March descends on DC against Trump takeover
Thousands of people descended on the White House during a Saturday march from Malcolm X Park to Lafayette Park in protest of the Trump administration’s crackdown on crime in the nation’s capital.
Demonstrators entitled the effort “We Are All DC,” representing the potential ripple effects of military force on local citizens, spurred by the president.
“Today, in defense of the people and communities living under a military take over of DC, we join in sending a clear and peaceful message: the American people will not bow to dictators. We are in solidarity with our neighbors and Black, Brown, immigrant, and other communities targeted. We will march, we will resist, and we will peacefully protest,” Democracy Forward wrote in a statement on X.
Throughout the past several weeks, soldiers have patrolled the streets as federal agents have worked to set up traffic stops with police and detain individuals deemed to be homeless or illegal immigrants.
“DC communities are joyful, powerful — and we’re under attack,” a statement from “Free DC” read in promotion of the Saturday march.
“Armed National Guard soldiers are carrying guns through our neighborhoods. ICE and FBI agents are profiling, harassing, and violently arresting our neighbors. MPD is going after children just for being outside, and every hour that goes by is an hour when people here are in danger,” it added.
Large groups of protestors flooded the streets with signs as they chanted quotes of outrage against the current administration.
“Our nation’s capital is a place people call home—not a militarized zone. We’re demanding an end to Trump’s takeover of DC and calling on Congress to finally give DC the statehood it’s owed,” the League of Conservation Voters wrote on X.
On Friday, Republicans unveiled a series of legislation set to overturn Washington, D.C.’s self-governance by requiring the DC Council to submit all proposed bills to Congress for review.
GOP lawmakers are also attempting to lower the age of juveniles who are eligible to be tried as adults while ensuring harsher punishments for those defacing federal public property.
DC Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) also signed a Tuesday order extending partnerships with federal law enforcement agencies to establish a chain of communication between local leaders and national heads.
City council members opposed the move, as have most local residents who say the increased police presence is unnecessary.
Still, President Trump’s deployment of Washington National Guard troops to patrol the nation’s capital has been extended through December to ensure that service members receive the full scope of benefits for the mission, according to multiple news outlets.