Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said he can safely walk his dog to the U.S. Capitol, but some Washingtonians criticized the official and told Fox News they didn't share the same confidence as crime remains high.
"I don't feel safe walking the baby around," Adalisa, a D.C. native and nanny in the Hill East neighborhood, said. "You don't know when something's gonna happen. There's so much danger now."
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"I've never felt this way, this frightened, in my life," she continued. "You're a prisoner in your home."
But Ingrid, a 20-year Capitol Hill resident, disagreed.
"I don't feel particularly threatened, although I don't go out by myself at night," Ingrid said.
Buttigieg said Sunday during an MSNBC interview he can "safely walk my dog to the Capitol today in a way you couldn't do when we all got here," a comment that outraged some fearful D.C. residents who have faced skyrocketing crime in recent years. A Department of Transportation spokesperson said in a statement that Buttigieg was referring to the "deadly January 6th domestic terrorist attack in 2021 that led to hundreds of National Guard troops being stationed for months at the U.S. Capitol."
"I definitely do not feel safe, and I think about leaving this neighborhood that I love all the time," a woman who has lived in the District for eight years told Fox News.
Thr Capitol Hill resident said her husband and two daughters were walking home from a ballet class in the neighborhood when a gunman started firing shots into a nearby car in October. Her husband quickly laid on top of his two girls on the sidewalk to protect them.
"My youngest one still has PTSD from it," she said, while choking back tears.
"Until you have something happen to you personally, maybe it is easy to brush it off, but when something so brazen happens … it was a shock," she continued. "It was a reminder these things that we do hear about in the news, it can happen to you."
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Allison, another longtime Capitol Hill resident, also said the soaring crime has made her more alert about where and when she goes out.
"Crime is absolutely out of control," Allison told Fox News. "I'm freaked out about all the crime, but I still go out."
Crime dipped in some major cities across the country in recent years, but the nation's capital faced a surge, ending 2023 with 274 murders — the most in over two decades, according to Metropolitan Police Department data. Robberies and thefts spiked 67% and 23%, respectively, while motor vehicle thefts almost doubled.
As of Wednesday, overall crime in the District was down 13% compared to last year. Several residents said they weren't scared.
"We are concerned about carjackings or robberies close to our neighborhood … but it's not common place," Kirk, a longtime Capitol Hill resident, said. "I've never had any issue with walking around."
Casey, a three-year Hill East resident, similarly said he feels safe, adding that there's been increased police presence following recent shootings.
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"I still feel fine and safe walking my dog to and from the Capitol or anywhere," he said.
The D.C. city council passed a major public safety bill last month to respond to the district's surging crime. Mayor Muriel Bowser on Monday also unveiled the city's Real-Time Crime Center, a tool she said would help police solve criminal cases.
But a few D.C. residents were fearful despite this year's downward crime trend and efforts to curb violence. Some called out Buttigieg for having a security detail while crime remains high.
"I think he needs to try walking around by his self without his security and see how he feels," Adalisa said. "Right now, I'm very scared."
Allison said Buttigieg would feel differently if his kids drove around alone. She tracks her 17-year-old daughter whenever she's driving somewhere to make sure she gets to her destination safely.
"He has security that is with him as a cabinet secretary, so there's a different feeling about safety," she said. "I think also if he had children who were older and off on their own he might think about it a little bit differently."
