{"id":2476573,"date":"2025-08-20T06:26:02","date_gmt":"2025-08-20T10:26:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/dc-gun-violence-prevention-grants-funded-social-justice-causes\/"},"modified":"2025-08-20T06:29:46","modified_gmt":"2025-08-20T10:29:46","slug":"dc-gun-violence-prevention-grants-funded-social-justice-causes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/dc-gun-violence-prevention-grants-funded-social-justice-causes\/","title":{"rendered":"DC gun violence prevention grants funded social justice causes"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdc-gun-violence-prevention-grants-funded-social-justice-causes%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2476573&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article reports that under Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser,funds intended for gun violence prevention have been granted to various social justice and advocacy organizations. These include groups supporting LGBTQ+ initiatives, transgender youth programs, immigrant justice efforts aimed at resisting deportations, and anti-police activism.Notable recipients include Many Languages One Voice (MLOV), which assists undocumented immigrants and works with Sanctuary DMV, a group advocating defunding the police and prison abolition. <\/p>\n<p>Other funded projects include wellness retreats targeting Black empowerment and a queer-themed gun destruction opera. The Sexual Minority Youth Assistance League (SMYAL) received funding to run an affirming K-8 program for LGBTQ+ youth, which includes gender transition support and mentoring led by a nonbinary educator.<\/p>\n<p>Despite these expenditures, gun violence remains a important problem in the city, with hundreds of gun-related crimes reported this year, notably in high-crime areas like Ward 8. The article highlights controversy over the allocation of these grants, questioning whether they align with the stated goal of directly reducing gun violence in the District. <br \/> <!DOCTYPE html><br \/>\n<?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><html><body><\/p>\n<div id=\"ld-4686-3758\"><\/div>\n<p><script>(function(w,d,s,i){w.ldAdInit=w.ldAdInit||[];w.ldAdInit.push({slot:14832835450050406,size:[0, 0],id:\"ld-4686-3758\"});if(!d.getElementById(i)){var j=d.createElement(s),p=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];j.async=true;j.src=\"https:\/\/cdn2.decide.dev\/_js\/ajs.js\";j.id=i;p.parentNode.insertBefore(j,p);}})(window,document,\"script\",\"ld-ajs\");<\/script><\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">DC gun violence prevention grants funded social justice causes<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2203404\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Under <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/muriel-bowser\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Mayor Muriel Bowser<\/a>, the District of Columbia government has given thousands of dollars in grant money meant to combat gun violence in the nation&rsquo;s crime-ridden capital to an array of social justice causes.<\/p>\n<p>Some of the questionable, taxpayer-funded spending supported an LGBT opera, a transgender youth program, and immigration activists aiding antideportation efforts, a <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> review of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.buildingblocks.dc.gov\/community-grants\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">government grant records<\/a> found.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/crime\/3760831\/dc-crime-crackdown-nets-ms-13-gang-member-as-bondi-declares-capital-safer\/\">DC crime crackdown nets MS-13 gang member as Bondi declares capital &lsquo;safer&rsquo;<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/crime\/3760438\/bret-baier-pulled-over-amid-trump-crackdown-dc-crime\/\">Bret Baier pulled over amid Trump&#8217;s crackdown on DC crime<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/crime\/3760454\/indiana-woman-charged-with-making-death-threats-against-trump\/\">Indiana woman charged with making death threats against Trump<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>For fiscal 2024, the district&rsquo;s Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement awarded <a href=\"https:\/\/onse.dc.gov\/page\/onse-fy24-gun-violence-prevention-mini-grants-overview\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">a batch of &ldquo;mini-grants,&rdquo;<\/a> totaling $135,000, geared toward initiatives that &ldquo;directly contribute to the prevention of gun violence&rdquo; in Washington.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlovdc.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Many Languages One Voice<\/a>, an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlovdc.org\/immigrant-justice\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">immigrant justice<\/a> nonprofit organization <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MLOVDC\/posts\/pfbid02d6r1AUSx95BAFHWGRFS8v4XGoZEbaMqPXc5Hwo3yG4tkMi6Tc5uYeZ9KZraHoxvzl\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">advocating<\/a> the end of immigration detention, was one of 27 groups granted $5,000 each for gun violence prevention programming from the district&rsquo;s public safety office.<\/p>\n<p>MLOV <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MLOVDC\/posts\/pfbid02NJTKkjsUzjRWaVezPnoQHKmU2Y7eCHnCTkFxefwhSwRGkdWsdyomeQkdBJ9jhyRRl\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">partners<\/a> with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SanctuaryDMV\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Sanctuary DMV<\/a>, an &ldquo;anti-imperialist&rdquo; collective seeking to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SanctuaryDMV\/posts\/pfbid02Yiw29GgwgWYKi2EUxhxtAbKnhGhQBqeikahSfALtQL1Sp1bquoS6KB87qmgTnEA5l\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">defund the district&rsquo;s Metropolitan Police Department<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SanctuaryDMV\/posts\/pfbid02b6kjooXRShJNW3b2NLv6XrqpZGsKzCbHh73gQXER4pVfRjhGHPhvFN1KekJaAo7bl\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">abolish all Virginia prisons<\/a>. As part of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SURJNoVa\/posts\/1426689537366462\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">an activism network<\/a>, Sanctuary DMV <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/surjdc\/posts\/420878271595066\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">recruits<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/surjdc\/posts\/506902506325975\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">trains<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SanctuaryDMV\/posts\/pfbid0UJBQe2CxWoYYtJzpVTrHKNsebm5BKgHc6Bk7tv6eNHhoEn7nrBMWQWEoDpE8DNSml\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">dispatches<\/a> rapid responders to disrupt deportation operations in the region.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/crime\/3501573\/one-third-dc-arrests-immigration-related\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>ONE IN THREE DC ARRESTS THIS WEEK WERE IMMIGRATION-RELATED<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Amid mass Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids, the two cohorts took part in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SanctuaryDMV\/posts\/pfbid02djDK5CR18BpGiwWxJheC28TJmSfnCyf7XZqDueMNeEMuuVvkNocQovcgcynvdfzcl\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">a pressure campaign<\/a> demanding that Bowser ensure, per <a href=\"https:\/\/code.dccouncil.gov\/us\/dc\/council\/laws\/23-282\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">sanctuary city policy<\/a>, that the MPD does not cooperate with federal immigration authorities and will defy ICE detainers requesting advance notification of a criminally charged immigrant&rsquo;s release from jail.<\/p>\n<p>MLOV also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlovdc.org\/news\/mlov-immigration-and-sanctuary\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">assists illegal immigrants<\/a> at risk of deportation, accompanying clients to immigration court and connecting them with legal representation. Through training sessions and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlovdc.org\/news\/siso-summer-2018\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">practice scenarios<\/a>, MLOV teaches illegal immigrants what to do when interrogated by ICE.<\/p>\n<p>In the spring of 2024, Bowser <a href=\"https:\/\/mayor.dc.gov\/release\/mayor-bowser-awards-330000-grants-support-community-based-gun-violence-prevention-programs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">distributed<\/a> $330,000 in &ldquo;mini-grants&rdquo; districtwide via the Office of Gun Violence Prevention to 31 community-based programs purportedly aimed at curbing gun-related crimes.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/sharrontendai.my.canva.site\/#home\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Get Her to the B.A.G.<\/a>, or &ldquo;Black Assertive Goals-Getters,&rdquo; a black empowerment group, was awarded $5,000 to host a wealth and tea retreat in Ward 8&rsquo;s Congress Heights, a high-crime Washington neighborhood where <a href=\"https:\/\/crimecards.dc.gov\/all:violent%20crimes\/with%20any%20or%20no%20weapon\/1:year%20to%20date\/in:Ward:8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">38 homicides<\/a> have happened this year, according to MPD data. That is almost 10 times as many murders as <a href=\"https:\/\/crimecards.dc.gov\/all:violent%20crimes\/with%20any%20or%20no%20weapon\/1:year%20to%20date\/in:Ward:2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">in Ward 2<\/a>, home to the National Mall.<\/p>\n<p>According to <a href=\"https:\/\/urbnsocial.com\/these-soul-sisters-create-programs-to-better-the-community\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Urban Social<\/a>, an advertising directory dedicated to &ldquo;black, brown, and indigenous businesses,&rdquo; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@nikkimgthepowerexpert\/video\/7366036485155327275\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Get Her to the B.A.G. retreats<\/a> involve &ldquo;vulva anatomy arts and crafts,&rdquo; lessons about &ldquo;womb health,&rdquo; sound bath meditation, and herbal tea samples.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/shorts\/Po5a2I6Vbco\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Since 2023<\/a>, Get Her to the B.A.G. has received a total of $40,000, including two $15,000 &ldquo;mini-plus grants,&rdquo; in gun violence prevention funding for these &ldquo;B.A.G. Girl Summer&rdquo; wellness summits.<\/p>\n<p>In 2023, one of the $5,000 gun violence prevention grants financed a three-part <a href=\"https:\/\/www.culturaldc.org\/mercedes\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">&ldquo;Queer gun destruction opera.&rdquo;<\/a> The performance, featuring themes of &ldquo;queer identity,&rdquo; explored the process of gun transformation through sound in <a href=\"https:\/\/vimeo.com\/836628736?fl=pl&amp;fe=vl\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Act I<\/a>, put on a gun-melting ceremony in <a href=\"https:\/\/vimeo.com\/849122166?fl=pl&amp;fe=vl\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Act II<\/a>, and culminated in an opera in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eventbrite.com\/e\/never-in-our-image-act-iii-gun-transformation-opera-tickets-676095669347?aff=erelexpmlt\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Act III<\/a> imagining a world in which all guns are transformed into instruments and artwork, specifically &ldquo;sonic structures.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>As part of the musical score, composed from the sound of recast firearms, singers chanted &ldquo;Queeremos,&rdquo; meaning &ldquo;queering.&rdquo; Community allies <a href=\"https:\/\/dctheaterarts.org\/2023\/09\/17\/never-in-our-image-at-source-an-artfully-woke-anti-gun-opera\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">publicized the production<\/a> as a &ldquo;woke affront to the gun lobby.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;How can we, the LGBTQ+ community, take the tools of the oppressors and transform them into music and art?&rdquo; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.culturaldc.org\/never-in-our-image-press-release\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">said<\/a> showrunner Stephanie Mercedes, &ldquo;a local uncategorized Queer Latinx artist&rdquo; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.stephaniemercedes.com\/about\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">whose work has been funded<\/a> by the Soros-owned Open Society Foundations.<\/p>\n<p>Mercedes, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.opensocietyfoundations.org\/grants\/moving-walls-fellowship?fellow=stephanie-mercedes\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">a former OSF fellow<\/a> focused on achieving &ldquo;radical justice,&rdquo; charged up to $50 a ticket to attend the event series.<\/p>\n<p>Bowser&rsquo;s Office on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning Affairs approved <a href=\"https:\/\/communityaffairs.dc.gov\/sites\/moca\/files\/dc\/sites\/moca\/page_content\/attachments\/MOLGBTQ%20FY%2024%20Community%20Grant%20Recipients.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">a $50,000 grant<\/a>, earmarked in part for ending gun violence, that helped a gay activism group build out its after-school LGBT center on Capitol Hill last year.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser speaks as Metropolitan Police Department Chief Pamela Smith listens during a news conference on President Donald Trump&rsquo;s plan to place Washington police under federal control and deploy National Guard troops to Washington on Monday, Aug. 11, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Under the auspices of the yearlong grant, the Sexual Minority Youth Assistance League further developed <a href=\"https:\/\/smyal.org\/littlesmyals\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">&ldquo;Little SMYALs,&rdquo;<\/a> an &ldquo;affirmation&rdquo;-centered kindergarten-through-eighth grade program divided into two age groups, &ldquo;Unicorns&rdquo; and &ldquo;Rainbows.&rdquo; Little SMYALs, which <a href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/forms\/d\/e\/1FAIpQLSePxdIK7S2jPJ7gaIcZ8gqeXCmQpCp6LOm3l0CddY3LJiwcoA\/viewform\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">enrolls children<\/a> as young as 6, is one of the only initiatives of its kind in the country designed to reach children this young, SMYAL said in the grant proposal submitted to the mayor&rsquo;s community outreach arm.<\/p>\n<p>To qualify for the grant, as the <a href=\"http:\/\/206.162.241.111\/registers\/DC_Register_Vol_70_No_27_July_7_2023_Pages_009407_thru_009681_highlighted.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">opportunity notice<\/a> stipulated, an applicant&rsquo;s area of service must meet at least one of the mayoral benchmarks, which <a href=\"https:\/\/together.dc.gov\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Bowser outlined<\/a> in her <a href=\"https:\/\/content.govdelivery.com\/accounts\/DCWASH\/bulletins\/337248f\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">&ldquo;DC&rsquo;s Comeback&rdquo; postelection plan<\/a>. On the grant application, SMYAL marked the K-8 program&rsquo;s purpose as fulfilling one of these third-term funding priorities: &ldquo;End[ing] Gun Violence.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>During the funding period, Bowser&rsquo;s office asked SMYAL to describe a programmatic achievement accomplished in the second quarter. As an example of the program&rsquo;s &ldquo;efficacy,&rdquo; <a href=\"https:\/\/townhall.com\/tipsheet\/miacathell\/2024\/08\/05\/smyal-funding-n2642009\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">SMYAL shared a &ldquo;success story&rdquo;<\/a> of one of the &ldquo;Unicorns,&rdquo; an 8-year-old girl whom Little SMYALs staffers encouraged to transition genders.<\/p>\n<p>According to the quarterly activity report, Little SMYALs manager <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.is\/uNlLo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Taryn &ldquo;Ty&rdquo; Kitchen<\/a>, a &ldquo;nonbinary&rdquo; educator, &ldquo;coached&rdquo; the child to come out as transgender within weeks of enrollment. A majority of the grant money went toward wages, paying in particular for one-fifth, or $12,000, of Kitchen&rsquo;s paychecks.<\/p>\n<p>Kitchen, who recently underwent &ldquo;gender-affirming surgery,&rdquo; a double mastectomy, wrote in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.advocate.com\/voices\/ty-kitchen\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">an article<\/a> for the<em> Advocate<\/em>, an LGBT magazine, that she hopes to serve as a mentor for children to model themselves after, &ldquo;a potential version&rdquo; of their &ldquo;future self.&rdquo; Little SMYALs, which <a href=\"https:\/\/townhall.com\/tipsheet\/miacathell\/2024\/08\/06\/smyal-workshop-n2642852\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">partners with the gender clinic<\/a> at Children&rsquo;s National Hospital, also places program participants on a path to medical transitioning.<\/p>\n<p>SMYAL and the other awardees &ldquo;advance D.C. values,&rdquo; <a href=\"https:\/\/mayor.dc.gov\/release\/mayor-bowser-awards-over-22-million-grants-community-organizations-supporting-dc-values\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Bowser touted<\/a> at the time of the grant&rsquo;s dispersal. The investments &ldquo;reinforce Mayor Bowser&rsquo;s commitment to revitalize D.C.&rsquo;s Downtown,&rdquo; added Jackie Reyes-Yanes, director of the Mayor&rsquo;s Office of Community Affairs.<\/p>\n<p>Gun crime, meanwhile, continues to be <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/opinion\/beltway-confidential\/2720048\/the-right-way-to-address-dcs-gun-crime-problem\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">a persistent problem<\/a> in Washington.<\/p>\n<p>According to OGVP&rsquo;s real-time <a href=\"https:\/\/www.buildingblocks.dc.gov\/data\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">gun violence dashboard<\/a>, so far this year, 878 gun-related offenses, which include assaults with a deadly weapon, homicides, robberies, and sexual abuse, have been committed across the district.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3758798\/bowser-state-national-guard-troops-dc\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>BOWSER DISMISSES NEED FOR STATE TROOPS BEING SENT TO DC<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/planning.dc.gov\/page\/about-ward-8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Ward 8<\/a>, spanning the areas of Congress Heights and Anacostia, has the highest year-to-date number, 246, of gun crimes.<\/p>\n<p>The <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> contacted Bowser&rsquo;s office for comment.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script> <\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>DC gun violence grants also funded social justice causes<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3767,"featured_media":2476575,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/bowser-leaves-dc.webp?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2476573","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/bowser-leaves-dc.webp?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2476573","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3767"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2476573"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2476573\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2476576,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2476573\/revisions\/2476576"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2476575"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2476573"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2476573"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2476573"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}