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Community members pressed US Attorney for DC Jeanine Pirro on crime, federal agents, and accountability during a tense meeting Thursday night.
WASHINGTON — There were some tense moments inside the Metropolitan Police Department’s 3rd District station Thursday night.
U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro was in attendance for the 3rd District Citizens Advisory Council’s community accountability forum. It drew residents who said they were ready to hold federal leadership accountable amid ongoing concerns about safety and policing in their neighborhoods.
Pirro said she chose to visit after seeing community members express concern during a local newscast.
“There were people very animated and very upset about things that were happening,” Pirro said. “And I said, ‘I want to go right in there… take me to the 3rd District.”
In recent months, the neighborhood has held monthly community safety walks. WUSA9 was at one in August and another in July.
“People leave their drug stuff here,” one resident said during a public safety walk this week, describing open drug use and other illicit activity in the community. “Had a shooting here two days ago,” another added.
“The past four weeks we’ve had three shootings,” said Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Steven McCarty during a safety walk in July.
“We need to bring everyone together because this is happening here,” he said.
One of the shootings left 21-year-old Eric Tarpinian-Jachym dead. According to DC Police, the congressional intern was caught in crossfire near the Mount Vernon Square Metro station on June 30. He died a day later at an area hospital.
Despite reports of declining crime statistics, community members expressed skepticism.
“Does anyone here actually think that?” one person asked during the July Walk.
Pirro said her office is focusing on federal prosecutions and that the presence of federal law enforcement has contributed to a decrease in homicides and robberies.
“No one can deny that crime has gone down, that there is a deterrent effect,” she said.
When pressed by 3D CAC Chairwoman Karen Gaal, “How do you measure whether the federal prosecutions are actually making our community safer?”
Pirro responded, “How do I measure whether it’s making the community safer? Because it is… I just told you.”
She also cited law enforcement removing hundreds of guns from the streets as a sign of progress.
But some residents pushed back, particularly on the presence of masked and unidentified federal agents in the area.
“We want these people out of our city. We are living in terror,” one resident said.
Pirro defended the role of federal agents, saying their efforts have helped reduce violent crime.
“I see it from a different perspective,” she said. “Without those people, homicides would be double what they are.”
Still, not everyone was convinced.
“This is not law enforcement. This is lawlessness. This is a reign of terror,” one neighbor said. “If crime is gonna go down because we’re all staying in our houses, have we gained anything?”
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