Entrepreneurs spoke of their experiences regarding crime in the city and what they expect from the federal takeover of policing.
WASHINGTON—Across the nation’s capital, business owners and employees offered mixed opinions of President Donald Trump’s push to clamp down on crime in the city.
Trump’s Aug. 11 order to temporarily take over the city’s police department has prompted a surge of law enforcement agents in the city, leading to more than 460 arrests. The president also deployed 800 District of Columbia National Guard troops, who will be joined by guardsmen from six other states.
The Epoch Times took to the streets of Washington to ask business owners if the federal effort has had an impact. Some said they had noticed a change, while others were skeptical that it had made any difference.
Some also voiced concern over increased immigration enforcement in the city. Yet they acknowledged that crime was an enduring challenge, including offenses perpetrated by juveniles and young adults who face more lenient sentencing under recent changes to local laws.
Some of the entrepreneurs who spoke to The Epoch Times asked to be identified by initials or by an alias. Others did not wish to share their last name. Many locals worry about retribution from both criminals and politicians.
Youth Crime
Terry has lived and worked in Southeast D.C. for decades. When she first started selling food in the Navy Yard area, she said, it was filled with low-income housing. Crime was common.
About 15 years ago, the area experienced an upswing. The run-down housing projects were torn down and replaced with row houses, some valued at more than $1 million. New shops opened. Navy Yard felt pretty safe—at least for a while.
Like much of Washington, the neighborhood fell prey to a post-COVID-19 pandemic crime spike.
On Aug. 19, Terry told The Epoch Times that the perpetrators were often very young teenagers who would steal cars, take them for a joyride, and then leave them to be recovered by their rightful owners.
She made it clear that she is no fan of Trump, but she said his takeover of the police department has made the neighborhood safer.
“It does feel quieter,” Terry said. “It does feel safer to walk around. I don’t know if it’s because people are paying attention to the news and then they’re realizing, ‘Well, now’s not a good time to be going around.’”
She said the problem is that young criminals expect soft punishments: D.C. law does not allow youths younger than age 15 to be tried as adults. Kids ages 15 and older may face adult prosecution for more serious offenses such as sexual assault or murder.
Washington’s Youth Rehabilitation Act of 2018 also allows for lighter sentencing of offenders younger than age 25.
Some officials, such as U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, want to overturn that law, along with one that allows judges to shorten sentences for those convicted as juveniles—if they have served at least 15 years—and another that allows some juvenile criminal records to be expunged.
Terry said she hopes that the city tightens its laws so that young criminals—or their parents—face stricter accountability. She said after-school programs could also help the youths make better use of their free time. The local recounted disturbing incidents involving very young Washingtonians.
“Eleven-year-olds have decided to get together, and they will break into the pools in our neighborhood, in these high-rise buildings, and then they‘ll steal alcohol from the store, and they’ll just leave all sorts of trash,” she said.
Terry described this as an “ongoing problem.” She said that one thing that shocked her was learning that it happens in broad daylight, with no concern for secrecy.
“I originally thought it was like two in the morning. It’s like 2 p.m. in the daytime,” she said.
In June, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser imposed an 11 p.m. curfew for youths ages 17 and younger.
“Most of our young people are doing the right thing, but unfortunately, we continue to see troubling trends in how groups of young people are gathering in the community—in ways that too often lead to violence and other unlawful behaviors,” Bowser said in a statement.
Trump cited this rash of youth crime in a Truth Social post when he initially mentioned a takeover of the police department.
Fear of ICE and Crime
On Aug. 19 in Northwest Washington, Yeni had to unlock the door to her cellphone store to let The Epoch Times inside.
She said the police takeover hadn’t made much of a mark near her store in the Petworth neighborhood. Yeni said law enforcement was more prevalent on 14th and 16th streets in the neighboring Columbia Heights area.
For Yeni and others in Northwest Washington who spoke with The Epoch Times, the activities of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) are the bigger story. The area includes many people from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico. Some are illegal immigrants.
“Everyone’s nervous,” Yeni said.
That same day, protesters outside a nearby train station chanted “ICE go home” at law enforcement who had set up a checkpoint.
South of Yeni’s cellphone store, Jonathan Z. stood behind the counter at a liquor store—a newer addition to the many liquor stores dotting Georgia Avenue. He was protected by a thick, bulletproof partition.
Jonathan told The Epoch Times that there was “just a bit” of crime in the establishment—“stealing the wine.”
He said he hadn’t seen any National Guard troops in the area.
Across the street, a police cruiser was parked outside a store, its lights flashing.
Sasha, who was working at the store, said the police presence “doesn’t help” and predicted that crime would worsen.
“I don’t think they’re afraid of those police,” she said of local criminals.
Bowser has said she would comply with Trump’s moves on the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), as they are in line with the law.
Under the D.C. Home Rule Act, the president can gain control of the local police department for 30 days in the event of a declared emergency. Congress would have to authorize anything longer.
Washington’s crime statistics show 123 fewer incidents year over year near Sasha’s store. Yet, she said that crime has not reduced in the two years she has been working there.
Bowser cited those statistics when pushing back against the takeover, saying there was no emergency and that crime is at a 30-year low. According to the city’s crime website, as of Aug. 20, there were about 1,300 fewer crimes in Washington than in the previous year.
MPD Commander Michael Pulliam was recently suspended over allegations that he manipulated crime data.
The Justice Department has launched an investigation into the disputed numbers. The White House also released a fact sheet addressing allegations that MPD leadership was “cooking the books” and disputing the idea that the nation’s capital is safe.
In an interview with NBC, the leader of Washington’s police union, Gregg Pemberton, said crime may have dipped since 2023, but he dismissed the drops reflected in official statistics as “preposterous.”
‘Love and Loyalty,’ Concerns With Crime
A hairdresser, A.B., spoke to The Epoch Times in Washington’s Brookland area, located in the northeastern corner of the city.
She acknowledged that the area wasn’t always safe—but for her, it’s no different from any other large metropolitan area.
Although she said she hasn’t experienced or witnessed violent crime, she noted that a nearby CVS drugstore had been vandalized repeatedly. Its manager declined to speak about those incidents on the record.
Still, A.B said the neighborhood is “beautiful.”
“There’s a lot of love and loyalty to the community, but it’s just like any other city. You have to have your head on a swivel,” she said.
A.B. said Trump’s recent moves are divisive, especially the crackdown on homelessness. Homeless people should not be “discarded,” she said.
The Long View on Georgia Avenue
Farhad Sharafnia manages a carpet store on Georgia Avenue near Petworth in Northwest D.C. He said he had been there for almost 28 years.
Crime is better controlled today than it was in past decades, he said.
Sharafnia said new development and new people have improved the neighborhood, even in the past 15 years.
One empty storefront reflected the contrasts of the area. Inside its front windows, a prominent sign listed the realtors selling the property. The glass outside was defaced by graffiti.
Sharafnia stressed that crime is an issue everywhere in Washington, even on Connecticut Avenue, a street that runs through upscale Dupont Circle. People are victimized all across the city, although some neighborhoods are safer than others.
“There is no guarantee,” he said.
Elsewhere on Georgia Avenue, Sue said she has been operating her convenience store for more 45 years. Although crime is still an issue, the Korean immigrant remembers a much more violent period three to four decades ago.
Attempted armed robberies were common. An entire family would come in to shoplift. She mimicked the way her hands would tremble with fear inside her store.
“One day you come here, you know, your door is gone,” she told The Epoch Times. “Every minute is [a] scary thing.
“Nobody can beat me now, because if I see somebody who I suspect, then I kick them out before I call the police.”
Sue, who is a critic of the president, said it was hard to predict whether his takeover of law enforcement will improve things.
“Nobody knows. We are just guessing,” she said. “Trump is gonna do what he wants to do.”
On Aug. 20, Vice President JD Vance visited National Guard troops at Union Station with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller. Protesters could be heard in the background.
“I’ll tell you, a couple of years ago, when I brought my kids here, they were being screamed at by violent vagrants,” Vance said.
He credited the takeover with cleaning up the train and bus station, which sits just blocks from the U.S. Capitol.
Trump on Aug. 21 visited the U.S. Park Police facility in Anacostia. The president thanked a crowd of about 300 federal and local agents and pledged to make the city safer and more beautiful.
“We’re going to have the best capital ever,” he said. “It’s going to look better than it ever did.”
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