WASHINGTON — D.C. Councilmember Trayon White is calling on Mayor Muriel Bowser to declare a "state of emergency" due to an abundance of gun violence seen in the District from 2020 to 2021.
“We have to declare an emergency when it comes to the crime and violence,” Ward 8 Councilmember Trayon White said. “We are burying our children. Something has to be done about the record number of shootings and homicides in the District.”
There were 198 homicides in Washington D.C. in 2020, with an additional 17 seen so far in 2021. As of Feb. 1, there is a 6% homicide increase in the District compared to this time last year, according to numbers provided by the Metropolitan Police Department.
White is also asking Bowser to "quickly" name a mayor’s commission to address gun violence in D.C. "composed of representatives from various sectors of Washington, D.C. and given no more than 30 days to develop."
White said he is working to start a Ward 8 Comprehensive Public Safety Strategic Plan to make short-term, medium-term, and long-term actions to address violence in the ward.
“The strategic plan will address the various aspects that have an impact on public safety such as education, youth engagement, employment, recreation, young adult engagement, housing insecurity, and other related issues, '' stated Councilmember White.“
While White calls for these additional steps, Bowser has announced a major step in the city's effort to stop gun violence.
During a news conference last Thursday, Bowser announced the appointment of Linda Harllee Harper to the position of director of gun violence prevention – the city's first-ever position focused on the issue.
Harper currently serves as the senior deputy director of the Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services in the District, a cabinet-level agency serving youth impacted by the D.C. juvenile justice system.