While security guards were enacted at tourist-friendly national malls, parts of Washington, DC’s most crime-rich area, showed little indication of military or federal agents.
Trump declares a public safety emergency in DC and manages police
President Donald Trump has invoked the Home Rules Act to control DC police amid his crime concerns.
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump’s federal law enforcement and National Guard force deployment produced humvees in national malls and tourist destination agents roving bands as part of his stated efforts to crack down on crime in the country’s capital.
But many residents of the city’s highest crime area say they haven’t seen the outcome of Trump’s surge where it’s most needed.
“He probably doesn’t even know where Anacostia is,” says Charles Wilson, who has one of the highest rates of murder and violent crime in DC. Wilson says the low-income area of D.C.’s 8th District has endured several shootouts in recent years where bullets have stayed in homes, cars and even children’s bedrooms.
“I think this is all dignity and circumstances,” Wilson says.
As part of the August 11 campaign to “recover our capital” from crime and the homelessness, the federal government seized control of Washington’s metropolitan police station.
As the White House did not immediately respond to requests for details on the USA Today deployment, an MPD spokesman did not reply to a message seeking comment on Trump’s order to take over the department. .
Some Anacostia residents welcome help from Trump to fight crime
Like others interviewed by USA Today at Anacostia on the afternoon and evening of August 13th, Wilson said he is trained in the community and welcomes the presence of more law enforcement agencies to help the neighborhood reduce crime and violence.
Wilson, 49, has lived in the Southeast DC community for more than 20 years. On July 18, 2024, he woke up at about 2:30am by sounding like war on a corner suburban street from the historic Frederick Douglas Estate.
When he obtained footage from his neighbor’s doorbell camera and posted it online, the video of the two men running up and down the streets fired each other for nearly a minute.
“It was one thing, but it was something else,” said Wilson, a longtime community activist and chairman of the D.C. Democrats. He said the issue is not political. Democrats and Republican neighbours want to see the benefits of claiming that the benefits of what Trump claims are a new campaign to improve cities.
So far, he said, “There’s nothing new here. I’m not going to be anything different.”
“We’ve done nothing here,” said Anacostia resident Tina Harris, walking along Marion Barry Avenue, named after the former D.C. mayor.
“I think it’s clearly a shift from a real issue,” she said, including budget cuts to Trump’s local social services and police.
Trump announced his actions to “save our country’s capital from crime, bloodshed, bedlam and demons” after a famous attack on former staff member of 19-year-old Edward Coristine (DOGE) that occurred early on August 3rd.
Mayor Muriel Bowser challenged Trump’s justification for declaring a criminal emergency, calling it “a so-called emergency,” and pointed out that crime has been circulating after the 2023 spike.
However, crimes in District 8, including murder, car theft, robbery and assault with dangerous weapons, have historically been nearly twice as many as other wards in the city.
A few blocks from Wilson’s home, a cruiser from a metropolitan police station was parked and sat at a slowly flashing intersection.
Inside officers said he was just doing his regular rounds, like the other two officers interviewed by USA Today throughout the evening, and he didn’t see any increase in the nearby 7th District, a law enforcement or military presence there, or another high crime zone. All three officers refused to give their names, saying they were not allowed to speak publicly.
However, one officer said as a DC resident he welcomed additional resources Trump approved.
One Anacostia resident standing outside her home watching the cruiser confirmed that the officer was a nearby beat police officer. And despite nightly gunshots, carjacking and other crimes since Trump’s announcement, he has not seen any additional MPD officers, federal agents, or National Guard troops since Trump’s announcement. He also refused to give his name, citing a pending background check for work.
Darrell Gaston, chef and founder of nearby Kitchen Savage, showed USA the front window of his fine dining restaurant, which he had to replace after being smashed in a recent shootout between two car residents. Wild Shootout sent street lights to the restaurant.
Gaston, a member of the four-term advisory committee, said he saw evidence of increased security. Instead, he wants to see “I hope that people who specialize in community engagement and community protection will lead to a reduction in crime,” Gaston said.
“And hopefully, it won’t lead to an increase in the rights of citizens that are being violated,” Gaston said of the Trump surge. “When the MPD violates your rights, there are protocols to follow to deal with it. If the FBI or DEA violates your rights, who do you go to?”
In District 8, violent crime has declined overall this year, but police officers remained stable at 38 compared to the same period in 2024.
A swarm of federal agents near Capitol Hill
Crossing the Anacostia River near the Capitol, on the night of August 13th, we saw a quiet view of the rough HH Street commercials and nightlife corridors. It was one of the attacks Trump quoted.
The only visible security presence was the occasional MPD cruiser driving. But the store owner and Barfrey said the area has been swarmed by federal agents and police late at night since Trump’s announcement.
Johnny Lou showed USA Today a video of a team of seven FBI, ICE and DEA agents patrolling the area late on the evening of August 12, questioning people for drinking and smoking marijuana in public, and even arresting them.
Lou welcomed the surge, saying he frequently watched shootings, stab wounds, carjacks and robbers outside the Tiki Gardens restaurant.
“The MPD is fine. We have a good relationship with them. But the Fed, not particularly ice,” Lu said of the corridor merchants and residents. “We have to worry about them.”
