(Washington, DC) – With tomorrow marking one year since the start of the federal surge in Washington, DC, Mayor Muriel Bowser issued the following statement:
“One year ago, an unprecedented federal intervention brought national attention to DC’s lack of statehood and autonomy. At the time, we were in the midst of driving down crime to a 30-year low following a post-COVID crime spike. Since then, we’ve continued that progress: crime is down 20% year over year, 26% from 2024, and 40% from 2023, and homicides have fallen sharply.
Make no mistake: our decision to create an Emergency Operations Center in order to protect Home Rule, the foundation of our local control, has worked. We preserved our autonomy, we saved lives by keeping our focus on public safety, and throughout the surge, we ensured DC residents were able to peacefully exercise their First Amendment rights. Ultimately, we demonstrated practically and politically that there was no need for extended federal emergency action.
Still, unmitigated ICE activity in American cities and out-of-state National Guard troops in DC remain problematic. Like all Americans, Washingtonians deserve local control and accountability. My North Star remains clear: protect Home Rule, protect DC’s autonomy, and protect DC residents.”
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