So, is the writer suggesting that the law be ignored for designated disadvantaged or favored social groups, but not for others (viz., "I do wonder whether white college students from Georgetown would have been handcuffed for doing the same thing.")? The absolute last thing we need, anywhere in this country, is more selective enforcement.

The answer is already here, in the statement, "this is a story about the mess that too much government makes." Get rid of the laws that stymie entrepreneurialism in the District for all people, regardless of race. Retrain law enforcement to realize that handcuffs are overkill where a verbal warning would have sufficed. Remove the parasitic permitting and taxation process, and replace it with something acknowledging reality.

Do exactly what's urged in the last paragraph here, and tame the DC bureaucracy so that it admits institutionally that it exists to serve the public, and not vice-versa.