*District of Columbia

Context | Current Aggressions

20 MAY 2022 DC police officer charged with manslaughter in Lothian crash that killed young couple | https://wtop.com/local/2022/05/dc-police-officer-charged-with-manslaughter-in-lothian-crash-that-killed-young-couple/

17 MAY 2022 Body cam footage show police shooting in DC after traffic stop led to foot chase | https://wtop.com/dc/2022/05/body-cam-footage-show-police-shooting-in-dc-after-traffic-stop-led-to-foot-chase/

12 MAY 2022 ‘You want to kill me?’ Man describes encounter with DC police officer arrested on assault charge | https://www.fox5dc.com/news/exclusive-you-want-to-kill-me-man-describes-encounter-with-dc-police-officer-arrested-on-assault-charge

25 APR 2022 DC woman killed by police was wearing bulletproof vest, body-worn camera but wasn’t special officer | https://wtop.com/dc/2022/04/dc-woman-shot-by-police-was-wearing-bulletproof-vest-body-worn-camera-but-wasnt-special-officer/

23 APR 2022 Former DC Police District Commander found misusing agency resources | https://wjla.com/news/local/former-dc-police-district-commander-found-misusing-agency-resources-dc-police-commander-william-fitzgerald-drinking-on-job-using-marked-unmarked-metropolitan-police-department-vehicles-rides-sollys-u-street-tavern-bar-5th-district-crime

30 MAR 2022 Swann Street Protestors Plan To Appeal After Judge Dismisses Their Lawsuit Against D.C. Police | https://dcist.com/story/22/03/30/dc-protests-swann-street-arrests

1 MAR 2022 We’re Suing DC Police for Records on Social Media Surveillance | https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/were-suing-dc-police-records-social-media-surveillance

21 FEB 2022 DC police killed more people in 2021 than in 2020 | https://wtop.com/dc/2022/02/dc-police-killed-more-people-in-2021-and-the-police-chief-says-he-knows-why

17 FEB 2022 DC Police Officer on Leave Due to Possible Ties to White Supremacists | https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/dc-police-officer-on-leave-due-to-alleged-ties-to-white-supremacists/2975315/

15 FEB 2022 Former DC police officer arrested for allegedly engaging in sex acts with minor | https://www.fox5dc.com/news/former-dc-police-officer-arrested-for-allegedly-engaging-in-sex-acts-with-minor

4 FEB 2022 Lawsuit alleges DC police department keeps ‘watchlist’ of critics | https://abcnews.go.com/US/lawsuit-alleges-dc-police-department-watchlist-critics/story?id=82647144

2 FEB 2022 D.C. Police Reform Faces Police Union Challenge at U.S. Appeals Court | https://news.bloomberglaw.com/daily-labor-report/d-c-police-reform-faces-union-challenge-at-u-s-appeals-court

12 JAN 2022 D.C. Police Officers Sued Over Allegedly Illegal Stop-And-Frisk | https://dcist.com/story/22/01/12/dc-police-sued-illegal-stop/

2021

23 DEC 2021 D.C. Police Closely Watched Anti-Racist Groups for Years | https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2021/12/23/dc-police-closely-watched-anti-racist-groups-years

9 DEC 2021 Third lawsuit filed against DC police department alleging racism & a toxic culture | https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/09/us/metropolitan-police-department-lawsuit-racism-white-officers/index.html

8 DEC 2021 DC police officer arrested on charges of sexually abusing minor | https://wtop.com/dc/2021/12/dc-police-officer-arrested-on-charges-of-sexually-abusing-minor/

6 DEC 2021 ‘RAGE INDUCED POLICING’: HACKED DOCUMENTS REVEAL D.C. POLICE’S AGGRESSIVE ROBBERY CRACKDOWNS | https://theappeal.org/dc-police-robbery-crackdown-leaked-emails/

22 NOV 2021 Lawsuit alleges culture of racial discrimination in Capitol Police K-9 unit | https://rollcall.com/2021/11/22/lawsuit-alleges-culture-of-racial-discrimination-in-capitol-police-k-9-unit/

24 OCT 2021 DC Police release body camera footage showing officer kill 30-year-old DeAndre Johnson | https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/local/dc/dc-police-release-body-camera-footage-showing-an-officer-fatally-shooting-man/65-717b6ba6-80d9-439c-a5f9-c5c356c4e13c

21 OCT 2021 D.C. assistant police chief says she was told to ‘have an abortion or be fired’ | https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/d-c-assistant-police-chief-says-she-was-told-have-n1282115

20 OCT 2021 Another DC Police officer says she was told end pregnancy to keep her job | https://www.fox5dc.com/news/exclusive-another-dc-police-officer-says-she-was-told-end-pregnancy-to-keep-her-job

19 OCT 2021 Cadets sue DC police, alleging harassment and retaliation | https://wtop.com/dc/2021/10/cadets-sue-dc-police-alleging-harassment-and-retaliation/

19 OCT 2021 Audit finds DC 911 system falls short of national standards; ‘bullying’ culture in call center | https://wtop.com/dc/2021/10/audit-finds-dc-911-system-falls-short-of-national-standards-bullying-culture-in-call-center/

18 OCT 2021 Why Did D.C. Cops Shoot Into A Moving Car And Kill An’Twan Gilmore? | https://www.huffpost.com/entry/antwan-gilmore-police-shooting-moving-vehicle_n_616dc14fe4b0657357318428

14 OCT 2021 IG investigation probes whether DC crime lab tried to keep information from defense attorneys | https://wtop.com/dc/2021/10/ig-investigation-probes-whether-dc-crime-lab-tried-to-keep-information-from-defense-attorneys/

10 OCT 2021 17-year-old shot by DC Police responding to reports of vehicle break ins in Northwest DC | https://wjla.com/news/local/dc-officer-involved-shooting-vehicle-burglary

24 SEPT 2021 2 DC Police officers charged in chase, killing in moped crash death of 20-year-old Karon Hylton-Brown | https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/legal/dc-police-officers-charged-in-catal-moped-crash-karon-hylton-brown-washington-dc/65-e8d68794-13ea-4baa-a063-539a29e9014c

22 SEPT 2021 10 Black female cops describe graphic harassment, mistreatment, retaliation in DC police department | https://www.fox5dc.com/news/black-female-cops-describe-graphic-harassment-mistreatment-retaliation-in-dc-police-department

3 SEPT 2021 DC MPD officers kill An’Twan Gilmore, 27, while he slept in his own car | https://wechargegenocidedc.com/2021/09/03/fawkdcpolice-mpd-officers-killed-antwan-gilmore-27-while-he-slept-in-his-own-car-black-lives-matter-dc-demands-justice/

25 AUG 2021 Man shot and killed by DC police officer “Sitting here trying to figure out how law enforcement can successfully deescalate a white domestic terrorist in a truck threatening to blow up the Capitol with a bomb but not a Black man who fell asleep in his car?”

2 AUG 2021 New Documents Show Pentagon Rubber-Stamping Police Requests For Military Gear | https://www.huffpost.com/entry/militarized-police-reform-joe-biden_n_6101967be4b000b997dd9429

25 JUNE 2021 DC police officer, Maryland woman indicted in bribery scheme | https://wtop.com/dc/2021/06/dc-police-officer-maryland-woman-indicted-in-bribery-scheme/

14 JUNE 2021 Prosecutors ‘deeply troubled’ by DC crime lab’s appeal of withdrawn accreditation

“When you look at MPD murders across the last 15 years they’re almost exactly the same. They create the conditions to be able to brutalize & murder. They chase — and then they get to shoot”https://t.co/g8w2q1fagL
— April Goggans (@agoggans) September 4, 2021

25 May 2021 Black Lives Matter DC press release; DC Police Admit Killing of 18-year-old Deon Kay was Unjustified but ‘Justify’ it Anyway

20 May 2021 DC police employee sentenced for taking over $40K in cash bribes

11 May 2021 Ransomware gang threatens release of DC police records

4 MAY 2021 Video released of DC cops allegedly drag racing, crashing

4 MAY 2021 DC Police Union says reform has hurt the department, but data suggests otherwise

3 MAY 2021 DC Police Union criticizes police reform bill, claims officers are resigning as a result

12 APR 2021 Pentagon Cop Kills Dominique Williams, 32 & James Lionel Johnson, 38 | https://wechargegenocidedc.com/2021/04/12/abolishthepolice-pentagon-cop-murders-2-people-in-takoma-park/

18 FEB 2021 6 Capitol Police officers suspended, 29 others being investigated for alleged roles in riot

Legislation

Washington DC is a corporation, one of the three corporations who run the world, not a state.

How A Bill Becomes Law in DC

legislative process

final council vote (bill) > mayor’s signature (act) > Congress

Once DC Council conducts its final vote in December, all bills that have not made it through DC Council are dead.
A bill approved by the mayor becomes an Act of the Council. A bill not signed by the mayor is dead.
An Act of the Council must be sent to the US House of Representatives and the US Senate for a period of 30 days before becoming effective as law (or 60 days for certain criminal legislation). Once a Congress adjourns, at the end of its two-year cycle, all acts that have not made it through the entire legislative process are dead.
- The 117th Congress convened on January 3, 2021, and will conclude on January 3, 2023.
- Many acts that are not signed into law during a Congress can be re-introduced in the following Congress.

logistics

Washington DC Council – The full council meets in December of every year to conduct its final votes on legislation for the year. That is a hard deadline — all bills that have not made it through the entire legislative process are dead. If the committee chooses not to review a bill during the 2-year period that the Council is convened, the bill is dead.

DC Mayor – may take one of three actions when considering the bill: 1) approval; bill becomes an Act, 2) no action; allow the bill to become an act without signature; or 3) disapprove; veto, the bill is dead. If the Mayor vetoes the legislation, the Council must reconsider the legislation & approve it by two-thirds vote, by the end of the Council period, in order for it to become effective.

Congress – the Act of the Council must be sent to the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate for a period of 30 days before becoming effective as law (or 60 days for certain criminal legislation). During this period of congressional review, the Congress may enact into law a joint resolution disapproving the Council’s Act. If, during the review period, the President of the United States approves the joint resolution, the Council’s Act is prevented from becoming law. If, however, upon the expiration of the congressional review period, no joint resolution disapproving the Council’s Act has been approved by the President, the Bill finally becomes a Law and is assigned a law number.

2022

Legislation: Three criminal justice reform packages; Scam in progress‼ In addition, the D.C. police union and police chief have already “expressed concern”;

analysis

Trajectory: final council vote, December 20 > mayor’s signature needed > Congress DOA (dead on arrival, even if mayor approves) | the Act of the Council must be sent to the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate for a period of 30 days to become a law.

All three criminal justice reform packages need an additional council vote before they can go to the mayor’s desk. The full council is scheduled to meet next on December 20, 2022 to conduct its final votes on legislation for the year. Even if the mayor approves the bill before the deadline, there is not enough time (30 days) between December 20, 2022 and December 31, 2022, required by Congress, for the act to become law.

context

7 DEC 2022 D.C. Council Approves Series Of Significant Criminal Justice Reforms | dcist

The D.C. Council unanimously approved a group of criminal justice reforms, 3 bills, that would make police disciplinary records publicly available, strengthen oversight of the D.C. Jail, and expand people’s opportunities to get their criminal records sealed or expunged.

The votes came during a marathon legislative session on Tuesday night. They will be brought before the council for a second vote later this month, and then – if approved – go to D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s desk for her signature. They’ll then move to Congress for its review — a consequence of the District’s lack of statehood.

2021

Legislation: None; Dead 31 DEC 2021.

Trajectory: No Progress, insufficient; (as of May 2021);

Does address UN standards; 2) use of lethal force,5) ‘militarisation’ of policing, 7) excessive force/police brutality (use-of-force tactics)

Does not address 1) systemic racism, ~~2) use of lethal force~~, 3) qualified immunity, 4) ‘pretext’ stops, ~~5) ‘militarisation’ of policing~~, 6) Fourth Amendment rights of black people (minorities) to be secure in their persons, houses and effects from unreasonable searches and seizures, ~~7) excessive force/police brutality(use-of-force tactics)~~, 8) creation of a statewide use-of-force database, or 9) create system of certification/decertification standards

Actions

4 MAY 2021 A24-0076 Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Emergency Amendment Act of 2021 (Expires on Aug 01, 2021)

16 APRIL 2021 Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Emergency Declaration Resolution of 2021 (Effective from Apr 06, 2021)

12 MARCH 2021 A24-0028 Police Reform Commission Extension Congressional Review Emergency Amendment Act of 2021 (Expires on May 28, 2021)

…

Home Rule Charter

Under the Home Rule Charter, the Council of the District of Columbia has two main ways of passing legislation.

Emergency bills

fast, used to tackle items that are time-sensitive
do not require that a hearing be held,
must pass by a super-majority,
remain effective for 90 days and
become effective immediately once signed by the Mayor, and without the need for Congressional review.

Permanent legislation

moves slowly by design
subject to a hearing to receive public input,
subject to a committee discussion and vote, and
must be approved by the full Council at not one, but two Legislative Meetings
Congressional review

Bridging the gap between rapid-but-short-lived emergency legislation and long-lasting permanent legislation is what’s called “temporary legislation.” It requires two votes, and is in effect for 225 days. Like permanent legislation, it must passively lay over before Congress.

All methods will be brought to bear in regards to emergency police and justice reform legislation in the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police and the national movement around police reform.

Reports

D.C. Police Reform Commission

WASHINGTON DC (1 April 2021) – Read the full article: ‘Decentering police’ – DC police reform panel calls for major changes in public safety

The D.C. Police Reform Commission issued its report , which contained more than 90 recommendations calling for, among other things, a reduction in the size of the Metropolitan Police Department and a decentralization of the police as the go-to responders for public safety.

The report entitled “Decentering Police to Improve Public Safety,” said, “Police should be one of many public safety actors, rather than be at the center of the District’s approach to public safety.”

You can read the 256-page report on the commission’s website.