By Ron Thompson (Transportation Equity Organizer) • June 16, 2020
While most of the protests over the last few weeks have been peaceful and nonviolent, there has been some vandalism and looting. To understand everything that’s happening, however, we have to look at the historical context of violence against Black Americans and their communities.
DC looked very different in 1979. A map of neighborhood housing conditions shows just how much. In many DC neighborhoods that are now in high demand, the housing stock was in danger decades ago.
An extremely deadly disease called “Bsal” has emerged in the amphibian world, threatening their future survival. Scientists are now calling its spread a “pandemic,” calling to mind the human experience of COVID-19.
Amtrak will cut service to its 15 long distance routes from daily to three days a week, impacting 461 stations. It will also cut service in the busy Northeast Corridor by 32% starting this fall. The drastic cuts are a response to cratering ridership and revenue from the pandemic. (Luz Lazo / Post)
Local protestors held a 36-hour sit-in across the street from the Wilson Building to call on the DC Council to reject the proposed budget increase for MPD and defund the department. They held an unofficial hearing to share their experiences with police after many who signed up could not testify live to the Council due to a cap on witnesses. (Jacob Fenston / DCist)
Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks announced a task force to make police reform recommendations and said she will revisit the department budget. She rejected activists’ calls to defund the police, but did say she would move $20 million from police training funds to build an addiction and mental health facility. (Rachel Chason / Post)
Governor Ralph Northam, joined by Virginia Beach native Pharrell Williams, announced that this Friday Virginia will celebrate Juneteenth as a state holiday to celebrate Black history and the end of slavery. The governor also announced that Virginia will not move any further into its coronavirus reopening this week. (Rick Massimo / WTOP)
As part of Montgomery County’s first Pedestrian Master Plan, the county is asking residents to send in their informal walking paths. The county will collect submissions through the summer and into fall, and will add some to the master plan in order to turn them into official sidewalks. (Jordan Pascale / WAMU)
After winning the Democratic primary for DC’s Ward 2 council seat, Pinto leads the pack in the special election to fill the seat until November. While some mail in ballots are still coming in, she is expected to win and take office right away, joining the council’s ongoing budget process. (Julie Zauzmer / Post)
The Department of Justice filed a suit to seize nine acres of Arlington county land using eminent domain in order to expand Arlington Cemetery. The county hasn’t opposed the seizure, but it will mean realigning Columbia Pike around the new cemetery grounds. (ARL Now)
A bill to make DC the 51st state will get a vote in the House of Representatives next week. It has broad support in the Democratic House and is expected to pass in a historic milestone for statehood. However, it is unlikely to pass in the Republican-controlled Senate. (Nathan Diller / DCist)
