DC deploys 'Safety Go Teams' to combat violence on Fourth of July

WASHINGTON - Fourth of July in the District comes with some of the best fireworks in the nation. But sadly, this holiday also oftentimes comes with a spike in crime.

The Metropolitan Police Department has promised a robust presence on July 4 to combat gun violence. And the mayor's office has teams on the ground as well.

In bright orange vests, walking up and down district streets, these "Safety Go Teams" are tough to miss.

"If they weren't out here, we wouldn't feel safe," said Alhaji Sesay, at a park in the city's Shaw neighborhood. "Especially on the Fourth of July. Because every bang ain't a bang."

And that's the ultimate goal - the mayor's office tells FOX 5, the teams focus on minimizing the number of reported fireworks-related incidents, gun violence and crimes on the holiday. They were deployed July 3 from 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. and July 4 from 4 p.m. to midnight.

Three hundred people comprise 28 teams spread throughout the city, focusing on so-called hotspot neighborhoods.

And they're made up of people from those neighborhoods.

"It's good to have community members in the community serving as safety teams because often, this area is over-policed," said Kasey Mckevit in the Columbia Heights neighborhood.

"Some of them serve and protect, don't get me wrong, and I respect them," Sesay said. "But at the end of the day, when you got someone you really know, you respect them more."

And residents tell us that respect goes a long way.

Thirty years in the Shaw neighborhood, grandmother Joyce Brake sat watching her grandson play in a D.C. splash park near the Safety Go teams. She said she usually feels safe in her area - but she's happy to have more eyes out on the streets.

"The gunshots. It's getting so bad. Every time you turn around, somebody getting killed," Brake said.

The Safety Go Teams are made up of a mix of non-law enforcement government workers and violence interrupters - civilians and community leaders.

They have been deployed every Fourth of July since 2020 with success, according to the Mayor's administration. They have also been out for Halloween and Labor Day.

And for some residents, seeing these orange vests in place of police uniforms makes a big difference.

"Sometimes, you got a lot of authority come around here and they look at you different, but you got people from around your neighborhood, people are here having fun, supporting - you see what they doing," Sesay said.