Janisse Miles gave the following excerpted remarks at an August 22, 2025, Workers World Party meeting in New York City in honor of Black August.

On Aug. 11, Donald Trump declared a state of emergency in Washington, D.C., to combat a supposed crime rise, claiming that, “Our capital city has been overtaken by violent gangs and bloodthirsty criminals, roving mobs of wild youth, drugged-out maniacs and homeless people.”

But when looking at the statistics, according to Meg Anderson, the criminal justice reporter of National Public Radio, not only has crime fallen since the aftermath of the COVID-19 [crisis of 2020], but by the Justice Department’s records, violent crime in D.C. hit a 30-year low in 2024 — including a homicide decrease of over 10%, a 30% decrease in robberies and a 40% decrease in carjackings. And yet, about 800 National Guard troops were released into the city, racking up over 600 arrests and counting. So why would Trump do this?

1.Racism: The White House is no stranger to weaponizing the National Guard against Black people, the last time being to suppress the protests in 2020 following the police murder of George Floyd. And when crime is discussed, describing the perpetrators as bloodthirsty, drugged-out maniacs, the people that this is supposed to stir strong emotion in do not imagine a white face.

Speaking of faces, on the very same day, Aug. 11, at 5:01 p.m., the official White House Twitter, aka X, posted a thread featuring seven uncensored photos (not mugshots) of private citizens at their time of arrest with their hands tied behind their back, claiming that they are just a few of the 37 “criminals” arrested that night. Below the photo states their alleged offense, such as “possession of a firearm.”

Out of these seven photos, six of the subjects are Black, with five involving a firearm offense and one involving assault. The only non-Black face also has the only nonviolent offense displayed, “unauthorized use of a vehicle,” and the only face looking sadly at the camera. Unsurprisingly, this is the arrest that the commenting supporters feel the most sorry for, claiming that he shouldn’t be there amongst the “drug dealers and killers.”

The White House is ensuring that Black people remain the face of violent crime so that when the National Guard continues to terrorize the communities within the once predominately Black District of Columbia, the public will assume that they are simply criminals getting what’s coming to them, and they will receive less support from the people around them as the troops violate their human rights more brazenly by the day.

 2.) Boundary testing: Trump is currently trying to see how much he can get away with before facing consequences, which he hasn’t faced yet, or ever. D.C. is the easiest area he can sic a national militia on, because it does not have statehood, and therefore the National Guard answers directly to the president with no governors to get in the way. He also reveals his hit list of other cities he intends to take control over: Chicago, Los Angeles, Baltimore, Oakland and of course New York City. All places with a high concentration of Black people per capita.

3.) Is New York next? And the answer is of course it is! With the federal arrest of Comptroller Brad Lander in June for trying to protect a migrant who ICE wanted to kidnap and the ongoing call for the deportation of mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani for being Brown, Trump is salivating at the opportunity to dominate or disappear any New York government official who doesn’t take his bribes or bend to his whims. And because we know the U.S. ruling class will not protect anyone who does not serve their interests, we only have each other to rely on. 

We need to prepare for the violence marching towards our doorsteps and prepare our neighbors too. While even the most liberal of the left have properly utilized the action of recording brutality, we need to become knowledgeable on how to defend ourselves against armed oppressors and how to de-arrest others, instead of only being the shocked bystanders behind a camera. This is not just a test for this administration to see what they can get away with, but a test for us and what we are willing to take.