Trump expected to sign executive order cracking down on homelessness, public safety in DC

Yahoo

14-02-2025

WASHINGTON () — In the District, President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order cracking down on public safety and beautification.
The order was on by The Washington Post and could include directives to clear homeless encampments, clean graffiti and for prosecutors to pursue harsher penalties for violent crimes.
'We need our elected officials to stop kicking people when they're down,' said Jesse Rabinowitz, who is the campaign and communications director for the National Homelessness Law Center.
Rabinowitz said he and other advocates are greatly concerned about the looming order.
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'We know during the campaign [Trump] talked about rounding up homeless people and forcing them into detention camps and we're worried this is the first step in that plan,' he said.
He also disagreed with the notion of clearing encampments as a way to address homelessness.
'These encampment clearings are dangerous. They're violent and they cost a lot of money and they make it harder to solve homelessness,' said Rabinowitz. 'When people are displaced from their communities, their belongings are thrown away, they lose their prescription, their medicine, the things they need to go to work. And all they do is push people away from services.'
Earlier this week, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said she had been in discussion with the Trump administration, but that she did not have any specific details on what the executive order could include.
'I know the President is very focused on beautification issues,' said Bowser.
In terms of addressing homelessness, the mayor noted that D.C. has its own policies and procedures for clearing camps and connecting those experiencing homelessness with services.
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'We are a city that has shelter for people who are on the streets and we want them inside, absolutely,' she said. 'We try to work with our residents to get them to a place where they want to be inside. We have also always worked with the federal government. Sometimes their policies have differed from ours.'
In terms of addressing crime, Bowser pointed to a 31% decrease in violent crime year to date.
'We can't take our foot off the gas and we want to continue to drive down crime,' she said.
Bowser said is supportive of an effort that focuses on prosecuting gun crime.
'Any time I talk to anyone in the federal government I ask them to focus on gun crimes, gun offenders, people who use guns, felons in possession of guns and make sure there is consistent prosecution of gun crimes in the District. I think that makes a huge difference,' she said.
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