Resolution sent in response to Mayor Muriel Bowser’s proposed Fiscal Year 2026 budget, which recommends severe cuts to key programs like Cure the Streets
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ADVISORY NEIGHBORHOOD COMMISSION 1E
Government of the District of Columbia
2605 Sherman Ave NW, Washington, DC 20001
Contact: Commissioner Brad Howard, ANC 1E Engagement Secretary
www.anc1e.org | 1E01@anc.dc.gov
UPDATE 07/14/2025: After receiving public comments like this resolution from ANC 1E, the DC Council has opted to consolidate violence interruption programs within the Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement (ONSE). In the new budget, funding for a separate violence interruption program in the Attorney General’s office was eliminated. Last-minute additions from Council Chairman Phil Mendelson’s office increased ONSE’s funding so it can assume responsibility for violence interruption work in six neighborhoods previously served by the Attorney General’s office. Mendelson has acknowledged concerns about ONSE’s capacity to deliver on these expanded responsibilities. The Council’s final vote on the Fiscal Year 2026 budget is scheduled for July 28, 2025.
WASHINGTON — Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 1E is urging the DC Council to restore funding for violence-interruption programs in Ward One and preserve other critical community-based public safety investments across the District.
The resolution, adopted June 25, 2025. was sent in response to Mayor Muriel Bowser’s proposed Fiscal Year 2026 budget, which recommends severe cuts to key programs like Cure the Streets and initiatives under the Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement. These programs have been instrumental in helping communities like Park View and LeDroit Park reduce neighborhood-based violence and provide resources for at-risk residents.
“Violence-interruption programs save lives by de-escalating conflicts and connecting people to services before violence occurs,” said Commissioner Phillip Newland (1E05), who authored the resolution. “Ward One cannot afford to lose these resources.”
ANC 1E’s resolution highlights the importance of maintaining investments in harm reduction, Safe Passage Ambassadors, Roving Leaders, restorative justice services, and other initiatives that enhance safety and community well-being.
“We are calling on the Council to reject these cuts and reaffirm its commitment to public safety strategies that work,” said ANC 1E Chair Brian Footer (1E07).
Resolution Text:
#1E-2025-0604: Resolution Urging Restored Funding Levels for Violence-Interruption Programs & To Maintain Other Public Safety Investments in Ward One
WHEREAS, On May 27, 2025, Mayor Muriel Bowser released her Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) Budget proposal also known as Grow DC; and
WHEREAS, Previous budget cycles have provided Ward One with nearly $1.5 million annually to invest in violence prevention programs and neighborhoods such as Park View and LeDroit Park received targeted resources to address gun violence and crew-based crimes; and
WHEREAS, The Mayor’s proposed FY26 budget recommends and reflects agency decisions resulting in severe cuts to crucial violence interruption programs, including but not limited to those within the Office of the Attorney General’s Cure the Streets program and programs within the Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement; and
WHEREAS, While violent crime in the District has dropped to its lowest levels in three decades, certain communities in Ward One continue to be plagued by violence, especially the very type of neighborhood-based violence that violence interruption programs specifically seek to mitigate; and
WHEREAS, Ward One has dedicated Cure the Streets violence interrupters that de-escalate conflicts, mediate disputes, and connect at-risk individuals with resources to help them avoid violence; and
WHEREAS, Violence interruption programs are most effective when they are adequately staffed and receive ample resources to successfully prevent and intervene in gun and crew violence in our neighborhoods; therefore
BE IT RESOLVED, ANC 1E joins other Ward One commissions in urging the DC Council to restore funding to these critical programs and oppose proposed cuts to Ward One public safety investments and the District’s total investment in violence-interruption programs as a whole; further
BE IT RESOLVED, That ANC1E urges the DC Council to also maintain other community-based investments that aim to improve safety and enhance well-being for residents such as the HIPS harm reduction program, Safe Passage Ambassadors, Roving Leaders, restorative justice and homeless outreach services, and Main Streets community navigator program; further
BE IT RESOLVED, That ANC 1E designates Commissioner Philip Newland to represent the Commission in all matters relating to this Resolution. In the event the designated representative Commissioner cannot carry out their representative duties for any reason, ANC 1E authorizes the Chair to designate another Commissioner to represent the Commission in all matter relating to this Resolution.
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About ANC 1E:
Advisory Neighborhood Commission 1E represents the neighborhoods of Pleasant Plains, Park View, and the Howard University area. Commissioners are elected to advise the District government on decisions that affect their neighborhoods, including public safety, transportation, planning, zoning, and city services. All ANC meetings are open to the public, and residents are encouraged to participate in shaping the future of their community.
About Advisory Neighborhood Commissions:
ANCs are nonpartisan, locally elected bodies in Washington, D.C., that represent neighborhood interests to the District government. While ANCs do not have legislative power, they are given “great weight” on decisions before city agencies and the Council. Commissioners serve two-year terms and are elected by single-member districts within each ward.
ANC 1E 