The Leadership Conference Condemns National Guard Deployment in D.C. and Takeover of Metropolitan Police Department

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: [email protected]

WASHINGTON — Maya Wiley, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, released the following statement on President Trump’s actions related to law enforcement and crime in Washington, D.C.:

“Federalizing the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police Department endangers our families, our freedoms, and our futures. This extreme action is about power, control, and overturning D.C. police reform laws. The facts are clear: Violent crime in Washington, D.C. is at a 30-year low. This is a false narrative to fit a political agenda, and it is a manufactured crisis.

“Rather than respecting local elected leaders and the ability of D.C. residents to decide what public safety works, this action makes residents less safe. It is a hostile takeover of local democracy and a slap in the face of police accountability to the people they serve and to civil rights. The administration is scapegoating Black and Brown people — who make up the majority of D.C.’s population — while they advance their assault on anyone who opposes their agenda. This overreach is another beta test for nationwide authoritarian control. All Americans should recognize that this must be challenged, or they risk their own rights and local control.

“While the federal government has cut funding for public safety grants, refuses to release D.C. taxpayer dollars to the city, and is bringing devastating cuts to health care — including mental health services — and programs to feed the hungry, train youth for job opportunities, and provide more research-based programs and services, the civil rights community will continue to fight for true public safety, which includes holding the government accountable. Democracy, civil rights, and a fair justice system require it.”

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights is a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 240 national organizations to promote and protect the rights of all persons in the United States. The Leadership Conference works toward an America as good as its ideals. For more information on The Leadership Conference and its member organizations, visit www.civilrights.org.

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