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THE NEWS:

Why’d they do it? Why did protesting against racist police brutality outweigh contracting the possibly deadly COVID-19? 

It wasn’t just watching the video of a white police officer kneeling into George Floyd’s neck for nine minutes, killing him, that drove people to the streets, in the tens of thousands, on Saturday. 17-year-old DuLane McGill recalls when Metropolitan Police Department officers stopped and frisked him when he was going to the store. And 31-year-old Dior Ginyard carries a sign “IS MY 6-YEAR-OLD SON NEXT?” 

City Paper spoke with dozens of protesters on a historic day in D.C. The final story is a collection of images and quotes. This week’s cover story: Talkin’ Bout a Revolution. And this week’s cover art: “The Revolution Will Be Digitized.” 

For this week’s cover, City Paper commissioned Halim Flowers to create the artwork. At 16 years old, Flowers was arrested and sentenced as an adult to two life sentences in D.C. He was released in March 2019. Flowers discovered his love for the arts while incarcerated and uses it, along with poetry, to express his trauma. Others have also used art to communicate how they feel in this moment; look no further than the White House fence. But Flowers has a more familiar experience with what some protesters are calling to abolish, the prison industrial complex. Listen to Flowers’ spoken word track, where he muses on this moment.        

—Amanda Michelle Gomez (tips? agomez@washingtoncitypaper.com)

CITY DESK LINKS, by Amanda Michelle Gomez (tips? agomez@washingtoncitypaper.com) 

  • There is no mayoral press conference today.  

  • D.C. reported three additional deaths related to COVID-19 and 52 positive cases, bringing the total numbers to 502 and 9,589, respectively. As of June 11, D.C. has only met two of the six metrics required to move to Phase 2, a sustained low positivity rate and low transmission rate. [EOM]

  • Mayor Muriel Bowser is “not at all” reconsidering police funding despite calls from some protesters’ asking her to. [NPR]

  • ICYMI: The Council reckons with calls to defund the police. [WCP]

  • This group is trying to make it more expensive for you to have rooftop solar. [GGW]

LOOSE LIPS LINKS, by Mitch Ryals (tips? mryals@washingtoncitypaper.com) 

  • How did Brooke Pinto win the Ward 2 seat in a field of experienced candidates? [WCP]

  • In which At-Large Councilmember Elissa Silverman attempts to remove her foot from her mouth. [WCP]

  • The pro-charter school group Democrats for Education Reform DC spent half a million dollars on local races this year. [OCF, WCP]

  • Police reform appears imminent in D.C. How supportive is Mayor Muriel Bowser? [Post]

  • Jefferson Davis monument comes crashing down in Richmond. [Guardian]

  • More accounts of what happened on Swann Street NW. [DCist]

  • What can you do about statehood for D.C.? [WCP]

  • Former national security advisor Susan Rice advocates for D.C. statehood. [NYT] 

YOUNG & HUNGRY LINKS, by Laura Hayes (tips? lhayes@washingtoncitypaper.com) 

  • Black hospitality pros on what restaurants can do to fight racial justice in their industry now and in the future. [WCP]

  • Postmates still hasn’t complied with D.C.’s 15 percent commission fee cap that took effect nearly a month ago. [WCP]

  • How food blogger Anela Malik likes to spend a day in D.C. [Post]

  • Maryland restaurants can start seating diners indoors at 50 percent capacity tomorrow. [DCist]

  • Lists of black-owned restaurants are a start, but it’s not nearly enough. [Eater]

ARTS LINKS, by Kayla Randall (tips? krandall@washingtoncitypaper.com)

  • Tony Redz, 1974–2020: Friends remember the rapper and radio personality. [WCP]

  • Local artists thank health care workers with artwork. [WCP]

  • Smithsonian curators are looking to collect protest artifacts. [DCist]

SPORTS LINKS, by Kelyn Soong (tips? ksoong@washingtoncitypaper.com)

  • Kaiya McCullough has decried systemic racism for years. The Washington Spirit rookie won’t let her career interfere with her protests. [WCP]

  • With the 22nd overall pick in the MLB Draft, the Nationals selected a 6-foot-4 right handed pitcher named Cade Cavalli. They’re familiar with the type.[Federal Baseball]

  • Natasha Cloud is the first women’s basketball player to sign an endorsement deal with Converse since it relaunched its basketball brand. [USA Today]

  • Ron Rivera says he will support his players who decide to kneel during the national anthem in protest of police brutality. [NBC Sports Washington] 

CITY LIGHTS, by Emma Sarappo (Love this section? Get the full newsletter here. Tips? esarappo@washingtoncitypaper.com)

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