Trump ramps up law enforcement takeover in DC, critics call it intimidation

President Donald Trump ramped up his takeover of law enforcement in the nation’s capital over the weekend. He also served notice to other Democratic-led cities that they may be next.

At the same time, criticism of the president’s moves is also ramping up.

Union Station in Washington has traditionally been considered a high-crime area and a frequent site for organized protests. Now, the National Guard has been deployed there, stop crime. Activists and veterans are protesting their deployment.

Veteran Russell Ellis, better known as “Jolly,” strongly opposes deploying the Guard in Washington, where local police say violent crime is at a 30-year low.

"I believe those numbers, but even if they're not ... that's a law enforcement function, not a military function," he said.

About 2,200 National Guard troops are now patrolling the nation’s capital, some of them armed.

Trump said the deployment is about making the city safe again. To that end, he signed an executive order Monday ending cashless bail in D.C. and said he is considering sending the National Guard to other cities with crime problems, such as Chicago.

Critics say the effort is ultimately about Trump trying to intimidate people who don’t support him.

“I don’t care who you voted for, I don’t care what your political beliefs are, everyone should agree that we don’t deploy our military on American soil for the pure purpose of intimidation,” Ellis said.

Ellis added that veterans will continue protesting anywhere the military is used to help police America’s streets.