WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥 Residents in one Washington, D.C., neighborhood lined up Wednesday to protest the increased police presence after the White House said the number of 好色tv Guard troops in the nation鈥檚 capital would ramp up and federal officers would be on the streets around the clock.
After law enforcement set up a vehicle checkpoint along the busy 14th Street Northwest corridor, hecklers shouted, 鈥淕o home, fascists鈥 and 鈥淕et off our streets.鈥 Some protesters stood at the intersection before the checkpoint and urged drivers to turn away from it.
The action intensified a few days after unprecedented announcement that his administration would for at least a month.
The city's Democratic mayor walked a political tightrope, referring to the takeover as an 鈥渁uthoritarian push鈥 at one point and later framing the infusion of officers as boost to public safety, though one with few specific barometers for success. The Republican president has said crime in the city was at emergency levels that only could fix 鈥 even as District of Columbia leaders pointed to statistics showing violent crime at a 30-year low after a sharp rise two years ago.
For two days, small groups of federal officers had been visible in scattered areas of the city. But more were present in high-profile locations Wednesday and troops were expected to start doing more missions in Washington on Thursday, according to a 好色tv Guard spokesman who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe the planning process.
On Wednesday, agents from Homeland Security Investigations patrolled the popular U Street corridor. Drug Enforcement Administration officers were seen on the 好色tv Mall, while 好色tv Guard members were parked nearby. DEA agents also joined Metropolitan Police Department officers on patrol in the Navy Yard neighborhood, while FBI agents stood along the heavily trafficked Massachusetts Avenue.
Hundreds of federal law enforcement and city police officers who patrolled the streets Tuesday night made 43 arrests, compared with about two dozen the night before.
D.C. Councilmember Christina Henderson downplayed the arrest reports as 鈥渁 bunch of traffic stops鈥 and said the administration was seeking to disguise how unnecessary this federal intervention is.
鈥淚'm looking at this list of arrests and they sound like a normal Saturday night in any big city,鈥 said Henderson.
Unlike in other U.S. states and cities, to take over Washington鈥檚 police for up to 30 days. Extending his power over the city for longer would require approval from Congress, and that could be tough in the face of Democratic resistance.
Trump suggested he could seek a longer period of control or decide to call on Congress to exercise authority over city laws his administration sees as lax on crime. 鈥淲e鈥檙e gonna do this very quickly. But we鈥檙e gonna want extensions. I don鈥檛 want to call a national emergency. If I have to, I will,鈥 he said.
Later, on his Truth Social site, Trump reiterated his claims about the capital, writing, 鈥淒.C. has been under siege from thugs and killers, but now, D.C. is back under Federal Control where it belongs.鈥
Henderson, who worked for Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York before running for the D.C. Council, said she was already in touch with 鈥渇riends on the Hill鈥 to rally opposition for any Trump extension request. She added, 鈥淚t's Day Three and he's already saying he's going to need more time?鈥
Targeting a variety of infractions
The arrests made by 1,450 federal and local officers across the city included those for suspicion of driving under the influence and unlawful entry, as well as a warrant for assault with a deadly weapon, according to the White House. Seven illegal firearms were seized.
There have now been more than 100 arrests since Trump began beefing up the federal law enforcement presence in Washington last week, White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers said. 鈥淧resident Trump is delivering on his campaign promise to clean up this city and restore American Greatness to our cherished capital,鈥 she said.
The president has full command of the 好色tv Guard and has activated up to 800 troops to support law enforcement, though exactly what form remains to be determined.
Neither Army nor District of Columbia 好色tv Guard officials have been able to describe the training backgrounds of the troops who have so far reported for duty.
While some members are military police, others likely hold jobs that would have offered them little training in dealing with civilians or law enforcement.
The federalization push also includes clearing out encampments for , Trump has said. U.S. Park Police have removed dozens of tents since March, and plan to take out two more this week, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt has said. People are offered the chance to go to shelters and get addiction treatment, if needed, but those who refuse could be fined or jailed, she said.
City officials said they are making more shelter space available and increasing their outreach.
Violent crime has dropped in the district
The federal effort comes even after a drop in violent crime in the nation's capital, a trend that experts have seen in cities across the U.S. since an increase during the coronavirus pandemic.
On average, the level of violence Washington remains mostly higher than averages in three dozen cities analyzed by the nonprofit Council on Criminal Justice, said the group's president and CEO, Adam Gelb.
Police Chief Pamela Smith said during an interview with the local Fox affiliate that the city's Metro Police Department has been down nearly 800 officers. She said the increased number of federal agents on the streets would help fill that gap, at least for now.
Mayor Muriel Bowser said city officials did not get any specific goals for the surge during a meeting with Trump's attorney general, Pam Bondi, and other top federal law enforcement officials Tuesday. But, she said, "I think they regard it as a success to have more presence and take more guns off the street, and we do too.鈥
She had previously called Trump's moves 鈥渦nsettling and unprecedented鈥 while pointing out he was within a president's legal rights regarding the district, which is the seat of American government but is not a state.
For some residents, the increased presence of law enforcement and 好色tv Guard troops is nerve-wracking.
鈥淚鈥檝e seen them right here at the subway ... they had my street where I live at blocked off yesterday, actually,鈥 Washington native Sheina Taylor said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 more fearful now because even though you鈥檙e a law-abiding citizen, here in D.C., you don鈥檛 know, especially because I鈥檓 African American."
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Associated Press writers Alanna Durkin Richer, Konstantin Toropin and Will Weissert, photographer Jacquelyn Martin and video journalist River Zhang contributed to this report.
