On Aug. 14, under the scorching summer sun, people living in Washington, D.C.’s homeless encampments packed their belongings before city workers and federal authorities arrived with garbage trucks. The clear-out was part of President Donald Trump’s growing crackdown on the capital.
At one camp just a few miles from the Lincoln Memorial and the Kennedy Center, about eight people folded up their tents and stuffed their clothes into garbage bags with the help of local workers and homeless advocacy groups. Any tents left behind — along with everything inside — were bulldozed and sent to a landfill.
“(The president) is targeting us and persecuting us,” said David Beatty, a homeless man whose camp Trump posted a photo of on social media last week. “He wants to take our freedom away.”
The sweep happened just days after Trump took federal control of the city’s police department and called in the National Guard, declaring a “crime emergency” and promising to remove homeless encampments from D.C. streets. As more federal agents and troops arrive, local officials and social workers are scrambling to prepare.
The push to remove encampments mirrors trends across the country. Cities such as Los Angeles and San Francisco have also seen more homeless sweeps and camp closures. A landmark 2024 Supreme Court decision that allowed cities to ban outdoor sleeping, even if people had no shelter alternatives, has fueled stricter policies nationwide.
City Expands Shelter Beds During Sweeps
In mid-August, workers with the D.C. Department of Human Services visited known encampments, warning residents of the upcoming crackdown. They also offered shelter beds and storage space.
The sudden operations left many homeless residents unsure of where to go. Some plan to enter shelters, while others said they would head to Virginia or Maryland. A few said they would keep wandering through D.C., searching for safe places to sleep.
“I haven’t known what’s next for so long that it’s part of normal life at this point,” said Jesse Wall, 43, who was forced to leave the camp where he had been living for months. “We’ll see what happens.”
To prepare, the city added about 70 shelter beds and extra storage for belongings, said Rachel Pierre, acting director of the Department of Human Services. She explained that while shelters were full when Trump’s order came down, more space will be opened if needed.
“What we are committed to is that we don’t turn anybody away from shelter right now,” Pierre said.
Wayne Turnage, deputy mayor of the Department of Health and Human Services, noted that D.C.’s homeless encampment population has dropped by two-thirds since the pandemic. Still, U.S. Park Police have cleared about 70 encampments this year, according to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, who added that the last two remaining will be dismantled this week.
Yet, advocates stress many homeless people live outside camps. In January, the city counted about 900 unsheltered individuals during a one-night survey.
Advocates argue that encampment sweeps don’t solve homelessness and can make things worse. “Fines, arrests, and encampment evictions make homelessness worse, further traumatize our homeless neighbors while disconnecting them from community and support,” said Dana White, director of advocacy for Miriam’s Kitchen, a nonprofit that helps people experiencing homelessness. “If policing resolved homelessness, we wouldn’t have homelessness here in D.C. or anywhere else in this country.”
Homeless Communities Face an Uncertain Future
On Aug. 14, Jesse Wall packed his clothes, sleeping bag, and documents into silver trash bags after receiving a note warning that his camp would be torn down the next day. He and his neighbors then stood in the median where they once lived, wondering what to do next.
Wall, who has lived in a tent for nearly a year, said he might stay in a shelter for a few nights but doesn’t know where he will go after. “It’s cruel,” he said of the order to clear encampments.
Beatty, who has been homeless in D.C. for years, said he may try walking to Virginia to escape the federal sweep. “I don’t know how far of a walk that is,” he admitted, as a bulldozer tore through a nearby tent.
