From State Senator Herron Gaston:
Bridgeport—and cities like it—must stand firm against the use of federal force under the guise of “public order,” when it clearly serves political motives. The potential deployment of the National Guard, without local consent, is not just a policy disagreement—it’s a direct threat to our constitutional values and our communities.
As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. powerfully said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” This is not just a moral truth—it’s a call to action. What happens in Portland, Chicago, Washington D.C., or Atlanta can happen in Bridgeport. And if we remain silent now, we become complicit in normalizing federal overreach that erodes local control and civil liberties.
Let’s be clear: This tactic is not about keeping communities safe. It is a targeted assault on blue states and blue cities—on the voices that oppose authoritarianism and stand for equity, accountability, and reform. It undermines local leadership and threatens to criminalize dissent, disrupt daily life, and endanger our residents.
Even our nation’s capital, Washington D.C., was not spared from this abuse of power. Peaceful protesters were forcibly cleared from Lafayette Square so a political photo-op could take precedence over the First Amendment. If it can happen there, it can happen anywhere—including here.
We cannot allow our city to become a testing ground for unconstitutional force. Bridgeport must lead with principle and clarity. We must safeguard the health, safety, and dignity of our people. That means rejecting militarized governance and standing in defense of the rights guaranteed by the Constitution.
I stand ready to fight alongside our residents. Being in elected office means more than holding a title—it means placing your values, your voice, and when necessary, your body on the line as the first line of defense for those we serve. That’s our duty. That’s leadership. And that’s what this moment demands.
As if Bridgeport and CT do not have enough home-grown problems, now we have Sen. Gaston drawing parallels between Bridgeport and Trump’s new approach to Washington DC crime. BTW, the approach is legal.
Rather than showboating, Sen. Gaston and colleagues should be commenting on very serious local issues like why urban education leaves a huge percentage of students poorly educated, why so many children are born outside of a two-parent family, often without an education or a job, thus ensuring a bleak future, why gun violence has become so prevalent..
From news accounts, I have never met Sen. Gaston but my impression remains very positive.. We’ll see how DC goes. The old ways were not working. Worth a shot..
We have a long way to go before the Fed takes over the Bpt Police Department or any other department.