WASHINGTON D.C., DC — D.C.'s newly elected Attorney General starts his job as the District's top lawyer with a listening ear. AG Brian Schwalb said that based on conversations during his campaign, his top priorities will be equity, housing and juvenile crime.
It was a violent start to 2023, with more than a dozen shootings including one where an 8-year-old child was hit.
“There is too much crime there’s too much fear in our city,” said Schwalb.
That fear hits home for the third-generation Washingtonian. Schwalb said as the District’s second-only elected independent attorney general, he is now poised to do something about it.
“We have two roles in the AG’s office we have to protect public safety and we have to be committed to rehabilitation,” he said.
The DC Attorney General prosecutes all juvenile offenses. While the mayor and police leaders have criticized the office in the past for being too soft on juvenile crime, Schwalb said his office will work to address the root causes of violence.
“We know how that happens, housing instability, lack of resources discrimination and access to the government and resources contribute to cycles,” explained Schwalb, “and just prosecuting after the fact without addressing how we deal before the fact in stopping the crime is only half of the equation.”
The new AG pledges to do his part to make D.C. more equitable by protecting tenants and homeowners.
“Part of that is protecting the existing housing stock making sure it remains code compliant that landlords to what the law requires.
And as for new development, Schwalb says, “it’s important that when that happens, we think about collateral impact the effects on the environment and we have to make sure we do that in a smart way and that we hold developers accountable to the deals and promises they make the city."
Schwalb said that requires partnering with all of the government, recognizing his predecessor had a reportedly rocky relationship with the executive.
“I’m sure there will be points of time when the office of the mayor and the office of the attorney general have a disagreement that’s neutral to be expected and we have to have good vigorous honest conversations, but we can disagree without being disagreeable and remembering who we’re here to serve and that’s the people of this city,” he said.
Schwalb said his office will review all existing lawsuits, including high-profile cases against the DC Housing Authority and the Commanders.