When President Donald Trump Washington, DC, explained a criminal wasteland that needed after federal intervention and threatened similar federal interventions in other black cities.
The characterization of their cities by the President contradicts what they noticed last year: that after a spike from pandemic they experienced a decline in violent crimes. In some cases, the declines were monumental, which was largely due to more youth engagement, weapon purchase programs and community partnerships.
Now members of the African American Mayors Association have been determined to prevent Trump from burying the services they had already overlooked. And they exploit the unprecedented takeover of the law enforcement agencies in the government’s capital as an opportunity to refute its story about some of the country’s largest urban enclaves.
“It gives us the opportunity to tell us that we have to strengthen our voices to confront rhetoric that the crime is only widespread in the most important US cities. It is simply not true,” said Van Johnson, Mayor of Savannah, Georgia and President of African American Mayors Association. “No evidence or statistics are supported.”
After the Republican President used the first of 800 members of the National Guard in Washington, he expects other cities such as Baltimore, Chicago, Los Angeles and Oakland, California. One thing that they all have in common: they are led by black mayors.
“No member of our organization was lost that the mayors were either perceived black or as a democrat,” said Johnson. “And that is unfortunate. For the mayors, we play with whoever in the field.”
The Federal Government’s actions have increased some of the wishes of the mayors, the strategies with which their cities are more securely designed.
Some places see dramatic declines of the crime rates
Trump argued that the federal law enforcement agencies had to occur after a prominent employee of the Department of Government Efficiency or Mandaly had been attacked in an attempted carjacking. He also referred to the homeless camp, graffiti and potholes as proof that Washington “got worse”.
However, statistics published by Washington Metropolitan Police contradict the president and show that violent crimes have decreased since a post -pandemic highlight in 2023.
The mayor of Chicago, Brandon Johnson, mocked about Trump’s statements and came from the “historical advances of the city, the murders of more than 30% and the shootings drove by almost 40% last year”.
Mayor Karen Bass from Los Angeles, where murders fell by 14% between 2023 and 2024, described the federal takeover only as a performative “Power Grab”.
In Baltimore, civil servants have that they have recorded historical decreases to murders and non -fatal shootings this year and that they have been in a decline since 2022 in decline in the dashboard of the public security data of the city. Carjackings fell by 20% in 2023, and other earnest crimes fell in 2024. Only break -ins have risen slightly.
The lower crime rates are due to combating violence with an approach to public health, say the city officials. In 2021, Baltimore under Mayor Brandon Scott created a comprehensive plan to prevent violence, in which more investments in the intervention of violence in the community, more services for victims of crime and other initiatives were required.
Scott accused Trump, to exploit crimes as a “wedge problem and dog whistle” instead of worrying about mastering violence.
“He actively undermined the efforts that make a difference to save lives in cities across the country in favor of militarized police work of black communities,” said Scott by e -mail.
The Democratic Mayor pointed out that the Ministry of Justice would have reduced more than $ 1 million for the financing of anti-violence measures in the community this year. He swore to drive on anyway.
“We will continue to work closely with our regional law enforcement agencies of the federal government, which were great partners and do everything in our power to do the progress despite the roadblocks that are trying to implement this administration,” said Scott.
Community organizations lend a hand to contain violence
Just last week, Oakland officials observed a significant crime in the first half of this year compared to the same period in 2024, including a decline in murders by 21% and a decline in all violent crimes by 29%, as the Major Cities Chiefs Association report shows. The officials have attributed the cooperation with community organizations and crisis reaction services by the city Ministry of Ministry of Violence to the city founded in 2017.
“These results show that we are on the right track,” said Mayor Barbara Lee at a press conference. “We will always build on this progress, with the same comprehensive approach that brought us here.”
After Trump gave Oakland’s assessment last week, she rejected it as a “Fearm Congenation”.
Proponents of social justice agree that the crime has decreased and that Trump maintains exaggerated perceptions that have long been plagued by Oakland.
Nicole Lee, Executive Director of Urban Peace Movement, an organization based in Oakland, which focuses on strengthening the color communities and adolescent people through initiatives such as leadership training and support of victims of weapon power, said that the profits of the profits of lower crime groups apply in community groups.
“We really want to acknowledge the hard work that our network of community and community organizations has done from pandemic in recent years in order to create really real security in the community,” said Lee. “The things we do work.”
She fears that an intervention by the armed forces would undermine this progress.
“It creates a kind of fear of fear in our community,” said Lee.
Patrouilles and youth output locks
In Washington, agents of several federal authorities, members of the National Guard and even the US parking police have fulfilled the law enforcement authorities from the patrol of the national purchasing center to illegally parked people.
Kingsley Wilson, Pentagon press spokesman, said the wax cartridges will not be armed, but refused to respond to security patrols and beautification efforts.
Johnson from Savannah said that he was everything for a partnership with the federal government, but troops on the streets of the city are not what he imagined. Instead, cities of Federal Aid need investigations and combat problems such as arms trade and cybercrime.
“I am a former law enforcement officer. There is another ability used for municipal law enforcement agencies than the military,” said Johnson.
There was also speculation that the federal government’s interventions could bring out initial blocks for adolescent people.
However, that would harm more, said Nicole Lee, who disproportionately influenced adolescent people with colors and wrongly assumed that adolescent people are the main institers of violence.
“If you are a young person, you can basically be quoted, criminalized, just to be outside after certain hours,” said Lee. “Not only does that solve nothing in terms of violence and crime, but also brings young people to the crosshair of the criminal justice system.”
A game of waiting and to see
For the time being, Johnson said, the mayors observe their counterpart in Washington, Muriel Bowser, exactly to see how she navigates through the unprecedented federal intervention. Since Trump’s takeover, she has risen a fine limit between criticism and cooperation, but things rose on Friday when the officials sued to block the takeover.
Johnson praised Bowser that he would continue with dignity and grace.
“Black mayors are resilient. We are in the fight for children,” said Johnson. “We learn to adapt quickly and I think we will do it and we are.”
