These “crime-ridden” depictions are meant to stoke fear

As you read this, armed National Guard troops are patrolling the streets of Washington, DC. The shameless occupant of the White House is berating the mayor of Baltimore and threatening to send more troops to Chicago — all majority-minority cities led by Black mayors.

Cruel and illegal ICE raids are happening in cities across the country — including right here in Boston.

This has nothing to do with public safety. It has everything to do with control and intimidation.

Like always, Trump is manufacturing a crisis in Democratic-led cities to avoid accountability for his own administration’s failures. He is targeting our most vulnerable — immigrants, the unhoused, Black youth — and scapegoating them for every hardship that his government is responsible for.

These cities are beautiful, vibrant, creative, welcoming, diverse, and safe. The “crime-ridden” depictions on Fox News are meant to stoke fear, not show the truth.

I spend time in Washington, DC, as a member of Congress. My staff live and work there. My godchildren — two Black boys — are growing up there. I was raised in Chicago and my family is there. Boston is my home and I am immeasurably proud to represent this community.

This is personal for me — and it should be personal to everyone who loves their home and their community. We cannot let this blatant disregard of humanity and constitutional rights continue and we must keep loudly objecting to this.

The militarization of these cities does not make us safer. Overpolicing does not make us safer. Criminalizing young, Black men does not make us safer. Ripping families apart does not make us safer. “Tough-on-crime” policies do not make us safer.

Our freedoms and our destinies are tied. We’re seeing it play out in real time. Now’s our time to lock arms with one another and stand firm against the cruelty of this administration.

I will continue to fight back against this authoritarian takeover of our government and defend our communities. If you’re with me, will you pitch in $25 or anything you can to strengthen our movement that’s fighting back against Trump’s dictatorship?

In solidarity,

Ayanna