D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has announced Lindsey Appiah as the new deputy mayor for public safety and justice.
On Tuesday, the first full day of her third term, Bowser made several appointments to her cabinet.
Appiah will be the acting deputy mayor until she is confirmed by the D.C. Council. She is replacing Chris Geldart, who resigned after people questioned his D.C. residency.
In her swearing-in speech, Bowser told residents that reducing crime would be one of her top priorities, along with redeveloping downtown D.C.
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"As we look over the next four years, there’s nothing more important than the safety of our residents, nothing more,” Bowser said.
Bowser and Appiah both said that providing juvenile offenders with help is important to them.
“We have a system of rehabilitation for youth in the District, and that we don’t want to think of consequences as punishment. We want to think of consequences as a lifeline. A 13-year-old with a gun, shooting somebody, needs help immediately,” Bowser said.
“The type of wraparound care that will keep them both alive and hopefully to put them on a path that will lead to not re-arrest or incarceration, or into positive outcomes for them,” Appiah said.
Bowser said she plans to veto the D.C. council’s approved legislation to overhaul the District’s criminal code. She also reiterated her concerns about lowering penalties for some crimes and creating more work for the courts.
Councilmember Charles Allen shared the following statement with News4 about the mayor's plans:
“The Revised Criminal Code Act is the product of a 16-year-long effort with hard-fought compromise and consensus among the key agencies who administer our criminal justice system. You couldn’t ask for a more thorough process to craft a bill that modernizes and overhauls what is consistently ranked as one of the worst criminal codes in the United States. A veto sends a message to keep the status quo – one that has clearly shown it doesn’t keep us safe – and it is not the right decision for the moment we face. District residents trust their leaders to be engaged, work together, and make responsible decisions. After lengthy discussions, serious compromises, and two unanimous votes by the Council to pass this legislation, residents can trust the Council will do the right thing and override a veto to put the modernized law in place.”
If Bowser vetoes the legislation, the D.C. council can vote to override Bowser for up to thirty days afterward.
The criminal code is slated to begin phasing into new laws in 2025.
