[ Our fellow citizens are not the enemy, and must never become so,
says former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.]
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I CANNOT REMAIN SILENT   [[link removed]]

 

Mike Mullen
June 2, 2020
The Atlantic
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_ Our fellow citizens are not the enemy, and must never become so,
says former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. _

, DREW ANGERER / GETTY

 

It sickened me yesterday to see security personnel—including members
of the National Guard—forcibly and violently clear a path through
Lafayette Square to accommodate the president's visit outside St.
John's Church. I have to date been reticent to speak out on issues
surrounding President Trump's leadership, but we are at an inflection
point, and the events of the past few weeks have made it impossible to
remain silent.

Whatever Trump's goal in conducting his visit, he laid bare his
disdain for the rights of peaceful protest in this country, gave
succor to the leaders of other countries who take comfort in our
domestic strife, and risked further politicizing the men and women of
our armed forces.

There was little good in the stunt.

While no one should ever condone the violence, vandalism, and looting
that has exploded across our city streets, neither should anyone lose
sight of the larger and deeper concerns about institutional racism
that have ignited this rage.

As a white man, I cannot claim perfect understanding of the fear and
anger that African Americans feel today. But as someone who has been
around for a while, I know enough—and I’ve seen enough—to
understand that those feelings are real and that they are all too
painfully founded.

We must, as citizens, address head-on the issue of police brutality
and sustained injustices against the African American community. We
must, as citizens, support and defend the right—indeed, the solemn
obligation—to peacefully assemble and to be heard. These are not
mutually exclusive pursuits.

And neither of these pursuits will be made easier or safer by an
overly aggressive use of our military, active duty or National Guard.
The United States has a long and, to be fair, sometimes troubled
history of using the armed forces to enforce domestic laws. The issue
for us today is not whether this authority exists, but whether it will
be wisely administered.

I remain confident in the professionalism of our men and women in
uniform. They will serve with skill and with compassion. They will
obey lawful orders. But I am less confident in the soundness of the
orders they will be given by this commander in chief, and I am not
convinced that the conditions on our streets, as bad as they are, have
risen to the level that justifies a heavy reliance on military troops.
Certainly, we have not crossed the threshold that would make it
appropriate to invoke the provisions of the Insurrection Act.

Furthermore, I am deeply worried that as they execute their orders,
the members of our military will be co-opted for political purposes.

Even in the midst of the carnage we are witnessing, we must endeavor
to see American cities and towns as our homes and our neighborhoods.
They are not “battle spaces
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to be dominated, and must never become so.

We must ensure that African Americans—indeed, all Americans—are
given the same rights under the Constitution, the same justice under
the law, and the same consideration we give to members of our own
family. Our fellow citizens are not the enemy, and must never become
so.

Too many foreign and domestic policy choices have become militarized;
too many military missions have become politicized.

This is not the time for stunts. This is the time for leadership.

_MIKE MULLEN [[link removed]] is a
retired admiral from the U.S. Navy and was the 17th chairman of the
Joint Chiefs of Staff._

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