Muriel Bowser, the Democrat mayor of Washington, D. C., on Monday downplayed worries about the state’s higher crime rates.
” Do n’t be so down on D. C.”, Bowser said when asked about the crime surge at the Axios What’s Next Summit Monday night. Bowser, who is in her second term leading the nation’s capital, has faced growing attention over her handling of the state’s crime rise. In 2023, while some cities saw murder rates fall, D. C. saw murders increase by 35 percent, burglaries by 67 percentage, and carjackings by 82 percent.  ,
The governor said murder charges “had a difficult year last year” under her authority, but that crime rates “had started to style in the right direction” in 2024. She said a visitor told her over the weekend that he was surprised D. C. people were thus “down on themselves” considering the state’s vast services and opportunities, according to Axios.
Bowser’s comment came at a time when more and more D.C. firms have relocated or shut down as a result of concerns about crime. In February, favorite veggie area Sticky Fingers Diner closed its doors. The hotel’s owner, Doron Petersan, said,” D. C. has not done enough to make sure that our system is set up so that everyone can run in a safe way, and this is really on the government and the governor”.
