(AFP) – President Donald Trump on Thursday visited police and troops he has deployed in the US capital in what he calls a crackdown on crime, saying they were going to “stay here for a while.” Trump ordered hundreds of members of the Guard, a reserve force, to deploy in Washington last week, vowing to “take our capital back,” despite protests by some residents and statistics showing violent offenses falling.
“We’re going to make it safe, and we’re going to then go on to other places, but we’re going to stay here for a while. We want to make this absolutely perfect,” he said outside a US Park Police facility in Washington. The 79-year-old Republican was surrounded by law enforcement from various local and federal agencies as well as National Guard troops.
Earlier Thursday, he suggested he would go on patrol with police and the military, but instead, he made a short speech and gave out pizzas and hamburgers. “Everybody feels safe,” Trump said, adding that he plans to get the capital “fixed up physically.” “One of the things we’re going to be redoing is your parks. I’m very good at grass because I have a lot of golf courses all over the place. I know more about grass than any human being,” he added.
Trump wrote on social media early Friday that “there were no murders this week for the first time in memory” in Washington. He said Mayor Muriel Bowser “must immediately stop giving false and highly inaccurate crime figures, or bad things will happen, including a complete and total Federal takeover of the City!” Bowser has said that violent crime in the capital has been its lowest level in three decades.
Trump’s visit came a day after his vice president, JD Vance, was greeted by boos and shouts of “Free DC” — referring to Washington’s formal name, the District of Columbia — on his own meet-and-greet with troops. Vance dismissed the hecklers as “a bunch of crazy protesters.” The DC National Guard has mobilized 800 troops, while Republican states Ohio, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee, and West Virginia are sending a total of around 1,200. They have been spotted in tourist areas such as the National Mall and its monuments, the Nationals Park baseball stadium, and others.
The overwhelmingly Democratic US capital faces allegations from Republican politicians that it is overrun by crime, plagued by homelessness, and financially mismanaged. But data from Washington police showed significant drops in violent crime between 2023 and 2024, though that was coming off the back of a post-pandemic surge. Some residents have welcomed the crackdown, pointing to crime in their areas — but others have complained the show of force is unnecessary or has not been seen in parts of Washington where violence is concentrated.
– Sandwich guy – Several incidents involving the surge of law enforcement have gone viral as residents voice their discontent, including the arrest of one man who was caught on camera throwing a sandwich at an agent. Banksy-style posters honoring the so-called “sandwich guy” have popped up around the city. The National Guard troops have provided “critical support such as crowd management, presence patrols, and perimeter control in support of law enforcement,” according to social media statements.
In addition to sending troops into the streets, Trump has also sought to take full control of the Washington police department, attempting at one point to sideline its leadership. The deployment of troops in Washington comes after Trump dispatched the National Guard and Marines to quell unrest in Los Angeles, California, that was sparked by immigration enforcement raids.
© 2024 AFP
