Legislation

The current occupation of D.C. and overzealous policing we are witnessing from federal law enforcement agencies alongside officers of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD, the Department) are not new for some communities. Black, immigrant, and other marginalized people, who have long been over policed and used as scapegoats for policy failures or political fodder, have always been the canaries in the coal mine. And they have also been at the forefront of movements fighting to make this society one that truly protects and keeps all of us safe.

Imagine how different D.C. could look if communities currently fighting for survival were actually thriving. If young people had caring adults they trusted and opportunities that set them up for a brighter future. These things cannot, and will not, occur with harmful policing.

The Council must take bold actions to combat the recent narratives around crime in the District and continue towards a path that will actually make D.C. communities feel and be safer.

Improving public safety in the District involves restricting harmful police practices, creating more transparency around police misconduct, and holding police accountable for their misconduct.

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.

"District leaders must confront their biases, break the cycle, and use this critical moment to prioritize investment in prevention, community-based violence interruption and trauma services, school-based mental health services, restorative justice, and other effective public safety strategies."

The ACLU-DC speaks before the D.C. Council about decentering police from public safety approaches, which requires significant investments in non-police services and resources and ending reliance on police where they are not effective and create more harm.