BY JIBRIL TURE

In an unprecedented move, President Donald Trump announced a few hours ago that he was placing Washington, D.C.’s police department under federal control, deploying 800 National Guards to fight crimes in the nation’s capital.

Flanked by several members of his cabinet, notably FBI Director Kash Patel, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Attorney General Pam Bondi, and using the bombastic language he is known for, Trump told reporters, “This is liberation day in D.C. We’re gonna take our capital back.” He went on to say, “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 going to let it happen anymore.”

The statement followed Trump signing an executive order to that effect, justifying his action under Section 40 of the District’s Home Rule Act that gives the president the power to temporarily take federal control of the D.C. police department. While the president’s move is legal, it’s the first time a president has invoked the act which was instituted in 1973. The president himself did not say how long the federal control over the city will last, but a White House official later said it is intended to last for 30 days.

Attorney General Pam Bondi, who has been tasked by the president to oversee the federal takeover, boldly stated during the news conference, “Crime in D.C. is ending, and it’s ending today,” with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth adding that he would send the military into Washington “if needed.”

Characteristically, Trump’s justification for taking over D.C. is unfounded, given that last year, the crime rate in Washington, D.C. fell by 34%, a trend that started in 2023.

In the absence of a rational for a federal control over the D.C. police department, it has been speculated that Trump’s action may have been dictated by the fact that an important member of his cost-cutting entity, the Department of Government Efficiency, was badly beaten recently in an attempted carjacking incident in the capital.

Others think Trump’s action has a darker motive. They point to the racist ticks of a president who, they claim, is eager to take control of the third largest Black city in the country.

Brian Schwalb, the attorney general of the nation’s capital, described the president’s action as “unprecedented, unnecessary and unlawful,” adding, “We are considering all of our options and will do what’s necessary to protect the rights and safety of District residents.”

As for her, D.C. Mayor, Muriel Bowser, called the action “unsettling.”