Exactly a year ago, President Donald Trump declared a public safety emergency in D.C., prompting an unprecedented takeover of the Metropolitan Police Department and putting National Guard troops on the streets of the city, along with a surge of federal law enforcement officers largely focused on immigration arrests.
When we asked readers to reflect on the past year, what stood out was a deep-seated frustration. People described the “maddening mundanity” of seeing National Guard troops pace along sidewalks and cluster in Metro stations. They shared the constant worry for their neighbors’ safety and anger at the response from elected officials, both local and in Congress.
And most of all, they expressed frustration with the continued uncertainty … When will this end? And is there anything we can do?
We believe local news should reflect and document the experiences of everyday people, especially during historic times like this. Read through your neighbors memories below (lightly edited for space and clarity) — and submit your own here.
“In places like California, the governors worked to get the National Guard out. But I need people to know that this is still our reality. Going to the movies, they’re there. Grocery store, they’re there. All parts of day-to-day life now feature armed supervision.” — Gina
“This past winter, when streets and bus stops were iced over, I naively thought, ‘This is the type of disaster in which states normally call in the National Guard to help.’ I thought they might help chip away at the ice. Instead, I was driving west on K Street NE and saw a group of them just trudging through the icy sidewalk. That’s the lasting image I won’t forget. I realized: They’re not here to help D.C. residents. They’re here to monitor us.” (Mayor Muriel Bowser announced she’d formally requested snow removal support from the National Guard five days after the storm.) — Cooper
“I remember watching a group of salsa dancers alongside a group of armed National Guard troops. ICE officers verbally accosting people. Members of the National Guard yelling at anyone who sat on the Dupont Circle fountain. The protests outside ICE checkpoints. I could go on and on. It’s just crazy that it’s been a year and we’ve been forced to accept this unwelcome normal… D.C. is my home. I love D.C. but it’s hard to stay in love with a home where you can’t go to the store without encountering the military.” — Ryan
“My mother grew up in Lebanon and all of this reminds me of the military checkpoints that divided communities and restricted movement, instilling terror. I watch heavily armed National Guard stand in Lincoln Park near unleashed dogs and children’s playgrounds, worrying that one day they could be turned on those children.” — Jacquelyn
“My lasting memory will be the groups of National Guard walking around town, doing nothing, sometimes crossing paths with a separate group — just the maddening mundanity of what a waste their presence is. I remember biking around Hains Point and seeing dozens of National Guard troops pruning trees outside the golf course. Helpful assistance maybe, but there’s a vast difference between the stated intent and the reality of their presence.” — Mark
“Seeing armed soldiers walking around my city like an occupying force … I’m as guilty as everyone else of normalizing grotesque things. This is just devastating.” — Jen
“On an otherwise peaceful morning last September, I saw law enforcement officers tackling a young Black man to the ground outside a supermarket. This became a massive spectacle with 12-14 law enforcement cars, both MPD and federal agents, including masked ICE agents crowding around K Street for this one kid. Everyone on the street was yelling and booing the police and ICE agents. This was a really terrifying and unsettling experience in my first few months living here, but it was heartening to see everyone come together against the police and the occupation.” — Nikita
“I won’t forget the fear I felt in the first two weeks of their occupation. It was quickly replaced by confusion and repulsion. The longer the occupation continues, the less and less it makes sense to me. I have never seen the National Guard lift a finger to do anything helpful or productive for the community. They patrol our spaces but don’t actually provide services when they could be doing something to help. Once on the train there was a disturbance; instead of doing anything to help mitigate the situation, they walked around the person. Whether what they did would have been helpful or harmful is a different question, but that they did LITERALLY NOTHING is so ridiculously laughable. What role do they play in the fabric of D.C. besides one of intimidation?” — Rebecca
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