DCAARPR Denounces Federal Takeover of Metropolitan Police Department and Deployment of National Guard
August 12, 2025
Contact: dcaarpr@gmail.com
DC Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (DCAARPR)
Interviews upon request
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The DC Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression Denounces Federal Takeover of Metropolitan Police Department and Deployment of National Guard
Washington, D.C. – The DC Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (DCAARPR) condemns the Trump administration's decision to federalize law enforcement in DC and calls on all community members to join us tomorrow, Wednesday, August 13th at 37 Randle Circle SE at 6:30 pm to defend our communities and fight back against the hostile takeover of our city.
On Monday, August 11th, 2025, the Trump Administration announced that the federal government will control the Metropolitan Police Department and will deploy 800 members of the National Guard under the guise of a “national emergency,” citing wildly exaggerated claims of lawlessness and crime in DC, while even by MPD statistics, violent crime in the past year is down 26% from last year.
In his speech, Trump called yesterday “Liberation Day,” and stated he intends to let MPD and the National Guard do “whatever the hell they want,” to “rescue our nation's capital from crime, bloodshed, bedlam and squalor and worse.”
We, like many locally and around the country, see Trump’s remarks for what they really are: a signal to DC residents, and the people of the United States, that he intends to unleash unmitigated police terror and violence on people and communities already suffering from poor working conditions, higher costs of living, gentrification, and unjust resource distribution.
Make no mistake: this is an occupation of our city and an abuse of power. It is an undemocratic seizure of political autonomy from a once majority Black city, whose voices have yet to be heard in the halls of Congress. Trump’s “liberation” only seeks to further abridge our democratic rights, and his deployment of the National Guard will not rescue our city from plagues caused by systemic inequity and exploitation. It will undoubtedly worsen the conditions of working and poor DC residents, specifically Black and oppressed people.
Further, we have even seen in recent instances, that without community control and power over the police, violent and criminal police go unchecked and harm the communities they are there to “protect and serve.” This is exemplified by the Butlers, a family in the Parkchester neighborhood of DC, who in March faced a brutal assault by a group of police known to be bad actors within the community.
Instead of using taxpayer money to develop our communities and provide much-needed resources, the Trump Administration chooses to use our tax dollars to fund a genocide in Palestine. In DC, they choose to sweep away the homeless encampments, embolden racist and killer cops, and use the National Guard to intimidate our communities.
But like we have seen with our siblings in Los Angeles, specifically Centro CSO, facing the same battle against the National Guard and the Trump Administration: when we fight back, we win! Through mass demonstrations, civil disobedience, and solidarity movements, Californians have been largely successful in protecting their communities. We plan to do the same.
The DC Alliance demands:
National Guard out of DC!
MPD Stop Terrorizing Black Communities!
Community Control of the Police Now!
DC Statehood Now!
No to Military Occupation!
We call on community members, organizations, and local elected officials to join us on Wednesday, August 13th at 37 Randle Circle SE at 6:30 pm as we defend our Black communities from police terror and stand up to Trump’s attacks!