The arrival of National Guard troops in D.C.
Troops called to active duty by President Trump arrived at the Washington Monument on Tuesday as part of his plan to address what he says is “out of control” crime in the nation’s capital.
Here, from FactCheck.org is an article titled “Trump distorts violent crime statistics in ordering takeover and troops to D.C.”
Col. Dave Butler, an Army spokesperson, says the troops were called on to help local law enforcement with logistics support, transportation and administration duties, as well as being visible around the National Mall.
It’s not immediately clear why U.S. troops along the National Mall are needed, “other than to put Trump’s orders on display,” says ABC News. The area, with its museums, monuments and long stretches of grass, is a relatively safe part of the city that attracts mostly tourists and school groups.
Officials say 100 National Guard troops reported to duty on Tuesday, with 700 more expected throughout the week. The troops will work in shifts of 200 at a time.
Like all service members serving in the United States, the National Guard will fall under the Standing Rules for the Use of Force: Military personnel have the right of self-defense to protect themselves and others, but use de-escalation techniques to minimize the use of force to accomplish their mission.
The troops are expected to have access to weapons but won’t carry them, Butler says.
D.C.’s situation is unique
The founders of our country didn’t want the capital city to be located in a state because they didn’t want that state to have an advantage over the other states.
As a result, “Unlike in states, where governors control the National Guard, D.C.’s National Guard is controlled by the president, so Trump already has wide latitude to deploy the Guard on city streets, which he has done before during the 2020 racial justice protests,” says a Washington Post Q and A.
“But Trump taking control of the D.C. police department is unprecedented,” the Post says. “This legal mechanism is through the D.C. Home Rule Act, which is the law that gave D.C. the right to elect a local government in 1973. It also includes a provision requiring the mayor to provide police services to the president for federal use if the president declares special conditions of an emergency exist, as Trump did in his order.”
D.C. officials strongly dispute that there is an emergency and point to declining versus rising crime, but Mayor Muriel Bowser, D, doubts whether a legal challenge would be successful, says the Post.
“We could contest that, but the authority is pretty broad,” she says.