On February 10, the Washington Post reported that: “President Donald Trump is expected to issue an executive order that would seek to ratchet up penalties and enforcement of violent and petty crimes, clear homeless camps, and clean graffiti in the District of Columbia.” Then, on February 20, the Post reported that President Trump had spoken again about homelessness in D.C., indicating that there was too much visible homelessness in D.C.
It is no secret that we at the Legal Clinic believe that housing is both the solution to homelessness and the only humane way to “clear homeless camps.” Unfortunately, we have seen no indication that the current administration is intending to dedicate resources to affordable housing to reduce the number of people living outside.
The implication of President Trump’s statements is that forcibly displacing unhoused people is required to clean up D.C. People are not trash to be swept away. People are not criminals, by virtue of their unhoused status. People are struggling to afford rent and food in an expensive city (and nation). We agree that we should not have homelessness in our nation’s capital. But the path to ending homelessness is housing, not displacement.
In December, Mayor Bowser said: “President Trump and I both want Washington, D.C., to be the best, most beautiful city in the world and we want the capital city to reflect the strength of our nation.” D.C. is a beautiful city, one that should be a beautiful state. It is beautiful not because it is pristine or without its challenges. D.C. is beautiful because it is real. It is a real, dynamic community made up of people of all races, ethnicities, genders, and income brackets. D.C. is a community with its own music, food, and customs.
Hurting unhoused people with encampment clearings hurts our entire community and does nothing to end homelessness. Harming people without homes because one can, because one does not think they (or D.C. residents or D.C. elected officials) will fight back, is quintessential bullying. Using punitive measures to remove people from the streets, to hide problems rather than solve them, indicates a lack of understanding or interest in root causes homelessness—and a lack of competence in solving complicated problems in this city and this nation.
D.C. is not a colony. The President and the National Park Service are still subject to federal laws and the U.S. Constitution. D.C. has its own government and a mayor and legislators that were chosen by D.C. residents to represent the best interests of all of its residents.
While we are talking about D.C.’s own elected officials, we would be remiss not to note that Mayor Muriel Bowser has been regularly, aggressively, and harmfully clearing encampments for her entire time as mayor. She is easily the most hostile mayor to her constituents who sleep outside of any in our recollection. She does not need Trump’s encouragement to forcibly expel residents from tents. She doubled down on encampment evictions after a front loader picked up a man in a tent, and then cleared an encampment at a recreation center in order to hold a press conference on affordable housing. Mayor Bowser holds no moral high ground on encampment evictions.
Perhaps the President’s incendiary statements about D.C. and his dehumanizing language implying that people without homes mar D.C.’s beautiful lawns will be the wake-up call our local elected leaders need to realize that forcibly displacing unhoused persons does not reflect D.C. values, and that the only humane path out of street (and all) homelessness is the funding and provision of deeply affordable housing.
Additional resources:
- Statement from our colleagues at the National Homelessness Law Center
- Campaign to protect D.C. Home Rule and autonomy, Free DC
- Infographic on non-harmful solutions to encampments
