Frustration with gun violence has led some residents in Washington DC to cautiously consider federal assistance, even as many remain wary of President Donald Trump’s deployment of National Guard troops to combat a surge in youth crime. The temporary takeover of the city’s police department by federal forces has drawn criticism from locals who fear a lack of accountability.
Dylan Whitehorn, a barber known as “Mr D the Barber,” expressed concern while giving free back-to-school haircuts at a neighbourhood carnival. “It’s really been heartbreaking to see it,” he said. “And to hear Donald Trump tell [federal officers] do what you want. You know, that kind of gasses them up, because they pretty much know or feel like they can gun you down, and there won’t be any accountability for that.”
Trump has called for teens as young as 14 to be charged as adults for certain crimes in DC, citing an alleged assault on a former staffer. US Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro echoed this, pushing to lower the age of criminal responsibility. However, minors fall under the jurisdiction of the local DC attorney general, not Pirro’s office, which handles adult felonies.
Juvenile justice advocates argue that DC’s current system ensures accountability without incarcerating minors in adult facilities. But some residents, like Will Scales, a parent of three, support stricter measures. “If you out here killing then, yeah, you can serve adult time,” he said. “The punishment should be appropriate.”
Data from the DC Policy Center shows the juvenile arrest rate in Washington DC is nearly double the national average, with over 1,120 juvenile arrests from January to June this year, accounting for roughly 7% of all arrests. The Metropolitan Police Department has not released juvenile arrest data during the federal operation, citing its twice-yearly reporting schedule.
City officials stress that prosecution alone is not the solution. Last year, the local attorney general’s office prosecuted over 84% of violent juvenile offences, including homicide and gun possession, while also supporting diversion programmes for eligible minors.
