DC crime debate intensifies as Trump targets Washington’s safety problems

There are two kinds of people in Washington, D.C. – the ones who commute in from Virginia or Maryland, and the ones who actually live here. I’m in the latter group, alongside generations of “original Washingtonians” whose families have called this city home for a lifetime.

Now, I haven’t lived here a lifetime, but I’m almost at a decade and I consider this city my home. So it’s hard to take seriously that President Donald Trump has suddenly decided D.C. crime is a national crisis. 

The two high-profile incidents involving young White men, one killed and one beaten nearly to death, are real and heartbreaking tragedies But the people who live here have been talking about crime for years: in neighborhood meetings, on D.C. Reddit threads, in the comments on Instagram and X (s/o Washingtonian Problems and Alan Henney).

Residents have been talking about crime in the nation’s capital for years before President Donald Trump decided the issue is a national crisis. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images; AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

And in D.C., the most troubling trend lately is youth crime. Unsurprising in a city where truancy rates are among the highest in the nation. 

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And the kids who aren’t in class aren’t just sitting at home either. They’re raiding CVS, carjacking people running errands, tearing through grocery stores and roaming the streets at midnight. Entire curfews have been imposed on parts of the city just to get them inside.

You can feel the change in daily life. At some grocery stores, you now have to scan a receipt to be let out through locked gates. At drug stores, you have to push a button and wait for an employee to unlock basic toiletries. That’s not just an inconvenience; it’s a sign that businesses no longer feel they can operate normally.

This is where Democrats start to squirm. We’ve been trained to talk about crime only in the context of prison reform and mandatory minimums, because bad-faith actors have weaponized it as a racist dog whistle.

I understand that history. But crime isn’t a race issue, it’s a proximity issue. People commit crimes against the people who live near them. That’s true in D.C., and it’s true anywhere.

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Refusing to address crime doesn’t protect communities of color; it leaves them more vulnerable. The kids causing chaos aren’t the only ones who live in these neighborhoods. There are other young people who want to learn, want to grow and are watching bad behavior go unchecked. 

And when you ignore crime, you let it fester until it becomes the excuse for federal overreach and I have no doubt this president would exploit D.C.’s home rule if given the chance.

Let’s be clear, this is not a call for mass incarceration. Throwing minors into prison and forgetting them is not a solution. Accountability has to come with a chance at redemption. That starts with holding parents responsible, strengthening K–12 education and tackling truancy before it turns into something worse. 

We need D.C.’s city council to deepen their commitment to education, after-school programs, mentorship opportunities and mental health support that addresses problems before they escalate. More police can only slow the bleeding. The deeper wound starts at home. 

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We also need to change the culture around this conversation. Democrats often fear that talking about crime will make us sound punitive or “tough on crime” in a way that alienates progressive voters. But avoiding the issue only makes the communities we claim to represent feel abandoned. 

A party that can’t talk honestly about public safety is a party that risks losing public trust.

All children enter the world with equal worth; who they become depends on the opportunities, boundaries and expectations set by the adults around them. That means parents, teachers, mentors, and yes, policymakers.

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If we want a safer city, we have to invest, intervene and refuse to excuse harmful behavior simply because the alternative makes us uncomfortable.

D.C. is worth fighting for. But if we keep dodging this conversation, someone else will have it for us and we may not like their solution.

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