Washingtonians Wary of Crime Yet Skeptical of Trump Takeover

A fifteen-minute walk from the White House, residents Tony and Mike stood on the sidewalk near the site where a man was shot on Monday, marking the 100th homicide of the year in Washington, D.C.

The shooting occurred just hours after former President Donald Trump announced a federal takeover of the city, describing it as overrun by crime — despite official statistics indicating that violence has recently declined.

“It’s sickening,” Tony told AFP early on Tuesday. “It’s not safe anymore.”

“You do need change, you do need help,” Mike added.

Yet Mike emphasised that the city does not require the type of assistance Trump is providing — “not the National Guard.”

Residents near the city centre described the daily reality of street-level drug sales but expressed scepticism that federal intervention would make a meaningful difference.

Tony, who has lived in the area all his life, declined to give his surname. He described a local street corner as an “open-air market” with “all the drugs that you want.”

Anne, pruning in a nearby churchyard, reported frequently finding needles in the flowerbeds.

It was near this spot that 33-year-old Tymark Wells was shot at around 7:00 pm on Monday and later died in hospital. Police reports did not specify a motive or suspect.

Residents’ Perspectives

Lauren, 42, who lives in a nearby building, described the neighbourhood as “the wild wild West” and noted that locals have grown desensitised to violence.

“We’re so desensitised,” she said.

Trump, announcing his plan for D.C., claimed the city was “becoming a situation of complete and total lawlessness.”

However, the Department of Justice reported in January that violent crime in Washington had recently fallen to its lowest level in three decades.

“Because of easy access to guns in the United States, the crime number still ‘may look differently in America than it does in other parts of the world,’” said Brianne Nadeau, a member of D.C.’s largely Democratic city council.

She called Trump’s federal takeover a “political stunt” but acknowledged that the city has made “substantial strides” in reducing crime.

The annual homicide tally peaked at 274 in 2023, falling to 187 last year — still among the highest per capita rates in the country. Trump also cited the city’s homeless population as justification for the takeover.

Ace, a 16-year-old walking her dog, said the presence of unhoused people contributed to feelings of insecurity.

“Sometimes they would get on top of my parents’ car,” she explained. “You don’t know if they are going to break in.”

Federal Response

Around 850 federal agents were deployed to Washington on Monday, making 23 arrests, according to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.

“This is only the beginning,” Leavitt said.

National Guard troops began appearing on the city’s streets on Tuesday evening, with armoured vehicles rolling past the Washington Monument at sunset.

Terry Cole, head of the Drug Enforcement Administration and lead on the federal takeover, stated that patrols would be intensified.

“Federal agents and police will work hand in hand,” he said.

City Leadership Reaction

Democratic Mayor Muriel Bowser, forced to accommodate the federal intervention, criticised the approach as “the wrong way to do it.” She emphasised that federal agents are not trained for routine patrols.

On Tuesday night, Bowser used her strongest language yet, describing the takeover as “an authoritarian push” during an online conversation with residents.

Tom, a resident near Monday’s shooting, said there were insufficient local police patrols but also condemned Trump’s “draconian approach,” doubting it would “yield any good results.”

Across the street, a small memorial honours a previous shooting victim. A photograph of Turell Delonte, 30, wraps around a tree, surrounded by flowers. He was shot dead by police in 2023 under suspicion of drug trafficking.

Data Table