Protesters with Free D.C. gathered on 16th street near the White House to push back on what the group describes as a 12-month-long occupation by the National Guard. The deployment was announced by President Donald Trump last summer, citing a surge in crime in the nation’s capital.

Local Reaction

Some residents, like Quinn Pham of Foggy Bottom, expressed concerns about the presence of troops. ‘I don’t see exactly what it is that they are protecting me from, because I live in a very nice touristy part of town,’ Pham said. ‘I don’t see any change. If anything else, I hate feeling unsafe because now there are troops on the street.’

Free D.C. has hosted a string of events marking the anniversary this month, as part of its advocacy for home rule and the District’s sovereignty. Sen. Ankit Jain, one of D.C.’s shadow senators, criticized the Trump administration’s actions, saying they were an attempt to change the laws themselves, not just how they were enforced.

Crime Data

According to crime data gathered by D.C. police, violent crime is up slightly from this time last year, with a 3% rise, while overall property crimes are down by 23%. However, some residents, like Dina Lewis of La Droit Park, feel that the National Guard’s presence has not made them feel safer. ‘I do not feel safer with the troops in town,’ Lewis said. ‘I feel more afraid because they’re carrying weapons and they’re armed and they’re in the military and they don’t know how to deal with day-to-day activities like de-escalation and things like that to help prevent violence.’

Original reporting: Alexandria, VA News – WTOP News — read the source article.