ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:
It's now been four days since President Trump announced he was sending in the National Guard and taking over the local police department in Washington, D.C. Trump painted a grim picture of the nation's capital, saying the city was full of bloodthirsty criminals. In fact, violent crime in D.C. is at a 30-year low according to the Justice Department, but violent crime persists in some neighborhoods. NPR's Meg Anderson went to some of them to talk with residents.
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MEG ANDERSON, BYLINE: At Brace's Barber Shop in southeast D.C., Lamarzs Wilson is waiting for a haircut. He's been living in D.C. all his life, and the 38-year-old says he felt surprised when Trump announced he wanted to crack down on crime here.
LAMARZS WILSON: I don't even understand where it came from, to be honest with you. I mean, like I said, this city has been seeing crime for years.
ANDERSON: Violent crime has actually been falling citywide after a surge in 2023. But it doesn't feel that way to everyone. NPR spoke with residents in several neighborhoods in D.C. that had more violent crime than the citywide average. They all said crime is a problem, but the vast majority said a police crackdown wasn't the answer. Wilson did say he had seen more police around, including last night.
WILSON: We had 14 police cars on our street, just walking around.
ANDERSON: He says he saw badges for DEA and FBI and the U.S. Marshals. They didn't arrest anyone, but...
WILSON: At the same time, the image y'all are giving by pulling up that deep, and all y'all got weapons, and y'all in all full body gear, your face covered up. You know, that give us the impression, like, what y'all doing out here? Y'all looking for something to happen so y'all can do something.
ANDERSON: One of the barbers, Michael Fletcher, had not seen any difference in policing himself, and his experience is the one NPR heard most often - people noticing things on social media but not for themselves. Fletcher says he does want change in his neighborhood - harsher punishments for juvenile crimes and better policing, which he thinks is why this takeover is happening.
MICHAEL FLETCHER: I felt that the D.C. police weren't doing their job if they had to do all that.
ANDERSON: He says the police often come after something has happened, when it's too late. The Metropolitan Police Department did not respond to a request for comment on that. Fletcher says he wants officers to be more proactive in preventing crime but doesn't think sending in federal forces will do that.
FLETCHER: It's giving the police a right to be aggressive when a person is not aggressive.
ANDERSON: He says all this does is further the distrust people have toward the police. Meg Anderson, NPR News, Washington. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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