1. United States
2. N.Y.
3. Letter

I am writing to urge you to end the deployment of the National Guard to American cities. Using military force against our own communities erodes public trust, escalates tensions, and undermines the very principles of democracy and local self-governance that our nation was founded upon. The National Guard serves an important role in responding to natural disasters, public emergencies, and genuine threats to public safety, not as a tool for political theater or intimidation. When soldiers are stationed in city streets, it sends a message that our government sees its own citizens as adversaries rather than as people to be heard and protected. This approach deepens divisions instead of resolving them. We should invest in dialogue, de-escalation, and community-based public safety, not in militarized responses that often make peaceful protests or local unrest worse. True leadership in moments of unrest means listening, addressing the underlying causes of tension, and upholding constitutional rights, not meeting dissent with force. Deploying the Guard domestically without clear and extraordinary cause risks normalizing a dangerous precedent that the federal government can use military power to manage civic life. That is not what freedom looks like. I urge you to withdraw National Guard units from U.S. cities, reaffirm civilian authority, and prioritize approaches that strengthen trust and unity. The path to stability and safety runs through empathy, justice, and accountability, not force.