Black Legislative & Community Knowledge

President Trump announced he is withdrawing National Guard troops from several Democratic-led cities including Chicago and Los Angeles following a Supreme Court decision that limited his authority to deploy military forces for domestic law enforcement purposes. The Supreme Court ruled in Trump v Illinois that the president lacked the power to send troops into Chicago, prompting the administration to also abandon legal efforts to maintain troop control in California. While hundreds of troops had been deployed to cities like Chicago and Portland, they had not yet begun street patrols due to ongoing legal challenges from state and local officials who argued the deployments were unnecessary and authoritarian. Trump justified the original deployments as necessary for fighting crime and illegal immigration, while critics including California Governor Gavin Newsom and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson celebrated the withdrawal as a victory against presidential overreach.

Trump Media and Technology Group, the company operating Donald Trump's Truth Social platform, announced it will distribute a new cryptocurrency token to shareholders, with each shareholder receiving one token per share owned. This initiative represents another crypto venture for the Trump family, which has already generated hundreds of millions of dollars through various digital asset projects, though these ventures have sparked concerns about potential conflicts of interest. The token will be distributed via Crypto.com and operate on the Cronos blockchain, with the company promising future rewards such as discounts on Trump Media products. While Trump Media shares initially rose following the announcement, the company's stock has declined over 60% this year, and the broader cryptocurrency market faces challenges, with Bitcoin heading toward an annual loss and Trump's TRUMP meme-coin losing more than 90% of its value since January.

JPMorgan Chase's Houston Community Manager Cheri Green recently conducted a fraud prevention workshop at the Chase Lyons and Lockwood Community Center in Houston's Fifth Ward to address the rising threat of holiday scams. Research shows nearly 40 percent of Black adults in America have been scam targets, with approximately 20 percent suffering financial losses, and senior citizens face heightened vulnerability during the hectic holiday period. The workshop took place at Houston's only Chase community center exclusively dedicated to financial education, which regularly offers free programs throughout the year on various money management topics. The initiative aims to help community members recognize and avoid scams during the holidays when people are distracted by shopping and celebrations, making them easier targets for fraudsters.

A warehouse facility in Highland Park, Michigan, was identified in media reports as a potential site for a new Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) processing center, prompting concern among local officials and community members. Ashley Capital, the development firm operating the 446,500 square-foot Means Logistics Park building, has clarified that the property is currently leased to DTE Energy and therefore unavailable for such use. Local leaders including Highland Park Mayor Glenda McDonald and State Senator Stephanie Chang have expressed opposition to any ICE facility in their area and have been attempting to contact federal officials for verification. The reports stem from a Washington Post story revealing Trump administration plans to establish 16 detention facilities capable of holding over 80,000 immigrant detainees to accelerate deportations.

Following a Washington Post report identifying Highland Park as one of 16 potential sites for new federal immigrant processing facilities, local officials and a property developer have pushed back against the claim. Ashley Capital's vice president confirmed that the warehouse building mentioned in the report is already leased to DTE Energy and cannot be used for immigration detention purposes, though it remains unclear how the location ended up on the reported list. Highland Park Mayor Glenda McDonald and State Senator Stephanie Chang have expressed opposition to hosting such a facility and are attempting to get clarification from federal authorities, who have not responded to their inquiries. The controversy comes amid broader concerns about increased immigration enforcement in Michigan communities and follows the recent detention of students from a Detroit high school at a separate ICE facility.

Detroit experienced a transformative 2025 marked by historic political change and economic revival alongside serious infrastructure and equity challenges. Mary Sheffield became the city's first female mayor, bringing a progressive agenda focused on crime reduction, economic development, and racial equity, while the city celebrated two consecutive years of population growth following decades of decline. Major downtown developments like Hudson's Detroit opened to the public, and violent crime rates dropped significantly due to community intervention programs. However, the year also exposed critical vulnerabilities including aging water infrastructure failures, a federal SNAP benefits pause that threatened food security for 1.4 million Michiganders, the rollback of DEI programs across institutions, a tragic homelessness crisis that killed two children, contaminated fill-dirt used on residential properties, and federal tariffs threatening the auto industry's profitability and workers' profit-sharing. # Key Takeaways