Friend,
President Trump is continuing to abuse his power and push hate-filled lies in a desperate attempt to erase the truth about what’s happening in D.C. and major cities across the country.
Trump and his allies claim that violence in our capital is “out of control” when in reality, crime in D.C. is at a 30-year low and the U.S. homicide rate has been falling since 2022. This is thanks, in large part, to historic investments in community violence intervention (CVI) groups and the passage of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act.
If Trump were serious about cracking down on crime, he wouldn’t have slashed hundreds of millions of dollars from the very programs that have led to historic reductions in gun violence in our nation’s capital and cities nationwide.
These cuts and military troops with no training in community policing patrolling city streets are the real threat. And just this week, anonymous defense officials came forward with news that National Guard troops in D.C. have been authorized to carry “service-issue weapons.” The presence of armed troops disproportionately impacts Black and Brown communities and only escalates tensions and endangers residents.
We see this playing out in real-time, with armed and masked federal agents, including ICE agents, violently apprehending community members as they try to go about their lives. And in the past week, MORE National Guard troops were sent to D.C. from six other states — many of which have cities with higher violent crime rates than the District.
And let’s be clear: D.C. will not be the only city affected. Trump has threatened cities like Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, Oakland, and Baltimore as potential targets for a “federal crackdown on crime.”
We cannot allow this to happen — and you can help us, friend. Congress has the power to prevent President Trump from extending his federal takeover of D.C., and with it, send an important message that the nation will not stand by and simply watch as Trump tries to erase state and local authority.
So please, join us today in taking action and tell Congress to stop any effort by Trump to extend his armed takeover of D.C. — and any other city!
