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Fear, confusion, resistance: One night under Trump's D.C. crackdown
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Washington Post journalists head out for a tense night on one of D.C.’s busiest corridors, from dusk to dawn, during the first weekend of President Donald Trump’s announcement of a federal takeover of D.C.’s law enforcement.
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Zayd had on a crop top, cargo shorts and cowboy boots. That's just what I'm wearing. But my girls are also serving looks. My girlies back there. Yes, we are. And that is on the record. That is on the record. I've been living in D.C. for on and off for like six years now. And tonight I'm with my girls and we're just gonna go out and have some good time. Like, I'm not gonna lie. Like, we are, we are somewhat intimidated by like the changes that have been happening and like things that felt a little bit strange with the whole, like, D.C. national Guard. Over the last week, Zaid and other D.C. residents have seen or experienced escalating tensions here in the nation's capital. Last Monday, President Donald Trump announced he'd be taking over DC's police force and sending hundreds of National Guard troops into the city by Tuesday. At least six Republican led states have pledged their units too. Officers from several other federal agencies have also fanned out across the city. This includes officers from ICE or Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, and the FBI. This is playing out all over the city, including in the U Street area. It's in the heart of dc. While people there are used to seeing the city's police force, they are now seeing these federal officers. We're just trying to have our fun, as much fun as possible. Cause I personally do believe that, like, joy is resistance. So, yeah, we're just on our way to go dance. Have a good night. Thanks. This is you, right? Yeah. Okay. From the newsroom of the Washington Post, this is Post Reports. I'm Elahe izadi. It's Tuesday, August 19th. Today we're going to be doing something a bit different on the show. We are going out to see what does Washington D.C. feel like now. A team of producers and reporters spent all night out on U Street to witness these changes firsthand. We documented the neighborhood from dusk until dawn on Friday in the first weekend since the federal takeover of DC's policing MPD. Going down U Street, just one cruiser. Washington, D.C. is a federal city. It's home to the White House and Congress and federal agencies. But it's also a place with 700,000 residents who call the city home, including me. We're focusing on a five block stretch of U Street. This is one of the main places in D.C. people go out to on a Friday night. When I was in college, I go to a record store off U Street for shows and as an adult I ended up living nearby. I'd go dancing at a club known for its reggae and Jamaican beef patties and I'd perform or watch stand up comedy up and down the block. The U Street corridor is also among the areas in D.C. that has had the highest number of crimes reported this year. President Trump says he needs to take over policing in D.C. because crime is out of control. But cities statistics show violent crime has been declining since 2023. Trump claims those statistics are fake and the Justice Department has now launched an investigation. So in this episode we'll be following reporter Olivia George. She covers the Trump administration's effects on the D.C. region for the Post. And throughout the night, several of our producers will also join her. We start at 7pm Post reports producer Savvy Robinson and engineer Shawn Carter arrive. They already see some protesters. I kind of want to go talk to him. Okay, sorry. They see a guy holding a sign and a megaphone, so they ask him about it. Can you read your sign out for us? Oh, yeah. It says if you support ice, your mom is a and you are too. His name is Steven Rangel. He's an activist who recently moved from Texas to dc. He says that with the increased ICE presence in the city, he's been trying to stop agents from detaining people. That's what the megaphone is for. So yesterday I was protesting, came across Border Patrol agents. So I got on the megaphone, started informing immigrants like, hey, if your papers are questionable, go ahead and just stay where you are. Don't come out. In the streets near Stephen, there's another protester with a sign that doesn't require a bleep. On one side, it says, america has no king, and no is underlined twice to make sure we know that. The other side says all power to the people. This is Jacqueline McGarry. We really, really lost the plot. We're not supposed to have kings for sure. So I think they kind of talk to each other. And it's also very anti tyranny, which is, I feel like what we're really going towards right now. This area has seen a lot of protests and federal law enforcement this past week. There was even a police checkpoint. Okay. A commotion just started happening nearby, so we're going to walk over. It's now 8pm A large group gathers on the corner of 14th and U Streets. They had seen Stephen protesting and wanted to support him. So some people banked pots and pans. Then the group stops and goes on their way. U Street is not just a late night hotspot. It's a storied part of DC's history. This corridor had been the epicenter of black culture. It was called Black Broadway for decades. It was the site of civil rights activism. Then in the 1980s, when D.C. was the country's murder capital, this corner was known for open air drug markets and prostitution. In more recent years, this neighborhood has undergone gentrification. Homes nearby are pricey, and it's an area with a lot of clubs, bars, and restaurants. On dark. It's dark now. How would you describe, like, the energy out here on the street right now? There's a bit of a split screen because on the one hand, you have people, you know, going in that have been walking their dogs or going out for dinner or getting a drink dressed in, you know, dresses and kitten heels. But then at the same time, we're witnessing what appears to be a very large MPD presence. Why exactly at this moment is unclear. Our crew meets up with our colleague Olivia. She tells them what she's hearing from people, that it's not unusual to see some D.C. police officers around on a Friday night. The local police force is called mpd, the Metropolitan Police Department. But tonight there are also federal agents. And this has put a lot of people on edge. Sirens I hear it's about 9pm a block away from where they're standing, my colleagues see what appears to be be about a dozen police officers arresting one man outside of a bar. It looks like they're arresting a guy who has a mask on. He's being held. And there are 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 cop cars around here. A crowd of People gathers on the sidewalk and speed spills into the street. Several are filming on their phones. Eventually, we find out that this is all over a claim that a bike was stolen. But in this moment, there is a lot of confusion about what is happening. Our photographer, Craig Hudson, then shows up and he notices that there aren't just local police here. Well, there's also HSI with them. So what's hsi? Homeland Security Investigation. Three officers are standing further down the block, and they look different from the local police, who wear dark blue uniforms. Some of these officers are wearing green shirts and vests that read hsi. That stands for Homeland Security Investigations. This is a division of ice. Olivia and the audio producers approach the HSI officers and the protester, Stephen has also walked down the block and questions the officers with other bystanders. Things are getting tense. His name is. What's your name? Just so we could talk. You guys don't have any actual questions? I'm trying to. Okay, I'm sorry. I'll stop. I'll calm down. I'm sorry. Steven and others ask what the officers are doing. One of them responds, well, we're educating people on human trafficking. And we're also tonight focused on helping the DC local police. I mean, we invest child sex crimes. We invest human trafficking, human smuggling, narcotics. You can Google it. Homeland Security. What our investigative mission is right now, we're supporting in D.C. okay, but if you do the research, you know what we do, all the investigations we do are serious investigations against very bad people. This answer doesn't seem to satisfy Stephen. So do you think standing out here is actively investigating right now? Am I hurting anything right now? Well, yes, the community feels unsafe with your presence. The community feels unsafe with your presence. So, yes, you are hurting the community where people don't feel safe to come outside. No, you are federal law enforcement. We don't care about MPD. MPD. I work for Washington, D.C. homeland Security, so I'm not allowed to be in Washington, D.C. it's nearly 10pm and despite all this seriousness, there are still people trying to do what U Street does best. Party. Oh, yeah. Friday night feels like it's in full swing. Standing room only at the bar across the street. Lots of people teetering around in high heels, getting in and out of the taxis and Ubers. So let's keep walking down the block. Sabi and Sean leave, and audio producer Rena Flores takes over for them. She meets up with Olivia, and they find a group of former and current students from Howard University. The historically black university is just off of U Street. And this group is standing in line outside of El Rey, a bar serving up tacos and tequila. Here's Andrew Fraser. We have fun, but we are black, having fun and loud and doing what we do. And there's cops every five steps. So it's a little disheartening, you know. Did you ever think about not coming out tonight? We definitely did. We was like, is it worth it? But personally, it's my friend's birthday so we can come out for her birthday. Happy birthday to her. Indeed. Indeed. We just, we don't want our way of life to be stopped before it has to be. Cuz like it's, it's going that way. Like we're seeing like it's, it's dark, it's scary, it's, it's getting real bad. But while we still can go out and, and, and be merry and have fun with our friends and just really enjoy us, we want to, so we're trying our best. They aren't alone. People are out. It seems like U Street business as usual. But it isn't that way for everyone. That's after the break. As summer comes to an end, I'm all about refreshing my wardrobe with staple pieces for the season ahead. And nobody nails it like Quince does, with luxe essentials that feel effortless and look polished, perfect for layering and mixing. Think chic cashmere and cotton sweaters starting at just $40. Washable silk tops and classic denim pants. 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When you become a Washington Post subscriber, do you have a companion for whatever part of your day needs it most. Get it all for just $4 every four weeks. That's for an entire year. After that, it's just $12 every four weeks. Cancel anytime. Go to washingtonpost.com subscribe that's washingtonpost.com subscribe. It's still around 10pm Olivia and Rena stop by Service bar. It's known for its cocktails and fried chicken. How would you characterize it so far? Definitely quiet for a Friday. Harry Wright is the general manager here. He's standing outside under the bar's rainbow awning and he explains the changes he's felt since Trump flooded the city with officers from ICE and other federal agencies. It's been a quiet week. I think a lot of tension in the air. I think for us in the service industry, where immigrants really drive so much of the way we operate as a hospitality, food and beverage service industry, whatever you want to call it, is fueled by immigrants and people of color and queer people. And those are the people who feel the least safe in the city right now. You know, we for a living, take care of people and work really hard to make others feel welcome in our space. You know when I'm getting a call at 9am from one of my co workers who doesn't feel safe to walk to work seven hours before his shift, that's insane. Homeland Security officers had stopped by some new street businesses earlier in the week. They left flyers and tried to speak with staff. When we're here serving food, serving drink, creating hopefully like a happy, fun, welcoming atmosphere to everybody, putting on a happy face every day because that is what, what we do, no matter what we're feeling or is going on in our own lives. Yeah. I mean, it's, it's insane. It, it doesn't feel super real, even though, as I'm sure you've all seen walking around, it's very real. And, you know, I've seen most of the people who we talk to this Friday night, including Wright, say they do feel safe in the city. They also acknowledge dc like any big city, has crime problems. Earlier this summer, D.C. had implemented an 11pm curfew for anyone under 18. The city said it was to combat juvenile crime. This area in general is just unsafe. You know, there's someone getting beat up, there's someone getting jumped. There's a fight. You know, you stand outside, there's carjackings or there's. My car was broken into less than two months ago in the neighborhood. So this is Perry Singletary. She's hanging out at Nelly's Sports bar. It's a gay bar that's been on U Street for almost two decades. Yeah, I mean, you're taking a risk when you're coming to U Street in general. It's a risk out here. At the same time, she's not sure whether the federal police takeover is the answer. It's a sentiment that comes up a lot this night. Can I ask just one quick question? When you sort of heard about Trump taking over D.C. police, like, what do you think? I understand you wanting to make D.C. a better place. You know, anywhere can use everything to be better. Like I said earlier, U Street is just not, it's not a safe place to be. Some places in D.C. are not a safe place. But for you to federally take over DC, I think that is very good extreme. Just a hiding police presence. You know, I protested during Black Lives Matter, so just anything with the heightened police presence really just makes me uneasy. So yeah, Harry has mixed feelings about this. I'm not going to say what he's doing is, I think what he's doing is very extreme, but it, it is nice to see a police presence outside cuz it's lit. It's been quiet out here for the last week and it's usually not. So there's a lot of people. It's now around 11pm blocks away from Nellie's, Rena and Olivia see another commotion. And this keeps happening with the heightened police presence. It causes a kind of cycle of reactions. So we just watched what appeared to be an encounter between an MPD officer and a car that it looked like might have run a red light. So doesn't on its face at least seem to be anything that is related to the increased presence of federal law enforcement in D.C. and yet you immediately saw people's heads kind of on a swivel. People have phones out, cameras are rolling, they're booing and yelling. This happens anytime. Federal and now local officers do police work in the neighborhood. And so it seems that even these like more run of the mill law enforcement interactions are being painted with the brush of what is happening with the federal law enforcement presence in D.C. right now and people's thoughts and feelings towards that. It's after midnight. Olivia meets up with producer Alana Gordon, who had arrived on U Street by bus. They walk around for a while and after encountering more late night partygoers, Olivia and Alana head further down the street for an important and necessary stop. By this point in the night, it's 1am where are we right now? Ben's Chili bowl what are you about to do? I'm about to order some fries. What time is it? 1:07. Hi. I would like some. Some cheese fries, please. Cheese. I guess I. No, you're right. The chili cheese fries, that's it. Ben's Chili bowl is a D.C. institution. It opened in 1958. A sign on the wall with photos and a caption nods to this longevity and everything that this area has been through. There's a sign here and it's got some photos on it, old photos. 68 soul brother. And it says following the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. In 1968, riots erupted along the U Street corridor in DC. Black activist Stokey Carmichael asked Ben to visit his restaurant, open this restaurant. During the riots, Ben's obtained permission to stay open past curfew and fed both the police officers and firemen working to impose order. The riots happened in 1968. There were similar ones across the country. In D.C. black residents and police clashed including the National Guard. The chaos left 13 people dead and more than 900 businesses destroyed. A lot of places closed during those days, but not Ben's Chili Bowl. That was delicious. You really. Yeah. You went through it. By this point in the night, other people besides Olivia and Alana had the same idea. A late night snack. Jasmine Curtis sets up her folding table two blocks away from Ben's. She has tin foil trays with food and she is ready for the hungry late night crowd. She goes by Chef Jazzy. What food do you have with you? I have fried chicken tonight, macaroni and cheese, candy, yams, green beans, yellow rice, honey jerk chicken and yeah, that's about it tonight. I usually have more but I did. A simple night tonight. This is a simple night. Yeah. Jasmine loves to cook for people. She hopes to make enough money to one day have a food truck and then open a restaurant. She tells Olivia and Alana that she's been on edge all week. She's been keeping her two boys inside as much as she can. They're seven and four. What's this week felt like? Has it been different just with like the. I've been staying away from me, staying in the house, staying safe. But as far as the young people going around being crazy, it's really their fault that we going through this because it's like all you gotta do is learn how to act like you have some common sense and we wouldn't be going through this but hopefully all the younger kids will learn that, you know, just go straight in the house, do what you're supposed to do. And we won't have to go through this having people like the police walking around watching us 24 hours a day because who don't want to move around freely without that. You know what I mean? You're welcome. You guys have a good night. Okay? It is 2:30. We are once again on the corner of 14th and U. People are beginning to trickle out of bars. Some people are still trickling into bars. Lots of taxis, bicycles, scooters. I think on the whole, the sense we've got from folks that we've spoken with tonight was a sense of heightened tension and uncertainty. And yet among many people that we spoke to, conviction to still enjoy their Friday night. Whether that's getting a drink with a friend, celebrating a birthday, going to a club with people you went to college with. Despite everything that's that's happening in D.C. and in the world, people still wanted to hold on to those moments. Still, it's hard to ignore what's missing. Just as Olivia and Alana are about to leave, someone approaches them. Lavon Greer. He's been out at the clubs, but he has something to tell them. He points to the corner across the street. They wait there and they're like, oh, all right, I've got it up. I'll go down, up and around. But that's the spot. And then usually he says, this corner is filled with delivery drivers on mopeds. Many of them in D.C. are immigrants. And at this corner, drivers are usually picking up late night food orders from McDonald's. I messed that up. There's a lot of money on that block for people that just want to serve the community. Lavon cannot help but notice that tonight the corner is totally empty. It's almost 3am this was an unusual Friday night for U Street. Olivia and the rest of the crew head home. Hello. On Saturday morning, a few hours after Olivia and the rest of the crew headed home, several people saw police violently tackle a food delivery driver. The driver was leaving a nearby coffee shop with an order. He was walking towards his moped and a witness said he started to run when he realized agents were following him. Our colleague, Dan Rosenzweig. Ziff was there too. What agents here you guys with? Can you tell us what agency you're with? I'm press. I'm press. What agency are you with? Care my guy. You don't care what age? I don't talk to the press. This incident involved six federal officers wearing police vests. The vests had no clear identification of their agencies. The officers tackled the man to the ground. They appeared to use a stun gun, and then they drove him away in an unmarked black vehicle. A Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman later said they detained the man, a Venezuelan national. She said he had entered the country illegally in 2023 and a judge ordered his removal later that year. DHS said he had active warrants and repeatedly failed to appear for court dates in Maryland related to traffic crimes. Since the arrest, the Post has been unable to independently verify whether the man has a Maryland traffic record or whether he had previously applied for protection from deportation. DHS has not responded to requests for additional information, and it's not yet clear whether the detained man has a lawyer. This week, Trump has continued to defend his decision to take over D.C. police. He spoke about it from the Oval Office on Monday. They're fighting me on the fact that I've made Washington, D.C. safe. We're not going to get mugged, beaten up or killed like all the people you've been watching get so badly hurt. In this show, you heard Washington Post reporter Olivia George. She covers the Trump administration's impacts on the D.C. region. This episode was produced by Alana Gordon, Rena Flores, Sabi Robinson, Thomas Lu and Shawn Carter, with help from Rennie Srinofsky. Special thanks to photojournalist Craig Hudson and editor John Ramsey. The episode was mixed by Sean and edited by Rena and Renita Jablonski. I'm Elahe Izadi. We'll be back tomorrow with more stories from the Washington Post. 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