Defend D.C. Home Rule: Stop the Federal Takeover of Our Police Department

The Trump administration's recent order to install a federal official as the head of Washington, D.C.'s police department is a dangerous overreach of executive power. This move disregards the authority of D.C.'s elected leaders and the will of its 700,000 residents. Local officials, including Police Chief Pamela Smith and Attorney General Brian Schwalb, have warned that this federal intervention will 'wreak operational havoc' and 'sow chaos' within the police force, threatening public safety and law and order.

By stripping away local control, the administration is undermining the Home Rule Act of 1973, which granted D.C. the right to govern its own affairs. This action sets a dangerous precedent for federal interference in local matters and threatens the civil rights and dignity of D.C.'s diverse communities. The use of federal forces and the imposition of new policies—especially those targeting immigrants and rolling back sanctuary protections—raise serious concerns about racial profiling, mass deportations, and the erosion of trust between residents and law enforcement.

We stand with D.C.'s elected officials and demand that Congress and the courts uphold the city's right to self-governance. The people of D.C. deserve to determine their own public safety policies without interference from the federal government.