Dear Ward 5 neighbors,
There is no substitute for safety, and every resident deserves to feel safe in their home and in our community. Sadly, that has not been the case for every Ward 5 neighbor in recent months. As I shared last week, a rash of break-ins—across the ward and acutely in the Brookland and Michigan Park neighborhoods—have left many residents understandably on edge.
When these kinds of issues arise, it becomes a coordinated effort to ensure a resolution is reached. My team had spent months escalating concerns with public safety agencies, coordinating with community partners, and hosting public safety walks to ensure MPD was hearing directly from impacted neighbors to identify key hotspots. As issues escalated in recent weeks, I advocated for MPD to relocate a temporary CCTV camera and allocate increased patrols.
Finally, MPD announced this week the arrest of four juveniles—ages 13 to 14—in connection to the break-ins both in Ward 5 and in several other cases including Ward 7 in Kingman Park and Rosedale. I am grateful for MPD’s work to apprehend these suspects and have reached out to the Office of the Attorney General (responsible for the prosecution of juvenile crimes in the District) to ensure steps are taken to hold these young people accountable.
As Chair of the Committee on Youth Affairs, I am unequivocal about the District’s responsibility to rehabilitate youth who get caught up in our juvenile justice system. This means far more than simply detaining juvenile offenders. But I am also clear than anyone—juvenile or not—who terrorizes our community must be held accountable.
My team and I will continue to monitor the areas most impacted by these recent events, and we look forward to sharing more and providing updates from all three of Ward 5’s police districts (3D, 4D, and 5D) at our next Ward 5 Public Safety Call on October 28. These recurring calls provide neighbors an opportunity to engage directly with leadership from public safety agencies and ask questions about steps being taken to keep residents safe. Register here to join us.
The Ward 5 Wave Podcast
This week on the Ward 5 Wave, I’m sharing the “voices of Ward 5,” clips of neighbors detailing what they love about our community. At Ward 5 Day, my team’s tent had a pop-up podcast studio and lots of folks stopped by to say hello. If you were one of them, maybe you’ll hear yourself on this week’s episode! Also on the podcast, I dig into recent legislative updates including the Council’s passage of the FILTER Act, the recent hearing on DYRS in the Committee on Youth Affairs, and public safety updates following incidents in and around the Turkey Thicket area. Tune in wherever you get your podcasts or click here!
