In response to the federal election results, Monica Hopkins, Executive Director of the ACLU of the District of Columbia, said:
"Today, we brace ourselves for what is to come when President-elect Donald Trump and anti-D.C. members of Congress take office. We will not mince words: a second Trump Administration and an anti-D.C. Congress are a grave threat to our rights and self-governance in the District. Trump and his allies have threatened to “take over” D.C. by calling in the National Guard or even by repealing our right to Home Rule. We will now be on the defensive, protecting the basic rights and freedoms that are rightfully ours.
The looming threats are real, but so is our power and resilience. At the ACLU, we are once again prepared to use all the lessons we learned during the first Trump Administration and all the tools we have at our disposal. We will continue ensuring that our nation lives up to the promise of the Constitution.
The rights and freedoms of D.C. residents were on the ballot in this historic election. Without D.C. Statehood, the federal government has legal authority over D.C. laws and our budget. This means that every state’s election results can directly impact our lives as District residents. Year after year, we have faced the prospect of federal lawmakers, never elected by D.C. residents, banning abortion in D.C., dictating how we spend our tax dollars, stopping us from addressing public safety, and so much more.
This election also crystallized the fact that we must fortify and accelerate our fight for D.C. Statehood so that D.C. can be part of a national firewall for freedom. We must continue protecting our current, if limited, self-governance by defending Home Rule. We must also advance D.C. Statehood to correct the historical wrong that has denied D.C. residents, the majority of whom are Black and brown, the right to govern ourselves and to have a say in the direction our country takes.
Making D.C. Statehood a reality, and defending our self-governance, requires each one of us to talk with our pro-democracy friends, families and allies around the country about why D.C. Statehood and Home Rule matter – and what everyone can do to help.
Together, we can meet this moment. We can defend our values. We can assert our power. And we can build a more just and free D.C."
