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Friend --
 Happy July! Originally, I was going to focus an
update on my proposed budget for public safety agencies, but there's a
lot of other important information to share, so please forgive the
length of this newsletter. And as we head into our July 4th Holiday
Weekend, I hope you have plans for a restful weekend. No doubt about
it, it’s going to be different this year than in the past. That goes
for me, too! For the first time in almost 15 years, I won’t be at
Barracks Row for our annual Independence Day Parade (although,
look for us online!) and I’m going to miss seeing so many friends
and neighbors! No matter how you’re celebrating, I hope you have a
safe and fun holiday.
Quick Links: DC Statehood!! | Reinvesting MPD Budget in Community | Paid Family Leave | Minimum
Wage Up to $15 | Fireworks | COVID-19 Update | DCPS School
Re-Opening | Care for DC Creatives | New Ward 2 Councilmember | Summer Student Meals | Rent $
Help | How to Give Back | Free Diapers | Free
Groceries
 US House of Representatives Passes DC
Statehood: I know there's a lot happening right now in the
world and in our community, but we have to start with what happened
last Friday afternoon. A LAW THAT WOULD GRANT DC STATEHOOD PASSED THE
US HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES!!!! This is a major step forward in a
decades long fight for equal treatment and full rights for DC
residents as US citizens. As
DCist chronicles, don't take this moment as a given. Years of hard
work have gone into this movement by Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes
Norton, the folks at DC Vote, community activists, neighbors like Josh
Burch at United for Statehood, and more to build momentum, get more
and more representatives signed on, and more. While the prospects
don't look great in the Senate or the White House, you
cannot deny the milestone we achieved last Friday.
Reinvesting From the MPD Budget Into
Community: Last week, the Council took a big step in crafting
the District's budget for FY21, which begins on Oct. 1, 2020. And due
to the economic impacts of COVID-19, the District is facing a
cumulative $1.5 billion budget shortfall. Our full budget vote is next
week, but first, each committee must pass a recommended proposal. As
Chair of the Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety, I led the
process to determine funding for the 39 agencies, boards, and
commissions that fall under the committee's oversight. The Council
will take a first vote on the entire budget package this coming
Tuesday, July 7.
Clearly, with the historic protests calling for an end to racial
injustice over the past month, particularly around policing, the
budget of the Metropolitan Police Department drew much of the
attention. I explained how MPD's budget works, and where we decided to
make reductions, in a long post on Facebook
and in a Twitter
thread. In total, MPD will have a budget of $568 million for next
year, which is a reduction of $33 million from what they have been
operating with this year. My Committee reinvested $15 million and
before that, the Mayor reduced MPD's budget by $22.9 million. The
budget does not force any officers to lose their job, but it does put
the agency in a hiring freeze.
I want to emphasize, we made reductions in order to invest in
programs that still improve public safety beyond policing. These are
ways to improve the lives of residents who have been living in
neighborhoods that have been historically underinvested in
except for police presence. Below are a number of the
investments that will make a big difference (with links below for the
full list):
-
Restores and expands Violence Interruption Work: In
total, our budget restores all cuts and adds $3.65 million in new
funding for violence interruption work for both the Office of
Neighborhood Safety and Engagement and Cure the Streets program in the
Office of the Attorney General.
-
Want to prevent shootings? Give people at-risk a pathway: A
critical part of our violence interruption work is the
ONSE’s Pathways Program, a transitional wrap-around
employment and anti-violence program that gets young folks most
at-risk of committing a crime or being victim to one a way out. This
is a paid program, and after lobbying from previous participants, we
are funding an increase in the pay.
-
Invests in Restorative Justice: Restorative Justice
offers the potential to transform how we handle justice. In this
budget, we create a new Restorative Justice Collaborative in one of
our violence interruption programs to coordinate and foster
restorative justice programming and practices within the District
government and with community-based organizations, with a focus on the
18-to-35-year old population.
- I'm particularly excited about creating four “Restorative Justice
Fellows”, which the Committee intends the agency to fill with
residents returning home under the Incarceration Reduction Amendment
Act. These are District residents coming home after having served many
years for committing a serious crime as a young person. Now they can
offer young people their perspective and serve as leaders in reaching
young people before they make a serious mistake. I want to take a
moment to point you in the direction to learn more about Restorative
Justice. Give this interview on the Ezra
Klein Podcast with sujatha
baliga a listen, which is a great primer to understand Restorative
Justice in this moment in history.
-
Building a New Shelter for Domestic Violence Survivors,
Funding Community Orgs: Part of our re-investment helped find
the $3 million needed to complete plans to build a new shelter for
survivors and victims of domestic violence. We also restored cuts and
expanded funding by millions of dollars for funding to community
organizations who work with victims of crime and marginalized
communities who are often left behind.
-
Investments in Housing: With this budget, we
funded $250,000 to repair existing affordable housing. We transferred
$250,000 to emergency rental assistance. We added $1 million for a new
reentry housing program. And funded $4.5 million to provide free legal
assistance to tenants facing eviction, a program I helped create in
2017.
-
For Those Who Really Want to Dig In: I've posted the
full
highlights of everything our budget funded. If you really want to
get wonky here's a link to the full Committee
Report (read pages 12-23 if you want the narrative on our
approach).
Paid Family Leave is Live in DC! Finally, after
years and years of hard work, the District of Columbia is officially
offering paid family leave starting yesterday, July 1. DC residents
can apply for up to 8 weeks of paid time off from their job for
several life events, including the birth or adoption of a new child,
the care for a family member who is ill, or a medical condition that
has left you unable to perform your duties at work. This is a big, big
deal and it makes it DC a great place for workers. Learn
more about eligibility here.
DC Raises Minimum Wage to $15: Also on July 1, the
District completed a multi-year incremental approach to get our
minimum wage to $15 an hour -- a change that will provide an immediate
boost to an estimated 65,000 District residents. I still remember
standing on the steps of the Wilson Building years ago calling for a
fair wage in DC, and it’s exciting to see this milestone achieved.
 Fireworks 'Go Teams' Ready to Help:
I've heard from a lot of Ward 6 neighbors struggling with unauthorized
late night fireworks in the neighborhood. I've been working with the
Chief of the Fire Department on ways we can respond. In response to
our conversations, he worked with the Fire Marshal to come up with
some new plans and yesterday, Mayor Bowser announced the creation of
Go Teams. These combine the Fire Marshall and DC government employees
who can respond in real-time to complaints about fireworks to provide
education and work with neighbors. If you need a Go Team to visit your
neighborhood, call (202) 727-1614 or email
[email protected].
I think this is a good solution and a great example of a problem
where we need more than just a traditional police response for public
safety. If you use this service, please let me know if it helps. I
appreciate the quick thinking and creativity of the Fire Chief, Mayor,
and her team on this one.
COVID-19 Update - No Big Spike After Month of
Mask-Empowered Protests: The data on the District of
Columbia's response to COVID-19 continues to look good and show
improvements, though as I mentioned in my last newsletter, be extra
cautious about indoor dining or worship services which are re-opened.
And please, wear a mask. But we're safely past any major spike we
might have seen from thousands of residents taking to the streets to
call for an end to racial injustice. A lot of that should be credited
to wide-spread mask usage by protestors. It's pretty great news that
demonstrating while wearing a mask makes a big difference in
protecting yourself and others.
And testing is available for residents without needing a doctor's
note or symptoms. Visit NeedATestGetATest.com
to see all of the options. Testing sites will be closed July 3 & 4
for the Fourth of July holiday. As a reminder, the District launched
ongoing daily testing at different firehouses around the city. Here's
the schedule (these locations are subject to weather-related closure,
check DC Health Twitter before you go if
the forecast is dicey). And keep in mind testing sites will not be open Friday, July 3 or Saturday,
July 4:
 Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday: 4-8 pm
- 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 pm, Saturday: 12-4 pm
- Engine 8 (1520 C St. SE)
- Engine 10 (1342 Florida Ave. NE)
- Engine 30 (50 49th St. NE)
- Engine 33 (101 Atlantic St. SE)
Teachers Raise Concerns About DCPS and DCPCS Back To School
Plans: I know there are many questions, and maybe like you,
I’m eagerly waiting for DCPS and Public Charter Schools to make
decisions about the start of school again next month. As soon as we
have firm information, I’ll share that broadly. And stay tuned on this
front, because I’ll want to create an online discussion as well to
hear from parents, teachers, and more to talk through ideas and
feedback as we prepare for an upcoming school year that will be like
none other. I did want to flag one concern I have though as we think
about the educators we depend on in our classrooms. You may have read
about concerns from our DCPS teachers in the
Washington Post, and I share the desire to see our educators (many
of whom are parents and caregivers themselves) fully engaged in the
planning process to ensure we have safe classrooms for both students
and staff.
Mental Health Care for DC Creatives: It's a
stressful time for many of us, including the District's talented class
of artists, musicians, performers, and other creatives where shows and
exhibits have been cancelled or postponed and most of our markets and
stores are operating at a fraction of capacity, if that. I'm glad to
pass on this announcement that the DC Office of Cable Television,
Film, Music, and Entertainment is partnering with George Washington
University to provide pay-what-you-can clinical therapy. To
receive care from #CareForCreativesDC, please email [email protected] and the Care For
Creatives team will follow up with more information. You will be asked
a couple of questions and then be paired with a clinician.
 Ward 2 has a New Councilmember: Last
weekend I joined several of my colleagues as Brook Pinto was sworn-in
as the new Ward 2 Councilmember. She won the Special Election in Ward
2 to immediately fill the seat left by Jack Evans. I was glad to
welcome Councilmember Pinto to the Council and I look forward to
working with her immediately as we finalize the FY21 Budget this
month. Photos borrowed from Council
of DC's official Twitter account.
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. As the city transitions
to the summer meal program, many new Rec Center feeding sites have
been added. Use
this handy mapping tool to find the site nearest you.
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.
Extra Rental Assistance Available: If you are
behind in your rent, there might be support available. Additional
funding from the federal government will be available to assist
District residents. More
information here.
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
Thanks as always and I hope you have a wonderful holiday
weekend!
Charles Allen
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