Trump’s takeover of Washington, D.C. is his latest step towards imposing a police state where civil liberties are shredded and cops are given free rein to carry out racist violence. Trump justified his takeover using extreme racist rhetoric designed to demonize Black youth. Trump also implied that ICE would step up deportation raids in DC as part of the takeover. DC residents have never been allowed to elect voting representatives to the House or the Senate, despite having a population that is larger than Vermont or Wyoming. As the Trump administration officials held their press conference, a huge crowd of DC residents gathered outside the White House to protest this attack on democracy and civil rights.