Activists took to the streets Friday afternoon, saying President Donald Trump’s administration was attacking D.C.’s local autonomy.
“Hands off D.C.” was one of the chants from protesters.
Along 16th Street, with the White House in the background, they said the city’s self-governance was in serious jeopardy.
“We don’t need federal interference from our nation’s government,” said Kelsye Adams, the organizing director of D.C. Vote, an advocacy group that pushes for D.C. statehood.
“This is our home,” Adams continued. “I want Donald Trump himself to know, D.C. is not your playground.”
Specifically, the protesters spoke out against reports the Trump administration was working on an executive order that would direct prosecutors to pursue tougher penalties for certain crimes, including gun offenses in D.C.
Earlier in the week, Mayor Muriel Bowser said she had been briefed by the White House on the matter, and she seemed to be mostly on board with it.
“There are parts of the system that the federal government has more control over, or control entirely over, and that’s a prosecution of adults,” said Bowser, adding that “anytime” she talks to federal government officials, she asks them to “focus on gun crimes.”
“I think that makes a huge difference,” Bowser added.
Another item reportedly in the works for the executive order is the Trump administration seeking to clear out homeless encampments across the nation’s capital.
Again, Bowser’s response appeared to be positive.
“Certainly, we are a city that has shelter for people who are on the streets, and we want them inside, absolutely,” she said. “We try to work with our residents to get them to a place where they want to come inside, and that’s always been our strategy.”
Bowser said the encampments are “not technically permitted in the District.”
Last year, on the campaign trail, Trump repeatedly vowed to “take over” the city and usurp the authority of the local government.
In August 2023, when he briefly came to town to plead not guilty on charges of trying to overturn his 2020 electoral loss to then-President Joe Biden, Trump blasted the District on social media, calling it a “filthy and crime ridden embarrassment to our nation.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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