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Friend --
A lot has happened since my last update. I want to begin by saying
thank you. So many Ward 6 neighbors have diligently taken to wearing a
mask when they leave the house. Many, many Ward 6 neighbors have told
me they are "writing to their councilmember for the first time" to
speak out on an urgent concerns around policing and communities of
color and call for change. Ward 6 neighbors waited for hours in line
to vote, despite poor planning and execution from our Board of
Elections. So many Ward 6 neighbors have asked how they can help
during this time. And of course, many residents braved a pandemic and
some high heat to protest in unity and now are waiting in long lines
to get tested. There are a lot of areas where we need immediate and
long-term change and improvement. I'm just appreciative that it hasn't
deterred residents from being active members of our community. Let's
jump in, there's a lot to update you on.
Police Reforms | MPD Budget Hearings | Metro &
Racism | COVID Testing For Anyone | Summer Student Meals | EXTRA SNAP
Benefits | Ward 6 Small Biz | The Fields at RFK | Summer Metro
Station Closures |Park(Ing) Day 2020 | Volunteer | Free Diapers
| Free Groceries
Council Passes Emergency Police Transparency and
Accountability Reforms: On last Tuesday, the Council
unanimously passed my Comprehensive Policing and Justice Emergency
Act, an effort I led working with my colleagues to put into law some
immediate changes around policing. I've posted a summary
of what I included in the bill, and you can read
the bill itself and the amendments added to the bill during the
vote. It bans chokeholds, requires body-worn camera footage be
released within 72 hours of a police-involved shooting, expands the
authority of the Office of Police Complaints, requires consent for
more searches, and moves forward Councilmember Robert White's
Restore the Vote bill to enfranchise DC residents currently
incarcerated. Amendments from my colleagues placed limits on future
police union contracts to determine discipline and bans the use of
chemicals like tear gas and rubber bullets.
I want to speak for a moment to the process for crafting this bill.
My Committee and I moved fast to pull together reforms we thought we
could implement immediately to make policing more transparent and
accountable to the public. Most of these ideas were ones that have
been discussed in many of the public hearings I've held on policing
over the past three years, including a five-hour
hearing on body-worn cameras last October. For those less familiar
with inner workings of the Council, emergency legislation requires
only one vote by the Council and the signature of the Mayor to go into
effect. However, it can't have a cost to implement or run and it only
stays in effect for 90 days before expiring, which limits what can be
done. I will be introducing these reforms, and likely more, in a
permanent bill soon.
 Budget Hearings for the Metropolitan Police
Department and Other Public Safety Agencies: The protests
that have dominated globally should be forcing us to talk about what
actually makes us safer as a community as well as who our current
public safety policies have benefited and who they have harmed. As I
write this, 10 people were shot the other night in DC. It's absolutely
unacceptable and each person responsible should be held
accountable. At the same time, the District of Columbia already has
some of the strongest gun laws on the books. We have the highest
number of police per capita of any major city in the US - a number
that doesn't include the many federal law enforcement agencies here.
We spend more per resident on our police department than any other
major city. We have the *highest* incarceration rate in the nation and
likely the free world. If police presence and tough laws were the keys
to public safety, we would already have the safest city in the US.
It's hard for me to square those facts and conclude we just need a
few hundred more police officers as the solution to reducing and
preventing crime. We aren't solving the problems that lead to violent
crime, but we are over-policing the communities where violent crime is
at crisis levels. As more than a dozen days of protests have made
clear, over-policing has eroded trust between the police and those
communities. The fear of violent crime has led us to view policing as
the only solution, ignoring the harmful ways our growing reliance on
security is affecting Black neighborhoods and largely making us less
safe. We know the more interactions someone has with the criminal
justice system, the harder it is to recover and become a successful
member of our community.
And with limited resources this year, we should think very
carefully about our priorities when our police department's budget is
larger than our Department of Health, our Department of Behavioral
Health, our public university, and our violence prevention programs
combined.
As of today, we've received nearly 16,000 written or video
testimonials about MPD's budget or our funding priorities for the
agencies under the Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety. More
than 500 people registered for a hearing I held on Monday on MPD's
budget specifically that was streamed on my Facebook
page (you don't need an account to watch). We didn't have enough
time to hear from everyone, unfortunately, so we allocated speaking
slots based on a first come, first served basis. Today the
conversation will continue as I hold a budget hearing with the Deputy
Mayor for Justice and Public Safety and our Office of Neighborhood
Safety and Engagement, which heads up our growing violence
interruption work. Those
hearings can be watched live here beginning at 3 pm.
If you want to follow along during the budget process, here's the
schedule and how to testify. I've previously held a Public
Safety Budget Town Hall on Facebook, a Ward
6 Budget Town Hall, and just this past Tuesday a Budget
Oversight Hearing with MPD, Fire
and EMS, the Office of Unified Communications, and DC's
Attorney General.
 Related: Our election on June 2 was a mess. I
know from visiting Ward 6 polling sites during the day and late at
night that people waited for hours to cast their ballot. On Friday,
I'm holding an oversight hearing on the Board of Elections to find out
what went wrong and how we ensure November is a much smoother
process.
Metro Transit Police Need Civilian Oversight: Last
week, the WMATA board passed a resolution pledging a plan to address
systemic racism within the transit system. This is a welcome, and
overdue, signal. Read more in the Washington
Post. You might remember for the past few years I've had to deal
with aggressive pushback as I passed a law that simply turned fare
evasion from a criminal penalty into a civil penalty, citing
the frequency Metro Transit Police were enforcing the law
overwhelmingly against Black riders. And just last year, Councilmember
Robert White and I held a joint-hearing to look into the Metro
Transit Police's aggressive policing following
a
number
of
incidents.
As a reminder, any changes to Metro Transit Police must be approved by
WMATA's Board, not just the District. Here are a few thoughts of mine
from Twitter as well.
COVID-19 Update: I haven't written with a COVID-19
update in a while, so let me share some resources around testing and
some updates as we head into summer. The District has been slowly
expanding opportunities for individuals who are not symptomatic to get
testing, which is critical if we're going to trace and contain the
spread as we re-open. Our Public Health Emergency has been extended to
July 24. And as the school year has ended, the summer meals program
will continue on, transitioning to DPR
for the summer starting yesterday - more info on summer meals
below.
Free COVID-19 testing for
anyone: Beginning this week, the District now offers
a number of daily testing sites where anyone can receive a test,
regardless of symptoms and without needing a referral. A daily testing
location downtown on F Street, NW between 4th and 5th Streets, NW
offering testing Monday - Friday from 10 am to 2 pm.
Starting yesterday, the District launched ongoing daily testing at
different firehouses around the city. Here's the schedule:
Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, 4-8 p.m.
- Engine 4 (2531 Sherman Ave. NW)
- Engine 11 (3420 14th St. NW)
- Engine 24 (5101 Georgia Ave. NW)
- Engine 31 (4930 Connecticut Ave. NW)
Thursday and Friday, 4-8 p.m., Saturday 12-4 p.m.
- Engine 8 (1520 C St. SE)
- Engine 10 (1342 Florida Ave. NE)
- Engine 30 (50 49th St. NE)
- Engine 33 (101 Atlantic St. SE)
On https://coronavirus.dc.gov/testing,
there are a number of testing locations throughout the District. The
majority of them are prioritizing testing for specific groups, however
the District is steadily expanding testing for anyone.
Anti-Body Testing Now Taking Place in Navy Yard/ Capitol
Riverfront: The District also started offering scheduled
antibody testing for District residents ages 6 and up as another way
to track community spread with a site in Canal Park open to all DC
residents. You need to make an appointment before heading over there,
however. Learn
more here.
Contact Tracing: A critical part of any safe and
successful re-opening of our city that still minimizes the spread of
COVID-19 will have to have robust contract tracing. This is exactly
what it sounds like - a team of people who work backwards from a
positive case to trace and contain possible spread by alerting others
who may have been exposed. If you get tested and have a positive
result, please, please work with the contact tracing team that reaches
out so we can identify and head off hot spots. And keep in mind,
contact tracers will never 1) ask your immigration status, 2) ask for
your social security number, or 3) ask for any payment or financial
information.
Free Student/Kid Meal Sites As Of June 1: Click
here to see the updated list of school
meals being provided over the summer here.
If Your Child Receives a Free School Meal, There's Extra
Help For You: During the pandemic, families with one or more
children receiving free or reduced-price meals through the National
School Lunch Program, you can sign-up here for extra support with food
during the pandemic. Learn
more and enroll with DC's Department of Human Services and share
this information in your neighborhood.
We Need More Space for Pedestrians and
Non-Drivers: This pandemic has also shown how important our
sidewalks and bicycle lanes are for safely moving around the District
while maintaining social distancing. DDOT is in the process of
implementing 'slow
street' and last Tuesday the Council passed emergency legislation
requiring DDOT to release a plan for the creation of 20 miles of
connected pedestrian and bicycle pathways by September 1 and another
five miles after that by December 1.
Ward 6 Neighbor Volunteer Call: Hey neighbors, I
wanted to amplify a call for volunteers who can offer to drive some
food supplies on Fridays. Serve Your City, our Ward 6 Mutual Aid
Group, has asked for help with volunteers. Sharing the note
here: Ward 6 DC Mutual Aid needs four drivers at 1 p.m. each
Friday to transport 100 boxes of foods for families in need from Food
for All DC at 1810 16th St. NW to a distribution point at the Capitol
Hill Arts Workshop, 545 7th St. S.E. If you can help on an upcoming
Friday, please contact John Cochran at
[email protected]. Because I'm guessing we'll have
more than enough interest for this specific volunteer effort, check
out Serve
Your City for other ways to help out your neighbors or
volunteer.
 Checking In With Ward 6 Small Business
Owners: I was able to get some time to hear from Ward 6 small
business owners and talk through what recovery and re-opening should
look like. I remain committed to seeing the District do as much as we
can to support our small businesses during this pandemic. If you are a
small business owner and want to share your ideas/concerns with me,
reach out to me and CC Nichole Opkins from my team (contact
info here). I'd also recommend keeping an eye on https://coronavirus.dc.gov/recovery-business to
know what resources are available as we go on.
Related: You might remember a little over a month ago I
fought unsuccessfully to make it easier for small businesses to bring
business interruption insurance claims related to the mandatory
closures around COVID-19. I spoke with Reuters about our debate
locally for an article looking nationally at the claims
by the insurance industry paying out claims would cost the
industry billions. As a reminder, the insurance industry also said DC
businesses have been collectively paying around $16
million a month in premiums.
The Fields at RFK Have Re-Opened! The Fields at
RFK are back open for at least informal play and access to the
outdoors. But before you head out, check
out hours and what you need to know.
Metro Announces Summer Rail Stations Shutdowns for Repair
Work: Over the summer, while trying to take advantage of low
ridership, WMATA announced a series of closures to do capital projects
at these stations. Here's the full list, which includes:
- June 28-July 2 – Mt Vernon to U St
- Closed Station: Shaw-Howard
- July 6-July 18 – U St to Ft. Totten
- Closed Stations: Columbia Heights and Georgia Ave
- July 19-July 25 – Judiciary Sq to Rhode Island
- Closed Station: Union Station and NoMa
- July 26-August 1 – Ft. Totten to Silver Spring
Interested in how we do Park(Ing) Day 2020? Info Session on
June 17: DDOT is hosting an online information for those
interested in participating in Park(ing) Day this year. Staff will
present information about the design guidelines, timeline, and review
process. Park(ing) Day is still expected to occur for 2020, however,
event logistics may change based on DDOT’s response to the coronavirus
(COVID-19). Please email RSVP
here to the information session. Once received, you will receive a
link to a Teams Meeting invitation.
Here's Who To Support Financially or By
Volunteering: At this point, we've been living physical
distancing for more than 100 days. The initial burn to do something
may have faded, but these organizations are still doing great work to
help our neighbors and they're worth your support. If you find
yourself with a lot of time and you are healthy and able to volunteer,
these are groups that can put you to work. I cannot emphasize enough,
however, that if you are not feeling well at all, please do not
volunteer. And if you are fortunate enough to be in a position to make
donations, these are organizations helping put food on the table and
meet other needs for your neighbors right here in Ward 6 and across
the District:
-
Table
Church DC (via Ward 6 neighbors): Started by Ward 6
neighbor Allison McGill, this is a great effort pairing volunteers
with residents who need help with a range of needs, including just
someone to run to the store for them.
-
Ward
6 Mutual Aid Network: Started by Ward 6 neighbor Maurice
Cook and Serve Your City, this is a group collecting and
redistributing food and other essential items for neighbors.
-
World
Central Kitchen: Chef José Andres' nonprofit kitchen has
set up shop at Nationals Park and has been serving up hundreds of
meals to Ward 6 seniors. If you can chip in to keep their work going,
know it is helping your neighbors.
-
DC
Medical Reserve Corps: Organized by the DC Government,
here's a way to help out as our medical response scales up.
-
DC Public Schools: In need of volunteers
to help keep running their many meal sites for kids in DC during
school closures! Please fill out the linked survey.
-
Capital Area Food Bank: In
critical need of volunteers to help sort and pack food in their
warehouse and assist at their offsite food distributions
-
Food and Friends DC: In urgent
need of extra volunteers throughout the coming weeks. There are two
volunteer opportunities, food preparation and packaging and meal and
grocery delivery
-
Food Rescue US: Volunteers with
vehicles needed to pick up and deliver food from businesses to DC
residents in need
-
Grace’s Table: Looking for
volunteers to help feed the homeless each Saturday
-
Martha’s Table: Volunteers needed
to help prepare and bag food for their emergency food sites across the
city
-
We Are Family: Volunteer to
deliver groceries to seniors.
-
Food for All DC: Volunteer to drive
groceries to seniors, immunocompromised, and other DC neighbors who
are homebound. Volunteer here.
-
Aunt Bertha: Aunt Bertha’s network
connects people seeking help and verified social care providers that
serve them by zip code. Contact your local shelter to see what help
and/or items may be needed
Free diapers:
Free groceries for residents:
-
Ten DC School Sites Distributing Free Groceries Each Week:
I mentioned this above, but sharing here as well. Ten DCPS
meal locations are now distributing groceries as well as student
meals. Every Monday is Eastern High School's day to distribute in
Ward.
-
Martha's Table: Daily grocery distribution at 2nd and
H Street, from 5:15-5:45 pm. Donate here to support their work: https://marthastable.networkforgood.com/projects/95536-martha-s-table-martha-s-table-expanded-programs-covid-19
-
Capital Area Food Bank: Behind many good nonprofits
is the CAFB, supplying many groceries from bulk purchasing to food
pantries across the region. Help them today: https://www.capitalareafoodbank.org/donate/
-
Father McKenna Center Grocery Pantry Now Open: One of
the programs partnering with the Capital Area Food Bank is the Father
McKenna Center at 900 North Capitol St., NW. Information
on how to support or receive groceries here.
-
H Street Food Drive for Ward 5-6 Neighbors:
Contactless food/groceries available for neighbors who need some extra
assistance. They also offer contactless food delivery for anyone in
the area that needs it, especially elderly, single parents, those with
special needs. Drop off or Send Non-Perishable Food Deliveries To: @maketto1351 |
Attention: H ST. NE FOOD DRIVE | 1351 H ST. NE, Washington, D.C.
20002. Send all monetary donations To: PayPal: PayPal.me/CHRiSCARDi
| Venmo: @ChrisCardi
-
Pick up at Maketto: 1351 H Street, NE
Monday – Saturday:
7:30am – 9:30pm
Sunday: 7:30am -5pm
- If in need of delivery assistance text 202-681-3532
Charles Allen
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