CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) - There are no plans to deploy Wyoming National Guard troops to quell riots in other states, but they will be available in case they are needed in Wyoming or elsewhere in the region, Gov. Mark Gordon said.
So far, protests in Wyoming have been small and mostly peaceful. They included an organized gathering Wednesday in Casper.
But rioting and looting as well as peaceful protests have occurred in Denver since the death of George Floyd, a black man pinned to the ground by his neck by a white police officer in Minneapolis, on May 25.
Federal officials have been asking state officials whether they would be able to deploy troops to Washington, D.C. Gordon has been talking with Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, but so far no states have asked Wyoming for help, Gordon spokesman Michael Pearlman said by email Tuesday.
Gordon supports the right to peacefully protest but condemns “violent protests and criminal behavior” and is willing to activate Guard troops if necessary, Pearlman said.
States including Maryland, South Carolina, Tennessee and Utah have sent troops to the nation’s capital in recent days. Other states, including New York and Virginia, have so far rejected the federal request.
On Wednesday, about 300 people marching through streets cleared by police protested in Casper.
The marchers were mostly silent at the request of Floyd’s uncle, Selwyn Jones, organizer Tanner Ewalt told the crowd. Jones lives in Rapid City, South Dakota, the Casper Star-Tribune reports.
A group of people carrying long guns mirrored the protesters across a street while others with firearms could be seen scattered around town.
Police later dispersed protesters who knelt and lay in an intersection and encouraged them to move to sidewalks.
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