DC government responds to a reportedly homeless man during a mental health episode.

A volunteer medic who has worked with the man several times before said she tried to step in and deescalate the situation and that effort was rejected by @DCPoliceDept.

Video by @EricFalquero

Officers could not force the man they carried into the squad car. Another van arrived to take him away from Black Lives Matter Plaza. His friend of 2 yrs said the man, who goes by D, has schizophrenia. He said he told MPD & was assured D would not be arrested & would receive care

"I've worked w/ him a # of times, he's been arrested a # of times. Because he's mentally ill, what happens is he gets taken...they give him him 10 mgs of Ativan for the day & then he's got no healthcare," said the medic. "There's no system in place... It's a big cycle."

One of the cons to having such a large mass of ppl in one space is members of DC's homeless population are displaced. She said police are clearing out bus shelters in the cordoned-off area, where ppl often sleep or pass the day.

Background via @JakeMaher2 https://www.streetsensemedia.org/article/george-floyd-police-black-lives-matter/#.Xu6H3WkpBCU

A local activist who also posted video of the incident wrote the van stopped two blocks away with the man in custody: https://twitter.com/maiaph94/status/1274426055298867200?s=19