Wisconsin Needs the National Guard on Standby Now
As storm clouds of unrest loom over Wisconsin this week, Governor Tony Evers faces a defining moment. The scars of 2020 in Madison and Kenosha linger—burned businesses, shattered windows, lives lost, and communities gripped by fear. Those chaotic days taught us that unchecked protests can spiral into violence and cost lives and livelihoods. To prevent history from repeating itself, Evers must place sufficient numbers of the National Guard on standby for the next week.
In 2020, Wauwatosa offered a contrasting lesson to Madison and Kenosha. In Tosa, strong, locally driven planning and mutual aid between neighboring police departments, bolstered by a well-coordinated National Guard deployment, kept chaos at bay. Adequate numbers of trained personnel, strategically positioned, ensured protests remained largely peaceful and property damage was minimized. This model of preparedness worked because it prioritized de-escalation and protection over reaction. Wauwatosa’s mayor Dennis McBride focused on keeping the peace, not on the message obvious signs of preparedness might send.
Wisconsin needs that foresight now…