Gun violence runs rampant in D.C., ANC 5A wants to put a stop to it.
October 2, 2023
Map of D.C. Ward 5 showing deaths by gun violence in 2023 by Advisory Neighborhood Commission.
“I wanna start this meeting with a moment of silence for the young man who was killed yesterday in Ward 5,” said Commissioner Gordon Fletcher of advisory neighborhood commission 5A.
The death of the teen on September 26 puts Washington’s Ward 5 at 21 deaths by gun violence this year, the District as a whole has already reached over 200. In response, the Advisory Neighborhood Commission for 5A put public safety and gun violence on the agenda at its most recent meeting on September 26.
Commissioners stressed their devotion to the issue at the meeting, but were unable to get a member of the Metropolitan Police Department to attend. Fletcher called on representatives from Councilman Parker and Mayor Bowser’s offices to ensure that MPD are in attendance.
“We gotta work on that,” Fletcher said, “We gotta get MPD at at least every other meeting.”
A public safety walkthrough is being planned by Councilmember Parker’s office to draw attention to the needs of the 5th ward, according to Carlos McKnight, the constituent services coordinator for Councilmember Parker, who emphasized the importance of public safety.
Despite this, residents of 5A were frustrated at the lack of permanent solutions to the public safety issue in the District.
Uchenna Evans, a 5a resident, stressed the urgent need for action. “These are bills that are in effect for 90 days and with all the talk about public safety and crime, we’re approaching that 90 day mark in a few weeks,” Uchenna said.
McKnight attributed the temporary solution to the limited scope of government that the D.C. Council has under “home rule,” the requirement for the United States Congress to review all legislation before it can become law.
However, this barrier has not stopped D.C. government from implementing some initiatives to deter violent crime.
Julia Irving, the deputy director at the mayor’s office of neighborhood safety and engagement, spoke with ANC 5A about the People of Promise Initiative, the District’s strategy to reduce violent crime.
The strategy targets primary and secondary victims and or perpetrators of gun violence by engaging with them through violence interruptors, representatives for the initiative who identify issues in the community, according to Irving.
“We want to build a rapport with the community,” she said. “We want to rebuild the trust in the community.”
After identifying at-risk perpetrators of gun violence, they are brought into the Pathways program, a nine-week cognitive behavioral transformative initiative, Irving said.
The program allows the individuals to talk through their problems and be supported. Irving likens it to a cell phone connecting you to your support system. “If you're having a bad day, you call your best friend and you just talk it out,” she said. “We take them in nine weeks from using a gun. To using a cell phone. And the people that are in that cell phone are their village,” said Irving.
In other news, the Commissioner for ANC 5A09 was filled by Shelagh Bocoum after a two month vacancy of the seat following Commissioner Ammerman’s decision to step down. After her introduction, Bocoum was voted unanimously as the new treasurer for the commission.
Additionally, the commission approved their fiscal year 24 budget unanimously, while stressing to residents the commissions transparency by making all information available publicly online.
With the meeting taking place shortly after bouts of flooding in the 5th ward, Carlos McKnight from Councilmember Parker’s office highlighted legislation introduced by the councilmember to address the flooding and encouraged residents to attend a hearing on the legislation this Thursday, October 5 at 9:30 a.m.
Meanwhile, the University of the District of Columbia presented a 10-year plan to the residents of 5A, a legal requirement the University must fulfill in compliance with zoning regulations in order to move forward with planning.
The meeting came to a close with plans by the commissioners to continue to go over public safety initiatives in the ANC 5A October meeting.