Representative Dr. Oye Owolewa (D-D.C.) has strongly condemned President Donald Trump’s decision to invoke the Home Rule Act to take over the Metropolitan Police Department, deploy hundreds of National Guard troops, and forcibly remove unhoused residents from the city.

Describing the move as “an unprecedented overreach that violates the very principle of local sovereignty,” Rep. Owolewa said the President’s actions undermine D.C.’s elected leadership.

“Under Mayor Bowser and Chief Smith, we have seen violent crime drop by 26%. We have less crime than Memphis, New Orleans, and St. Louis, yet the President is militarizing our streets and seizing control of our police department,” he stated. “By not being a state, Washingtonians face an unprecedented level of federal overreach and oppression, with no recourse against those who abuse this power.”

Rep. Owolewa argued that the move has little to do with public safety. “Let’s be clear: this is not about public safety, it’s about consolidating power, silencing dissent, and criminalizing poverty. By abusing the Home Rule Act, President Trump is hijacking the authority of D.C.’s elected leaders, stripping away the rights of our residents, and putting communities in harm’s way. This is federal overreach at its worst, and it endangers every person who lives, works, and visits our nation’s capital.”

He concluded with a call for resilience and statehood. “We will not be bullied. We will not stand by while our neighbors are threatened, our streets are militarized, and our democracy is undermined. Only through D.C. statehood can we ensure that our public safety policies are guided by the will of our people, not the political ambitions of a president who doesn’t live here, doesn’t represent us, and doesn’t answer to our voters.”