A D.C. Council member running for mayor is facing criticism from policy experts and political commentators over her response to a series of violent teen brawls that have disrupted neighborhoods in the nation's capital, with detractors saying she has the solution 'exactly backwards.'

Janeese Lewis George, who serves on the D.C. City Council and is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, participated in a mayoral debate Monday night where she addressed recent incidents involving large groups of teenagers engaging in fights and disorderly conduct.

What the Right Is Saying

Charles Fain Lehman, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, pushed back on Lewis George's framing in a statement to Fox News Digital. 'Public acting out is not the result of insufficient services or alternative opportunities,' he said. 'It's what happens when the system fails to consistently and clearly enforce rules about public conduct.'

Lehman argued that Lewis George's approach gets the diagnosis wrong. 'It's exactly backwards to say that what they need is more lenience,' he stated.

Stefani Buhajla, a spokesperson for Heritage Action, offered a sharper critique. 'Libraries and green spaces aren't the solution,' she told Fox News Digital. 'We need law and order.'

Buhajla noted that D.C. has struggled with leadership on public safety issues. 'Crime and homelessness has made America's home base a largely inhospitable place,' she said, adding that President Trump's efforts to address conditions in the city 'shouldn't even be necessary' if local officials were fulfilling their responsibilities.

What the Left Is Saying

Lewis George argued against implementing curfews for youth, calling such measures 'dangerous' given what she described as the presence of federal forces in the city. During the debate, she said that enforcing curfews would put young people at risk because they would be interacting with federal troops and masked Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents who are not trained in de-escalation.

The council member proposed an alternative approach focused on expanding youth programming. 'What we do is expand our youth programming,' Lewis George said during the debate. 'We do summer youth employment throughout the year, extended hours. We expand our centers. We leverage our unions and apprenticeships to create jobs and pathways for our young people.'

Lewis George has been described by Axios as 'D.C.'s version of Zohran Mamdani,' referring to the New York City mayor who has similarly faced criticism from law-and-order advocates over his handling of crime in that city. Both candidates have argued against punitive approaches to public safety issues involving youth.

What the Numbers Show

U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro announced that her office will pursue accountability measures against parents of juveniles involved in repeated disturbances. According to a statement from Pirro's office, teen takeovers have 'disrupted neighborhoods, forced businesses to close temporarily, and diverted valuable law enforcement resources.'

The incidents have been concentrated in areas including the Navy Yard and NoMa neighborhoods, according to law enforcement officials. Video footage from a recent incident at a Chipotle restaurant in the Navy Yard showed approximately eight adolescents throwing punches and hurling furniture as bystanders sought safety.

The Bottom Line

Lewis George's candidacy represents a continuation of progressive criminal justice reform debates that have played out in cities across the country. Her approach prioritizes investment in youth services over enforcement mechanisms, positioning her campaign as an alternative to what she characterizes as punitive responses to complex social issues.

Critics from center-right and conservative perspectives argue that such approaches leave communities vulnerable to disorder when systems fail to establish clear boundaries for public behavior. The debate reflects broader national tensions over how cities should balance rehabilitation-focused policies with public safety concerns.

Lewis George's response to criticism emphasized her position that enforcement tools must be paired with accountability measures for those applying them, particularly regarding federal personnel operating in the district.