As National Guard troops flow into the streets of our nation’s capital, the UUA condemns the deployment of the United States military against civilians. This act of federal over-reach follows similar tactics to those used by the current administration in Los Angeles last month. Both cities are governed by Black women mayors and are home to large immigrant communities, making the pattern and intent behind this escalation deeply concerning.

The administration has also used the presence of unhoused individuals, as well as falsely alleging that there has been an increase in crime in our nation’s capital, as a pretext for this over-reach. For generations, these communities have endured the trauma of state violence and over-policing. The addition of military forces, alongside the deployment of some 500 federal law enforcement officers from the FBI, ATF, DEA, ICE, and U.S. Marshals Service, will only deepen that harm. Such displays of force do not make our cities safer; they erode trust, stifle dissent, and move our nation closer to authoritarian control.

As Unitarian Universalists (UUs), we hold sacred and affirm the free and full exercise of democracy in our congregations and in society. We know that governments which turn their military against their own people betray the core principles of liberty and justice. In the face of escalating state over-reach, we will continue to resist.

Additionally, UUs are committed to addressing the oppressive conditions — through poverty and income inequality, among others — that are a significant part of making people in this country vulnerable. Economic, racial, gender, disability justice and more are all inextricably tied together in our society today. We reject the continued targeting and vilification of communities made vulnerable by generations of systemic oppression and we will continue to uplift the inherent worthiness and dignity of all people in accordance with our shared values and principles.

Through UU the Vote and our partners in justice work, we will keep organizing. We will stake a claim for who we are — as people of faith, as residents of our cities, and as Americans committed to equity, dignity, and the common good.