Washington, DC – On Monday, April 13, a man was found hanging from a tree behind the 4th District Police Station in Washington, DC. Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officers unceremoniously cut him down from the tree and carted him away.

Despite the alarming and suspicious nature of the case, no news station reported on it, and the police made no public statement. The only sources of information were videos posted to social media by community members showing the man's body hanging from a tree as officers scrambled to stop people from filming or taking pictures.

As alarm grew in the Black community in response to the videos of a possible lynching victim, concerned individuals began visiting and calling the police station looking for answers, including a journalist from the Washington Informer, the Neighborhood Commissioner, and the Councilwoman of Ward 4, Janeese Lewis George. The police refused to provide answers, saying only that they deemed it a suicide, without explaining why.

For three days, the police ignored the community and remained silent. On Thursday, April 16, the DC Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (DCAARPR) was notified about what appeared to be a police lynching of a Black man, though details were limited due to MPD stonewalling.

Within a few hours, DCAARPR took to social media and announced an emergency rally outside of 4th Disctict Police Station to demand answers. The post immediately went viral, given the horrific nature of the case and people's desire to fight back. Within an hour of the social media post, MPD finally was forced to make a public statement.

In their statement, they went out of their way to point out that the victim was a 19-year-old Latino man, not a Black man, in hopes of dulling people's anger and undercutting DCAARPR's planned rally. Despite their attempt to divide the community, a massive crowd of Black, brown and white people showed up at the police station the next day to give them hell.

During the rally, Kristen Bonner of DCAARPR spoke, stating, “MPD is telling us this is a suicide. We have reason not to believe them. We have reason not to trust them. They have not done anything for our communities that says they are protecting us – that says they are keeping us safe. If anything, they are the purveyors of violence and terror and racism in our communities, and to that we say shame!”

Tamira Benitez, 4B-05 Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner also spoke, “Three days have passed and we have no information. No email, no text, no phone call [from MPD]. When you go in person to get information, it’s like a burden to them.”

Benitez continued, “So we don’t need people like these, getting a shit ton of money out of our $22-plus billion budget to treat us like we’re nothing. As an ANC Commissioner, I don’t need to be friends with MPD to get the information I need to get.”

Merawi Gerima of DCAARPR stated, “If they say it's a suicide, we say show us the evidence. If their policies prohibit that, we say their policies are not good enough and that's why we're out here, because their policies allow them to kill us with impunity. Our policy is community control of the police so that we can hold them accountable in situations like this.”

When protesters realized that the Fourth District was also the precinct home of officer Jason Bagshaw, a known killer cop, they confronted him, chanting “It is right to rebel, Jason Bagshaw burn in hell!”

The demonstrators eventually took Georgia Avenue, one of the busiest streets in DC, in the middle of the city's notorious rush hour and marched for nearly a mile, attracting Black and brown people from the neighborhood to join them in chanting “Indict, convict, send these killer cops to jail, the whole damn system is guilty as hell!” and demanding community control of the police.

At the close of the rally, community members committed themselves to the struggle for community control of the police – on the journey towards transforming DC into a city where everyone can get their needs met.

#WashingtonDC #DC #InJusticeSystem #DCAARPR #NAARPR

Washington, D.C. – On Sunday, March 22, activists from around the DMV [DC, Maryland and Virginia area] embraced the unseasonable 85-degree F spring heat and gathered in front of the State Department with signs that read “No U.S. war on Venezuela” and “Freedom for Maduro now.”

“In five days, the U.S. intends to put Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on trial in a kangaroo court,” said a member of the Anti-War Committee DMV, “Trump thinks he can get away with kidnapping foreign presidents just to get his way, we’re here to show him we won’t let that happen!”

While the group initially gathered in front of the State Department, a quick decision was made to march down to the White House, to meet the large crowds of people that were there on a hot and sunny Sunday. The gathered their things and sprang into action. Chants of “We want peace, you say how! Freedom for Maduro now!” and “From Venezuela to the Philippines! Stop the U.S war machine!” boomed from the speaker system as the group made their way onto Constitution Avenue.

As they passed by the parks, DC residents who were there began to join in, whether chanting along or moving to the rhythm. This prompted calls of “Let’s tell them what the people need! Out of the park, into the streets!” from the marchers, at which point some observers even began to get up and join the march.

When they arrived at the White House, the group stationed themselves directly in front of Lafayette Park. This caught the attention of several National Guard troops nearby; the crowd turned their attention to them with chants of “Troops go home!” which several passersby responded to by joining in with fervor.

DC Against the Trump Agenda leader Merawi Gerima told the crowd, “I grew up here in DC, as a native Washingtonian, and we know firsthand what it feels like to be occupied with these National Guard troops,” said Gerima, “that’s why we fight for an end to occupation of Venezuela, a free Maduro; we also fight for an end to occupation of Iran, an end to sanctions on Cuba, and an end to U.S. occupation everywhere.”

The action was a joint effort of AWC-DMV, Anakbayan DC, International League of Peoples Struggles (ILPS), Freedom Road Socialist Organization DC (FRSO DC), DCATA, and the DC Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (DCAARPR).

The DCAARPR representative stated, “The greatest weapon in the hands of the people is our unity and unity is the greatest fear of our enemies! When we fight together, we win together!”

#WashigtonDC #DC #Venezuela #Maduro #International #AntiWarMovement #DCAARPR #DCATA

Washington, D.C. – El martes, 24 de febrero, un grupo de organizadores y activistas de la Organización Socialista Camino de la Libertad – DC (OSCL – DC) y de la Alianza de DC Contra la Represión Racista y Política (DCAARPR) se unieron en el centro de DC al alcance del oído del Capitolio de EE.UU. para protestar el discurso de Trump en el Estado de la Unión.

Con un micrófono en la mano y el capitolio detrás, el grupo denunció la política racista de Trump, incluidos los ataques contra inmigrantes, trabajadores, personas negras, personas LGBTQ, y países como Venezuela, Cuba e Irán.

El Departamento de Policía Metropolitana (MPD) había bloqueado todas las calles en un radio de unas pocas millas del capitolio, pero el grupo se estacionó cerca de las barricadas. Se encontraron con un gran despliegue de policías, la prensa, simpatizantes del público y un hombre cada vez más enojado que continuaba gritando, “¡Yo amo ICE!”. Sus gritos fueron acallados por el sonido de la gente que coreaba, “¡Chinga la migra!”.

El programa empezó antes y continuó durante el discurso de Trump en el Estado de la Unión.

Merawi Gerima, un nativo de DC y organizador de DCAARPR, dijo, “Estamos aquí esta noche porque Trump está en esa rotunda mintiéndole al pueblo estadounidense sobre todas las cosas que está haciendo. Ha dicho que es el portador de la paz al mundo, ha dicho que está trayendo empleos a los Estados Unidos, ha dicho que está trayendo paz a las calles de DC, ¡y sabemos que eso es mentira!”.

Gerima continuó, “Es nuestro deber, y nuestro derecho, hacer todo lo que esté a nuestro alcance para hacer este país ingobernable. Hacerlo imposible para que continúen explotándonos, matándonos y brutalizándonos a nosotros y a todos los demás en el planeta. Hacerlo imposible para que destruyan otros países en busca de ganancias. Tenemos todo el derecho y el deber de ponerle un alto a eso, y eso es exactamente lo que estamos haciendo aquí en Washington, DC”.

Christina Murdoch, miembro de la Organización Socialista Camino de la Libertad, habló sobre los ataques de la administración de Trump contra la comunidad LGBTQ, explicando la política reaccionaria que quieren implementar en la Oficina Federal de Prisiones.

Murdoch dijo, “La nueva política busca quitarle a más de 2200 personas trans que se encuentran actualmente en prisiones federales su acceso a atención médica necesaria. Serían sometidas a una constante invalidación de su identidad de género por parte del personal y les confiscarían todos sus artículos de afirmación de género, como carpetas de pecho, brasieres y maquillaje. Primero que nada, chíngate Donald Trump. Si crees por un momento que nos vamos a quedar quietos mientras le haces esto a cualquier miembro de nuestra querida comunidad trans, estás equivocado”.

#WashingtonDC #AntiWarMovement #Iran #DCATA #DCAARPR #PYM #FRSO #OSCL

Washington, D.C. – On February 28, DC residents awoke to the news that the Trump administration had begun a bombing campaign on Iran overnight. Within hours, the DC Against the Trump Agenda Coalition (DCATA) made the call for people of conscience in the DMV area to join in protest at the White House.

DCATA had been preparing for a US strike against Iran for weeks, connecting organizations in advance to mobilize within 24 hours of a strike. 32 organizations demanded, “No war with Iran!” with DCATA at the helm. A few hundred people started gathering towards Lafayette Square, as close as you can get to the White House due to the barricades, at the start of the rally. Protesters were carrying Iranian and Palestinian flags, as well as signs reading, “No bombs on Iran!” and “U.S. out of Iran!”

The organizers of the rally began their program on the bed of a pickup truck with emcees from DCATA and Palestinian Youth Movement DMV.

Merawi Gerima, a member of the DC Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (DCAARPR) and DCATA, started the protest stating, “Unity of action, not of ideas! That’s exactly how we’re gonna stop the United States from pulling us into another war.”

The emcee from PYM DMV stated, “They’re sending Americans to die on behalf of the rich. Americans have made it clear that they do not want another war!”

Elizabeth Paige White, a movement lawyer with the DC Lawyers Against the Trump Agenda (DCLATA) told the crowd, “Donald Trump’s lawlessness has extended to every single resident here. I’m in court every single day defending people who were wrongfully – illegally – arrested, searched, shot at, and almost killed in this city because of these illegal police gangs, these feds riding around with MPD, violating our rights day in and day out. Why do we expect [Trump] to do differently around this country and around the world?”

Earlier that day, 50501DC and others organized a March for Democracy that started on the National Mall. As the DCATA program continued, over 1000 people from the March For Democracy joined the No War on Iran protest. At this point, organizers knew they had to march. As the truck carrying the lead emcees started moving, droves of MPD flooded the streets, and tried their hardest to impede the march. Quickly thinking, organizers stripped the truck of its audio equipment and proceeded on foot, leading the people to the Department of State building to condemn Trump and Marco Rubio’s attacks.

A member of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization – DC also spoke during the march, “I think it’s very ironic that Trump billed himself as the ‘anti-war’ president, and here we are, one year into his regime, and where do we stand? We see that he is funding Netanyahu and funding genocide in Palestine. We see that he has kidnapped the president of Venezuela. He has now created war with Iran. He is threatening war with the greater Middle East. He’s threatening war with China. This president doesn’t know the meaning of anti-war – all he knows is war!”

Thousands of people marched down the streets of DC protesting attacks on Iran, Palestine, Cuba and Venezuela, as well as immigrants and Black people in the U.S. MPD continuously tried to thwart the march by blocking their path at every turn; however, the people stood firm, and marched right through them. The march ended at the Department of State building, and the program closed out with a few more speakers.

#WashingtonDC #AntiWarMovement #Iran #DCATA #DCAARPR #PYM #FRSO #Featured

Washington, D.C. – On February 18, a diverse crowd gathered at Pershing Park for a Black and Filipino Unity Rally. Nearby, police cars and Secret Service vehicles loudly zipped around the area, preparing for the incoming visit by Trump’s so-called Board of Peace.

Chanting “From DC to the Philippines, stop the U.S. war machine,” the group marched to DC City Hall for the first leg of the demonstration. At city hall, protesters demanded an end to local government collaboration with federal immigration enforcement agencies. The group shouted, “City Council, do your job! Do your job!” and “The people united will never be defeated!”

An organizer with Bayan DMV spoke and stated, “The Filipino communities have been an integral part of the DMV for generations. This city has served as a landing place for Filipinos forced to leave their homeland, a land rich with natural resources and vibrant in its people, but polluted, exploited and impoverished by over a century of U.S. imperialism.”

The march ended at the White House where the group demanded an end to the militarization of Black and brown communities in the U.S. and the Philippines.

February, known as Black History Month, is also International Filipino Solidarity Month. To celebrate this shared month, organizers in the DC Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression and the International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines joined with Bayan DMV and others to organize a week of action to highlight and continue the 120-plus year history of Black and Filipino people’s shared struggle against US Imperialism.

The week of action began with a teach-in at Sankofa Cafe in Northwest DC, where attendees learned about the Black struggle for self-determination in the South, and Filipino people’s twin struggle for independence from Spain and the United States.

Later in the week, the group screened the film Revolution Selfie: The Red Battalion by Steven De Castro. The film was selected because it provides viewers with a direct perspective into the revolutionary armed struggles waged by the New People’s Army (NPA) against the U.S.-backed Marcos regime. The film shows one of the world’s first same-sex marriages, which occurred in 2005 between two soldiers of the NPA.

#WashingtonDC #DC #Philippines #Bayan #ICHRP #DCAARPR #International #OppressedNationalities

Washington, D.C. – On Tuesday, February 24, a group of organizers and activists from Freedom Road Socialist Organization – DC (FRSO DC) and the DC Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (DCAARPR) gathered in downtown DC within earshot of the U.S. Capitol building to protest Trump’s State of the Union address.

With a single mic in hand and the capitol framed in the background, the group denounced Trump’s racist policies including attacks on immigrants, workers, Black people, LGBTQ people, and countries like Venezuela, Cuba and Iran.

The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) had all of the roads within a few miles of the capitol blocked off, but the group was stationed right up to the barricades. They were met with droves of police, the press, supporters from the public, and one increasingly irate man who continuously screamed, “I love ICE!” His cries were deafened by the sound of the people chanting, “Chinga la migra!”

The program started right before and continued through Trump’s State of the Union address.

Merawi Gerima, a DC native, and organizer with DCAARPR, stated, “We are here tonight because Trump is in that rotunda tonight lying to the American people about all the things he’s doing. He’s claimed to be the bringer of peace to the world, he’s claimed to be bringing jobs to the United States, he’s claiming to be bringing peace to the streets of DC, and we know that’s a lie!”

Gerima continued, “It is our duty, and it is our right, to do everything in our power to make this country ungovernable. To make it impossible for them to continue to exploit us, and kill us, and brutalize us and everyone else around the planet. To [make it impossible] to crack open these countries for their profits. We have every right and every duty to stop that from happening, and that’s exactly what we’re doing right here in Washington, DC”

Christina Murdoch, a member of Freedom Road Socialist Organization, spoke on the Trump administration’s attacks against the LGBTQ community, explaining a backwards policy they are trying to institute with the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

Murdoch stated, “The new policy aims to strip the over 2200 trans people currently held in federal prisons of their access to medically necessary healthcare. They would be subjected to constant misgendering by staff and have all of their gender-affirming items such as binders, bras, and makeup confiscated. First off, fuck you Donald Trump. If you think for a moment that any of us are going to stand by and let you do this to anyone in our beloved trans community, you are wrong.”

#DC #WashingtonDC #FRSO #DCAARPR #Trump #Featured

Washington, DC – On Friday, February 6, DC organizations joined the call from the Legalization for All network for a National Day of Action in solidarity with the ongoing struggle against ICE terror in Minneapolis and across the country.

Around 50 community members, organizers and activists were out in the street demanding “ICE out!” “Justice for all victims of ICE terror!” and “Legalization for all!” with temperatures well below freezing. Protesters faced down federal and local police. The people were not deterred and protested right up to the barricades of ICE headquarters.

The National Day of Action fell one month after the cold-blooded murder of community observer Renee Good. The DC Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (DCAARPR), alongside Families Not Feds (FNF), Movimiento Migrante DC, Youth Demand Action, 50501DC, Freedom Road Socialist Organization – DC, and DC Against the Trump Agenda Coalition, hosted the action outside ICE headquarters in Southwest DC.

A member of DCAARPR told the crowd, “This is an ICE Out rally; we want to, and need to kick ICE out of our city, but we also need to keep ICE out. Just a few minutes from here, there is a plan to build another ICE headquarters. It is no coincidence that this is happening in Southeast, a historically Black and brown section of the city.”

He also discussed the case of Phillip Brown, a Black man, who was shot at by a Homeland Security Investigation (HSI) officer, and barely escaped with his life. There is concrete evidence that the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) covered up for HIS.

A member of Anakbayan DC stated, “Renee Good is another victim of a corrupt, unjust system that treats human beings as disposable. It is a system that has been upheld by both parties and several administrations with our taxpayer dollars. Her murder is a reminder that the government does not care about us.”

Many of the participating organizations have been on the ground in DC leading mass mobilizations against ICE and, more broadly, the racist and reactionary Trump.

The protest finished with a speech by Cameron McLaren, an organizer with Freedom Road Socialist Organization – DC., who stated, “We are fighting for a system where no human is illegal, and that starts with legalizing everyone. Legalization for all! We have a collective duty in this moment to stand together, to unite all who can be united, and to fight for a future that belongs to all of us.”

#WashingtonDC #DC #ImmigrantRights #ICE #L4A #ReneeGood #KillerICE #DCAARPR #FNF #MMDC #YDA #FRSO

Washington, DC: On November 21, over 200 community members gathered outside the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) Headquarters for a rally and vigil in the wake of a wave of police terror last weekend by federal and local police forces in DC.

The social media messaging for the event from the DC Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (DCAARPR) and other sponsoring organizations stated that federal and local police “went on a rampage, killing three Black men and nearly killing another.”

The vigil began with a prayer and a moment of silence for victims of police crimes. Afterwards, Merawi Gerima from DCAARPR took the stage to lead the crowd in chants of “No justice, no peace!” and “When Black people are under attack, what do we do? Stand up, fight back!” before speaking on the recent spree of violence by police in DC.

“MPD has been an occupying, terrorizing force in DC before this,” said Gerima, “at the same time, now the feds are coming in and helping MPD to deport and terrorize Black and brown people in DC!”

During the rally portion of the event, some of the community members gathered held up pictures of victims of police crimes, while others wrote their names on a canvas banner on the street. Still more wrote slogans of “Stop police crimes!” and “Free DC!” with chalk in front of the police station.

“Take a look around the crowd at the photos that you see, and remember why we’re here,” said Frankie Seabon from Harriet’s Wildest Dreams, “We’re here because we have a rallying cry; since 2001, local police have killed almost a hundred people!”

“The oppression that Black people face, the oppression that working people face, all has an economic basis,” said Kristen Bonner of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization DC (FRSO DC), “There are people that are profiting off of our misery and our pain, and, in fact, they do it so they can profit more! “

Speaking on the wrongful murder of her son by park police two years ago, Terra Martin of DCAARPR said, “I heard [criticisms] about my son, I heard that he shouldn’t have been in a stolen car, I heard I shouldn’t have put him out, I heard he shouldn’t have had a gun – but he didn’t have a gun.” connecting it to other families of victims at the protest, she said, “so you’re going to hear these things. But the strength is the memories you have with your loved one.”

Nadia Salazar of Movimiento Migrante DC told the crowd “There is a deep, deep, deep connection in the way [police] target migrant communities and Black communities in this country.”

After the rally, community members prepared for the vigil by forming into a line with faces of police crimes victims, capstoned by the banner which had been decorated with the names of victims in DC. The chant leader called out each victim with the chant, “Say their name!” to which the crowd responded with the name. The vigil created a visual display of solidarity within the community members and activists gathered, as they lined the street from MPD headquarters to the DC Superior Courthouse two blocks away.

“As has been said before, the only thing we got at the end of the day is our numbers,” said Merawi Gerima, “that’s why we have to come out here, shout these criminal actions down, demand accountability together, build our organizations, and bring them together!”

#WashingtonDC #InJusticeSystem #KillerCops #PoliceBrutality #DCAARPR

Washington, D.C. — A group of 20 community organizers and activists gathered outside the Metropolitan Police Department’s Sixth District station on Saturday, November 8, to demand transparency from the city’s officials – including Mayor Muriel Bowser and Chief of Police Pam Smith – around the October 17 cover-up, where an HSI agent shot into the car of an unarmed Black man. The Metropolitan Police (MPD) then lied about it on the police report. The action was organized by the DC Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (DCAARPR).

The protest began with chants of “No Trump, no KKK, no racist USA!” and “Hey hey! Ho ho! These racist cops have got to go!” as the crowd gathered at the steps of the station. Next, Merawi Gerima of DCAARPR took to the stage to call out MPD’s complicity in the cover-up and connect it directly to Mayor Bowser’s continuing capitulation to Trump.

“This MPD cover-up can only happen in the type of vicious, oppressive, police-repression environment that Mayor Bowser has created through her policies of collaboration with federal agencies,” said Gerima, “and it all goes back to her collaboration with Trump.”

Gerima also connected the cover-up with his own experiences of political repression, citing an event that occurred last weekend when he, along with three other protesters, were wrongfully arrested for exercising their First Amendment rights while protesting the racist curfew zones in DC.

“It’s no coincidence that the same people arrested in Navy Yard last week were the same people who broke that shit wide open at the press conference [on the MPD cover-up] the week before,” said Gerima, “I was told then by a reporter that when a group of officers saw me, they pointed to me and said, ‘that’s the same person from the press conference.’”

Paige White, the legal defense for the victim of the cover-up event, spoke next about the specifics of the incident and highlighted how dangerous the situation truly was. “One of the bullets went through my client’s collar of his jacket, meaning that he was literal millimeters from death,” said White, “This case demonstrates how dangerous this collaboration is, and how it has severe real-life consequences!”

While MPD and the officers involved were a target of the protesters, speakers also called out Mayor Bowser for her role. A member of the DC Against the Trump Agenda (DCATA) also spoke at the rally stated, “Mayor Bowser helped make sure that federal troops could stay in DC, Mayor Bowser helped federalize MPD, to embolden them. And so Mayor Bowser is looking at her last term as mayor. Because the people know she is complicit in carrying out these attacks on the people of DC!”

This was followed by chants of “Bowser, Bowser, you’re a traitor! This term is your last as mayor!” and “Fight like Brandon [Johnson], fight like Zohran! Not like Bowser, she’s a moron!”

The rally was closed out with continued calls to action, citing this as a crucial first step in launching a campaign against the city and its government, and vowing to bring them to justice through a fight for community control of the police.

“It is up to us to protect our community and to protect ourselves,” said Kristen Bonner of DCAARPR, “the mayor is not gonna do it, MPD is not gonna do it, Pam Smith is not gonna do it – so this is a call to action for everyone to get involved!”

“We will hold you accountable to the things you do, we will hold you accountable for the things you don’t do when we need you, we will hold you accountable for all the things in between,” said Gerima, “When you cover up for killer federal officers, you will be held accountable – so you can smile now, you can sit in your car and scroll on your phone while we’re out here demanding justice, but one day, we will have power to hold you accountable, and we’re coming for all of that!”

#WashingtonDC #InJusticeSystem #PoliceCrimes #PoliceBrutality #KillerCops #DCAARPR #DCATA

Washington, D.C. – On Wednesday, November 5, a group of activists again disrupted Mayor Muriel Bowser at a speaking event, this time at the DC Democrats November General Body Meeting. The direct action, called by the Families Not Feds campaign, is the latest in a series of actions targeting DC’s mayor for capitulating to the racist Trump agenda.

The environment the mayor created by conceding to the Trump agenda led to, on October 27, federal police shooting into the car of an unarmed Black man that the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) covered up.

The DC Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (DCAARPR), Metro DSA, and the Sunrise movement DC supported the action.

After the meeting’s opening remarks from Charles Wilson, the president of the DC Democrats, in which he acknowledged the disruptions at Bowser’s previous speaking event and told the crowd not to do it again, the microphone was handed to Bowser, and the first disrupter jumped into action.

“Every day, ICE is kidnapping more people off our streets, and all we get from you is lies and cover-ups!” the first disrupter shouted, “When are you going to start protecting our communities?”

As MPD and Bowser’s personal security rushed to grab the disrupter, he continued, “You’re kidnapping people every day, and you lie about it!”

One by one, a total of nine disrupters made their voices heard and demanded action, not rhetoric as Mayor Bowser struggled to maintain control of the crowd.

“Mayor Bowser, the people of DC should not be afraid to be persecuted!” disrupter two shouted, “end the collaboration with the feds and MPD!”

“Your silence is complicity!” said another, who was immediately shoved by a security guard, “this will be your last term as Mayor!”

“What’s disrespectful is tearing families apart!” said disrupter three, in response to Wilson calling disrupters disrespectful in his opening speech, “What is disrespectful is taking parents away from their children! This is about criminalizing our neighbors…you should be ashamed of yourself!”

The disrupters had a clear effect on Bowser, who at several points during the evening displayed frustration at both the frequency of the disruptions, as well as at her own staff for being unable to stop it.

“Come on DC Dems, get it together,” said Bowser, after another disrupter was pushed out of the room, “We have to regain control of this meeting,” this comment was followed by another disruption shortly afterwards.

Outside of the auditorium, a combination of community members and disrupters who had been removed began a noise demonstration, as they began shouting “Protect families! Not feds!” “Bowser Bowser you’re a traitor! This term is your last as mayor!” and “Bowser and Trump, sitting in a tree! Attacking and deporting immigrants in DC!”

Their chants could be heard inside the lobby of the building, and several neighbors in nearby apartment buildings came onto the porch to shake coin jars and bang pots and pans in solidarity. This demonstration continued until the event was over, as the protesters continued to chant and make noise until all of the attendees and politicians left.

This direct action was part of a continuing campaign of mounting pressure from DC residents against politicians like Bowser in DC who are capitulating to Trump’s agenda and federal takeover of DC.

In collaboration with the DC Against Trump Coalition (DCATA), the groups are combining forces to strike both at local politicians and the federal powers enforcing the occupation. This campaign continues on Saturday, as DCATA, DC Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression and others will be taking to the streets to protest Mayor Bowser and MPD’s ongoing role in the cover-up of federal agents shooting at an unarmed Black man during a traffic stop.

Follow @dcagainsttrump on instagram for more updates on their organizing to fight back against the Trump ordered federal occupation of DC.

#WashingtonDC #InJusticeSystem #DCAARPR

The event began with opening remarks on a voice call from NAARPR Executive Director Frank

Chapman, who spoke on his experiences with police brutality, the injustice system, and the fight against the federal occupation in DC.

“Trump has declared war against all the urban cities in which Black people constitute a significant part,“ said Chapman, “and we have to fight them every step of the way. There’s more of us than them, so we have to do all that we can possibly do to stop the military occupation of our communities and to get community control of the police.”

Afterwards, a panel of community members took the floor to speak on their experiences with police crimes locally in DC. One community member, Terra Martin, spoke about the death of her son Delaneo Martin at the hands of DC Park Police two years ago.

“He had a five month old at the time that he had custody of, that’s now fatherless” said Martin, “When you’re shooting our loved ones MPD, or when you’re allowing your federal officers to do it – you don’t just hurt us, you hurt the community.”

After the panel, organizers for the event engaged the audience in rounds of chants that turned into a song, with calls and responses of “Stop the police” and “No Trump” from each side of the room. The organizers also led audience members through a version of Oh, Freedom, rousing people to their feet to clap and sing along.

To wind up the town hall, Christina Murdoch from the Freedom Road Socialist Organization DC (FRSO DC), gave a call to action encouraging community members in the audience to get active.

“Anyone can get involved, all that matters is that you do it,” said Murdoch, “You don’t have to be Black to fight for Black people, you don’t have to be an immigrant to fight for immigrants, and you don’t have to be from DC to fight for DC!“

#WashingtonDC #InJusticeSystem #DCAARPR #NAARPR

Washington, DC – Early in the morning on Sunday, November 2, Kristen Bonner, Merawi Gerima, Terra Martin and Christina Murdoch – four community activists and members of the DC Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (DCAARPR) – were released from MPD custody on the heels of wrongful arrests for using First Amendment rights.

Initial statements from the officers maintained that the activists would be held until Monday, but sustained community support both on site and by phone and social media successfully pressured the cops into freeing all four organizers.

The arrests began around 11 p.m. on Saturday night, when activists from the DC Alliance mobilized to the Navy Yard neighborhood in Southeast DC, to support local Black youth being harassed by MPD and federal officers. Tensions in this particular area had been high since the day before, when federal troops were caught on video attacking community members in the local park. They rose to fever pitch on Saturday, when MPD and Mayor Muriel Bowser released a mandate on an 11 p.m. curfew for youth in the area.

Members of the DC Alliance brought megaphones and cameras in accordance with their First Amendment rights to support the community members and deter police from making any wrongful arrests.

Around 11:15 p.m., police began handcuffing DC Alliance member Merawi Gerima, stating that he had broken the noise ordinance by using his megaphone, even though that charge necessitates warnings before making an arrest. As Alliance member Kristen Bonner went to turn off the “whistle” setting on Gerima’s megaphone, another officer handcuffed them. A third officer then pointed at Terra Martin, who was not holding a megaphone or making noise, but was then arrested with no explanation.

Alliance member Christina Murdoch questioned an officer on the scene on why the other three activists were being arrested, specifically citing that the organizers being arrested were Black; to which he replied by nodding at another officer and having her arrested as well.

After the activists were taken away, community members mobilized to the First District Police Station where they were told the organizers would be held. Officers on site at the station, however, told the crowd that the organizers would be taken to a different location. Staff at the new location revealed that information to be false, and organizers intensified their presence at the original First District precinct location.

This was coupled with using social media to promote a phone zap campaign, which was supported by national organizations such as 50501and the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, as well as local organizations like the DC Against the Trump Agenda Coalition (DCATA), Palestinian Youth Movement DMV, and others.

Around 5 a.m., after conversations with attorneys and pressure from organizers on site and over the phones, all four organizers were released back to the community. Additionally, charges that had been levied against the activists – including a felony “Obstruction of Justice” charge – were dropped. The activists reunited with the crowd to joint chants of “Fuck the police! Fuck ICE!” and “1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 , 9, 10, 11, fuck 12!”

“There’s 20,000 MPD officers and 700,000 residents in DC,” said Kristen Bonner, “We outnumber them 20 to 1. When we fight back, we win, and when it’s all of us fighting together, there’s nothing they can do to stop us!”

Three of the activists are still facing misdemeanor disorderly conduct charges, while Murdoch faces a misdemeanor resisting arrest charge. All four activists are scheduled for a court appearance on Wednesday, November 19, where organizers and community members have already made plans to pack the courtroom.

“At the end of the day, we were out there to defend Black youth,” said Merawi Gerima, “it doesn’t really matter what bullshit charges they come up with. We keep us safe, we defend our own, and what we’re doing is working, so – fuck the police!”

“We’re gonna continue to take the fight to them,” said Bonner, “We’re not scared of any type of repression they may put on us…the community has our back the same way we have their back, and we’re gonna keep fighting!”

#WashingtonDC #InJusticeSystem #NAARPR #DCAARPR #DCATA #PYM

Washington, DC – The DC Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (DCAARPR) gathered with local organizers and community members outside the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) headquarters on Tuesday morning, October 28, for a press conference on an explosive federal cover-up – the shooting of an unarmed Black man.

Supported by local organizations like the DC Against the Trump Agenda Coalition (DCATA) and Colectivo de Familias Migrantes (CFM), along with national organizations like 50501, the organizers delivered a bombshell statement on an incident that occurred just two weeks before.

On October 17, federal agents in Washington, DC shot multiple times at an unarmed Black man during a routine traffic stop, nearly killing him. He was then arrested by MPD for fleeing the scene, a felony charge. MPD did not mention the shooting in their report. At the man’s preliminary hearing, the officer who wrote the report admitted under oath that his supervisor told him to purposefully omit the shooting from the police report. The judge quickly dismissed the case for lack of probable cause after the officer revealed the cover-up plot.

Speaking on their demands, Merawi Gerima of DCAARPR stated, “MPD must immediately release all of the footage, that there is a special independent investigation into this incident and release of all the data on MPD stops that involve these roving police gangs, and that Mayor Bowser immediately rescind executive order 25-005, which mandates this local coordination and cooperation.” This was met with chants of “Bowser and Trump, sitting in a tree, attacking and terrorizing kids in DC!”

“No amount of concessions that Mayor Bowser makes can stop these racists in the White House from doing what they want to do,” said Gerima, “The only thing that can stop them is her standing with the people and defending Home Rule in DC!”

Then, reading a statement from Colectivo de Familias Migrantes , Gerima said, “We are here today because the collaboration between MPD and federal enforcement agencies does not keep our communities safe.” The statement continued, “Our community deserves respect, transparency and justice from the District’s government. It is time for our government to step up and ‘Protect Families not Feds!’”

After hearing from Gerima, the press heard from E. Paige White and Bernadette Armand – the attorneys representing the victim in a forthcoming civil case against the city.

“We are currently faced with an unjustified lethal shooting of a man during a traffic stop,” said White, “an unjustified shooting – let’s just be clear – is assault with intent to kill. That’s a felony here in DC and carries mandatory jail time. This was followed by a planned and ordered cover-up of this shooting by the Metropolitan Police Department. Covering up a crime is a conspiracy!” After finishing speaking, the crowd responded with calls of “shame!” and chants of “No Trump, no KKK, no racist USA!”

“If there was a passenger in this seat, they would be dead,” said Kristen Bonner of DCAARPR, holding up a picture of the bullet holes in the seat of the victim’s car, “this is what our community is going through, what our community is facing, and it’s going to take all of us coming together to stop it, stop Trump, and stop Mayor Bowser’s complicity in Trump’s racist and reactionary agenda.”

DCAARPR announced their plans to hold a Police Crimes Town Hall on Saturday, November 1, and invited all community members to attend and continue the conversation around MPD transparency and community control of the police in DC.

#WashingtonDC #InJusticeSystem #PoliceCrimes #KillerCops #DCAARPR #NAARPR

Washington, D.C. – Eager organizers and community members gathered early Saturday morning, October18 to protest the Trump administration with a rally in the historically Black neighborhood at 14th and U Streets in D.C. Led by the DC Against the Trump Agenda (DCATA) Coalition, 50501, and Refuse Fascism, speakers addressed the growing crowd of people in honor of No Kings Day.

DCATA formed shortly after the military occupation in D.C. in August and is building an ever-expanding front against Trump and his racist agenda.

When the rally kicked off, Merawi Gerima of the DC Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (DCAARPR) asked the crowd, “What is the most beautiful thing in the universe? What is the most powerful weapon in the hands of the people? And what is the greatest fear of all of our enemies combined?” All three to which the crowd yelled, “Unity!”

“This is their tools, this is their trade that they have always used to try to keep up apart and exploited,” said a member of Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO). “It’s violence in the form of police, it’s bigotry in the form of Trump’s policies on immigrants, on gay and trans rights, on attacking all of our communities with this anti-DEI initiative.”

The rally evolved into a “Remove the Regime” march down 14th Street with a group that grew to 5000 protesters as they yelled “Move Trump, get out the way, get out the way Trump, get out the way!” and “Bowser and Trump, sitting in a tree, attacking and deporting immigrants in DC!”

Onlookers were so moved by chant leaders that they ran out from local restaurants and stores to join the march. “Fuck Donald Trump!” and “Release the files!” became an undercurrent of the messaging as the crowd made their way to an area close to the Capitol.

As the march concluded, the protesters joined another No Kings rally which is estimated at having between 200,000 and 300,000 people in attendance. Here, Bill Nye and Bernie Sanders spoke to the crowd in support of No Kings, while protesters continued to call out “No kings, no kings!” Senator Chris Murphy also spoke, saying that Trump “is enacting a detailed, step-by-step plan to destroy all of the things that protect our democracy.”

While some took this day to be a joyful opportunity for a parade, the DC Against the Trump Agenda coalition focused on the fight for a liberated DC and United States, where no king will be allowed to rule. As the FRSO speaker reminded the crowd, “The people united, have never been defeated!”

#WashingtonDC #PeoplesStruggles #ImmigrantRights #DCAARPR #DCATA #NoKings

Washington, DC – Over 100 community members, activists and organizers mobilized on September 30, in response to 14 racist bills Congress is trying to pass that strip DC of political power and attack Black youth.

This week, the Senate votes on HR 4922 – DC Crimes Act, HR 5143 – District of Columbia Juvenile Sentencing Reform Act, and HR 5125 – District of Columbia Judicial Nominations Reform Act. These bills aim to further criminalize homelessness, repeal local laws banning police from high-speed car chases, remove the ability for judges to sentence youth offenders below the mandatory minimum, lower the age of eligibility for juveniles to be tried as adults in D.C. for certain violent offenses from 16 years to 14 years of age, and so much more.

These bills are a direct attack on the gains won by the Black liberation movement in DC, and they are a frontal assault on DC autonomy.

The DC Against Trump Agenda (DCATA) Coalition organized the rally, which was endorsed by over 20 organizations, including the Washington Teachers’ Union, 50501 DC, the Black Panther Movement, CASA Staff Union, and National Action Network.

On the steps of the Supreme Court, organizations and community leaders spoke on the need to organize a fightback against the racist and reactionary Trump agenda, and more specifically, his attacks on DC.

A DC attorney with DC Lawyers Against the Trump Agenda (DCLATA) read an open letter authored by that group, stating, “As members of the Bar tasked to uphold and protect the Constitution, we urge you to vote NO on the 14 bills that comprise this package. This package is a sweeping federal intervention that will remove authority from DC elected officials.”

Terra Martin, mother of Dalaneo Martin, who was brutally murdered by U.S. Park Police in 2023, spoke on behalf of her organization, A Mother’s Love and Hug, demanding, “Justice for Dalaneo! Hands off our kids!” She went on to talk about the specific bill, HR 5143, District of Columbia Policing Protection Act, and how it would empower police to chase after Black youth in dangerous high-speed pursuits. She brought up the case of Karon Hylton-Brown, a Black 20-year-old DC resident, who was killed in 2020 during a high-speed police chase.

The protesters marched towards the Capitol building to confront the congresspeople currently voting on these attacks; however, they were met by a wall of Capitol Police who refused to let the group exercise their First Amendment rights. But the organizers acted quickly and sharply, routing the march through the streets in the surrounding areas to ensure their demands were heard. They were met with applause and cheers from people walking by or in their cars. There was also a small army of federal police trying to contain the protesters.

The march ended back at the steps of the Supreme Court, where Rhonda Hamilton, a DC resident running for mayor, spoke and demanded, “Get the National Guard off our streets. They are traumatizing our children! Only cowards would mobilize the military to terrorize our communities!”

The protesters then had a moment of silence for the recent passing of Assata Shakur, a Black revolutionary hero.

Michaela Hopkins, a longtime DC resident and member of the DC Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, concluded the action with a quote from Assata, “We need a revolution of the mind. We need a revolution of the heart. We need a revolution of the spirit. The power of the people is stronger than any weapon. A people’s revolution can’t be stopped. We need to be weapons of mass construction. Weapons of mass love. It’s not enough just to change the system. We need to change ourselves.”

Follow @dcagainsttrump on Instagram for more updates on their organizing to fight these bills and Trump’s racist occupation.

#WashingtonDC #InJusticeSystem #OppressedNationalities #AfricanAmerican #Trump #DCAARPR

Washington, D.C. — On Friday, September 5, over 30 activists and community members assembled in Washington, D.C. 's Navy Yard neighborhood for a “mass cop watch” organized by the DC Against Trump Agenda (DCAT) coalition.

This cop watch is just one of many actions that the coalition has organized in weeks since President Trump declared that he would be federalizing DC’s Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and deploying the National Guard to the city.

“This is an occupation,” said Kristen Bonner, organizer for the DC Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (DCAARPR). “We are seeing heavily armed soldiers on our streets, our buses, and our trains. Sometimes as many as a dozen on a single block.”

“We’re out here tonight to stand between the people and the armed thugs that Trump has brought into our city,” Bonner continued. “Cop watch is exactly what it sounds like. We know these cops and guards are just looking for an opportunity to harass and attack our people, so we’re here to keep eyes on them and make sure these things won’t go down unseen.”

When asked why Navy Yard was chosen as the location of tonight’s cop watch, Terra Martin, community activist and mother of 17-year-old Dalaneo Martin, who was murdered by U.S. Park Police in 2023 said, “It’s gentrification. They want to lock up our children instead of acknowledging the root problem is that there’s nothing for them to do. You have all this classy, but they not welcome here. They want them just across the street, in the projects.”

The event began with a rally, with the co emcees for DCAT alternating chants of “DCAT! Fight back!” and “Fuck the police! Fuck the troops!” This was followed by speakers from coalition organizations and community members.

A member of Anakbayan DC connected the struggle against Trump’s occupation in DC to the historic struggle against martial law in the Philippines, saying, “It is impossible to look at the violent and excessive show of force by law enforcement and not see the parallels between this historic moment of occupation in D.C. and martial law in the Philippines. Just like during martial law, we now have roaming unidentified gangs grabbing people off the street, ripping people from their homes, their workplaces, their schools all without due process and under the guise of public safety.”

The crowd then broke off into groups and headed off to patrol the streets in several directions.

The crowd linked back up at the end of the night in front of five federal troops sitting on the street corner, who took out phones to record the sounds of the protesters. The crowd responded with chants of “Lazy racist crooked troops! Get a fucking real job!” and “Troops go home!”

DCAT has plans to stage further actions against the Trump occupation. Merawi Gerima, an organizer for DCAT declared, “We’re out to stop Trump’s racist occupation of our city. We’re going to fight until every one of his lapdogs is off our streets and the people of DC have real control over how they’re policed.”

#WashingtonDC #DC #InJusticeSystem #ImmigrantRights #Trump #DCAT #DCAARPR

Washington, DC – As the occupation enters its third week, on Wednesday afternoon, September 3, the DC Against Trump Coalition (DCAT) gathered in front of the Wilson Building, home to the mayor’s office and city council, to protest Mayor Muriel Bowser’s latest capitulation to the Trump administration.

Organized in less than 24 hours, DCAT mobilized 50 people to respond to an executive order signed by the mayor that will indefinitely allow local police forces to cooperate with federal law enforcement. This move represents the latest concession to the Trump administration, which ordered the National Guard into the city three weeks ago.

Protesters made their voices heard inside City Hall as they chanted, “We don’t need collaboration, end this racist occupation!” City Hall employees later confirmed that the crowd was heard loudly enough inside the building to disrupt meetings, and that Mayor Bowser was in the building.

“The DC Against Trump Coalition was built to fight back against Trump’s racist occupation of DC,” Merawi Gerima, emcee and member of the DC Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, stated, “and now we see that also means fighting back against Mayor Bowser who is committed to rolling out the red carpet for him and his cronies.”

“DC police agencies are now hooking up with federal [law enforcement] agencies,” said Paige White, DCAARPR member and a leader of the DC Lawyers Against Trump Coalition, “and these federal agencies don’t actually know anything about policing. They don’t know anything about the Fourth Amendment, they don’t know anything about your Miranda Rights, and they certainly don’t want to protect them.”

Attendees were heard by police and politicians inside and outside the building, chanting, “Racist, coward, crooked, cops, get a fucking real job!” and “Bowser and Trump, sitting in a tree, attacking and terrorizing kids in DC!” before marching across the street to wave signs and chant as cars passed by.

“I get it from both sides. I am Black and an immigrant,” stated a protester who has become a regular figure at DCAT actions with a “Fuck ICE/Gestapo ICE 2025” banner mounted on poles. “I was scared at first, but then I realized I have to fight for my people who cannot. I will not be silent and allow the Trump occupation to do whatever it wants!”

DCAT’s next action is a Mass Cop Watch on Friday, September 5 at Navy Yard Metro at 7 p.m.

#WashingtonDC #DC #BlackLivesMatter #ImmigrantRights #Trump #InJusticeSystem #DCAT #DCAARPR #DCLAT

Washington, DC – On Saturday, August 30, the DC Alliance Against Trump Coalition (DCAT) hit the streets again, this time partnering with the Long Live GoGo Foundation to host a march and live GoGo concert on August 30, aimed at fighting the Trump directed occupation of DC.

Since Trump’s federalization of DC, starting on August 11, the presence of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), ICE, and National Guard troops has increased their assumed powers over the community with unlawful curfew zones, check points, and kidnappings of residents focused on the immigrant communities.

Saturday’s event, dubbed Defend the District, was a powerful and direct anti-Trump response from the DC community, declaring “End the occupation!”

The event kicked off with a rally, emceed by activist and founder of Long Live GoGo Justin “Yaddiya” Johnson, and included speeches from DCAT, Guns Down Friday, and community members.

The energy from the rally quickly spilled into the streets of 14th and U – the site of last week’s DCAT rally – as the ensemble march began. Chant leads from Freedom Road Socialist Organization the DC Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (DCAARPR) took to the front of the line to lead chants of “Racist, coward, crooked cops, get a fucking real job!” intermixed with dancing and song-like chants of “Fuck Donald Trump” to which the crowd shouted back, “Fuck ICE!”

The march ended at Sylvan Theater at the National Mall where a GoGo musical performance welcomed activated protesters. Before reaching their destination, protesters shouted down National Guard troops and MPD, with chants of “Troops go home,” interspersed with “Fuck the police” and “Chinga la Migra!”

At Sylvan Theater, live GoGo music played between speeches from community speakers such as Jawanna Hardy, founder of Guns Down Friday, DC Councilmember Robert White and DCAARPR’s Merawi Gerima speaking on behalf of the DC Alliance Against Trump Coalition.

“If you were out here last Saturday you saw that we shut down that racist curfew zone on 14th and U,” said Gerima, “that’s the power of the people, and that’s the power that we want to bring into a focused energy against Trump’s racist agenda in DC!”

The DC Against Trump coalition, an ever-growing coalition of local organizations aimed at fighting the Trump agenda and takeover of DC, announced plans for a mass cop watch event on Friday, September 5, at 7 p.m., at Navy Yard in Southeast DC.

#WashingtonDC #DC #PeoplesStruggles #ImmigrantRights #Trump #DCAARPR #DCAT #LongLiveGoGoFoundation #GDF

Washington, DC – Before organizers from the DC Against Trump Coalition (DCAT) even finished setting up for their August 23 rally at 14th and U Streets in Northwest Washington DC, community members began spontaneously chanting “Fuck Trump!”

Anti-Trump sentiment has been sky-high in Washington, DC since August 11, when Trump issued an executive order sweeping away the city’s home rule powers, federalizing the Metropolitan Police Department and flooding the city with federal law enforcement and National Guard troops.

To capture that sentiment and turn it into action against Trump’s racist occupation, DCAT called a rally at the city’s “curfew zone,” a location where law enforcement targets Black minors found after 8 p.m.

The rally, organized over five days, brought out a multi-national crowd of close to 500 people from all over the city and mainly featured Black and brown speakers from the community who were fed up with Trump’s attacks on Black people and immigrants. A tenant organizer with Stomp Out Slumlords made it plain, shouting “I’m mad about a lot of things. It ain’t just Trump, it’s Mayor Bowser too! And Congress ain’t shit either, cuz all of them scared of Trump.”

The DCAT Coalition formed rapidly in the two weeks since Trump’s executive order, bringing together a dozen organizations such as the DC Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, Colectivo De Familias Migrantes DC, Palestinian Youth Movement and Metro DC Democratic Socialists of America.

Following examples set by cities like Chicago and Grand Rapids, DCAT’s expressed goal is to pull together the broadest coalition possible of organizations from across the DC metropolitan area, all united to defeat Trump’s racist occupation of DC. A tenant organizer called on churches and pro-immigrant organizations to unite with the movement, saying “the history of Christianity is the history of the persecution of people who stood for something.”

Eventually, the rally flowed into a march down the U Street Corridor, one of the busiest nightlife destinations in the city. Protesters blocked both sides of the street as they chanted “Fuck the police” and “Chinga la migra!” The energy was electric, feeling more like a New Orleans second line than a rally as vent was given to all the pent up anger Washingtonians have been feeling towards Trump. Other sectors of the movement have done a good job of reminding people to be joyful, but this rally showed the importance of linking joy with the righteous rage people have towards Trump and his ruling-class cronies.

As the marchers jammed up the street and flowed past dozens of helpless MPD officers, people in all the establishments on either side of the street began chanting along and running to join the march. “Fuck Donald Trump!” rang out like a unanimous agreement between hundreds of people who for the most part did not know each other but were united in their hatred of Trump’s racist agenda.

At the end of the march route, the crowd dispersed into a mass Cop Watch. Groups of people patrolled the entire corridor, filming and berating the police as they went. One group of officers was caught terrorizing an innocent man. They had a dog searching his car when the cop watchers noticed them and began filming. Seeing the Cop Watchers, the officers covered their faces, let the man go, and fled the scene, as they often do.

DCAT plans to build on their momentum in order to grow the coalition and the resistance against Trump’s occupation. Kristen Bonner, co-chair of the DC Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression stated, “We are building the broadest coalition possible. You don’t have to be Black to fight for Black people, and you don’t have to be from DC to fight for DC! If you want to stand up to Trump and his racist police dogs, we want to stand with you!”

#WashingtonDC #InJusticeSystem #Trump #NationalGuard #DCAARPR #NAARPR #DCAT #PYM #Feature

Washington, DC – On the evening of Wednesday August 13, the DC Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (DCAARPR) organized a demonstration in Ward 7, a primarily Black ward, and one of the most overpoliced sections of the city.

As organizers set up their table and speakers, a police agent in an unmarked car across the street tried to discreetly photograph attendees and license plates. As soon as he was approached by organizers with cameras, he covered his face and sped off. This encounter foreshadowed a pattern that would be repeated throughout the night of police fleeing when confronted by the people.

The demonstration was called in response to President Trump’s racist executive order which placed DC’s Metropolitan Police Department under federal control and deployed hundreds of federal law enforcement officers into the nation’s capital. Since the plan was put into motion, the federal and local officers have almost exclusively patrolled Black and brown neighborhoods.

The crowd that gathered at DCAARPR’s demonstration lit up the rainy atmosphere chanting, “MPD, KKK, FBI, they’re all the same!”

Kristen Bonner, a leader within DCAARPR, opened up the program attacking Trump’s desperate attempt to terrorize Black and brown people in DC, stating, “In this city, which was built by Black people, every person of conscience is called in this moment to rise up, to protect their neighbors and themselves, and to fight back!”

Demonstrators also heard from David Black, a DC native who was incarcerated for 26 years after being wrongfully convicted based on wrongdoing of MPD cops. He described how a key witness in his original trial finally came clean a few weeks ago, asserting that MPD officers beat him and threatened his family in order to coerce him into falsely testifying against Black all those years ago.

Black’s experience of injustice at the hands of DC police was echoed by DCAARPR Co-chair Jon Abraham, who told the crowd about the Butler family, who are five Black brothers who were attacked by MPD and are now facing felony and misdemeanor charges for defending each other against their attackers. Abraham told the cheering crowd, “Defending yourself against racist police violence is not a crime!”

The protest showed the need and desire for DC statehood and community control of the police. There are connections between DC’s lack of home rule and Washingtonians’ vulnerability to racist police violence, because with statehood and community control of the police, the community would be able limit MPD collusion with the federal government. As the program went on, several paddy wagons and motorcycle officers waited nearby, menacingly, while ten-car police gang caravans circled the surrounding neighborhood relentlessly, running red lights and blocking traffic.

Shortly after the event, DCAARPR organizers witnessed a gang of 20-plus law enforcement officers, including ATF, FBI, Park Police, HSI, and Black MPD officers pull over a Black man for nothing. When they confronted the officers with their phones out, the officers quickly covered their faces, let the man go, and sped off.

A few minutes later, the same police gang pulled over another man in the same neighborhood for a bogus traffic violation. Again, when the organizers confronted them with cameras, they covered their faces and sped away without arrest, proving that their mission has nothing to do with public safety and everything to do with terrorizing Black communities.

After the confrontation, one of the local residents cheered the organizers for confronting the police. She highlighted how ridiculous the police looked riding around with ten cars “These cops out here acting fools because of Trump’s white ass. Every one of them cops gonna get paid with our taxes for pulling over one Black man.”

#WashingtonDC #InJusticeSystem #Trump #NationalGuard #DCAARPR #NAARPR