Newsroom

The Council of the District of Columbia unanimously passed Councilmember Charles Allen's the Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Emergency Act.

Statement from Councilmember Charles Allen on Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety Oversight of Protests:

I am sure you felt, as I did, so many emotions watching or being part of the protests over the weekend. Thousands of DC residents peacefully and passionately exercised their First Amendment rights as Americans to call out injustice, racism, and police brutality against Black Americans.

Councilmember Allen will also hold a virtual hearing for public testimony

Today, the District of Columbia enters a Phase 1 Re-Opening, loosening a few of the restrictions put in place to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus. I'd like to share what those changes are, and also what they aren't. 

I hope you had a restful Memorial Day weekend. Sometimes I feel like it’s hard enough to distinguish a weekend from a weekday, but a holiday almost seems hard to recognize. But Memorial Day is incredibly important to ensure we remember the sacrifice and selflessness of men and women across our country and right here at home in defense of our country. Of course, with powerful reminders like the New York Times front page this weekend, it’s not hard to see the parallels of loss and sacrifice happening right here and now as well.

Faced with these steep losses, and what feels like an endless drumbeat of bad news, I wanted to ask if you’d share a story of hope or resilience in these difficult times. I know much of what’s in these newsletter updates is often sobering or a painful reminder of loss, but I’d like to start adding a new feature - a story from one of you about something good that’s happened, a sliver of hope that you see, or a way a neighbor or family member has been resilient in the face of adversity. Maybe it’s the high school or college senior who found a way to have a special graduation, maybe it’s a neighborhood kid who left inspiring sidewalk messages written in chalk, or maybe it’s the neighbor who began the phone tree to check in with folks living alone in the building or on the block. The floor is yours, and I’ll share these messages with others so that we can all take comfort in the hope these acts play in our lives. 

On Wednesday, the Mayor announced an Educational and Academic Retail Stores pilot program to grant waivers for curbside and front door pickup, and the application is now open: https://coronavirus.dc.gov/ears

Locally owned businesses eligible to apply fall into these categories:

• Book Stores
• Art Supply Stores 
• Music Shops
• Toy Stores
• Office Supply Stores

This week brought news of an extended Stay-At-Home order by the Mayor. If you’ve been following the data and updates on DC’s testing and infection rates, this likely didn’t come as a surprise. But I also know that many neighbors were looking for an update by the Mayor on schools, summer camps, and more this week. Like you, my own household is trying to figure out the next few months for our kids. I’ve talked with the Mayor’s team and they are planning to provide a summer planning update next week - so stay tuned!

April was hard. On many levels. We’ve watched the daily counter of lives lost to COVID continually tick up higher and higher. We’ve had to tell our kids - like Jordi and I did the other week - they won’t be returning to their school, their teachers, and their friends this spring and try to reassure them through that disappointment.

At times, responding to this pandemic has been a bit like building the plane while flying it.