Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
WASHINGTON – Low a YMCA, a popular bakery and a local bakery, a group of police officers in several agencies transformed on Wednesday evening an intersection loaded in a mixed residential trade area in Washington, DC, in a police checkpoint within the framework of President Donald Trump Donald Trump in Washington Directive to suppress crime in the national capital.
Uniform officers of the Metropolitan Police Department were held alongside the personnel of internal security surveys and several in civilian in the control point In the city’s Shaw district, one of the first control points put in place since Trump temporarily put the DC police under federal control and deployed the National Guard.
More than 100 demonstrators quickly gathered, heckling the police while prevented cars from approaching the checkpoint and, in some cases, reported the vehicles for an additional survey. Some demonstrators have started to warn the drivers to avoid the checkpoint.
The demonstrators, the federal agents and the local officers were all dispersed without incident.
A vehicle was towed from the checkpoint, the witnesses told NBC News that the driver had been withdrawn from the sedan and arrested.
The Metropolitan Police Service did not immediately respond to a request for comments on the control point and to any potential arrest.
The members of the National Guard, of which around 800 were activated this week to support the police in the city, were not seen at the control point.
A White House official said on Wednesday that the deployment of the national guard troops would be “much higher” throughout the week and that the operation would extend from evening changes to work 24 hours a day.
The increase in the presence of the police has attracted mixed reactions of residents of the DC region – some praise the repression of crime while others criticize Trump for the tactics of his administration.
“I know every centimeter of the city, and have seen over the years the deterioration of public places, whether with graffiti or with homeless people, I could not be more encouraged by the fact that there are now people who really want to say:` `Stop making things better ”, said Christopher, a Maryland resident who previously worked in Dc
Morgan Komlo, who lived in Washington for 10 years, challenged the characterization of Trump of the City as dangerous, stressing the drop in violent crimes. She called that of Trump press conference The announcement of the federalization of the “frightening” city police and warned that another effort of the executive power could lead to demonstrations.
“I thought it was scary,” said Komlo. “I also lived here long enough to know that DC will not grow a lot, and I was here in 2016 when there was a lot of protest” after Trump won the elections.
The mayor of DC, Muriel Bowser, qualified on Tuesday taking control of the local police by Trump as an “authoritarian push” during a virtual event that she organized with voters where she rejected the affirmation of the president that there was an increase in crime. But the Democratic mayor conceded that even if it opposes Trump’s actions, he has the power to carry out his decree.
“We all have to do what we can in our space, in our way, to protect our city, protect our autonomy, protect our original rule and go to the other side of this type and ensure that we elect a democratic house so that we have a point towards this authoritarian push,” said Bowser.
According to federal data Released in January, violent crimes in the district for 2024 were at its lowest level in more than three decades, and down 35% compared to the previous year.
In Monday orderTrump cited several high -level violent acts to justify his decision to deploy troops from the National Guard and take control of the DC police, including the deadly shootings of A congress trainee in June and Two staff of the Israeli Embassy in May.
The directive towards the federalization of the DC police lasts the maximum of 30 days, barely the legislation adopted by the congress to extend this period. Trump told Kennedy Center journalists on Wednesday, which he planned to submit a bill which would include a request to extend his police takeover.
“We are going to need a bill on the crime that we are going to set up, and that will initially relate to DC,” he said. “We are going to ask for extensions on this subject, long -term extensions, because you cannot have 30 days.”
The adoption of such a bill would be very unlikely because it would need democratic support in the Senate.
The national guard troops began to arrive on Tuesday in DC, the first tranche of nearly 800 soldiers activated by the army to help the police to order Trump.
About 30 national guard troops were on the ground on Tuesday evening, joining 750 officers from the metropolitan police department in uniform to carry out anti-crime operations across the city.
A senior army official told NBC News that the 800 troops of the National Guard should be operational by the end of the week. According to an army spokesperson.
The main objective of their work is to provide administrative assistance to the police and to protect staff and federal goods, have told NBC News to several US officials. Troops should not engage in direct law enforcement activities.
According to the data provided by the administration, federal laws on the application of laws has contributed to more than 100 arrests since Monday, a third of which have led to accusations related to the weapon.
Including the federalized DC officers, more than 1,450 staff members participated in Tuesday’s effort, according to administration figures on Wednesday. This count included dozens of immigration and customs agents who join FBI staff, the Drug Encompement Administration and the Secret Services.
About 40 agents in the Division of Internal Security Investigations, which generally focuses on long -term probes on transnational crimes, have joined federal staff in order to mitigate crime in the city, that these crimes are directly linked to immigration.
The fight against illegal immigration, a coherent focal point of Trump’s presidency, also plays a role in taking control of Trump’s police from Trump, with agents of the ICE application to return the ICE by carrying out “targeted” bites this week to stop immigrants. A spokesperson for ICE said that an operation in a home deposit “had led to arrests of illegal criminal foreigners found guilty of assault, theft and gang”.
“The president was clear, he will make DC again sure and beautiful, and Ice is proud to be part of the solution alongside our federal law partners.
