Washingtonians protest Trump's federal takeover of DC police department

Описание: (15 Aug 2025)
FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: 4597111

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Washington - 15 August 2025
1. Pan dozens of protestors outside the Metropolitan Police Department headquarters, chanting (English) "I believe that we will win."
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2. SOUNDBITE (English) Nee Nee Taylor, Free DC Organizing Director:
"We're going to resist fascism. We're going to resist authoritarianism. We're going to resist you cutting jobs. We're going to resist you cutting healthcare. We're going to resist you trying to take over DC. And when we fight we win."
3. Various of protestors holding up signs
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4. SOUNDBITE (English) Keya Chatterjee, Free DC Executive Director:
"The Bondi order is unlawful."
5. Various of large banner protesters are writing on, saying "The Bondi order is unlawful. Protect DC communities"
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6. SOUNDBITE (English) Keya Chatterjee, Free DC Executive Director:
"So the reason why they want to take over DC is because authoritarians always want to silence dissent. No are we going to let them do that? (Crowd: No!)"
7. Various of Free DC protestors marching from the Metropolitian Police Department to the DC federal courthouse where a hearing
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8. SOUNDBITE (English) Keya Chatterjee, Free DC Executive Director:
"Pam Bondi knows nothing about our children, knows nothing about how to run our communities. And we are here to bear witness to what happens today. This was an incredible, illegal, brazen, escalated attack on the people of DC that happened last night in the middle of what was already a brazen attack on the people of DC that resulted in incredible overpolicing, attacks on houseless people, attacks on our immigrant community. And what do we think about that? Are we gonna let that happen? No."
9. Wide of protestors blocking an intersection of DC streets near the federal courthouse as they chant (English) "Free DC."
STORYLINE:
Dozens of Washington, DC protested outside the Metropolitan Police Department and the DC federal courthouse on Friday as city officials sued to block President Donald Trump’s takeover of the police department in the nation's capital.

The Trump administration escalated its intervention into the city’s law enforcement by naming a federal official as the new emergency head of the department.

Washington’s police chief said Trump’s move would threaten law and order by upending the command structure. “In my nearly three decades in law enforcement, I have never seen a single government action that would cause a greater threat to law and order than this dangerous directive,” Chief Pamela Smith said in a court filing.

The legal battle playing out Friday showed the escalating tensions in a mostly Democratic city that now has its police department under the control of the Republican presidential administration that exists in its midst. Trump’s takeover of the police department is historic yet had played out with a slow ramp-up in federal law enforcement officials and National Guard troops to start the week.


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