New documents show that the Pentagon ordered Army helicopters to fly low over protesters to disperse them
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William Antonelli
Jun 7, 2020, 07:55 IST
A still from video tweeted by New York Times reporter Zolan Kanno-Youngs. It shows a helicopter, identified as a UH-72 Lakota, over protesters in Washington, D.C., in the early hours of June 2, 2020.Zolan Kanno-Youngs/Twitter
New documents obtained by the New York Times on Saturday show that Pentagon officials directly ordered the helicopter mission, telling the pilots to use "persistent presence" to disperse protesters.
Army secretary Ryan D. McCarthy and Army chief of staff Gen. James C. McConville were both involved in planning the mission.
Human rights organizations across the country have condemned the low-flying maneuver, noting that such a show of force is usually reserved for active war zones.
Reports and videos from the scene showed the helicopters sending debris flying across sidewalks, toppling part of a tree, and even shattering storefront windows. Some protesters fled from the scene, fearing for their lives. In the days following, the Army said they would open an investigation to determine what had led up to the incident.
But new documents obtained by the New York Times show that the Army had specific knowledge of what the helicopter mission would entail. According to these documents, the mission "included oversight" by Army secretary Ryan D. McCarthy and Army chief of staff Gen. James C. McConville, along with a team of military lawyers.
The New York Times report states that the helicopter pilots were ordered by the Pentagon to apply "persistent presence" to the protesters. But the term "persistent presence" is largely up to interpretation, and there's no formal training that pilots go through for this sort of mission. So in effect, the Pentagon left it up to the individual pilots to decide how to show "presence" to the crowd.
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Military officials, meanwhile, described the mission as a last resort — if the National Guard couldn't rein in protesters, they claimed, President Trump would officially order active-duty US military troops into Washington D.C. McCarthy and McConville planned the helicopter mission to make sure that the National Guard could hold their ground.
Politicians and human rights activists across the country have condemned the helicopter mission, comparing it to an act of war.
In a report on Friday, the Human Rights Watch noted that hovering low over opponents is known as a "show of force" in the US military, and may be prohibited by international human rights law. They also pointed out that one of the helicopters was emblazoned with a red cross, which is a "universally recognized symbol of medical aid and is protected under the Geneva Conventions," and having it perform military actions may be in violation of the conventions.
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