Lawsuits, former workers, and patients of PIW allege the facility is rife with violence, misconduct, and systemic dysfunction—all in the service of corporate profit.

A sharp and dedicated legislator with a special care for the most vulnerable in DC. Represented a very diverse Ward well and delivered new housing, traffic safety improvements, expanded tenant rights, immigrant protections, and much more. She will be missed in Ward 1. Thank you, Councilmember!

Projected federal job losses? Subsidize the circuses! Who will pay for the bread? That's tomorrow's problem!

I've started calling this "Do Something" politics. Crisis in your city (real or manufactured)? It's most important to performatively Do Something! The specifics of the thing are immaterial, and if they threaten the prime directive, best ignored.

Slight uptick in crime (or perception of)? Attack the decades long criminal code rewrite! Youth curfews! Is there evidence they work? How dare you ask that! Do you think we should do NOTHING? Some restaurants close? Is it actually a trend? Do we have data? No time for that! Repeal the last thing!

Today the D.C. Council is expected to vote on extending the youth curfew in the District. Our leaders cannot keep turning to police & jails as the solution to every issue. If we want our kids to be safe we need youth programs not more reasons for police to arrest children in D.C.

When I tell y’all I’m tired…. I know Dems strive to be a “big tent” but I’d hoped they could reach consensus on the fact that federal adult prison is not the appropriate place for a 14-year-old. (And yes, unique to DC — adults convicted even of local crimes serve their time in the federal system)

Congressional Democrats voted today to sell out Washington DC and their constituents, as numerous Dems backed bills advancing the Trump takeover of DC. After meeting with our Council and saying nice things, @hakeem-jeffries.bsky.social and leadership *declined* to whip a No vote on the bills

Today 31 Democrats chose to side with Donald Trump over DC. We did not ask for this. It will not make us safer. And fueling this fascist president's agenda is dangerous for our entire country. (🧵)

This week the House will vote on four bills attacking DC. Nine more are in the works. No one in DC wants these measures. They will not support our safety. We want every Democrat to VOTE NO on all of these bills. Make calls today and tomorrow to 30 priority reps: freedcproject.org/news/make-ca...

A 🧵: It was a wild day for D.C. in Congress yesterday, where a House committee advanced 14 bills targeting the city – everything from banning traffic cameras to giving Trump the power to appoint the city's attorney general. I've got a detailed write-up in @51st.news: 51st.news/house-republ...

NEW: The National Guard analyzed its mission and found it is perceived as "leveraging fear, driving a wedge between civilians and the military, and promoting a sense of shame among troops and the military." www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...

More news, in making D.C. safer.....

BREAKING: More than 40% of arrests in Trump's D.C. law enforcement surge are immigration-related, AP analysis finds.

Ahead of a House committee markup today on 14 bills targeting D.C. laws (including one to make the city's attorney general a presidential appointment), @mayorbowser.bsky.social has written Congress to say the measures would make D.C. "less efficient, less safe, [and] less democratic."

The House member who wants to let Trump appoint D.C.'s attorney general (currently elected by residents) mistakenly says it was the city's AG who didn't prosecute two-thirds of arrests in D.C. That was actually the U.S. Attorney for D.C. – who *is* appointed by the president.

The New Yorker asked me “how bad” today’s Supreme Court ruling was. I boiled it down to one paragraph: link.newyorker.com/view/5bda429...

When a kid is raised by graphic designer parents, even if he is a different sort of designer, he can still make his parents proud: (Also he’s far from a kid now) #freeDC #releaseTheSandwich #sandwichPower

US Park Police putting DC resident lives at risk by unnecessarily pursuing suspects on city streets. Of course, the do this to please Dump, who doesn't give a shit about the lives of DC residents. This federal occupation of DC cannot end soon enough. www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/202...

DC's least accountable federal police force looks forward to running you over or smashing into your car in the pursuit of "bad guys" (door dash drivers on mopeds)

Good. Keep buying & flying D.C. Flags! They are our symbol of both pride & protest! #FreeDC #DCStatehood www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/202...

93 Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners from across the city have written a joint letter opposing Trump's takeover: "This takeover is a direct attack on the freedom and independence every community deserves." 51st.news/opinion-a-jo...

Mayor Bowser must be unequivocal that we do not welcome a federal occupation.

On what DC’s leaders should be doing in this moment: “We need to resist and reject — we need to not comply in advance.”

A decent piece by Ike Allen, but we need to be really clear about why Pemberton is attacking the police reform law: the amendment my boss moved that stripped the union of its ability to bargain the disciplinary process.

Here's what the third day of elementary school looked like in Mount Pleasant, Washington DC.

"She said she appreciates the federal surge and that it's having positive results. That's not the case. People are scared. People's rights are being violated. People are being snatched on the way to school. This is not OK," responded @robertwhitedc.bsky.social.

Some members of the D.C. Council have responded to Bowser's press conference. @cmzparker5.bsky.social said: "We... should be unequivocal that the federal surge of officers in DC and deployment of national guardsmen on our streets are dangerous, unnecessary, and an affront to Home Rule."

NEW: Reuters examined more than 500 local-court cases filed since the start of Trump's takeover of policing in D.C. Nearly half of the cases involving federal agents have been for comparatively minor charges, including public drinking and marijuana. www.reuters.com/legal/govern...

I was speaking to a Latino resident this morning, and they said that people in the community are far less likely now to call the Metropolitan Police Department if they see a crime or are victims of one. The concern is over MPD's work with ICE, or at least the perception of it.

"When local outlets shrink, studies have shown that there are profound repercussions for local politics...politicians become less responsive to the people who elected them." 51st.news/opinion-dc-m...

Over the last week, we've heard countless concerns about harmful federal law enforcement activity in our communities.   I have created an online form where neighbors can anonymously report and document concerning incidents involving federal agents.   Submit reports here: ➡️ bit.ly/4msqJmU

"Sending in the troops is exactly the type of visual show of force Trump wants to make clear who’s in charge." “Extremely expensive photo op, and you're paying for it.” @51st.news @maustermuhle.bsky.social

NEW—Earlier this evening agents from ICE/other fed agencies were outside Rhode Island Ave metro in DC asking people exiting the station for their IDs, per someone who experienced it. When the person presented their Real ID license, an agent said that wasn't sufficient. Luckily they had secondary ID.

Georgetown Law’s Appellate Courts Immersion Clinic is hiring for its fellowship/staff attorney position for 2026-2028. This is an INCREDIBLE opportunity to work with amazing lawyers on great cases. Here's the announcement: perma.cc/CX9E-NSEJ

what's happening in Baltimore really gives the game away. a Dem major has drastically cut violent crime with a services-focused approach, even including police too, and none of these people give a shit popular.info/p/the-secret...

When President Trump announced his crackdown on crime in Washington, D.C., the local U.S. attorney said she wanted to focus on juveniles. But experts say harsher punishments don't deter criminals.

Cities are reducing policing and crime is falling to historic lows. We need community based safety investments, not more police. www.forbes.com/sites/richar...

The thing about the occupation of DC that you're probably not hearing about as much as the checkpoints and the troops on the streets: our evenings are full of helicopters circling. It's 10:25pm, and the police copter has been circling for half an hour. It's like this every night now. It sucks.

The 51st is a new local DC outlet with a bunch of longtime DC reporters on staff. Essential follow if you're tracking what's going on in DC.

The outcome of today’s hearing is a win for Home Rule and upholds the District’s right to operate its own local police force. The Court recognized that it was clearly unlawful for the Administration to try to seize control of MPD. Chief Smith and Mayor Bowser rightfully remain in command of MPD.

We try to clarify what happened in D.C. this week, what we can expect in the future, and what this all means for the residents who call D.C. home. There's a lot we don't know, but we'll continue following this story in the days and weeks to come. 51st.news/trump-dc-mpd...

Fill up the rest of your August calendar with fundraisers, workshops, bike rides, and more. Don't forget the noise demonstrations! 51st.news/making-some-...

Let the lawsuits ... begin? D.C.'s Attorney General has filed a federal lawsuit challenging Trump’s most recent push to take day-to-day control over MPD, calling it “brazenly unlawful." 51st.news/why-d-c-is-t...

NEW: Judge Reyes has called a 2pm hearing on D.C.'s emergency bid to reclaim control of its police department. A restraining order could be in place within hours. w Nicole Markus www.politico.com/news/2025/08...

In a declaration accompanying this lawsuit, D.C. Police Chief Pamela Smith details the ways Trump's assertion of direct control of MPD's day to day operations would create confusion and chaos.

Here is the D.C. Attorney General's lawsuit seeking to block Pam Bondi from seizing control of MPD. It has been assigned to Judge Reyes, a Biden appointee. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

Grateful to see OAG take an important step I’ve been requesting since Day One: to use the District’s legal levers to fight back against this clear unconstitutional overreach. The only thing that will protect our rights as DC residents is to use every legal tool at our disposal.

We are suing to block the federal government takeover of DC police. By illegally declaring a takeover of MPD, the Administration is abusing its temporary, limited authority under the law. This is the gravest threat to Home Rule DC has ever faced, and we are fighting to stop it.