Concerns Over Crime Policies in D.C.
President Donald Trump’s ongoing approach to utilize federal resources to tackle crime in Washington, D.C., poses a threat to hundreds, maybe even thousands, of juvenile offenders who could face harsher sentences.
This outcome was entirely foreseeable. Recent examples highlight the consequences of such policies, pushed by Democrats and their activist partners in urban environments. They bear the responsibility for the aftermath.
Ultimately, the president remarked on the undeniable, guilt-ridden feelings some urban activists have about their previously carefree existence. The difficult times will not come again.
Taking a glance back just six years reveals the failed policies in D.C. In 2019, the city was burgeoning with life. The tumultuous eras of the 1980s and 90s were fading away. Streets that were once dangerous zones transformed into fashionable dining spots. The Obamas dined there during their White House tenure, and CNN reporters frequented the area.
The Wharf Development Project revitalized a dilapidated seafood establishment encircled by unappealing parking lots and barbed wire into a vibrant locale suitable for dining, family outings, and nightlife. New eateries and apartments began to sprout in areas that were once hotbeds of violence just a few years earlier.
Local breweries and distilleries emerged, staking their claims in neighborhoods that, while still challenging, were improving yearly. My own neighborhood, where I purchased a home in 2018, was thriving with young families.
Our parish’s Columbus branch was deliberating on reopening the Catholic school next door, which had become a charter school after struggling to stay afloat in a once-thriving community. My parish priest, a wise and troubled man, expressed skepticism about the possibility of revival, reflecting on past reform efforts that had faltered while the school’s closure and ensuing chaos lingered in memory.
His concerns were not unfounded. By 2022, nearly every officer in my chapter had exited the city, and many families moved away as well.
Contrary to fears of economic collapse or widespread crisis, the city had succumbed to long-standing Democratic policies that failed to grasp the essence of human nature, overlooked risks, and neglected the efforts needed to rejuvenate its neighborhoods.
During 2020, schools were shuttered for over a year, which undoubtedly aggravated the situation for local bars, restaurants, and shops. Crime was framed as a voice of the oppressed, yet sentencing was softened, and laws were not enforced as they should have been. Police faced slander and setbacks.
Federal employees retreated from downtown, and activists provided expensive tents for the homeless and drug users populating parks, causing disruptions for pedestrians. Officers were instructed not to pursue suspects for fear of potential consequences if they were injured while escaping. Even the area across from the White House transformed into a violent anti-Trump encampment.
You don’t need a criminologist to understand what occurs when schools close and crime remains unpunished, particularly juvenile offenses. Children from fractured households often turn to the streets.
This isn’t just theoretical. Back in the 1950s and 60s, activists criticized the U.S. prison population and advocated for decriminalization and rehabilitation, abandoning stricter measures that once helped maintain order.
Come the 70s and 80s, it became clear those policies were misguided. By the early 90s, both parties had had enough of these so-called “super predators.”
The result? A new generation ensnared in crime and the prison system, leading to a time marked by chaos rather than the previously emerging peace in American cities.
Washington was among the last major cities to recover from the early 2000s downturn. Meanwhile, nearby Baltimore saw violent riots in 2015 disrupt its revival. The middle and upper-class Black community in D.C. fled following tumultuous racial riots that ravaged the city.
Veteran locals often reminisce about the rough days of the 90s. Stories circulate about carrying handguns in cars to fend off threats. A friend once shared a disturbing account of witnessing a gangland murder in broad daylight.
Since then, a succession of Democratic mayors attempted to revamp downtown’s reputation, fostering a more business-friendly environment encouraging development.
In tandem, aggressive policing pushed crime into surrounding areas and deeper into the city. After a series of violent crimes in the affluent Georgetown neighborhood in 2006, police implemented checkpoints and a city-wide curfew for teens.
Such strict tactics didn’t guarantee safety for all. Vulnerable parts of the city faced challenges exacerbated by extended welfare dependency and a lack of parental guidance. Criminal factions often differentiated individuals deemed “taxpayers” from others who were viewed as easy prey.
Over time, resentment built among marginalized communities towards the political class that championed reforms, even as they marginalized residents who had a long history in the area.
The corrupt political machines, mainly controlled by Democrats, bore a reputation for ineptitude. Old social media accounts have gained traction calling attention to the gap since city council members faced consequences. Ultimately, the articulate and popular Democratic mayor Adrian Fenty lost his position due to criticism of the public school system failing to address literacy among struggling students.
Still, progress manifested, albeit at a slower pace in underprivileged areas.
Then, the essential requirements for a safe city seemed forgotten. Reformers became polarized into two camps: “tough on crime” supporters and advocates of less stringent criminal policies. The narrative morphed into one of oppression versus restraint.
By 2020, activists asserted the moment had arrived to change course, seeking to break the cycle of locking up children lacking educational opportunities from dysfunctional families. It sounded honorable, on paper. Yet, practically, the plan involved absolving them from accountability for violent or antisocial actions.
Coupled with school closures, this urgency led to worsening outcomes. The shadows of the past began creeping back.
In September 2020, a one-year-old named Carmelo Duncan was tragically shot while strapped into his father’s car.
By February 2021, a woman with an 8-month-old child in her car became a victim during daylight.
A month later, two girls aged 13 and 15 used stun guns on their delivery driver. Upon their capture, one girl appeared preoccupied with having fewer phones than the men they assaulted.
In July 2021, a stray bullet ended the life of 6-year-old Nyiah Courtney while she was riding a scooter with her mother. The situation escalated further when gunfire injured fans outside a Nationals baseball game.
A young girl present recounted that she instinctively knew what to do when she heard shots—she had experienced it before.
Not long afterwards, CNN’s Jim Acosta and colleagues found themselves beneath gunfire while dining nearby. Just a few years earlier, the same establishment had welcomed the Obamas. Now, the streets have reverted to war zones reminiscent of when I first moved to D.C. 17 years ago.
Today, following Trump’s announcement, those same reporters and their supporters contend that crime isn’t an issue. They exhibit a unified apprehension toward federal interventions to curb crime, regularly declaring that crime is “declining.”
However, statistics reveal that carjackings have tripled compared to 2018, noticeably spilling into previously untouched neighborhoods. Interestingly, D.C. doesn’t even classify carjackings as violent crimes. Property crimes are at record highs, and one police commander is being scrutinized for allegedly manipulating data to project better statistics.
It’s not yet a return to the awful days of the past, but it seems to be inching closer. The president has stated that the overwhelming guilt of urban activists he refers to is influencing their once carefree lifestyles. The difficult times will not come again.
While they may hesitate to voice it, many longtime residents of D.C. quietly acknowledge similar concerns. Even those in privileged circles recognize that teenagers parading around Capitol Hill in balaclavas are not part of a community-conscious initiative. The audacity of their actions only intensifies in the poorer neighborhoods from where they originate.
