Above photo: Tens of thousands of DC citizens demanded occupation forces leave DC in massive action. John Zangas/ DCMediaGroup.
Washington DC—Tens of thousands of DC citizens rallied and marched Saturday demanding the immediate end to occupation forces and an end to police harassment and illegal arrests in communities throughout the city. The We Are All DC action was in response to the regime’s deployment of 1000s of federal police and over 2000 Army National Guard Soldiers from Southern States, including Ohio, West Virginia, Tennessee, Georgia, Louisiana, and Mississippi. Citizens denounced roundups of immigrants, traffic stop traps, and the arrests some U.S. citizens.
The march began at Malcom X Park and ended about a mile away at Freedom Plaza, where organizers told of the adverse effects the occupation had on their communities, police stops to check drivers, usually without probable cause, and ICE roundups of immigrants and green card holders awaiting their final approval as citizens. Businesses were being hampered or closed because customers were not coming to the city and workers were afraid to go to work.
Trump’s claim that a crime emergency justified the occupation forces has been resoundingly rejected by DC citizens. Trump’s claim of rising criminal element also was not supported by crime data published by his own Department of Justice. Such crime data accumulated by government police agencies over the past three decades in actuality reflects a marked reduction in crime rates, according to a Department of Justice Report on crime in DC.
If anything, it was evident in the fervor of the speeches that the deployment of occupation forces has solidified the feeling among grassroots groups that DC must now be recognized as the 51st State. “We’re going to lead with autonomy for DC and that autonomy looks like the 51st State,” said one speaker from FreeDCProject. “We are no longer standing on the back lines of what is happening in our country. We are no longer asking but we are demanding that we have full autonomy and we are demanding that DC become the 51st State.”
FreeDCProject, CASA, Harriets Wildest Dreams, and many other grassroots groups led by local citizens, unions, immigrant groups, and clergy, joined the citizens march as it walked down 16th Street past the White House, and to Freedom Plaza. Once they arrived there, speakers denounced the President’s occupation of the city. They had harsh words for DC Muriel Bowser as well for her betrayal of the city by thanking the president for his surge of police and National Guard to patrol the city.
Mayor Bowser signed an agreement granting cooperation with occupation forces in DC beyond the 30 day emergency expiration which was scheduled to expire on September 10. While Mayor Bowser denied she was agreeing to cooperate with extending the President’s crime emergency crackdown, grassroots groups expressed a sense of betrayal that she was cooperating with authorities in the first place. Speakers told how their communities had suffered greatly under the occupation and the Mayor’s agreement was a furtherance of that suffering.
The Mayor’s cooperation with the occupation forces was regarded by organizers as tacit approval of the extension of authoritarian measures undermining the DC territory, its communities, and its people, which were before then already at a disadvantage, without voices of redress in their legislature. It was certainly the tone of speaker after speaker who expressed condemnation of the Mayor and her acquiescence to Trump’s occupation.
At one point during the march, as the banner bearers passed Foundry United Methodist Church, all the tower bells rang out in support of them, welcoming them as they passed. In that moment, it was as if they suddenly became as one; an esteemed charismatic world leader taking their place of prominence atop a stage to receive accolades of praise. The marchers delighted as the bells tolled and paused momentarily and spontaneously erupted in thunderous cheering. (See video at foot of story)
Citizens Denounce The Federal Occupation
Many citizens voiced extreme concern with the abuse of authority and heavy-handed police street tactics as they have played out across the 7 wards of DC over the four weeks since forces were first deployed on August 10.
“Its incredulous, surreal, a nightmare that keeps going on and on,” said Ken Greene, a long time resident of DC. Ken moved to DC in 1977 and though he was not completely resigned to the occupation succeeding in the long run, he felt the social justice gains of many decades were being swept away since Home Rule was first granted by President Nixon in December 1973.
“All the progress we made since the mid 1960s; we marched for social justice and it’s all going away,” he said. Greene believes part of the solution is going to come through the direct experiences of Trump’s supporters experiencing the adverse consequences of his policies. As they begin to suffer the consequences they will come to realize he is not doing well for the country.
Reverend Goss, a clergywoman from Virginia joined the march in support of her friends who live in DC. “I want DC to be represented in Congress and I want the National Guard to be sent home,” she said. Goss said also she was angered by the treatment of DC residents at the hands of the president. “This is an evil act to do what [they’ve] doing and God is not on [their] side and we are here to speak for a moral end to this regime.”
Kelly Daley, a member of Defend Democracy Indivisible, said that what was happening with citizens was the start of something big. “DC deserves to be ruled by itself and it deserves full Home Rule and Statehood. Having the National Guard here is starting to of many steps we can see coming down the road.”
