Washington DC—On Saturday afternoon DC residents rallied in opposition to street patrols of armed National Guard Soldiers. Organized by the Party of Socialism and Liberation, multiple speakers told of the negative effects from the deployment of thousands of armed troops throughout the city. They also called on residents to increase pressure on city leadership to end the armed patrols and request National Guard be returned to their States. They also demanded DC be given Statehood.
Statehood would afford the rights to self-governance and representation under the Constitution. The National Guard occupation would not have been allowed within the District limits had its residents enjoyed full Statehood, several speakers said. There are currently 4600 National Guard assigned to parrots in the District and they are being moved from hotel rooms to apartments at a cost of $292 million, according to a published report on the WJLA News website. Their patrols are being extended to January 2029, the end of Trump’s term.
The National Guard Soldiers have been occupying city neighborhoods and public spaces since August 11, last year. One year ago Trump ordered the activation of National Guard units from several States to patrol the downtown area near Union Station, Metro train stations, and the National Mall. He had falsely claimed the District was experiencing a “crime emergency.” National Guard troops enjoined federal law enforcement agencies already surging in DC under the guise of a fighting crime in the city. Trump also took over control and oversight of the Metropolitan Police Department.
Trump’s Department of Justice (DOJ) website conflicted with his claims of a DC violent crime wave. Historical crime statistics show the violent crime in the District was trending at an unprecedented 30 year low. The DOJ website page breaks crime down by category and also showed some minor crime type statistics marginally increased year over year from 2024. But it showed serious crime had decreased significantly in 30 years.
On September 4, 2025, DC Attorney General Brian Schwalb filed suit against Trump, Hegseth, and the Department of Justice for deployment of National Guard. In its filing, Schwalb wrote, “Defendants’ actions flout the Posse Comitatus Act and its counterpart, 10 U.S.C. § 275, which enshrine the nation’s foundational prohibition on the participation of military forces in domestic law enforcement absent the most extreme exigencies, such as an invasion or rebellion. Defendants have established a massive, seemingly indefinite law enforcement operation in the District subject to direct military command.”
The Posse Comitatus Act forbids U.S. Armed Forces for policing unless there is a declaration of an emergency such as an insurrection, civil unrest, a hurricane, or other natural disaster. DC is currently under none of these conditions, yet an appeals court declined to order a stop to the deployment as appeals courts have ordered in other States where suits were brought against National Guard deployments.
Speakers Denounced Troops As An Illegal Occupying Force
A spokesperson from the Party of Socialism and Liberation said there was no crime emergency in the city. “A year ago the Trump administration told us these troops were going to be placed here to make the city more safe and to lessen the crime in our communities, even going so far as to declare DC a public safety emergency,” said Madoca, an organizer with PSL. “But anyone living in this city knows that this is far from the truth. The guise of safety has always been a falsehood,” they said.
Cam, a lead organizer with the Answer Coalition, was emphatic about the National Guard troops being used to further tropes of racism and oppression in a city that is predominantly African American. “Before their arrival these Soldiers were fed a distorted image of our city. In the media [they were told] that what is unfamiliar and feared is a threat. The social media [told them] that our city is plagued with viciousness and ineptitude giving way to neglect and crime. This image is widespread on social media. But putting them [here], they recognize that their neighbors are not criminals, that poverty is not filth, and the only sector of our city that needs cleaning are the halls of government.”
Statehood Would Give DC Residents A Voice In Their Government
DC has a an overwhelming progressive voter base and Statehood would add two seats to the Senate and one seat to the House chamber. These would likely be Independent or Democratic Party Senators and an Independent or Democratic Representative. A two-thirds majority vote in both chambers, with Presidential signature would be required under the Constitution to pass the Statehood Act. In 2016, 85% of DC residents supported Statehood.
In 2020 Eleanore Holmes-Northern helped gain 223 cosigners for H.R. 51, a Bill that would provide a path to DC Statehood. According to her website, “Support for Norton’s bill has been overwhelming. H.R. 51 has a record number of House cosponsors (223) and the Senate’s D.C. statehood bill, introduced by Senator Tom Carper (D-DE), also has the most cosponsors ever (34). Earlier this year, the House passed H.R. 1, the For the People Act, which contained extensive findings supporting D.C. statehood, marking the first time in history either chamber of Congress has endorsed D.C. statehood.”
DC Statehood And Autonomy Would Have Prevailed In Court Over Occupational Forces
DC Statehood is justified for many reasons, the least of which are the occupation forces now patrolling District streets. Another reason is the absence of just taxation in a democratic system. Taxing sales revenue without giving citizens a voice was the basis for the revolt by the Colonists against the British Crown in the 1770s. Their rallying call was that there should be ‘no taxation without representation.’ And DC residents pay some of the highest taxes in terms of property taxes, income taxes and corporate taxes. DC lines up aa collectively the 48th most heavily taxed zone in comparison to all States’ tax rates. DC also has no representation in neither the House of Representatives nor in the Senate. A ceremonial House seat was set aside and is “elected” every 2-years by DC citizens and held presently by Eleanore Holmes Norton, but she has no voting power and no official voice in the House. Therefore DC residents are actually citizens in name only. They are similar to nomads in another country, locked out of their own democratic system.
Meanwhile all other States enjoy representation in both legislative chambers giving their residents access to redress grievances through their representatives. The State of Wyoming, for example, has one House representative and two Senators though it has far fewer residents than the District. Wyoming only has 588,000 residents, and the District has 702,000. That’s 114,000 more than Wyoming. Further, Wyoming residents pay a per capita tax rate of $4,009.00 while District of Columbia residents pay a per capita tax rate of $15,009.00. While Wyoming is ranked first in tax competitiveness (the lowest taxes average per person), the District is 48th in tax competitiveness (one of the highest taxed zones in the country).
DC also has one of the highest costs of living in the country and unlike other States, DC cannot charge out-of-state workers income taxes because it is not a State. Workers in adjacent states enjoy the higher paying jobs DC has to offer but pay less in taxes in both Maryland and Virginia. This therefore places DC residents at a greater economic disadvantage, causing them to depend on Congress for funding for shortfalls.
DC also may also lose its ’Home Rule’ status under Trump, something that took decades to achieve. Home Rule, or the ability to set its own statutes because it is the prerogative of the Congress to give it autonomy. Since the majority party has ceded its power to Trump, he could take Home Rule by executive order and with the stroke of a pen. It would be challenged in the courts but by not having Statehood, there is no guardrail to protect what limited autonomy District residents have.
Push For DC Statehood Spurred By Military Occupation
The occupying military forces patrolling DC Streets and the resulting mobilization of citizen’s rights groups have virtually guaranteed a future positive outcome for Statehood. When the balance of power within the legislature is contested in November 2026, its power is certain to shift back to Democrats in the House and possibly in the Senate too. With this shift will come increased pressure to give DC the Statehood it has been demanding for decades.
