Several arrests were made at D.C. parks on Tuesday, prompting outrage on social media.
One TikTok user with the profile name MaiFlower posted that while sitting in a park Tuesday evening, she witnessed partially uniformed U.S. Park Police officers in an unmarked vehicle arrest a man for smoking marijuana.
The video shows plainclothes officers get into a regular sedan after arresting the man for smoking.
“This is like a quiet area. The fact that they would arrest some random guy for smoking weed… we literally live in 1984,” MaiFlower said in the video.
At least three others were arrested for smoking or openly consuming alcohol.
In D.C., while possession of marijuana is legal, smoking it in public spaces, including federally maintained parks, is not. Penalties for public consumption include misdemeanor charges or up to $500 in fines.
U.S. Park Police confirmed to WTOP four arrests in total were made Tuesday in Logan Circle and Dupont Circle — both of which are federally maintained parks by the National Park Service.
In a statement, the police department said three people were arrested for possession of open containers of alcohol and one was arrested for public consumption of marijuana. They added that officers were enacting an executive order signed by President Donald Trump in March that established a task force to make D.C. “safe, beautiful and prosperous.”
The statement goes on to say that since March, U.S. Park Police have made 468 arrests in the D.C. area.
WTOP’s Kyle Cooper contributed to this report.
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