certainly bring their own hazards. But it’s already clear the role of federal law enforcement and the executive branch is going to grow.

Someone needs to step in and crack down on the lawlessness. Either it will be local and state police — or military forces. If the unrest continues, there will be no third option left.