🧵 1/ It’s hard to find hope amidst so much collapse. But in the wreckage of today’s crises, people are also powering solutions — and The 51st, backed by the community of D.C., is one of them. Will you help us build a local newsroom that a billionaire can’t break?

I was just doing some research on how DCs 1960s integration efforts were hamstrung by lack of statehood--the largely Black city was run by southern segregationists in congress. For awhile the Senate subcommittee that dealt with the DC budget was run by former KKK member Senator Robert Byrd. History!

At least 4 homeless folks froze to death in DC during the recent winter storm. In the capital of the richest country in the world. Where we're spending $1.65 million a day to pay for the Nat'l guard to do nothing. It does not have to be this way.

The $1.65 million a day spent on the National Guard deployment is about $600 million annualized. For comparison, the approved FY26 budget for Economic Security Services, which includes TANF, is $305 million.

“If my children can’t eat, they can’t go to school and be productive.” -a DC mother, speaking on the importance of TANF. The planned changes to the TANF program will impact 15,000 children, pushing them deeper into poverty. https://loom.ly/5APsDuY

GREAT JOB ALERT: The Appellate Immersion Clinic at Georgetown Law is accepting applications for fellows! This is an incredible opportunity to do great work with incredibly smart, good people. @immersionclinic.bsky.social @brianwolfman.bsky.social www.law.georgetown.edu/experiential...

Pretty excited for this: I'm doing an AMA over on the D.C. subreddit on Tuesday afternoon! (It's a great community, so very excited about.) So jump on over and ask any questions about D.C. politics, nerdy government stuff, pro cycling, whatever. www.reddit.com/r/washington...

I will simply never recover from reading this sentence: "Since Georgia implemented work requirements in 2020, they have spent twice as much on Deloitte consultants and administrative costs as on healthcare for people."

This morning, I recorded a video on TikTok about why DHS’s arguments for the power to enter homes without judicial warrants in immigration cases are bunk. Nine hours later, TikTok still says my video is “under review,” and can’t be shared. Well, here’s a link: georgetown.box.com/v/Vladeck-IC...

To everyone on the ground in Minnesota, I just want to say-I won't tell you to stay safe because I know there's no way to keep yourself safe from Trump's secret police. But I will say I love you and I am proud of you.

NEW: We are permanently shutting down two nonprofits that exploited DC kids and misled residents. Maryland Youth Club and Virginia Youth Club recruited children from low-income neighborhoods to sell candy door-to-door to fund fake scholarships. Instead, executives illegally pocketed the money.

Meet the Washingtonians of the Year: ten locals who made our region better in 2025.

Interesting: D.C. Police Chief Jeffery Carroll is not responding to detailed written questions from the D.C. Council about MPD's cooperation with federal agencies on immigration enforcement. "The council and the public need answers to these questions," says Ward 2 Councilmember Brooke Pinto today.

Federal agents patrolling in D.C. don’t follow the same protocols as MPD officers — and have different training, levels of experience working in cities, and political leaders to answer to. Given this week's shooting in Minneapolis, we're revisiting @maustermuhle.bsky.social's November reporting:

Really fantastic new piece by my colleague Dave Rapallo. The most comprehensive treatment I've seen of minority investigative powers in Congress. papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....

GLJ Podcast - Episode 1: @anupamchander.bsky.social previews his forthcoming article, The National Security Internet, examining how national security concerns are reshaping the internet. He argues for security reviews with transparency, due process, and judicial oversight. bit.ly/gljpodcast

The sixth issue of Volume 113 is now available online! Check it out at bit.ly/glj-vol-113-6.

@eduardorferrer.bsky.social's De/Reconstructing Delinquency shows juvenile courts were built on faulty principles & must be altered to reduce harm to marginalized communities & decriminalize developmentally appropriate behavior, proposing MPC updates & removing misdemeanors/status offenses.

People in DC and elsewhere--you should sign up for the newsletter from @51st.news! It's a great a worker-led nonprofit local news source in DC, and their end of year goal is just to get 3,000 more subscribers, free or paid. Support journalism to stay informed & to help save democracy!

Happy to share my latest article, in which I propose a new framework that can help gov't agencies become more supportive of children. papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.... #ChildRights #HumanRights #Governance #Youth

NEWS: The D.C. Council has rejected a bill that would have delayed the rollout of ranked-choice voting next year, both for the June primary and November general. RCV is now a go. Only votes for the bill came from Bonds, Felder, McDuffie, Mendelson, and Trayon White.

"I kindly urge every public official and candidate to ask one main question about RCV: What can I do to help? The best thing we can do right now is work together to ensure that RCV rolls out as smoothly as practical," ends Thompson in a written comments to me.

Our City Paper story - washingtoncitypaper.com/article/7754...

More than 80 percent of the immigrants arrested in D.C. during the surge in federal law enforcement had no prior criminal record, federal data shows, even though that crackdown was portrayed as targeting violent crime.

👩🏾‍🏫 Today, I’m breaking down Ranked Choice Voting (RCV)! As DC elections get more and more competitive, RCV allows for voter’s preferences for candidates to truly be realized. Cast your vote using our example ballot ⬇️ 🗳️ bit.ly/48ugPvk

Rather than simply boycotting e-commerce giants, Free DC is organizing a "procott" in time for holiday shopping. Their local shopping guide features 50+ spots on board to support D.C.'s autonomy, including @solidstatebooksdc.bsky.social, @metrobardc.bsky.social, @loyaltybooks.bsky.social, and more:

In Monrovia, California, protesters are purchasing 17¢ ICE scrapers from Home Depot and immediately returning them to create long lines and slow down the entire store. Their aim is to disrupt sales and convey a message opposing ICE raids occurring in their neighborhood.

Now Axios is reporting that Bowser may not be under investigation after all: www.axios.com/2025/11/07/d...

Starting a new thread for community testimony on the proposed emergency bill to extend the expanded juvenile curfew that was in place during the summer into the fall.

But Dominique Moore from @empowereddc.bsky.social opposes the expanded curfew. "We need to provide alternative solutions. It’s [now] basically, 'Get out and go home.' To tell them [that] is not a great answer, because some of them don’t want to. Their friends are their community," she says.

Tara Martin, mother of Dalaneo Martin, killed by a Park Police officer two years ago, opposes the curfew. "The curfew may silence a street for a few hours, but it does not heal the pain that drives our kids outside. Our kids need opportunity, not punishment," she says.

At least the Circulator will be memorialized for posterity in a Netflix movie…

I've heard so many people ask over the last few months: Whatever happened to that $1.1 billion Congress wouldn't let DC spend this spring? Many assume that money is still sitting around somewhere, but it's not! DC actually spent pretty much all of it. I found out how: wamu.org/story/25/10/...

Feeling overwhelmed recently? Action is the best antidote. How to get involved locally this week: Watch a film about gentrification in D.C., attend an open mic (but make it historic) at @dcpubliclibrary.bsky.social, and find lots of opportunities to organize with @freedcproject.bsky.social.

So almost the entire D.C. Council is now meeting being closed doors to negotiate how to proceed on the expanded youth curfew emergency bill. It seems pretty clear they are negotiating legislation behind closed doors, in violation of the spirit of the city’s Open Meetings Act.

well this is how I found out JACK EVANS is thinking about running for Council Chair 🫠 #SackJack #SackJack2

This is where Ellington and MacArthur students transfer to buses to get to their schools. The accountability is firmly with @mayorbowser.dc.gov and @dcpublicschools.bsky.social Lewis Ferebee for abandoning kids. Our school choice transit system makes kids vulnerable. www.popville.com/2025/10/hara...

🆕 I'm introducing a 16-bill policy package called the C.A.R.E. for Youth Plan to tackle a range of issues facing young people in the District — from truancy, to financial stability, to parent engagement and more. 👉🏾 Learn more: ward5.us/careforyouth 👉🏾 Join us in our efforts: ward5.us/dcyouth

Put your $ where your values are, help our worker-led, independent newsroom reach 551 new members by the end of October! ➡️ 51st.news/signup

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...