CHICAGO – Veterans are calling on National Guard members to refuse to be deployed in Chicago, and they want Gov. JB Pritzker to back them up, since he has said President Donald Trump deploying troops would be illegal.
What we know:
National Guard veterans want current members to know that if they are questioning their role right now, they can turn to the group “About Face, Veterans Against the War.” That is what they call Trump’s threats to activate the National Guard to curb crime in Chicago.
The number of shootings in Chicago over Labor Day weekend was disturbing: 8 people killed, 58 shooting victims total.
In response, Trump posted on Truth Social that Pritzker “better straighten it out fast or we’re coming.”
What they’re saying:
Activists say Guard members don’t have to follow illegal orders.
“Deploying the Guard here or abroad under these circumstances is wrong,” said Aaron Hughes, an Illinois Army National Guard veteran.
Attorneys Brad Thompson and Joey Mogul with Movement Law Lab said they know there are service members who did not sign up for duty and that Trump’s order would activate them as an Army in their own backyard, putting them in an “unconscionable position.”
If troops are ordered to Chicago, activists and others are urging service members to report to Federal Plaza to refuse the order. There, they will also receive community support and legal advice.
The Source: FOX 32’s Joanie Lum reported on this story.
