Trump Admin takes over D.C. Policing
- Thread starter nycfan
- Start date
- Replies: 2K
- Views: 48K
- Politics
- Messages
- 29,587
‘Move Out, Immediately:' Trump's vision for ridding DC streets of homeless
The president has vowed to use "involuntary commitment" to detain people sleeping on the streets of DC.
‘Move Out, Immediately:' Trump's vision for ridding DC streets of homeless
The president has vowed to use \
www.usatoday.com
“… “We’re going to be removing homeless encampments from beautiful parks, which now, a lot of people can’t walk on,” Trump told reporters, adding that his administration is getting “rid of the people from underpasses and public spaces from all over the city.”
… But it’s unclear exactly how the president’s order for people sleeping outdoors to "move out, immediately" would actually work. In the Aug. 11 order, the president offered few specific details on the logistics of the effort. He told reporters there were “many places” people could go and his administration planned to “help them as much as you can help.”
…
According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, there were about 5,600 homeless people in Washington, DC down from about 8,300 in 2016. Of those homeless people counted in January 2025, about 1,000 were sleeping on the streets any given night. The majority of the rest were either staying with friends, in hotels or in one of the city's shelters.
There are about 3,200 emergency shelter beds in the city, and about another 1,000 beds in shelters for people transitioning into more permanent housing, according to the DC-based Community Partnership for the Prevention of Homelessness.
Donald Whitehead, executive director of the National Coalition for the Homeless said all of those shelters are currently at capacity, creating more uncertainty over where Trump would move people on the streets. Whitehead questioned whether the president would consider jailing the homeless, sending them to an unknown location or moving them outside of the city. …”
‘Move Out, Immediately:' Trump's vision for ridding DC streets of homeless
The president has vowed to use "involuntary commitment" to detain people sleeping on the streets of DC.
‘Move Out, Immediately:' Trump's vision for ridding DC streets of homeless
The president has vowed to use \
“… “We’re going to be removing homeless encampments from beautiful parks, which now, a lot of people can’t walk on,” Trump told reporters, adding that his administration is getting “rid of the people from underpasses and public spaces from all over the city.”
… But it’s unclear exactly how the president’s order for people sleeping outdoors to "move out, immediately" would actually work. In the Aug. 11 order, the president offered few specific details on the logistics of the effort. He told reporters there were “many places” people could go and his administration planned to “help them as much as you can help.”
…
According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, there were about 5,600 homeless people in Washington, DC down from about 8,300 in 2016. Of those homeless people counted in January 2025, about 1,000 were sleeping on the streets any given night. The majority of the rest were either staying with friends, in hotels or in one of the city's shelters.
There are about 3,200 emergency shelter beds in the city, and about another 1,000 beds in shelters for people transitioning into more permanent housing, according to the DC-based Community Partnership for the Prevention of Homelessness.
Donald Whitehead, executive director of the National Coalition for the Homeless said all of those shelters are currently at capacity, creating more uncertainty over where Trump would move people on the streets. Whitehead questioned whether the president would consider jailing the homeless, sending them to an unknown location or moving them outside of the city. …”
- Messages
- 29,587
New York’s Democratic Governor Called in the Troops Last Year to Fight Subway Crime
President Trump is deploying the National Guard to the streets of an American city for the second time this year, but the Guard has been used by other leaders, too.
New York’s Democratic Governor Called in the Troops Last Year to Fight Subway Crime
President Trump is deploying the National Guard to the streets of an American city for the second time this year, but the Guard has been used by other leaders, too.
“… In March 2024, Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York, a Democrat, announced that she would deploy 750 members of the National Guard to New York’s subway system.
It was a jarring sight to some New Yorkers who were not accustomed to seeing troops in military uniforms patrolling the subway with rifles.
There is an important difference between the situation in Washington, and the one in New York, however: Ms. Hochul, as New York’s governor, controls the state’s National Guard and can deploy it as she sees fit. Mr. Trump, on the other hand, is sending the Guard into the streets of Washington against the wishes of the city’s leaders, just as he sent the National Guard to the streets of Los Angeles in June over objections from both the mayor and California’s governor.
In the subways, Ms. Hochul said the deployment worked. Crime in the subway declined 27 percent in the 12 months following the troops’ arrival, she said. This summer, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority experienced its safest July on record, with an 8 percent drop in major felony crimes compared to July 2024, according to data from the governor’s office.…”
Centerpiece
Inconceivable Member
- Messages
- 2,721
Or: “How to deflect from Epstein 7.0”
1moretimeagain
Inconceivable Member
- Messages
- 2,595
- Messages
- 1,422
Last edited:
McAdooSmackinYou
Exceptional Member
- Messages
- 226
uhh they may want to check out last year’s scotus ruling re cities and homelessness.
- Messages
- 3,174
The prescence of more "troops " will help calm down the visible walking around "trouble" That is fine-it is good. When they leave it will go back to what it was
What is needed is more DC Police officers , more drug addict care, more of an effort at housing the Homeless. more of an effort at controlling truancy , rat control . Increase the funding for all these programs-why not have the Feds increase the funding to DC for these programs ?
Now I will say I visited the large unique Capital in Austin a few years ago and there were a lot of LEOs with automatic weapons walking around...It felt like I was in Russia or some such. It was creepy
What is needed is more DC Police officers , more drug addict care, more of an effort at housing the Homeless. more of an effort at controlling truancy , rat control . Increase the funding for all these programs-why not have the Feds increase the funding to DC for these programs ?
Now I will say I visited the large unique Capital in Austin a few years ago and there were a lot of LEOs with automatic weapons walking around...It felt like I was in Russia or some such. It was creepy
- Messages
- 1,588
I think it's pretty obvious what is happening here. Every king needs a castle to hide behind when they don't want to cede their power. Moving the military into DC is Donald Trump preparing to castle-up.
- Messages
- 6,378
Thought this was an interesting take worth considering.
"This DC stunt by the Trump administration is the only way they know how to do politics. They’ve done it for a decade now and the Democrats continue to play right into their hands.
====
Step One: Find a tangible, observable universally recognized problem that can be photographed or recorded and played in news clips (graffiti, theft, broken windows, open-air loitering, etc.). In fact, better if the underlying data paints a different picture so academic types inevitably make nuanced arguments in opposition that the pictures and video aren’t indicative of the full picture, etc.
Step Two: Array an exaggerated, unprecedented, and probably illegal state response against the problem that inevitably makes headline news around the country and triggers legal challenges. You now own the issue and are perceived as the actor. “At least he’s finally doing something!” many might say.
Step Three: Frame all the forces challenging the state response on constitutional grounds or otherwise “as weak on crime” and “the ones who made the mess” in the first place. Never credit the legal arguments or care about the Constitution. This is all about the observable problem on people’s screens.
Step Four: Pounce when the opposition says this is “overreach” or “fascism” or that the problem isn’t as bad as we’re making it seem. Continue to paint them as being asleep at the wheel why our cities crumble. Punt legality to the courts and if pressed, just say this is what Trump promised to do.
Step Five: Ignore the actual results of the state response and whether it was successful at stopping the problem. The result doesn’t matter. If we have to demilitarize or never levy a tariff, who cares? The whole point was only to win the PR game. And we came away looking like the tough ones with the “institutional swamp” arrayed against us. The viral videos were endless! “Did you see what Trump said to that one lefty reporter? Hilarious!”
Step Six: Rinse, repeat, rinse, repeat.====
Democrats keep playing right into this stupid playbook and never make their own plays. As a result, Trump is never on the hook for the success or failure of his nonsense schemes and he usually ends up getting credit with voters for at least appearing to attack these observable problems. Meanwhile, the problems get worse while America’s governing leaders engage in nothing but Kabuki theater."
"This DC stunt by the Trump administration is the only way they know how to do politics. They’ve done it for a decade now and the Democrats continue to play right into their hands.
====
Step One: Find a tangible, observable universally recognized problem that can be photographed or recorded and played in news clips (graffiti, theft, broken windows, open-air loitering, etc.). In fact, better if the underlying data paints a different picture so academic types inevitably make nuanced arguments in opposition that the pictures and video aren’t indicative of the full picture, etc.
Step Two: Array an exaggerated, unprecedented, and probably illegal state response against the problem that inevitably makes headline news around the country and triggers legal challenges. You now own the issue and are perceived as the actor. “At least he’s finally doing something!” many might say.
Step Three: Frame all the forces challenging the state response on constitutional grounds or otherwise “as weak on crime” and “the ones who made the mess” in the first place. Never credit the legal arguments or care about the Constitution. This is all about the observable problem on people’s screens.
Step Four: Pounce when the opposition says this is “overreach” or “fascism” or that the problem isn’t as bad as we’re making it seem. Continue to paint them as being asleep at the wheel why our cities crumble. Punt legality to the courts and if pressed, just say this is what Trump promised to do.
Step Five: Ignore the actual results of the state response and whether it was successful at stopping the problem. The result doesn’t matter. If we have to demilitarize or never levy a tariff, who cares? The whole point was only to win the PR game. And we came away looking like the tough ones with the “institutional swamp” arrayed against us. The viral videos were endless! “Did you see what Trump said to that one lefty reporter? Hilarious!”
Step Six: Rinse, repeat, rinse, repeat.====
Democrats keep playing right into this stupid playbook and never make their own plays. As a result, Trump is never on the hook for the success or failure of his nonsense schemes and he usually ends up getting credit with voters for at least appearing to attack these observable problems. Meanwhile, the problems get worse while America’s governing leaders engage in nothing but Kabuki theater."
- Messages
- 6,378
lawtig02
Inconceivable Member
- Messages
- 4,968
^ It's an effective strategy because there's no real way to rebut it. Trump can declare literally anything a crisis, regardless of whether it is or not, and very few people will do anything to check the facts. And if they do, Trump will just say the facts are wrong, and most Pubs trust him over any other source of information.
The most effective counter-strategy, in my view, is to ignore it. Or at least the parts that have an arguable connection to Trump's legitimate power, such as increased law enforcement in DC. Let him do that for a few weeks. It won't make a difference, nobody will feel safer, and Trump will move on to the next thing. The attention right now should be on (1) the clearly illegal and/or immoral aspects of what he's doing, such as moving homeless people into camps against their will, and (2) what Trump is using this to distract from. There's a reason the Obama shit has received almost no traction outside the far right infosphere. Most people are properly just ignoring it.
Now, I do think some cities could be governed better. Parts of DC are rough, no doubt about it. But DC could be the paragon of cleanliness and virtue and Trump would still be doing exactly what he's doing. This is not about DC. It's about (a) power, and (b) distraction.
ETA -- One more thing. More law enforcement could make a real and positive difference in Anacostia or Congress Heights. I don't blame the people who live there for cheering this on. I don't think that's at all what Trump intends to do, though. He said something yesterday about clearing the slums, which is problematic in its own right, but I'm almost sure the more visible law enforcement presence, if there is one, will be in high-traffic tourist and government zones. The point, after all, is not safety. It's spectacle. A show of force.
The most effective counter-strategy, in my view, is to ignore it. Or at least the parts that have an arguable connection to Trump's legitimate power, such as increased law enforcement in DC. Let him do that for a few weeks. It won't make a difference, nobody will feel safer, and Trump will move on to the next thing. The attention right now should be on (1) the clearly illegal and/or immoral aspects of what he's doing, such as moving homeless people into camps against their will, and (2) what Trump is using this to distract from. There's a reason the Obama shit has received almost no traction outside the far right infosphere. Most people are properly just ignoring it.
Now, I do think some cities could be governed better. Parts of DC are rough, no doubt about it. But DC could be the paragon of cleanliness and virtue and Trump would still be doing exactly what he's doing. This is not about DC. It's about (a) power, and (b) distraction.
ETA -- One more thing. More law enforcement could make a real and positive difference in Anacostia or Congress Heights. I don't blame the people who live there for cheering this on. I don't think that's at all what Trump intends to do, though. He said something yesterday about clearing the slums, which is problematic in its own right, but I'm almost sure the more visible law enforcement presence, if there is one, will be in high-traffic tourist and government zones. The point, after all, is not safety. It's spectacle. A show of force.
Last edited:
ZenMode
Legend of ZZL
- Messages
- 5,150
"But it’s unclear exactly how the president’s order for people sleeping outdoors to "move out, immediately" would actually work. "‘Move Out, Immediately:' Trump's vision for ridding DC streets of homeless
The president has vowed to use "involuntary commitment" to detain people sleeping on the streets of DC.
‘Move Out, Immediately:' Trump's vision for ridding DC streets of homeless
The president has vowed to use \
“… “We’re going to be removing homeless encampments from beautiful parks, which now, a lot of people can’t walk on,” Trump told reporters, adding that his administration is getting “rid of the people from underpasses and public spaces from all over the city.”
… But it’s unclear exactly how the president’s order for people sleeping outdoors to "move out, immediately" would actually work. In the Aug. 11 order, the president offered few specific details on the logistics of the effort. He told reporters there were “many places” people could go and his administration planned to “help them as much as you can help.”
…
According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, there were about 5,600 homeless people in Washington, DC down from about 8,300 in 2016. Of those homeless people counted in January 2025, about 1,000 were sleeping on the streets any given night. The majority of the rest were either staying with friends, in hotels or in one of the city's shelters.
There are about 3,200 emergency shelter beds in the city, and about another 1,000 beds in shelters for people transitioning into more permanent housing, according to the DC-based Community Partnership for the Prevention of Homelessness.
Donald Whitehead, executive director of the National Coalition for the Homeless said all of those shelters are currently at capacity, creating more uncertainty over where Trump would move people on the streets. Whitehead questioned whether the president would consider jailing the homeless, sending them to an unknown location or moving them outside of the city. …”
Move out of the outdoors...so, move indoors?
