Despite those who believe otherwise, the District has experienced a significant decrease in violent crime in recent years, due partly to what local officials credit as the passage of emergency public safety legislation , and subsequently the Secure D.C. and Peace D.C. omnibus bills .

Such legislation, in turn, has caused the D.C. jail population to reach levels some advocates find unsustainable amid a staffing shortage . That’s why, for Connisea O’Neal, the Trump administration’s takeover of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) has sparked concern about what’s to come for those currently under custody of the D.C. Department of Corrections (DOC).

“I just pray for my Black young brothers,” said O’Neal, a D.C. resident and mother, as she reflected on President Donald J. Trum

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