Statement from Brian Footer Campaign on President Trump’s Federal Takeover of D.C.

Today, President Trump ordered a federal takeover of the Metropolitan Police Department and deployed the National Guard into our neighborhoods. This is an unprecedented overreach and a clear reminder of why D.C. needs statehood now.

The President’s actions are not about public safety. Violent crime in D.C. is down 26% this year, and overall crime has fallen 7%. This selective framing echoes a long history of using sensationalized crime narratives to justify aggressive policing, military presence, or the suspension of civil rights. By ignoring the data and focusing on highly visible incidents, he’s sending a dog-whistle message to his base that D.C. is a threat to “law-abiding Americans.”

We know there’s still more work to do to reduce crime and ensure every resident feels safe in D.C. That work requires sustained investments in MPD and proven community-based solutions, such as violence interruption programs, affordable housing, behavioral health services, and youth programming. It means tackling the root causes of crime, not just its symptoms. The National Guard is not trained for day-to-day local law enforcement, and their deployment will disrupt the community policing strategies MPD has been building for years, erode trust, and undermine long-term public safety goals. Flooding our streets with soldiers is not a crime plan — it’s a political stunt.

If the President truly wanted to make an immediate impact on crime in D.C., he would start by filling the vacant judicial seats in our courts. Right now, those vacancies slow prosecutions, delay justice for victims, and keep cases from moving efficiently undermining the very public safety he claims to be defending.

For decades, Congress has restricted D.C.’s budget and blocked us from using our own resources to meet our own needs. Those restrictions directly limit our ability to address crime through the investments that actually work. And now, the same politicians tying our hands are claiming we can’t handle our own affairs.

This is exactly why D.C. needs statehood. Without it, more than 700,000 tax-paying residents, which is more than Vermont or Wyoming, remain vulnerable to having our rights stripped away without a single vote in Congress to defend us. At any moment, a president or Congress can overturn our decisions, seize our budget, or, as we saw today, take over our police department.

We will not be intimidated. We will keep working together for safer streets, stronger communities, and the statehood that will finally give D.C. the full voice and protection every American deserves.

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