story and photos by Madi Koesler
With D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) now under federal control and the National Guard coming to D.C., the fate of people living in encampments remains up in the air.
During a press conference on 11 August, President Donald Trump said that law enforcement had already begun to clear encampments, but Street Sense has been unable to confirm this, and had not seen any encampments removed as of that afternoon.
Homelessness outreach providers and the Department of Human Services (DHS) visited encampments along I-66 before the press conference to offer shelter and resources. DHS officials on site told residents, “from our perspective, we just want to make sure people are staying safe.”
This follows a Truth social post by Trump on 10 August with photos of tents along the interstate and of one person on the steps of the American Institute of Pharmacy on his way to golf.
Street Sense reporters spoke to residents who live in the encampments along I-66 about their reactions to Trump’s announcement and threat to remove encampments.
“I ain’t ever bought no prostitutes. I ain’t never raped nobody. I ain’t never paid anybody off. None of that stuff,” said G, a resident from one of the photographed tents. “He’s much more of a criminal than I am.”
G says that the worst thing he does is drugs, and that he would willingly go to jail if Trump went with him. He moved to the green along the interstate because it felt safer than his apartment building. He’s found a community in his encampment over the last two months, but plans to move because of the attention from Trump and media outlets.
“They’ve been doing this to Black men since the dawn,” fellow encampment resident Franklin Lee said. “He don’t give a damn. He’s saying, ‘Fuck the Constitution.’”
Lee has lived outside for 10 years across D.C. He currently lives in a tent along I-66 outside the Kennedy Center. Over the decade, he has developed a distrust for law enforcement and Trump – feeling let down by how the government treats people who aren’t “billionaires and trillionaires”.
Lee doesn’t identify with either political party but says that Trump is the first president he has ever wanted to give the finger to before. If he is forced to move his tent, he says that he plans to give the government a piece of his mind.
“I pray for America and the presidency on a daily basis. I pray for peace,” resident George Morgan said. “I believe there’s a lot that could be done.”
Morgan also lives in one of the tents posted by Trump in the Truth social post along his commute to Trump’s National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia. Morgan is from D.C. and lived along the interstate for about two months with his dog Blue.
He is interested in moving into shelter but doesn’t want to leave Blue behind. As he stays at his encampment, Morgan is optimistic that Mayor Muriel Bowser might be able to come to an agreement with Trump.
Bowser addressed the press just after 3pm on 11 August, telling District residents that the MPD will comply with the law but noting that D.C. has not experienced a crime spike since 2023. She confirmed that she contacted Attorney General Pam Bondi, who was tapped by Trump to “take command” of MPD.
The mayor also noted that all law enforcement must be identifiable by a “uniform, a badge, a jacket, so that people know that they are law enforcement.” This comes after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents have been seen across the nation wearing masks and unidentifiable clothing.
When asked specifically about encampment clearings and if Chief Pamela Smith will comply if Bondi directs local law enforcement to arrest or move people experiencing homelessness out of D.C., Bowser replied, “Well, let me just say what MPD needs to be focused on, and it’s violent crime. … Our force, when the chief deploys, every day and every night, is focused on people who are committing crimes in the District.”
Franzi Wild contributed reporting.
Courtesy of Street Sense Media / INSP.ngo
