OPINION:
A shakeup in the way the District deals with lawbreakers is overdue. The latest statistics show murders and muggings are declining, but it’s still unsafe to walk the streets in the dark. The White House redoubled its interest in finding a solution following an incident affecting one of its own on Sunday night.
Nineteen-year-old Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) staffer Edward Coristine was escorting a lady friend to her car in Northwest D.C. when a gang of ten marauders descended. Mr. Coristine, better known by his online moniker “Big Balls,” pushed his companion into the shelter of the car while he faced down the thugs alone.
“The suspects demanded the victim’s vehicle and then assaulted one of the victims,” D.C. Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) reported. As soon as a patrol car pulled up, the bandits scattered. Officers were only able to nab a pair of 15-year-olds who will be charged with attempted carjacking.
Marko Elez, another DOGE staffer, snapped a photo of his bloodied colleague sitting on a curb after the ambush to bring attention to the broader public policy implications of what happened.
“Crime in Washington, D.C., is out of control,” President Trump wrote on Truth Social. The president directed the city to update its ordinances so juveniles as young as 14 who commit violent crimes are tried as adults. He threatened to “federalize the city” if nothing is done and anarchy persists.
This would restore the capital to its proper constitutional status. As the seat of government, Washington was never intended to operate independently. The Founders gave Congress sway over the city to avoid the possibility of local officials exerting undue influence over federal lawmakers — especially when it comes to dealing with threats to their safety.
Home rule has failed to improve lives. Hundreds of local families and visitors are touched by tragedy every year thanks to reckless “defund the police”-style initiatives. Last month, a 21-year-old congressional intern was killed in a senseless drive-by shooting near the Mount Vernon Square Metro station.
Tamara Jachym, the victim’s mother, told Fox News Digital that “The [D.C.] council needs to work with the federal government and stop this stuff and stop their pettiness. Get the money to hire the cops, to pay them the overtime, to get more people on the force.”
The quickest way to pacify D.C.’s thoroughfares is to force the federal city to recognize the fundamental right of the people to keep and bear arms. Hoodlums understand their prey can’t fight back because the city continues to infringe on the Second Amendment with convoluted registration burdens and carry restrictions designed to guarantee law-abiding residents are helpless against the outlawry.
Cancel no-cash bail and shut the justice system’s revolving door. Adolescent highwaymen plunder innocent shopkeepers and pedestrians expecting liberal D.C. judges will wink at the misconduct and spring them within hours. On Monday, Mr. Trump met with his new U.S. Attorney, Jeanine Pirro, to discuss the steps needed to abolish this indulgence.
“We talked about crime in the nation’s capita l… and the president is very serious about making sure as the prosecutor here, that we not only fight crime with a vengeance, but make sure there are consequences, make sure that we protect the victims and we make the criminals accountable,” Ms. Pirro said in a video posted to X.
The nation’s capital should be a model for other cities, not an embarrassment. D.C.’s consequence-free attitude toward hooliganism must end.
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