Trump’s Agents Are Warning Black People in DC About Smoking and Drinking in Public

Nationwide — In Washington, D.C.’s predominantly Black neighborhoods, residents say they’ve been approached by federal agents linked to President Donald Trump’s recent crime crackdown — not to make arrests, but to deliver warnings. According to multiple accounts, the agents have been telling people to watch their behavior in public, specifically cautioning against drinking alcohol or smoking on the streets.

According to Yahoo News, the encounters come after Trump announced that the federal government had taken control of the D.C. police department, deploying National Guard troops and federal officers to “restore order” in the nation’s capital. While the president framed the move as a response to rising crime, residents in targeted communities say the agents’ focus on public drinking and smoking feels like an effort to intimidate rather than protect.

“I was sitting on my front steps with a beer, talking to my cousin, and a guy in plain clothes flashed a badge and told us to ‘be careful’ because they were cracking down,” said Malik Johnson, a 42-year-old Southeast D.C. resident. “He didn’t say it was illegal — just that we should think twice. It felt like they were sending a message.”

Critics argue that this type of street-level “warning patrol” disproportionately affects Black residents and mirrors historic over-policing patterns. Community leaders say the focus on minor public behaviors, rather than serious crimes, risks deepening distrust between residents and law enforcement.

Trump has repeatedly named D.C. alongside Chicago, Baltimore, and Oakland as cities facing severe crime problems, describing some as “so far gone” they’re barely worth mentioning. His decision to federalize policing in the capital follows a recent assault on a former Department of Government Efficiency staffer, which he cited as a tipping point for intervention.

For now, residents in the District’s majority-Black neighborhoods say the presence of these agents — and their quiet but pointed warnings — is adding tension to already strained community-police relations. “It’s like they’re watching us, waiting for us to slip up,” Johnson said. “We don’t need warnings. We need respect.”