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John,
It’s been nearly a month since Donald Trump deployed the National Guard to Washington, D.C., claiming that a full scale occupation was necessary to reduce crime. For weeks, armed troops have patrolled our streets, spreading fear. Businesses are reporting lower patronage. Parents are worried about sending their children to school.
Let’s be clear: there was no emergency to justify sending armed troops into civilian neighborhoods. Federal data shows violent crime in D.C. is at its lowest level in three decades. Trump’s deployment was never about protecting citizens or promoting public safety. It was just a means to suppress dissent and consolidate power.
This weekend, thousands of D.C. residents marched across the city calling for an end to the occupation. Protesters carried signs reading "Resist Tyranny" and "Free D.C." We cannot allow the deployment of the U.S. military against our own communities to become normalized. We must not become desensitized to Trump’s constant overreaches of power.
We’ve seen this authoritarian playbook before. In 1970, Ohio’s governor deployed National Guard troops to Kent State University to “de-escalate” protests. Instead, they opened fire on unarmed students, killing four and wounding nine. The Kent State tragedy must serve as a warning; we cannot let history repeat itself, and we have a moral responsibility to resist tyranny in our own communities.
We’re taking action today by demanding Congress must act immediately to stop Trump’s attack on D.C., and prevent him from expanding these reckless deployments into other cities. Will you sign on now?
Thanks for taking action.
— Democratic Values
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