Trump has sent the National Guard into Washington, D.C. The first question one should ask is, why Washington, D.C.? I know the Administration is telling us what a crime-ridden city Washington, D.C, is. When you look at the numbers, that is not what the numbers say. Crime was already down over 30 percent before Trump ever sent in the troops and federalized the police department. Before the National Guard invaded Washington, D.C., the city had implemented several programs that were achieving great success. First was the investment in community-based violence intervention, Office of Gun Violence Prevention, and the Near Act (Neighborhood Act Engagement Achieves Results). The programs deployed trained “violence interrupters” to mediate conflicts before they escalate.  Second, they concentrated on Youth Development & Prevention. The city supported over 100 programs focused on mentoring, life skills training, and Youth employment, targeting middle and high school students in high-risk areas. Long-term investments in education and economic opportunity were central to this strategy. What they were doing is investing in people. Third was Community Transformation. D.C. emphasized neighborhood revitalization, like greening vacant lots and improving street lighting. They also expanded access to mental health services. Fourth, they used Data-Driven Policing. Through the use of analytics and community feedback, they were able to focus on high-risk zones without over-policing. Five, they launched the Safer Stronger DC Initiative. This city-wide agenda combined legislative, budgetary, and administrative reforms to treat violence as a health issue. It included efforts across housing, education, and employment sectors.

After reading all of the improvements that have happened in Washington, D.C. I have to go back to the question: Why did Trump send the National Guard into the city? It just looks to me like there was no need, and that Trump's actions may actually hurt the initiatives that Washington has enacted. Of course, another question needs to be asked. Why has the media not reported about all of the success that Washington, D.C. was already having? I had read how they had lowered the crime rate, but I hadn’t read how. Why was this not all over the news as they were implementing these initiatives? I didn’t know any of the programs Washington had initiated. They should be the blueprint for other big cities should try to emulate. So again, I will ask again, why did Trump send the National Guard into Washington, D.C., a city that was experiencing much success?

When I look further into the question, a couple of other things jump out at me. Washington, D.C., is not even in the top ten of the most dangerous cities in the country. Neither is Chicago nor New York. Number one is Memphis, Tennessee.  You don’t hear anyone talking about sending the National Guard into Memphis. Why? Could it be that the State of Tennessee voted overwhelmingly for Trump? In the top ten most violent cities, there are three cities in the State of Louisiana: Alexandria, New Orleans, and Monroe. All three cities have a higher crime problem than Washington. In fact, Louisiana has the 2^nd highest homicide rate in the nation. Louisiana sent National Guard troops to help police in Washington, D.C., and not concentrating on solving the problems that they have in their own state. They are not only wasting money, but they are also not working to improve their own state. Cleveland is number 7 on the list. The State of Ohio also sent troops to Washington, D.C. Again, it is another prime example of wasting money and ignoring the problems they have at home. What we are seeing is the Republicans playing politics and the media letting them get away with it.

What are the reasons for high crime rates in our big cities? Violent crimes include homicide, robbery, rape, and aggravated assault. I wonder how they correlate with the economic stressors of poverty, unemployment, and housing instability. Unemployment has been linked to increases in violent crime, especially assault and robbery. Poverty is linked to both property crime, violence. Income inequality is a problem with overall crime, especially in urban areas.  Housing instability has a direct correlation with homelessness, which correlates with theft and drug-related offenses. It is easy to identify the reasons just like I have, but how do you solve them? What I see in Washington, D.C., in the actions of the local government is a step in the right direction. What I see the Federal Government is doing in Washington, D.C. is a step in the wrong direction. There are no plans, no solutions that I can see. The only thing that I see the Federal Government trying to do is to suppress the people and to try and embarrass the Democratic Party. There is nothing in their plan that is meant to make America a better nation for the future of our Grandchildren.

I don’t know about you, but I am tired of being lied to by the Federal Government. The Trump administration makes headlines, but it has no plans to make the country better or more prosperous for everyday Americans. The headline should be the lack of planning for the future. The headline should be 'Lack of Preparation for the Future of Our Nation.' They talk but don’t say anything that actually makes a difference. Sending the National Guard into Washington is not making a difference. It is not even close to coming up with solutions to the problems that are plaguing the everyday people of this nation. Economic trends do correlate strongly with increases in many types of crime, especially property and violent offenses. I see nothing the Trump Administration is doing that will solve the problems of our cities. I only see him making things worse. Poverty is growing. Homelessness is growing. We need to start addressing the real problems instead of creating smoke screens because Trump wants to distract from the Epstein files.