Guardian News, Aug 12, 2025 WASHINGTON
Protesters took to the streets after Donald Trump said he
was deploying national guard troops to Washington DC and temporarily taking
over the city's police department.
The US president claimed it was necessary because 'our capital city has been overtaken by violent gangs and bloodthirsty criminals'. In January, the metropolitan police department and US attorney’s office released a report indicating total violent crime in DC in 2024 was down 35% from the previous year, marking the lowest rate in more than 30 years. 'This is not about crime, this is about control,' says Samantha Davis, an organizer at Free DC. 'This is not about public safety, this is about power'
Trump seizes control of Washington DC police and deploys
national guard ►
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2
****
Edited by Azizi Powell
Latest revision-August 14, 2025
This pancocojams post documents some YouTube videos of protests on August 11 & August 12, 2025 in Washington D.C., the capitol of the United States. These protests are being held after Trump announced on August 11, 2025 that he was seizing control of that city's police department and would also be deploying Washington D. C's National Guard in that city.
The content of this post is presented for historical, socio-cultural, and political purposes.
I'm interested in documenting
- the fact that there are protests
-how those protests are being reported/described
-who is protesting
-and how people are protesting (particularly whether protestors are chanting, which chants they are saying, and whether these chants are similar or different from older protests chants).
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to all those who are peacefully protesting these actions and thanks for the publishers of these videos on YouTube.
-snip-
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2025/09/some-protest-chants-heard-at-september.html for a closely related pancocojams post entitled "Some Protest Chants Heard At The September 6, 2025 Washington, D.C. March And Rally Against ICE & Against The Federalizing The National Guard In Washington, D. C."
-snip-
Here's a comment that reflects my sentiments about these protests. [This comment is from the discussion thread for the video short given as Video #6 below.]
@maudeanabel4441, August 12, 2025 published around 7PM EDT]
"So proud of all these people in DC marching, holding signs
displaying their grieviances and
standing for their rights, justice,
freedom, the Constitution and America!"
****
Click https://www.nytimes.com/live/2025/08/11/us/trump-news "Trump Orders National Guard to Washington and Takeover of Capital’s Police".
****
Also, click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2025/08/the-history-of-protest-chant-people.html for the pancocojams post "The History Of The Protest Chant "The People United Will Never Be Defeated". The comments that I added to the discussion thread of that post includes a link to an August 11, 2025 Washington D.C protest rally in which this chant can be heard: "A D.C. united will never be defeated." This is a modification of the iconic Chilean protest chant " A people united can never be defeated."
****
A BRIEF ANALYSIS OF PARTICIPANTS AT THESE WASHINGTON D.C'S PROTEST MARCHES AND RALLIES
The August 11/August 12th 2025 Washington D.C. protests appear to have more Black people than most of the other videos of recent American [USA] protests that I have seen. Most of the Black protestors who I've seen protesting in these videos are young adult or middle age women and men.
That said, it appears to me that most of the protestors appear to be White young adult or middle age women and men.
****
SHOWCASE VIDEOS
These videos were selected somewhat randomly from a number of other YouTube videos on this protest. Numbers are assigned to these videos for referencing purposes only.
This video is found at the top of this post.
****
SHOWCASE VIDEO #2 - Trump orders federal forces to 'liberate' Washington D.C.
5NEWS, Aug 11, 2025
Protesters demonstrated outside the White House.
SHOWCASE VIDEO -#3 - 'FREE DC:' Residents PROTEST Against Trump's Federalization Of DC Police, National Guard | TRENDING
The Hill, Aug 11, 2025
NewsNation's Joe Khalil is on the ground in Washington, D.C.
covering a protest against President Trump's effort to federalize the
Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and the National Guard via the District of
Columbia Home Rule Act’s Section 740.
SHOWCASE VIDEO #4- Crowds Rage In DC Over Trump's Troop Move
CNN-News18, August 12, 2025
#donaldtrump #DC #latestnews
United States President Donald Trump on Monday invoked a
“crime emergency” in the US capital, allowing his Department of Justice to take
control of Washington, DC’s local law enforcement. He simultaneously announced
the Pentagon would deploy US National Guard forces to the city of more than
700,000.
****
SHOWCASE VIDEO #5 - Protests Erupt in Washington as Trump Seizes Control of
Police, Deploys National Guard | APT
APT, Aug 12, 2025 #TrumpDCProtests #NationalGuard #WashingtonUnrest
Washington Protest: Tensions boiled over in Washington, D.C., as U.S. President Donald Trump assumed direct control of the city’s police force and ordered the deployment of the National Guard. The move sparked immediate protests near the White House, with demonstrators accusing Trump of authoritarian overreach. Officials say the action aims to restore order amid growing unrest, while critics warn it could escalate tensions further. Heavy security measures are in place, and streets around key government buildings remain sealed off.
****SHOWCASE VIDEO #6- The People Of Washington DC Ain't Having It!!
@TonyMichaelsPodcast, August, 12, 2025 [This is a TikTok video published as a YouTube video short.] https://youtube.com/shorts/cT_3cfimAoA?si=92pv7Cb4Wrskg6W-
Happening now: D.C. Is Home. Trump Can't Have It.
I haven't found any information about this protest rally (i.e. Where in Washington D. C. it was held and who sponsored it. Please share that information in the discussion thread for this pancocojams post.
The total number of comments for this YouTube video as of as of August 12, 2025 at 11:37 PM EDT-2,860 [This viewer number is steadily increasing. On August 12, 2025 at 11:55 PM EDT the total number of viewer comments is 2, 956.]
This video has 25K likes at 11:53 PM EDT.
****
SHOWCASE VIDEO #7 - DC residents push back on Trump police takeover
@USATODAY August 12, 2025
DC residents push back on Trump police takeover #Shorts
-snip-
Among the chants that are heard in this video is "Our DC united will never be defeated."
-snip-
This chant is an adaptation of the now classic chant "A people united will never be defeated" whose source is a mid 1970s Chilean music composition that was created to protest that nation's government.
SHOWCASE VIDEO #8 - WATCH: Massive Protest Erupts Outside White House During Trump Speech | AC1G
DRM News, Aug 11, 2025
#WashingtonDC #FreeDC #Protest
"Massive protests erupted outside the White House
as President Donald Trump addressed the nation on crime in Washington, D.C.
Demonstrators chanted against federal control of the DC police and the
deployment of National Guard troops. The tension-filled scene unfolded as Trump
delivered a fiery speech inside."...
-snip-
Two examples of chants in this protest are
-the call and response chant "What do we do when ___ are under attack? [response-"Stand up. Fight back".
- "DC United will never be defeated".
****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Click https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TINp0evDH9M "Trump GETS RIPPED by Navy Commander over D.C. POWER GRAB"
ReplyDeleteMeidasTouch, Aug 13, 2025
"Bobby Jones exposes President Trump’s alarming move to federalize law enforcement in Washington, D.C.—a power typically reserved for the gravest national crises. In his breakdown, Bobby walks viewers through the rare historical moments when federal troops have been deployed in D.C., the legal safeguards meant to prevent military policing, and Trump’s pattern of targeting Democratic-led, often Minority-majority cities. With D.C.’s crime rates actually falling, this deployment is about political theater—and a dangerous step toward normalizing authoritarian tactics in America."
Here's an excerpt from that video's transcript 1:04-1:57
"Today we need to talk about something truly unprecedented. President Trump's moves to federalize law enforcement in
Washington DC. Sending federal troops or agents into the nation's capital to perform local policing is almost unheard of. Done only in the rarest and most extreme circumstances. Yet this week,
Trump is doing just that under conditions that hardly justify such
drastic actions.
In this video, we're going to break down the historical context of federal troops in DC -
How exceptionally rare it is to use federal forces and local law enforcement without state or local consent.
How Trump has a pattern of targeting Democratic le often
minority majority communities with these tactics.
And why it's utterly unnecessary in Washington DC given
falling crime rates.
But most importantly, we'll discuss how normalizing this kind of federal intrusion into local policing is a dangerous step that America must not allow."...