Speak Out Against Federal Takeover of Our Nation’s Capital

The Trump takeover of the police department in our Nation’s Capital—and earlier this spring, deployment of National Guard troops in Los Angeles—affects us all. His administration is willing to use any reason to justify these actions.

This dangerous overreach puts Any Town, U.S.A.—even yours—at risk.

In the spring, the president declared an emergency in Los Angeles to call up National Guard troops in that city. They were dispatched to assist in Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids; a judge later ruled that the action violated federal law. L.A. and D.C. were test cases, but similar declarations are coming elsewhere, as the president picks and chooses targets for his ire. It is part of the administration’s plan to take more control of our everyday lives, shut down dissent, and slowly but surely rob us of our rights as well as our will to speak out.

Local law enforcement officers and the National Guard are dedicated to keeping our families, neighborhoods, and country safe; they put their lives on the line every day. But neither the police nor the military should be used for purposes that are about flexing power, not making us more secure.

H.R. 5092, introduced by Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.-At Large), would amend the District of Columbia Home Rule Act to repeal the president’s authority to assume emergency control of the D.C. Police Department.

Resolutions in the Senate and the House, S.J.Res.75 and H.J.Res.115, introduced respectively by Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), put Congress on record in urging an end to the emergency declaration in D.C.  

We must stand up to the militarization of our communities and the “disappearing” of our loved ones and neighbors. Tell your representative and senators to support H.R. 5092, S.J.Res.75, and H.J.Res.115.