President Donald Trump has ordered the first contingent of roughly 800 National Guard members onto the streets of Washington, D.C., asserting that a spike in crime justifies a federal takeover of local law-enforcement functions. He has warned that similar interventions could follow in Baltimore, Chicago, Los Angeles and Oakland—large, predominantly Black-led cities he labelled “lawless.” Black mayors from those jurisdictions, organised through the African American Mayors Association, say the president’s characterisation is contradicted by their own police data, which show violent crime falling sharply from pandemic-era highs. “It’s not supported by any evidence or statistics whatsoever,” said Savannah Mayor Van Johnson, who leads the group. Chicago reports homicides down more than 30% and shootings almost 40% year-on-year, while Los Angeles logged a 14% drop in homicides between 2023 and 2024. Oakland recorded a 21% decline in killings and a 29% reduction in overall violent crime in the first half of 2025 compared with the same period a year earlier. Baltimore officials cite a 20% fall in carjackings last year and continuing multi-year decreases in homicides and non-fatal shootings. In the nation’s capital itself, Metropolitan Police figures show violent crime has receded since a 2023 peak. The mayors credit community-based interventions, youth programs and gun-buyback initiatives for the gains and warn that military-style deployments risk undermining that progress. Some cities are weighing legal challenges to any expanded federal role, even as Trump cites the recent attempted carjacking of a Department of Government Efficiency employee as evidence that tougher measures are needed.