‘Georgetown Karen’ Confronted by Street Protesters


A section of Wisconsin Avenue and Q Street NW in Georgetown was partially blocked off by Metropolitan Police around 10 p.m. on Saturday, July 25, when about a dozen protesters with noisemakers — protesting noise pollution in neighborhoods of color — faced off with police officers and the female driver of a car that the youths claim tried to run them down. The protesters called the driver “Georgetown Karen.”

The incident occurred in front of the Georgetown Exxon and TD Bank.

Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Joe Gibbons, who observed the scene while walking his dog, told The Georgetowner: “No one was arrested. No one was hurt. I didn’t see anyone on the ground. One protester seemed to be trying to climb onto the hood of the car, which police calmly discouraged. The female driver looked terrified. A police report was filed.”

Gibbons continued: “I watched as the police made inquiries of everyone while allowing traffic and pedestrian flow and other normal activities to continue. They were doing everything to keep things calm. I left when the driver was permitted to leave.”  

Others saw it differently. “Let me speak on what happened in Georgetown tonight,” Julia Clark posted on her Facebook page. “Tonight @concernedofdc led a siren/noise pollution protest where we blocked off streets in Georgetown. The police presence was heavy. As we blocked off streets we demanded that people turn around. This was a minor inconvenience for this affluent white neighborhood.  

“As we blocked streets, certain drivers got annoyed and attempted to maneuver their way around us. This particular white woman tried to cut through a gas station. Me and a couple other protestors stood in front of her car and demanded she turn around. Instead she steps on the gas. She had already attempted to run us over multiple times and I had moved from the front of the car to the side and was banging on her window screaming at her to stop. Throughout this whole thing, the cops are doing nothing. Finally cops come but instead of arresting this woman, or asking for her ID, registration, etc., they turn towards us and begin pushing us. We are BEGGING them to arrest this woman who just tried to run over protesters repeatedly.”  

Three suspects were identified and arrest warrants would be prepared for those individuals on the charge of destruction of property — namely, a automobile — according to a police source.

The source further informed The Georgetowner: “The protestors surrounding the vehicle began striking the victim’s car with their hands and blunt objects. The right side mirror of the victim’s car was broken off by the protestors.”

A poster on Facebook announced the Siren Pollution Walking Rally on Saturday. The announcement read: “Every day neighborhoods of color are subjected to the nuisance of siren pollution from police cars and emergency vehicles as a result of conditions that arose out of systematic inequities. Time to flip the script. Bring bells, whistles or drums if you’d like.”

A Georgetown Business Improvement District alert posted on Sunday afternoon stated: “MPD reports to us that there is a planned peaceful protest in Georgetown tonight. The protesters will be gathering at Volta Park, located near 33rd & Q Streets. MPD second district will be deploying a unit of officers to monitor and escort the protesters and ensure safety for both the protesters and the public.

“Last night there was a similar protest on Wisconsin Avenue that caused the street to be closed for a portion of the evening. We anticipate that this may occur again. It is our goal to ensure that peaceful protesters in Georgetown are welcomed and treated with respect. While protests can be disruptive, they are constitutionally protected speech and we want to ensure that Georgetown is perceived as a place that is welcoming to all. If you are concerned about your business, you should consider being present. If you see any criminal activity — you should immediately call 911.”

The Georgetowner saw no signs of the Sunday protest in Georgetown. “It may have moved to Dupont Circle,” Gibbons said. “I just want to note that the police were a calming influence Saturday night on Wisconsin Avenue. They did a great job.”

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14 comments on “‘Georgetown Karen’ Confronted by Street Protesters”

  • James Randolph says:

    The protesters returned Sunday. They blocked part of Key Bridge and detained a frightened old couple trying to drive across the bridge. Why aren’t we seeing any coverage of this on the local news: WUSA, WJLA, NBC4? The only place to actually find out what’s happening in real time is Twitter.

  • dindunuffin says:

    So, the driver tried to run them down multiple times, but also tried to avoid them? teh lolz

  • Occasional Reader says:

    Julia Clark, cited in the piece, wrote: “As we blocked off streets we demanded that people turn around. …’

    And by what right did you make that “demand”, Julia? By what right did you “block off streets”?

    Another SJW wrote: ““Every day neighborhoods of color are subjected to the nuisance of siren pollution from police cars and emergency vehicles”

    Hmm, I wonder why that is?

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/local/homicides/

    And shame on The Georgetowner for using the “Karen” pejorative in their headline. This was a frightened woman who was set on by thugs.

  • Occasional Reader says:

    “Why aren’t we seeing any coverage of this on the local news”

    Because it Doesn’t Fit The Narrative. That being, “these are all peaceful protests.”

  • So this Julia Clarke demanded that people turned their cars around to accomodate her little snit-fit? Who the hell does she think she is?

  • John says:

    yeh no one gives a shit when you intentionally and purposefully block a moving car just trying to carry on with the day’s activities. if noise pollution is so bad in the inner city, perhaps a better approach would try to be to reduce the amount of crime and illegal activity that results in the excessive sirens, etc. creating said pollution. however, that requires self reflection. further, no one keeps anyone from moving to a different neighborhood.

  • Nicholas Meynier says:

    This country is barreling towards disaster. Media is complicit in peddling a demonstrably false narrative and encouraging violence and disorder while systematically restricting police and taking away law-abiding citizens’ gun rights across the country, our region, especially VA suburbs. Big Tech is censoring any dissenting views. Leftists are gaslighting everyone, mixing cause and effect regarding root causes of violence in violent African-American subculture that cannot be solved by any amount of money or pandering. One has to dig deep on the Internet and do independent research to find out what is really happening. No news source can be taken objectively. Low information, emotional appeals are winning the day.

  • J McKenna says:

    Why is the writer using the slur “Georgetown Karen”? This woman did nothing wrong but try to avoid the protestors who then sought her out and attacked her car and her. Now your label is on everything associated with this story online including her picture. A woman driving alone at night does not need to be forced to do what violent strangers tell her to do while she is driving. The protestors created a dangerous situation for no reason. My neighborhood – Georgetown – is subject to constant noise and siren “pollution” (did these protestors realize there is a major hospital just blocks away). Everyone in this city and beyond has no problem using Georgetown for all sorts of rowdy behavior (both welcome and unwelcome) such as Halloween, marathons, sports victory celebrations, regular weekend night revelries, etc. without any regard to the residents of this neighborhood. Georgetown is also a frequent target of robbers and other criminals.

    Ms. Sands and The Georgetowner need to apologize to this woman for that reckless and baseless slur. Being cute and trendy is not what journalism should be about.

    Thanks to James Randolph for further news.

    • Georgetown Media Group Graphics says:

      Hey J, sorry for any confusion, but The Georgetowner is not calling her ‘Georgetown Karen’. It is in quotes in the title because that is what the protestors called her. In the first paragraph, we reiterate, “The protesters called the driver ‘Georgetown Karen.'”

  • Elaine says:

    I am heartened to see so many people comment on the paper’s use of the words “Georgetown Karen” which is urban slang for an angry, entitled, racist white woman. How does the paper know what was in this woman’s heart and that her need to get to her destination was not important or even urgent? The protestors blocked the woman when she tried to avoid them, jumped on her hood, then ripped the rear view mirror off her car. It seems to me that the only angry, entitled, racists people in this scenario were the protestors.

    • Georgetown Media Group Graphics says:

      Hey Elaine, as mentioned above, but The Georgetowner is not calling her ‘Georgetown Karen’. It is in quotes in the title because that is what the protestors called her. In the first paragraph, we reiterate, “The protesters called the driver ‘Georgetown Karen.’”

  • a says:

    this is so ridiculous, i live a couple blocks north of that location on Wisconsin Avenue and the sirens are incredibly loud and endless with georgetown hospital nearby and the fire truck route from the georgetown fire department station straight up 35th on to wisconsin. i would like to have my own protest about the extreme decibel levels from the fire trucks and ambulance noise! what a bunch of uninformed idiots that do not know what they are protesting about and how to research and go about it in any logical manner.

  • Keep up the fantastic work and continue to inspire us all!

  • I admire how this blog promotes kindness and compassion towards ourselves and others We could all use a little more of that in our lives

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