Amid Nationwide Unrest, Violence, D.C. Remains Peaceful
Image courtesy of U.S. Secret Service
In some of the most widespread and lengthy civil unrest since the 2020 riots in the wake of the killing of George Floyd, thousands of Americans have taken to the street from Los Angeles to New York to protest, sometimes violently, the Trump Administration’s increased immigration enforcement actions. Views of burning cars, masked agitators, and lines of law enforcement in tactical gear firing tear gas at crowds once again dominated the news cycle.
As the more violent of the unrest receded, Democratic legislator Melissa Hortman and her husband were assassinated and another lawmaker and his wife wounded when a right-wing businessman opened fire on them at their homes. 57-year old Vance Boelter was arrested without incident by Minnesota and federal agents and has had both state and federal murder charges filed against him. Authorities later discovered that Boelter had intended to assassinate other officials and had even visited some of their houses, only to find they were not home or to have a chance encounter with local police.
In Salt Lake City, Utah, a bystander was fatally struck by shots fired by a private security team when a man aimed a rifle at a group of people participating in a “No Kings” protest. The rifleman was arrested and charged with murder even though he never fired a shot, with detectives saying in court filings that they believed his actions led to the fatal shooting. However, a new video has emerged in the days following the shooting that appears to show the man pointing his rifle at the ground – not at the crowd – when he is fatally shot by a man calling himself a “peacekeeper.” Police have not so far charged the shooter and the rifleman was released from custody pending a court appearance.
Amidst a swell of anti-administration sentiment across the country and increased immigration enforcement leading to fear among the immigrant population and indignation among their supporters, almost every major city in the country has seen at least tension between law enforcement and demonstrators, and some have experienced tragic violence and domestic terrorism. There’s one exception.
The city where the policies themselves are issued from.
Washington, D.C., has been home to marches and anti-ICE gatherings, especially over last weekend. rotestors showed their opposition to the U.S. Army’s 250th anniversary parade, which many argued was over-expensive, un-American, and covertly a celebration of the 79th birthday of President Trump, which fell on the same day. Regardless of the truth of the claims, many people gathered at “No Kings” protests in D.C. suburbs and a group called “Refuse Fascism” organized a march from Logan Circle to the White House. Although the city of Culpeper, Virginia, narrowly avoided disaster when, miraculously, everyone walked away unscathed after a man drove his car into a crowd of demonstrators. The nation’s capital remained peaceful.
D.C., despite being the nerve center of America’s system of intelligence and law enforcement apparatus, isn’t always calm when the national stress level reaches a boiling point. In fact, it usually isn’t. In 2020, over 100 federal agents and D.C. Police officers sustained injuries while protecting the White House and other government and private property during protests and riots. Like other US cities, Washington experienced looting, arson, and other forms of violent unrest. In 1991, Mount Pleasant saw four days of violent riots following the police killing of a Hispanic man in D.C. In 1968, massive riots broke out following the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., leading to over 6,000 arrests and the deployment of over 12,000 soldiers after President Jonhson invoked the Insurrection Act.
Many incidents of domestic political violence have also plagued the city, from shootings targeting the White House to sieges and hostage-takings by political dissident groups and the assassinations of presidents.
This time, though, the city remains calm. Many residents and visitors exercised their First Amendment rights and have done so every day since Trump took office in January, and the Metropolitan Police, Secret Service, and many other agencies keep a watchful eye on the streets of the capital of the free world. So far, those streets have remained host to only peaceful political protest and dialogue.
