{"id":2344650,"date":"2024-09-23T05:09:02","date_gmt":"2024-09-23T09:09:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/group-of-unarmed-civilians-keep-the-peace-at-dc-farmers-market-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-09-23T05:13:01","modified_gmt":"2024-09-23T09:13:01","slug":"group-of-unarmed-civilians-keep-the-peace-at-dc-farmers-market-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/group-of-unarmed-civilians-keep-the-peace-at-dc-farmers-market-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Group of unarmed civilians keep the peace at DC farmers market &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">28<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fgroup-of-unarmed-civilians-keep-the-peace-at-dc-farmers-market-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2344650&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A group \u2062of unarmed civilians, led by Merwyn De Mello, provides peacekeeping services at the Columbia Heights <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/white-house-releases-list-of-president-trumps-accomplishments-and-it-is-historic\/\" title=\"White House Releases List of President Trump\u2019s Accomplishments \u2013  And It Is Historic!\">farmers market<\/a> in Washington, D.C. Over the past two years, De \u200cMello has become a familiar presence, ensuring vendors feel safe from potential disturbances, particularly from homeless individuals. He employs nonviolent de-escalation strategies honed through his experience with refugee camps and\u200d the D.C. Peace Team. <\/p>\n<p>The\u2062 D.C. Peace Team, contracted by Fresh Farm \u2064Markets, focuses on community relations and public safety, successfully recording 197 de-escalations and 18 interventions over \u2064a two-year period without any arrests. Their mission aligns with growing \u2063calls\u200b for\u200c police reform and enhanced community safety measures, particularly\u2064 in areas experiencing a \u200crise in crime. <\/p>\n<p>The Peace Team&#8217;s work emphasizes building relationships within the community and providing resources for those in need,\u2063 reflecting a shift away from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/kamala-the-cop-image-not-all-its-cracked-up-to-be-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"\u2018Kamala the cop\u2019 image not all it\u2019s cracked up to be - Washington Examiner\">traditional <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-red-wave-of-conservative-women-elected-to-congress\/\" title=\"The Red Wave of Conservative Women Elected to Congress\">law enforcement<\/a> methods<\/a> toward more supportive, nonviolent approaches.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Group of unarmed civilians keep the peace at DC farmers market<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1736295\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Over the past two years, Merwyn De Mello has become a fixture at the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/washington-dc\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Columbia Heights <\/a>farmers markets held every Wednesday and Saturday in the neighborhood&rsquo;s Civic Plaza.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>His presence keeps the vendors at ease, for they know De Mello will intervene if a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/homelessness\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>homeless<\/a> person attempts to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/section\/news\/crime\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>swipe<\/a> their products. They know that if a fight were to break out, De Mello would step in.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>His purpose there is to keep the peace, but his tool belt does not include a gun or taser. He relies on nonviolent <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/texas-sheriff-blames-parents-for-lawless-young-people-blasts-armchair-police-for-second-guessing-officer-responses\/\" title=\"Texas Sheriff Blames Parents For Lawless Young People, Blasts \u2018Armchair Police\u2019 For Second-Guessing Officer Responses\">de-escalation tactics<\/a> he&rsquo;s acquired through years of working in refugee camps abroad and his time with the D.C. Peace Team.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;There are the people who inhabit the plaza who rightfully belong there that are sort of displaced by the coming of the farmers market or by the vendors,&rdquo; De Mello said. &ldquo;Many of them are houseless individuals who have fallen through the cracks of society. Many of them tend to be people from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/Central-America\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Central America<\/a>, but mainly from El Salvador.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>De Mello had befriended an immigrant from El Salvador who suffered from alcoholism. De Mello would oftentimes step in to intervene as the man would attempt to steal food from the vendors.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;He was constantly hungry,&rdquo; De Mello said. &ldquo;He would reach for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/food-and-beverage\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>food<\/a> or whatever attracted his attention to eat something, so we had to be the nonviolent presence in between him and the vendor.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The man died, and De Mello attended a small memorial service held for him at the plaza.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Establishing a relationship with the members of the community is key for the work of the D.C. Peace Team to be effective, according to Director of Programs Eli McCarthy.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We have three objectives,&rdquo; McCarthy said. &ldquo;One is to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/carjacked-congressman-says-d-c-two-or-three-times-more-dangerous-than-texas-border\/\" title=\"Congressman carjacked, claims D.C. is much riskier than Texas border.\">improve community relations<\/a> and imagination around public safety. Then the second one is to prevent violence and harmful conflict using nonviolent responses, and the third one is to enhance access to resources such as housing and detox and treatment.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>For three years, the D.C. Peace Team has been contracted by Fresh Farm Markets to work as the community safety unit. From August 2021 to August 2023, the D.C. Peace Team has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dcpeaceteam.org\/_files\/ugd\/cc289c_306224ee360b499380d70ea197cee025.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>recorded<\/a> 197 de- escalations and 18 interventions, preventing arrests at the plaza. There are currently 18 active unarmed civilian protection and accompaniment guards.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;There is physical force in the sense of blocking or maybe holding somebody&rsquo;s hand or arm, or pulling somebody off of another person, but we don&rsquo;t engage in the kind of force that would be more similar to violence,&rdquo; McCarthy said.<\/p>\n<p>A rise in theft and property <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/crime\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>crime<\/a> in the Columbia Heights neighborhood led to the closure of a CVS in February. The Taco Bell Cantina on 14th Street even has an armed guard.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Metro Police does not have any interaction with the D.C. Peace Team, but the department does &ldquo;encourage community engagement that helps strengthen the safety within these communities,&rdquo; a spokesperson for the department said.<\/p>\n<p>In addition to its biweekly presence at the Columbia Heights&rsquo;s farmers market, the D.C. Peace Team has provided unarmed civilian protection during the March for Life protest, Bread for the City Meal Distribution, the 2020 election protests, and they worked with Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO), who has called to defund the police.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The death of George Floyd at the hands of police officers in 2020 spurred a national conversation on police reform, with many calling for a greater embrace of de-escalation tactics and training for how to deal with mental health crises.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Public confidence in police officers reached a low as just 45% of Americans had confidence in law enforcement, according to a <a href=\"https:\/\/news.gallup.com\/poll\/394283\/confidence-institutions-down-average-new-low.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>2022 Gallup poll<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>According to McCarthy, the D.C. Peace Team seeks to build trust with the community members.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We have our team there twice a week at least, but we have that kind of consistency so they can build familiarity, a kind of joyfulness or openness to engaging with other people and being able to have an extended conversation,&rdquo; he said.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title><strong><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>While the D.C. Peace Team has been effective in building relationships with the community and assisting those struggling with addiction and mental health crises, there are moments when their de-escalation tactics don&rsquo;t work. De Mello recounted a time when he was attempting to break up a fight between several men, but they wouldn&rsquo;t stop. It was only when a nearby <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/women\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>woman<\/a> screamed for the police that the fight ended.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;And within seconds, everybody dispersed,&rdquo; De Mello said. &ldquo;They were gone like nothing had happened.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1736295\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1736295\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Group of unarmed civilians maintain order at DC farmers market<\/p>\n<p>In the last two years, Merwyn De Mello has become a familiar presence at the Columbia Heights farmers markets, which take place every Wednesday and Saturday in the Civic Plaza. Vendors feel reassured by his presence, knowing that he will step in if a homeless individual tries to take their goods or if a conflict arises. De Mello&#8217;s mission is to ensure peace without relying on weapons like guns or tasers; instead, he employs nonviolent de-escalation techniques learned from his experiences in refugee camps abroad and with the D.C. Peace Team.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;There are individuals who rightfully belong in the plaza but often feel displaced by the farmers market and vendors,&#8221; De Mello explained. &#8220;Many of them are homeless people who have fallen through society&#8217;s cracks, primarily from Central America, especially El Salvador.&#8221; He shared how he had befriended an alcoholic immigrant from El Salvador who frequently attempted to steal food from vendors due to constant hunger. &#8220;We had to act as a nonviolent buffer between him and the vendor,&#8221; De Mello recalled.<\/p>\n<p>After this man passed away, De Mello attended a memorial service for him at the plaza. According to Eli McCarthy, Director of Programs for D.C. Peace Team, building relationships within the community is crucial for their work&#8217;s effectiveness. &#8220;We have three main goals: improving community relations regarding public safety; preventing violence through nonviolent responses; and enhancing access to resources like housing and treatment.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>For three years now, Fresh Farm Markets has contracted D.C. Peace Team as its community safety unit. From August 2021 until August 2023, they recorded 197 de-escalations and 18 interventions that prevented arrests at the plaza while currently employing 18 unarmed civilian protection guards.<\/p>\n<p>McCarthy noted that while they may use physical force such as blocking or gently holding someone back during conflicts, it does not resemble violent actions typically associated with law enforcement.<\/p>\n<p>The rise in thefts and property crimes led to CVS closing down earlier this year while Taco Bell Cantina on 14th Street hired armed security personnel due to safety concerns.<\/p>\n<p>Although Metro Police do not interact directly with D.C. Peace Team members\u2014who also provide support during various events\u2014they encourage community engagement aimed at strengthening local safety.<\/p>\n<p>In addition to their regular presence at Columbia Heights\u2019 farmers market biweekly, D.C. Peace Team has offered unarmed civilian protection during events such as March for Life protests and election-related demonstrations while collaborating with advocates calling for police defunding following George Floyd\u2019s death in police custody\u2014a tragedy that ignited nationwide discussions about police reform emphasizing de-escalation tactics particularly concerning mental health crises.<\/p>\n<p>Public trust towards law enforcement hit an all-time low post-George Floyd incident; only about 45% of Americans expressed confidence according to a Gallup poll conducted in 2022.<br \/>\nMcCarthy emphasized how important it is for them build trust within communities: \u201cOur team visits twice weekly consistently so we can foster familiarity leading towards open conversations.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Despite successes establishing rapport among locals struggling with addiction or mental health issues through these efforts there are instances when de-escalation fails entirely\u2014as recounted by De Mello when trying unsuccessfully break up fights until someone called out for police intervention causing immediate dispersal among those involved moments later<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2542,"featured_media":2344651,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Columbia-Heights-DC.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[18293,37032,41488,41487,33224],"class_list":["post-2344650","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner","tag-civilians","tag-community-engagement","tag-farmers-market","tag-peacekeeping","tag-washington-dc"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Columbia-Heights-DC.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2344650","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2542"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2344650"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2344650\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2344651"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2344650"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2344650"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2344650"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}