DC Mayor Bowser vows to 'push back' on increasing federal presence in George Floyd protests
Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser asserted her control over the city's police force Wednesday, acknowledging "discussions" of a possible federal takeover during days of protests over the death of George Floyd.
"The Metropolitan Police Department reports to the mayor," Bowser said. "The president has not attempted to make that (takeover) a reality."
Confirming that the Trump administration had weighed the proposal, Bowser said the city was continuing to examine its legal authorities during times of crisis. Nevertheless, the mayor's declaration laid bare the increasingly frayed tensions between the city and the federal government in the effort to quell nearly a week of protests.
"We think the federal (authorities) are being stretched," the mayor said, vowing that the city would "push back."
President Donald Trump has sought a larger military presence and a more aggressive police response to the protests, some of which have turned violent.
Bowser has been sharply critical of the federal response, particularly Monday's break-up of a peaceful protest near the White House. The police action, ordered by Attorney General William Barr, cleared a path for Trump's controversial visit to St. John's Episcopal Church, where he staged photographs of himself holding a bible.
The mayor slammed Trump's action as "shameful," and has called for authorities to allow protesters to carry out peaceful demonstrations.
The aggressive federal response was making the job of D.C. Metropolitan Police "more difficult."
Barr, meanwhile, has vowed to keep up the pressure with deployments to D of officers from at least a dozen federal law enforcement units, along with the National Guard.
"The most basic function of government is to provide security for people to live their lives and exercise their rights, and we will meet that responsibility here in the nation’s capital," Barr said in a Tuesday statement.
On Wednesday, Defense Secretary Mark Esper said that the Pentagon was investigating the use of a helicopter that hovered just over a D.C. neighborhood Monday, drawing criticism that the tactic was employed to intimidate protesters.
Esper took issue with claims of intimidation, saying that he believed the medevac helicopter was surveying a National Guard location at the time.
Bowser called the helicopter deployment "wholly inappropriate," while D.C. Police Chief Peter Newsham described it as "unhelpful."
Reporting on the fifth night of demonstrations in the city, Newsham said the tenor of the protests was "noticeably different."
Newsham said arrests dropped dramatically, from nearly 300 Monday to just 19 Tuesday.
Bowser also said the city's curfew was being eased to begin at 11 p.m. Wednesday, ending at 6 a.m. Thursday.
A show of force: Attorney General Barr ordered park protesters cleared before Trump's visit to St. John's church
'Shameful': DC mayor says using force on protesters outside White House before curfew is 'shameful'
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: George Floyd protests: DC Mayor Bowser vows to 'push back' on feds
