DC Government

“There is a PUBLIC HEARING about the new club, Play DC at 1541 7th St NW.”

By Prince Of Petworth


1541 7th Street, NW

“Dear PoPville,

There is a PUBLIC HEARING about the new club, Play DC at 1541 7th St NW. It is located in Shaw on 7th St NW between P & Q, next door to The Passenger. The hearing will be on Wednesday, January 30 at 4:30 pm. UPDATE “now set for Wednesday, February 6 at 3:30 pm” See details below.

This club got a lot of attention because they had music and the bass blasting until 4 am in late-Dec, early-Jan. They were running an obstructive car valet blocking 7th. It’s likely that the M80 explosion on Jan. 2 was set off by someone leaving the club.

The more people we can get to attend the hearing the better. Please come!

HEARING DETAILS: (more…)

D.C. Stepping Up Some More Amidst Shutdown Woes

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo by PoPville flickr user Eric P.

From the Mayor’s Office:

“Today, as the partial federal government shutdown extends into its second month, Mayor Bowser and the DC Housing Finance Agency (DCHFA) have announced a new program to provide mortgage assistance to District homeowners who are furloughed federal government employees. Through the District of Columbia Mortgage Assistance Program (DC MAP), financial assistance will be made available to qualified homeowners in the form of a zero-interest, recourse loan. DCHFA has allocated $9,000,000 for DC MAP and qualified homeowners will be able to receive up to $5,000 a month.

“Many people – myself included – who make a monthly mortgage payment depend on having a steady paycheck to be able to do so,” said Mayor Bowser. “Unfortunately, this unprecedented shutdown has created a tremendous amount of economic uncertainty for federal employees and their families, and so we are doing everything we can to ease the burden and alleviate stress. It is very unfortunate that this is what it has come to and I join millions of Americans in urging the President to work with Congress to end this shutdown and get our federal employees back to work.”

To qualify for DC MAP, a homeowner must: (more…)

The “Should I Call 911 or 311?” Conundrum Gets Some Clarity But Confusion Shall Remain, I Suspect

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo by PoPville flickr user
Mr.TinDC

From the Mayor’s Office:

“Today, Mayor Muriel Bowser’s Office of Unified Communications (OUC) is proud to announce the implementation of a police non-emergency option. Residents and visitors of the District can now call 3-1-1 to report all police non-emergencies. The OUC defines a non-emergency call as any call related to an incident that does not pose an immediate threat to the safety of individuals and/or incidents that occurred at least one hour before the initial request for police assistance is made.

Last year, the agency received approximately 1.5 million 9-1-1 calls for service, and approximately of 20 percent of those calls were for non-emergency incidents. To improve call taking efficiency, the agency has developed a pathway for non-emergency calls using the current 3-1-1 call tree, previously utilized exclusively for city services and information. (more…)

“Cuba Libre Restaurant to Institute Company Policies to Protect Transgender Residents from Discrimination” after settlement with Attorney General

By Prince Of Petworth


801 9th Street, NW

UPDATE:

Statement from Barry Gutin, president and CEO of Guest Counts Hospitality:

“We appreciate the DC Attorney General’s continuing efforts to protect Washington’s transgender community. Immediately following this regrettable incident, Cuba Libre implemented all training and signage requirements expressed today in the settlement with the Attorney General. Our focus now is to help ensure safety for DC’s transgender community at all area restaurants.

We have engaged Ruby Corado, founding member of Casa Ruby, to conduct a workshop on Understanding the Transgender Community and Ensuring Compliance with DC Regulations. Casa Ruby is the only LGBTQ bilingual and multicultural organization in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area that provides social services and programs catering to the most vulnerable in the city and surrounding areas.

This workshop and training will be held at Cuba Libre Restaurant & Rum Bar (801 9th Street, NW) on Monday, January 28 from 2 to 4 p.m. It is open to DC area restaurant owners and managers only. Creating a welcoming atmosphere and dining environment for guests and staff members is vital for all public facing businesses operating today. This workshop will help restauranteurs understand the challenges of the LGBTQ community, steps that can be taken to ensure compliance with local regulations and how to foster an inclusive and safe environment.

We invite restaurant representatives to confirm their attendance by Sunday January 27 at 6 p.m. via RSVP.”

From the Attorney General’s Office:

“Attorney General Karl A. Racine today announced a settlement with Cuba Libre Rum Bar and Restaurant for discriminating against a transgender District resident and also introduced legislation to clarify the Office of the Attorney General’s (OAG) ability to protect District residents from discrimination. Cuba Libre, a downtown restaurant, made headlines last year when an employee attempted to prevent a transgender District resident from using a bathroom that corresponds to her gender identity. OAG’s settlement with Cuba Libre requires the restaurant to stop discriminating against transgender residents, institute policies and employee training to ensure compliance with the District’s non-discrimination laws, and pay the District $7,000 for a penalty and legal costs. The legislation introduced by OAG today, the “Attorney General Civil Rights Enforcement Clarification Amendment Act of 2019,” will clarify OAG’s authority to bring lawsuits regarding violations of the District’s Human Rights Act (HRA). (more…)

“MPD will dedicate additional officers to community policing assignments that are deployed by foot, bike, Segway, and scooters.”

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo by PoPville flickr user Erin

From a press release, Mayor Bowser Announces a New Focus on Deploying More Car-Free Officers:

“In her Second Term Outlook Address, Mayor Bowser announced that as the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) continues to build up its police force to 4,000 active officers, MPD will dedicate additional officers to community policing assignments that are deployed by foot, bike, Segway, and scooters. Currently, MPD employs over 3,800 sworn officers.

“We know that reducing violence in our city requires an approach that includes police involvement, human services involvement, and community involvement. We also know how important it is to have a police force that is resourced, trained, and that reflects the values of Washington, DC,” said Mayor Bowser. (more…)

Salt Trucks Out in Full Force in Preparation for coming Snow – Increased Snow Accumulation Totals from National Weather Service

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo by Adam O’Neill
‏
Thanks to Adam for sending:

“At least no one will be able to complain the city wasn’t ready. Trucks are out treating the streets on Wisconsin Ave.”


via National Weather Service

From the National Weather Service:

“Winter Storm Warnings have been expanded further northward this afternoon as expected snowfall has increased for much of the area. #Snow will persist into Sunday, potentially mixing with rain/sleet across southern MD. Latest.”


Photo by Doug Landry

Doug reports:

“DC handling impending with usual restraint and calm. The 14th street TJ’s line is wrapped to the bread section, which frequent guests will know is BONKERS.”

From the Mayor’s Office (Friday):

“With the National Weather Service (NWS) forecasting two to four inches [Ed. Note: Updated accumulation totals above.] of snow in the District this weekend, beginning sometime Saturday afternoon and continuing into Sunday, Mayor Bowser has deployed the DC Snow Team to begin pretreatment of roads. On Thursday, January 10, the Snow Team began treating National Highway System roads with liquid brine, and the Mayor has ordered the deployment of more than 200 trucks to pretreat all District roads on Saturday, January 12. The DC Snow Team will continue its deployment through Sunday evening, treating and plowing roads as necessary. Residents and motorists can register to receive important weather alerts from the District on their devices by signing up for AlertDC at alertdc.dc.gov.

Despite the continuation of the partial government shutdown, the National Park Service will be bringing in personnel to cover the network of roads, sidewalks and pathways under the responsibility of the federal agency, as is their normal snow plan. (more…)

“Mayor Bowser Signs LOVE Act, Allowing Couples to Get Married in DC Despite Government Shutdown”

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo by PoPville flickr user available_photons

From the Mayor’s Office:

“Today, Mayor Muriel Bowser signed the “Let Our Vows Endure Emergency Act of 2019” or “LOVE Act,” giving the Mayor the authority to issue marriage licenses and authorize officiants during this partial federal government shutdown.

“As we’ve said: You can’t shut down love,” said Mayor Bowser. “Washington, DC is more than the federal government –we are a diverse, inclusive city, more than 700,000 residents strong. This shutdown is senseless, it’s hurting real Americans, and we will continue calling on the President to work with Congress to get the government back open and our federal employees back to work.”

During a federal government shutdown, the Clerk of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia is not issuing marriage licenses because the marriage bureau is considered “non-essential.” The LOVE Act authorizes the Mayor to issue marriage licenses and authorize officiants. (more…)

MPD Police Commander Responds Candidly to LeDroit Park Community Concerns after Recent Shootings

By Prince Of Petworth

From the MPD 3D Listserv:

“While we saw a few weeks of calm in the area, the homicide on Sunday night is very alarming to us as well. Our detectives are reviewing cameras from the area, and interviewing witnesses to the shooting. I am hopeful that we will be able to get enough evidence to identify the suspect or suspects responsible for this senseless act, and bring them to justice.

Since these incidents began, we increased our deployment of officers to the area with marked and unmarked units, along with plain clothes officers from other divisions within the MPD. We have deployed our light tower to the area almost nightly, and have conducted patrols with DCHA PD. We have also enlisted the help of our partner agencies, to include the ONSE (Officer of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement).

However, the abundance of illegal guns on our streets is still the primary issue, which we have made our priority. Each of the most recent events all share the same thing: The shooter(s) displayed a reckless disregard for human life by firing weapons on the street. There are far too many illegal guns on our streets. What we need to do collectively as a community is change the narrative that recklessly shooting a gun in public or carrying one is ok. What we need is: (more…)

“How did anyone not see this coming from miles away?”

By Prince Of Petworth


11th and Park Road, NW

“Dear Popville,

I’ve been following the dismayed reaction to the news that the 11th Street dog park is now for sale and I have some questions.

1. How did anyone not see this coming from miles away? WMATA properties must, by law, be disposed of at market rate. The dog park is zoned as MU-4, is over 7,000 square feet and sits directly in the middle of a high density, high value corridor. It was never going to be worth anything less than $2,000,000. And guess what, the opening bid for the property is now a minimum of $2.1 million. So remember that $1.5 million that the Council voted on to ‘save the park’? Yeah…that was never really a thing that was going to work. You should think about whether or not that’s why it passed.

2. Did anyone think about the propriety of spending public money for this use relative to what the overall needs of Ward 1 are? (more…)

“New hope for bill to legalize marijuana sales in D.C.”

By Prince Of Petworth


a real sign in D.C.

Following the news of recent raids in Columbia Heights and Adams Morgan – From Council Member David Grosso’s Office:

“With control of Congress changing hands, Councilmember David Grosso’s legislation to legalize, tax, and regulate the sale of marijuana in the District of Columbia-reintroduced today-may have new hope.

“Since D.C. voters approved Initiative 71 to decriminalize recreational marijuana we have seen marijuana-related arrests plummet, representing thousands of District residents who were spared needless involvement in the judicial system,” Grosso said. “The logical next step, to continue to reduce arrests and to bring marijuana totally out of the shadows, is to set up a strong tax and regulatory system.”

In the newest version of the Marijuana Legalization and Regulation Act, Grosso included new provisions intended to remedy the wrongs of the misguided, racist War on Drugs. (more…)

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