Cameron Bonner
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer
Since January 2024, there have been talks about the recent Secure DC Omnibus Bill, which was passed last week in early March. The residents hold different perspectives on whether the bill will improve the city of D.C. The D.C. Council has already passed the bill’s first reading as of Feb 6th, 2024. Within this bill, certain laws are causing trouble for other residents to comprehend.
Isaiah Perkins stated, “Even though the bill makes it illegal for people to wear face coverings by someone they feel threatened by, who to say that the person isn’t lying? “I wear my ski mask to protect me from the cold, not to threaten anyone.” Perkins isn’t the only one with concerns about the recent bill.
Another D.C. resident, Ryan Saunders, believes that the bill has racial bias with the new laws that are being passed. When asked if the bill was either racist or bigoted, Saunders answered, “Very much so; look at one of the new laws that been passed, where policemen can now create a drug-free zone. They can abuse their power can make any place in Southeast D.C. when it is not, that had a law like this in the 90s which put a lot of black men in jail”. Saunders isn’t the only one who feels this way about the law. ACLU-D.C. voiced its opinion on the law, stating,” Similarly, failed and ineffective ‘drug-free’ zones do little to prevent crime; instead, they open the door for police officers to harass people and violate our rights.”
While the bill has created controversy in the minority communities in D.C., some believe that the Secure D.C. bill will decrease the crime rate in D.C. Justin Timus, a resident from D.C., knows that the bill will stop the crime going in the area. Timus stated, “Everyone is looking for the bad when it comes to the bill but not the good. In the bill, they are doing things to protect us”. As of right now, the community of D.C. is either for or against the bill; Bowser & Pinto’s goal is to decree the rise of crime in D.C.