DC Under Occupation: Netfa Freeman on Policing, Poverty, and Resistance

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9d ago 59:58

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Davey D taps Netfa Freeman of Pan-African Community Action (PACA) and the Black Alliance for Peace to unpack what’s really happening in Washington, D.C. Freeman says the story isn’t a sudden “DC takeover” but an intensification of long-running policies: federal agents augmenting MPD, a crime narrative used to justify containment, and a local government—under Mayor Muriel Bowser—collaborating rather than resisting. He frames it as colonial occupation at home: an “internal colony” dynamic that criminalizes homelessness, migrants, and especially Black youth.

Freeman stresses identity reductionism: placing Black faces in high office can mask austerity and repression while creating the illusion of progress. He cites DC’s “sanctuary city” backsliding and ICE detentions sweeping up thousands with no criminal record. Against massive budgets (Davey cites $170B for ICE), Freeman argues root causes—poverty, underfunded schools, lack of care—could be addressed for a fraction of that, especially if impacted communities design the solutions.

He highlights PACA’s People’s Pan-African Wellness Front—community health efforts inspired by the Panthers and Cuba’s neighborhood-based care—as an example of people-first, low-cost intervention. On resistance, Freeman notes encouraging on-the-ground pushback to police/ICE actions, but says the key is turning raw courage into organized, politically clear, protracted struggle. He warns about co-optation (“rad-lib” reformism), romanticizing oppression (“it’ll wake us up”), and covert tactics that weaponize desperation to turn communities against movement organizers. The antidote: deep relationships, political education, and tangible material support that make sell-out tactics harder to land.

Freeman closes by situating DC within a global struggle against imperialism, urging folks to follow PACA (PACADMV on socials) and Black Alliance for Peace for campaigns “to defeat the war against African people.”

Some quick Davey-D-style takeaways to consider:

Don’t mistake representation for liberation; track material outcomes.
Budget lines tell the real story—follow the money, not the press release.
Organize courage: viral moments need structure to become power.
Pair political education with concrete services; care work builds trust and resilience.

Hard Knock Radio is a drive-time Hip-Hop talk show on KPFA (94.1fm @ 4-5 pm Monday-Friday), a community radio station without corporate underwriting, hosted by Davey D and Anita Johnson.

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