Controversy Erupts as DC Mayoral Hopeful Faces Backlash Over Grocery Store Closures

A candidate for mayor in Washington, DC, is under scrutiny after her social media post addressed the scarcity of grocery stores in the city and subsequently highlighted the tragic deaths of two young children.

Janeese Lewis George, a Democrat and current Councilmember, shared on Monday that she had spent the weekend among grieving communities throughout DC.

“This area has been neglected in numerous ways,” she expressed, noting the limited availability of essential amenities. “There’s just a single playground, barely any grocery stores, no homework help for students, and a community center that’s perpetually closed.”

In her lengthy post, Lewis George elaborated on her public safety strategies before eventually naming two boys who were fatally shot in broad daylight the previous week.

She concluded her message with a tribute, saying, “Tyale, Mhilo, and countless others deserved a better city. So do the children who remain. Rest in peace, Tyale and Mhilo.”

Mhilo Young, 14, and Tyale Coates, 12, were shot and killed while at a food truck in a convenience store parking lot on April 14.

Lewis George’s decision to mention a lack of grocery stores in the area before mentioning the boys’ names sparked an onslaught of criticism, even from her own party.

Esteemed liberal columnist Matthew Yglesias led the way, writing on X, ‘Two kids are murdered and she leads with ‘hardly any grocery stores?”

DC mayoral candidate and Democrat Councilmember Janeese Lewis George is facing backlash over her post complaining about the lack of grocery stores in the nation’s capital

She wrote several paragraphs before mentioning to shooting deaths of Tyale Coates (left), 12, and Mhilo Young (right), 14, in broad daylight on April 14

‘I also think the line of causation almost certainly runs from high crime to few grocery stores rather than vice versa,’ Yglesias added.

Another person wrote, ‘This is such a strange collection of words and pictures in the context of what happened. So weird.’

‘You’d think she was at a celebration. No remorse for victims. No concern for the law abiding. It’s always criminals first with these people,’ a third added.

‘I am so sick of DC Elected officials putting law abiding tax payers on the back burner to coddle anti-social native Washingtonians.’

A fourth wrote, ‘If there were more grocery stores the kids might not have been shot outside a convenience store. They could instead have been shot outside a grocery store.’ 

‘Now why is there very few grocery stores? Couldn’t have anything to do with theft and violence right?,’ a fifth person added. 

Some commenters came to Lewis George’s defense, claiming that her statement addresses citizens’ concerns. 

‘She spoke to residents in the community and this is what they told her. She’s not pulling things out her a**, she’s on the ground looking to fix problems and you’re being dismissive of what ppl who are grieving said they wanted: Access to food, recreational facilities, jobs, etc,’ one person wrote on X.

The boys were shot and killed while at a food tuck in a convenience store parking lot (pictured). Police have not identified any suspects

Her post sparked an onslaught of criticism, even from her own party, including liberal columnist Matthew Yglesias

Some commenters came to Lewis George’s defense, claiming her statement addresses the concerns of citizens

A spokesperson for Lewis George’s campaign condemned the shooting in a statement to the Daily Mail. 

‘The tragic and senseless deaths of Mhilo and Tyale have caused unimaginable pain for their families and our communities. The individuals who killed these two boys must be held accountable,’ the spokesperson wrote.

‘After spending time with the family of one of the young victims, Janeese Lewis George continues to be committed to make sure every resident feels safe and is safe, especially after the week of violence DC faced. As mayor, Lewis George will focus on getting guns off the street as well as investing in communities to prevent violence.’ 

The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) have not identified any suspects in the shooting, and are offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.

‘Obviously, this is a very tragic situation. Our hearts go out to the families that’s involved in this. These young people were just out in the neighborhood,’ Interim MPD Chief Jeffrey Carroll said at a press conference the day of the shooting. 

On Wednesday, Mayor Muriel Bowser said police believing the shooting was targeted, but did not specify who the targets were.

‘We believe at this time that it was a targeted shooting. My report [from MPD] was that there was a group of young people in a small area and that group was the target of the shooting,’ Bowser said.