Jawanna Hardy, founder of a group that works with victims of gun violence as young as three, said many in her community were hopeful when President Donald Trump announced a federal takeover of law enforcement in the nation’s capital.
That changed during the past month. Hardy’s views soured after one of the mentors in her program, Vincent Tyree, was jailed for four days after an exchange with federal officers surveilling an apartment complex in Ward 8, a community that includes high-crime areas like Anacostia and Congress Heights. The Justice Department has since dismissed Tyree’s charges.
“When they first came, the community was kind of happy that they were there. But now the things that they are doing is unconstitutional,” Hardy said. “At least three times a day, they’re in these underserved communities picking up random people. And you know, the people that were happy are the same people who are being arrested now.”
The episode highlights the political questions DC Mayor Muriel Bowser will have to confront for the rest of her term – and potentially longer if she runs for reelection next year.
Facing strict limits set by Congress, Bowser has tried to work with Trump administration officials who activated the National Guard and ramped up immigration arrests, while also at times criticizing Trump and the deployment. It’s a middle ground taken by several elected Democrats who have long been Trump opponents but are also trying to navigate an assertive second-term president.
But many city residents and some members of the DC city council were angered by the federal presence and disappointed with Bowser. In the first three weeks of Trump’s takeover of DC policing, reported violent crime incidents dropped by 10% from the previous three-week period, while reported property crime incidents fell by 25%, according to public data released by the Metropolitan Police Department.
An FBI agent assists Metropolitan Police and US Customs and Border Protection om the detention of a man in Washington, DC, on Monday night. – Daniel Becerril/Reuters
“I want to be clear with Mayor Bowser and the city council that there’s only two choices in this, that’s to resist or concede. Every time we give him something, he moves the bar,” said Nee Nee Taylor, a prominent activist who is organizing director of the group Free DC, at a protest. Taylor had previously avoided criticizing Bowser.
Roughly 8 in 10 DC residents oppose Trump ordering the federal government to take control of the city’s police department as well as his deployment of the National Guard and FBI to patrol the city, according to a Washington Post-Schar School poll.
Various members of the DC council have voiced their frustration in one-on-one conversations with Bowser on how she has navigated Trump but they remain careful about disclosing the full nature of those conversations and telegraphing the extent to which the mayor and the council are not on the same page.
Ward 5 Council member Zachary Parker said he was worried Bowser’s praise of administration officials “legitimizes what Trump is trying to do.”
“I have no doubt the mayor cares about home rule in the city. My concern is about the strategy,” Parker said.
Activists are circulating a petition to recall Bowser, an action that would have limited impact given her third term expires next year. An organizing call was held last week, and 200 people signed up to volunteer so far to participate in door-to-door canvassing.
The mayor’s office declined to comment to CNN. At a news conference this week, she continued to stand by her handling of the federal deployment.
“We will continue, as my mayor’s order lays out, partnerships with the federal government that are strategic for public safety in the district,” said Bowser.
Demonstrators attend the “We Are All DC” march to protest against National Guard troops in Washington, DC, on September 6. – Leah Millis/Reuters
Longtime allies to Bowser say she knows what she’s doing and that being publicly defiant would have likely only made a hard situation worse.
“She’s worked with federal law enforcement in a cooperative manner to reduce crime. That’s the same as we have always done,” said Bill Lightfoot, a former Bowser campaign chair.
“She’s following the law. She’s obligated to do that,” added Lightfoot.
In video of Tyree’s arrest on August 30 viewed by CNN, FBI agents, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Metropolitan Police Department are seen surveilling an apartment complex after 11 p.m.
The scene is chaotic with community members angered by the intrusion. Tyree is seen on video challenging officers. “You want to box, we got boxing gloves. What y’all wanna do?” he says.
Tyree makes reference to competing with them in a push-up contest as he did on a previous evening. Videos on social media show him doing push-ups alongside federal officers just days before his arrest.
On this night, officers appeared to be walking away from him. Then Tyree said: “I’m going to knock the FBI off your sh*t.” The officers turned back and arrested him.
Vincent Tyree poses for a portrait at the The Renaissance Homes Apartment complex in southeast Washington, DC, on August 22. – Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post/Getty Images
Federal documents show Tyree was charged with simple assault and allege he said he was going to beat a federal officer. He says he’s innocent and that he was taunting the officers, not threatening them.
“We still got a right to be heard,” he said.
The White House first issued a statement on Tuesday applauding his arrest.
“Tyree Vincent (sic) interfered with the arrest of another subject, verbally threatened acts of violence towards law enforcement agents, and resisted arrest,” said White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson. “Federal law enforcement officers are making DC Safer and arresting criminals in partnership with local law enforcement officers. Threats to law enforcement and interference with operations will not be tolerated.”
Then on Wednesday, the Justice Department moved to dismiss the case, citing a lack of evidence.
“After careful review of the evidence related to Mr. Tyree’s arrest, the government has determined that the available evidence no longer supports continued prosecution. Accordingly, the government respectfully moves to dismiss the complaint without prejudice,” the government’s court filing read.
The White House referred followup questions to US Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s office, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“You accuse me of a certain act or a crime and you can’t even show facts,” Tyree said.
In DC communities like Congress Heights, people feel like they are constantly under the microscope, exhausted and disheartened, Hardy explained. There is a real need for access to critical services but instead, they are regularly being harassed over marijuana and large gatherings, she says.
“The people want help, but not like this,” she told CNN.
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