WASHINGTON (DC News Now) — When comparing the first 8 days of 2022 and the first 8 days of 2023, the District has seen a rise in crime in every category except for burglaries. After the 6th homicide in the last 8 days, the rise in crime has gotten a mixed reaction from residents.
In 2022, the District reported 437 crimes from January 1st to the 8th. Now during that same period this year, the District is already at 629 crimes. Homicides followed that trend doubling from 3 to 6 in that same period.
Following Saturday night’s homicide in navy yard, one community member says he doesn’t always feel safe in his own neighborhood anymore.
“You don’t really expect this in Navy Yard,” resident Madison W. explained. “I feel less comfortable at night walking around. Probably during the day maybe, maybe less so at night, I guess because I feel like that’s when the shooting happens.”
Others say this is nothing new and are frustrated with the lack of preventative action taken by the city. Lisa Taylor has lived in the District for the last 19 years.
“It’s been going on for years. I feel like if they wanted to go clean up the area they could but I feel like their solutions are sticking a cop on the corner for some period of time or they’ll put up some of those cams for some certain period of time,” Taylor explained.
She says the city fails to act on known areas of crime and is tired of officials not addressing root problems like affordable housing and mental health resources.
“But like, who’s in the community working? Who’s in the community working to try to make, you know, reduce some of the crime?” Taylor said.