Free DC response to Mayor Bowser's remarks about federal presence in DC

During a press conference this afternoon, Mayor Bowser and senior members of her staff provided updates on the state of the federal occupation of DC. During the conference Bowser shared her apparent support for continued federal control over MPD, saying, “We greatly appreciate the surge of officers.”

In response, Nee Nee Taylor, Executive Director of Harriet’s Wildest Dreams and Co-Founder of Free DC, issued the following statement:

"Federal control over MPD means DC's local police officers are now actively working with ICE and are now part of Trump’s detention and deportation machine that is profiling and violently arresting people all over the country. MPD is targeting our children for simply being outside, harassing people who are just going about their day, and none of that is safety.

"DC needs these federal forces out immediately. Every hour that they are still here is an hour that people in DC are in danger. Trump’s desire to take over DC has nothing to do with our safety, and everything to do with his desire for power and control. For one of our leaders to choose Trump’s version of reality insults the intelligence, integrity and lived-experience of every person in DC who has been watching our neighbors get arrested and disappeared every night.

"The people of DC deserve better than what the mayor said today. It is dangerous for MPD to not be accountable to the people here. Our demand remains that all escalated federal forces leave DC immediately, and that the leaders who are sworn to serve DC residents work to end this occupation and do everything possible to protect people during this period of increased danger and threat."

A Washington Post-Schar School poll published on August 20 found that 80% of DC residents oppose Trump’s order to federalize MPD.