Last year, I first proposed to my husband the idea of allowing our preteen daughter to ride the Washington, DC, Metro alone. She wants to take Irish dance classes in the city, and a weekly drive in from the Maryland suburbs is too much for the family schedule.

Then came story after story of stabbings, gang violence, and even a shooting on the Metro.

My proposal went back on the shelf.

We moved to the DC suburbs because of its proximity to the best our nation’s capital has to offer. I frequently take our six kids into the city to explore the Smithsonian museums, attend performances at the Kennedy Center, and soak up the living civics lesson that is Washington, DC.

But in recent years, that promise has begun to unravel.

The Metro stations that once filled us with civic pride now fill us

See Full Page