ANC Rep Calls Out the Mayor for failing “to address the surge in crime”

From the Shaw listserv after the latest shooting on O Street last night:

“The mayor has failed to address the surge in crime in many neighborhoods across the city. While other cities have had it far worse it’s extremely distressing that small areas of our city continue to be a problem year after year to the point where I hope for evening downpours to drive the criminal element inside thus reducing the chances of violence. The mayor needs to demand action by her agency leaders and call a meeting with prosecutors to discuss lenient sentences and lack of prosecution of violent arrestees. MPD can lock them up but violent offenders need to stay behind bars.

There was a discussion about additional lighting and cameras at the rec months ago and we are still waiting. These are not complicated fixes. The park rangers can’t even be troubled to pick up a piece of trash when walking because it’s become accepted that some of our parks are models for the broken windows theory.

There are also members of the community who know who are responsible for these crimes but they keep quiet due to fear or being known as a snitch. Until the community as a whole reaches a tipping point of no longer accepting the culture of violence our challenges will persist.

I encourage all to call 911 any time even petty crime is witnessed, be it possession of an open container of alcohol, illegal gambling “dice,” public pot smoking, public urination etc as these issues often lead to bigger issues and also lend themselves to what appears to be a culture of acceptance by some of petty crime around the greater area of Kennedy Rec. The more calls for service PSA 308 gets, the higher the likelihood of more officers becoming permanently assigned to the PSA.

Charlie Bengel
Commissioner
Advisory Neighborhood Commission 2F06
Chair, Logan Circle ANC Public Safety Committee”