Oklahoma National Guard troops activated to assist with President Donald Trump\u2019s June 20 rally in Tulsa encountered few problems with protesters, officials say.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Last week, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt activated about 250 OKNG troops to support law enforcement efforts during the rally and protests, Lt. Col. Geoffrey Legler, an OKNG spokesman told Military Times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The troops ran checkpoints around the BOK Center, which served as the site for Saturday night\u2019s rally, Legler said, adding that there were two levels of exclusion zones. Troops worked entry control points with at least one, sometimes two, law enforcement officers, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In addition, the troops helped the Oklahoma Highway Patrol with crowd control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere were really no serious clashes between any of the varying groups protesting,\u201d Legler said. \u201cThey got a little loud with each other, but there was no violence that I am aware of. There were no altercations where they had to step in and assist.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At one point, OKNG troops were moved to a location where there was a concern they\u2019d be needed, said Legler.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When Black Lives Matters demonstrators approached a National Guard bus, Tulsa police officers fired pepper balls to push back the crowd, said Tulsa police spokesperson Capt. Richard Meulenberg. Officers left the area once it cleared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Legler said he was on the bus but did not see pepper balls fired.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe situation was over in less than 20 minutes and was never dangerous for anyone inside or outside of our bus,\u201d he said. \u201cAlso, I never saw pepper balls fired by police, but they may have been far enough ahead of us that we couldn\u2019t see them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Though tensions were high, there were few arrests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The atmosphere several blocks away from the BOK Center was festival-like, with food vendors serving hot dogs and cold drinks and sidewalks lined with people selling various Trump regalia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There was, however, an undercurrent of tension near the entrance to the secured area, where Trump supporters and opponents squared off. Several downtown businesses boarded up their windows as well to avoid any potential damage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kieran Mullen, 60, a college professor from Norman, Oklahoma, held a sign that read \u201cBlack Lives Matter\u201d and \u201cDump Trump.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI just thought it was important for people to see there are Oklahomans that have a different point of view,\u201d Mullen said of his state, which overwhelmingly supported Trump in 2016.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Brian Bernard, 54, a retired information technology worker from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, sported a Trump 2020 hat as he took a break from riding his bicycle around downtown. Next to him was a woman selling Trump t-shirts and hats, flying a \u201cKeep America Great Again\u201d flag. Her shirt said, \u201cImpeach this,\u201d with an image of Trump extending his middle fingers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSince the media won\u2019t do it, it\u2019s up to us to show our support,\u201d said Bernard, who drove nine hours to Tulsa for his second Trump rally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bernard said he wasn\u2019t concerned about catching the coronavirus at the event and doesn\u2019t believe it\u2019s \u201canything worse than the flu.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Across the street, armed, uniformed highway patrol troopers milled about a staging area in a bank parking lot with dozens of uniformed National Guard troops.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Legler said OKNG troops were activated from 12:01 a.m. Friday through 11:59 p.m. Sunday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He referred questions about the cost of the activation to Stitt\u2019s office. A spokeswoman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
During the height of civil unrest in the wake of what prosecutors say was the murder of a Black man, George Floyd, by a white Minneapolis police officer, more than 40,000 National Guard troops were activated nationwide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That number has fallen dramatically as the protests turned largely peaceful.<\/p>\n\n\n\t