WASHINGTON (AP) – The normally quiet streets were bustling. The block was brightened by the flashing of police cruisers and officers at the tactical vest. Some of them covered their faces. The neighbor came out of the house. He cast shaming at the police and told him to leave. Dozens of people joined the chant: “Your shame.”
Aaron Goldstein approached two officers. “Please tell me why we couldn’t do this at 10:30 or 9:30, why we had to terrify the kids in our neighborhood,” the man asked the officer as they kept their gaze away from him. Both wore dark sunglasses against the morning sun.
They didn’t say anything.
The arrest shattered the daily lives of neighborhoods around Bancroft Elementary School, a public school with over 60% of students being Latino. It came on the third day of the new school year, and the horror of immigration had already I put the neighborhood on the edge. A group of residents had begun taking students to school from two nearby apartment complexes.
It was another morning in Washington, DC in the summer of 2025 – President’s Summer Donald Trump’s Federal Law Enforcement Intervention The capital of the country.
A conflict that was one of many people
Some interludes unfold calmly. Nothing happens in the other people. But the Wednesday morning boil was one of many people who have erupted throughout the city since Trump’s police took over, giving us a glimpse into everyday life in the emotionally swelled city. The sightings of police activity quickly spread, attracting residents who say federal injections are not welcome.
When federal and local police officers descended into the apartment building just a few from the school, the families and children were heading towards a bilingual primary school in the Mount Pleasant area. Neighbors were increasingly wary in fear of increasing immigration enforcement.
Now the officers were overflowing in the streets Plain cross and face covering. Some carry rifles and riot shields. The neighbors gathered outside and began screaming at the police to leave. As the words spread, assistant principals are waiting to greet students as they run to the scene.
In an interview, Goldstein, a resident of Mount Pleasant, said he felt like a neighbourhood violation. It said, “It’s a peaceful combination of white experts and immigrant neighbours, and there’s a lot of love.”
“People are on signal chats, and they’re absolutely horrible and everyone follows this,” said Goldstein, 55, who just dropped out of his third-grade daughter at Bancroft. “It’s painful. We feel invaded and it’s really awful.”
The standoff continued after police arrested a man who said he was accused of drug and firearms crimes. Dozens of residents pushed the officers aside and continued their jealousy. “Please quit your job.” “No one wants you here.” “You’re ruining the country.”
We asked about the episode at a later press conference, DC Mayor. Muriel Bowser He attracted “a considerable number of protesters,” but said, “we were able to keep it calm.” Bowser said: “I know there is a lot of anxiety in the district.”
One officer tries to speak in the middle.
The conflict is Major City Police Station “It’s not an official press conference,” Sgt. was asked by his neighbor after he explained.
“This is just a conversation I’m talking to community members,” Sgt. Michael Millsapps said, leaning against the cruiser’s rear bumper.
Millsups said the city’s police department is making planned arrests of “drug suspects” with support from the alcohol department, cigarettes, firearms and explosives. The suspect was taken into custody and the search of his apartment searched for drugs and illegal firearms, Millsapp said.
Immigration and customs enforcement Officers only participated as a distraction to prevent protesters from disrupting the operation, he said.
“The immigrants were parked over there to leave us alone,” he said. ICE officials did not immediately comment.
Residents told Millsaps that their trust in the city’s police had been breached. They said they felt unsafe amid Trump crackdowns. Millsaps was sorry to hear that. “I hear your frustration. My job is to take it.”
Still, he explained a different response from the residents of the East. Anacostia Riversome of the city’s highest crime areas. “I’m going to the other side of Imagawa, that’s the opposite. People will go out and thank us,” he said.
Mount Pleasant resident Nancy Petrovich was among those screaming at city and ATF officers after his arrest. Petrovic, a lifelong resident of the area, ran out of the house when he heard a scream just after 8am.
“The kids go to school, they walk to school, and they’re scared them and their parents,” he said, saying the streets are usually quiet and no further police needed. “We want them to leave.”
Asked about the timing of his arrest, Millsapps said it was a planned operation similar to countless others.
“I’ve been doing this for 14 years and I’m serving these warrants at the same time,” he said. “The only difference is that there are a lot of people here.
