Occupied Territory

This past September, I teamed up with local activists to document the situation on the ground as hundreds of federal agents continue to be diverted from their regular duties to conduct what would typically be municipal policing responsibilities in the district. What we saw were the results of how the aggressive tactics employed by both Metropolitan Police and federal law enforcement during the Trump administration’s “surge” continues to affect communities of color in the district.

We came upon this scene on 7th Street NE, where at least 10 MPD officers and agents from the FBI and DHS were present for what would, by witness accounts, be described as a routine traffic stop.

According to witnesses, the driver of a vehicle was stopped and detained after driving the wrong way in the 700 block of 7th Street NE. Removed from his vehicle and handcuffed, we found him flanked by FBI agents in tactical gear looking on as his vehicle was searched by MPD, federal agents, and two different police canines; it appeared that the only item removed from the vehicle was a bottle of liquor from the back seat, and after nearly an hour of searching, he was released by police.

This was just one of countless incidents since the Trump administration’s declaration of a “crime emergency” where what should have been an unremarkable interaction between citizens and police turned into a spectacle of aggressive pretextual stops, detentions, and searches throughout the district.

Neighborhood residents who watched the scene unfold told us that communities of color in DC feel like they’re under siege. One DC native who lives in the block but declined to give her name said that like any other major city, DC has its problems, but added “This isn’t necessary. We don’t need troops. We don’t need the FBI. We’re less safe with them here.”