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Friend –

This week, it was back to school for DCPS and many of our DC public charter schools, and congratulations to all the students and families on your first week! Despite the alarming escalation of masked federal troops and National Guard stationed around our community, we also have to continue to find joy and normalcy and celebrate milestones. And despite the dangerous rhetoric out of the White House, we need to share and lift up what's actually happening in DC like reports showing enrollment has been growing steadily in the District's public schools, and students continue to make gains in ELA and math proficiency (including some Ward 6 schools leading the entire city). It's important we're sharing this good news.

I want to thank the many parents and community leaders who support our kids, teachers, and schools year-round, but a special thanks to the many who've stepped up to ensure students feel and are safe getting to and from school – I know parents have been going out of their way to walk with kids and even be a reassuring presence at Metro stations. These are not normal times, but what will help us get through these unnerving days will be our bonds as a community and looking out for one another.

I also want to ask and encourage folks to make an extra effort to help support our local businesses. I've talked to so many of our small businesses that have just been crushed since the federal incursion was announced.

Some shops are seeing sales down 50% compared to last year. Restaurants have seen reservations cancel in droves. Hotels and short-term-rentals have seen many cancellations and slower bookings. The Downtown BID released data showing they're seeing 12,000 fewer people coming downtown each day. These impacts are devastating for our local businesses and economy. To try and combat some of that, you may have seen Restaurant Week has been extended through this weekend. Please consider a meal out with friends or family at one of our amazing Ward 6 restaurants to show them some support. You can find the full list of those participating here but don't limit yourself to that list alone. I know I don't have to tell you - we've got amazing ways to get out of the house and enjoy our neighborhoods in Ward 6.

Remember, the goal of this administration is to beat us up and overwhelm us to the point we don't push back. The antidote to that is to get outside and be part of a community! It is important to send a clear message that the federal takeover is not needed or welcome here -- there's no ambiguity from me. If the President was serious about having the federal government work to improve public safety, they'd focus on better partnerships with our local efforts to reduce crime, improving the federal parts of our city's criminal justice system, and it would look a lot different. For folks who feel able, there are several protests being organized this weekend -- strong, ongoing shows of protest are a way to build courage together.

Miss the last newsletter? I shared updates on the federal takeover attempts and how I've been pushing back, important details and resources to Know Your Rights, and key updates on Rumsey Pool and Garfield Park. You can read it here.

How "Cashless Bail" Has Worked for DC

President Trump kicked off this week by continuing his attempted takeover of the District with an executive order threatening to withhold federal funding from DC and other states if we all don't reinstate cash bail – a policy the District moved away from in 1992, more than 30 years ago. Within 24 hours, he had also tried to fire a member of the independent Federal Reserve (which he can't do) and twice said he wasn't a dictator, but that maybe people wanted one. So, you'd be forgiven if you didn't get a chance to fully appreciate why we were all suddenly talking about DC's pre-trial detention system before turning to the next fire he set. To help explain our system and why turning back the clock to cash bail is a bad idea and will make us unsafe, I shared a quick explainer video.

In short, cash bail is a pre-trial detention system that dictates that if you're accused of a crime, you have to pay the government money to be released until you return for trial. It's a familiar idea to most of us thanks to TV shows like Law & Order. But the ability of someone to pull together thousands of dollars has no bearing on whether they're going to commit another crime or flee. A better measure is our very detailed risk assessment process, which evaluates your risk across 43 factors, most importantly looking at your criminal record and the charged offense. The final decision is ultimately the determination of a federal judge with a recommendation from the federal Pretrial Services Agency for DC. And remember, until someone is proven guilty in our legal system, they're considered innocent. Jailing someone until their trial ends and a conviction is reached has serious implications for that person's employment, education, housing, for their children, and more, so should only be done when it's justified.

Now to be clear, there are some very legitimate reasons that someone should be held in jail pending their trial - they may pose a significant risk to public safety or have demonstrated they've been a serious risk before. At the Council, we recently expanded the types of "crimes of violence" - a specific set of serious, violent crimes - where someone can be held in jail pre-trial. So for all those reasons, that's why we have a system that measures someone's risk to the community, rather than their wealth.

It's a system that works. All told, 99% of people who remain in the community before their trial are not re-arrested for a violent crime pre-trial. 99%. And many are held, especially for violent offenses. As I told The Washington Post this week, based on the data, there's no reason to change our law. This executive order isn't about facts. It's about Trump's power and control over our local affairs.

Public Safety Update

Like always, our efforts to improve public safety and reduce violence is best when it's led in partnership with local and accountable leaders. That looks just like what we've seen in recent years where the Mayor, Council, Attorney General, MPD, community leaders, and many more work together. It's how we've made significant gains and it's how we'll keep that work going to continue reducing crime and improving public safety. Here are more updates as that work continues:

MPD Makes Arrest in 2024 Kentucky Ave. Homicide – MPD announced that back in July, they had arrested a suspect involved in a homicide in Southeast from last year. Last month, the New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force located and arrested a 36-year-old Bronx, New York, resident following a warrant. Last week, he went through the extradition process and was returned to DC, where he was charged with second-degree murder while armed.
MPD Warns of Impersonators on Fake Website – MPD is warning the public of an ongoing scam where individuals impersonate MPD members over the phone and direct them to a fake website about an arrest warrant. Right now, MPD is aware of only one incident, and the website has been taken down, but there's a possibility of similar active websites and scamming efforts. If you receive a call like this, don't feel pressured to act. Know that MPD will never demand payment by phone, email, or letter. Always be wary of suspicious websites or emails, and make sure to report the fraud.
DC Courts Overwhelmed – NBC 4 has important reporting this week looking at the backlog at DC Superior Court, where nearly all criminal and civil trials are held. The lack of judges on the bench is an issue I've shared with you over several years, as it leads to backlogs, delays, and challenges with caseloads for judges and attorneys. You may recall this was an issue from former Chief Judge Anita Josey-Herring last October. For a three-minute recap on why this issue matters, check out NBC 4's reporting from the start of the federal surge. Part of the challenge appears to stem from US Attorneys seeking charges that far exceed the severity of the offense, only to have those charges rejected by grand juries and judges.

Related: Just a quick reminder that the US Department of Justice, under which our local US Attorney's Office falls, has fired or demoted numerous veteran prosecutors from the office who had been involved in January 6th prosecutions. That's led to a staffing and expertise shortfall at USAO, which will certainly lead to challenges securing convictions as a surge in arrests moves into the court system. This could be especially challenging given many of the non-immigration arrests reportedly made so far are for relatively minor infractions (New York Times, Reuters).

Modernizations Coming to Ward 6 Schools

As kids go back to school, I want to remind neighbors of the latest upcoming modernizations we've funded for school campuses, which include:

Ludlow Taylor Elementary expansion: Expected to be complete this winter.
JO Wilson Elementary: Scheduled to be completed for the 2026-27 school year.
Brent Elementary: Scheduled to be completed for the 2027-28 school year.
Chisholm Elementary: Scheduled to be completed for the 2028-29 school year.

As your Councilmember, I've worked hard to ensure schools are modernized, improved, and maintained to the level our students and teachers deserve. Great things happen in the classroom with some top notch educators, but I want to see everyone in a classroom and school building that matches that excellence. And of course, improving our schools involves even more than securing dollars in the DC budget. But beyond the budget, my team and I spend a lot of time working with PTOs, attending School/Facilities Improvement Team (SIT) meetings, facilitating a design that works for everyone, touring swing space, advising on drop-off signage placement, and troubleshooting issues as they come up both at the school site and in the swing space. These are once-in-a-generation opportunities to serve DC families, and every step of the way, we're working to make that happen in the best possible way, always in collaboration with the parents and school leaders. In that vein, many thanks to Principal Lycknell and the Brent PTA as we've navigated numerous issues together leading up to this first week of the Brent swing to Meyer in anticipation of their modernization.

Update on Watkins Rec & Playground Work

I'm very excited to see the ongoing work to upgrade the playground, basketball courts, rush rink, and field at Watkins Elementary – these are improvements I secured funding for in the budget that are finally coming online, starting with the playground last Saturday. It was packed within minutes of opening (it always helps to open a playground with great weather). Have you had a chance to see it yet? Let me know what you think! I stopped by the first day it was open and had my son Everett give it test run.

DGS still needs to finish the basketball court with surface coating and painting, improve landscaping, repair fences and gates, install new bike racks, picnic tables, and soccer goals, and resurface the field turf. DPR says a substantial amount of the remaining work should be done by this October.

The turf will be closed for resurfacing starting on Tuesday, Sept. 2. While the timing for the turf fields isn't great for the fall sports season, we'll all be glad when they're complete and upgraded. Finally, in the budget we recently passed, I was also able to secure a new public Throne restroom at the site, just like the one at Eastern Market Metro Park, which has been a huge success.

Safer Commuting Around Education Hill

I'm happy to say we've seen some improvements over the summer for people moving around JO Wilson's swing space, Browne Education Campus, Phelps High School, and Two Rivers Public Charter School. In March, I walked the campus with residents and leaders from Wards 5, 6, and 7, who pointed out serious concerns, including unsafe driving, double parking, and a lack of accessible sidewalks.

Since then, DDOT has completed the following:

New speed humps and raised crosswalks
New ramps for the newly painted crosswalk across 26th Street NE near Browne
Wayfinding signage on 26th Street and around to I Street, including pedestrian crossing signage at the walkway to Two Rivers on 24th Street NE and H Street, as well as the crosswalks at Browne Elementary
Flex posts for daylighting all crosswalks and the pedestrian path behind Phelps
The protected in-street sidewalk on the north side of 26th Street
Fresh center line striping from Browne south to Benning Road
NO Parking School Days signage on both sides of 26th Street, south of the trolley car barn entrance to Benning Road

Quick Resolution on Bus Stop Relocation at Eastern Market Metro Park

Since WMATA rolled out its Better Bus Project at the end of June, there have been a few hiccups, including a safety challenge for the C53 route and its stop at Eastern Market Metro Park, near the playground and Trader Joe's. When WMATA switched the bus system, they didn't tell DDOT that this route would get a longer bus, which meant no one anticipated a bus blocking the crosswalk and forcing pedestrians to have to walk in traffic along Pennsylvania Avenue SE. This created an obvious safety challenge, which I raised with both DDOT and WMATA from Day 1. Last week, WMATA decided that the best solution was to simply remove the stop, one that is used by more than 500 people each day, and instead force riders to walk several blocks north or south to catch the same bus.

I pushed back, and working with WMATA and DDOT's Bus Priority Team, we reached a short-term fix by moving the stop just across the street to the south side of Pennsylvania Avenue, but still on 8th Street, and it remains a great connection to Eastern Market Metro and Barracks Row. In all, the stop was only closed for two days before we got it fixed.

While this serves many, it doesn't resolve all issues that residents may experience with the new bus system. To submit a comment on the bus, I encourage you to tell WMATA.

Elevator Update at Northeast Library

Anyone who regularly visits the Northeast Library is aware of the frequent elevator maintenance issues that have made other floors beyond the first floor inaccessible to many neighbors. Thankfully, the DC Public Library says the elevator is back up and running. It will need to be replaced entirely, though, which they plan to do next year. I appreciate the many neighbors who reached out to me about this and DCPL for working hard to get a fix in place.

Arena Stage Community Day a Big Success

I hope neighbors in Southwest had the chance to join Arena Stage's Community Day and Block Party last weekend. It was helping celebrate the 75th birthday for an incredible arts space in our community. I swung by with the family and ran into a lot of Southwest neighbors! There was plenty for the kids to do (including mini golf upstairs) and Arena Stage welcomed neighbors into their theaters and were able to show off a bit of what this award winning theatre helps create in DC.

If you missed the fun, check out the photos here and be sure to keep a close eye out for future events that bring neighbors together. Big thanks to the team at Arena for creating this event!

Maine Ave. SW to 14th Street Change

DDOT initiated changes this week that will continue through 2030: The westbound access road to northbound 14th Street SW on Maine Avenue SW is closed, and on-street parking is not available. This is related to construction activities for the pedestrian bridge over Maine, which is part of the Long Bridge Project.

Traffic controls, including signage and detour information, will be in place to guide motorists and pedestrians safely through the area. As always, please stay alert, follow posted signs, and exercise caution near the construction zone. You can find more details about this affected area here.

Hope to See You at Office Hours!

My team and I will take the office to Southwest this month, and I hope you can join us! I'm happy to chat about anything that might be on your mind, or if you'd like to stop by for coffee and say hello, we'll be around for that, too.

When: Friday, Sept. 19, from 8:30 to 10 a.m.
Where: Good Company Doughnuts & Cafe, 1000 4th St. SW, Suite 125
RSVP

Nearby Public Transportation

Metrorail Station: Waterfront (Green Line)
Metrobus Routes: C55, C11, D50
Capital Bikeshare Station: 4th and M Streets SW

Upcoming Events

Back to School Ride: Today, Aug. 30 | 4 to 6:30 p.m. | Starting at Payne Elementary School (14th and D Streets SE)
Hill Family Biking's 4-mile bike ride tours many Capitol Hill schools. Riders can start at a school of their choice or join the group at Payne. A block party follows to celebrate the new school year and the completion of the permanent street art project at Payne. More info.
Mending Workshop: Sunday, Aug. 31 | 1 to 3 p.m. | Southwest Library (900 Wesley Place SW)
DOEE and DCPL partner up to host this workshop to help you mend clothes that need repair. They'll provide supplies like needles and thread, and they'll be on hand to help you learn something new.
Tunes in the Triangle: Wednesday, Sept. 3 | 6 to 7:30 p.m. | Milian Park (499 Massachusetts Ave. NW)
The Mount Vernon Triangle CID brings back music to the park this week, kicking it off with Jahnel Daliya. See the lineup for September.
Ward 6 DPR Construction Update: Thursday, Sept. 4 | 6 p.m. | Virtual
Join the Department of Parks and Recreation for a virtual community meeting about capital construction projects in Ward 6 neighborhoods.
Art All Night: Friday, Sept. 12, and Saturday, Sept. 13 | Evenings | Locations across DC
Enjoy nighttime events with visual and performing arts throughout Main Streets and neighborhoods! Ward 6 stops include Barracks Row, Eastern Market, and H Street.
Capitol Hill Art Walk: Saturday, Sept. 13, and Sunday, Sept. 14 | Noon to 4 p.m. | Throughout Capitol Hill
Walk to more than 70 locations on the Hill and enjoy art and crafts made by more than 130 local artists, who will be there on-site.
Tenant Summit: Saturday, Sept. 13 | 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. | Office of the Tenant Advocate (899 North Capitol St. NE)
Join the Office of the Tenant Advocate for this free all-day summit for tenants. You can attend panels of experts, take a class to learn more about tenants' rights, meet with an attorney-advisor, and more.

Monday Night Baseball

As always, thanks for reading this Ward 6 Update. As a thank you, I invite you to cheer on our Nats! Reply to this email for a chance to get tickets to the Sept. 15 baseball game against Atlanta.

See you around the neighborhood,

Charles Allen

Councilmember Charles Allen · 1350 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Suite 110, Washington, DC 20004, United States
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