Deployment of the National Guard and other federal officers in Washington, D.C. was portrayed as an occupation that chilled civic life. The Guard presence unsettled many residents, including undocumented immigrants who found the deployment disconcerting or terrifying, and left National Guardsmen feeling reluctant as they left families and jobs to perform tasks like spreading mulch and picking up trash. Observers likened the deployment's visuals to sitcom backdrops and described the Guardsmen as gardeners. A June social media post complaining about repeated vehicle thefts in the city resurfaced and went viral, underscoring local concerns about crime and personal safety.
To someespecially undocumented immigrants the Guard presence is disconcerting at best, terrifying at worst, wrote Parker and Youssef, claiming it was clear that almost no one felt particularly good about the arrangement: not the National Guardsmen, many of whom clearly didn't want to be there, leaving their families and jobs in order to spread mulch and pick up trash; and not the residents, many of whom were furious with the occupation of their city or, worse, terrified of what the military's presence portended for them and their loved ones.
Following the publication of the article, a June social media post that showed Parker complaining about having her vehicles stolen resurfaced and went viral. After another bike was stolen last night, my husband and I realized our life as DC homeowners by the numbers includes: 1 stolen car; 2 stolen scooters/Vespas; 3 stolen bikes; a partridge in a pear tree; etc, wrote Parker.
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