"Affordability, quality of life, and community safety are inextricably linked. When working families can actually afford to live here . . . and public spaces feel safe and welcoming to people of all incomes — that’s what makes a city livable." -Mayor-elect Wilson

These bills aren't about safety; they're about control.

Trump and the GOP are weakening the District's ability to address crime and deliver real safety, accountability, and justice to all its residents.

"I encourage him to make his administration send a signal that his priorities include health care, housing, economic development, jobs, violence prevention and helping us get the guns off the streets of America. I hope that’s what he is encouraging his administration to do." -Mayor Lee

For more insights like this, check out our memo on Making Meaning of Crime in 2025’s Off-Year Elections:

Katie Wilson's campaign shows what's possible when candidates don't hide from conversations about crime, but instead flip the script and own the issue by proactively leaning into proven solutions that reduce crime and strengthen communities.

✅ Expanding alternative crisis response, so police can focus on the most serious crimes

✅ Making progress toward policing that is responsive, trustworthy, and accountable

"The kind of old school thinking is that it's only police that can keep communities safe. And what we're seeing out in the field more and more is that community-based organizations work as a complement to law enforcement." -Amy Solomon of @counciloncj.org

A look at this year’s mayoral races reveals a new path forward for the Democratic party to not only inoculate against the GOP's crime attacks, but also go on offense and turn the debate to safety, accountability, and justice.

Read our Five Takeaways:

In Boston, incumbent Mayor Michelle Wu easily beat her well-funded primary challenger and defied conventional political wisdom by winning the police union endorsement, despite being a progressive and calling for greater police accountability. (6/7)

In New York, Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani was able to successfully inoculate against millions of dollars invested in “soft-on-crime” attacks and change the terms of the crime debate by proposing a Department of Community Safety—a new solution to an old problem. (5/7)

Want to know how to tackle crime as a Democrat? Just look at mayors’ races.

In Detroit, Cleveland, New York, and other cities, candidates who owned a proactive safety agenda won handily.

Watch this ad from Mayor-elect Mary Sheffield’s campaign in Detroit (4/7):

The new paradigm on safety includes new solutions to prevent crime, respond to crisis, and stop violence.

There is a majority view among voters about what works to break the cycle of crime. A "serious about safety" approach consistently beats a "tough-on-crime" one. (3/7)

As the Republican advantage on the economy evaporates and after convincing wins by Democrats last week, the GOP will likely use crime as a wedge issue to blunt Democrats’ momentum in the midterms.

Trump has already declared that "crime will be a big subject of the midterms." (2/7)

Voters don’t want the National Guard in their community; they want leaders to address crime at the local level.

As mayors and governors respond to Trump’s federal intervention, they should reject "tough on crime" political theater and focus on real solutions for safety.

Also, ~6 in 10 oppose using National Guard or military troops to combat urban crime.

Key takeaway: the door is wide open for Democrats to own real solutions that address the roots causes of crime and deliver real safety, while opposing Trump's "tough on crime" antics.