We know D.C. Get our free newsletter to stay in the know.

Unsubscribe any time.

You can support Washington City Paper by becoming a member.

THE NEWS:

D.C. has experienced three days of mourning and protests since Friday over the brutal killing of George Floyd by the Minneapolis police. With raised fists, protesters in D.C. joined countless others in at least 140 cities across the country. And like a few other cities, Mayor Muriel Bowser instituted a Sunday night curfew and activated the National Guard.    

Hundreds of protesters gathered in D.C. despite the deadly coronavirus that still looms and spreads through respiratory droplets, as concerns over police brutality—the murder of black people—outweighed concerns of contracting COVID-19. City Paperinterviewed a few protesters on Sunday who said they just couldn’t live with themselves if they just stayed at home because “silence is violence.” 

Take comfort in knowing that virtually everyone during Sunday’s protest was wearing face coverings, as City Paperand other reporters on the ground noted. Demonstrators were even passing out free masks, as well as water bottles and hand sanitizer. Police tactics—the use of tear gas and pepper spray—could have accelerated transmission, experts tell The New York Times. 

Sunday’s demonstrations began in the afternoon with peaceful marches and bent knees for those who were slain at the hands of police officers, and intensified as it got dark. “Much like Saturday night, the worst violence didn’t erupt until police pushed demonstrators out of Lafayette Square and into the city’s streets,” according to the Washington Post. (See DCist coverage of protests here.) Buildings in downtown D.C. were vandalized or set on fire. D.C. Fire and EMS had to extinguish multiple fires across the city, from the basement of the historic St. John’s Church to a CVS.  

“Attacks like the one on the AFL-CIO headquarters are senseless, disgraceful and only play into the hands of those who have oppressed workers of color for generations and detract from the peaceful, passionate protesters,” tweetedRichard Trumka, president of AFL-CIO. “But in the end, the labor movement is not a building.” 

In a press conference Monday morning, Bowser announced a curfew for tonight, beginning at 7 p.m. and ending at 6 a.m., that’ll last for two days. Unless you are a journalist or an essential worker, you will be taken into custody for violating tonight’s 7 p.m. curfew, warned Police Chief Peter Newsham. The primary election on Tuesday is considered an essential function, so individuals who go to vote centers, which close at 8 p.m., should not be impacted. 

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

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

  • COVID-19 data was not published at its usual time, around 10 a.m. [EOM] 

  • D.C. leaders worry about a surge in COVID-19 cases after a weekend of protests. [Post]

  • Monday’s oversight hearing on the Metropolitan Police Department’s FY2021 budget was postponed, after Ward 6 Councilmember Charles Allen decided he wanted to give more time for police and the public to testify in light of protests. [Twitter]

  • A running list of fake or misleading news about D.C. protests and others. [WAMU, Buzzfeed] 

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

  • Tomorrow is Election Day.

  • Your 2020 election guide. [WCP]

  • A national pro-charter school group weighs into the local election with negative messaging. [WCP]

  • Ward 8 Councilmember Trayon White faces three challengers. [WCP]

  • Ward 7 Councilmember Vince Gray faces five challengers. [DC Line]

  • The Ward 4 race comes down to Janeese Lewis George, a Democratic Socialist and Councilmember Brandon Todd, a moderate Democrat. [WCP, WCP]

  • A rundown of the eight candidates looking to take the Ward 2 seat. [WCP]

  • Will this primary election shift the Council to the left? [DCist]

  • President Trump’s false claims about D.C. police draw rebuke from Mayor Muriel Bowser, who calls his comments an “attack on Black America.” [WAMU, Post, Vox] 

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

    • Teaism tweets “Black Lives Matter” over the weekend after being one of several businesses damaged by the protests. [WCP]

    • Northern Virginia Magazine’s new food critic scraps pseudonym, decides to write under her real name. [WCP]

    • Grand Duchesslaunches a hoagie pop-up in Adams Morgan with help from Chef Alex McCoy. [WCP]

    • The safety problem for restaurants is in the kitchen. [Post]

    • Undocumented restaurant workers stand to lose the most. [Eater]

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

    • Local families are using art to cope with quarantine and stress. [WCP]

    • The National Museum of African American History and Culture has launched “Talking About Race,” a web portal which provides tools and resources for discussing racial identity and racism, and how they shape society. [NMAAHC]

    • Glenstone is partially reopening on June 4 for visitors to explore its grounds. [DCist]

    • Here are the conditions under which live theater can return, according to the Actors’ Equity Association. [DC Theatre Scene]

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

    • With protests erupting across the country the past week in wake of the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery, high-profile athletes with local ties like Bradley Beal, Noah Lyles,Katie Ledecky, Rose Lavelle, and Frances Tiafoehave used their platforms to speak out against racial and systemic injustice.

    • The Mystics’ Natasha Cloud pens a powerful essay dismissing those who remain silent during this time: “As a black person in America, there’s only one thing that could possibly BE on my mind. And that’s fearing for my life.” [Players’ Tribune]

    • “Two knees. One protesting in the grass, one pressing on the back of a man’s neck. Choose. You have to choose which knee you will defend.” —Washington Post sports columnist Sally Jenkins [Post] 

    • Hundreds of minor league baseball players were cut last week, including in the Nationals organization, and hundreds more lost their jobs as teams prepare for the season to be canceled. [ESPN]

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

    We’re bringing you the best things to watch, read, make, and do from the comfort of your home while social distancing.

    Sign up: To get District Line Daily—or any of our other email newsletters—sent straight to your mailbox, click here. Send tips, ideas, and comments to newsletters@washingtoncitypaper.com.