Cleveland leaders push back on Republican's call for National Guard deployment

Cleveland leaders have pushed back against Rep. Max Miller’s (R-Ohio) request that Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) deploy the National Guard to Cleveland to crack down on citywide crime. 

In a Washington Times op-ed, Miller argued that the National Guard should be brought to Cleveland, citing high rates of violent crime and homicide.

“My constituents in the suburbs are afraid to go into the city,” Miller wrote. “The Cleveland I grew up in is now unrecognizable. Families no longer feel safe walking down the street, and small businesses are being boarded up.”

He added that since President Trump's deployment of the National Guard in the District of Columbia, the city had been "noticeably safer."

Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb (D), who is also president of the Democratic Mayors Association, said he opposed Miller’s calls to bring in the federal force. 

“We don’t need the National Guard in Cleveland,” Bibb said in a Wednesday appearance on the podcast “Right Now With Perry Bacon.” 

He added that he and DeWine spoke last week and that the governor stated that he would not deploy the National Guard to the city without Bibb’s “express approval.” DeWine's office has also publicly affirmed "home rule" in the state, meaning mayors generally have power over law enforcement matters in their constituencies.

The City of Cleveland wrote in a statement to Cleveland 19 News that it would continue to partner with the federal government in other ways to address public safety.

“The most effective way to keep cities safe is through local law enforcement working hand in hand with our communities, the State of Ohio, and our federal partners,” the statement read.

Rep. Shontel Brown (D-Ohio) criticized Miller’s call for the National Guard as “unnecessary, unserious, and flat-out counterproductive,” writing that her constituent wanted “real solutions, not reality show stunts.”

“Perhaps my colleague from the suburbs should turn his attention back to the fact that 22,000 of his constituents will lose health care because he voted to cut Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act to pay for tax cuts for the rich,” she continued. 

Michael Deemer, president and CEO of Downtown Cleveland, a nonprofit dedicated to boosting downtown Cleveland’s experiential and commercial centers, pushed back against Miller’s characterization of the city in a statement posted on X. 

“Downtown Cleveland is unrecognizable – in the best way,” Deemer wrote. He praised Bibb’s leadership and strong partnerships, including with federal law enforcement – but “not the National Guard,” he added.

“So, if you don’t visit, live, work, or represent downtown, don’t speak for downtown,” he continued. “That’s our job – downtown is safe, the heart of our region and we’re proud of its progress and our future.”