Washington DC and Chicago witnessed massive rallies Saturday as crowds voiced outrage over President Donald Trump’s decision to station troops under crime suppression pretext. Immigrants alongside Palestine supporters flooded streets, waving anti-Trump signs and chanting for immediate troop withdrawal.
Protesters in capital city demanded soldiers leave urban areas swiftly. “City events frustrate me, prompting my presence here,” shared one activist. “We, social workers, tirelessly aid immigrants in restoring peace. Troops must exit our cities; we reject their presence.”
Chicago residents echoed similar fury, shouting “No Trump, No Troops.” Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, vocal Trump critic, highlighted risks to Mexican Independence Day festivities from anti-immigrant operations. Organizers canceled several events amid fears.
Tensions trace back to June when Trump ordered 4,000 National Guard members and 700 active Marines into Los Angeles, nation’s second-largest city. Last month, over 2,000 soldiers arrived in Washington DC citing crime concerns, sparking widespread backlash.
Mark Fitzpatrick, a former U.S. diplomat who has been a D.C. resident for around a decade. Told The Associated Press on Saturday that he’s worried about the “authoritarian nature” in which the administration is treating D.C.
“Federal agents, national guards patrolling our streets, that’s really an affront to the democracy of our city,” he said, adding that it’s worse for D.C. residents due to their lack of federal representation. “We don’t have our own senators or members of the House of Representatives. So we’re at the mercy of a dictator like this, a wanna-be dictator.”
Among the protesters Saturday were also former D.C. residents like Tammy Price, who called the Trump administration’s takeover “evil” and “not for the people.”
Jun Lee, a printmaker artist living in Washington, showed up with a “Free DC” sign that she made on a woodcut block. She said she came to the protest because she was “saddened and heartbroken.” About the impact of the federal intervention on her city.
“This is my home, and I never, ever thought all the stuff that I watched in a history documentary that I’m actually living in person. And this is why this is important for everyone. This is our home, we need to fight, we need to resist,” she said.
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Experts warn Trump’s capital trial run signals plans for broader rollout. Without current resistance, strategy could engulf entire country, they caution.
