Kansas City, Missouri – Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas said that President Donald Trump is targeting cities with Black mayors as part of a larger effort to fight crime. Trump’s statements came after he said the federal government will step in in some cities, such as sending the National Guard to Washington, D.C., and putting the city’s police under federal control.
Lucas told CNN’s Kate Bolduan on Wednesday that many of the areas Trump mentioned, such as Chicago, Los Angeles, Baltimore, and Oakland, are run by Black leaders. He said that crime is a real problem, but the way the president is handling it seems to be affected by both race and politics.
“I won’t say that’s the totality of it, but I absolutely think it is,” Lucas said. “You’re trying to create a counterpoint often in politics. And what is a better counterpoint than Donald Trump in whatever way you see him, and a mayor? Black women mayors have been the subject of lots of attacks.”
He specifically mentioned Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass as one example of a leader who has been in the spotlight under such criticism. Lucas emphasized that mayors should be open to acknowledging public safety issues in their cities but questioned the president’s methods.
“Yes, there is crime. But we don’t think the same prescription of help is necessary,” Lucas said. “It’s a tough position. But I think, frankly, this is the situation we’re in. And he’s not really interested in trying to save lives for us, but just exploiting the political issue.”
Read also: Voter roll cleanup uncovers thousands of deceased and ineligible registrants in Missouri
Lucas says that Kansas City might not be a direct target because Missouri has a Republican governor. This could make the city less politically useful for Trump to deal with. He said that the president’s plan was to purposely drive a wedge between some cities and the larger national conversation about crime.
“This is nothing but a wedge issue against American cities and against American mayors who largely don’t have the same megaphone to respond,” Lucas said.
Read also: Kansas City awards $2.18 million public art project to renowned Belgian duo
Muriel Bowser, the Black mayor of Washington, D.C., called Trump’s proposal to bring in the National Guard and take over the city’s police department “unsettling and unprecedented.” She said that there isn’t a big rise in crime in the capital right now, which makes the reason for the involvement even more unclear.
Read also: Kansas City travelers gain a nonstop gateway to Caribbean bliss with new Punta Cana route
Lucas’s comments contribute to a growing debate about the federal government’s role in local law enforcement and how politics, and even race, are affecting important choices about public safety in the biggest cities in the US.
