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Secure DC
On Tuesday, the Council of the District of Columbia voted unanimously to pass Secure DC. There was a lot of spirited debate to get to this point. I personally engaged in countless conversations, phone calls, and exchanges with stakeholders involved in this bill. From law enforcement to retailers, and especially with residents in communities across the District, we collaborated extensively to pass this bill. We know the status quo is not working, and changes were necessary.
This city has had tough days before, specifically in the 1980s and 90’s, when I was growing up, and sadly, we’re re-living some of these experiences. It pains me greatly to see us here again, dealing with these same challenges. Now, I’ll state the obvious: the prevalence and ease of access for the illegal guns being used to commit these senseless acts of gun violence is deeply disturbing, and it leads to the ever more callous disregard we see in the taking of human life. But we also know that we cannot legislate our way out of a culture of gun violence, where more and more people are deciding to use guns to solve disputes. So, here we are, seeking to reverse this awful trend, not just with homicides, but in a whole host of categories that affect the ability of young people, residents, and businesses to go about their daily lives, to simply live with a deserved sense of peace and security.
I’ll restate what I shared when we first voted; no magic switch got flipped on Tuesday night. I desperately want to see this crisis reversed, but I know it will take much more from all of us in every community—regardless of whether you experience crime and violence directly—it’s going to take all of us working together to make meaningful change in the culture of violence that pervades in our city.
Enforcement is absolutely necessary for accountability and to ensure justice for victims. We need significantly more coordination from law enforcement and human services agencies and organizations to confidently say we’re aligned on our efforts with crime prevention. This is one place where accountability is clearly lacking. We set forth a plan for this years ago when I chaired the Judiciary Committee, and, working with many of you, we passed the NEAR Act together. But it was never fully implemented.
Lastly, I want to recognize that there were close to 100 provisions in the bill and differences of opinion over a couple of provisions. Those disagreements were real, but we should not let that overshadow what we accomplished. This is a legislative body; sometimes, we will agree, and other times we won’t. Ultimately, we arrived at a better bill because of the exchange of ideas and values that come from our lived experiences and those of our people, both inside and outside our city. I know many will want to focus on the conflict, but I really hope we will move forward, understanding the level of collaboration it took for the Council to pass the bill unanimously.
I am grateful for the time put in by passionate voices on all sides of this discussion. Your civic participation makes us a better city, and we must continue this dialogue if we want the District to embody more of our values. In the end, we need our city to be a more racially equitable, more socially just, and more economically inclusive city. (You can view these comments in a video here)
Politics Hour, This Friday, March 8th
Be sure to tune in this Friday, March 8th, when I’ll be a guest on the second half of The Politics Hour on WAMU from 12 pm to 1 pm. Listen on www.wamu.org and call (800) 433-8850 with your questions.
In Memoriam – Mr. James Fisher, Jr.
It is with a heavy heart that we share the passing of Mr. James Fisher, Jr. Mr. Fisher was a tireless advocate for publicizing the historical harms of Black land loss in DC through eminent domain and seeking necessary repair owed to and determined by descendants of these families. He was a seventh-generation descendant of Captain George Pointer, a man who was born enslaved, bought his freedom, and helped build and design the Patowmack Canal. We had the pleasure of getting to know Mr. Fisher and his family’s story during our June 2023 hearing on reparations and found his testimony to be one of the most compelling parts of the hearing. He will be missed. You can learn more about Mr. Fisher’s life and legacy and watch his June testimony here.
Safe Neighborhoods Amendment Act of 2024
Last month, I introduced the Safe Neighborhoods Amendment Act of 2024. This bill would bring violence prevention under one independent roof, forming an independent agency that consolidates evidence-based, data-driven programs to ensure the District is unified in its approach to violence prevention and can implement these proven strategies. It would also help us increase MPD recruitment by reducing barriers and not limiting applicants who may have an adverse credit history and would permit High School Degree/GED holders to apply for Police Officer Roles. We need more officers from our city in our ranks, those familiar with the District’s people, neighborhood, and culture. It would also expand community policing by encouraging First Responders to live in the District by encouraging officers and firefighters to live in the communities they serve with a forgivable down payment assistance loan through the expansion of the First Responder Housing Assistance Program. Learn more about the bill via this coverage in DCist.
Downtown Action Plan & Downtown Public Realm
On February 26th, the District released the Downtown Action Plan and Downtown Public Realm Plan at an Event at the Woolly Mammoth Theater. I hope that we make these plans actionable as part of a placemaking and economic development approach that helps us attract new businesses, retain our current ones, and increase our residential population while also focusing on a downtown that isn’t just for some of our people, but for ALL of our people. This means enhancing public safety, addressing human services needs to the endemic challenges of our downtown core, and supporting the workers and businesses impacted by this slowdown.
The next few years are crucial, and we must take advantage of the opportunities presented by this shift to better coordinate our efforts to improve our business climate and make immediate, tangible improvements to our public safety infrastructure.
The District cannot look backward, and we must embrace the smart city development that our future demands. This will mean asking hard questions and making prudent decisions about our investments in economic development, housing, and our public transportation landscape. Rebuilding the economy of February 2020 isn’t an option. My team and I are monitoring the work of the Gallery Place/Chinatown and will continue to share updates as they become available.
D.C. RFK Memorial Stadium Campus Revitalization Act
Legislative Updates
In December, we introduced the Protecting Affordable Loans (PALS) Amendment Act of 2023. Be sure to tune in or join us on Wednesday, March 13th, when we take up the bill in the Committee on Business and Economic Development. The PALs bill would exercise the District’s right to opt out of the federal requirement that the District apply the interest rates of state-chartered federally insured banks. It also closes the loophole allowing foreign (non-District) state-chartered banks to import usurious interest rates and largely ends the explosion of nontraditional, fintech-enabled efforts targeting District consumers with predatory loans. This change will allow us to protect District consumers from predatory lenders that ruin their credit scores and jeopardize their financial security.
In the News
Our Clean Hands Certification Economic Expansion and Revitalization Amendment Act of 2023 was in the news last week. The bill is mentioned in a Mother Jones article on how different state and local taxation policies punish low-income residents. We are grateful for the work done by Tzedek DC on this effort. Be sure to read their Locked Out Report and follow along here as we provide updates on the bill as it makes its way through Legislative Review.
Save the Date
Be sure to mark your calendars for the Healthy Homes Fair on Saturday, April 6th at Stadium Armory. The event runs from 1pm to 5pm. Visit https://www.healthyhomesfair.org/ for more information.
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Constituent Services Requests
Use https://311.dc.gov/citizen/home or connect with our Constituent Services Portal and Director, Kelley Cislo, at [email protected].
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