President Trump is placing our nation’s capitol under a phony state of emergency, federalizing the local police department, and putting his disgraced Attorney General, Pam Bondi, in charge of it all. Now he’s pressuring governors across the country to send their armed National Guard troops to patrol the streets and enforce this takeover, and Republican governors are lining up to appease him and support the takeover.  It’s on all of us to speak out now and stop it.

Ignoring Local Leaders and Residents

And just like when he deployed the National Guard to Los Angeles, he’s doing so over the wishes of residents and their elected leaders – fearmongering about crime (though it’s at a 30-year low) to justify this latest trampling of D.C.’s right to govern itself.

Political Motives Behind the National Guard Deployment

When Trump finds himself in political trouble – as more and more Americans sour on his cruel agenda of kidnapping our neighbors, cutting our healthcare, and making the rich even richer – he’ll do absolutely anything to change the headlines.

Whether we live in D.C. or not, we are going to suffer the consequences. Deploying the National Guard to take over our cities puts all of our rights at risk, and brings us one step closer to an authoritarian nightmare none of us want.

We are not, and will never be, a dictatorship. Condemn Trump’s attacks on Washington D.C. and demand a real voice for the 700,000 Americans who live there.

The Democratic Deficit Facing D.C. Residents

All of these abuses start with the shameful fact that American democracy simply does not apply to residents of our nation’s capital.

Taxation Without Representation: The Reality for D.C. Despite D.C. residents paying more in total federal income tax than those in 22 other states, they do not get a voting representative in Congress – that’s over 700,000 people without a real say in the federal laws they have to live under like everyone else. 

Comparing D.C.’s Lack of Representation to Less Populous States

Wyoming and Vermont, both which are less populous than D.C. and more than 90% white, each get two U.S. Senators and one Representative. But D.C. which is 47% Black, doesn’t have a single voting member in either chamber of Congress.

Trump’s Targeting of D.C. in Budget and Policy Decisions

That’s why D.C. is such a convenient target for Trump’s – earlier this summer, he deliberately went after District residents in his budget bill, cutting tuition assistance by 50% and overruling local officials on everything from traffic enforcement to voting rights. 

Now, Trump is trying to single-handedly impose “tough on crime” policies that D.C. voters have repeatedly rejected at the ballot box – all to draw attention away from his own failed, destructive, and unpopular agenda.