Faith and community leaders filled New Bethany Baptist Church in Northwest, D.C. on June 13, as Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) Chief Pamela A. Smith talked about her crime-fighting initiatives during the annual Spring Assembly of the Council of Churches of Greater Washington.
Since being selected by D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser last year, Smith, an ordained minister from Pine Bluff, Arkansas, has engaged dozens of church and community groups, often speaking to faith leaders about using their influence to help decrease crime and improve public safety.
The Rev. Dr. James E. Terrell, president of the Council of Churches of Greater Washington and pastor of The Second Baptist Church of Washington, D.C., in Northwest, said he was glad that Smith agreed to speak to their group, so that the faith leaders can work to address community needs.
“We want to make the community a better place, and at the same time, we want to speak to the needs of our total community because there are so many issues,” Terrell told The Informer.
In addition to delivering a crime report, Smith also fielded questions from several pastors and community leaders, a move Terrell said was important for all parties involved.
“We want the chief to know that we want her help as we bridge this gap to be able to provide resources for this community,” he explained.
The Rev. Dr. Winston C. Ridley, Jr., pastor of Greater First Baptist Church of Mount Pleasant Plains in Northwest, D.C. discussed grievances about the changing dynamics in the District.
“All of the housing and development going on in the city is not really for us, and at one time, we used to run this city,” Ridley said.
Despite challenges, the chief also shared MPD achievements, noting the department had shut down 90 crack houses and installed 38,000 cameras.
“There is double-digit crime reduction in all areas of the city,” Smith told the crowd. “We have 3,296 officers in the department, and there is a 38% reduction in carjacking.”
She assured the crowd that her approach is to combine her faith and law enforcement experience to combat crime.
“Somebody said we don’t need a preacher. We need a crime fighter, but we already had (a crime fighter) when I arrived. The Lord put me on top of this because there is a shift in the atmosphere,” she said.
More Faith Efforts to Work Toward Improving the District
In addition to the Council of Churches, the Rev. Lionell Edmonds, pastor of Mt. Lebanon Baptist Church, announced the formation of a new group of 41 pastors called DC POWER, which stands for People Organized for Wealth, Equity, and Respect.
“DC POWER offers a citizen-based vision and community-based organizing work, leading to the reshaping of the District… including the creation of living wage jobs and career employment and the building of two thousand units of affordable housing in the redesign of downtown DC,” Edmonds explained.
Edmonds said DC Power is an outgrowth of the Metropolitan Industrial Areas Foundation and the Washington Interfaith Network that started in 1996. The new organization is an effort to give all residents a stake in downtown development.
“We will increase the market share of Black and emerging businesses by demanding a greater share of market opportunities in D.C.,” Edmonds said. “We also seek stronger contractual partnerships with the top one hundred corporations in the District of Columbia.”
