Fortify Us: Why Federal Troops in D.C. Threaten Us All

From the Progressive Maryland Blog: https://www.progressivemaryland.org/fortify_us_why_federal_troops_in_d_c_threaten_us_all

Fortify Us: Why Federal Troops in D.C. Threaten Us All
By Crystal Jackson Parker, Baltimore City Resident 

By Crystal Jackson Parker, Baltimore City Resident 

On Saturday, September 6, I joined 10,000 people in Washington, D.C., to march, rally, and demand an end to the illegal occupation of federal troops in our nation’s capital. We hugged, prayed, carried signs, and stood together against this outrageous abuse of power.

This wasn’t just a protest—it was a call to action. When federal troops are deployed to intimidate and silence communities, it’s not just D.C. that’s under attack. It’s Baltimore. It’s every city. It’s democracy itself.

The presence of federal troops in any city is a chilling reminder of what happens when power goes unchecked. It’s a tactic designed to divide us, to make us retreat into our own silos of safety. But history—and even childhood stories—teach us that we are stronger when we stand together.

Take the story of the Three Little Pigs. The pig with the brick house didn’t just protect himself; he left the door open for his siblings when their homes were breached. But what if they had worked together from the start to fortify all their homes? What if they had built a united front against the wolf?

That’s the lesson we need to embrace today. It’s not enough to secure our own safety. We must fortify our communities as a whole. Because when one of us is breached, we all are.

The federal troops in D.C. are a wolf at the door, testing the strength of our collective house. If we allow this to go unchecked, what’s to stop them from coming to Baltimore? Or Chicago? Or Atlanta?

We are all D.C. We are all Baltimore. And just like the pigs in the story, it’s only when we come together that we can outsmart the wolf.

Our communities don’t need militarization. They need justice. They need equity. They need leaders who will stand up and say, “Not here. Not anywhere.”

This is why I marched. This is why I’ll keep showing up. Because fortifying our communities isn’t just about protecting ourselves—it’s about protecting each other.

Congress must act now to stop this madness. Our communities need justice, not intimidation. We need to build a fortress of solidarity, not fear.

The wolf is at the door. Will we stand together, or will we let it in?