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Council candidate
says 'regime change'
needed to fix MPD
(Published online July 14, 2006)
By ALIZA KRICHEVSKY
Special to The Common Denominator
A Democratic candidate for the Ward 6 seat on D.C. City Council is calling for "regime change" to resolve problems within the Metropolitan Police Department.
Speaking last night at a candidates' forum at Rosedale Recreation Center, Leo Pinson blamed a lack of leadership for the police department's failure to get the city's crime problems under control.
"The problem is leadership: our officers feel demoralized in this department. We need regime change," said Pinson, a volunteer member of the Metropolitan Police Department Reserve Corps and a licensed substitute teacher. "More often than not, when we're doing the right thing, people are asking and telling us we're doing the wrong thing."
Pinson was one of five candidates for the Ward 6 seat being vacated by retiring Councilwoman Sharon Ambrose who spoke during the forum. Others participating were Democrats Will Cobb, Curtis Etherly and Tommy Wells and Republican Antonio "Tony" Williams.
The city's current "crime emergency," declared by Metropolitan Police Chief Charles Ramsey just days ago after a Georgetown murder and the gunshot slaying of a mayoral candidate, and the conditions at city recreation centers were among the major concerns expressed in questions to the candidates from members of the audience.
Wells, currently an elected member of the D.C. Board of Education, said the community must be made more livable, especially for children.
"Rosedale Rec Center should not be a place where children feel unsafe. … We need lighting to create safe havens," Wells said. "We need police on bikes and on foot."
Cobb, who has worked as a contractor for the last six years to overhaul organizations and enhance their performances, focused on community involvement to create a better environment.
"I will continue to roll up my sleeves and be a part of the community," said Cobb, who recently missed the deadline for filing petitions to get his name on the Sept. 12 ballot but continues to run as a write-in candidate. "We have to allow activities like basketball, football and everything else to continue while we rebuild Rosedale Recreation Center."
Etherly, who grew up in Washington, focused on opening communication and more in-depth training of public officials.
"Crime is not new … where we live. It takes a high-profile case to get us talking," Etherly said, referring to the recent killing of a British citizen whose throat was slashed during a Georgetown robbery.
Williams, who said before the meeting that he views himself as a libertarian and a moderate Republican, focused on accountability and on having a government that takes action instead of being reactionary.
"We need accountability to the neighborhoods, to the ward and to the residents of D.C.," Williams said. "We don't need a review of all the agencies -- we need to put in actual requirements. We need to put in marks so people can hit them."