Activism Uncensored: The Federal Takeover of Law Enforcement in Washington, D.C.
A thorough look at the pushback from demonstrators as federal authorities take control of policing
A note from Managing Editor Greg Collard:
President Trump says his decision to activate the National Guard and have the federal government take control of the Metropolitan Police Department is an effort to “rescue our nation’s capital from crime, bloodshed, bedlam and squalor.”
Ford Fischer of News2Share spent six days in Washington, D.C. to document how the president’s order was carried out and how protesters have reacted to seeing the military and federal agents patrolling the city’s streets. No matter your opinion on this topic, I’m confident you’ll find this to be another excellent installment of Racket’s “Activism, Uncensored” which even includes a parrot as part of the action.
Residents in D.C.’s high-crime neighborhoods back federal takeover of city police
Robbie Woodland was skeptical of President Trump’s takeover of the District of Columbia until she spotted a patrol firsthand in Southeast.
The lifelong Washingtonian watched as federal agents drove by without performing any jump-outs or other strong-arm police tactics of the sort she feared would target her predominantly Black neighbors living across the Anacostia River, a part of the nation’s capital long associated with high crime.
When she took her focus off the patrol and looked at her surroundings, she noticed that the troublemakers who had become fixtures of her community were nowhere to be found.
The D.C. Police Union, an avid supporter of the president’s move, shared data showing major drops in carjackings (down 83%), robberies (down 46%) and overall violent crime (down 22%) during the first week of the federal takeover.
Social media videos have shown FBI agents conducting patrols along 14th Street Northwest in Columbia Heights, which has one of the biggest increases in violent crime in the District year-over-year.
Martin Mancia, who has lived in Columbia Heights for 32 years, said he supports the takeover and has seen federal authorities interact cordially with residents as they walk around the neighborhood.
“The government has to apply the law,” he said. “You’re talking about illegal guns, drugs, this and that. I see no problem with it.”
the District has the fourth-highest homicide rate in the country, outpacing New York City and Chicago, and has one of the highest car theft rates in the nation.
It is very notable that the police union supports Trump's effort and contradicts city leaders on the extent of the crime problem. Unions usually aren't enthusiastic about intrusions on "bargaining unit work."
It's usually a terrible idea to get the military involved in law enforcement. The military is trained to destroy enemies with the maximum force they can muster. Law enforcement is supposed to be trained to use the minimum force possible to defuse volatile situations and take people into custody when needed. That's why "martial law" is a scary term and should be.
But in this case, the broader purpose justifies the risk. Trump is exposing that cities can be made safe, clean, and pleasant. The only reason they're not is that city leaders across the country are refusing to do their jobs. If Trump succeeds and forces some city leaders to do their jobs better, many children in cities will grow up in a much safer and better environment, and some will live who would have otherwise died.
Those are the stakes. You don't have to like the Orange Man or trust his motives to see the value in this.