(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has announced a dramatic policy shift, backing proposed legislation that would reverse certain measures enacted during the height of the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020.
According to Fox News on Monday, this move comes amidst a surge in criminal activities within the nation’s capital.
“This legislation reflects what our community is telling us: they want appropriate accountability for those who choose to commit crimes and inflict fear in our neighborhoods,” Bowser said in a statement on Monday.
The Addressing Crime Trends Now Act will create an environment that better supports communities and victims as well as MPD’s ability to hire and retain highly qualified officers.
These are common-sense updates to address crime trends in our community. pic.twitter.com/M1SBmbeU0E
— Mayor Muriel Bowser (@MayorBowser) October 23, 2023
The newly proposed bill, referred to as the Addressing Crime Trends (ACT), aims to provide clarity on the distinction between the use of force and incidental contact with the neck. In addition, the bill would enable law enforcement officers to review body camera footage before composing police reports and would outline the information to be disclosed to the public in the case of disciplinary actions, the news outlet reported.
During a speech delivered from D.C., Mayor Bowser affirmed the motivations behind the shift.
“MPD continues to be a leader in fair and constitutional policing across this nation. They continue to work every day to have and keep the trust of our city. And this legislation won’t change that. It will, however, support the department in dealing with some of the negative consequences of the Comprehensive Police Adjustment and Injustice Amendment Act,” Bowser stated.
Mayor Bowser to
Introduce New Legislation to Reduce Crime.(WASHINGTON, DC) – Mayor Muriel Bowser, Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice Lindsey Appiah, and Acting Chief of Police Pamela A. Smith announced new legislation aimed at reducing crime in the District. pic.twitter.com/Ng5VmQbyeU
— Building Blocks IT Academy (@blocks_itAca) October 23, 2023
“Some of the changes that were made just don’t match the daily practice of safe and effective policing,” she further explained. “And whether that’s around incidental contact you can make with a person, or how officers can use their body worn camera footage to write reports or whether police are allowed to safely chase a criminal who’s right in front of them[.]”
Critics highlighted Bowser’s previous vocal support for the “Black Lives Matter” movement and her ties to the contentious defunding of the police. In protest to then-President Donald Trump, she infamously pained an entire D.C. street with “Black Lives Matter.”
However, Fox News reported a swift change in Bowser’s stance on the movement ahead of her re-election campaign. The D.C. mayor’s policy reversal aligns her with a growing number of Democratic politicians who have notably shifted away from leftist stances in recent years.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, both Democrats, are among these notable conversions as they are now calling for tougher border control.
Similarly, in San Francisco, Mayor London Breed announced stringent drug-testing requirements for county-funded welfare recipients, while Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson made headlines after changing his party registration from Democrat to Republican, citing concerns over a contentious tax hike in the city.
