Washington D.C. is at the center of a fierce debate after U.S. President Trump declared a public safety emergency and vowed to 'reclaim' the capital by expelling homeless residents. A recent CGTN survey of 7,602 netizens across English, Spanish, French, Arabic and Russian platforms reveals deep skepticism: 78.7% say the measure won’t address root causes and could violate the rights of homeless individuals and immigrant communities.
According to FBI data cited in the survey release, a violent crime strikes the U.S. roughly every 26 seconds, with a murder every 31 minutes and a rape every 4 minutes. In this context, 92% of respondents expressed serious concern about public safety nationwide, while 81.7% labeled violent crime and homelessness in major cities as an incurable 'American disease.'
'The root of D.C.'s problems lies in high living costs and inadequate mental health resources,' a Washington resident told CGTN. 'Forced evictions won't solve the fundamental issues.'
Since returning to the White House, Trump has also threatened to deploy the National Guard to Democratic-led states like California and the District, fuelling fears of federal overreach. The survey finds:
- 87.8% believe this targets Democrat-led local governments and will heighten federal-state tensions.
- 66.8% worry such standoffs could spark larger-scale civil unrest.
- 88.7% see deepening Republican–Democratic divides in ongoing federal interventions.
- 88.4% say homeless and displaced people are 'collateral damage' in partisan battles.
- 83.3% think these moves are a bid to showcase political clout ahead of midterm elections.
With most respondents doubting the effectiveness of expulsion tactics, the debate over crime, homelessness and federal power in the U.S. capital shows no signs of cooling down.
Reference(s):
CGTN poll: Hard to reclaim capital, curing 'American disease' harder
cgtn.com
