12/08/2025
WASHINGTON D.C. (8/11)- U.S. President Donald J. Trump/ Donald J. Trump on August 11, 2025, announced the deployment of US The National Guard troops in Washington, DC, claiming that “rising violence in the capital now urgently endangers public servants, citizens, and tourists, disrupts safe and secure transportation and the proper functioning of the Federal Government, and forces the diversion of critical public resources toward emergency response and security measures.” In fact, crime rates in Washington, DC, have been falling for years and the district government has not asked for military intervention.
Tanya Greene, US program director at Human Rights Watch, in a rare commentary on American politics stated, “Involving the military in civilian law enforcement is dangerous and unwarranted. The Trump administration’s moves to deploy military forces in cities with populations primarily comprised of people of color, such as Los Angeles in June and now Washington, DC, exacerbate the potential for violence and cost millions of dollars that could be spent on basic services, like food and affordable housing, that many people desperately need. As we have seen around the world, military takeover of local law enforcement is a harbinger of authoritarianism. Leaders in the US and around the world should condemn these actions, which are a threat to everyone’s rights.”
Even more damning was the statement by the Monica Hopkins, Executive Director of the ACLU/ ACLU of the District of Columbia stating, “Making D.C. the test case for federalizing local policing—by deploying the National Guard and seizing control of our police force—is political theater and a blatantly phony justification for abuse of emergency powers.
The Trump administration’s decision to seize control of D.C.’s police force and deploy the National Guard is baseless political exploitation that could cause significant harm to D.C. residents and visitors. This act is about micromanaging D.C. to serve a political agenda of overreaching federal control. Crime is significantly down and does not rise to the level of an emergency. Violent crime is down and fell to 26% in the first seven months of 2025 after dropping 35% in 2024, and overall crime dropped 7%, according to the D.C. Police.
The president foreshadowed that if these heavy-handed tactics take root here, they will be rolled out to other majority-Black and Brown cities, like Chicago, City of Oakland - Local Government, and Baltimore, across the country. That should alarm everyone, not just Washingtonians. We’ve seen before how federal control of the D.C. National Guard and police can lead to abuse, intimidation, and civil rights violations—from military helicopters swooping over peaceful racial justice protesters in 2020 to the unchecked conduct of federal officers who remain shielded from full accountability. The president today said he would allow the police to “do whatever the hell they want,” raising concerns of further civil rights abuses to come.
Without D.C. Statehood, D.C. remains vulnerable to this kind of dangerous political exploitation. However, this abuse of emergency powers and attack on our rights is a threat to our nation’s democracy.”
White House officials stated, "President Donald J. Trump took bold executive action to "liberate Washington, D.C.", from the cesspool of crime and homelessness that it has become after decades of unilateral Democrat leadership.
President Trump outlined his plan this morning, “This is Liberation Day in D.C. — and we’re going to take our capital BACK.”
“We’re declaring a public safety emergency in the District of Columbia — and Attorney General Pam Bondi is taking command of the Metropolitan Police Department as of this moment.”
“They’ll immediately begin massive enforcement operations targeting known gangs, drug dealers and criminal networks to get them the hell off the street.”
“The murder rate in Washington today is higher than that of Bogotá, Colombia, Mexico City... The number of car thefts has doubled over the past five years, and the number of carjackings has more than tripled.”
“This dire public safety crisis stems directly from the abject failures of the city’s local leadership...."
Furthermore, on The White House site, Trump stated that, "As President of the United States and Commander in Chief of the District of Columbia National Guard, it is my solemn duty to protect law-abiding citizens from the destructive forces of criminal activity. That obligation applies with special force in our Nation's capital, where, as Commander in Chief of the District of Columbia National Guard, I must also ensure that all citizens can avail themselves of the right to interact with their elected representatives, and that the Federal Government can properly function, without fear of being subjected to violent, menacing street crime.
The local government of the District of Columbia has lost control of public order and safety in the city, as evidenced by the two embassy staffers who were murdered in May, the Congressional intern who was fatally shot a short distance from the White House in June, and the Administration staffer who was mercilessly beaten by a violent mob days ago. Citizens, tourists, and staff alike are unable to live peacefully in the Nation's capital, which is under siege from violent crime. It is a point of national disgrace that Washington, D.C., has a violent crime rate that is higher than some of the most dangerous places in the world. It is my duty to our citizens and Federal workers to secure the safety and the peaceful functioning of our Nation, the Federal Government, and our city...."
Also noting that, "Pursuant to my authority under the Constitution and laws of the United States and the District of Columbia, I direct the Secretary of Defense to mobilize the District of Columbia National Guard and order members to active service, in such numbers as he deems necessary, to address the epidemic of crime in our Nation's capital. The mobilization and duration of duty shall remain in effect until I determine that conditions of law and order have been restored in the District of Columbia. Further, I direct the Secretary of Defense to coordinate with State Governors and authorize the orders of any additional members of the National Guard to active service, as he deems necessary and appropriate, to augment this mission.
This memorandum is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person..."
Rodney Leong, San Francisco Republican Party, stated, "Washington DC is governed by the Home Rule Act (1973). Sec. 740 says the President has the authority to federalize the Metropolitan Police for one month max. I think that considering the level of street crime that is so bad that includes the murder of two members of the Israeli Embassy, the battery many government employees, either the Metropolitan Police and the DC government either lack the will or the resources to protect the public. .."
If it’s the latter, they both should be glad that President Trump is offering resources to help them.
The Home Rule Act applies only to Washington DC and any allegations of President Trump doing this in any other city is simply spouting misinformation and should be ignored as such. The deployment of Marines to Los Angeles earlier this year was to protect federal property and personnel, not to engage in law enforcement...."
It should be noted that when asking about the deployment of troops, no mention of the Israel in the USA (Insraeli Embassy in Washington D.C.) was made. Second, it should be noted that Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser or DC Capitol Police made no requests, formal or otherwise calling for the deployment of federal troops.
Edward Escobar stated while claiming "I am constructively offering solutions from the nonpartisan center...." noting, "Walk through any major American city today—San Francisco, Oakland, Los Angeles, Portland, Seattle—and you’ll see the same troubling pattern: sidewalks turned into encampments, public parks overtaken by tents, and transit stations rendered unusable. This isn’t just a humanitarian crisis. It’s a public safety emergency, a sanitation nightmare, and a glaring indictment of failed policy.
Let’s be clear: no one is guaranteed a home simply by virtue of living in America. What we can and should offer is temporary, transitional shelter—a safe place to stabilize, not a permanent entitlement. But instead of enforcing this principle, our cities have allowed the streets to become de facto housing, with little oversight and even less accountability.
🧠 The Real Crisis: Oversight, Not Just Compassion
Many of those living on the streets face serious challenges—mental illness, substance abuse, trauma. These are not conditions that resolve themselves. The state has a custodial responsibility to intervene, not abandon. That means enforcing laws, offering treatment, and ensuring that public spaces remain safe and functional for everyone.
But instead of real solutions, we get performative compassion—billions funneled into nonprofit organizations that promise progress but deliver stagnation. These groups, often politically connected, operate with minimal transparency and maximum funding. Their executive directors earn six-figure salaries while the streets they claim to serve grow more dangerous and dysfunctional.
💸 Cronyism Masquerading as Charity
Let’s call it what it is: grift disguised as goodwill. Elected officials funnel taxpayer dollars to nonprofits that support their campaigns, creating a feedback loop of exploitation. The suffering of the homeless becomes a business model, not a problem to solve. And when the public demands answers, these officials feign confusion—“We don’t know why it’s getting worse,” they say, as billions vanish into bureaucratic black holes.
This isn’t socialism. It’s not even capitalism. It’s cronyism, pure and simple. And it’s unacceptable.
🚨 A New Path Forward
We need policies that are firm, fair, and focused:
- Mandatory transitional shelter with clear timelines and pathways to treatment or employment.
- Enforcement of public space laws to protect safety and cleanliness.
- Audits and accountability for every dollar spent on homelessness programs.
- Mental health and addiction services that are compulsory for those who need them—not optional.
Compassion without structure is chaos. America must stop pretending that letting people suffer in tents is humane. It’s not. It’s abandonment.
Let’s reclaim our cities—not with cruelty, but with courage. Let’s demand results—not rhetoric. And let’s stop subsidizing failure...."
Eric Owino of Nairobi, Kenya noted, "My question is. What is trump scared of, by deploying 1000 National Guard members onto DC streets??"
Additionally, political consultant and author Patti A Carlisi of Missoula, Montana refuted the statements by the Administration stating, "It’s a powerful and unsettling moment when the lines between public safety and political control start to blur. The deployment of National Guard troops and federal officers, especially under emergency powers that override local authority—can feel like a direct challenge to the principles of democratic governance and civil liberty.
What This Means for Freedom
• Local vs. Federal Control: D.C. is unique in that it’s not a state, so the federal government has more leeway to intervene. But invoking Section 740 to seize control of the police force is rare and controversial.
• Civil Liberties Concerns: When military-style forces patrol civilian streets, it raises alarms about:
• Freedom of assembly: Will protests be suppressed?
• Freedom of movement: Are curfews or checkpoints next?
• Freedom from surveillance: Are federal agencies collecting data on residents?
• Democratic Norms: In a healthy democracy, law enforcement is accountable to local communities. Federalizing police—even temporarily—undermines that accountability.
Is This the End of Freedom? NO!!!
Not necessarily—but it’s a moment that demands vigilance. Democracies don’t collapse overnight; they erode slowly when power is centralized, dissent is criminalized, and institutions are weakened. The fact that people are questioning this move, protesting it, and demanding transparency is a sign that democratic resistance is still alive.
If you’re feeling unsettled, you’re not alone. Would you like to explore how other cities or countries have responded to similar federal interventions—or what legal recourse exists to challenge this kind of action?"
Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) stated, "Donald Trump delayed deploying the National Guard on January 6th when our Capitol was under violent attack and lives were at stake.
Now, he’s activating the DC Guard to distract from his incompetent mishandling of tariffs, health care, education and immigration — just to name a few blunders..."
Senator Alex Padilla/ Alex Padilla (D-CA) warned that, "Trump’s deployment of the National Guard in LA was the test case.
Militarizing our cities doesn’t solve any problems — it breeds fear and inflames tensions.
This abuse of power and waste of military resources must end...."
Robert Reich stated from UC Berkeley, "Taking a stand against Trump’s emerging ICE police state is not just about standing up for immigrants and protecting our communities. It’s a stand against fascism.
Trump doesn't care about crime in D.C. — which is at a 30-year low. He's creating another fake "emergency" in an attempt to show force. If he actually cared about keeping the city safe, he wouldn't have stoked insurrectionists to attack the Capitol on Jan 6. Hello?
Over the past several weeks, Trump and his MAGA stooges in Congress have passed legislation to strip health care from 10 million people; cut food stamp benefits for 40 million Americans, half of them children; slash $8 billion from lifesaving foreign aid programs; defund public radio and television stations nationwide; kill hundreds of thousands of clean energy jobs; and hand $4.5 trillion in tax breaks to Trump and his billionaire friends. And that’s not nearly all of the damage.
How do we respond to this catastrophe?
I think of Vaclav Havel, former president of the Czech Republic, whom I met in 2003, in Prague. What struck me about him was a warmth and optimism that radiated outward. When we walked into a small restaurant, all the diners stood and applauded, and sang.
Havel had become politically active as poet, playwright, and dissident after the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968 — which put him under the surveillance of the secret police. He was repeatedly jailed, the longest from 1979 to 1983. (In 1989, his Civic Forum party played a major part in the Velvet Revolution that ended Soviet dominance, and he was elected president shortly thereafter.)
While in jail, Havel wrote something that seems particularly relevant for us in these very dark times:
“The kind of hope I often think about (especially in situations that are particularly hopeless, such as prison) I understand above all as a state of mind, not a state of the world. Either we have hope within us or we don’t; it is a dimension of the soul; it’s not essentially dependent on some particular observation of the world or estimate of the situation.
Hope is a not prognostication. It is an orientation of the spirit, an orientation of the heart; it transcends the world that is immediately experienced, and is anchored somewhere beyond its horizons. Hope, in this deep and powerful sense, is not the same as joy that things are going well, or willingness to invest in enterprises that are obviously headed for early success, but, rather, an ability to work for something because it is good, not just because it stands a chance to succeed.”
The damage Trump is doing can create a mental and emotional prison, if we allow it to. That prison can be suffocating, taking away the breath of hope and pushing us into despair.
I’m sure you’ve had the same conversations I’ve had — about how horrible Trump is, the cruel and sadistic things he and his regime are doing, the blatant corruption, the brutality and suffering he is inflicting, the institutions he is destroying, his endless lies.
All true. But if the conversations end there, they can be spiritually suffocating because they don’t include the work that we must do — work to protect the vulnerable, work to end his regime, work to change America so that a demagogue like him can never again take control.
We must do this work, not because it will succeed — I believe it will, but that’s not the point. We must do this work because, as Havel said, it is good...."
In the past few hours Reich stated, "None of this is about "law and order." It's an authoritarian show of force...."
Mayor Barbara Lee of Oakland, California stated, "President Trump's characterization of Oakland is wrong and based in fear-mongering in an attempt to score cheap political points.
Public safety is one of my top priorities, and we've made progress to keep our neighborhoods safe and clean – prioritizing a comprehensive public safety approach that includes law enforcement, violence prevention, and community policing. Overall crime in our City is down 28% from last year. We still have work to do and my administration will be relentless in our work to ensure our families are kept safe.
No one knows this President’s playbook better than I do; I stood up to him in Congress, and as your Mayor, I will always protect our community. My immediate focus remains serving the people of Oakland and continuing our progress...."
Wicem Gindrey of Arras, France quickly observed, "Trump wants to expel all the foreign people : I Will Lose 65% of the residents but a big majority of this foreign group is already us citizen then we can vote Democrat!"
Rubén Macareno of Farmerville, California warned, "His agenda is so transparent now. The only ones that have any ability to make any change is his base. Those in opposition can only continue to build the resistance. These are sad times for America...."
Anthony Fel Amistad of San Mateo, California voiced concern, noting, "This sets a precedent albeit not as clear and chaotic as the deployment in Los Angeles while ago!"
This is outrageous !"
Spike Pasquini of Kansas City, Missouri added, "Another of his strange ideas…"
Johnny Wang , Goldbridge Institute, commented, "Let me fix this for you. Trump is deploying 1000 National Guard members to round up people of color and the poor. ICE has already started to work, and Trump is continuing his campaign of making America for the wealthy white. People of color are getting decimated and poor MAGAs are about to experience crushing poverty. Just a matter of time before people decide they’ve had enough...."
Michael Nulty of San Francisco, California noted that, " The recent deployment has faced criticism and legal challenges, with some arguing that the deployment of the National Guard without a request from local authorities undermines democracy and could be seen as an attempt to bypass the spirit of the Posse Comitatus Act. For example, California is challenging a similar National Guard deployment in Los Angeles, arguing it violated federal law...."
Civil rights activist Brent Turner stated, "The militarization of city streets in America is obviously part of the 4 th Reich’s master plan to crush the people Trump must be stopped. It is up to all of us..."
Bilal Al-Jubayli of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, stated, "All of Washington D.C., is federal land but that is not the case for the rest of the U.S. cities. I don’t like it because it looks like police-state styled tactics. ..."
Alicia Wang, California Democratic Party stated, "He’s really violating the principle of separation of powers. DC is a unique situation because DC is not part of any state. Sending National Guard troops into any other US city is not a comparable situation...."
Former Mayor Marnie Mendoza of Colfax, California added, "We Americans need to do better with open source Voting systems. and wish to say "Thank you" to all the communities members that are standing up for each other in these wicked times of masked bullies. I am proud of my high school classmate Governor Gavin Newsom for standing on what's constitutional he has always been a leader since Redwood High School. I thank him and trust his judgement.
Is the crime in DC out of control? Because I am in California and Los Angeles was not out of control until human beings started getting kidnapped off the streets in unmarked cars and masked men. The people of the United States are United our communities stand together in crisis and adversity. It is unconstitutional what is taking place. Children are being ripped from their parents' arms and others coming home from school and parents never return home. I understand going after criminals but being Brown skinned is not a crime.
And let me take you back in history.... North America, USA and Canada were one "Turtle Island" before the colonization started slaughtering people. I don't believe the people are going to put up with it. Throwing grandmothers down on the ground is not a solutions.
Americans will stand together and fight this head on. Hopefully the upper elected officials can straighten it out otherwise we could have civil unrest and the people will rise against the RACISM machine and Marshall Law could be enacted or it may already be.
I am proud of my high school classmate Governor Gavin Newsom for standing on what's constitutional he has always been a leader since Redwood High School. I thank him and trust his judgement.
Trump has announced his intention and says he is just getting started. Now is the time for all good people to come to the aid of their country. We must not allow him to drive our country down further...."
Refuse Fascism launched protests outside The White House condemning the actions by the Trump Administration saying, "This is a call to violence against Black youth, and a plan to eliminate poor people.
He also said it was a “tragic emergency” that DC has been overtaken by violent gangs and bloodthirsty criminals.
Let us be very clear:
The most violent gang and bloodthirsty criminal in DC is the Trump Fascist Regime.
The real tragic emergency is that there’s a genocidal fascist lunatic in the White House, amassing more dictatorial power by the day. This has direction and momentum....."
Meanwhile the Party for Socialism and Liberation - PSL issued a statement saying, "Trump’s takeover of Washington, D.C. is his latest step towards imposing a police state where civil liberties are shredded and cops are given free rein to carry out racist violence. At a press conference attended by cabinet secretaries as well as the heads of the FBI and DEA, Trump announced he was putting Attorney General Pam Bondi in direct command of the DC police. Day-to-day operations will be led by the head of the DEA, and National Guard troops and FBI agents will be mobilized to patrol the streets.
Trump justified his takeover using extreme racist rhetoric designed to demonize Black youth. Trump talked about mythical “roving mobs of wild youth” and “caravans of masked youth rampaging through the streets”. Crime is in fact significantly declining in DC and many other major cities across the country, part of a nationwide trend that’s been observable for at least two years now. The Trump administration is constructing a false reality using the most obvious racist dog whistles in the book to justify the expansion of police powers and his own power.
Trump was over the top in his threats of brutal violence. He encouraged police to “knock the hell out of them because that’s the only language they understand”. And he said that cops are now “allowed to do whatever the hell they want”. Trump also implied that ICE would step up deportation raids in DC as part of the takeover.
In one of his most shocking threats, Trump threatened to demolish the neighborhoods he says are home to so-called criminals: “We’re getting rid of the slums where they live.” Black residents have been systematically pushed out of the District in a process of gentrification that has spanned two decades. This appears to be a direct threat from the sitting president to dismantle some of the few remaining Black neighborhoods in the district.
The people of DC have long fought for basic democratic rights and representation. From 1874 until 1973, the District was ruled directly by Congress, with residents having no right to elect a local government or control their own municipal affairs. Until 2010, Washington, D.C. was a majority Black city, and the idea of having a mostly Black electorate choose the leadership of the capital city was unacceptable to the racist politicians who ran the federal government. As part of the civil rights revolution that overthrew Jim Crow, DC residents fought for and won the Home Rule Act of 1973, which allowed for an elected mayor and city council.
However, the act still gave Congress the right to veto legislation passed by the local government, and afforded certain emergency powers to the president. DC residents have never been allowed to elect voting representatives to the House or the Senate, despite having a population that is larger than Vermont or Wyoming.
But even under the Home Rule Act, Trump has no legal authority to go forward with the takeover. The Partnership for Civil Justice Fund, a DC-based civil rights law firm, explained in a statement, “The federal takeover of the District of Columbia police department is an unlawful abuse of federal authority, outside the conditions required for invocation of Section 740 of the Home Rule Act or for the deployment of the National Guard … There are no emergency circumstances in the District of Columbia as required to justify the seizure of the District’s police department or national guard militarization of District streets.”
The police and military crackdown Trump is promising in DC sets a dangerous precedent for the entire country. When a reporter asked if soldiers and federal cops would be used to occupy other cities across the country, Trump said “we’re gonna see what happens”. The forces being deployed to the streets of DC and possibly elsewhere would clearly feel they have a mandate to violate people’s constitutional rights to be free from unreasonable search and seizure, and to carry out wanton acts of violence with impunity. Everyone in the country has a stake in stopping this police state crackdown in DC.
As the Trump administration officials held their press conference, a huge crowd of DC residents gathered outside the White House to protest this attack on democracy and civil rights. This struggle is certain to continue as cops and troops are mobilized to occupy the streets. Ending this crackdown is of central importance to the entire movement to stop Trump’s billionaire agenda...."
- Jose Ricardo G. Bondoc
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