#TalkRadio – August 19: #FreeDC! President Trump’s Rising Authoritarianism: Threats to D.C. Autonomy, Democracy, and Homeless People

INTRODUCTION:

Hi Igniters For Change! The Igniting Change Radio Show on Tuesday, August 19th, 2025, from 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM Eastern Time, Entitled “#FreeDC! President Trump’s Rising Authoritarianism: Threats to D.C. Autonomy, Democracy, and Homeless People”, will be live with Radio Show Co-Hosts and Transformative Justice Coalition (TJC) Co-Leaders Attorneys Barbara Arnwine, Esq. and Daryl Jones, Esq. and will feature special guests Rep. Ron Reynolds; Donald Whitehead; and, Dr. Dibinga Omekongo, CSP. This week’s show will continue to highlight two of President Trump’s most egregious and impactful executive overreaches: 1) his move to stack the 2026 election by through mid-decade partisan redistricting, intention to issue an illegal voter suppression executive order; and, 2) his takeover of Washington, D.C. law enforcement and criminalization of the homeless, and the peoples’ fight against all of his unconstitutional and dictatorial actions.

From August 3rd to August 18, 2025, fifty Texas House Democrats staged a walkout to block a mid-decade redistricting bill backed by Donald Trump and Governor Greg Abbott. The proposed map would add five GOP-leaning congressional seats despite Texas having redrawn its districts in 2021. This redistricting will reduce the number of African American congressional members by packing African Americans into fewer districts. By leaving the state, Democrats denied quorum and shut down the first special session.

Republicans responded with civil arrest warrants, attempted extraditions from Illinois, and threats to vacate Democratic seats. The first special session adjourned on August 15 without passing any legislation. Abbott immediately called a second session, which began August 18.

That morning, most Democrats returned to the Capitol, ending their 17-day protest. Their return was met with surveillance and restrictions: lawmakers were required to sign permission slips and accept Department of Public Safety escorts to leave the chamber. Representative Nicole Collier refused to sign and was effectively confined to the House floor, later filing a habeas corpus petition challenging her detention.

Igniting Change guest Representative Ron Reynolds posted a TikTok video on August 18, 2025, during an interview with News Nation about the Texas House ending the quorum break. In the video, Rep. Reynolds, responding to the anchor’s question “So, you all were successful in stalling but only delaying the inevitable- how, then, is this a win in your mind?”, responded:

“Well, it’s a win because we set out with two objectives: to kill the first call special session- which we did [as it] effectively ended this last Friday- and the second was to take this fight across the country to engage other states to respond in kind. California, as you stated from per [sic] Governor Newsom, when they reconvene today will introduce five Democratic seats that will nullify any five gains from Texas so basically it’s a wash. We also had great conversations with New York, with Illinois, with New Mexico, uh, with Maryland – so we believe that we’ve taken this fight out of Texas to the country. We’ve changed the narrative: most Americans are with us in terms of the polls, uh, that are against mid-decade redistricting and certainly against racial gerrymandering. So we believe that we’ve accomplished what we could, given the means that we have, and now we turn the fight to the legislate [sic]- to the legal end with our lawyers. We’re going to put up a, put up the [sic]record on the floor to build the record to then litigate this matter because we believe it violated the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and therefore is unconstitutional.”

Watch the full interview clip here: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8BjtHJf/

The Texas standoff has sparked a national response. On August 14, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced a November 4 special election to let voters decide whether to override the state’s independent redistricting commission and adopt a new map that could flip five seats to Democrats. Newsom called it a “five-alarm fire for democracy,” asserting that California must “meet fire with fire” to counter Trump’s influence.

As of August 18, the Texas House resumed business with quorum met, and Republicans are expected to fast-track the redistricting bill. Democrats continue to challenge the process both legislatively and legally. According to the Courthouse News Service article on August 18th, “Just outside the House Chamber, supporters held signs and cheered as Democrats filed through the doors and headed to their desks. Many Republicans welcomed their colleagues with a smile and a hug, mere days after voting to send state police after their colleagues who had absconded to Illinois, California and New York.” Read more on everything surrounding their return here: https://api.courthousenews.com/texas-house-democrats-met-with-police-surveillance-upon-return-to-state-capitol-after-quorum-break/

Also as of August 18, 2025, roughly 1,500 National Guard troops are currently deployed in Washington, D.C., with additional reinforcements expected. This includes approximately 800 personnel from the D.C. National Guard activated under federal authority, along with units from West Virginia (approx. 350 troops), South Carolina (200 troops), and Ohio (150 troops), many of whom are assigned to military police roles. These troops are primarily stationed near federal buildings and tourist-heavy areas, tasked with supporting law enforcement and protecting property. Most are currently unarmed, but some units are expected to begin carrying firearms in the coming days.

President Donald Trump has recently threatened and begun deploying a range of federal law enforcement agencies in Washington, D.C., under the claim of combating violent crime—even though crime rates have been falling. Here’s a breakdown of the agencies and forces involved:

📆 Trump’s Federal Law Enforcement Actions in Washington, D.C. (2025)

March 14, 2025

• EO 14288: “Restoring Safety and Order in the Nation’s Capital”
• Created the “D.C. Safe and Beautiful” task force to address crime and homelessness

August 8, 2025

• EO 14325: “Federal Surge Deployment for Urban Crime Prevention”
• Deployed 450 federal officers from FBI, DEA, Secret Service, Park Police, ATF, and others

August 10, 2025

• EO 14326: “Emergency Mobilization of the D.C. National Guard”
• Announced activation of up to 800 troops and intent to federalize MPD

August 11, 2025

• EO 14327: “Temporary Federal Oversight of the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department”
• Declared a public safety emergency and placed MPD under federal control
• Appointed the U.S. Attorney General to oversee MPD operations

August 11, 2025

• EO 14328: “Federal Protection of Government Continuity in the District of Columbia”
• Cited embassy staff murders and threats to federal operations as justification
• FBI agents began street patrols and license plate scans
• Federal officers initiated removal of homeless encampments from federal areas
• DEA and Park Police began leading enforcement in designated zones

Many homeless residents and advocates in Washington, D.C. have condemned the Trump administration’s recent executive orders targeting homelessness, describing them as punitive, unlawful, and ineffective. The orders authorize arrests and institutionalization of individuals for sleeping outside, refusing shelter, or declining social services, despite the city having only 40 shelter beds for nearly 900 unsheltered residents. Advocacy groups such as Miriam’s Kitchen, the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless, and the National Homelessness Law Center argue that these actions violate constitutional rights and worsen homelessness by disconnecting individuals from community support. They emphasize that the only effective solution is housing first, paired with supportive services. Critics also highlight the racial and authoritarian undertones of the crackdown, noting that it disproportionately harms Black and Brown communities and diverts resources away from proven housing strategies. These concerns are compounded by the fact that most homeless individuals are already working: a University of Chicago study found that 53% of people in homeless shelters and 40% of unsheltered individuals were employed during the year they experienced homelessness, though their earnings were far below what’s needed to afford housing (Pagaduan, 2022). National organizations have denounced the orders as rooted in outdated myths and warned that they will exacerbate the crisis rather than resolve it (National Coalition for the Homeless, 2025; National Homelessness Law Center, 2025; Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless, 2025).

On July 24, 2025, NCH released a statement titled “Trump administration issues executive orders that fundamentally misrepresent homelessness” ((read the full statement here: https://nationalhomeless.org/trump-administration-issues-executive-orders-that-fundamentally-misrepresent-homelessness/ ). The executive orders treat homelessness as a criminal issue rather than a societal challenge. Igniting Change guest and NCH Executive Director Donald Whitehead Jr. is quoted in the statement as saying that “[t]hese executive orders ignore decades of evidence-based housing and support services… They represent a punitive approach that has consistently failed.” NCH warns that the orders threaten due process and civil liberties, especially for those with mental health challenges. The orders propose withholding HUD funding from states that protect individuals from involuntary institutionalization, while paradoxically allowing Medicaid funding for mental health treatment.

Alongside NCH, on July 24, 2025, National Homelessness Law Center (NHLC) published a statement titled “National Homelessness Law Center condemns Trump’s misguided Executive Order” (read the full statement here: https://homelesslaw.org/statement7242025/ ). NHLC calls the order “backwards, expensive, and ineffective,” warning it will worsen homelessness. NHLC objects to the expansion of the police and institutional responses to homelessness; how his new policies prioritize funding for states that criminalize homelessness while simultaneously cutting off support for harm-reduction and housing-first programs. Jesse Rabinowitz, NHLC Communications Director, says in the statement that “[a]rresting or ticketing people for sleeping outside makes homelessness worse, wastes taxpayer money, and simply does not work.” NHLC urges support for the Housing Not Handcuffs Act, a legislative response to criminalization trends.

NHLC also co-signed a joint press release with the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless and Miriam’s Kitchen warning of “unlawful arrests and forced displacement of homeless DC residents” expected under Trump’s directives. Read the joint statement here: https://www.legalclinic.org/press-release-unlawful-arrests-and-forced-displacement-of-homeless-dc-residents-expected-as-soon-as-tonight/