President Trump signed an order Monday authorizing the deployment of National Guard troops to Memphis, Tennessee, in support of a new federal task force to combat violent crime in the city. Trump’s order came just days after the Memphis Police Department reported crime is at a 25-year low, with robbery, larceny and burglary all at record lows over the past eight months. Tennessee Democrats gathered in Memphis Monday to condemn Trump’s crackdown. This is state Representative Justin J. Pearson, who represents Memphis.

Rep. Justin J. Pearson: “Today, it is a conversation about crime. In 14 months, it will be a conversation about protecting the vote at the vote — at the voting booth. In three-and-a-half years, it’s going to be about a presidential election and the need to protect it. And what happens when we go to the polls, and the National Guard is there, and all they’re doing is asking you, 'Are you sure you want to vote?' This isn’t just a slippery slope; this is a dangerous impediment on our democracy.”