Latest news with #DistrictofColumbiaHomeRuleAct
Time Magazine
an hour ago
- Politics
- Time Magazine
Trump Says D.C. Is a Crime-Ridden Mess. Here Are the Facts
President Donald Trump promised on Monday to rescue Washington, D.C., from "bloodshed, bedlam and squalor," describing a dystopian vision of the nation's capital that has been overtaken by "violent gangs and bloodthirsty criminals, roving mobs of wild youth, drugged out maniacs and homeless people." Invoking section 740 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, Trump has deployed National Guard troops and is taking over the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) to 'help reestablish law, order and public safety' in the city. But experts say the statistics don't match Trump's description of the city, and statements from his Administration have received pushback from local officials. After White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller said that D.C. was 'more violent than Baghdad,' D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said that 'any comparison to a war-torn country is hyperbolic and false.' Here are the facts and figures regarding crime in Washington, D.C. 'It's getting worse. Not getting better, it's getting worse.' The primary justification for Trump's intervention in Washington, D.C., appears to be that the city's crime rate is getting increasingly worse. But that view is lagging by a couple of years. In 2023, carjackings doubled and violent crime rates spiked to highs not seen in 20 years—part of a nationwide trend that followed the COVID-19 pandemic. But in the past two years, crime rates have in fact drastically decreased. Trump's move on D.C. comes just months after the Department of Justice announced that violent crime in the city hit a 30-year low, and was down 35% in 2024 from the year before. According to data released by MPD covering this year to date, homicides are down 11% in comparison to the same period in 2024 and violent crime is down 26%. Although violent crime rates in Washington, D.C., are higher than the national average, the Council on Criminal Justice this week said that 'there is an unmistakable and large drop in reported violence in the District since the summer of 2023 … consistent with what's being reported in other large cities across the country.' Public views on crime in D.C. haven't quite caught up to the numbers, however. A 2024 Washington Post poll found that D.C. residents were growing more concerned about crime, despite figures showing declines. In the poll, 65% of residents said that they felt crime issues were 'extremely serious' or 'very serious.' 'Caravans of mass youth rampage through city streets at all times of the day.' Trump specifically focused on juvenile crime, especially related to carjacking. That has been identified as an issue in the city in recent years. MPD data shows that 8 percent of D.C. arrests in 2024 were juveniles, but more than half of carjacking arrests involved a juvenile. Some reports have suggested that a rise in truancy in D.C. schools was behind an uptick in youth crime. Community leaders have spoken out previously about the 'crisis' in youth crime. But progress is being seen there, too. D.C. police data shows that the MPD made 900 juvenile arrests this year. That is down 20% from 2024. Since July 2025, a citywide curfew has been in force for youth in order to combat juvenile crime in the city, which statistically grows in summer months across the U.S., not just in D.C. Violence prevention groups have often touted the effectiveness of community violence intervention (CVI) efforts in these summer months, especially in cities like New York City in which gun violence has decreased. 'The murder rate in Washington today is higher than that of Bogotá, Colombia, Mexico City, some of the places that you hear about as being the worst places on earth.' Here, Trump is technically correct. In 2024, Bogotá, Colombia, experienced a homicide rate of 15.2 per 100,000 inhabitants, according to its city council. Mexico City's homicide rate, meanwhile, was reported to be around 10 per 100,000. Over the same period, meanwhile, Washington, D.C., saw a murder rate of approximately 27.3 per 100,000 residents. But many people have taken issue with Trump's description of those cities as 'the worst places on earth.' President Claudia Sheinbaum of Mexico, a former Mexico City mayor, told reporters on Tuesday that while it was true that the city's homicide rate is lower than D.C.'s, 'What we don't agree with is when he said it was the most insecure city in Latin America, because it's not.' Bogotá has also seen historic declines in its murder rate, and 2024 was a historic low. And most of Colombia's violence in recent years has taken place in rural areas. D.C.'s crime rate is still far from those in 'the worst places on earth.' Even in 2023, when the violent crime spike that Trump is discussing was occurring, at least 49 other cities in the world had higher homicide rates than D.C. 'Every place in the country where you have no-cash bail is a disaster.' Trump has blamed a rise in crime on the use of 'no-cash bail' in D.C., where cash bail has been effectively eliminated since 1992. This practice allows some defendants charged with lesser crimes to be released from jail without posting bail that would help ensure their return to court. In some cities, like New York City, bail reform has been put forward as a way to ensure that people do not wind up in jail just because they could not afford to post the required money. In New York, part of the impetus for this bail reform was the story of Kalief Browder, a young man in the Bronx who was arrested at age 16 for allegedly stealing a backpack. His bail was initially set to $3,000, which his family could not afford, and he was sent to Rikers Island jail, though he maintained his innocence. Browder stayed in Rikers for three years before prosecutors dropped the case. According to the New York City Criminal Justice Agency, the percentage of those rearrested while awaiting trial has remained relatively the same since the bail reform. Further, a report from the Brennan Center for Justice in August 2024 found that 'there is no reason to believe that bail reform has led to increased crime.'
Fox News
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Fox News
CNN's effort to ridicule Trump as Washington's Batman backfires as social media hails 'cool' comparison
CNN host Abby Phillip compared President Donald Trump to Batman on Monday night while criticizing his efforts to clean up crime in Washington, D.C. However, social media users thought the comparison made Trump look "cool." During the intro to CNN's "NewsNight," Phillip mocked Trump as the "crime-fighter-in-chief" of the nation's capital and compared him to the comic book character after the president's announcement earlier in the day that the federal government would be cleaning up crime in the city. "Donald Trump makes himself Batman and the nation's capital is Gotham City," she said, adding, "The President of the United States has declared himself crime-fighter-in-chief, and he's taking over Washington's police force." Conservative commentator Steve Guest wrote, "That makes President Trump sound SUPER COOL! Don't think that was Abby's intention at all." Trump said on Monday he would federalize the D.C. police department and place it under the authority of U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi in an effort to address crime. According to the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, the president can place the city's police department under federal control for up to 30 days. Trump also said he was activating approximately 800 National Guard troops to "reestablish law, order and public safety" in the capital. In the CNN segment, Phillip noted D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser calling Trump's move to federalize the district's police force "unsettling and unprecedented." In a Monday press conference, the mayor said, "While this action today is unsettling and unprecedented, I can't say that given some of the rhetoric of the past, that we're totally surprised. I can say to D.C. residents that we will continue to operate our government in a way that makes you proud." Other X users got a kick out of the CNN anchor calling Trump "Batman." The official X account for media watchdog org Newsbusters posted, "Does she know that makes him sound awesome?" Conservative commentator Paul Szypula stated, "President Trump is Batman!" Popular conservative account Libs Of TikTok replied to Phillip's video, stating, "I already voted for him! You don't have to keep convincing me!"
Hindustan Times
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Mayor Muriel Bowser slams Donald Trump's takeover of DC police as ‘unsettling'
Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser called President Donald Trump's decision to send the National Guard to the capital 'unsettling and unprecedented' as she moved to reassert city control over its police department, according to Politico. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said the police department's structure had not changed, pushing back on Trump's earlier claim of a federal takeover.(REUTERS) Speaking to reporters on Monday, Bowser said the police department's structure had not changed, pushing back on Trump's earlier claim of a federal takeover. Trump said the capital 'has been overtaken by violent gangs and bloodthirsty criminals, roving mobs of wild youth, drugged out maniacs and homeless people,' and added that the police are now 'allowed to do whatever the hell they want.' Also Read: After Trump's DC takeover, New York and Mamdani in focus: '…in a little while' Bowser cites crime drop, rejects Trump's emergency claim Bowser defended the department's work, pointing to a drop in crime since a spike in 2023, and dismissed what she called a 'so-called emergency' that led to Trump's order, per the outlet. 'While this action today is unsettling and unprecedented, I can't say that given some of the rhetoric of the past, that we're totally surprised,' Bowser said. 'I can say to D.C. residents that we will continue to operate our government in a way that makes you proud.' She said the city would comply with the order and continue meeting federal law enforcement officials to plan coordination. But she stressed that while she would work with Attorney General Pam Bondi and Terry Cole, who Trump appointed as federal commissioner to the Washington police, the city's officers still reported to her. 'Nothing about our organisational chart has changed, and nothing in the executive order would indicate otherwise. So the chief of police reports through the deputy mayor to the mayor of the District of Columbia, and the two people, I think, that were identified in the presser report to Attorney General Bondi,' she said. Law lets Trump control DC police for 30 days A rarely used provision of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act allows Trump to take over the police department for up to 30 days if he notifies certain congressional leaders. The law also gives Congress broader oversight of the city government, according to the outlet. Bowser said the arrangement forced her to comply with federal orders but argued that statehood for Washington would likely prevent such moves. She said, 'If people are concerned about the president being able to move the National Guard into our city, the time to do that would have been when the Congress had a bill that it could have given control of the D.C. National Guard to D.C.,' She added, 'So there are things that, when a city is not a state, and not fully autonomous, and doesn't have senators, that the federal government can do.' Some officers backed Trump's action. Gregg Pemberton, head of the police union, called the intervention 'a critical stopgap,' per the outlet. 'We stand with the President in recognising that Washington, DC, cannot continue on this trajectory. Crime is out of control, and our officers are stretched beyond their limits,' he said.
Buzz Feed
5 hours ago
- Politics
- Buzz Feed
Outrage Over Trump's National Guard, DC Police Decision
The American public has grown increasingly concerned about President Donald Trump's moves toward authoritarianism and autocracy as he positions himself as being above the law and frequently mentions not leaving office at the end of his Constitutionally-granted second and final term. During a press conference on Monday morning, Trump announced a sweeping plan by his administration to increase its control over law enforcement in the United States capital city of Washington, DC. He started the press conference with a comment on how crowded the room is, saying they need a ballroom instead. Attorney General Pam Bondi grinned along. Trump launches into the topic of the press conference. "And we're here for a very serious purpose. Very serious purpose. Something is out of control, but we're gonna put it in control very quickly, like we did on the southern border," he said. "I'm announcing a historic action to rescue our nation's capital from crime, bloodshed, bedlam, and squalor. And worse." "This is Liberation Day in DC, and we're gonna take our capital back," Trump said. "We're taking it back." He announced his plan: "Under the authorities vested in me as the president of the United States, I'm officially invoking Section 740 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act — you know what that is — and placing the DC Metropolitan Police Department under direct federal control." "In addition, I'm deploying the National Guard to help reestablish law, order, and public safety in Washington, DC and they're gonna be allowed to do their job properly," Trump continued. He then directly addressed the journalists in the room about the supposed crime hotbed of DC, saying, "You people are victims of it, too." President Trump then said that "The murder rate in Washington today is higher than that of Bogota, Colombia, Mexico City, some of the places that you hear about as being the worst places on Earth," as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth nodded along. "The number of car thefts has doubled over the past five years, and the number of carjackings has more than tripled," Trump said. "Murders in 2023 reached the highest rate probably ever." "Our capital city has been overtaken by violent gangs and bloodthirsty criminals, roving mobs of wild youth, drugged-out maniacs, and homeless people. And we're not gonna let it happen anymore. We're not gonna take it," Trump told the crowd. He then repeated that the problem would be treated like the southern border, which he said "nobody comes to" anymore. For clarity, the Justice Department reported early this year that violent crime in Washington, DC, is down 35% from 2023. According to the DC Metropolitan Police Department, the very agency that Trump is seeking to federalize, violent crime is currently down 26% year-over-year. Richard Stengel, author and former government official under President Barack Obama, said that, "Throughout history, autocrats use a false pretext to impose government control over local law enforcement as a prelude to a more national takeover." People quickly hopped on Reddit's r/politics to discuss the CNBC article about Trump's announcement (you can watch the full press conference here). This is what some of the over 3,000 commenters had to say: "Federalizing the DC Police under fake numbers... Literally watching fascism unfold before our eyes, people. It's past time to get pissed." "I thought he said he couldn't deploy the National Guard on January 6? So now we know he could have, but didn't because it was his people." —swiftfoot_hiker "This is the big red flashing sign of fascism for anyone still wondering." "Every word out of this MF'er's mouth is a LIE. EVERY WORD. Taking over DC is to keep protestors out because this administration's next actions will be brutal." "Martial law in motion. MF didn't even bother to stage a Reichstag fire." "Here we fucking go. And sweet Jesus, it's only August of year one..." —KingMario05 "This is the death of the republic we're watching. Temporary takeovers have a very long history of becoming permanent. We're so fucked." "So, he could have done this to put down the insurrection at the Capitol?" "This is a pretext for something. His excuse is the homeless — what I really think he's preparing for are protests or maybe even riots. Maybe connected to the upcoming 'peace talks' with Russia, or the Epstein scandal." —rainghost "So that's it. No more freedom or rule of law in the US. And all the flag-waving Trump supporters don't care. Not a peep from them." "So I assume DC residents won't be able to vote ever again." "Full fucking stop. Yes, this is a distraction attempt from Epstein, among other things, but this is a pilot program for doing this in other major cities around America. This is the next step in a full fascist takeover of this country. But hey, eggs are... I mean, gas is... I mean, Kamala's laugh." "We are going to find out if the military is going to uphold their oath to defend us from all enemies, foreign and domestic. Trump is the biggest domestic terrorist I've seen in this country in my lifetime." —Ol_Turd_Fergy "That's it folks. Democracy in the US is now over. What a shameful country." "Authoritarianism it is then, I guess." "Correct me if I'm wrong, but I could have sworn that Trump had no authority to do this. I mean, that's what he said for January 6. He said that the Speaker of the House needs to make this call. Could he have been lying?" "Is this about homeless people? What is this about? Those National Guard are gonna be real sad when they realize a ton of the homeless individuals they are arresting are vets." —Resident_Standard437 And finally, "America, you are in grave danger. An authoritarian is seizing power over the police, based on a made-up emergency. This is a precursor to stealing the elections. It's the only thing left between them and ruling forever. They are stealing our democracy and do not plan to give it back. And all of you are silent. The republic is dying, rapidly and right before our eyes, and nothing is being done to stop it." So, what do you think? Let us know in the comments.
Gulf Today
6 hours ago
- Politics
- Gulf Today
Trump deploys National Guard in Washington to reduce crime
President Donald Trump said on Monday that he's deploying the National Guard across Washington and taking over the city's police department in the hopes of reducing crime, even as the city's mayor has noted that crime is falling in the nation's capital. The Republican president, who said he was formally declaring a public safety emergency, compared crime in the American capital with that in other major cities, saying Washington performs poorly on safety relative to the capitals of Iraq, Brazil and Colombia, among others. Trump also said at his news briefing that his administration has started removing homeless encampments 'from all over our parks, our beautiful, beautiful parks.' 'We're getting rid of the slums, too,' Trump said, adding that the US would not lose its cities and that Washington was just a start. US Attorney General Pam Bondi will be taking over responsibility for Washington's metro police department, he said, while also complaining about potholes and graffiti in the city and calling them 'embarrassing.' For Trump, the effort to take over public safety in Washington reflects a next step in his law enforcement agenda after his aggressive push to stop illegal border crossings. But the move involves at least 500 federal law enforcement officials as well as the National Guard, raising fundamental questions about how an increasingly emboldened federal government will interact with its state and local counterparts. The president has used his social media and White House megaphones to message that his administration is tough on crime, yet his ability to shape policy might be limited outside of Washington, which has a unique status as a congressionally established federal district. Nor is it clear how his push would address the root causes of homelessness and crime. Trump said he is invoking Section 740 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act to deploy members of the National Guard. About 500 federal law enforcement officers are being tasked with deploying throughout the nation's capital as part of the Trump administration's effort to combat crime, a person familiar with the matter told reporters on Monday. More than 100 FBI agents and about 40 agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are among federal law enforcement personnel being assigned to patrols in Washington, the person briefed on the plans said. The Drug Enforcement Administration, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Marshals Service are also contributing officers. The person was not authorised to publicly discuss personnel matters and spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity. The Justice Department didn't immediately have a comment Monday morning. Mayor Muriel Bowser, a Democrat, questioned the effectiveness of using the Guard to enforce city laws and said the federal government could be far more helpful by funding more prosecutors or filling the 15 vacancies on the DC Superior Court, some of which have been open for years. Bowser cannot activate the National Guard herself, but she can submit a request to the Pentagon. 'I just think that's not the most efficient use of our Guard,' she said Sunday on MSNBC's 'The Weekend,' acknowledging it is 'the president's call about how to deploy the Guard.' Bowser was making her first public comments since Trump started posting about crime in Washington last week. She noted that violent crime in Washington has decreased since a rise in 2023. Trump's weekend posts depicted the district as 'one of the most dangerous cities anywhere in the World.' For Bowser, 'Any comparison to a war-torn country is hyperbolic and false.' Trump in a Sunday social media post had emphasised the removal of Washington's homeless population, though it was unclear where the thousands of people would go. 'The Homeless have to move out, IMMEDIATELY,' Trump wrote on 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.' Associated Press
