DC Government

“Mayor Bowser Calls On Congress to Grant DC Residents Their Full Democratic Rights by Making Washington, DC the 51st State”

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo by PoPville flickr user Ted Eytan

From the Mayor’s Office:

“Today, Mayor Muriel Bowser testified before the House Oversight and Reform Committee at a hearing on the Washington, DC Admission Act (H.R. 51), the first House hearing on DC statehood in over 25 years. H.R. 51 has been cosponsored by a record 219 Members.

Below is the Mayor’s full testimony, as prepared for delivery.

Chairman Cummings, Ranking Member Jordan, and all members of this esteemed Committee, thank you for hosting this historic hearing on H.R. 51, the Washington, D.C. Admission Act, to make Washington, DC the 51st state.

I want to especially thank our Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, who has championed equality for DC for her entire tenure, while skillfully delivering jobs, opportunity and greater self-determination.

I am Muriel Bowser, Mayor of Washington, DC, and I am honored to be here today to ask Congress to act upon the request of my residents to admit Washington, DC to join the United States of America as the 51st state.

I was born in Washington, DC, and generations of my family — through no choice of our own — have been denied the fundamental right promised to all Americans: the right to full representation in the Congress guaranteed by statehood.

Over the years, there have been a lot of arguments against statehood. (more…)

“Mayor Bowser will lead a parade with 51 DC veterans and fly 51-star American flags along Pennsylvania Avenue in a salute to DC statehood.”

By Prince Of Petworth

From the Mayor’s Office:

“Today, ahead of Thursday’s historic House hearing on the DC statehood bill (H.R. 51), Mayor Bowser launched a new DC statehood commercial, featuring DC veteran Antoinette Scott. The commercial, which is already airing in Washington, DC, Kentucky, and South Carolina, is part of the Bowser Administration’s education campaign to make more Americans aware of the injustices happening in the nation’s capital due to our lack of statehood. (more…)

“Statement from Councilmember Allen on First Release of Monthly Stop and Frisk Data by Metropolitan Police Department”

By Prince Of Petworth

From Councilmember Charles Allen, Chair of the Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety:

“On Monday, the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) complied with a 2016 Council law by releasing a report on stops made by its officers that details far more information on those stops than has ever been previously collected.

Although the Council legally required this data be reported in 2016, and also funded the associated costs via the annual budget in two consecutive fiscal years, MPD only collected and released the full data in response to legal action. But the important point is that the data is finally available and will be critical to informing the community discussion on policing. While this report only covers one month of data, it will be the first of many reports to help identify trends and inform policing practices.

After an initial review of the reported data, here’s what we know so far, and why it could be significant: (more…)

“DC’s Red Flag Law: Removing Guns from Potentially Dangerous Persons”

By Prince Of Petworth

From the Office of the Attorney General:

“Are you concerned about a friend or family member who owns a gun and could be a danger to themselves or others? You can use the District’s “Red Flag Law” to remove a firearm from a potentially dangerous individual.

In December 2018, a Red Flag law was passed in D.C. to help keep the District and its residents safe. This law allows certain District residents to petition the D.C. Superior Court to issue Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPOs), which requires the temporary removal of firearms and ammunition from people who are considered a danger to themselves or others.

Here’s how the Red Flag Law works: (more…)

“This week, one lucky District resident under the age of five will receive the one millionth book ever mailed out as part of the Books From Birth Program”

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo by PoPville flickr user Erin

From Council Member Allen’s Office:

“This week, one lucky District resident under the age of five will receive the one millionth book ever mailed out as part of the Books From Birth Program – a free program that sends a book to kids under the age of five in the District of Columbia each month. The program was the focus of the first major piece of legislation Councilmember Charles Allen (Ward 6) introduced after taking office.

The District of Columbia Public Library is marking the one millionth book as the latest milestone of this highly successful program to put more books in the hands of young readers and their parents as a way to improve early literacy rates and close the “word gap” in children under the age of five. The “word gap” references the number of words a baby or toddler’s developing mind is exposed to early in life – a key data point in improving early literacy rates. (more…)

“Address canvassing improves and refines the Census Bureau’s address list of households nationwide, which is necessary to deliver invitations to respond to the census.”

By Prince Of Petworth

About those Census concerns posted Friday.

From the U.S. Census Bureau:

“Aug. 12, 2019 — Today, the U.S. Census Bureau briefed the media on the launch of address canvassing, the first major field operation of the 2020 Census. Address canvassing improves and refines the Census Bureau’s address list of households nationwide, which is necessary to deliver invitations to respond to the census. The address list plays a vital role in ensuring a complete and accurate count of everyone living in the United States.

“The Census Bureau is dedicated to ensuring that we are on track, and ready to accomplish the mission of the 2020 Census,” said Census Bureau Director Steven Dillingham. “We have made many improvements and innovations over the past decade, including better technologies for canvassing neighborhoods and developing complete and updated address listings and maps.” (more…)

Department of Parks and Recreation moving their Headquarters from U Street to NoMa

By Prince Of Petworth


1250 U Street, NW

From DPR:

“On Friday, August 30, 2019, DC Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) will be moving its headquarters from 1250 U Street NW and Columbia Heights Recreation Center to one centralized location at 1275 First Street NE. As of 9 a.m. on Tuesday, September 3, the new DPR headquarters will be open for business. DPR’s Customer CARE phone number remains the same: (202) 673-7647.

The move to one location will allow increased collaboration and coordination between DPR divisions to provide an elevated level of Customer CARE to District residents.

The following central operations’ offices will be housed at 1275 First Street NE: (more…)

“Destination DC Announces Record 23.8 Million Visitors to Washington, DC in 2018”

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo by PoPville flickr user Josh Bassett

From a press release:

“Destination DC (DDC), the official destination marketing organization for Washington, DC, today announced that the nation’s capital attracted a record 23.8 million total visitors in 2018, up 4.4% over 2017. Elliott L. Ferguson, II, president and CEO of DDC, announced the ninth consecutive record year for visitation to the District, and upcoming sales and marketing plans to promote DC at the organization’s annual meeting. (more…)

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