At a time when American cities are being painted as battlegrounds and citizens labeled enemies by President Donald Trump, civil rights strategist Eric Ward stands as a steady voice in the storm.
As Trump attempts to deploy National Guard troops to Portland, Ward offers not just a rebuke, but a vision, one rooted in discipline, democracy, and deep love for community.
Ward, executive vice president at Race Forward, isn’t new to this fight. A veteran organizer and musician who’s spent over three decades confronting white nationalism, anti-Black racism, antisemitism and anti-LGBTQ violence. His clarity comes from lived experience.
He enlisted in the Navy at age 17. His father, a World War II veteran, taught him that service to country begins with fidelity to the Constitution and not loyalty to a man.
That’s why Ward calls Trump’s latest attempt to federalize troops for political gain not just alarming, but corrosive. “Turning soldiers into political police doesn’t strengthen democracy; it corrodes it,” Ward told The Black Wall Street Times. “When soldiers start policing neighbors, the nation loses twice: once in freedom and again in morale.”
Legal Blow to Trump
President Trump’s move to send troops into Portland, ostensibly to “protect” federal buildings amid immigration-related protests, was swiftly blocked by the U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut, a Trump appointee. She found the administration’s justification “untethered to facts.”
The ruling also pointed to legal concerns under the Posse Comitatus Act, which limits the use of federal troops for domestic law enforcement, and questioned whether Trump’s actions exceeded presidential authority under Title 10 and the Insurrection Act. But for Ward, the threat is far from over.
The deployment, he says, was never about safety. It was about staging a spectacle, sowing fear, and testing how far the executive branch can go.
Eric Ward on Trump’s Authoritarian Playbook Unfolds
But for Eric Ward, the threat is far from over. The deployment, he says, was never about safety. It was about staging a spectacle, sowing fear, and testing how far the executive branch can go.
“Portland was the dress rehearsal,” Ward warns. “Chicago is the sequel. This is a script being written for American cities.”
What troubles Ward most is how Trump’s campaign strategy relies on vilifying the very communities that represent America’s diverse future.
“After the Romney-Obama elections, reports made it clear: the only way to maintain power in a multiracial democracy was to stoke white grievance,” Ward tells us. “That’s the playbook. And cities like Portland — multiracial, progressive, and resilient — challenge that narrative.”
The militarization of cities is, in Ward’s view, a form of political theater meant to delegitimize dissent and fracture civic trust. Trump’s rhetoric about the “enemy within,” repeated at military events and rallies, is more than hyperbole — it’s dangerous propaganda. “Labeling cities and citizens as terrorists isn’t about safety. It’s about undermining democracy. It’s a stress test on our trust in each other,” Ward told us in our interview.
Hope Is a Strategy, And Community Is the Front Line
Amid the danger, Ward calls on everyday Americans to show moral courage—not forged in battle, but in unity. “Courage starts with a breath,” he says. “We need to stop panicking, support our local governments, and rejoin civic life even if it’s just quilting clubs or faith groups. Presence in community is resistance.”
For Ward, hope is not naïve; it’s necessary. He sees it in judges upholding the law, in local leaders resisting intimidation, and in everyday people gathering in parks, cafes, and dance circles in downtown Portland. “This is what democracy looks like,” he says. “People loving their cities in the face of fear.”
Authoritarians Thrive on Division, But Eric Ward Says Our Unity Is the Resistance
Ward grounds his vision in radical empathy and believes solidarity holds more power than state violence. “Authoritarians don’t need to conquer cities,” he says. “They just need us to stop trusting each other. But we won’t let that happen.”
In this moment, he says, “We’re all Portlanders. We’re all Chicagoans. And how we show up for one another now will determine what kind of nation we become.”
“Let’s thank Donald Trump,” Ward says with quiet defiance. “Because he’s reminded us how much we truly love our cities.”
Eric Ward reminds us that America’s soul lives on our blocks, in our neighborhoods, and in our unity. That’s where we hold the line. And that’s where we win.
The Black Wall Street Times amplifies voices like Eric K. Ward — those defending democracy, truth, and solidarity when fear takes the stage. Your support as a paid subscriber keeps us lifting the important voice to the front.