In an executive order last week, Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser announced that the district will continue using federal law enforcement even after President Donald Trump’s federal takeover of the city expires.
The mayor credited a decrease in violent crime over the last month to the collaboration between the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and federal officials.
While crime has fallen in Washington since the federal occupation began, data about crime in the city was already in line with the previous year’s decrease in crime, according to an article from Verite News.
With Trump’s “crime emergency” set to expire on Sept. 10, Bowser confirmed that the Safe and Beautiful Emergency Operations Center (SBEOC) will continue to coordinate and communicate with various federal agencies such as the U.S. Marshall Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) to plan post-emergency operations and share resources.
“The SBEOC will coordinate centralized communications; formulate post emergency operations; and ensure coordination with federal law enforcement to the maximum extent allowable by law within the district,” the statement said.
The executive order says the city will utilize its federal counterparts to assist in countering gun violence and other violent crime, along with pushing the goals of the SBEOC workstreams. These goals include public safety and justice, encampments and homelessness, beautification and finance and economic resilience.
Bowser’s decision was met with praise by President Trump, who expressed his approval in a post on Truth Social.
“Mayor Muriel Bowser of D.C. has become very popular because she worked with me in bringing crime down to virtually nothing in D.C.,” Trump said. “Mayor Bowser’s ratings have gone up, in a short period of time, and the people of D.C. are thanking her for stopping crime wherever she goes.”
While Bowser’s ratings have remained stable, the vast majority of D.C. residents are against the federalization of law enforcement. An Aug. 20 poll from the Washington Post found that eight out of ten Washington, D.C,. residents oppose Trump’s federalization of law enforcement, with seven out of ten being “strongly opposed.”
The poll also found that 48 percent of Washingtonians believe that Bowser should do more to oppose Trump.
While Trump approved of Bower’s decision to continue cooperation with federal law enforcement, Washington, D.C., natives and non-profit organizations have spoken out against continued federal intervention.
In response to the executive order, Free DC — a non-profit organization that advocates for home rule within the district — released a short statement of disapproval.
“With her executive decision on September 2, Mayor Muriel Bowser showed us all a clear choice about whose side she’s on — and it’s not D.C.’s,” the statement said.
Free DC also urged people to send a letter to Bowser and demand better leadership.
Isaiah Horne, a student at Coppin State University, was born and raised in Washington, D.C. In the wake of the federal takeover, Horne described Washington, D.C., as “unrecognizable,” and stated that Bowser’s decision will only make matters worse.
“I feel like she’s doing what’s best for the media. I don’t think she’s doing what’s best for the city,” Horne said.
Over the last month, the federal occupation of Washington has been promoted by the Trump administration as an agenda to “clean up the city” and combat “out of control crime.” While MPD records show a decrease in violent crime since the federal takeover, it is also true that violent crime was already on the decline before Trump’s declared crime emergency.
When asked what Bowser should do differently, Horne said that she should engage with constituents who are personally affected by issues such as crime and homelessness.
“If she reached out to people that actually live in D.C. and really understand what’s going on, they can feel like their voice is being heard,” Horne said.
The executive order went into effect immediately after its release.
Copy-edited by Daryl R. Thomas Jr.
