Washington DC marches for Dalaneo Martin’s 3rd angelversary

Washington, DC – On March 18, the DC Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (DCAARPR) alongside Raise One Teach One Dalaneo Martin Foundation, founded by Terra Martin, organized a protest and march through the streets of Northeast DC.

This angelversary event marked the third anniversary of US Park Police and Metropolitan Police Department’s (MPD) murder of Martin’s beloved son, Dalaneo “Debo” Martin.

Dalaneo Martin was only 17 years old at the time of his death and was asleep in his car while police deliberated for over 30 minutes plotting on how to apprehend him, before breaking into the car and firing six shots into his back, killing him. His mother and the community have been fighting non-stop for justice and accountability since his death.

Friends, family, and community members took over the streets of DC, including a central bridge, to demand justice for Dalaneo Martin and other victims of federal and local police crimes, such as Phillip Brown and Julian Bailey.

Phillip Brown is a Black man who was shot at by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) during a traffic stop in October 2025. The bullets passed through his shirt collar, nearly killing him. After the incident, MPD covered up for HSI by omitting the shooting in the police report. Julian Bailey was another Black man who was murdered by US Marshals in early February in Northeast DC. These three cases all occurred within a mile of each other in a predominantly Black neighborhood.

The protest march route stopped at points connected to each shooting. The protesters marched over the Lorraine H. Whitlock Bridge and blocked major roads while commemorating the life of Dalaneo Martin and so many others whose lives were cut short due to police violence.

An organizer with DCAARPR spoke on their upcoming campaign for implementing CPAC, a Civilian Police Accountability Council, in DC, stating, “Dalaneo Martin and Julian Bailey should be alive today. Phillip Brown should never have had to deal with corrupt police officers and a near death experience. In a world where we, the people, have actual power over the police, all police officers involved in these cases would face the people’s justice. The only people who stand to lose from CPAC are the racist, crooked, and killer cops that terrorize our city.”

Terra Martin spoke to the crowd and connected the cases of Phillip Brown and Julian Bailey to her son’s case. Residents of the neighborhood left their homes to join the march and shouted alongside the demonstrators. Many cars that were both blocked off and drove by the march honked in solidarity with the chants of “Indict, convict, send this killer cops to jail!”

Once the protesters reached the point where Dalaneo Martin was asleep in his car before being attacked, Terra Martin played the audio recording of MPD and Park Police plotting to murder her son. She stated, “[The police] were right here, making all types of jokes. Not talking about how to safely take my son out the car or wake him up. They were making jokes like he did not exist, or like he was an animal.”

The final stop of the march was the home Dalaneo Martin had crashed into after the still anonymous Park Police agent shot him in the back and killed him. It was an emotional scene as Dalaneo Martin’s friends and family spoke about missing him and how important he was to the River Terrace community.

The march came to an end and protesters started to disperse, ensuring that people were leaving in groups and were accounted for, as the police were out in droves monitoring them. Not long after, DCAARPR organizers alongside Terra Martin were packing away supplies in a nearby parking lot, when she received a call from her daughter stating federal and local police had jumped out on her, her children, and her partner as they were parked at a nearby 7-Eleven.

Organizers quickly reacted and formulated a plan. They arrived at the scene and found a horde of MPD, FBI, and U.S. Secret Service surrounding Martin’s daughter’s car. The police had demanded she and her boyfriend get out of their car, and even searched the babies for weapons. The organizers started recording from multiple angles while yelling at the police to “get a real job!” One officer brutally shoved one of the organizers, while another officer snatched a phone out of an organizer’s hands.

The police quickly became overwhelmed by the pressure of people power, and ended up backing down, issuing no charges or even a ticket, and leaving within minutes. In victory, protesters shouted, “Long live Debo Martin!” and “Fuck the police!” It became clear to everyone that the police had singled out the car leaving from the protest and followed them to the 7-Eleven in order to charge them with anything, in an act of targeted political repression. In the end, the people drove out the reactionary police, defended their community, and exemplified the power of unity and organization.

#WashingtonDC #DC #InjusticeSystem #PoliceCrimes #OppressedNationalities