WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥 Thousands of protesters marched across Washington, D.C., on Saturday in one of the largest demonstrations against President Donald Trump’s federal takeover of policing in the nation鈥檚 capital.
Behind a bright red banner reading 鈥淓ND THE D.C. OCCUPATION鈥 in English and Spanish, protesters marched over two miles from Meridian Hill Park to Freedom Plaza near the White House to rail against the fourth week of National Guard troops and federal agents patrolling D.C.鈥檚 streets.
The 鈥淲e Are All D.C.鈥 protest 鈥 put together by local advocates of Home Rule and the American Civil Liberties Union 鈥 was perhaps the most organized demonstration yet against Trump’s federal intervention in Washington. The president justified the action last month as a way to address in the city, even though city officials have noted that than it was during Trump鈥檚 first term in office.
Thousands of protesters marched across Washington, D.C., on Saturday in one of the largest demonstrations against President Donald Trump鈥檚 federal takeover of policing in the nation鈥檚 capital. (Sept. 6, 2025)
Mike Pesoli / AP VideoTrump targeted D.C. after deploying the National Guard to earlier this summer as the administration ramped up its immigration enforcement efforts and attempted to quell protests. The White House then turned to Washington, which presented a unique opportunity for Trump to push his tough-on-crime agenda because of its to the federal government.
The presence of armed military officers in the streets has put Washington on edge and spurred weeks of demonstrations, particularly in D.C. neighborhoods. Trump鈥檚 emergency declaration taking charge of D.C. police on Wednesday.
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 鈥渁uthoritarian nature鈥 in which the administration is treating D.C.
鈥淔ederal agents, national guards patrolling our streets, that鈥檚 really an affront to the democracy of our city,” he said, adding that it鈥檚 worse for D.C. residents due to their lack of federal representation. “We don鈥檛 have our own senators or members of the House of Representatives, so we鈥檙e at the mercy of a dictator like this, a wanna-be dictator.鈥
Among the protesters Saturday were also former D.C. residents like Tammy Price, who called the Trump administration’s takeover 鈥渆vil” and 鈥渘ot for the people.鈥
Jun Lee, a printmaker artist living in Washington, showed up with a 鈥淔ree DC鈥 sign that she made on a woodcut block. She said she came to the protest because she was 鈥渟addened and heartbroken鈥 about the impact of the federal intervention on her city.
鈥淭his is my home, and I never, ever thought all the stuff that I watched in a history documentary that I鈥檓 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,鈥 she said.
Also on Saturday, Trump to the list of other Democratic-led cities he wants to target for expanded federal enforcement. His administration is set to step up immigration enforcement in Chicago, similar to what took place in Los Angeles, and . Like the District of Columbia, Chicago’s recent crime data does not reflect the war zones Trump has repeatedly compared it to.
Violent crime in Chicago dropped significantly in the first half of the year, representing the steepest decline in over a decade, according to city data. Shootings are down 37%, and homicides have dropped by 32%, while total violent crime dropped by over 22%.
In response to Trump’s threats, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, a Democrat, called the president a 鈥渨annabe dictator,” who is 鈥渢hreatening to go to war with an American city.鈥
鈥淭his is not a joke,” Pritzker wrote on X. “This is not normal.鈥
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Amiri reported from New York.
