Community Defense Against the
Military Occupation of Our Cities
Margaret Flowers / Clearing the FOG; Popular Resistance

(August 18, 2025) — On August 11, the Trump administration announced the deployment of National Guard troops and the federal takeover of the police department in Washington, DC. This follows military troops being deployed to Los Angeles and ICE agents snatching people throughout the country.

Last week, the Pentagon also announced the creation of a 600-member National Guard unit ready to deplo y to cities within an hour when there are protests. Clearing the FOG speaks with Erica Caines of the Black Alliance for Peace about the checkpoints and patrols in DC, how this fits into the long history of policing mainly black and brown communities and how people are organizing community self-defense and mutual aid. She also discusses the demand to disqualify the United States and Israel from FIFA and the Olympic games.

• Guest:
  Erica Cainesis the national co-coordinator of the Black Alliance for Peace. She is an editor of and contributor to Hood Communist and the founder of #LiberationThroughReading, which provides African children with books that represent them.

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