During my teenage years, while involved in the juvenile justice system, I quickly realized that President Trump chose not to acknowledge its prevalence. It impacts a significant number of children.
This week, Trump announced plans to deploy 800 National Guard troops in Washington, D.C., suggesting cities like Oakland and Baltimore might be next. He’s also pushing for the prosecution of young offenders as adults. It’s the same old strategy—increase police presence and detain more youth, addressing complex social challenges with military force instead of genuine solutions.
What makes this particularly absurd is that crime rates are actually decreasing in the very city he’s threatening. Baltimore, for instance, has hit one of its lowest homicide rates in decades, with a 23% drop just last year. In my own hometown of Oakland, similar progress has been made—not through militarization, but through community investment.
Trump’s narrative suggests a drastic shift in the lives of young people. For instance, my colleague J. Vazquez, who received a 31-year sentence in an adult prison at just 16, faced enormous challenges. Yet, he triumphed over what the system threw at him, earning six associate degrees with honors and co-founding mentoring programs for other incarcerated youths.
Now, Vazquez serves as the Policy and Legal Services Manager for Communities United for Restorative Youth Justice in Oakland, where I also work. He’s been recognized at San Francisco State University. His transformation came despite the adult system’s harsh realities—it’s worth noting he was treated as an adult.
Vazquez’s experience illustrates what’s happening through our program. We engage with over 100 young people annually—kids that the system has seemingly abandoned. Remarkably, 94% reported improvements in their emotional health, and every single participant reported acquiring new skills. In contrast, the California Boys Hall costs over $300,000 per young person each year, with a troublingly high rate of recidivism. We’re literally spending $15 million per child and inadvertently increasing their chances of reoffending.
Data speaks volumes. In Oakland, Community Works—one of the cities targeted by Trump for military deployment—has observed a mere 13% recidivism rate over two years among participants in their restorative justice program, significantly lower than traditional models. Research consistently indicates that youth processed through adult systems are more likely to reoffend compared to those in age-appropriate programs.
Another notable example lies in Baltimore, where under Mayor Brandon Scott’s leadership, the city achieved the lowest murder rate on record. This was accomplished through community investments like summer youth camps, extended recreation center hours, and employing former offenders for conflict mediation. The solution lies in treating children as kids—not as criminals to be harshly punished.
The options are clear. We can either follow Trump’s militarization and mass incarceration agenda, which leads to more casualties and unnecessary spending, or we can invest in proven programs, similar to those in Baltimore and Oakland, that actually make a difference.
Nationwide, crime rates are down, including a 35% drop in D.C. in 2024. The last thing we need is to revert to punitive policies that have historically harmed young lives while failing to enhance our communities’ safety.
I’ve experienced firsthand the impact of a system that only recognizes one’s lowest moments. Kids don’t need to be caged. They require mentors who understand their challenges, communities that recognize their potential, and leaders who believe in second chances. Trump’s history of hastily condemning young people of color—such as his call for the death penalty for the Central Park Five, despite exculpatory DNA evidence—cannot be allowed to repeat itself on a national scale.
