A Fourth District Metropolitan Police Department officer. / Screenshot by Sam P.K. Collins 

Peace and blessings Black African family,

In conversations about police brutality in the nation’s capital, We often shed light on the experiences of our sisters and brothers living east of the Anacostia River, in lower-income neighborhoods with a significant Black population. It’s gotten to the point where issues affecting Black people in Ward 4, one of D.C.’s more culturally and economically diverse areas, get swept under the rug.

However, We mustn’t forget that, without a central independent government and system of advocacy, Black people are outnumbered and disorganized against agents of capitalistic interests, including police officers who, by design, aren’t required to protect the people, rather the businesses in the communities under their jurisdiction. The case isn’t any different in Ward 4, which includes much of upper Northwest. The few Black men and women living in these communities, as seen in this video, remain victim from constant harassment from police officers with no community connections.

Please spread the video and make efforts to police the police in your community, so that they know harassment and intimidation can continue no longer.