WASHINGTON (AP) – On the strip of the country’s capital across the truck and river, residents can see the Washington Monument, formerly the Trump Hotel – the dome of the Capitol.
What the Anacostia people can’t see is the National Guard unit that patrols those areas. And they haven’t seen them patrol this side of the Anacostia River.
In this prestigious part of Washington, the crimes held by President Donald Trump, home to Frederick Douglas. Mobilized federal law enforcement agencies What we deal with is what residents want to focus on more resources. But that’s complicated.
“We need protection here,” said 82-year-old Meble Carter. “I have to get off the bus, which is horrifying.”
She said military units patrol Union Station and public spaces may have public spaces that tourists often come, but “They are not here. They are armed. At the mall, they’re not doing anything at the mall. That’s for the show.”
Carter wants to see more police in the area. This is the city police, under the direction of Chief Pamela Smith. “I want to see them give her a chance. She has the structure in place.”
Nearby caught in the middle
Themes emerged during two weekends east of the Anacostia River in conversations with groups and individuals, including senior gatherings at Union Temple Baptist Church.
Like Carter, people want more law enforcement resources, but they trust the motivation behind the surge and how it took away the mayor and local officials from power. And while they acknowledge here that the crime is more serious than most other parts of the district, there is nowhere near the level 30 years ago when the DC National Guard worked with metropolitan police to deal with violence.
The district’s murders have so far been 104, down 17% from 2024, when the number was 126 at the same time. However, according to the Metropolitan Police Department’s crime mapping tool, more than 60% of them are in two wards that are almost exclusively east, including 38 East of the Anacostia River. That percentage is roughly the same as in 2024, when 187 murders in the city were killed that year. One of the most notable murders was a double murder, in which two teenagers died on the streets and a third man was injured.
“I just called the police the other day,” said Henny, 42, who owns Nam’s market.
He said a group of teenagers tried to steal their store after they had cases throughout the day. He called the police and said he asked him if they were armed. “I didn’t see the weapon,” he said, adding that patrol officers didn’t respond.
The store owner said he has been here for about 10 years and has been sacrificed many times, but now he thinks it’s getting worse. He does not give his last name out of fear.
“What I’m worried about is making sure they haven’t come back,” he said. “There’s a lot going on,” he was asked if he felt safe: “Absolutely not.”
He has pepper spray, but authorities have told him not to use it, he said. When he heard the arrival of federal law enforcement and the National Guard, he said, “To be honest, I said it’s good, but that’s not here. It’s getting worse. The city says the crime is down, but I don’t see it.”
“A gun rampage is nothing new.”
Rosie Hyde’s perspective is different. The ashes of one of the 75-year-old widow sons spread around her property. Samuel Johnson was killed about three miles away on April 20, 1991. This incident is still open.
Hyde, a city’s retired probation officer, said her son died during the epidemic of gun violence. “It was 35 years ago,” she said. “It tells you that gun rampages aren’t new.”
In 1989, the murders surpassed 400 a year and stayed there until 1996. The worsening assaults were also a record sum.
Hyde believes Trump is behind the optics of the area that is attracting attention in stations, mall stations and tourist-focused areas. “They weren’t here like that,” she said.
The majestic house of Frederick Douglas is located here, offering panoramic views of the rest of the city to the west of the river. Further east is the Smithsonian Anacostia Community Museum. The plaque outside speaks a lot about this moment like it’s about history. The museum says it “s aiming to light and share untold and untold stories of people most farther from opportunities in the Washington, D.C. area.”
Federal agents work with local governments, including FBI agents, Border Patrol and subway transport police. Along Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, the main Avenue of Anacostia, new buildings mix with older buildings and small groups of people, drinking from bottles and occasionally smelling marijuana. But it’s relatively quiet.
At one point, a large group of National Guard members climbed from the van at Anacostia Metro station, but on a train heading westwards below the river. The troops are stationed at 18 stops, but the last stop on the green line is Navy Yard Ballpark Station, the last west of the river.
The existence of guards is precedent in this region
There was a time when security guards were here. During the year of crime, the DC National Guard worked with district police. Officers boarded the guard’s helicopter and pointed the patrol unit to the crime scene.
Normnixon, an associate pastor at Union Temple Baptist Church, said there are federal agents around, but their presence is not constant and military uniforms are not seen on the streets. He said local officials seeking to promote community policing have communicated with residents and acknowledged their concerns – which will likely be hit by the federal presence.
He, like everyone else, questions why Trump decided to federate cities when violence existed virtually everywhere, including in rural areas where drugs and economic hardships have created lawless, fertile ground.
“The president needs to have these initiatives to make it seem like something is going on so that he has to make the news,” Nixon said, adding that he is also worried about focusing on the uproar of the homeless population. “What happened to those people? Are they receiving services?”
Vernon Hancock, a church elder and trustee who attends the Senior Day party, said he considers Trump’s actions to be a test. “Washington, DC, it’s easy because it’s the federal government and has the authority to do what he’s doing,” Hancock said. “It’s a federal city, so he can just take over. But he wants to bring this to other cities and spread it.”
