For Nasia Israel, President Donald Trump’s vow to crack down on D.C. crime in the wake of an alleged attack on a former DOGE employee stirs mixed emotions.
“It comes at their front door, and now you wanna do something about it?” she asked.
Two years ago, her brother Reggie Brown was brutally beaten to death on Georgia Avenue NW by five girls, ages 12 to 15. Brown was battling cancer and weighed just 110 pounds.
“Where were you politicians, where were you? Where was the president. Where were you people at when all these people here in D.C., all these mothers’ children been killed in the streets by juveniles, being carjacked by juveniles?” Israel asked.
The girls who attacked Brown were all tried and found responsible as juveniles. Under D.C. law, juvenile offenders can only be held until they’re 21, so the girls all will get out within the next few years.
Israel said she wants D.C. crime penalties to be tougher so that juveniles who commit murder can be held for life. At the same time, she said she worries about the increase in federal law enforcement patrols and the possibility of police brutality.
“It’s just a little too much. Just need to change the laws. You don’t need more people coming in killing,” she said.
Another relative of a crime victim told News4 he’s happy about the idea of a bigger federal police presence.
“The mayor seems not to have enough control of the activities that are arising,” Bernard Brown said.
His 3-year-old granddaughter Ty’ah Settles was shot and killed last year while riding in her family’s car in Garfield Heights. The case still hasn’t been solved. D.C. police and the FBI are both offering rewards for information.
Brown said he doesn’t want to see D.C. police federalized in the long term. But for now he agrees they need help from outside agencies.
“I don’t like the idea of the takeover but I like the idea of getting some structure,” he said.
He said he believes more mental health services are crucial for addressing violence as crime in the District continues to be in the national spotlight.
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