Mayor Muriel Bowser of Washington, D.C. has responded to the Trump administration’s takeover of law enforcement duties within the nation’s capitol.
Trump on Monday announced that he would deploy the National Guard to patrol the streets of D.C. and tackle what he called a growing crime problem. As a result, the Metropolitan Police Department was placed under federal control, sparking reactions from local officials.
In a press conference, Mayor Bowser shared that they would follow the law, but that she also felt that Trump’s order was informed by a COVID-era increase in crime.
“The Home Rule Charter requires the mayor to provide the services of MPD during special conditions of an emergency. And we will follow the law. Though there’s a question about the subjectivity of that declaration,” Bowser said. “I believe that the president’s view of DC is shaped by his COVID era experience during his first term. And it is true that those were more challenging times related to some issues. We experienced a crime spike post COVID, but we worked quickly to put laws in place and tactics that got violent offenders off our streets and gave our police officers more tools, which is why we have seen a huge decrease in crime,” she continued.
Bowser was clear that she did not believe that it was legal to use the military against Americans on American soil and that the Trump administration did not offer her nor MPD leadership any preliminary information on its plans.
Although the mayor’s statement on the situation was rather decorous, other officials had stark responses to what many called governmental overreach by Trump.
“The Administration’s actions are unprecedented, unnecessary, and unlawful. There is no crime emergency in the District of Columbia. Violent crime in DC reached historic 30-year lows last year, and is down another 26% so far this year. We are considering all of our options and will do what’s necessary to protect the rights and safety of District residents,” D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb.
Lawmakers representing the district at the federal level vowed to take swift and decisive action in the wake of the executive order.
U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) announced that they would reintroduce legislation that would allow D.C. to have full control over the National Guard and the MPD when Congress reconvenes next month.
“Trump’s raw authoritarian power grab in D.C. is part of a growing national crisis. He’s playing dictator in our nation’s capital as a dress rehearsal as he pushes democracy to the brink. While we continue to fight for statehood for D.C., Trump’s assault on D.C.’s autonomy makes it all the more critical that we give the District full control over its own National Guard and police department,” Van Hollen said.
He also called Trump “lawless” and said he wants to prevent future “authoritarian overreach.”
Norton said that the maneuver underscores the need for D.C. to finally achieve statehood.
But, not all officials in D.C. have taken issue with the administration’s plan. Trump’s order received an interesting endorsement from the D.C. Police Union.
“The DC Police Union, representing over 3,000 officers of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), today acknowledges and supports the President’s announcement this morning to assume temporary control of the MPD in response to the escalating crime crisis in Washington, DC. The Union agrees that crime is spiraling out of control, and immediate action is necessary to restore public safety,” a statement from the union read. The statement went on to offer the caveat that the intervention should be temporary and that the goal is to have a well-staffed and supported police department.
