Mayor Muriel Bowser of Washington, D.C., on Sunday deleted a poorly timed tweet urging the district’s residents to protect themselves against carjackings.
The tweet: Bowser’s official Twitter account shared the post earlier in the day, saying: “Auto theft is a crime of opportunity. Follow these steps to reduce the risk of your vehicle becoming a target. Remember the motto, #ProtectYourAuto,”
- Attached was a video offering trips on how to avoid car theft from the the Metropolitan Police, including parking carefully: 1. Park in a safe spot,” “2. Lock your car,” “3. Keep track of your keys,” “4. Never leave your engine running” and “5. Stay alert.”
The PSA came as graphic footage circulated on Twitter showing the horrific death of an Uber Eats driver during a botched carjacking in D.C. on Tuesday by two teenage girls, ages 13 and 15, who have been charged with his murder.
- The victim, Mohammad Anwar, was reportedly a 66-year-old Pakistani immigrant and father of three.
The reaction: Feminist author Jill Filipovic and other prominent progressives joined conservative Twitter in accusing Bowser of “victim blaming.”
Many on the right went further, though.
Washington Examiner columnist Tim Carney linked the carjacking to the retarded reopening of D.C. schools shuttered due to COVID-19 — a connection made by police experts, too.
Other conservatives called out Bowser — a vocal critic of “domestic white terrorism” and anti-Asian hate crimes — for not immediately condemning Anwar’s killing.
- The Daily Wire’s Matt Walsh was among those who suggested the mayor, like the media, was keeping quiet because the suspects are black.
That triggered the partisan racial recriminations.
Amid the Twitter furor, Bowser’s team deleted the offending tweet and issued a statement saying in part: “Today’s prescheduled social media post … should not detract from the death of Mohammad Anwar.”
D.C. is one of several U.S. cities that have endured a yearlong wave of carjackings, in many cases perpetrated by juveniles and targeting delivery and ride-hail drivers, according to authorities.
- On Thursday, two boys, ages 13 and 14, were arrested and charged for another armed carjacking in the district.
