Washington, D.C

Opinion | A crime-free D.C. starts with drug-free zones

Published

2 years ago

January 16, 2024

Opinion | A crime-free D.C. starts with drug-free zones

Violent crime and murder fell in many major cities around the United States last year, including Baltimore. Yet trends still moved the wrong way in D.C., which experienced more homicides in 2023 than any year since 1997. These data underscore the urgency of the wide-ranging crime-control legislation on which the D.C. Council’s public safety committee plans to vote on Wednesday.

We’ve previously advocated several of the measure’s 100-plus provisions, and most of them enjoy wide support among law enforcement, elected officials and the community. Key elements of the proposal, compiled by council member Brooke Pinto (D-Ward 2), would extend emergency legislation from the summer that made it easier to hold those suspected of violent crimes in jail pending trial — and require judges to issue a written explanation when they refuse to do so. It makes organized retail theft a felony; legalizes the sale of pepper spray and using it for self-defense; expands services for crime victims; bans wearing masks for the purposes of intimidation or committing a crime; expands the definition of carjacking to include coercing drivers to hand over their keys; and it gives police the authority to enforce civil offenses for Metro fare evasion.

One of the contested provisions of the bill, which some council members might try to remove before final passage, would reinstate D.C. police’s ability to declare temporary drug-free zones in crime hot spots. Supporters argue that it’s necessary to stem the violence associated with open drug-dealing. Using cannabis has been decriminalized in the District, but its sale for recreational purposes remains illegal, and much of the pot-dealing business takes place on the streets, as does the trade in meth and fentanyl. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) recently estimated there are about 10 “open-air drug markets” in the city. Though that’s fewer than there were at the height of the crack-cocaine epidemic of the 1980s, they still create nuisances and hazards for the community, as the presence of illicit cash inevitably leads to fights, robberies and, all too often, shootings.

The bill would address this by empowering the police to declare 1,000-square-foot areas drug-free zones for five days, whereupon officers would issue notices declaring it unlawful to congregate in them for the purpose of using, buying or selling drugs. Police would have the authority to disperse anyone whom they see, say, exchanging small packages or otherwise behaving in a way that police reasonably consider related to drug-dealing or usage.

Undoubtedly, any such criteria could be susceptible to abuse. Melissa Wasser, the American Civil Liberties Union’s D.C. policy counsel, has argued that “allowing officers to … harass people in designated zones will not make D.C. safer” and that “the District can’t make it a crime to simply stand around.” Similar concerns led the council in 2014 to take away from police the authority to declare drug-free zones, though the version of the law in force at the time had not been successfully challenged in court. As a council member, Ms. Bowser was one of those who voted in the majority on that bill. But she had a change of heart in response to new realities; D.C. needs a drug-free zone law, she said in October, to stop an “emerging trend” of drug-dealing along prominent corridors such as H Street NE and Chinatown.

The proposal before the council appropriately balances public safety and constitutional concerns. To assuage concerns about the power being misused, Ms. Pinto added language specifying that police cannot target people who are waiting in line for medical services, such as near a methadone clinic, or at their home.

Meanwhile, the decline of Gallery Place shows the quality-of-life deterioration that a brazen drug trade in a central commercial area — or anywhere in the city, for that matter — can breed. The Metro station’s exits often reek of marijuana. It’s common to see people buying and selling drugs under the Chinatown arch. Before he signed a deal to move the Capitals and Wizards to Virginia, Monumental Sports founder Ted Leonsis and his representatives repeatedly complained about these illicit transactions outside Capital One Arena.

Drug-free zones, used properly, are an appropriate tool to reclaim public spaces and help revitalize downtown Washington. Assuming the public safety committee passes the bill on Wednesday, the full council will take it up next week. The mayor says she’ll sign it. Along with the rest of the bill, drug-free zones wouldn’t be a panacea for D.C.’s crime problem, but they would be a step in the right direction.

The Post’s View | About the Editorial Board

Editorials represent the views of The Post as an institution, as determined through discussion among members of the Editorial Board, based in the Opinions section and separate from the newsroom.

Members of the Editorial Board: Opinion Editor David Shipley, Deputy Opinion Editor Charles Lane and Deputy Opinion Editor Stephen Stromberg, as well as writers Mary Duenwald, Christine Emba, Shadi Hamid, David E. Hoffman, James Hohmann, Heather Long, Mili Mitra, Eduardo Porter, Keith B. Richburg and Molly Roberts.

Washington, D.C

Texas man indicted in shooting near Washington Monument that left bystander hurt

Published

6 hours ago

May 30, 2026

Press Room

Texas man indicted in shooting near Washington Monument that left bystander hurt

WASHINGTON (DC News Now) — A Texas man accused of shooting at a United States Secret Service agent near the Washington Monument earlier this month has been indicted on federal charges, the Justice Department announced Friday.

A federal grand jury indicted 45-year-old Michael Marx with “assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers using a dangerous weapon” and “using, carrying, possessing, brandishing, and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence,” in connection with the May 4 incident, in which a stray bullet struck a teenage bystander.

“Today’s indictment reflects the gravity of the defendant’s actions on one of the most heavily visited public spaces in the nation,” U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said Friday, in part. “The evidence shows Marx not only carried an illegal firearm into DC, but he fired it at uniformed officers, wounding an innocent teenage bystander who was simply visiting the National Mall with his family on a spring afternoon.”

Authorities previously charged Marx with assaulting federal officers with a dangerous weapon, using and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence, and unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

According to court documents, an undercover Secret Service agent initially noticed Marx trying to conceal a gun on the right side of his body near 15th Street and Madison Drive NW shortly after 3:30 p.m. on the afternoon of the shooting.

At the same time, the motorcade for Vice President J.D. Vance was leaving the White House, passing through the area just up the street.

Uniformed Secret Service officers arrived to provide backup, finding Marx along the path of Vance’s motorcade. The attorney’s office said officers began to give the Texas man verbal commands, but he started running through a crosswalk and eventually fired at one of the agents as he reached the sidewalk.

The bullet struck the teenage bystander, who was walking behind the agent, in the leg, according to the DOJ.

Agents quickly returned fire, striking Marx in the hand, left arm, and upper body, according to court documents.

Court documents state that agents used Marx’s Texas driver’s license, which he was carrying, to identify him as the gunman. Investigators also identified various aliases Marx allegedly went by, including Patrick Michael and Michael Zavici.

While in the hospital, he allegedly made statements to officers, including ”F— the White House,” and “kill me, kill me, kill me,” the DOJ noted in a release.

Police found a Sig Sauer P365 handgun loaded with 9mm ammunition from the street where Marx fell.

Source link

Washington, D.C

Storm Team4 Forecast: May ends with sunshine and clear skies

Published

16 hours ago

May 30, 2026

Press Room

Storm Team4 Forecast: May ends with sunshine and clear skies

4 things to know about the weather:

Abundant sunshine
Temps slightly cooler than average
No rain in sight — again
Mid-week warmup

May is drawing to a dry, comfortable close, in stunning contrast to the very soggy Memorial Day weather we saw last weekend.

That 10-day stretch of rain put a definite dent in our drought, according to the weekly national drought monitor, but it seems that was the end of the improvement for a while: There’s almost no clouds in sight for the DMV for several days.

Enjoy the many hours of sunshine on Saturday. The high pressure coming in from the Hudson Bay brings a stiff north wind, but the day will also be sunny and comfortable, with highs in the mid 70s.

Download the NBC Washington app on iOS and Android to check the weather radar on the go.

The wind will die down after dark, and Sunday morning will be bordering on chilly. Expect widespread mid/upper 40s in most of the D.C. area, with urban centers and bayside communities staying just above 50°. Sunday afternoon will be just a bit warmer, in the mid 70s, but with far less of a breeze.

Highs will be back around 80° for Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, with overnight lows in the comfy 50s. It’ll be a perfect start to meteorological summer (June/July/August).