Washington, DC business owner leads recall effort against Dem council member over crime crisis: 'Catastrophic'
Washington, D.C. small business owner Diana Alvarez tells 'Fox & Friends First' about the recall effort she is leading against her council member.
A disgruntled small business owner is leading a recall effort to unseat a D.C. council member she believes hindered public safety by favoring soft-on-crime policies.
The move comes after repeated robberies hit her store in a two-week span, leaving her to foot a massive bill.
"My business has been broken into three times in a two-week span, costing me hundreds, thousands of dollars to do repairs, to beef up my security. It's just been really disheartening what's happening right now in the city," Diana Alvarez said Tuesday on "Fox & Friends First."
Earlier this month, Alvarez, who founded a smoke shop in the Columbia Heights neighborhood, filed paperwork to form a committee to unseat Democrat Brianne K. Nadeau, who is now the second member of her party on the council to face a recall effort.
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Diana Alvarez is leading the recall effort against a Democratic councilwoman in Washington, D.C. (Fox & Friends First/Screengrab)
Alvarez cited many of Nadeau's progressive crime pushes in a news release, The Washington Post reported, including her vote to approve a budget that cut back on police spending to instead direct the funds to "alternate justice programs."
Her support for overhauling the city's criminal code was another factor.
"She has also voted to eliminate amended mandatory minimum sentences on repeat offenders. She also voted to reduce penalties on violent crime, causing a revolving door for these criminals to be able to just do whatever they want. They get caught, they get put in jail, but then they're back in the streets committing more crime and chaos," she told co-host Todd Piro.
Councilwoman Brianne K. Nadeau is facing a recall effort for allegedly perpetuating the Washington, D.C. crime crisis. (Fox & Friends First/Screengrab)
"It's really, really unfortunate what's happening right now, and that's why we're leading this effort to have her recalled."
So far, hundreds have already signed on.
Nadeau, responding to the effort, asserted that she had benefited local police by introducing legislation to "bolster police cadet recruitment" and "provide additional tools to help the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) close homicide cases.
"I am pressing the Mayor to fix the District's failed 911 call center and unaccredited crime lab, which has not been able to process evidence needed to prosecute," she continued.
The skyline of Washington, D.C., including the U.S. Capitol building, Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial. and National Mall, is seen from the air, Jan. 29, 2010. The nation's capital continues to grapple with out-of-control crime, leading some business owners to voice their concerns. (SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)
Alvarez cited upticks in carjackings, assaults with weapons and homicides in the Ward 1 section of the city, telling Piro the area needs someone who will fight crime instead of feeding it.
"The people are just tired. We're tired of seeing the crime… We are hearing about it happening right at our front door. It's just very unfortunate. We need better representation. We need someone that's going to fight the crime and not enable it," she said.
Violent crime in the district was up 39% in 2023 compared to 2022 and property crime was up 24% year-over-year, according to MPD data.
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