Dear Ward 8 Residents,

Living in Ward 8, we face tremendous challenges in violent crimes. We need to balance our long-term goal of addressing the root causes of crime while finding a way to hold young people and adults accountable in the short-term. 

Since my time on the Council, I have tried to ring the alarm about safety in our city. I have sought ways to support legislation that would create a comprehensive approach to addressing crime in the District and treat it as a public health emergency. 

Yesterday, I supported emergency legislation introduced by Councilmember Brooke Pinto because we cannot maintain our current levels of violent crime.

Some of the measures included in this bill would:

• Create a new offense of "Endangerment with a Firearm," which makes it a felony for someone to fire a gun in public.
• Increase police access to camera footage to close cases by expanding the private security camera rebate program.
• Make misdemeanor arrest warrants extraditable outside of DC – meaning that if a judge finds good cause, a warrant for a DC misdemeanor can be executed for these offenses even if the accused person is outside the District.
•  Allow GPS-monitored ankle bracelets owned by DC's Pretrial Services Agency to be used in court to be admissible in court.
• Allow District judges more flexibility to hold people with past violent offenses in jail pending any trial for new violent crimes, including juveniles. This change responds to the data showing several repeat offenders rearrested for a violent crime while on pretrial. 

I want to thank Councilmember Pinto for leaving out the Mayor's proposed changes to IRAA and a significant expansion of youth detention.  

We must continue supporting programs like Pathways and Peace Academy because we know they are working to solve the root issue. Another program making significant strides is the Oasis program at the Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services.

Oasis is a 16-week enrichment program for youth ages 10-14 that offers yearly mentorship. The program works with youth preemptively, enrolling young people who are the siblings of DYRS-committed youth and/or who are demonstrating at-risk behaviors but have never been involved directly with the juvenile system.

We must continue to do more to increase safety in our city while working to address the root causes of gun violence and violent crimes. 

It is a pleasure to serve as your Councilmember for Ward 8. I will continue to work with my team throughout summer recess to develop more ways to combat violence in our city. 

Stay safe, 

Trayon White, Sr.
Councilmember, Ward 8 

During the Legislative Meeting on Tuesday, July 11, Councilmember White praised the District for creating programs that have been proactive in creating programs for at-risk, or now known as "at-potential", youth, such as Pathways and Peace Academy. 

However, he took the time to highlight one program in particular: the Oasis program with the Department of Youth and Rehabilitation Services (DYRS), which falls under the Committee on Recreation, Libraries and Youth Affairs.

The Oasis program takes a cohort of 10 boys and 10 girls between the ages of 10 and 14 years old and places them in a 16-week enrichment program and gives them a mentor for an entire year. These students are either the siblings of committed DYRS youth or are students who have had behavioral issues in school. None of the students selected have ever been involved directly with the juvenile system, but due to these factors, are students who could potentially be. Fortunately, Oasis grabs them preemptively. Thus far, the program is at Kramer Middle School, one of our Ward 8 schools, and Kelly Miller Middle School in Ward 7, both of which have a sizable population of at-potential youth. 

Councilmember White was able to speak to the first cohort of students for this program at Kramer and was impressed with the program. There has already been an uptick seen in academic performance and attendance by the students and this is just the beginning. Councilmember White believes that it is imperative that we increase our investment and attention into maintaining and expanding programs like this.