In a recent interview with Chicago's WGN Radio, U.S. Rep. Shomari Figures (D-Mobile) expressed strong disagreement with the Trump administration's deployment of the National Guard to cities across America. The move, according to federal officials, has been made to fight high crime rates plaguing many municipalities.
Figures was asked specifically for his take on the possibility of the National Guard being deployed to Mobile, a city within his district and hometown.
"I think it's generally a reckless decision to send the United States military, our armed service men and women domestically into cities to perform traditional state and local law enforcement responses," said Figures.
Rather than bring in the National Guard, the congressman offered his solution to the issue.
"I think the answer is to make sure that we are paying our law enforcement officers and to make sure that we are training our law enforcement officers as well to make sure that we are taking care of them in terms of the benefits that they have and the retirement they have," Figures outlined.
"That's what we need to be focused on," he continued. "If we do those things, we will be able to recruit more law enforcement officers, but we can't say that we are serious about supporting law enforcement while at the same time cutting funding that could go to law enforcement, to promote the hiring of law enforcement officers."
According to Figures, it wouldn't be just the left against the National Guard coming to Mobile.
"At the end of the day, the military is not the answer. I'd stand up against the military coming into Mobile, and I know people on both sides of the political aisle, Republicans and Democrats, would stand up against that," he asserted.
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