WASHINGTON — There are mixed reactions from the city-wide Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners meeting. Commissioners had the opportunity to express some of the things they’re facing in their specific communities. Meanwhile Mayor Muriel Bowser believes the Secure DC Crime Bill will help with some of the concerns that were brought up.
A room full of Advisory Neighborhood commissioners were ready to address their concerns about public safety across the district Saturday morning at the Turkey Thicket Recreation Center Gymnasium. They were met with the latest crime stats showing overall crime numbers decreasing.
“We heard a lot of good numbers about things moving in the right direction but a lot of us commissioners felt that we didn’t have the opportunity to share our perspective on what’s working, well and what’s not working well,” Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner for 2BO3, Vincent Slatt said.
Some commissioners said they felt like their questions weren’t answered but they still offered their feedback when given the chance during the question-and-answer portion of the meeting.
There were packets given to commissioners when they came in the meeting, but the commissioners WUSA 9 spoke to said they still felt like all their concerns weren’t addressed. DC Mayor Muriel Bowser said that many of them are included in this secure crime bill that will be voted on Tuesday.
“It’s going to take more than just a legislative strategy,” Slatt said.
“Just not to get any closure, any answer about that, leaves not only myself but my constituents continuing to ask the same questions,” Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner for 8A05, Jamila White said.
“I do think it’s actually important to support this legislation, and not simply as a knee-jerk reaction, but I’m going to have to get into some of these figures I saw but there’s always causality,” Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner for 4E05, Ulysses Campbell said.
The numbers displayed at the meeting show a decrease in overall crime. WUSA 9 did some digging and learned that overall reports of violent crime are down ten percent. Robberies are up in the district year over year by one percent.
Violent crime and overall reports of crime are slightly down in the district for the first two months of the year compared to this time last year.
For January and February 2024 compared to those same months in 2023, homicides are down 31 percent. At this time last year, the district had 39 homicides, this year the city is at 27. Assaults with a dangerous weapon, most mainly nonfatal shootings are down 28 percent.
“What are numbers down in? I know we can go in and fill that but in my community the shooting is still happening every day,” White said.
WUSA 9 took White’s question to Mayor Bowser.
“That’s true what we’re saying is that we have seen with the first two months of the year compared to the first two months of last year we have seen a significant decrease in crime,” Mayor Muriel Bowser said. “Although we need to see significantly more decreases in crime and that’s what our message is.”
“While we understand that, the impact that we are feeling is something different,” White said.
Mayor Bowser said there is separate legislation coming in the future to address some of the other concerns shared from commissioners.