The National Guard has been stationed in Philadelphia after several days of unrest in the wake of Walter Wallace Jr.’s tragic death.
Wallace was killed on Monday afternoon (Oct. 26) when officers responding to calls for an ambulance shot him multiple times upon arrival. Community activists and local residents rallied together in protests that devolved into nights of rioting and looting, and worsened the following night.
Following Tuesday night’s (Oct. 27) uproar, Gov. Tom Wolf commissioned the deployment of National Guard troops to assist local authorities in controlling protests and protecting the residents. They arrived on Wednesday (Oct. 28), but additional troops made their way into the city on Friday (Oct. 30), per FOX 29.
“At the request of Philadelphia County, the Pennsylvania National Guard is staffing several hundred members in Philadelphia to protect the right to peacefully assemble and protest while keeping people safe,” the guardsmen said, per CBS Philly. “Assisting civil authorities during times of need is one of the core missions of the guard. Members are well-trained and well-prepared to assist the commonwealth and its communities in any way they can.”
Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney also imposed a citywide curfew after days of protests.
Brooklyn demonstrations demanding justice for Wallace have also become destructive, resulting in 32 arrests and five wounded NYPD officers, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Wallace’s family members have expressed their dissatisfaction of the riots that have occurred in the aftermath of his death.
“I do not want to see my city tore down. We don’t need that. You’re not resolving anything for our family,” Rodney Everett, Wallace’s uncle, said to CBS 3. “Don’t do this in the name of my nephew because this is not what he would’ve wanted.”
His father, Walter Wallace Sr., previously told FOX 29, “I don’t condone no violence tearing up the city, looting of the stores,” adding, “I would like everybody having respect for my family and my son to stop this violence and chaos that’s going on in this city with people that have businesses.”