Anthony Lorenzo Green: MPD’s improper searches last week in front of barbershop put stain on ‘community policing’

One day last week, Metropolitan Police Department officers pulled up in front of Nook’s Barber and Beauty Salon and Little Jewels Child Development Center in the 5200 block of Sheriff Road NE in Deanwood. Immediately, they searched a young man and recovered a gun or BB gun. Police officers used that as reason to start searching, without permission or consent, other young men who had congregated in front of a very popular establishment. No one was arrested because none of the other men had drugs or firearms in their possession. The officers acknowledged they did not get a call for loitering. It’s now clear that the young man who was initially searched was an undercover police officer. He was seen calmly walking off without a touch or scratch, and politely hopped in a car that was waiting. Yet he was the one with the weapon.

Because of the police terrorism in our community, many of the young men on the scene initially remained silent out of fear. But on Friday, they chose to be silent no more and posted videos of the incident on social media.

A 32-year-old DC native, I grew up in the Deanwood community. Many of the young men in this neighborhood attended H.D. Woodson High School or Merritt Elementary (which is now the headquarters for the 6th Police District) during the time I was a student. Because we are a tight-knit community, it’s very easy to notice when something or someone is out of place. In the 35 hours after this was brought to my attention, I spoke with community members and reviewed numerous videos posted on social media with one main question in mind: What kind of “community policing” does our police department consider this to be?

We are a community that proudly supports our black-owned businesses. It’s not unheard of for people from different corners of our city to patronize Nook’s for barbering and salon services. But how can the police chief justify officers coming into my neighborhood and planting an undercover officer in front of this establishment with a gun just to create an opportunity to perform stop-and-frisk on young men in my community? How can he justify his officers entering Little Jewels for no reason at all? I find that appalling, and this racist practice of policing against black and brown people must end now.

The Neighborhood Engagement Achieves Results (NEAR) Act of 2016 requires the police department to collect data such as the date and location of a stop and the age and race of anyone involved, which the department has done only partially since the law’s enactment. What I find interesting is the department continues to fail to collect other data — such as the violation that led to a stop, whether a search was conducted, the reason for the search, and whether an arrest was made because of the stop or search. I am convinced the department is not collecting that data to hide the fact that officers are making up opportunities to harass black and brown people in our city. Placing an undercover officer near other young black men and using a search of that undercover officer as a justification to stop and frisk those young black men is a complete violation of their civil rights.

I am fully aware that the corner of Sheriff Road and Eastern Avenue NE has a long history of criminal activity. I have worked closely with the D.C. Office of the Attorney General over the last year to force the property owner to abate nuisances at 1100-1102 Eastern Ave. NE. That included addressing lighting issues, ensuring that sufficient security cameras are placed inside and around the stores, and installing a fence on half of the parking lot to prevent criminal activity. These actions were made to deter real crime near Sunny’s Carryout and Uncle Lee’s Liquors.

What will not be tolerated in my community is the violation of the fundamental right against unreasonable search and seizure, and the right to be free of cruel and unusual treatment. Taking our mothers and grandmothers out for coffee and doughnuts, only to create a false narrative to promote on social media, does not give the police department a free pass to subject their sons and grandsons to disproportionate and unfair treatment. Police officials owe a public apology to my community, Nook’s Barber and Beauty Salon, Little Jewels Child Development Center and all the young men whose rights were violated.

The May 6 death of Jeffrey Price, when the ATV he was riding crashed with a police cruiser in Deanwood, is still fresh in our minds. Our community does not need MPD to create more circumstances to take another black man off the street in a body bag.

Anthony Lorenzo Green represents Deanwood on Advisory Neighborhood Commission 7C. This commentary is adapted from a June 24 letter he sent to Metropolitan Police Department Chief Peter Newsham and shared publicly via Twitter. Newsham has since pledged “a full and complete investigation,” according to media reports.