Several homeless encampments in Washington were cleared out by Friday, as President Trump’s efforts to take control of policing the nation’s capital played out among some of the city’s most vulnerable residents.
The Metropolitan Police Department, now under federal oversight, swept through at least three encampments on Friday morning, according to Jesse Rabinowitz of the National Homelessness Law Center and people who said they observed the police actions.
Officers were said to have thrown tents, sleeping bags and other belongings in the trash, and organizations that work with the homeless were bracing for more sweeps Friday afternoon and evening. Police began targeting the camps late Thursday.
In some cases, the police apparently removed people despite city health department notices allowing them to remain for several more days. Several homeless people in Washington Circle had the notices attached to tents since Thursday morning.
At Washington Circle, near the George Washington University Hospital, Meghann Abraham, who has lived in a tent there for months, said officers took away her shelter. The night before, she had fended off a similar effort by federal agents by showing them a notice from the city giving her until Monday to leave.
This time, the officers scoffed at the notice, she said.
Nearby, David Barnes returned to find his tent, which was also in the park space at Washington Circle, gone. He said officers had thrown his belongings in the trash, again.
“Trump and his presidency has taken away two — not one, two — of my tents,” Mr. Barnes said.
Still, he added, he voted for Mr. Trump before and would do so again, because of the president’s desire to keep Washington clean and beautiful.
Elsewhere, though, the crackdown on the homeless and the effort to take over the local police was spurring public pushback.
Just after noon on Friday, a modest crowd gathered outside the Metropolitan Police Department headquarters at Judiciary Square. They carried signs reading: “We do not consent” and “Resist!”
Aishvarya Kavi, Campbell Robertson and Alyce McFadden contributed reporting.
Mark Walker is an investigative reporter for The Times focused on transportation. He is based in Washington.
Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs reports on national stories across the United States with a focus on criminal justice. He is from upstate New York.
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