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THE NEWS:

After 11 days of protests, the Council responded. Members passed sweeping police reform legislation on an emergency basis that takes a number of actions, including banning the hiring of officers with a history of misconduct, making body-worn camera footage more accessible, and prohibiting the use of tear gas on protesters. Mayor Muriel Bowsersaid during Wednesday’s press conference she’ll sign the legislation.

Of course, it’s not enough, activists and lawmakers alike have said. 

“We can do this today and I’m all for it and I appreciate all the work that went into this,” said Ward 5 Kenyan McDuffie of the legislation. “But we got a long way to go. It starts with the 2021 budget but by no means does it end with it.”  

Just a few hours later, McDuffie would go on to question Police Chief Peter Newsham on his department’s budget, as had other councilmembers during the two-hour hearing on Tuesday.  

“The fact of the matter is we incarcerate more people than almost any other place in the country, and yet here we are today where homicides have not descended,” McDuffie told Newsham during Tuesday’s budget hearing. “It is not working and we need to change the approach. And what I am saying is it is okay for a Council to look at your budget to see whether some of the funding, as in other agencies, could be used to address these issues in a way that produces better results.”    

Legislation is being passed and councilmembers are more seriously probing the Metropolitan Police Department because the country has reached a breaking point. But will D.C. reimagine law enforcement entirely, as activists are calling for? Read the full story online. —Amanda Michelle Gomez (tips? agomez@washingtoncitypaper.com)

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

  • At Wednesday’s press conference, DC Health Director LaQuandra Nesbitt announced a new dashboard related to where the city is in meeting Phase 2 metrics. The tabs related to contact tracing will go live Thursday. DC Health is also recommending that individuals who went to a protest get tested 3-5 days after a First Amendment demonstration. [Twitter, Twitter] 

  • D.C. reported four additional deaths related to COVID-19 and 63 new positive cases, bringing the total numbers to 499 and 9,537, respectively. DC Health reports that the city experienced nine days of sustained decrease in community spread, but has yet to meet any of the metrics needed for Phase 2. [EOM]

  • D.C. is not a state. What can YOU do about that? [WCP]

  • Fencing around the White House is coming down. [Twitter]

  • How Metro plans to recover. [CityLab] 

  • Giant hires off-duty MPD officers to enforce the mask requirement. [BizJournal]

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

  • D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine is suing the housing authority. [DCist]

  • At-Large Councilmember Elissa Silverman’s transactional support of Black Lives Matter, which she later walked back. [Twitter]

  • U.S. Attorney General William Barr’s letter to Mayor Muriel Bowsertries to defend the use of federal law enforcement and out-of-state guardsmen during protests in D.C. [CNN]

  • Bowser’s Chief of Staff, John Falcicchio, calls Barr’s letter “revisionist.” [Twitter] 

  • Hear from 10 National Guardsmen, including those from the D.C. Guard, about their roles in the protests. [Politico]

  • Kenithia Alston is still fighting for transparency two years after D.C. police shot and killed her son, Marqueese. [Post]

  • The Council (finally) approves $5 million for undocumented people out of work due to the coronavirus. [DCist]

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

  • Rare Essence vocalist Shorty Corleone is opening a restaurant in Anacostia with the owner of DCity Smokehouse. [WCP]

  • Northern Virginia restaurants can start seating a limited number of customers indoors on Friday. [Washingtonian]

  • The case for not criticizing the shortfalls of your take-out order. [Post]

  • More ways D.C. restaurants and residents are feeding protestors. [DCist]

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

  • The demand for books about race and racism has increased since the Minneapolis police killed George Floyd, which sparked protests around the globe. [DCist]

  • Local novelist Carolyn Parkhurstmeditates on making mental and physical space during the pandemic. [Washingtonian]

  • Area theaters are mulling reopening options, and two say they’ll be closed until next year. [Post]

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

  • The fallout over CrossFit continues. Several local gyms have already distanced themselves from the company, and CEO Greg Glassman resigned yesterday after BuzzFeed obtained audio recording of him telling gym owners in a Zoom call that “we’re not mourning George Floyd.” Glassman could also be heard in the recording making racist comments and sharing conspiracy theories about Floyd’s death and the COVID-19 pandemic. [BuzzFeed]

  • Running back Adrian Peterson says he will “without a doubt” kneel during NFL games this fall to protest police brutality. [106.7 The Fan]

  • The D.C. Sports Hall of Fame’s 2020 class includes the late Herman Boone, who famously coached the T.C. Williams High School football team that was the inspiration for the film Remember the Titans and two-time World Cup champion coach Jill Ellis. The 2019 World Series champion Nationals and 2019 WNBA champion Mystics will each also be honored as a “Team of Distinction.” [Post]

  • MLB’s modified five-round draft will start tonight at 7 p.m. on ESPN and MLB Network. [mlb.com, ESPN]

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

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