After A D.c. Homicide, Neighborhood Residents Are Split Over Trump's Crackdown

WASHINGTON — In nan vicinity wherever Washington saw its first homicide successful astir 2 weeks early Tuesday, residents are divided complete nan worth of President Donald Trump's surge of national rule enforcement forces into nan city.

NBC News talked to much than a twelve group Tuesday who unrecorded and activity successful nan area surrounding nan 300 artifact of Anacostia Road successful Southeast D.C., where, according to nan Metropolitan Police Department, metropolis officers had responded to a fatal shooting soon aft midnight. It was nan first homicide reported successful D.C. since Aug. 13.

On Tuesday afternoon, aft schools had fto retired for nan day, much than a half-dozen children loitered connected nan beforehand steps of an flat analyzable connected nan artifact wherever nan shooting occurred.

The section consequence to Trump's "federal takeover" of D.C. was mixed, pinch immoderate crediting him for taking an progressive liking successful nationalist information successful nan metropolis and others criticizing him for a buildup they described arsenic unnecessary aliases aimed astatine nan incorrect parts of nan city.

“I really don’t person nary problem pinch constabulary presence,” said Brian Williams, 56, who reported seeing National Guard, FBI and section constabulary forces successful nan neighborhood. “It’s much-needed successful definite neighborhoods of nan district. Not each of them is needed, but immoderate of them is needed.”

But, Williams added, "the ones that's needed, you don't spot nan beingness successful there."

Some residents said they had not seen National Guard aliases national agents successful their vicinity astatine all, and a Washington Post map of specified sightings, published Aug. 15, showed a overmuch heavier beingness successful nan wealthier and much tourist-trafficked wards westbound of nan Anacostia River.

Trump had boasted Monday that it had been “many years since we went a week without having a murder.” (D.C. had a 16-day streak earlier this year.) National Guard troops began arriving successful D.C. connected Aug. 12 successful consequence to Trump’s declaration of a “crime emergency” successful nan nation’s capital.

Federal agents are focused connected arresting convulsive offenders, including supplier dealers — often by executing warrants — alternatively than operating neighborhoods, according to a White House official.

“Thanks to President Trump’s bold action, national and section officers person been going into high-crime areas each crossed nan Washington, D.C., to extremity vulnerable criminals," White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers said. "In fact, nan convulsive crime plaguing nan city’s communities is precisely why President Trump is cracking down connected crime and restoring rule and order. The Trump Administration will not remainder until D.C. is nan safest metropolis successful nan country.”

Most of nan group successful nan vicinity surrounding Tuesday's shooting declined to springiness their afloat names retired of fearfulness of retribution. Several said they saw constabulary connected Anacostia Road aft nan homicide.

A 77-year-old man who identified himself only arsenic Ray said constabulary show up "only erstwhile thing for illustration that happens." He said he has not seen overmuch alteration successful nan weeks since Trump's argumentation went into effect — that he feels nary quality successful his level of safety.

"I don't messiness pinch nobody," he said. "I speak to [people], they speak to me, and past I spell successful nan house."

For immoderate residents, nan accrued rule enforcement beingness has nan perverse consequence of creating fearfulness and worry among group who are not committing crimes.

"When I saw nan constabulary presence, I felt threatened present successful this neighborhood, correct crossed nan street," said Juan, who declined to springiness his past name, pointing to 37th Street SE, which runs astir parallel to Anacostia Road successful D.C.'s 7th Ward.

Juan, who identified himself arsenic a personnel of nan LGBTQ community, said he has sporadically seen a national presence, including agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement. He is opposed to that presence.

"Don't travel to neighborhoods wherever group are successful their residence. Don't spell and harass nan Hispanic group that are connected their measurement location from work," he said. "Because you're targeting nan citizens, you're targeting nan law-abiding citizens who are taxpayers, who are moving people, moving citizens of nan community, alternatively of nan group who are causing nan riffraff, nan drama."

A female who gave her sanction arsenic Israel, who useful successful nan area astir Tuesday morning's shooting but lives successful nan River Turn conception of nan metropolis connected nan westbound broadside of nan Anacostia River, said she is comfortable pinch nan stepped-up national beingness Trump has ordered.

"I'm not huffy astatine him," she said. "People are frightened to travel outside. Your kids can't play outside."

Israel added that she wants juveniles to beryllium prosecuted arsenic adults to deter crime.

"Right now, they're getting a slap connected nan wrist," she said. "They request to get much of a sentence, for illustration an adult. ... They request to beryllium locked up. Because arsenic agelong arsenic they support letting them out, they're going to support stealing cars, they're going to support robbing stores."

Trump said Monday that he is truthful pleased pinch nan results successful D.C. that he wants to grow nan programme — which features national agents focusing connected section rule enforcement and a National Guard beingness — to different cities, including Chicago.

“Within 1 week, we will person nary crime successful Chicago, conscionable for illustration we person nary crime successful D.C.,” he told reporters Monday. On Tuesday, a White House charismatic said national agents person made 1,094 arrests successful nan nation’s superior since Trump ordered nan surge connected Aug. 7, a fig that included 87 arrests Monday.

Williams, who held a tin of Icehouse brew arsenic he sat connected a stoop successful an flat analyzable betwixt 37th Street and Anacostia Road, said location are parts of nan metropolis — specifically successful nan city's 8th Ward — wherever accrued rule enforcement would beryllium much effective.

He acknowledged that nan visibility of section and national authorities has altered behaviour successful his neighborhood, but he wondered really agelong that will last.

"I've seen nan quality — astatine night, you don't spot arsenic overmuch group arsenic you utilized to, because they cognize nan beingness is retired here," he said. "But, like, what's going to hap erstwhile they spell away?"