DC residents share growing backlash over crime during Congressmember Pinto's Ward 2 crime walk

WASHINGTON (7News) — Washington, D.C. Councilmember Brooke Pinto continued her series of crime walks with a walk in Ward 2 on Tuesday.

After Tuesday’s walk, Pinto will have walked in six of the District’s eight wards.

During the walks, Pinto asks community members questions about crime in their neighborhood and hears answers that she said she will use when crafting her Secure DC plan.

"It's always been an important value of mine and my teams to make sure we are meeting the community where they are," Pinto told 7News. "We rolled out several weeks ago our Secure DC plan, which is really a comprehensive set of laws, initiatives and interventions to improve public safety in the city."

Tuesday’s walk came after Pinto and a group were heckled by bystanders during their walk in Ward 7 Monday.

“Take them funds and take the homeless off the street, and that’ll bring the crime rate down, how about that,” a bystander said Monday.

“I think it’s very clear that people are frustrated across the city about public safety, wanting more support, wanting more response,” Pinto said when asked about her reaction to the heckling.

On Tuesday, Pinto’s walk in Ward 2 began at the Kennedy Recreation Center on 7th and O Street, Northwest. A group of about 20 residents and police officers showed up.

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“I expect we’ll hear from many community members about the increase in gun violence we’ve seen, about the increase in drug use and overdose cases that we’ve seen,” said Pinto.

Longtime ANC Commissioner Alex Padro said he and his neighbors are frustrated by rising crime and hope Pinto’s efforts work.

“Basically, it means that there are no repercussions, so people should feel like they can get away with anything, sometimes including murder,” Padro said.

The group moved around the neighborhood making several stops.

ANC Commissioner Sranda Watkins complained about random gunfire in the neighborhood hitting houses and cars.

On the corner where the walk started, two young women - 19-year-old Mikeya Ferguson and 18-year-old Cle’shai Perry - were gunned down as they sat with neighbors outside a building in early September.

One neighbor spoke with 7News off camera.

“Everybody was just outside talking, having fun. It was a nice Friday night, and out of nowhere, somebody just came shooting and everybody just ran that was it,” the neighbor said. “It could have been any of us, and for somebody to come and just kill like that...to see the mother just cry ‘til she could cry no more, it’s more heartbreaking.”

“...and we don’t know who did it, it’s the really disturbing thing,” Padro added.

Pinto's plan raises acts like discharging a firearm in the city from a misdemeanor to a felony.

On Wednesday, Pinto will take her safety walks to Wards four and eight.

In Ward 8, Pinto plans to stop at 16th and Good Hope Road, where three people were killed in August by a spray of gunfire.