Why are citizens of Ward 6 leading a recall effort of Charles Allen?
- Chair of Judiciary and Public Safety Committee (2017-2022)
- DC Criminal Code Rewrite
- Rise in organized Retail crime and Theft
- Increase in Violent Crime
Chair of Judiciary and Public Safety Committee (2017-2022)
In his tenure as Chair of Judiciary and Public Safety Committee (2017-2022), Charles Allen has systematically undermined the criminal justice and public safety system that made DC one of the safest big cities in America for more than a decade. Now, DC has one of the highest reported violent crime rates in the entire country, with 812 violent crimes per 100,000 people.
Instead of protecting the city, Charles Allen led the charge to open the jail doors and let out violent criminals – carjackers and people convicted of gun crimes – which directly led to the skyrocketing increase in violent crime rates. By expanding the Youth Rehabilitation Act, he reduced prison sentences and set-aside criminal convictions for those up to 24 years old when the crime was committed, releasing those offenders back onto city streets.
With DC residents increasingly afraid to come out of their homes, Charles Allen expanded the Second Look Act, allowing for the reduction of prison sentences for violent offenders who committed their crimes under the age of 25.
While violent crime soared in every ward of the District, instead of reforming the police department and giving it the tools needed to do its job, Charles Allen used his Chairmanship of the Judiciary and Public Safety Committee to slash the police department budget. Under Charles Allen’s “leadership” the MPD’s budget was cut by $15 million dollars. Charles Allen bragged about reducing the number of police officers on the beat while he denied the remaining officers the equipment that they need to protect themselves and the public. Due to these cuts, there are almost 500 fewer officers in the Metropolitan Police Department today, leaving areas understaffed and unprotected.
DC Criminal Code Rewrite
More recently, Charles Allen authored the 2023 rewrite of the DC Criminal Code, which was so radical and extreme that both Mayor Bowser and President Biden rejected it because it reduced jail time for the very crimes that were skyrocketing.
Rise in Organized Retail Crime and Theft
Pharmacies and grocery stores in many neighborhoods are shutting their doors and locking up products due to theft and gang-related organized crime. This unchecked crime is hurting the underserved communities that Charles Allen professes to want to protect.
Increase in Violent Crime
While many other major cities in the US have reduced their violent crime rates, DC has become an outlier as crime continues to spike.
