WINNER OF SIX SOCIETY OF PROFESSIONAL JOURNALISTS D.C. AWARDS FOR 2022
Capture the Moment
Celebrating 58 Years - Vol. 58, No. 22 • March 16 - 22, 2023
Page 35
Constituents Question Gray’s Position on ATVs, Policing, and Other Ward 7 Issues By Sam P.K. Collins WI Staff Writer
5 Michael 'Polo King Roane, (center) is a master rider from Southeast Washington, D.C. He's highly respected within the bike life culture in multiple cities and countries. Roane describes the sport as a stress reliever from the realities of being Black in America. (Dee Dwyer)
D.C. Councilmember Vincent C. Gray’s recent comments, and that of his staffers, about public safety and all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) have caused some of his Ward 7 constituents to question the level of Gray’s engagement with his mostly-Black constituency. Earlier this month, shortly before D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) announced the expansion of a previously launched ATV Investigative Unit, Gray encouraged constituents to alert the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) to where people are hiding ATVs. "When illegal riders know that we'll take their ATVs, more will be discouraged from breaking our laws and, ideally, they will find lawful places to ride," Gray said in a statement sent to The Informer. "I support designating safe, off-road locations for ATV recreation, but we need to know that riders will use them before dedicating resources to a solution like this." For Ward 7 resident Jay Brown, Gray’s recent position on ATVs doesn’t reflect
Councilmembers Introduce Bills on Lead Pipe Replacements
LEAD PIPE Page 35
Black D.C. Residents Weigh in on Embattled Criminal Code Bill
Questions Persist of Whether the D.C. Council Considered Victims of Violence, Political Climate
By Kayla Benjamin Climate & Environment Reporter The utility has pledged to remove all lead service lines—the pipes connecting buildings to water mains—by 2030. But at the current rate, making that deadline would be impossible. Last week, two D.C. Councilmembers introduced separate bills aimed at speeding things up. “It is critical to move this legislation now because DC Water is not on track to meet its own goal,” said Councilmember Janeese Lewis (D-Ward 4), who reintroduced her bill “Green New Deal for a LeadFree DC Amendment Act,” on March 7. She brought the initial version of the bill to the Council last year. “I think this legislation will streamline lead pipe replacement in D.C. by addressing
ATV RIDERS Page 43
By Sam P.K. Collins WI Staff Writer
5 Hours before the Senate’s 81-14-1 vote of the RCCA disapproval resolution on March 8, a collective of grassroots organizations,elected officials and advocates, such as Kelsye Adams and Nee Nee Taylor (pictured), marched to the U.S. Capitol in support of the legislation and the ongoing for D.C. statehood. (Cleveland Nelson/ The Washington Informer)
The Senate overwhelmingly approved a measure blocking the Revised Criminal Code Act (RCCA). That measure will go before President Joe Biden (D), who said he wouldn't veto it. While some District residents lamented the bipartisan congressional interference on District affairs, others, like Sandra Seegars, have spent the last few weeks pressing lawmakers to support the disapproval resolution. Seegars, a longtime Ward 8 resident and leader of Concerned Residents Against Violence (CRAV), suggested that the D.C.
CRIMINAL CODE Page 43
Celebrating 58 years. Your credible and trusted source for Black news and information.