D.C. Statehood Gains New Support Among Senate Democrats After Trump Occupation
Channel: Abdallah Meftah
Date: 2020-06-15

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Four Democratic senators have added their names as cosponsors to Senate legislation to make Washington, D.C., the 51st state in the wake of President Donald Trump ordering federal forces to crack down on a Black Lives Matter protest earlier this month.Trump deployed federal forces to occupy some of the citys streets against the wishes of District of Columbia officials  something he could do only because the district isnt a recognized state. That effort turned violent on June 1, when federal law enforcement officers tear-gassed protesters to clear them out of a park next to the White House ahead of Trumps photo-op visit to a nearby church.D.C. statehood proponents, furious about the federal governments abuse of the citys sovereignty, argued the incident should bring more lawmakers to back statehood legislation, and activists in other states have pushed their representatives to back the cause.That pressure worked.