Content categorized as Civil Rights

With the public health emergency ending, what does that mean for evictions?

Evictions will start soon in D.C. But all is not lost. Tenants have a range of protections and resources available to help them navigate this process.

Why we can’t just defund the police

Artist/Vendor Ayub Abdul shares opinions on why the community and police need to collaborate to help right social justice and meet local needs.

Critical Race Theory is divisive and regressive

Artist/Vendor Jeffery McNeil provides views on Critical Race Theory.

Local nonprofit opens transitional housing to meet growing demand among LGBTQ youth

SMYAL (Supporting and Mentoring Youth Advocates and Leaders) recently opened its third facility to help meet the transitional housing needs of local LGTBQ youth.

A few notes on respect: How to ensure you’re treating a trans person with dignity

Phoenix Oaks, a vendor with Street Roots in Portland, Oregon, offers guidance on how to properly interact with transgender community members to better ensure everyone has basic respect.

Online court for involuntarily committed patients may continue post-pandemic

Virtual court proceedings for District patients involuntarily committed to treatment under the Ervin Act may continue, even post-pandemic, following recent recommendations made to the DC Council’s Committee on Health.

DC’s first transitional drug treatment program for women opens

Samaritan Inns’ new facility provides homeless or at-risk women seeking sobriety with a six-month treatment program that allows them to live full-time in the building while receiving a personalized regimen of therapy and medical care, and later, assistance finding jobs and housing.

Thrive DC and CFLS open 12-bed housing center for women returning from prison or fighting addiction

Thrive DC and the Community Family Life Services are opening their second housing facility in the Kenilworth neighborhood in Northeast D.C. to help women returning from prison or struggling with addiction to have stable housing, access to mental health services, and a peer support network.

Hope for the disabled

Artist/Vendor Abel Putu reflects on his personal motivations in overcoming his challenges.

DC residents join nationwide rally to stop violence against Asian Americans

On May 15, a group of individuals assembled at Freedom Plaza in D.C. to bring attention to the problem of violent hate crimes against Asian Americans.

Mothers rally to pass police reform in George Floyd’s name

Ahead of Mother’s Day, the Center for Racial Equity and Justice held an event asking Congress to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. While the national legislation stalls, local reforms are being considered.

Panhandling permits are a bad idea

Vendor Jeffrey McNeil offers his opinion on why Montgomery County’s consideration of requiring permits to panhandle is extreme and only furthers stigma.

Change we can believe in? I think not

Wendell Williams questions President Joe Biden’s commitment to racial justice. 

I hope that Derek Chauvin’s conviction is only the beginning

Aida Peery looks ahead to greater accountability for racism and police brutality after Derek Chauvin’s conviction.

Montgomery County weighs panhandling permits for ‘safety’

Montgomery County Councilmember Craig Rice is reintroducing efforts to require permits for soliciting money or donations near roadways for “pedestrian safety.”

DC Council votes to advance Comp Plan amendment

In the first of two rounds of votes, the DC Council moved proposed revisions forward to the Comprehensive Plan, despite ongoing displacement and gentrification concerns.

Housing activism turns confrontational in face of deepening housing crisis

Tenants and housing advocates are using more confrontational tactics to fight eviction and displacement as the national affordable housing shortage intensifies.

The Miseducation of Christina Cole: A whole new world

Yesterday I wanted to change the world. Today I wouldn’t mind seeing it destroyed

When trans and non-binary people age out of homeless services, there’s nowhere to turn

Transgender people in the United States face barriers in many aspects of their lives, from job discrimination to family rejection. While LGBTQ-focused youth programs and housing assistance is growing nationally and in the District, transgender adults are being left behind after aging out of the system in their mid-twenties.

Earth Day

Ayub Abdul shares a poem reflecting on how every day should be Earth Day.