200+ National and Local Organizations, Unions, Elected Leaders, Businesses and Faith Institutions Oppose One Year of DC Occupation
Today, August 11, 2026 DC has officially been occupied for one full year.
Elected officials, businesses, unions, faith leaders, advocacy non-profits, and other allies signed on to an open letter stating that we will:
Oppose the military occupation of the District of Columbia and rise in full support of DC statehood as the path to self-determination and equal rights for its 700,000 residents.
Demand that every governor serving as Commander in Chief of deployed National Guard troops withdraw those troops from Washington, D.C. immediately.
Call on every Member of Congress to honor the principle of consent of the governed and commit to not overturning or interfering with Washington, D.C.'s locally enacted laws. Congress' constitutional jurisdiction over the federal enclave should not be used as an excuse to take away the authority DC has over its own affairs.
Urge the federal government to dismantle the "DC Safe and Beautiful Task Force" and the Joint Task Force created to operationalize it, to end the surge of forces in Washington, D.C., and to cease all ICE, DHS, DEA, IRS, FBI, Park Police, and other federal surge traffic checkpoints, high speed chases, and raids on homes and workplaces.
Encourage our communities to use their First Amendment rights in the District of Columbia to peaceably assemble and petition their government for a redress of grievances.
Publicly oppose any effort to prevent the seating of duly elected officials representing Washington, D.C. or any other jurisdiction, and commit our resources to ensuring that every elected official is sworn in and seated.
