President Trump has threatened to expand his campaign to combat crime into other cities, including Baltimore. But the city’s mayor and Maryland’s governor — both Democrats — are pushing back.

A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:

President Trump has threatened to expand his campaign to combat what he says is out-of-control crime into other cities such as Memphis and Baltimore. Scott Maucione from member station WYPR reports that Baltimore’s mayor and Maryland’s governor, both Democrats, are pushing back.

SCOTT MAUCIONE, BYLINE: Earlier this month, Maryland Governor Wes Moore and Baltimore’s Mayor Brandon Scott announced that state law enforcement officers will soon patrol what they call high-risk areas in Baltimore and focus on reducing violent crime. While the city currently has record-low crime rates and the lowest homicide rate in 50 years, according to the mayor’s office, Moore says President Trump’s plan to send in the National Guard is a hostile action that will not help the matter.

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WES MOORE: We do not need people putting in performative and theatrical resources. We said that we were going to take an all-of-the-above approach to public safety, that you were never going to militarize your way into safe streets.

MAUCIONE: But some Baltimore residents see the influx of policing as equally dangerous for communities where people say they feel harassed by law enforcement and targeted by laws that criminalize poverty. Donald Gresham is a community leader in the city.

DONALD GRESHAM: You feel like you’re on a plantation (laughter). They say they’re there to protect us, but they never have been there to protect us. In the community, it’s going to be a place where they’re going to really feel like it’s not home.

MAUCIONE: Baltimore has a history of police corruption that’s damaged trust with the community. The city has well-documented instances of police selling drugs, planting evidence and operating organized crime. Baltimore resident Kenya Levy says she doesn’t see much of a difference between Moore sending in police and Trump the National Guard.

KENYA LEVY: This is a way for him to basically bow down to Trump, to bring more police force into these areas that don’t need it. I don’t think that’s actually going to solve any problems.

MAUCIONE: One difference is that state police would have arresting powers in Baltimore, while the National Guard does not.

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