to September that same year.

At that time, their presence as a neutral force was important because local police officers were often perceived to be--or were even expected to be--biased towards their own ethnic groups when handling race-related issues, further fueling discontent and violence. Officers who attempted to carry out their duties impartially and in full accordance with the law also faced social backlash from their own ethnic communities, a difficult situation which could even lead to physical harm to individual officers.