Dozens of federal police and, for the first time since President Donald Trump made the announcement, National Guard members were seen on the streets of D.C. on Tuesday night.
The new picture of law enforcement in the nation’s capital began taking shape Tuesday as some of the 800 National Guard members deployed by the Trump administration began arriving. The city’s police and federal officials, projecting cooperation, took the first steps in an uneasy partnership to reduce crime in what Trump called a lawless city.
Near the base of the Washington Monument, five sand-colored military Humvee vehicles and several dozen National Guard members wearing military fatigues were in place for several hours.
They could be seen walking in pairs and larger groups around the streets.
The Home Rule Act allows Trump to take over the D.C. police for up to 30 days. Extending federal control past that time would require congressional approval, something likely tough to achieve in the face of Democratic resistance.
It was a shocking sight despite the administration’s earlier promise to deploy forces.
John Stavile lives in D.C. and stopped his run to take a picture.
“It doesn’t feel good seeing the military deployed in D.C.,” he said. “It definitely reminds me of a few weeks ago, when tanks were being brought down Rhode Island Avenue in advance of the military parade.”
Dan Kimbrough, who’s visiting the city from Pennsylvania, said he was a bit “disturbed by it.”
“We hadn’t seen anybody, and then leaving the African American Museum, of all places, across the street, you see the National Guard sort of setting up and all those things. It’s a little unnerving,” he said.
As a woman ran by the National Guard troops on the Mall, she started chanting “Free D.C.!”
At the Navy Yard, armed officers from the Drug Enforcement Administration, Department of Homeland Security and the FBI walked the streets. Unlike the National Guard members, all of those officers — trained in different ways — were carrying weapons.
D.C. police were also visible with cruisers parked around the area with their lights flashing.
At the intersection of North Capitol Street and Rhode Island Avenue, someone attached a large red and white sign to the overpass, reminiscent of the city flag that read, “FREE D.C.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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