Improving public safety in the District involves restricting harmful police practices, creating more transparency around police misconduct, and holding police accountable for their misconduct.
"We oppose this bill. As we explain below, we think it is an outrageous attempt to shield potential government misconduct from the legal rules that apply to everyone else."
In a letter to the Chairmain of the D.C. Council, Executive Director Monica Hopkins urges the Council to schedule and hold a mark-up on the Street Vending Discrimination Amendment Act, creating a system that supports street vendors and recognizes their value to D.C.
The ACLU-DC supports these two bills, and further encourages the decriminalization of unlicensed street vending and reducing police interactions with street vendors—ensuring that vendors can feel safe while pursuing their livelihoods without threats to their safety and wellbeing.
ACLU-D.C. is committed to ending the practice of solitary confinement, which demands confronting inequities in the criminal justice system and the racial bias driving them.
With a lack of D.C. statehood and the upcoming midterm elections, time is of the essence to protect abortion access in the District before a new Congress is seated.