The city council for Washington, D.C. overwhelmingly voted to override Mayor Muriel Bowser's (D) veto of their soft-on-crime bill that gives criminals little more than slaps on the wrists for serious crimes.
The fight over the bill comes as the nation's capital is dealing with the effects of high crime and a undermanned police department. The council voted 12-1 to override the veto, as the bill has been heavily criticized for eliminating most mandatory minimum sentences, along with allowing jury trials in almost all misdemeanor cases. Other serious crimes that will have lesser penalties include burglary, robbery, carjacking, sexual assault, and illegally carrying a gun.
JUST IN: in a 12-1 vote, DC Council votes to override Mayor Bowser’s veto of the revised criminal code.
— Heather Graf (@Heather7News) January 17, 2023
Note: the Revised Criminal Code Act won’t take effect until Oct. 2025.
Councilmember Trayon White was the only “no” vote. pic.twitter.com/zIowsVcW3Z
"The Mayor is the only elected official listening to District residents on crime and violence. The law, once enacted, will lead to violent crime rates exploding even more than they already have. It's reprehensible that the Council would smugly continue to support failed policies at the expense of the lives of our most vulnerable residents," D.C. Police Union Chairman Greggory Pemberton said in a statement.
.@DCPoliceUnion responds to the D.C. Council overriding @MayorBowser’s RCCA veto today. https://t.co/m1Ixn7WCGS pic.twitter.com/MRqNGLx1pn
— Stephanie Ramirez (@RamirezReports) January 17, 2023
With having 203 homicides in 2022, it means Washington, D.C. has had two years in a row with over 200 murders since 2003. Carjackings, with a number being perpetrated by minors, have also skyrocketed in recent years.