NOS Police in Washington’s crime-hit Anacostia neighborhood
NOS Nieuws•gisteren, 19:26
Sarah Bronkhorst
Editor Bureau Washington
Sarah Bronkhorst
Editor Bureau Washington
The mayor of Washington has declared a state of emergency due to increased crime in the American capital. Crime rates are breaking record after record. A remarkable trend, as crime rates in cities such as Los Angeles, Atlanta and Philadelphia are actually decreasing.
Violent crime in Washington has risen 40 percent this year. Murder rates have not been this high since the crack crisis of the 1990s. This year, 250 murders have already been committed.
Crime spreads to neighborhoods that were previously spared from violence. Recently, Secret Service agents opened fire on a group of young people after attempting to break into the car of Naomi Biden, the president’s granddaughter. She lives in Georgetown, an affluent neighborhood that is one of the safest in the city. A Texas congressman also became the victim of an armed car robbery.
Trackers distributed
The city is turning to creative means to deter the often juvenile criminals. As part of an anti-crime offensive, the Washington city government is handing out trackers and dashcams to concerned citizens so they can track their cars after theft.
NOSA agents hand out trackers to motorists
On a weekday, interested parties wait patiently in their cars in a long line to obtain such a tracker and receive instructions from the police on how to install it.
Lauren Windsor also comes to collect her tracker. She lives in the area where a Congressman had to give up his car at gunpoint. “I am extremely scared. I can become a victim at any time, even at a traffic light. The mayor and the city council are not doing enough to combat crime. They implement inefficient policies and then decide to hand out AirTags.”
The sentiment of lawlessness can partly be explained by the special status that the city of Washington has. In most American states, matters such as security and police are regulated at the local level. But Washington DC has a special status as a District of Columbia and therefore the federal government, which is located here, has a lot of say in daily government.
The federal prosecutor is responsible for both local cases and major federal files. Consider the prosecution of the Capitol stormers after January 6, 2021. As a result, major national cases compete with local issues, and manpower must be divided.
It is striking, Lauren thinks, that youth crime in particular has increased. “They are often children of twelve or thirteen years old. The police arrest them, but a few weeks later they are back on the streets.”
The number of arrested young people is almost 50 percent increased and the number of minors shot is approaching hundred.
Youth care workers and coaches try to get young people on the right path. Derek Floyd is a youth coach in a troubled neighborhood in southeastern Washington. He started doing this when he saw the murder rate among young people increasing. He tries to keep boys off the streets and takes them under his wing by stimulating them with sports training and rap sessions in the music studio.
According to him, the increase in youth crime can partly be explained by the fact that minors receive milder sentences than adults. Older criminals take advantage of this and use young people to take the hit. “Adult criminals pay them a few dollars, or promise them ‘street cred’, to steal a car, with all the consequences.”
Consequences of pandemic
The corona pandemic has destroyed a lot: children who were already truant a lot never returned to school. “Young people have been hit hardest by the pandemic. Their stability and structure disappeared.”
Increased insecurity is also hampering his efforts. “I used to coach eight teams American football. Now there are only three. Parents have become too afraid to let their children play sports outside in the evening.”
Floyd regrets that. Because according to him, these types of initiatives are the way to reach young people. “Those guys need to express their feelings, instead of bottling everything up.”
NOSChristopher (behind microphone) in Floyd’s studio
Angelo (17) and Christopher (16) are two boys to whom Floyd offers a helping hand. They wait in the studio until they write their self-written rap about them street-life may record.
“Rap allows us to express our emotions,” says Angelo. Christopher adds: “We have a tough life and have been through a lot. I was always a troublemaker, and I’ve been to jail a few times. But I’m trying to become a better person.”
After the conversation with the NOS, Christopher was shot. He is now in critical condition in hospital.
2023-11-25 18:26:18
#Crime #wave #capital #record #number #murders
