US President Donald Trump on Monday announced that he is placing the DC Metropolitan Police Department under federal control while deploying the National Guard "to help re-establish law, order and public safety" in Washington, DC.
Trump said he wants to make DC one of the safest, cleanest and most beautiful cities anywhere in the world. "The Homeless have to move out, IMMEDIATELY, Trump wrote Sunday. We will give you places to stay, but FAR from the Capital. The Criminals, you don't have to move out. We're going to put you in jail where you belong," Trump said.
This was met with protests on the streets as well as social media. People who gathered on DC streets held out placards that read, "DC isn't your colony", "Free DC" and "He can't take it".
One of the users said Trump is trying to take over the city with the National Guard in a bid to distract Americans from the “Epstein files”.
Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton countered Trump's claim, saying, "Violent crime in DC is at a 30-year low." Minority Leader of the U.S House of Representatives Rep. Hakeem Jeffries also pointed out that the crime is at a 30-year low and Trump has no basis to take over the local police department. "And zero credibility on the issue of law and order. Get lost," he posted.
Writer and entrepreneur Brian Krassenstein echoed their words, saying, "Can someone explain to me how violent crime being at a 30-year low in Washington DC amounts to an 'emergency' and requires Trump to take over the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department and send the National Guard into DC? Waiting for an answer that makes sense."
His brother Ed Krassenstein said that no president has ever used Section 740 before to declare emergency, adding that the situation is more of a political theate designed to project power. "DC isn’t being 'liberated.' It’s being occupied," he posted.
Community activist and healthcare advocate Melanie D'Arrigo said the move in Washington DC will be "Trump's authoritarian test case, to see how much he can get away with, how many people he can harm, how much he can shred the Constitution, and who will actually say or do anything to stop him."