After expanding military presence in the District of Columbia and Los Angeles, Trump now seeks to overthrow the will of the people of Chicago and punish more cities with Black-led leadership. 

Let’s be clear: this is not about crime or safety. This is a dress rehearsal for authoritarian overreach — a deliberate test of the public's limits to dictatorial dominance, starting with Black-led cities. 

Every single American should be outraged. Trump will not stop at just taking over Black-led cities. Trump seeks to increase military presence in every Democratic-led city. This announcement is only the beginning of this Administration’s dark plans to strike at the heart of our nation’s democracy.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker have forcefully pushed back against a military presence to address crime, stating that Trump is only using the military to distract the public from his deeply unpopular presidency. 

We must stand together to show this administration that the American people will oppose him at every step — join Color Of Change in pledging to stand with elected officials who are resisting federal occupation of Black-led cities!

Here is the Petition:

“Donald Trump seeks to harm Black people at every turn of his autocratic presidency. He views Black cities as soft targets, exploiting nationwide disregard, animus, and racism toward communities of color. But the authoritarian overreach he commits today will inevitably expand to other communities. 

We will not allow Trump and the media to get away with pushing the racist narrative that Black-led cities are “lawless” and must be subdued by force. Black elected officials across the country have made historic progress to reduce crime with community investments and comprehensive violence prevention plans — efforts that Trump has actively undermined by cutting critical funding.

Every community deserves safety based on community investments and proven solutions to promote public health, not federal troops sent to terrorize our neighborhoods. 

Trump’s attacks on Black-led cities must be opposed at every step. I’m signing on as a supporter to stand with Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker as they resist Trump’s authoritarian efforts to overthrow the will of the people of Chicago.

 Trump’s federal occupation of our cities must end — the American people say get the National Guard out of Chicago! We stand with Black cities calling for practical solutions, social services, and opportunities to bring safety and prosperity to their communities. We urge elected leaders across the country to leverage this moment of resistance into a moment of transformation: by investing heavily in restorative justice, violence interruption, living wages, and the social services that truly build safe and prosperous communities.”