Statement on President Trump’s Threat to Send Unwanted Federal Agents to Baltimore

Statement on President Trump’s Threat to Send Unwanted Federal Agents to Baltimore

Council President Scott Asks City Solicitor to Explore Actions City Can Take

BALTIMORE, MD (Wednesday, July 22, 2020) — Baltimore City Council President Brandon M. Scott released the following statement on President Trump's threat to send unwanted federal agents to Baltimore:

Seven months into the year, Baltimore continues to bear the weight of a violence epidemic that has not slowed down for COVID-19. We have lost 185 lives to violence so far this year. Each person leaves behind friends and family who must grapple with that life-altering trauma and forge a path forward.

In these most challenging times, it is not helpful for the President to use our city as a political prop to incite his base, and I will not stand by as threats are made that impact the safety and liberty of Baltimoreans. As such, I have asked the City Solicitor to explore any actions the City can take to prevent the President of the United States from sending unwanted federal agents to Baltimore.

Our city is in need of many resources that our federal government can provide to help us – everything from infrastructure, housing, transportation, the digital divide, and dealing with the flow of illegal guns into our city. Baltimore needs real partnership and resources, not the presence of unnecessary, unrequested federal agents.