Between the federal takeover of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), D.C.’s Juvenile Curfew Second Emergency Amendment Act of 2025, and people working toward programming to support local residents, public safety and access to opportunities were major topics throughout last year. With the D.C. area preparing for a shift in MPD, mayoral and D.C. Council leadership, and the National Guard still patrolling District streets, public safety and providing resources for all residents remains a top priority for many people living around the Washington metropolitan area.
Nee Nee Taylor, Harriet’s Wildest Dreams co-founder and co-conductor
“[In 2025], Harriet’s Wildest Dreams organized in the face of deepening state violence, federal overreach, and renewed attacks on Black communities in Washington, D.C…. As we move into the coming year, the conditions that made this work necessary are intensifying. The appointment of Interim Metropolitan Police Chief Jeffrey Carroll signals a continuation of violent, racist policing practices in D.C. Carroll’s record includes documented harm toward organizers and protesters, placing Black communities and movement workers at increased risk.
“At the same time, federal presence, expanded surveillance, and punitive court practices continue to shape daily life for Black residents. These conditions make community-based safety, courtwatch, political education, and rapid response support more urgent than ever. Our people need clear information, practical training, and collective protection to navigate what lies ahead.”
D.C. Councilmember Brooke Pinto (D-Ward 2), chair of the Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety
“We have gone through a lot as a city throughout 2025, and as we head into 2026 it is very important that we’re bringing opportunities for every District resident and business to prosper. And that’s why I moved, just a few weeks ago, a new Prosper DC plan, which has almost 25 new bills in it, to make sure we’re creating those opportunities, creating ideas for youth development and supports, making sure that new businesses can be attracted to D.C., and creating healthy and safe opportunities. So my call to everybody is to get involved in the process and make sure that we can pass Prosper DC in 2026 so that every single person in every neighborhood in Washington, D.C. has the opportunity to prosper, as we all deserve.”
Tyrone Brown, Southeast D.C.
“Crime, murder and mental health.”
Evan Barker, Howard University senior mechanical engineering major with a double minor in physics and math
“Driving safety in D.C. is probably top five lowest in the country, if you ask me, based on my experiences. The only thing I would really want to see from officials are ways…to influence people without having money as the basis of it. Maybe offering free courses for defensive driving. There’s also positive reinforcement: ‘For everyone who takes this defensive driver course, they get a certain amount of tickets…or extenuating balances [reduced]. Giving people a positive reason to do it, but also having that positive reason…help in other ways. I think maybe that’s something that could be done.”