Washington, D.C
DC Council Lowers Sentences for Gun Crimes as Homicides Surge – Washington Free Beacon
The Washington, D.C., metropolis council on Tuesday voted to dramatically reform the town’s felony code, decreasing penalties for offenses together with unlawful gun possession and carjacking, whilst D.C. has seen a spike in homicides in recent times.
The laws, which requires the approval of Mayor Muriel Bowser (D.), would eradicate necessary minimal sentences for many crimes, the Washington Publish reported, and decrease the utmost sentences for crimes corresponding to carjacking and theft.
The reforms to the town’s felony code come as homicides in D.C. spiked 14 p.c in 2021 from 2020. The 226 killings in 2021 are greater than double the 88 homicides the town noticed in 2012.
Tuesday’s vote marks the second time this month that the council accepted the laws, which is required for payments in D.C. to advance. This week’s deliberation over the invoice was contentious, as some council members challenged the invoice’s provisions that will decrease the utmost penalty for carrying a pistol and not using a license and possession of a gun as a felon to 2 years in jail.
Councilwoman Brooke Pinto (D.) proposed an modification that will have elevated most sentences for illegally carrying and possessing firearms, however it was rejected by a majority of the council. Public security committee chairman Charles Allen (D.) stated the modification was not supported by knowledge displaying it will enhance public security, in line with the Publish‘s reporting.
“For supporters of this modification, I hear you saying we have to elevate penalties to fulfill this second, to ship a message. However I ask you to point out your work,” Allen stated. “In some unspecified time in the future, this council must reckon with what it means to have one of many highest incarceration charges per capita within the free world and but endure this type of violence.”
Felony justice reform advocates supported the laws on the premise that it will cut back racial disparities in incarceration. Jinwoo Charles Park, head of a metropolis fee to reform the felony code, stated he opposed the modification to boost penalties for gun crimes as a result of “will increase within the common sentence for these offenses would have a disproportionate impact on African-American defendants,” the Publish reported.
Allen has rebuffed characterizations of the laws as a soft-on-crime reform, saying the aim of the invoice is to rewrite “unclear” felony legal guidelines and deal with “overlapping fees with inconsistent or lacking definitions and parts [and] outdated terminology.”
Different crimes moreover homicide have surged in D.C., together with carjacking, which might see diminished most sentences if Bowser indicators the invoice. Carjackings have tripled since 2019. A health care provider was murdered in March after he tried to forestall a carjacker from stealing his automotive, a metropolis council candidate had his automotive stolen at gunpoint in January, and in August rookie operating again for the Washington Commanders Brian Robinson Jr. was shot a number of occasions in an tried carjacking.
Washington, D.C
SAPD to send 61 officers to Washington DC for Donald Trump’s presidential inauguration
WASHINGTON D.C. – Safety is a priority at the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump next week.
San Antonio police is sending 61 officers to Washington, D.C., to assist the Metropolitan Police Department while Trump is sworn into office.
SAPD deployed 45 officers when Trump took office for the first time in 2017.
The increase in officers being sent this time reflects heightened security concerns and a greater emphasis on ensuring the safety of all attendees.
In addition to SAPD’s presence, law enforcement agencies nationwide are also mobilizing to provide support.
As preparations continue, authorities urge attendees to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity.
The 60th presidential inauguration ceremony will begin at noon EST on Jan. 20.
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Copyright 2025 by KSAT – All rights reserved.
Washington, D.C
List: What to do in the DC area this week and weekend, Jan. 13-19
We share the best things to do every weekend in The Weekend Scene newsletter – it’s completely free to subscribe!
Call it D.C.’s biggest hits: Pandas, the Commanders, MLK Holiday DC Peace Walk & Parade are all on tap this week – and that’s before we even get to Inauguration Day!
Of course, if you want to see a panda this week, you must be a National Zoo member. But anyone can grab their free pass to visit the National Zoo once the pandas make their public debut on Jan. 24. The only thing you’ll need to see the pandas is your zoo pass… plus, patience and warm clothes. Expect a line to get into the panda habitat!
But everyone can watch the Commanders face the Lions at 8 p.m. Saturday. On Sunday, sixth-seeded Washington upset the No. 3 Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Can they clinch against the division leader? Every sports bar will be screening this highly anticipated showdown.
Here’s what else to do this week in the Washington, D.C. area.
What to do in Washington, D.C.
Hands-on Landscape Painting with Paloma Vianey: Weds., 6-8 p.m., Phillips@THEARC, 1801 Mississippi Ave, SE, free but registration required
NMWA Nights: Weds., 5:30 to 8 p.m., National Museum of Women in the Arts, $25
DC Improv Date Night: Weds., 7:30 p.m., DC Improv, $99 for food and drink package or $15 for general admission
Rock the Rink at The Wharf: Thurs., 6-10 p.m., The Wharf Ice Rink, anyone in Capitals gear gets $5 off admission
National Symphony Orchestra on the Millennium Stage: Fri., 6 p.m., The Kennedy Center, free but arrive early to get tickets
MLK Shabbat: Visions of Freedom and Justice: Fri., 7 p.m., Sixth & I, free
Concert: Mo Lowda & The Humble and Illiterate Light: Fri., 8 p.m., 9:30 Club, $25
20th Annual MLK Holiday DC Peace Walk & Parade: Sat., 11 a.m., Entertainment & Sports Arena, free
MLK Day of Service: Pope Branch Park cleanup with Anacostia Riverkeeper: Sat., 2900 M Place Southeast, free
Nerd Nite irreverent lecture series: Sat., doors 6 p.m., DC9, $10 (in advance) or $15 (day of)
Black A** Comedy: Sat., 7 p.m., Busboys and Poets 14th Street, $25
Charli x Sabrina x Chappell Dance Party: Sat., Black Cat, $10
Defying Gravity: A Wicked Party: Sat., Union Stage, $15+
Ye Olde Feast of Saint Vincent of Zaragossa!: Sun., 2 p.m., St. Vincent Wine at 3212 Georgia Ave NW, $72
Let Freedom Ring Celebration featuring Christopher Jackson and esperanza spalding, hosted by Taye Diggs: Sun., 7:30 p.m. The Kennedy Center, free (note: ticket giveaway begins at 5:30 p.m. at the Hall of Nations, limited to two tickets per person)
Union Stage Presents: Rare Essence , EU feat. Sugar Bear, DCVybe: Sun., 8:30 p.m., Howard Theatre, $55
Last chance – “Paris 1874: The Impressionist Moment”: Through Sun., the National Gallery of Art, free
What to do in Maryland
Theater: “What the Constitution Means to Me”: Jan. 15 to Feb. 16, Round House Theatre, $50+
SA-ROC (+ DJ OSO Fresh After Party): Fri., BlackRock Center for the Arts in Germantown, $35
Yoga at Brookside Gardens: Sat., 9:30 a.m., Wheaton, $14
Say It Loud: A Celebration of the Life of Martin Luther King, Jr.: Sat., BlackRock Center for the Arts in Germantown
Be’la Dona Brunch: Sun., 2 p.m., Bethesda Theater, $41.45 (including fees)
“Paper Dreams” at Imagination Stage: Through Feb. 16, Bethesda, $19.50
What to do in Virginia
Sean Gavin and Josh Dukes in Concert: Thurs., 7-9 p.m., Alexandria History Museum at The Lyceum, $25 ($10 under 18)
Comedy – Justin Martindale: Fri. and Sat., Arlington Cinema Drafthouse, $20
Silly Suds: Humorous Soapmaking Workshop: Sat., 9 a.m. to noon, Del Ray Artisans Gallery in Alexandria, $45-$55, plus $10 supply fee (must register by Weds.)
NOVA Wine Expo: Sat., 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Dulles Expo Center, $40+
Presidential Transitions Lecture & Historic Document Viewing: Sat., noon to 3 p.m., George Washington Presidential Library, $10
La Vang Lunar New Year Festival: Sat. and Sun., Dulles Expo Center in Chantilly, $10 ($5 with student ID or for kids 2 to 11)
Comedy Night in Leesburg Presented By The DC Improv: Sat., Tally Ho Theater in Leesburg, $20-$32
Ice & Lights-The Winter Village at Cameron Run: Through Feb. 23, Cameron Run Regional Park in Alexandria, $8.55+
Want to know what’s up for your weekend? Sign up for The Weekend Scene, our newsletter about events, experiences and adventures for you and for your family around the DMV.
Washington, D.C
Inauguration Day: Security zones and checkpoints in Washington, D.C.
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Capitol will be on lockdown during inauguration day. More than 30 miles of anti-scale fencing has been erected at key locations in Washington, D.C. Thousands of National Guard troops will be on duty to support the Secret Service.
“The Secret Service will bring agents and other specialists from field offices across the country to provide a full slate of visible and invisible security measures,” said William McCool from the U.S. Secret Service.
FBI Director Christopher Wray stated, “We’re not tracking any specific or credible threats to the inauguration.”
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There will be several layers of security, including a pedestrian-restricted zone with 40 checkpoints. This zone covers the White House, the U.S. Capitol, and the National Mall. All vehicles will be checked for bombs or other weapons on three sides of the White House and west to Union Station. On the southwest corner of Washington, D.C., all roads will be closed along the Potomac River.
“We’re dealing with a threat landscape where terrorists, whether they be foreign, jihadist-inspired, or domestic terrorists or others, can move from radicalization to action quite quickly, often with very crude but still lethal attacks,” Wray said.
FBI Director Christopher Wray also mentioned that the Secret Service, Homeland Security, and Capitol Police are taking the lead on inauguration security. “What I would tell you is that I have enormous confidence in the FBI’s men and women in our role as supporting the other agencies, which have the primary responsibility for securing the inauguration,” he added.
Visitors with questions about checkpoints and other security measures can find more information here.
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