US Chamber, trade groups urge DC to crack down on crime

Dozens of industry and industry groups are urging District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser and members of the City Council to take action in the wake of an increase in violent crime in the city.

in letter sent on thursdaySeventy business organizations, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the American Bankers Association, and the National Retail Federation, expressed “deep concern at the alarming increase in violent crime across the city.”

It was announced that violent crime in Washington, D.C., increased by 39 percent from 2022 to 2023. Metropolitan Police Department data, halting a sharp decline in violent crime rates across the country and in other major cities. Homicides in Washington, D.C., increased by 35% last year, and robberies increased by 67%.

The letter cited several instances of violent crime that have rocked the city in recent months, including the death of former Trump administration official Mike Gill, who was shot and killed in an attempted carjacking on K Street last month.

Drew Maloney, chairman of the American Investment Council and a friend of Mr. Gill, led the coordination of the letter after Mr. Gill’s death.

“As job creators, taxpayers, and dedicated contributors to the economic and social well-being of our nation’s capital, we call on the Mayor and City Council to threaten the safety and prosperity of not only our communities but also our employees. We urge you to address this pressing issue and their families,” the letter reads.

The letter also references the carjacking of Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) in Washington, D.C., last fall. He later said the country’s capital was “two to three times more dangerous” than his district on the southern border.

Amid concerns about an increase in violent crime, Congress rejected a D.C. crime bill last year that was considered too lenient on crime. The Republican-led resolution to block the bill, which includes a controversial provision that would reduce maximum penalties for certain crimes such as armed carjacking, passed the Democratic-led Senate and was signed by President Biden.

The D.C. Council is scheduled to vote next Tuesday on a sweeping public safety bill aimed at closing certain gaps in the system. The House voted overwhelmingly to pass the first reading of the “Secure DC” bill earlier this month.

Ahead of the vote, business groups called on the city council to “address these issues in a manner commensurate with the city’s crime crisis.”

They also reiterated their commitment to the city and said they are committed to bringing employees back to the office, “which will contribute to the city’s tax base and revitalize the local economy.”

“After two decades of steady economic growth, Washington, D.C., has been able to shake off its reputation as the ‘murder capital of America’ in the 1980s and ’90s.” We want to ensure that it never regains its reputation,” the group said in the letter.