That tumultuous day followed another one for Cuellar, who on Monday evening joined the ranks of the 760 carjacking victims this year in D.C. His entry came courtesy of what he described as three “young-looking” men in ski masks with drawn guns in his Southeast D.C. neighborhood. Turmoil in the halls of Congress? No match to our nation’s capital’s experience with violent crime.
Of the 114 carjacking arrests this year? Sixty-four percent have involved juveniles. And note: 760 carjackings to date are more than twice the number at this time last year. Only 189 cases have been closed.
Because of Cuellar’s congressional status, the Capitol Police and FBI have joined the hunt for the three masked culprits. “We have a number of leads,” said Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said, “We are certainly grateful and relieved that the congressman was unharmed.” And Cuellar said President Biden called to “check up on me.”
It is uncertain whether any of the hundreds of other D.C. carjacking victims have received calls from their elected leaders. It might not matter much. But Cuellar’s neighbors said they hope his experience will bring attention to how D.C. is dealing with crime, with one saying, “I hope it brings some light, some pressure on the mayor … whoever needs to get started down here because it’s getting bad. It is bad.”
Circling back to Congress, it’s worth noting that Cuellar was among the handful of Democrats and majority of House Republicans who voted on Feb. 9 to overturn the D.C. Council-passed criminal code reforms, which would have lowered maximum penalties for several violent criminal offenses, including carjackings. D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) was on Cuellar’s side. She vetoed the measure but was overridden 12-1 by the council.
Which is connected to the current moment because D.C. Council member Brooke Pinto (D-Ward 2), chairwoman of the Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety, plans to push legislation to make it easier to charge carjacking suspects. With its D.C. oversight responsibilities, Congress might reenter the picture.
Yet more needs to be done.
Bowser’s announcement Thursday that a multiagency task force had arrested 48 people and recovered guns from three marks a step in getting violent offenders off the streets. For how long? Only judges know. Many of those arrested were on supervised release or probation. With that many offenders committing violations while under supervision, what does that say about the reality of justice in D.C.?
Increasing numbers of the city’s residents and visitors are being victimized and traumatized by violent crime, as Pinto has observed. And increasing numbers of juveniles are involved. We must drill down into the juvenile justice system and look at what’s driving the crime, who’s committing it and, most important, what happens to them after they are convicted.
And that involves looking beyond the processes of catching and sentencing.
“Hurt people hurt people” is an insightful adage. Here’s the rest: “Because they, too, have been hurt.” It’s a lesson I learned along the way as a listener to those hurt by crime and those who victimize. It’s a lesson I also learned as a mentor. Hurt people hurt people, and they will keep doing damage until halted and healed. Juvenile justice system, are you listening?
Be assured, the impact of this week’s Washington collisions involving Cuellar, and the rest of us, will reverberate for a long time to come. Will Washington, from the Capitol to our communities, be the worse for wear?
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