Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.) compared President Trump’s police takeover in Washington, D.C., to the post-Reconstruction era in the United States when racial segregation was codified into law and upheld by law enforcement.
In an interview Sunday on MSNBC’s “PoliticsNation,” the Rev. Al Sharpton, a civil rights activist, noted three Republican-led states — Ohio, West Virginia and South Carolina — announced this weekend they would send hundreds of National Guard troops to Washington to bolster Trump’s sweeping anti-crime crackdown in the nation’s capital.
Sharpton asked Meeks for his thoughts “on three predominantly white, red states — two of which with roots in the Old Confederacy — sending armed troops to one of our nation’s Blackest cities at Trump’s demands,” adding, “What is this pointing towards, congressman?”
“This points towards Jim Crow 2.0,” Meeks said, inviting the public to “look at history … and what took place post-Reconstruction, and see what’s taking place right now, and what this man who is sitting in the White House is trying to do.”
“And here he is trying to send the military into cities, predominantly where there are African-American mayors, Democratic cities, whether you’re talking about New York, Chicago, Los Angeles [or] Washington, D.C.,” he continued.
Meeks accused Trump of violating the Constitution and violating states’ sovereignty by sending in the National Guard. He called the move “absolutely unconscionable” and said Democratic members of Congress, especially members of the Congressional Black Caucus, will address the issue when they return from August recess.
“We must stand, and we must fight, and we must speak out against all of this, reverend. This is not something that we should take — we cannot take it lightly,” Meeks said. “And I know that when members of Congress [get] back into Washington, D.C., this is a conversation I can guarantee you, we’re having among ourselves as the members of the Congressional Black Caucus.”
“We are not going to just sit by idly and then allow what’s taking place,” he continued. “So we look forward to working with you and all of these civil rights organizations. Our voices must be heard, and action must take place.”
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