The troops of the National Guard are not seen outside the tourist areas of DC, say the residents

When US President Donald Trump sent thousands of national guard troops to Washington in early August, they were not seen in the city’s most criminal sections. Residents mainly met them in tourist areas and metro stations.

In the south -east of Washington, far from monuments and museums, defenders like Jawanna Hardy have seen a new batch of police arranged unusual arrests – but it is not the National Guard.

Hardy is the founder of Guns Down on Friday, an organization that helps young people affected by crime in one of the most dangerous areas of DC. She said that officers outside the city now retract a pot of smoked young people in the street, escapes from transit prices and more.

“The other day, a young woman went to prison for price escape. She jumped the fence (at) the metro and did not pay and they stopped her,” said Hardy. “She went to prison to, I think, two days.”

Miss Hardy, as she knows in the community, said that her organization organized training sessions every Friday to teach young people how to act when they meet the police and inform them of changes in the way agents do their work.

The troops of the National Guard do not carry out the arrests at the time, said the White House, but there was “an increase in the federal police” sent to DC, which arrests, especially in services 7 and 8, in the south-east of Washington.

“Almost half of the non-immigration arrests since the creation of the crime have started in these two districts,” said White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson, in an email at CBC News.

According to data on the crime of the metropolitan police department, there have been 898 incidents of violent crimes so far this year in Washington, of which 699 occurring in services 7 and 8.

The White House said that 1,283 arrests have been made in Washington since August 7, when the increase in law enforcement units arrived at DC, but defenders of the local community wonder what types of arrests are behind these figures and if the overvoltage of the application of laws has done a lot to ensure neighborhood safety.

Spend for community resources: residents

Experts estimate that it costs around $ 1 million a day for 2,200 national guard troops to be in Washington. We do not know how much it costs for additional law enforcement teams that have also been deployed. Hardy said it was not a lasting solution to crime and suggested that money could be better spent on community resources.

“”If $ 1 million is spent every day, this represents 30 million per month, “said Hardy.” Where does this money come from? So that’s what scares me. “”

In the Renaissance apartments in the district 8, the iron doors at the entrance prevent unwanted people. Residents said they had been erected after a series of car shots. Some of the windows of the region’s buildings are on board with plywood. The parking lot is full of nests-de-poule. The children here play on the street because there is no leisure center for them.

“”There are no playgrounds, there are no leisure centers, it is not enough, you know what I say, there is not enough mentorate here for young people, “said Bryan Turner, a 23 -year -old resident of Ward 8.

Turner comes to the Renaissance apartments to check his cousins ​​and make sure they are correct. He said that young people in the neighborhood need a safe place to go to get rid of things like intimidation at school, or make Tiktok videos with their friends without being disturbed by patrol officers.

“There are a bunch of children here, they should not see the type of weapons drawn to them or other people from the community,” said Turner.

He said he would also like to see the city invest in the region’s repair, instead of investing in more police resources.

“The community needs it much more,” said Turner.

Unmarked police patrols scare some residents

Laniyah King, 17, said that there had not been shots by car in the Renaissance since more officers arrived here. But the police bring their own security problems, she said.

King said that some police officers were driving people in unmarked cars, and that the inhabitants do not know if they are police officers or someone who plans to shoot them.

“TThe boys do not know if he has to defend themselves or simply go away, “said King.

“A ball has no name on it, and it could end in any direction. So I really don’t feel safe.”