DC resident tells Washington Post city is safe after outlet grants him anonymity for safety

A Washington, D.C., resident told The Washington Post Monday that the city is “safe,” but that same person also asked for anonymity over “concerns of personal safety.”

President Donald Trump announced Monday the deployment of the National Guard to D.C. to combat crime, following a series of attacks that have gone viral online. In an article arguing that data shows crime in D.C. and nationwide is “declining,” The Post spoke to local residents about ongoing issues, as gunshots were reported over the weekend among a group of teens.

One anonymous man described D.C. as “a safe city” but said it is “disturbing” to overhear and witness gang threats and to watch “camera footage of the thuggery.” The resident said he saw the reported groups of teens “roaming the street” over the weekend as they appeared to be “checking for unlocked cars and things to steal.”

According to the outlet, the local resident spoke to The Post “on the condition of anonymity over concerns of personal safety.”

“The language Trump uses to describe D.C. is wrong,” the anonymous resident told The Post, “but clearly there is something bad going on that needs to stop.”

On Saturday, a minor was arrested as the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) said a shooting occurred in the Navy Yard, according to ABC7 News. The incident comes after Trump took to Truth Social on Tuesday to call out crime in the nation’s capital.

“Local ‘youths’ and gang members, some only 14, 15, and 16 years old, are randomly attacking, mugging, maiming, and shooting innocent Citizens, at the same time knowing that they will be almost immediately released,” Trump wrote. “They are not afraid of Law Enforcement because they know nothing ever happens to them, but it’s going to happen now!”

In addition to his statement, the president posted a photo of a “recent victim” sitting on the ground covered in blood. An MPD police report obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation found that one of the victims in the attack was a staff member of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), Edward Coristine, also known online as “Big Balls.”

According to officials, early on Aug. 3, Coristine and another individual were reportedly standing near their vehicle.

Coristine said he saw the suspects approach, with MPD’s press release saying the suspects then demanded the victims’ vehicle. Concerned for her safety, the DOGE member pushed the second victim into the vehicle and turned to confront the suspects. By the time MPD arrived, police estimated 10 individuals had fled, with two eventually caught and arrested.

Officials said that a 15-year-old juvenile male and a 15-year-old juvenile female from Hyattsville, Md., were arrested and charged with unarmed carjacking.

The attack on the former DOGE member comes after Republican intern Eric Tarpinian-Jachym was fatally shot in the city on June 30. The killing of Tarpinian-Jachym also followed the fatal shooting of two Israeli Embassy staff members as they were killed near the Capital Jewish Museum in D.C.

While Democrats and legacy media pundits have said that the city’s crime has decreased 35% in 2024, citing local police data, the statistics leave out crimes such as felony and aggravated assault. In July, MPD said an investigation was opened against D.C. police Commander Michael Pulliam for allegedly altering crime statistics in his district, according to NBC Washington.

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