Currently, in two American cities, the National Guard has been deployed or is soon to be. Those two cities happen to be Chicago and Washington, D.C, cities that were once heavily Black-populated. Some have made an inference that the intended results of the National Guard being deployed are to have control over once black dominated cities. President Trump has had troubled racial relations with Black people over the course of his presidency. Trump has been accused of initiating policies that have the intent of erasing Black history and limiting Black voices. Day by Day, it appears that the once Democratic American government is on the breach of becoming a land of Authoritarianism. The first steps have already begun, with major cities being occupied by the National Guard.
President Trump now has his eyes set on the city of Baltimore, which also has a large Black population. Trump is using the excuse that by deploying the National Guard, crime rates will drop in the said cities. In Washington, D.C, homicide and crime rates have already decreased; this suggests that the deployment of the National Guard has been beneficial. Seemingly, crime rates in Washington, D.C had already fallen. In early 2025, Washington, D.C homicide rates were down 32% which raises questions about whether Trump’s deployment of the national guard really had any impact on the City’s crime. Residents of D.C are currently living in fear, with the National Guard becoming weaponized with firearms.
Is America putting fear into its own citizens? That appears to be what President Trump is attempting to do, but state and city powers are speaking up. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson says that they have received no communication from the Trump administration about the suspected deployment of the National Guard. In an interview with Chicago 7 Action News, Mayor Johnson delivered his opinion that “The last thing that Chicagoans want is someone from the outside of our city who doesn’t know our city, try to dictate and tell us what our city needs.” Johnson is heavily against Trump’s plan and believes it makes no sense when the city’s crime rate has already been decreased. President Trump still has plans to continue his tyranny and abuse his power to a deeper extent. In the coming weeks, President Trump has important decisions to make, especially in Chicago, on whether he should follow through on his intention of deploying the National Guard in the city.
Many suspect that Trump already has his mind made up, and the National Guard will be deployed in just a few weeks. Urban cities are the clear target of the Trump administration’s initiative to limit crime. Although these cities are known to have historically high crime rates, President Trump should not be able to breach his power and deploy the national guard without there being a city or statewide emergency.
Could urban cities like Detroit and St. Louis be the next target of the Trump regime? Lifelong Detroiter and school principal Demond Thomas spoke on the Trump administration’s current initiatives: “It is clear that he is targeting urban cities that are heavily populated with Black residents.” Thomas is not heavily involved in politics, but this was an issue that felt personal to him. Demond grew up in Detroit and was quickly labeled a poor inner-city kid, which many in Detroit were labeled at that time. Thomas believes that Trump is attempting to place fear within the inner cities and that Trump is ultimately abusing his power. He did note that there could be positive benefits of Trump’s plan, but ultimately, placing the National Guard could have a psychological effect on residents. Residents will feel like their every move is being watched and that one minor mistake could lead to an arrest or even the possibility of police brutality.
