We wanted to say a bit more about Donald Trump’s armed takeover of Washington, D.C.

Robert has lived in D.C. for decades and raised a family here. Lisa has lived in D.C. off and on throughout her adult life and is also raising a family here. Public Citizen was founded in D.C. over half a century ago. Our headquarters are still here. And the majority of our staff live in the city or close by.

We love this city’s energy and vitality, its culture and diversity.

Yes, there is crime here. As there is in virtually every big city and small town in America. But, at the risk of stating the obvious, D.C. is not the hellscape Donald Trump (or Fox News) wants you to believe it is. Far from it — violent crime here reached a 30-year low in 2024, and it was already down another 26% this year.

But — because of Trump’s armed takeover of the city, including deployment of U.S. military personnel on our streets — D.C. has become noticeably dystopian virtually overnight.

We must be absolutely clear about what’s going on here. First in Los Angeles, now in Washington, D.C., and next maybe in your community, Donald Trump is weaponizing law enforcement and military force against the American people.

Trump is trying to intimidate us into subservience, and he is laying the groundwork to commit violence in furtherance of his authoritarian fantasies.

Please take a look at our previous note — copied below in case you missed it — and join us in standing up to Trump in whatever way(s) may be right for you.

Onward,

Robert & Lisa

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On Monday, Donald Trump federalized the police department in Washington, D.C., and announced that he will deploy at least 800 National Guard troops on the streets of our nation’s capital.

Among the many moves the Trump regime has made toward dismantling democracy in America, this is one of the most alarming — throughout history, authoritarians have taken over capital cities as a way to suppress dissent and solidify their power.

Trump cited crime and homelessness as the pretense for his armed takeover of D.C.

• Never mind that violent crime in D.C. is lower than it has been in decades. There *is* an epidemic of crime in America — corporate crime — which the Trump administration is making far worse by not investigating or prosecuting even flagrant and repeat offenders.

• Never mind that the Trump administration has been actively attacking federal programs that address homelessness, unemployment, addiction, and poverty — aggravating those interrelated problems, and not just in D.C. but all across the country.

• This seems like a good time to remember that residents of Washington, D.C. — a majority of whom are people of color — are politically stranded. We have been denied the basic right of statehood. We have no governor, no senators, and no vote in the House of Representatives.

A message for Donald Trump:

Like so many tyrants before you throughout human history — men (always men) who know deep down that their ideas are noxious and unpopular — you are resorting to brute force. But the American people will not stand by while you take over our cities under blatantly false pretenses to stroke your own cracked ego and to keep yourself in power. We will not be intimidated. We will stand up to you today, tomorrow, and for as long as it takes.

Click to add your name now.

Thanks for taking action.

For justice,

- Lisa Gilbert & Robert Weissman, Co-Presidents of Public Citizen
 
 
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