Gov. Jay Inslee today activated up to 200 more members of the Washington National Guard in response to a request from King County to help Bellevue respond to looting and to protect against property damage and manage crowds and traffic throughout the county if necessary. Guard personnel will be unarmed and work under the direction of local leadership.
The guard was activated by a letter from the governor to Maj. Gen. Bret Daugherty, commander of the Washington National Guard, as demonstrations were underway in King County protesting the death of George Floyd in Minnesota last week. With this request, the Governor has activated 600 or more National Guard personnel to assist in a peacekeeping response in Seattle and King County.
"I want to thank the National Guard troops for all they're doing under these tough circumstances," Inslee said. "We stand ready to help any city or county that needs it."
Read the letter here.