WASHINGTON — Concerns over crime in their neighborhoods led to a packed public safety meeting Tuesday night at the Turkey Thicket Recreational Center in Northeast D.C.
The event hosted by Ward 5 Councilmember Zachary Parker included the presence of DC Acting Police Chief Pamela Smith and Attorney General Brian Schwalb.
"I am not satisfied with what is playing out in our streets in the District and tonight's meeting was about hearing directly from the community and sharing the steps that we are taking," Parker told WUSA9.
April Brown is a native Washingtonian and says the recent violence across the District was the reason she decided to attend a public safety event for the first time in her life. "I don't want to get shot. I don't want to get hit by a stray bullet. I don't want to get robbed. I don't want to get carjacked," Brown told Councilmember Parker at the end of the meeting.
Brown says her mother was carjacked by four juveniles who put a gun to her head. "I am sick of it. I am fed up with it. I am a native Washingtonian and if they don't fix something ASAP, I am leaving. I am out," she told WUSA9.
Carjackings and robberies were a reoccurring issue brought up by neighbors and police.
Fifth District Commander Sylvan Altieri said a common tactic they are noticing, is that robbers will be sitting in parked cars at the ends of streets. They wait until a person walks by so they can rob them and then drive off immediately. Altieri urged the public to report this suspicious activity.
DC Police announced that they will be adding resources focused on robbery suppression in Ward 5. This comes after a Kentucky teacher was shot and killed near Catholic University in what police believe was a robbery gone wrong last month.
"If things don't change and change soon, I am a proponent of calling the National Guard because like I said, people are afraid. People can't live like this," Ward 5 resident Stephanie Robinson told WUSA9.
Earlier in the day, D.C. Councilmember Trayon White asked for the National Guard to step in amid the District's rise in crime that he called a "war zone."
"Just this summer, we have had 12 kids shot in the District of Columbia," said White during a press conference. "And almost a dozen youth and young adults were shot in our community as well. And we're here today to stand in solidarity."
The Ward 8 Councilmember added that reducing crime was not just about the police's responsibility, but also the community's.
Councilmember Zachary Parker said he does not discount what his colleagues are experiencing on the ground, but is also concerned with over-policing areas. "I believe the District is capable with a comprehensive vision, all hands on deck to turn things around," Parker said.
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