Outrage at D.C. Mayor Bowser 'gaslighting' residents by claiming crime is down ... trends now
Mayor Muriel Bowser boasted that crime is down in Washington, D.C., compared to last year even though a recent string of violence has sent residents fleeing for Virginia and Maryland suburbs.
Despite an overall 13 percent dip this year January 1 through April 2 compared to the same time period last year, the District of Columbia is still experiencing a rise in crime compared to the norm in years prior to 2023.
It comes after 2023 was recorded as the deadliest year in more than two decades. D.C. also had the largest spike in violent crime out of any other major U.S. city.
While data does reveal a decrease between the specific time period last year to this year, residents are sharing an overall sentiment that crime is on the rise and they are feeling increasingly less safe in D.C. neighborhoods.
From January 1 through April 2 last year to this year there was a 13% decrease in overall crime – after a record-high crime year in 2023 in Washington, D.C.
Mayor Muriel Bowser (right) is facing backlash for praising a decrease in crime from the second quarter in 2023 to 2024, but residents claim they do feel any safer and many are fleeing to Virginia and Maryland suburbs to escape the violence and threats
As evident, a person was robbed at gunpoint just blocks from the Hart Senate Office Building on Wednesday by two individuals, at least one of which was armed with a gun.
Still, Bowser insists that crime is on the decline and claimed it was down by 30 percent compared to last year in a Monday interview with CNBC's Squawk Box.
'We've done the things that we know will reset our public safety ecosystem,' she said.
Outrage ensued over her claims of a decrease in crime.
'Bowser going on cnbc this morning and saying crime is coming down in DC was some next level gaslighting,' one X user wrote on Monday.
Another wrote: 'This is verifiably false.'
While year-to-date comparisons between January 1-April 2 show that there was a dip from 2023 to 2024, there is still an upward trend from previous years.
It appears that 2023 was an outrageous outlier for rising crime in the nation's capital and it would be difficult to be on track to beat the numbers seen last year. From 2022 to 2023, violent crime rose by 39 percent.
While some stats are down from 2023, there is still a general upwards trend from years prior. One of the largest crime statistics in D.C. are a result of carjackings, which reached an all-time-high in 2023 but is down 31% so far this year
Many residents told DailyMail.com that they have or are planning to move out of D.C. amid a rise in crime. Pictured: Law enforcement convene during a manhunt for a suspect linked to a shooting last year who ran into an apartment complex in Navy Yard, a neighborhood about .5 miles from the U.S. Capitol
Overall violent crime is down but the MPD notes that the statistics for 2024 are 'preliminary' and subject to change throughout the year as more information becomes available
The second quarter of 2021 saw 836 instances of violent crime over the three-month period, in 2022 that rose to 1,032 reported instances, according to Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) data reviewed by DailyMail.com.
During the same time period in 2023, violent crime incidents rose to 1,050.
The data reported for January through April 2, 2024 shows there were 838 violent crimes. But the MPD database notes 'reports are subject to change due to subsequent determinations' and the results for the year so far are 'preliminary' in nature.'
