In response to President Donald Trump’s “Declaring a Crime Emergency in the District of Columbia” and “Ending Crime and Disorder on America’s Streets” Executive Orders, Lambda Legal issued the following statement:
“Lambda Legal condemns the Trump administration’s latest attacks on civil and human rights, thinly disguised as public safety measures. The “Declaring a Crime Emergency in The District of Columbia” and “Ending Crime and Disorder on America’s Streets” Executive Orders are not about safety—they are about undermining local democracy, endangering and criminalizing communities, such as LGBTQ+ people, people of color, and unhoused people, who already are over-policed and underserved, and legitimizing mass incarceration. It is also no coincidence that this decision in particular targets a diverse city long denied full representation.
“These measures will fall hardest on those who are already pushed to the margins by a combination of systemic racism, transphobia, homophobia, and economic injustice. Nearly one in three transgender Americans has experienced homelessness in their lifetime, and LGBTQ+ youth represent over 40% of the population of youth experiencing homelessness. Black people make up about 13% of the U.S. population but nearly 40% of people experiencing homelessness, due to systemic racism in housing and employment. LGBTQ+ people – especially transgender people of color – are frequently profiled, targeted, and abused by law enforcement. A staggering 47% of Black transgender women will be incarcerated at some point in their lives. These orders unnecessarily criminalize already marginalized populations rather than providing solutions. Criminalization exacerbates, rather than alleviates, homelessness. These orders and Trump administration policies eliminating or limiting access to social service programs, health care, and supportive housing options contribute to the problem rather than offering a solution.
“We cannot ignore the racial and democratic implications of the takeover of Washington, D.C.’s police force. This unprecedented action – deploying 800 National Guard troops to patrol D.C. and seizing control of the Metropolitan Police Department – undermines the District’s majority-Black electorate and eviscerates the principle of local self-governance. We call on Congress and every American of conscience to reject this authoritarian vision. To our transgender siblings, to Black and Brown communities, to unhoused people and others placed at risk by these lawless Executive Orders, we see you, and we stand with you.”