Week three of the D.C. takeover
How residents fight ICE, a fraught back to school season, and more.
Hi everyone,
It's been almost three weeks since Trump declared a "crime emergency" and federalized local police. The days feel like years when you're living inside the president's personal dystopian fantasy, and it's hard to keep track of what's going on.
To that end, our main story explains what you need to know about the federal takeover this week, from Bowser's sudden appreciation for federal "assistance" to the National Guard's new garbage duties.
Reporter Martin Austermuhle also dove deep on all the different ways local residents are fighting ICE, including by recording arrests and sending tips to local hotlines. And we've got an op-ed about the need to replace the D.C. Jail with a more modern, humane facility.
We also asked D.C. teachers what they're most worried about during this particularly stressful (and scary) back to school season, and are republishing an important story from our colleagues at Street Sense Media, who spent the past two weeks documenting Trump’s crackdown on D.C.’s unhoused residents.
Finally, as a treat, you can have a non-takeover story about a local Pokémon master.
Keep scrolling for an illustration of all the words you (our readers) use to describe D.C.
Stay safe,
Natalie
This week in the takeover: Bowser plays nice
Also: The National Guard goes on trash duty (while armed), Sandwich Guy gets a win, and Stephen Miller inexplicably declares that Trump's takeover has allowed residents to do things they've never done before, like wear a watch or go outside.
With cellphone cameras and tip lines, D.C. residents find small ways to fight ICE
Frustrated by the D.C. government's tepid resistance to the federal takeover, locals are protesting, recording arrests, calling hotlines, and more.
Testing, truancy, and a takeover: What's weighing on D.C. teachers as school begins
When we spoke to teachers earlier this summer, they pointed to testing, absenteeism, burnout, and limited resources as among the biggest challenges in their classrooms. Since then, the federal surge has added a new layer of unease, particularly among Black, immigrant, and Hispanic communities.
Opinion: Federal actions are pushing D.C. Jail to the breaking point
The need for a new, humane facility has been clear for at least 15 years, and it's only getting worse as federal arrests balloon the incarcerated population. And yet D.C. has no solid plans to replace the D.C. Jail, writes Shelley Broderick, Chair of the D.C. Task Force on Jails and Justice.
One of the best competitive Pokémon players in the world lives in D.C.
Wolfe Glick is really, really good at Pokémon. So good, it's literally his full-time job.
In the face of so much misinformed, malicious bloviating about the supposedly sorry state of our city, we asked our readers to send us some words that truly describe D.C. Here's what you came up with:
The first two weeks of Trump’s crackdown on homelessness in D.C.
Data from the city suggests the number of people living in encampments did not meaningfully decrease over the last two weeks. But the people being forcibly removed from public spaces are feeling desperate.
Civics Roundup: Court watching and labor rallying
Attend a labor day rally with Free DC, learn how to court watch, and more ways to get involved this week.
- Dispatches from the federal takeover. [Defector]
- A judge this week declared federal officers had conducted "the most illegal search I've ever seen in my life." [NPR]
- A look at the videos circulating on social media about what's happening in D.C. right now. [Post]
- Where is Police Chief Pamela Smith in all this? [Post]
- D.C. restaurant workers are afraid to go to work with federal agents roaming the streets. [Washingtonian]
- Trump is not "clearing the streets" of people experiencing homelessness – he's just shuffling them around. [Washingtonian]
- And in non-takeover news ... make sure you leave early if you're traveling for labor day. [WTOP]
- Did you miss when RFK dominated the news? Here’s a tree-related tidbit. [WCP]
That's all for us – bye for now.
Natalie
