Washington D.C. is our nation’s capital, known for its historical landmarks and political presence, is being taken under control by the National Gua. On August 11th, President Trump declared a crime emergency in the District of Columbia. President Trump has claimed that,“Crime is out of control in the District of Columbia” and that “Rising violence in the capital now urgently endangers public servants, citizens, and tourists, disrupts safe and secure transportation and the proper functioning of the Federal Government, and forces the diversion of critical public resources toward emergency response and security measures,” according to his executive order.
Teenagers who are active on social media or online might have seen some footage of protests arising in D.C.. Many citizens are unhappy about the occupation of federal law enforcement agencies in D.C.. An angry employee at the U.S. Department of Justice went so far as to throw a sandwich from Subway at a federal agent, who was arrested and charged with a felony.
But why are so many people getting upset? Has violence been on the uprise? And why are there federal agents in D.C. anyway?
If you are curious about this issue, fortunately there are some answers. Mr. Smith, a social studies teacher at Palisade and former resident of Washington D.C. was happy to provide clarity and offer a break down. “So my understanding of the situation is this… there was a catalyst with an individual who was close to the current administration, who was in D.C., and this individual citizen was violently attacked during a carjacking.” quoted Mr. Smith. He went on to explain that this made national news, and the current administration took initiative to try to institute, which to quote Mr. Smith is a “massive overhaul reinforcement of law enforcement”.
Mr. Smith said that it is important to remember that Washington D.C. is not a state. If it were a state, it would have been harder for federal law enforcement to enter. Since D.C is a federal district, it is maintained by the federal government. He also added that this is supposed to be a short-term enforcement.“It’s supposed to be short-term, in order to get ahead of, or get control of, what is perceived to be ‘rampant crime”’.
But finally, Mr. Smith answered some of the bigger questions that have arose recently. Some people have been noticing that recent crime statistics in D.C. (which are reported by local and state law enforcement agencies, reporting arrest records, then published by FBI) have been on a downlow, therefore undermining the need for federal law enforcement. “However, a major official in the police department… was recently fired and several individuals are awaiting indictment (preceding for a criminal case) because they were falsifying data. They were classifying felonies as misdemeanors, so as to appear that there would be less. That’s the allegation,” stated Mr. Smith.
As students, citizens, and future lawmakers of the United States of America, it is important to stay politically informed.
