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Safe Passage: Building Safer Routes and Stronger Bonds for DC Students

In Washington, DC, the Safe Passage Program does more than protect students, it builds trust between schools, community, and families. It’s part of a citywide investment in students’ safety as they commute to and from school. In 2024, Mayor Muriel Bowser awarded $10 million to community-based organizations to support the “Safe Passage, Safe Blocks” initiative. 

The program supports monitoring and engagement for 200 ambassadors along more than 122 pre-designated routes and metro stops across twelve priority areas from Anacostia and Congress Heights to Tenleytown and Columbia Heights. It’s a program that doesn’t just wave hello, but partners with schools, neighborhoods, businesses, and city agencies to identify and respond to incidents and promote attendance, safety, and connection. 

At César Chávez Public Charter School, Principal Dr. Joshua Jackson sees Safe Passage as essential. “It takes a village to raise a child, and part of that raising is keeping them safe,” he says. “Our number-one job at school is safety. Period. Not just in our hallways, but when students are coming to and from school as well.” He emphasizes that the ambassadors aren’t passive they become trusted resource figures for students who might need a caring adult outside the classroom.

Each day, Safe Passage Ambassadors like Michael “Mufasa” Plummer of Mute the Violence DC are stationed along school routes in their bright green vests, greeting students, talking with local business owners, and ensuring a peaceful start and end to the school day. “It’s really preventive work,” said Plummer. “We engage the community as well as the students. Our presence helps combat school fights and violence in the streets. Families and neighbors thank us all the time because they know we’re the eyes and ears of the community.”

For many students, those friendly faces become trusted mentors. “Some kids invite us to their graduations and cookouts,” Plummer shared. “We even celebrate holidays together, like giving out roses on Mother’s Day. They know we care.”

At César Chávez, Dr. Jackson says the ambassadors have become an extension of the school community. “They’re not just eyes on the street,” he said. “We're really working to build a strong community where accountability is at its root. They hold kids accountable and support our core values.”

Warren Allen, another ambassador, summed it up best: “Safe Passage is about intervention and prevention. When a kid sees us and feels safe, that solidifies why we do the work.”

Together, these ambassadors and educators are proving that safety and connection go hand in hand because every child deserves a safe path to opportunity.

See the ambassadors in action on our YouTube page.