Mayor Muriel Bowser wants to resurrect an old policy targeting open-air drug markets to help stem rising crime. She claims marijuana and other drug trades on the street are "fueling violence" in D.C.
What Are Drug-Free Zones?
As laid out in Bowser’s proposed “Addressing Crime Trends Now Act,” the zones are areas of town that currently see high drug trade traffic, so with the new policy, police would patrol them for five days at a time to prevent people from gathering to buy illegal drugs. But the big catch? Bowser’s administration hasn’t specified what areas of the city we’re talking about.
Getting Déjà Vu?
That’s because Bowser is recycling a 1996 law that was repealed ten years ago for being “likely unconstitutional.” The proposal is a callback to a 90s-era crackdown on open-air drug markets during D.C.’s bloodiest era. However, violent crime today doesn’t appear to be as tied to drugs as it once was.
Washington Post reporter Meagan Flynn explains, “They say this [proposal] is going to nip crime in the bud. But, it really remains to be seen how effective it would be given how different things are nowadays.”
Members of the public listen to then-acting D.C. police chief Pamela Smith, and Mayor Muriel Bowser, conduct a news conference on The Addressing Crime Trends Now Act. (Tom Williams/Getty Images)
Bring In the Critics
Those against the proposal say it will just move drug activity to different areas or online, where a lot of sales already take place. Plus, they say, it could give police more opportunity to inappropriately profile people that “look suspicious”, Flynn told us. Bowser’s administration says it has reviewed the concerns and are confident the bill is constitutional.
What’s Next?
Bowser asked for expedited consideration by D.C. Council. We can expect to see a committee vote and a full council vote early next year.
P.S. We’re going to be doing a D.C. crime-in-review episode before the end of the year. What questions do you have?
