Last month, President Donald Trump made headlines by announcing a sweeping federal intervention in the nation’s capital, deploying the National Guard across Washington, D.C., and taking temporary control of the Metropolitan Police Department. The move, he said, is aimed at driving down crime rates — despite the city’s mayor noting that crime has been trending downward in recent months.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser acknowledged she lacked the legal authority to block the president’s plan and suggested the additional federal presence could potentially help. “The fact that we have more law enforcement and presence in neighborhoods — that may be positive,” Bowser told reporters. Trump didn’t stop at D.C. In his remarks, he pointed to other cities plagued by long-term crime issues: “We have other cities also that are bad, very bad. And of course, Baltimore and Oakland — you don’t even mention those anymore, they’re so far gone.”
Trump’s plan has drawn strong support from the D.C. Police Union, which represents more than 3,000 MPD officers. Union Chairman Gregg Pemberton issued a statement fully backing the president’s intervention: “We completely agree with the president that crime in the District of Columbia is out of control and something needs to be done with it.” In an official release, the union emphasized that federal involvement should be temporary but agreed immediate action was needed: “The D.C. Police Union acknowledges and supports the president’s announcement to assume temporary control of the MPD in response to the escalating crime crisis in Washington, D.C. The Union agrees that crime is spiraling out of control, and immediate action is necessary to restore public safety.
While Trump and the union have sounded alarms, the data paints a nuanced picture. According to MPD reports, D.C. saw a 35% drop in violent crime and a 15% drop in overall crime between 2023 and 2024. In Baltimore, the story has been similar but still challenging. The city suffered through eight consecutive years of over 300 homicides annually. That trend began to shift after Ivan Bates became Baltimore’s state’s attorney in January 2023, leading to a significant reduction in homicides. Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott pushed back against Trump’s assertion that the city is “so far gone.” This year, Scott reported homicides are down 28%, marking the lowest level of any year on record. Local police data also shows violent crime is down 17% from this time last year, and property crime has dropped 13%.
Despite these declines, Baltimore still ranks as the fourth most dangerous city in America. These numbers clash with the Democratic narrative that crime is under control. Residents in both D.C. and Baltimore know the truth — many say the situation has felt “out of control” for years. Communities have long been pleading for help, often feeling their concerns were ignored until now. Trump’s intervention in D.C. may only be the beginning. If successful, similar federal actions could follow in other struggling cities. The urgency is not just political — it’s deeply needed.
Critics have already begun framing Trump’s D.C. takeover as racially motivated. But that framing ignores the painful truth: For years, Black communities have been devastated by violent crime. The violence surged in the wake of the Black Lives Matter and Antifa movements, overwhelming Black-led city governments. The harsh reality is that crime is no longer confined to neglected neighborhoods — it is spilling into affluent districts. In Baltimore, that shift is undeniable. Areas like Canton, once considered safe, now face vagrancy, muggings and open violence. This isn’t just a Baltimore story. It’s happening in D.C., Chicago, Oakland and cities across the nation.
It is heartbreaking that it took violence reaching the doorsteps of the city’s opulent residents before meaningful action was considered. For years, the bloodshed in predominantly Black neighborhoods was treated as a grim norm. Too many leaders looked the other way rather than call out the destruction and decay consuming their own communities. President Trump’s actions may be controversial, but for many residents, they represent something they’ve been demanding for years — decisive help. Whether or not one agrees with the method, the message is clear: The days of ignoring violent crime in America’s cities are coming to an end.
Christopher Anderson is a third-generation Baltimorean, a U.S. Coast Guard veteran and a community advocate. He is chairman of the Maryland Black Republican Council and a member of the Baltimore City Republican Central Committee. He has run for Congress and the Baltimore City Council.
