Newsroom

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.

Proposed budget would restore funding for violence interruption, civil legal aid, affordable housing, and victims’ services, including new domestic violence shelter

Starting today, the Mayor has declared the District will enter Phase 2 of Re-Opening. There are a lot of big changes in store, and I'll run through a few that are likely to affect many of us.

A lot has happened since my last update. I want to begin by saying thank you.

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.