Statement: Community advocates call for end of “DC Safe and Beautiful Task Force” after third death by police in four days
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 18, 2025
Washington DC — Multiple law enforcement agencies part of President Trump’s “DC Safe and Beautiful Task Force” have now shot at people, killed people, or created conditions that resulted in the death of a person in custody — with three fatal incidents occurring in the last four days alone. The most recent incident happened last night, November 17, when an MPD officer shot and killed a man near the Deanwood neighborhood. MPD and federal law enforcement officers arrived together by car, before an MPD officer shot and killed the man.
“Any death by police is unacceptable. Three deaths in four days is an abomination,” said Nee Nee Taylor, Executive Director of Harriet’s Wildest Dreams and co-founder of Free DC. “Trump’s Task Force has created dangerous cooperation between local police and federal law enforcement and we cannot allow this to continue. The Task Force needs to be disbanded.”
“For weeks DC community members have been sounding the alarm on MPD’s new level of cooperation with federal agents,” said Frankie Seabron, Program Director with Harriet’s Wildest Dreams. “MPD and federal forces are in lock step with each other in ways we have never seen before, and these teams have now shot at and killed multiple people. DC leaders have so far done absolutely nothing to hold MPD accountable for any of this.”
“Federal agents are committing acts all over the country that are dangerous, unaccountable, and that ignore the rule of law. Local DC police should not be forming working relationships with these agents,” said Alex Dodds, co-founder of Free DC. “On top of this, Congress is trying to roll back basic police accountability measures in DC. That’s wildly irresponsible. This Task Force needs to be disbanded, not given greater license to hurt, endanger, or kill people.”
Free DC and partners will hold a press conference today at 4:00 PM on the House Triangle to discuss this emerging pattern and the two bills before Congress that seek to undo police accountability measures and reinstitute cash bail in DC. Members of the press are invited to join us there.
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Harriet’s Wildest Dreams is a Black-led community defense hub centering all Black lives most at risk for state-sanctioned violence in the Greater Washington area. Our work includes legal empowerment, political and civic education, mass protest, organizing campaigns, and community care that builds alternatives to oppressive systems. Learn more at harrietsdreams.org.
Free DC is the renewed campaign to protect DC Home Rule and win lasting dignity for the people of the District of Columbia.