Al Sharpton’s August 12 claim that President Trump is racially targeting “majority-Black cities” for federal intervention in policing simply doesn’t stand up to factual scrutiny. Out of the cities Sharpton named—Washington, Chicago, Baltimore, Oakland, New York, and Los Angeles—only Baltimore remains a majority-Black city today with roughly 62 percent Black population. Washington, D.C., once famously called “Chocolate City,” is now about 41 percent Black. Chicago is around 30 percent. Oakland is just under 24 percent. New York and Los Angeles are in the single digits or low-20 percent range. That pattern makes Sharpton’s argument that Trump is purposefully picking majority-Black cities fundamentally flawed.
More to the point, Trump is going after high-crime cities, not Black-majority cities. His federal takeover of DC’s police, and talk of similar action in Chicago, Baltimore, Oakland, New York, and Los Angeles, comes amid concerns over rising violent crime. While crime in some of these places has recently trended down, they remain among the most high-profile urban centers for violence, theft, and lawlessness. Baltimore has seen historic drops in homicides this year, but its decades-long reputation for violent crime remains. If Trump’s focus were race, he would be targeting cities like Detroit, Birmingham, or Jackson—places that are truly Black-majority. He is not. That alone undermines the race-baiting accusation and points to crime as the central factor.
If anyone is race-baiting here, it is Sharpton and, quite frankly, other Democrats who are fearmongering to stir fear and mobilize voters. This is a false-flag incitement, designed to frame a public-safety policy as racially motivated when the evidence clearly shows the targeting is tied to crime statistics, not demographics. Generations of discriminatory policing, rooted in the Democratic Party-instituted Jim Crow laws to suppress Black communities, have instilled a lasting fear among many African Americans that law enforcement unfairly targets them. Sharpton is using an emotionally charged tactic playing into these perceptions, casting Trump’s actions as race motivated. Sharpton’s rhetoric may grab headlines, but it distorts the truth and risks inflaming divisions for political gain.
Safety on every street matters in every neighborhood irrespective of race. Instead of working together to reduce violent crime, Democrats like Sharpton are fearmongering just to characterize Trump as racist. Trump’s methods can be debated, but they are not targeting actual Black-majority cities. Sharpton’s charge is inaccurate and distracts from legitimate concerns over crime and civil authority. As with all public policy debates, facts must outweigh fearmongering. Proverbs 6:19 says that the Lord hates and finds detestable “a false witness that speaks lies and he that sows discord among brethren.” Wouldn’t it be great if politicians would stop grandstanding and roll up their sleeves to work together to solve the legitimate challenges faced by their constituencies? Instead, we have, say it with me…Stupidocrisy.
Sources
Baltimore demographics – Wikipedia – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baltimore
Washington, D.C. demographics – Wikipedia – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Washington%2C_D.C.
List of U.S. cities with large Black populations – Wikipedia – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._cities_with_large_Black_populations
Trump actions and crime data – Reuters – https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-takes-over-dc-police-extraordinary-move-deploys-national-guard-capital-2025-08-11
Democrats respond to Trump targeting cities – Time – https://time.com/7309031/democrats-respond-trump-washington-dc-takeover-national-guard-baltimore-chicago-los-angeles-new-york-oakland/
Trump targeting and crime trends – Time – https://time.com/7309176/trump-washington-dc-police-other-cities/
Baltimore crime drop – WBAL-TV – https://www.wbaltv.com/article/president-donald-trump-dc-crime-announcement-mentions-baltimore/65655134
Black-majority cities list (Detroit, Birmingham, Jackson, etc.) – Reddit MapPorn – https://www.reddit.com/r/MapPorn/comments/16ab5j7/us_black_population_percentage_by_county/
Crime data and federal takeover – Washington Post – https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2025/08/10/trump-crime-data-federal-takeover/
Trump federalizing D.C. police – New York Post – https://nypost.com/2025/08/11/us-news/trump-federalizing-dc-police-deploying-national-guard-in-capital-crime-crackdown/
