House Republicans waved Washington Democrats who say “crime has gone down in the District of Columbia” by sharing video in broad daylight of a recent blatant carjacking at the Navy Yard.
The Republican Conference in the US House of Representatives shared the video on Twitter on Wednesday. The clip, which appears to have originally been shared in an online group titled “Navy Yard/Barracks Row/Cap Hill Community,” showed someone behind the wheel of a jeep parked parallel ramming the vehicle into the front and then the back of the car.
The person who recorded the video from a nearby building window showed a police vehicle on the street and officers apparently trying to get close to the suspect. But the driver reverses and then steers forward, crashing into two other parked cars across the street before exiting just blocks from the Capitol with ease.
“‘THERE IS NO CRIMINAL CRISIS IN WASHINGTON, DC,’ Phil Mendelson, Chairman of the DC Council of Democrats,” the House GOP tweeted, mocking Mendelson’s testimony before the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday. “Meanwhile, a carjacking occurred less than a mile away in WASHINGTON DC.”
DC COUNCIL CHAIR CLAIMS ‘THERE IS NO CRIME CRISIS’ IN THE NATION’S CAPITAL, DAYS AFTER SENATE OFFICIAL WAS EROCHED
DC Mayor Muriel Bowser and DC Council Chair Phil Mendelson have been mocked for their allegations of crime in Washington after video showed a blatant daylight carjacking at the Navy Yard, just blocks from the Capitol. (Getty | House GOP | AP)
Appearing before the committee, Mendelson insisted that “there is no crime crisis in Washington, DC.”
“In terms of crime, there are significant concerns. But while perception is important, the reality is less worrisome. Let me be clear: people should feel safe, and that’s a problem that many residents of the district don’t have. ‘ he told lawmakers. “I know this goes against popular belief – and when it comes to crime, it matters how people feel – but there is no crime crisis in Washington, DC.”
In response to the House of Representatives GOP tweet, Anthony D’Esposito, RN.Y. wryly tweeted, “Nothing to see here. Crime has gone down.”
“The radical DC City Council would rather coddle criminals than tackle Washington’s crime crisis seriously. This lack of action by the council forced House Republicans to step in and bring indictments to reverse the city’s disastrous criminal code and protect our nation’s capital,” D’Esposito’s office added in a statement to Fox News Digital .
“I’m counting down the hours until I’m on a plane back to the Free & Safe State of Florida! It’s a shame to see criminals recklessly roaming the nation’s capital without accountability for the Democratic officials elected to keep their people safe,” tweeted Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla. , in response to the video.
“That’s what happens when you support the ‘defund the police’ movement and soft crime policies,” added Rep. Mark Alford, R-Texas.
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“Think of how emboldened DC criminals have become that they are willing to steal a car in broad daylight right in front of the police force. The incompetence of DC’s elected officials has let this entire city down,” wrote Michele Perez Exner, who helps coordinate communications for House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
DC Mayor Muriel Bowser was also mocked for tweeting that “the state of Washington, DC is strong” amid concerns about crime and public safety. (AP Photo / Andrew Harnik / File)
Another Twitter user noted: “Police looked helpless here. Why didn’t they shoot the tires? Would that have resulted in more gunshots or something?”
Mendelson supported DC’s police reform bill, which House Republicans threatened to overturn by giving Congress the power to strike down city statutes.
According to Mendelson’s written testimony, DC’s crime statute was passed in response to the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis in 2020 – “promotes police accountability by codifying our review board on the use of force, improving testing capacity, strengthening training requirements and prohibiting the hiring of officers with a history of misconduct.” It also enhances our Police Chief’s ability to bolster the force by shooting at officers who engage in egregious misconduct or commit serious crimes. If Congress tosses these measures aside, it will be a dramatic setback in the district’s efforts to address longstanding concerns about officer misconduct and make it harder to hold bad cops accountable.
Dropping the bill would hamper efforts to promote accountability in the Metropolitan Police Department, Mendelson said.
DC Council Chairman Phil Mendelson testifies before the House Oversight Committee on March 29, 2023 on Capitol Hill. (Michael A. McCoy/for the Washington Post via Getty Images)
Mendelson stated that crime in the district has been lower so far in 2023 than at the same time in 2022, and he stated that “the number of violent crime incidents in 2022 was 45% lower than the number of violent crime incidents in 2012”.
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“My message is clear: Washington, DC state is strong,” tweeted DC Mayor Muriel Bowser, a Democrat.
DC communications specialist Natalie Johnson shared Navy Yard’s video in response.
“Meanwhile, today at Navy Yard. Thank god for our ban on car chases, right @MayorBowser?” Johnson wrote to her with more than 43,000 followers.
Fox News’ Thomas Phippen contributed to this report.
Source : www.foxnews.com