D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser plans to propose anti-crime measures that would loosen some reforms enacted after the police killing of George Floyd, reported Axios.
Why it matters: In the heat of a crime
wave, it would mark a U-turn for the Democratic city on policing reform,
likely pitting Bowser against progressive council members.
Driving the news: Bowser's forthcoming bill
would empower police to declare "drug-free zones" across the city for
five-day spans, according to a preview of the legislation obtained by Axios.
The measure is an effort to outlaw congregating in public spaces for the
"purchase, sale, or use of illegal drugs."
Retail theft would carry stiffer penalties, via a
new crime for "directing organized retail theft."
Wearing a mask while committing a crime would be
outlawed again.
The legislation also revises the definition of a
police chokehold. It would clarify the "distinction between a serious use
of force and incidental contact with the neck," according to the preview
text.
Bowser's office declined to comment on the new
legislation ahead of the announcement.
Context: D.C. repealed its anti-mask law —
which bans wearing a mask to commit a crime, intimidate, or threaten people, or
cause fear — in the post-George Floyd reforms.
Meanwhile, President Biden earlier this
year vetoed an attempt by congressional Republicans to ease
the city's chokehold ban. (Police chokeholds were made illegal in D.C.
in 1985, but the D.C. Council in recent years broadened the definition to make
it more strict.)
The big picture: The tough-on-crime proposal
comes while crime is up in D.C. — unlike other big cities where violence has declined.
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