Actions Against the Homeless of D.C.
Why Target a Vulnerable Population?
On August 11, 2025, President Trump decided that he would enact another executive order making our nation’s capital a test bed for cleaning up what he calls a “crime emergency.” Over on his Truth Social account he posted:
“…going to make our Capital safer and more beautiful than it ever was before. The Homeless have to move out, IMMEDIATELY. We will give you places to stay, but FAR from the Capital.”
Under Section 740 of the D.C. Home Rule Act, he does have the authority to temporarily direct the MPD for federal purposes. The reasoning for using this against unhoused people though fogs the idea of this solely being about crime. Now while there is no distinction in the data provided by the MPD on whether a person is housed or not, an article in the Missouri Medicine states that people who are without a home:
“are more likely to be victims of crime than perpetrators, and rates of violent crime among PEH [people experiencing homelessness] are lower compared to other types of crime (e.g., drug-related charges).”
Since it seems inevitable that the government is going to try to remove homeless encampments, I hope that their actions keep the safety and dignity of all in mind while trying to achieve the result. The citizens of D.C. deserve to have a clean city with safe pathways and parks but let’s not forget that to achieve this goal we need to treat any unhoused people with human dignity as well. Just because you are without a house does not mean that you deserve to be moved “FAR” from your home as Trump seems to insinuate. One way to help the unhoused while achieving this goal would be looking at some form of housing solution.
Community leaders and city officials should work together to find a place for the homeless to have the basic necessities: shelter, food, and healthcare access within their home communities in order to make this transition better for all involved. While I am unsure of the total cost this executive order will entail, I leave you with the question, could some of that money have been used to help the homeless get basic necessities in order to clean up the encampments peacefully?