The first time I remember it happening, I was around 10 years old. It was 1995 and I was at a basketball tournament in some Virginia suburb. One of the boys on the other team asked me if I had to wear a bulletproof vest to school because “D.C. is the murder capital of the world, right?” His meaning was clear; I could tell from the snide grin. Today that child’s long ago taunt, rooted in ignorance and prejudice, echoes the mentality of the president of the United States.
For decades, my hometown has been unfairly stereotyped and marginalized by a mix of provocative media pundits, disingenuous politicians and jealous outsiders who cannot stand the diverse, well-off, educated and innovative city that is our nation’s capital. Hatred of cities is not uncommon in America, especially by folks in rural areas or those who chose to wall themselves off in suburbs.
The myth of D.C. as a dystopian cesspool perpetuated by the president and his allies is a convenient lie.
But two things make D.C. a unique and easy target. First, as the capital, it plays host to a rotating cast of attention-seeking members of Congress for whom D.C. may be their only exposure to urban life. Second, because of its limited home rule, conservative politicians with biases against liberal civic ideas have a rare opportunity to exact revenge against the populace and its institutions.
That dynamic is now playing out in the extreme, as President Donald Trump carries out his 30-day takeover of the city’s police force using violent crime as his excuse. Attorney General Pam Bondi escalated the situation last week, issuing an emergency order sidelining Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith and installing Drug Enforcement Administration Administrator Terrence C. Cole as MPD’s emergency police commissioner “for the duration of the emergency” declared by Trump. What happened to “local control” and “states’ rights”?
Then D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb sued to block Bondi and the Trump administration’s “hostile takeover.” “The Administration’s unlawful actions are an affront to the dignity and autonomy of the 700,000 Americans who call DC home,” he said in a statement. A judge agreed and the Trump administration backed down. Though who is directly in charge of D.C.’s police force remains a murky question.
The myth of D.C. as a dystopian cesspool perpetuated by the president and his allies is a convenient lie as the nation deals simultaneously with a contracting economy and the fallout from the Epstein files. It also cuts deep for many of us who love our hometown.
I came of age at a time when D.C.’s crime statistics were significantly worse than they are now. Nevertheless, I was allowed to play outside (sans today’s omnipresent cellphones) and expected to come home at dusk. My friends and I would rollerblade in our alleys, to pizza shops, to Rock Creek Park and the National Zoo. We’d ride the bus to the CD store or walk nearly a mile to rent videos from Blockbuster. The Metro brought us to the monuments and downtown. Our local recreation centers became havens for pickup basketball games.
Like the city, my friend group was a mix of white, Black, Latino and Asian. We loved our urban playground and watched out for each other. Granted, my neighborhood of Cleveland Park was more affluent than many other areas, but not immune to the common disturbances of city life. Cars were stolen. Our basement was broken into. For some, these nuisance crimes would amount to a first-class ticket to the burbs. But I’m thankful my parents never saw it that way.
It would be dishonest to say that D.C. was perfect back then or now. Corruption besets various city agencies. A few years ago, stubborn crime spikes were a real cause for concern. But even though the city’s population has grown to over 700,000 — a major milestone following the flight era of the 1990s — violent crime is at its lowest level in 30 years. Thousands of transplants, just like my parents, have made the decision to raise their families in this stunning city at the mouth of two rivers. They understand what it offers: an unparalleled, front-row seat to American history and the nation’s best big city park system.
No city should be defined by its most disadvantaged areas. No American city should have to be the testing ground for an autocratic fever dream of tanks in the streets cracking down on the homeless, teenagers and petty criminals. Local police are more than equipped to handle those situations. The National Guard is more suited for emergencies like an attempted insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Interesting that Trump didn’t seem so enthusiastic about dispatching them on Jan. 6, 2021. What prompted this overreach? Was it the 19-year-old protege of Elon Musk getting assaulted? Another oddity considering the federal government has never seemed to cared very much about youth violence in D.C. before. Or was it the president’s anger at seeing homeless encampments in Virginia? In any serious democracy neither example would result in military vehicles rolling through the streets of a major city. Washingtonians have endured a lot since 9/11. D.C. will shoulder through this moment as well. The city carries on as it always does, aware of its status in national and global affairs. Our cafes will remain full, our museums will flourish and the best and brightest will continue to make their mark on the history of the country. This is a city that contains multitudes. Just ask the president’s oldest son, who thinks so highly of Washington that he decided to open a members-only club here with a membership fee of $500,000. I doubt a single native Washingtonian joins. Join Luke and a dozen more of MSNBC’s hosts at MSNBCLIVE’25 in New York City for candid conversations and analysis about this moment. For tickets and information, visit MSNBC.com/live25.
Luke Russert
Luke Russert is the host and creative director of MSNBC Live. He first joined NBC News in August 2008 as a correspondent based in Washington, D.C.. Russert reported from Capitol Hill on the House of Representatives for “Nightly News with Brian Williams,” “TODAY,” MSNBC and NBCNews.com. He has also served as a guest host on various MSNBC programs. 
