'Leave Our Kids Alone,' Mayor Says on First Day of School

Public schools reopened Monday in the nation's capital with parents on edge over the presence of thousands of National Guard troops—some now armed—and large scatterings of federal law enforcement officers carrying out President Trump's orders to make the District of Columbia safer. Even as Trump started talking about doing the same in other cities, the president again touted a drop in crime that he attributed to his extraordinary effort to take over policing in Washington, DC. At the same time, the AP reports, the district's mayor was lamenting the effect of Trump's actions on children in her city.

"Parents are anxious. We've heard from a lot of them," Mayor Muriel Bowser said at a news conference, noting that some might keep their children out of school because of immigration concerns. "Any attempt to target children is heartless, is mean, is uncalled for and it only hurts us. I would just call for everybody to leave our kids alone." As schools opened, parental social media groups and listservs were buzzing with reports and rumors of checkpoints and arrests. Before classes started, students at a Speak Out event voiced concerns about the situation.

"With this occupation, it's like we're being treated just like suspects instead of kids trying to live," one young person told the gathering, per WRC. Another said: "At the end of the day, we're not as in control as people think we are. Our parents are in control, government officials are in control, and it's their job to help us."