News & Commentary

Police abuse in the District causes significant harm, costs millions of dollars, and undermines the whole justice system. It’s clearly time for District leaders to invest in police accountability solutions.

The D.C. Crisis Response Coalition is leading the charge to protect community members who need support during mental health crises.

The #PoliceFreeSchools campaign is about creating a healthy school environment that’s conducive to learning for all students. It’s time for a different approach, and we hope District leaders will continue to listen to young people and to prioritize the investments needed to achieve real safety.

Oversight season is underway at the D.C. Council, and the ACLU-D.C. is closely following bills dealing with criminal code reform, police accountability, youth justice, and economic justice. Here are a few of them!

The ACLU-DC filed a Freedom of Information Act request on behalf of Cathy Young, the mother of D’Quan Young, who was shot by an MPD officer in 2018. In this interview with D’Quan’s aunt, Michelle Young, she talks to us about the information the family still seeks about his death.

WMATA’s Investigations Review Panel released a two-page report outlining its short analysis of four cases of complaints against Metro Transit Police Department officers in 2019. Unfortunately, but predictably, it falls short of what’s needed to accomplish true oversight and accountability of MTPD.