Washington, D.C., is grappling with a crime wave that’s rattling the nation’s capital. Gangs of youth are running amok, and homicides are spiking to levels not seen in decades. The city’s descent into chaos has forced a bold federal response, but will it be enough to restore order?
According to Breitbart, crime in D.C. has surged, with 274 homicides recorded in 2023, a sharp rise from the 100-170 annual homicides between 2010 and 2014 under Chief Cathy Lanier. President Donald Trump has taken decisive action, placing the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department under direct federal control and activating the National Guard to quell the violence. A task force, backed by federal resources, is being formed to tackle the crisis, echoing a successful strategy from the early 1990s.
Steven Sund, former Capitol Police Chief, isn’t shocked by the federal intervention. “To see these gangs of youth kind of taking it over, it doesn’t surprise me that they’re now going to pull these federal resources together and form… [a] task force,” he said. His confidence stems from a similar task force in the 1990s, when he served with the D.C. police, which slashed homicide rates.
Gangs of youth are a driving force behind D.C.’s crime spike. Their brazen activities, from vandalism to violent assaults, have left neighborhoods on edge. The Navy Yard, just six blocks from the Capitol and a stone’s throw from the White House, is a hotspot for this chaos.
Sund paints a vivid picture of the problem’s scale. “Navy Yard is just six blocks south of the Capitol, short distance from the White House. It’s a big area,” he noted, highlighting how close the crime wave is to the heart of American governance.
Trump’s hawk-like attention to detail—spotting unlit streetlights or graffiti from his motorcade—has zeroed in on this unacceptable decay.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, however, spins a different tale, claiming crime is on the decline. Her narrative conveniently ignores the grim reality: even with a slight drop from 2023 to 2024, crime rates are still double what they were around 2010. This rosy spin reeks of political posturing, dodging the hard truth that D.C.’s streets remain far from safe.
Trump’s move to federalize the D.C. police is a game-changer. By bypassing local leadership, he’s signaling zero tolerance for the city’s slide into lawlessness. The National Guard’s deployment underscores the urgency, with boots on the ground to restore order.
Multiple agencies are now collaborating to secure the capital. This unified front aims to choke off crime at its roots, from gang activity to random assaults. It’s a no-nonsense approach that prioritizes results over bureaucratic hand-wringing.
Sund recalls a time when such measures worked. “We did this in the early ’90s, when I was with D.C. police, we were able to drive down homicide rates,” he said. That historical success offers a glimmer of hope, but the current crisis demands swift execution.
The numbers don’t lie: 274 homicides in 2023 dwarf the 100-170 annual killings from 2010 to 2014. “When Chief Lanier was chief, think about 2010 to 2014, we had a homicide rate that was maybe right around 100, 170 a year,” Sund explained. That stark contrast exposes the failure of recent local policies.
Bowser’s claim of a “big drop” in crime from 2023 to 2024 is technically true but misleading. “There’s a drop from 2023 to 2024, but it’s still significant—double what we had in around 2010,” Sund countered.
Her selective storytelling glosses over the fact that D.C. remains a far cry from its safer days.
The task force model, rooted in the 1990s playbook, could be a lifeline.