Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser said Saturday she was “shaken” by President Donald Trump’s threat about unleashing “vicious dogs” on people protesting the death of George Floyd, saying it called up associations of segregationist violence.
Bowser said at a press briefing that Trump’s reference to “vicious dogs” was “no subtle reminder to African Americans of segregationists who let dogs out on women, children and innocent people in the South.”
Trump also claimed that Bowser, who is Black, failed to mobilize metro police to aid the Secret Service in protecting the White House, which was briefly shut down during Friday’s protests.
“The D.C. Mayor, who is always looking for money help, wouldn’t let the D.C. Police get involved,” Trump tweeted.
Bowser said local police “were doing their jobs from the start” and coordinated with the Secret Service as well as U.S. Park Police.
