DC Statehood should be part of the fight for the soul of the nation
The sound of helicopters was unnerving. I could hear them from my apartment, while I was watching on tv what was unfolding a couple of blocks away. Close to the White House and K Street helicopters were flying low, hovering over civilians to disperse them as if DC was a war zone. Earlier that day a peaceful protest in Lafayette Square had been crushed by law enforcement with tear gas in a disproportionate show of force, so Trump could have a photo-op in front of the St. John Church. It was June 1st, 2020. Next day a terrifying photo with the National Gard members in camouflage and body armor occupying the steps of the Lincoln Memorial went viral. The Trump administration seemed to be waging a war against the city and its residents. Donald Trump was even pondering invoking the Insurrection Act, and it was only the opposition of the DoD leadership that prevented him from actually doing it. But he never really gave up on the idea.
This was just the beginning. The city and the nation were already going through dark times, but things were about to get worse. Walls were raised around the People’s House, and the beautiful places where tourists and locals alike used to bring their children and take selfies became inaccessible.
The November elections brought a sigh of relief and for the first time in 2020, there was hope and even joy in the city. But it was short-lived. Fired up by the big lie, thousands of Trump supporters started to descend upon Washington DC first in November, and then in December, in a show of lawlessness that ended up in violence and arrests, and in an ominous rehearsal of what was about to come.
And then, there was January 6. The insurrection. The attack on the Capitol, the attack on American democracy, the violent attempt to stop the peaceful transfer of power for the first time in US history.
Between January 6 and the Inauguration, the tension in the city was palpable. Fences went up around the main institutions, streets were closed, military vehicles and soldiers were posted in the main intersections, and there was a general apprehension. Instead of a celebration of democracy, Donald Trump and all those who did his bidding gave Washington DC and the Nation an Insurrection.
2020 was frightening because it showed how vulnerable Washington DC was to authoritarianism. DC was as vulnerable as democracy was. But there was a solution for this: DC Statehood.
In the aftermath of the Lafayette Square incidents from June 2020, one thing was clear: DC Statehood was a must. “Trump transformed my hometown into a war zone,” wrote in a great op-ed published by The New York Times, Susan Rice, the current Director of the Domestic Policy Council in the Biden Administration. Explaining the imperative of DC Statehood, she was noticing that “Washington is the only national capital in the democratic world whose citizens lack equal voting rights.”
Thus, for the first time in history, Washington DC admission act, allowing for DC Statehood, passed the House of Representatives in June 2020, and again in April 2021.
Unfortunately, our memory seems to be very short, and with today’s news cycle almost everything ends up easily forgotten. Trump is no longer in power, but the assault against DC and its citizens has resurged through the MAGA Republicans, while the threat against democracy persists.
DC Statehood has proved to be an intrinsic part in the fight for democracy and for the soul of the nation. DC Statehood is not merely a constitutional or geographical dispute, and it shouldn’t be an electoral one. The debate on DC Statehood is about democracy, about the fundamental principle that citizens living in the Nation’s Capital should have the same rights as any other Americans, to be fully represented in Congress and to govern themselves through their representatives. It’s that basic and that fundamental.
Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton has been relentless in standing for DC Statehood so she re-introduced the D.C. Admission Act, as approved in 2020 and 2021.
I don’t have any illusion about this Republican House, but the Democrats must not let District of Columbia become yet another target in the “cultural wars” waged by Republicans. And they shouldn’t fall into the trap of making the debate around DC about local policies, when it actually is about democracy, freedom, and the right of residents to govern themselves through their elected representatives. It is a battle of principles above all.
I chose to live in Washington DC because of what it represents for democracy and freedom. This way, I feel closer to the soul of this nation. I love this city and its people. I am humbled and I have nothing but gratitude to be able to call this wonderful place home. I don’t expect everybody to have this experience or connection to Washington DC, but I can’t fathom the disdain and disrespect some Republicans show for this place and its residents. Washington DC is not a perfect place, and it doesn’t have to be in order to become a state. It is a real place, with real people, who deserve respect and equal rights.
