AFT criticizes Trump’s federalization of D.C. police amid low crime rates

AFT President Randi Weingarten has responded to President Trump’s recent decision to federalize the Washington, D.C., police and deploy the National Guard in the city. The move comes at a time when violent crime rates in Washington, D.C., are reportedly at a 30-year low.

Weingarten highlighted the presence of thousands of educators and employees affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) who live and work in Washington, D.C., and nearby counties. She also referenced a recent AFT conference that brought thousands to the city. “This is our city. Obviously, we want it to be safe–just as we did on Jan. 6, 2021, when there was an actual riot on the streets. How ironic that the president was reluctant to deploy the National Guard then when asked by others to do so," Weingarten said.

She criticized President Trump’s decision as an overreach not justified by current conditions. “The president’s move to federalize the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia and deploy the National Guard, with total violent crime at a 30-year low, is a gross overreach, disconnected from actual conditions on the ground. It is also at odds with his administration’s decision to stop funding violence prevention programs in Washington, D.C.”

Weingarten questioned whether these measures would improve public safety or support economic recovery in downtown areas: “Will the president’s heavy-handed show of force make the average D.C. resident feel safer? Will it create jobs for working people and bring patrons back to downtown businesses? Will it provide young people a pathway to jobs, skills or other activities that keep them off the streets? The answer to those questions is ‘no.’”

She concluded by calling Trump’s actions “yet another crass spectacle from a president who cares more about targeting, intimidating and playing king than the safety of D.C. and its residents.”

Other signatories on behalf of AFT included Secretary-Treasurer Fedrick C. Ingram and Executive Vice President Evelyn DeJesus.