In an effort to defend her leadership after President Donald Trump took back control of Washington D.C. Monday, Mayor Muriel Bowser made a number of claims devoid of fact.
"Washington, DC is a beautiful city. DC is home to 700K people and welcomes millions every year. We have the #1 park system, fantastic public schools, and a tremendous public transportation system. And we are at a 30-year low in violent crime. It's important for all who live here and visit to know how beautiful our city is and how proud we are of all that we've accomplished," Bowser said.
First, D.C. crime is not at a "30 year low" and the stats are being cooked to produce that narrative.
"A D.C. police commander is under investigation for allegedly making changes to crime statistics in his district. The Metropolitan Police Department confirmed Michael Pulliam was placed on paid administrative leave in mid-May. That happened just a week after Pulliam filed an equal employment opportunity complaint against an assistant chief and the police union accused the department of deliberately falsifying crime data, according to three law enforcement sources familiar with the complaint," local NBC 4 Washington reports. "The union claims police supervisors in the department manipulate crime data to make it appear violent crime has fallen considerably compared to last year."
Second, D.C. does not have "fantastic public schools." Nearly 70 percent of D.C. students are failing to meeting English literacy and 90 percent are failing to meet math standards.
Here's the data from the District of Columbia Public Schools:
- In ELA, 32.3% of students in grades 3-5 met or exceeded expectations, up from 31.4% the prior year; 36.3% of students in grades 6-8 met or exceeded expectations, down from 36.4% in the prior year; and 33.2% of students in grades 9-12 met or exceeded expectations, down from 33.6% the prior year.
- In math, 28.4% of students in grades 3-5 met or exceeded expectations, down from 28.6% the prior year; 22.2% of students in grades 6-8 met or exceeded expectations, up from 20.6% the prior year; and 11.2% of students in grades 9-12 met or exceeded expectations, up from 10.8% the prior year.
D.C. is a failed state. On crime and on education.
Editor’s Note: President Donald Trump is returning Washington D.C. to the American people by locking up violent criminals and restoring order.
We've covered D.C.'s decay for years. Support us today in our coverage of its comeback.
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