And an invitation to a night of reflection and celebration

Friend –

As I write this, we are waiting for all the votes to be counted and know who our president is. However, perhaps by the time you are reading this, we know. This certainly has been a year of uncertainty.

But this election has made one thing clear: we have a lot to celebrate here in D.C. For the first time in 20 years, the D.C. Council is now majority female. It is also majority Black – something we haven't seen since 2012.

This has been a consequential year here in the District. This summer, years of pleading for change became a resounding call for urgent police reform when D.C. residents took to the streets to protest and testified before the Council. Your collective activism catalyzed the Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Emergency Amendment Act, which resulted in chokehold bans, a prohibition on the use of tear gas at First Amendment demonstrations, expedited release of some body-worn camera footage, and other crucial reforms.

In addition to these improvements, the Council also took the first step toward police-free schools by transferring the school security contract from the Metropolitan Police Department to D.C. Public Schools, and has held a hearing on a critical bill that will bring more oversight and accountability of the Metro Transit Police. We will continue working with the community and our partners to push the Council to act urgently to pass these bills and are monitoring other bills as we head into the next session.

These changes would not have happened without your help, but our work is not over. We reaffirm our commitment to using our privilege and power to show up in service not only in this moment, but also in the movement for liberation, for liberty. We will continue to hold people and systems accountable. We will work to ensure justice is about all of us. And we look forward to continuing to partner with you in this work.

Join us next Thursday for the Bill of Rights Celebration <[link removed]> to hear more thoughts on the outcomes of the election, the work we've done, and what lies ahead. We will also honor members of the ACLU-DC community who have been integral to our success with our annual awards.

Bill of Rights Celebration

Join the ACLU of the District of Columbia on November 12 for a celebration in honor of those in our community who defend and advance civil liberties in D.C.

 

Thursday, November 12, 5:00 – 6:00PM
Virtual

Register here <[link removed]>

Even in the midst of uncertainty, we celebrate our passion, energy, and determination. I hope you are proud of what we've accomplished together. And I hope you are ready for what's next.



Monica Hopkins
Executive Director, ACLU of the District of Columbia

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