Activists Discusses Trump Policy Policing DC
The storm brewing in Washington, D.C., over President Trump’s aggressive crime crackdown has now drawn in one of the most controversial figures in American activism: Malik Shabazz.
The former head of the New Black Panther Party — long notorious for incendiary rhetoric and open antisemitism — is calling on gang members, radical groups, and “hardcore men” to unite in resistance against what he calls Trump’s “illegal” deployment of National Guard troops and Metropolitan Police.
On Facebook, Shabazz urged D.C. gangs to halt their violence against one another and instead “see the real enemy.” In his words: “We are calling on all GANG MEMBERS and hardcore men in the community to a CEASE FIRE against each other; and to see the real enemy; and now come to the table. We are the men you can trust.”
This is not simply street-level organizing. Shabazz, now operating through his legal group Black Lawyers for Justice, has pledged to sue the National Guard and D.C. police, claiming they are trampling on residents’ constitutional rights through checkpoints and patrols. He has denounced the crackdown as a violation of the Fourth Amendment, even holding a “tactical” meeting at a D.C. library this week to rally community leaders against federal forces.
But Shabazz’s rhetoric doesn’t stop at lawsuits. He explicitly called for the Fruit of Islam — the paramilitary wing of Louis Farrakhan’s Nation of Islam — and other radical groups to replace the National Guard as the protectors of D.C.’s Black community. He has flatly rejected the idea of meeting with Trump or his officials, likening such a prospect to negotiating with Satan.
Federal officials are not taking his words lightly. A DHS spokesperson told Fox News Digital that Secretary Kristi Noem “has been clear: if you lay a hand on law enforcement you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.” The department condemned Shabazz’s statements as “disgusting,” noting a reported 1,000% increase in assaults on law enforcement personnel.
For many observers, Shabazz’s involvement underscores just how volatile the situation has become. The Southern Poverty Law Center, despite its own controversies, has long branded him a “racist black nationalist,” documenting years of antisemitic and anti-White tirades — including a 2002 speech in Washington where he urged followers to “kill every god---- Zionist in Israel.”
His ties to Louis Farrakhan and even former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad further underline his history of aligning with extremist figures.
Shabazz’s call for gangs and radical groups to mobilize against federal law enforcement is the clearest signal yet that the Trump administration’s push to reclaim D.C. streets has entered a new phase — one where the battle lines are no longer just between police and criminals, but between federal authority and radical activists seeking to turn violent gangs into political foot soldiers.