“Dystopian” is the word being used on TikTok to describe what Washington, D.C., looks like under President Trump’s control. A video has gone viral on the social media app after TikTok creator Rob Perez (@R.oh.bee) filmed his evening run to show viewers a candid glimpse of what the city looks like after Trump deployed the national guard.
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The video, which has received over one million likes and nine million views, has shocked both people in and outside of the United States. Before Perez begins his run, he already spots multiple police, border patrol, and unmarked vehicles on his block. He decides to follow the line of cars, and after four blocks, arrives at another heavily patrolled area.
“Just got to Union Station, here is what the scene looks like. Kind of a weird scene here, but we’ve got three of these military trucks sitting behind me.” The trucks, though stationary, flash lights. And on the walls of Union Station, there are more blue and red flashing lights, possibly indicating more police cars behind the camera. As Rob heads towards the Capitol, he hears multiple whistles blowing and sirens in the distance.
As Perez continues on his journey, he stresses that his video is not meant to fearmonger, but to show the reality of what D.C. looks like and allow his viewers to draw their own conclusions, which they have:
“As a Brazilian, trust me: When the military is on the streets, you’re in a dictatorship,” wrote one user in the comments.
“This isn’t ‘so dystopian like’ this IS dystopian. This is what a dictator’s dystopian society looks like,” added another.
“So Trump stole the presidency now he wants to steal cities,” added another.
During the video, Perez takes a break from his run to show several agents who are also patrolling the city on foot. In the clip, he lists Border Patrol, the Secret Service, and Homeland Security investigations.
“Just in the few blocks that I walked alongside those federal agents, the number of scared reactions that I saw from people of color that were walking down the street minding their business was insane… A Black mother and her son were walking down the street, the second they turned the corner and saw the agents walking towards them, she immediately grabbed her son’s hand and told him ‘When you see these people out here walking around, you’re gonna hold my hand, cause I want them to know that you’re mine and you’re not out here causing trouble…’ It was truly so disheartening.”
Many TikTok comments are also comparing the current scene in Washington, D.C. to “The Handmaid’s Tale,” the popular dystopian novel by Margaret Atwood.
“I mean, in Handmaid’s Tale, they took Washington, D.C. first, too,” wrote one user.
“Everyone referencing Handmaid’s Tale because history class failed this country. Just look at Germany 1930s. This has happened in more than just fiction,” wrote another user.
Viewers thanked Perez for providing them with a candid glimpse at D.C., complaining that national news coverage was not showing the reality of things. In the comments, viewers also compared the video with some of the Perez’s past running videos and noted that the scenery is not as peaceful as it once was.
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