President Donald Trump’s decision to take federal control of Washington, D.C. in response to violent crime rates has sparked backlash from Democrats. Much of that backlash has come from elected officials, like District Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) and congressional Democrats — but some protestors have taken to the streets, declaring the president’s crackdown a symptom of fascism. However, these protests may not be at all organic, according to a new report, and may just be paid activists.

Crowds on Demand CEO Adam Swart reported that crowd rental requests in D.C. have spiked “roughly 400% compared to the same period in 2024.” Swart said that most of the protests seeking protestors “are focused on opposing Trump’s policies in Washington and raising alarms about government overreach.” He explained, “Most people don’t know this, but many protesters are literally on the payroll — Capitol Hill staffers from both parties are often expected to show up at rallies and protests on their own time.” Swart added, “So yes, most attendees are being paid or are there because it’s part of their job. That doesn’t mean they don’t support the cause — but it does mean these crowds aren’t as ‘organic’ as they appear on TV.”

The Free D.C. Project staged a protest on Monday, with attendees carrying signs reading, “No National Guard!” and “Trump Must Go Now!” According to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s Hailey Grace Gomez, shortly after the protest against Trump’s crime crackdown marched by, a man on 12th Street NW was shot and killed. The Free D.C. Project, which also advocates statehood for D.C., encouraged people on social media to “get loud” by going into the streets every night and banging pots and pans.

According to an analysis from the New York Post, the two organizations funding the Free D.C. Project — Community Change and Community Change Action — are themselves funded by left-wing “dark money.” Between 2020 and 2023, Community Change and Community Change Action received $12.6 million from Open Society Foundations and nearly $2 million from the Tides Foundation, both funded by Hungarian-born progressive billionaire George Soros, in addition to $5.6 million from the Arabella Advisors network. Community Change was also given $1 million by the Democratic Party-affiliated Future Forward USA Action political action committee (PAC), which was a part of promoting ex-Vice President Kamala Harris’s failed 2024 presidential campaign.

Despite Monday’s protest, which drew an estimated 150 attendees, the most vocal opponents of the president’s federal takeover of D.C. have been elected Democrats. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton (D), D.C.’s non-voting representative in Congress, referred to the crime crackdown as “an historic assault on D.C. home rule,” while Reps. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) and Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) compared the president to a “dictator.” Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) called rising violent crime in D.C. “a phony, manufactured crisis,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) called it “a political ploy,” and Maryland’s Democratic Governor Wes Moore said that the deployment of National Guard troops is “deeply dangerous.”

However, the White House’s endeavor to address violent crime seems already to be working. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt shared in a press conference Tuesday that 23 arrests were made Monday night, on charges ranging from drunk and reckless driving to illegal firearm possession and even murder. “Over the course of the next month, the Trump administration will relentlessly pursue and arrest every violent criminal in the district who breaks the law, undermines public safety, and endangers law-abiding Americans,” Leavitt said. She continued, “President Trump will not be deterred by soft-on-crime Democrats and media activists who refuse to acknowledge this rampant violence on our streets. He is going to make our nation’s capital the most beautiful and safe city on Earth, just as he promised on the campaign trail.”

Republican officials have largely supported the federal crackdown. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said in a social media post, “President Trump is RIGHT. We can’t allow crime to destroy our Nation’s Capital.” He continued, “Every American should be able to visit and enjoy Washington, D.C. without fear. House Republicans support this effort to CLEAN UP Washington, END the crime wave, and RESTORE the beauty of the greatest capital in the world.” In an op-ed article, Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah) wrote, “President Trump should use every tool at his disposal to restore law and order and make Washington the ‘shining city on a hill’ that Reagan said America was meant to be.” He continued, “The district’s government has proven unable and unwilling to meet even the basic obligations of governance. It’s gotten to the point where Washington is no longer merely a local embarrassment. To allow it to remain a showcase of crime, corruption and incompetence is an act of national self-harm.”

In an interview, U.S. Attorney for D.C. and former New York judge Jeanine Pirro also faulted D.C.’s mayor, city council, and district attorney for the soaring crime rate. “These cases are not being solved, and so the message is, ‘If you want to commit a crime, do it in D.C. ‘cause they’re not gonna solve the case. Bring in someone younger to commit the crime, and they will end up letting you go, because the U.S. Attorney can’t get her hands on you,’” Pirro explained. She continued, “That’s all gonna change under President Trump. We’re going to make D.C. safe and we’re going to make D.C. beautiful again — and make no mistake, this president has a constitutional right to protect the people in this District and to make us safe.” Pirro added, “It’s time for us to get rid of crime and make criminals accountable.”