WASHINGTON — On Wednesday, five D.C. mayoral candidates answered questions about how they would run District government if elected to the executive seat later this year.
George Washington University and the League of Women Voters DC held a forum on the Foggy Bottom campus. Mayor Muriel Bowser, Councilmember Robert White, Councilmember Trayon White, lawyer James Butler, and Comedian Red Grant all participated in the event as they vie to become D.C.'s next mayor.
The forum hit on many topics, including public health, education, and housing, but crime dominated much of the conversation.
DC Police data shows homicides have increased every year in the District dating back to 2017. Violent crime is also up 25% compared to this time last year.
“I will make DC one of the safest cities in America,” Butler said.
The candidates expressed different ideas as to how they would approach policing.
Grant called for reform to existing strategies.
“I think our community needs policing that’s community policing,” he said.
Both councilmembers Trayon White and Robert White argued for more investment in programs that help to prevent crime from occurring.
“We have to help those who are in the community to change their lives and ultimately give back and then we have to provide the expertise to clinical therapies to address the trauma,” Trayon White said.
Robert White said D.C. was currently a “city without a plan” when it comes to fighting crime.
He said police are being asked to do too much.
“We want them to keep us safe, but we also want them to respond to noise complaints and mental health concerns. They have exclusive jurisdiction over traffic stops,” he said. “We need our public safety officers to be focused on safety, so I’m going to streamline their work.”
Meanwhile, Mayor Muriel Bowser once again pushed her plan to hire 347 additional police officers to work for DC Police.
“We have to put every effort that we have into keeping our neighborhoods safe and when I see our call times for police response going up, year-over-year, I know we don’t have the right number of officers.”