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this is about 15 minutes. >> good morning everybody. i am muriel bowser the mayor of washington d.c. we are on the jon a wilson building. an hour at city hall joined by chief of police who you will hear from shortly. assistant chief of police jeffery carroll, and the city administrator kevin donahue. i want to begin by thanking the metropolitan police department for their efforts over the past two weeks to keep students in the campus of gw safe. mpd has maintained a presence at gw throughout these protests. that presence has allowed for an informed and effective response. i also want to thank the broader d.c. community as tensions have escalated on campuses across our country. our community has been measured with our words and actions we

have a demonstrated and upheld our values and constitutionals responsibilities. i want to be clear that our responses to demonstrations is always rooted in public safety and constitutional responsibility. the chief and her team are the experts of public safety always have the final word on how our resources are deployed. mpd as you know when you have heard me say as the best in the business at keeping people safe during the exercise of first amendment demonstrations so with that i'm going to turn it over too mpd for a statement and to take your questions. chief smith. >> thank you mayor bowser. with red let me start with and the district of columbia at metropolitan police department support individual peacefully exercising their first amendment rights.i but as he chief of police i need

to be and am always guided by public safety. this space has been no different i have constant reviewing information and intelligence to be able to make sound decisions but george washington university protest based on policing and public safety. since the start of the encamped on gw'sca encampment on april 25 metropolitan police department has been i supporting gw and assessing at monitoring the first amendment activity. they began very peacefully. over the past few days we began to see an escalation in the volatility of the protest at gw. it started last thursday on a campus at gw campus police officer was pushed by protesters and item was a grabbed out of the police officers hand during the performance of her duties. on monday mpd learned of more indicators the protest was becoming more volatile and less stable this include eight simple assault security probing of a gw

building, indicators counter demonstratorss work covertly in the encampment and information that protesters from other schools were traveling to gw. in addition items that could potentially be used for offensive and defensive weapons were being gathered. all this led to my discussionn and conclusion that we needed to change our posture i briefed mayor bowser on monday we began preparing forni less on a plan included giving warnings, tomultiple warnings and clear direction to people inside the encampment to disperse the area. we allowed a protesters ample time to leave the area. in total there were six dispersal announcements for our officers took action. many complied and left the encampment area. those who did not comply were arrested a total of 33 arrests morning charges including unlawful entry, often called trespassing and other jurisdiction and assault on a police officer. as the in camo's been clearedof

additional protesters arrived outside of our perimeter these individuals engaged our officers at 20th street and pennsylvania avenue. our officers did deployed pepper spray and some of the 33 arrests were made at that location. moving forward mpd will continue to be supportive of universities or other private entities who need assistance. before i close i like to thank the men and women of the metropolitan police department for their professionalism this morning in the service they provided to the community over othe past 13 days. i'll turn it over too mayor bowser now. >> any questions for the chief? if you could just introduce yourself and your outlet. reporter: [inaudible] they were marching from. >> that is right. you decided monday at. [inaudible] after the intelligence

information shared with us in this series of events i just articulated, we made a decision on monday after other things were also revealed to us that was happening inside the encampment to move forward with clearing the encampment this morning. >> is you'd notify the school? >> we did. yes, sir? reporter: i know it is early but if you had time to determine how many of the 33 arrests were students? >> are still being processed at this timeno we do not know that. but what i will do, tom, soon as we have information we will share it. >> yes, sir. reporter: what happens now? we talked to several protesters who said they will come back. [inaudible] what happens next? see you as you know you're the district of columbia we allow individuals to exercise a first amendment activity.

in this particular location there's private property we will not allow that too happen in the spacing where as you know, i think you know we are the best in the business when it comes to crowd management. we will follow our protocols with respect to that. >> no more protest on the campus of gw? >> that is the president's decision to determine if she will allow protests in other areas of the campus. but as of theot area we have now secured there will be no protest in that area. >> very quickly you mention arrests with their multiple arrests? >> for this morning? there were multiple arrested. that is correct. thinside the quad this morning there was one arrest for assault on a police officer. outside of the perimeter around 20th and pennsylvania avenue there other arrests specifically assault on a police officer. >> 29 arrests 29 were charged

with unlawful entry. twenty-nine unlawful entries questioner. >> injuries question. >> yes something like that. no serious injuries for officers. do not determine at this time there any serious injuries to anyone withinvi the public. obviously we did deploy some pepper spray. other thanan that we do not have additional information. >> yes that is correct. >> sorry about that. yes, ma'am. >> is the timing of the oversight hearing and committee meetings. [inaudible] >> it did not.. all of the decisions i've made is based on public safety. [inaudible] >> i the opportunity to speak

with chairman comer this morning. heki expressed his interest in making sure the city and the chief good focus on the ongoing operation. i expect that will be pulled down. yes let me get to someone who is not a chance yet. reporter: can you walk through. [inaudible] those were the elements want to go over them again? okay. reporter: good morning an ntexecutive chief of metropolitn police department as the mayor and chief have indicated over the entire. we have a work of the close of the george washington university police department what we have seen as an escalation that occurred w moving to mandate several incidents that occurred being reported to us is the gw university police department or

from observations we saw ourselves some of those things include as a chief mentioned the assault on gw police officer for the chicken item from the police officer and they also assault the police officer we observed indicators within the encampment thater would alert us potentialy they are gathering weapons and things like that additionally we had reporting individuals were probing buildings on campus for the potential to try to enter those locations. there is actually individuals yesterday on tuesday that were located inside a university facility there were not supposed to be there so again all these different things came together. indicators we have taken the intelligence we have and then also having what we learned from other universities some of these indicators continue to raise a a concern for the metropolitan police department that is what causes to change our posture to ensure we can maintain the safety that only for the demonstrators that are there in the encampment, students at thee university but also the community as well.

[inaudible] were any weapons found it all? >> right now george washington university's going to the in camp at the temps are working there they're working through that to remove them as they're on a private private we do not their lease to probing attempts individuals were seen one instance casing on the university buildingg a second instance as i indicated to individuals on authorized located inside the university and that was informed to us by the george washington university police department again thosey are all very concerning indicators especially what we have observed that has occurred other universities. reporter:: [inaudible] >> will be charged with the appropriate charge of unlawful entry charger assault on a police officer charges like any individual who in the district of columbia. they are eligible for side tatian or releaseli that will be released on that method if not they will appear in front of court with that. all those decisions will made by the knights its attorneys offices those charges are under their purview.

[inaudible] [inaudible] >> were not going to into specific tactics on how we respond as we indicated we do have tohe take all the informatn that we have take that and evaluate that additionally we have to make sure we have the appropriate resources, plans in place and coordination before we respond and take action for the safety of everyone involved. if you do not of the appropriate resources and plans in place that's not a good situation for the soda situation went about the students and everyone to put her police officer rinse in. [inaudible] moving into the encampment potentially. [inaudible] >> received information individuals have been other universities have potentially

come to george washington university. there are some postings out there with that we had counter r protesters some came through are known to be counter protesters who were assault of the assault was reported to george washington university police department who relayed that assault to us on monday morning foron additionally there were a messages left inside of the waencampment that there was a covid counter demonstrated that within the areas well. yes, ma'am. reporter: [inaudible] [inaudible] students from other campuses? >> we did. their indication shouldn't say students individuals that were columbiae university were coming to george washington may have ay have actually been there. yes, ma'am. >> can you give a number on how many officers responded this morning? and also moving forward for.

>> specific numbers are tactics we get into with that. obviously again we value what we have we try to t mitigate risk e best we can buy the formative resource officers using all kinds of information and intelligence is out there with that. as far as deploying a pepper spray that was done in response to the assaults on the police officers that occurred. it was not done to disperse the groups it was the individuals assaulting an officer to stop that assault would make the arrest related to that. >> yes the] information i have s three individuals there at three three it uses a pepper spray. >> you said they were assaulting a police officers they push through the barricade that they had question. >> initiative trying to break through the barricade she did to the other b individuals that hae been arrested eventually there were some punches thrown at the officers as they are trying to break through there as officers are trying to stopp that. to reinforce that area there. they contain assaults and get to the other folks earlier that have been arrested.

>> groups that were outside the came in? >> right now the individuals are being processed part one of l things we will look as onceio or the full information to confirm their identity will cordon it with the university to determine if they are students or if they are not students will have that information as the ones we have. >> they were outer there and you sop it. >> we are at the point right now we maintain a presence of the university does have plansat wih the quencher in the yard area. across the city. some universities. [inaudible] >> we have been in conversations

on gw university universities in theat national region now the metropolitan police department the other law enforcement agencies. it's of us that when things are going toe continue to evaluates we move closer to the timeframe. >> i have a question for that mayor. [inaudible] >> i haven't. i haven't know. parts of you talked with her but every thing that's happened over the? >> we're always speaking live in a constant context. >> affect the oversight committee? >> i expect it would cool down. >> the energy today it should be on her ongoing operations, i agreed. yes. >> what are your thoughts.

[inaudible] [inaudible] >> yes. mpd's response to first firstamendment demonstration is apolitical.ho it is without regard to one side or the other. his focus on the public safety. correction of a question? all right, thank you everybody. ♪ c-span's "washington journal" discuss public policy. washington d.c. and across the country. coming up thursday morning ex-

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