Help D.C. Witness Better Serve the District in 2020

By D.C. Witness Staff - January 2, 2020
Editors Corner | Op-Eds |

As D.C. Witness embarks on a new year, we want to take the time to reflect on and show thanks for the accomplishments our local nonprofit has had in Washington, DC. We also wish to reach out to request donations so that we can expand our great cause and truly represent each and every resident of the District of Columbia. 

D.C. Witness is a nonprofit organization that works to reduce homicides in the District of Columbia. We do this through collecting data on homicide statistics and reporting from the courtrooms on a daily basis. We believe Criminal Justice transparency will bring about an end to the rising number of homicides in the city. 

Transparency sheds light in an area where many residents are only half aware of what lurks in the dark. Imagine D.C. Witness as a light in that dark abyss. DC homicides are growing, and simplistic policies such as throwing more police in the community, is not working. But, through data collection, D.C. Witness could show policymakers realtime information on homicides, so they can create more effective policies to reduce them. 

D.C. Witness is thankful for the work we have been able to contribute to bringing transparency to the criminal justice system, so far. However, we would like to do much more to inform people on the criminal justice system and to mark each life lost. 

In 2018, D.C. Witness was able to secure funding from the city and other private organizations to help in the fight against this apex crime, which has been on a steady incline since 2017. According to D.C. Witness data, homicides rose by 32 percent from 2017 to 2018. And as of Dec. 31, 2019 homicides were above 2018’s 169 murders count with 180, according to D.C. Witness data. The count is nearly 6.5 percent higher than last year.

We need to keep this engine running in 2020 and request donations to not only strengthen our data collection but also expand it. By donating as little as $10, residents can help D.C. Witness continue to serve the public and also contribute to making the Nation’s Capital a safer, more inclusive and better community. 

D.C. Witness’s homicide count is higher than the Metropolitan Police Department’s count of 166 homicides because D.C. Witness’s count includes vehicular homicides, police-involved shootings and all incidents, legally justified or not, that result from one person killing another person.