The weekend of Aug. 4- 6 recorded an incident in Southeast Washington where three people were killed and four others injured because of gun violence. The incident could be considered a mass shooting under the definition of the Investigative Assistance for Violent Crimes Act of 2012 due to the demise of three people. The weekend shootings are taking place as homicides reached 151 as of Aug. 4, a 21% increase over last year at this time.
District residents have repeatedly called upon law enforcement officials and elected leaders to do more to fight crime. Residents have requested more police in their neighborhoods, more resources to fight crime on their block and programs that will help wayward youth and adults who have embraced the criminal lifestyle.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has wracked her brain trying to get a hold on gun violence and other crimes in the city by increasing funds for programs such as Violence Interrupters, the NEAR Act and the Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement.
D.C. Council members have sponsored legislation dealing with violent crime and have sponsored community forums and ward walks to grapple with the issue.
With all the efforts, there is one missing element in the fight against crime: the residents.
Residents can no longer complain about what the police and elected officials are not doing when they are not actively engaged in solving the problem. The residents must say “enough” and proceed to come up with plans and strategies to confront crime in their neighborhoods.
Washington, D.C., neighborhoods should bring back the Orange Hat patrols, an initiative where residents walked the streets at night primarily wearing colored hats to point out crime areas and report them to the police.
Another program, Neighborhood Watch, should be a part of every block, with residents keeping an eye on what is going on in their environs and reporting suspicious activity to law enforcement. When Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) districts hold meetings with their advisory committees, residents should attend in strong numbers as a sign of concern regarding crime.
Bowser, MPD Acting Chief of Police Pamela A. Smith, Councilmembers and advisory neighborhoods commissioners need residents to step up and do their part for the city’s crime wave to end.
Lack of community involvement is because there is no community based solution is due to a lack of leadership at that level. If someone, Black, tries to make a difference, that person gets vilified and marginalized. We can do better!