In a two-hour meeting held at the Deanwood Recreation Center in northeastern Washington, the mayor and her public safety team discussed violence and how her administration is tackling it, answering questions and proposing solutions. I listened to the policy.
Amanda Beale, the ANC representative for the 8th District, has called for more resources for violent obstructers to mediate conflicts before gunfire erupts, saying, “If we can prevent retaliation, it works.” I was.
Beale also told the mayor that “kids get their first guns when they’re 12.”
Saturday’s meeting comes at a time when the district is struggling with murders and gun violence, particularly involving young people. Violent crimes fell last year compared to 2021, but it’s the second time in almost 20 years that he’s had more than 200 murders.
The number of shootings has also declined over that time, but nearly double the number of boys shot in 2022 compared to the previous year. 16 of her youngsters died in shootings last year, and in 2021 that number will double his. There have also been murders in his first three weeks of the year.
The forum reflects Bowser’s ongoing commitment to soliciting ideas from community members to solve some of the city’s toughest problems, a theme expressed in his third term.
In November, a day after Bowser was reelected, her administration asked residents to submit “transformation” ideas through an online portal on public safety and other issues.
But the call also showed a different approach to how Bowser has engaged with neighboring advisory boards in recent years. They represent the lowest echelon of elected leaders in their constituencies, but are often the key eyes and ears to their communities, helping residents navigate the government bureaucracy. while alerting city agencies to the problem.
Throughout the conference, she noted that she was a former ANC member herself before being elected to the council.
Bowser urged ANC members to have their voices heard as bills are drafted, debated and budgets drafted, but feels her administration is making it harder to tackle crime. I have avoided directly criticizing the members of the DC Council who enacted some of the laws that
In a post-conference press conference, Bowser said her comments “reflected what we heard in our neighborhoods in the District of Columbia.”
Most of the approximately 150 ANC delegates who attended the summit asked how they could help. Some expressed concern about recreation centers being open, while others urged that programs be consistent with the needs and desires of the youth who use them. bottom.
Many people called for more police. The department cut officers due to budget cuts, but Bowser is trying to reverse this. He was the only one to call for further reform of the police force.
ANC members have taken several informal polls and a third say they know victims of violent crime. They were asked to describe their feelings.
Salvador Sauceda Guzman, ANC representative for the area around Trinidad and Kingman Park in northeast DC, said the lack of city services “will only make things worse.” He noted “garbage on our sidewalks” and “car bullet holes on our block.” He urged authorities to “focus on violence”, focus on those engaged in criminal activity and highlight “why they are doing what they are doing”.
Police Chief Robert J. Contee III told the group that police seized 3,152 illegal firearms in the district last year. This is over 800 he more than the previous year. Of those, he said 624 “ghost guns” were made from homekits and were untraceable. was.
Around 2015, people heard the “pong, pong, pong” sound of gunshots, but Conti said it’s more like “brrrrrrrrr.” “More bullets are being fired and more opportunities for innocent people to become victims of gun violence,” he said.
And Conti notes a disturbing trend that teenagers’ familiarization with the criminal justice system is too often in the form of violent crime. “They won’t show up because we stole a bag of chips,” said the chief. “Because they put a gun in someone’s face or used that gun.”
Bowser made comparisons to the late 1980s and early 1990s, but crime and cities were different today. Today, the city is bigger and more gentrified, there is far less violent crime, and murder is twice as low as he is.
When police talk about shootings, they mean people who get hit by bullets. Bowser said he was including as victims those who heard the gunshots, which hit no one, but set the alarm on the neighborhood.
“They are hearing more and more gunshots,” she said.
