Gangs On the Rise
The ebb and flow of MS-13 in Washington, D.C.
Today is just a normal day in D.C, you open the paper to read the daily news as you always do. On the front page you see a story about a recent murder where a man was stabbed over 140 times. This has become the norm with the recent MS-13 gang activity in D.C.. It does not even phase your morning. With each paper comes another news story of some gang violence in the D.C. area. This process is never ending and seems to just continue on. What is being done? Are any measures being taken to combat this problem? Will the gang violence ever be solved? Each of these are valid questions that beg to be answered but is there any real solution? Over the past few years D.C. has gone through a crisis in gang violence, especially with a gang known as MS-13. With innocent lives being taken many people are beginning to believe this is a huge problem. Gang violence has been a problem in D.C. for awhile now. It started about 20 years ago in 1999 and declined for some time. But now it has come back within the past 5 years. This time it is much worse than before. With news headlines each week talking about another murder or multiple murders the tension is growing in Northern Virginia, D.C. and Maryland area. Recently, D.C. has put a target on MS-13, police and the national government have begun to crackdown and attempt to attack this problem head-on.
Over the course of the past 20 years the D.C. area has been home to more than its fair share of gang violence. The problem has fluctuated over the years but as of late it does not appear to be slowing down. The majority of this violence can be seen from the increased gang activity in the area. With the increase in gang activity in the area, one can see a steady rise in homicides and other related acts of violence. In 2018 alone there were “114 homicides total in the city,” (Delgadillo). According to Delgadillo, this is a 39% increase from 2017. These numbers are also limited to D.C., and doesn’t even include surrounding activity in Northern Virginia and Maryland. Since the nation’s capital is theoretically the most protected area in the nation, this is definitely a cause for concern. These numbers have fluctuated greatly with, “a high of 262 in 2002 to a low of 88 in 2012,” (Delgadillo). Although, she believes they are on the rise again and increasing each year. The low seen in 2012 is the only year that D.C. has seen below 100 homicides since 1999, according to King.
MS-13 has been growing exponentially in D.C. over the past 5 years especially after going stagnant for the majority of the 2000’s. One FBI agent said that MS-13 is “much more violent than ever,” (Massimo). This increase in violence has been seen throughout D.C. in homicides, other related crimes, and violence. There were three murders associated with MS-13 in Northern Virginia where there were over 30 gang members charged with connection to the separate murders. There are plenty of stories that have been reported on Fox 5 that talk about the gang violence in the area. These range from a body found in a makeshift grave to a victim stabbed over 140 times in a park. Each of which is gang related violence and caused difficulty identifying the bodies because of the gruesomeness.
Since coming into office, President Trump has made it a primary goal to attack gang violence and illegal immigration. Members of MS-13 are typically illegal immigrants that have come to America solely to participate in the gang. President Trump has been calling for a crackdown specifically on MS-13 and has even called to Congress for funding. According to the Washington Post, since Trump has come into office the amount of killings and violence has decreased. Although one FBI agent attributed this to the “presence of officials in the area,” (Editorial Board). There are many factors that can be looked at as to how the government is attacking gang violence. Many of the methods that are used are increase in funding, as well as an increase in police presence and size, (King). With increased funding in D.C. has also come an initiative for safe neighborhoods. Many members of Congress have looked at ways of making safety of residents the top priority. D.C. has started to model their new form of safety after other cities where this initiative has worked. According to Colbert King, D.C. has adopted the “Neighborhood Engagement Achieves Act, which provides for a wide range of public safety initiatives that seek to identify and address the root causes of crime,” (King). Since this act has been put into place there has been $8.2 million put into the program to help create safety, through many forms. Some of which include resources to those who were victims of crime, police reforms to improve relations with citizens; a Community Crime Prevention Team aimed at identifying individuals with mental illnesses or substance abuse who may be more likely to create violence. This act has worked in other areas and is why D.C. has begun to put it into place since 2016.
The last major problem that must be identified in D.C. related to gang violence is the illegal gun sentence. D.C. has strict laws pertaining to owning guns, although not for sentencing those with illegal guns. The District of Columbia Sentencing Commission voted to “decrease sentences for felons convicted of illegally possessing a gun in the district,” (King). This allows repeat offenders of illegal guns to be able to be back on the streets and selling guns sooner. Which in turn allows for members of gangs — such as MS-13 — to have access to illegal guns easier and quicker. D.C. has responded poorly and many officials such as police officers and judges are asking for a change in the law. The D.C. police chief wrote a letter to the Washington Post complaining about the recent bill saying “repeat offenders who have committed gun crimes will be back on the street sooner [. . .] endangering our community,” (King). To top off the whole problem, D.C. is not making it a top priority to change the problem, but rather making prostitution and prisoners at the top of their list. Prostitution has recently become decriminalized in D.C. and it was not done without a load of backlash. With prisoners, D.C. has recently passed a bill moving inmates closer to home, since D.C. does not have a prison most are sent away (McFarlane). Both of these bills have been put at the top of the list for reform over the illegal gun laws which have the majority of backlash in D.C..
This wicked problem that D.C. currently finds themselves in seems to be continuing on. Although, with the use of the new techniques that have just recently started this could possibly turn around. The use of more police officers and officials in the area has begun to decrease the amount of homicides tied to MS-13. The other programs that have been put into place could also begin to see their effects come into place with increased funding for safe neighborhoods. The only factor that could limit the growth D.C. has seen with this issue would be the gun laws. These laws may provide more illegal guns on the streets and in the hands of MS-13, who are finding no problem in getting them. With the future not known yet, MS-13 and gang violence that D.C. has seen could possibly be solved at one point with a few more measures taken to assure safety.
Works Cited
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1KaNUztVpQRRFqROiZcuqnuLyEZl0RPQ_qgrcVwOMKyQ/edit?usp=sharing
