The federal takeover of DC is a change affecting the whole country, with the dangerous reality that a tyrant has put armed troops on the streets of the capital city. In DC, it feels like an occupation, as ICE and federal agents move against people, and the number of National Guard troops has swelled, with now some carrying guns. In high-traffic and tourist areas and near the halls of power, the National Guard keeps a visible presence. If you’re on the popular Wharf boardwalk on a Saturday night, you will see a patrol every five minutes of a cluster of National Guard or DEA and other federal agents.
In the neighborhoods, ICE comes in at any time striking terror, grabbing someone, forcing them into a car and driving away. Federal agents patrol Metro stations on foot. Checkpoints are set up in the evenings, with people being stopped for things like tinted windows. In some Black neighborhoods, MPD (Metropolitan Police Dept.) cars are parked on every block with their lights flashing for hours. At night, swarms of federal agents and MPD harass Black people sitting on their stoops or walking down the street or playing basketball, detaining people for things like an empty cup that smells of alcohol.
This occupation has also brought forward sparks of resistance that weren’t happening before. The resistance in LA paved the way for people not just letting ICE and federal agents kidnap people off the streets. The marches led by Refuse Fascism have helped create a mood of refusing to accept this. And the Free DC statehood movement has activated people to resist the takeover. Repeatedly, people are filming when they see ICE, sometimes yelling at the ICE agents. In one instance, nearly a hundred people gathered demanding ICE leave and driving them out. People have protested the checkpoints and put up signs warning of frequent checkpoints and ICE activity. Organizations are activated and leading flurries of small protests, marches, vigils, patrols, etc. Jolly Good Ginger, a military veteran with a large social media following, has initiated a sit-in of veterans refusing to leave until the military is off the streets, and those vets are doing patrols and talking with National Guard troops about their rights to refuse unlawful orders.
While there has been less direct resistance to the clampdown on Black youth and neighborhoods, there is some worth noting. Black youth are posting videos of themselves speaking out against the illegitimate police questioning and searches and harassment while it’s happening. Some have started making videos of themselves mocking the feds fucking with people for any small thing. When Refuse Fascism led demonstrations and marches through some of these neighborhoods, the response was overwhelmingly support and joy, with some people joining in along the way.
Trump’s takeover has been done in the name of dealing with crime, even while DC has lowered its previous crime rate significantly and has less crime than many “red states.” The real, blatant racism at the fount of this is being spewed out every step of the way—with Trump saying police need to “knock the hell out of” people and threatening to occupy other cities with Black mayors and significant Black populations, while he restores confederate monuments and moves to gut museums all as part of restoring open white supremacy by law, with all the terror that means.
DC’s mayor, Muriel Bowser bowed down to Trump in a disgusting press conference where she expressed appreciation (!) for the federal police “surge” for lowering crime rates. Whatever her intentions, leading people to accept the false argument that this is about crime helps pave the way for police state clampdown and violence against Black people and immigrants. There is no placating and accommodating a fascist regime. Trump, Miller, Bannon1 are driven by profound gut belief in the vilest racism and the need to quickly vanquish their opposition in the Democratic Party, institutions that support it, and the masses of people at its base requires a rapid ruthless elimination as a viable political force. When dealing with fascists like these, there is a well-worn road from accommodation to cooperation, from cooperation to complicity, and from there to outright betrayal. Bowser needs to rapidly get off that road, with all its ugly consequences.
Meanwhile, others in the DC government are speaking out against Bowser’s compliance, like a councilperson who told the Washington Post of Bowser, “I don’t know what strategy this is, but it’s not a strategy that is going to work.”
The need for clarity that this takeover is not about crime, but is about installing open white supremacy and fascist rule, is urgent. In this moment, the new social media messages from Bob Avakian (REVOLUTION #130 and #131) are a breath of fresh air and much-needed direction that need to be engaged and spread everywhere.
