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Ohio National Guard Returning from D.C., Still Posted In Ohio Cities

By Andy Chow

Published June 8, 2020 at 9:33 PM EDT

Ohio National Guard set up in Columbus during George Floyd and Black Lives Matter protests. [Andy Chow] — Ohio National Guard set up in Columbus during George Floyd and Black Lives Matter protests.

The Ohio National Guard is returning to the state after being ordered to Washington, D.C., to help secure the city during demonstrations in the District. However, Guardsmen are still deployed in some Ohio cities as protesters continue to demonstrate against the deaths of George Floyd and other black people killed by police.

The Ohio National Guard sent 100 members to Washington, D.C., after the U.S. Secretary of Defense called for assistance during protests. While those members are returning, other soldiers will continue to be posted in Cleveland and Columbus.

Maj. Gen. John Harris, Adjutant General of the Ohio National Guard, said those deployed are specifically trained for crowd control and to assist local law enforcement.

"With crowd control, with protecting critical sites and doing so while not only respecting the people who are protesting but also if we have to move a crowd or effect the behavior of a crowd we can do that in a non-lethal way without harming anyone," Harris said.

A member of the Ohio National Guard serving in Washington, D.C. was suspended after the FBI reported finding "white supremacist ideology" expressed online prior to the assignment. The FBI is still investigating.

There have been demonstrators in Columbus and Cleveland who've criticized the presence of the National Guard as creating a militarized atmosphere at what have largely been non-violent protests.