The unpermitted protest and street blockade caused a slowdown during rush hour. According to the Capitol Police Department, two protestors were arrested for obstructing and inconveniencing traffic this morning and another 38 were arrested later in the afternoon at a second protest.

The protests, marketed as  “,” were planned by . Founded in 2019, ShutDownDC considers themselves “an organizing space where organizations and individuals can come together to organize direct action.” Their goal was to urge lawmakers to fulfill the social spending promises they made now that the 2021 legislative session is coming to an end.

Protestors built five blockades out of wagons, scaffolding, and other materials, obstructing multiple traffic intersections around Capitol Hill. The blockades were organized by CODEPINK, Extinction Rebellion DC, voting rights activists and others.

Although each blockade stood for a different purpose, protestors said they were unified in their cause.

“We have to take bold actions to get people to pay attention because the government isn’t paying attention,” said Reb Spring, a 15-year old student attending Duke Ellington School of the Arts.

A difference in jurisdiction

Because demonstrations were spread out around the Hill, some fell into the jurisdiction of the Metropolitan Police Department, while others were in Capitol Police jurisdiction.

After CPD warned protestors blocking the streets adjacent to the United States Botanic Garden to disperse multiple times, activists moved to the sidewalks. However, on the other side of the garden, CPD arrested two individuals and plans to .

CPD is unsure how long the arrested protestors will be held because it depends on a “range of variables,” according to a public information officer.

On the other hand, MPD seemed more lenient with protestors, allowing demonstrations to block intersections like the one at 4th St. and Independence Ave. for at least two hours. They did not make any arrests, according to a MPD public information officer.

Blockading the streets

With at least eight major thoroughfares shut down during rush hour this morning, commuters and lawmakers alike experienced significant delays.

While MPD blocked off entire intersections in some areas for demonstrations, other streets like 4th and Pennsylvania Ave. were partially closed to help ease the traffic flow.

Mark Sussman, a D.C. resident, the demonstrations on Pennsylvania Ave. caused the “most traffic” he’s seen “in two years.”

First Amendment Activity reported at 4th and Independence Ave, SW

4th and C Street, SW (Northbound)
4th & Jefferson, SW (Southbound)
6th and Independence Ave (Eastbound)
3rd and Maryland Ave, (Westbound)

MPD is on the scene.

— DC Police Traffic (@DCPoliceTraffic)

The Cause

Those interested in joining the Dec. 7 demonstrations could sign up in advance on ShutDownDC’s website and were able to choose a specific blockage point, and whether they were willing to be arrested for the cause.

Lori Emrich joined the blockade in front of the Smithsonian American Indian Museum. She said while she was not interested in being arrested, she believed, “it’s more than past time to act” on gender and social issues.

Olivia DiNucci, an organizer and activist with CODEPINK – a national human rights organization against militarism – helped organize the blockade in front of the Smithsonian, calling on Congress to “stop business as usual,” cut the Pentagon budget, divert funding to social programs and limit military carbon emissions.

“We are here for life-affirming programs,” DiNucci said. “We’re shedding light on the hypocrisy in Congress – that 778 billion go to the Pentagon budget, yet we are fighting for crumbs.”

DiNucci said despite not having a permit for the protest and road closure, she would remain at the blockade “until morning traffic is out.”

Other blockades throughout the Capitol featured a brass marching band, a go-go band aboard a flatbed truck, and a “300-foot long pipeline snake” made by indigenous youth activists. Each effort was united in their demand for the Senate to take decisive action on Biden’s $1.75 trillion Build Back Better bill before the congressional recess on Dec. 10.

Protestors ended their traffic blockades around 11 a.m. Many demonstrators relocated to Union Station to join efforts with CASA and United We Dream for a march to demand the inclusion of  immigration reform in the spending bill. By late afternoon, 38 protestors associated with the immigration reform demonstration were detained by Capitol Police, according to a spokesperson.

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ANC6B Chairman Brian Ready said that when he lived in Las Vegas, restaurants would be graded by the health department using a lettering system, meaning after a restaurant conducts an inspection, an A, B, C, D, or F letter would be placed in the window of the establishment.Ěý

“It’s not foolproof, it’s not going to solve every problem and it would have not necessarily solve that problem at Popeyes, but it provides more information to the public,” Ready said.

Ready said that although it may upset some restaurant owners, this system could be beneficial in holding restaurants “accountable” if not all of DC, Capitol Hill’s city council should consider implementing the letter-grading system.Ěý

“I’m sure some of the restaurants would not be happy about that. But you know, after what we’ve seen here, I’m concerned,” Ready said.

The shut down

On Oct. 11, Ricardo Land, a raw chicken delivery worker for Popeyes fast food chains in DC, posted a video on TikTok of him walking through the store early in the morning.

“Y’all wanna see something?” he said.

When he entered the store and turned on the lights, it revealed at least 10 rats running around the store and climbing up pipes into the roof.

“This is Popeyes,” Land said while filming.

Warning: This video contains profanity. (TikTok Courtesy of Ricardo Land)

The Popeyes, located at 409 8th St SE, has been permanently closed as a result of the health inspection, which occurred on Oct. 29. The Popeyes franchise has terminated this location’s company agreement.Ěý

The revealed at least 17 health code violations in the fast food restaurant, which were first reported on by .

Since posting the video, which has been viewed over two million times, Land has been suspended from his delivery job with Popeyes. He started a to support him and his family during his time on suspension.

“I have a family of 5 and due to this incident my family will be hurt by my employer,” Land wrote in the fundraiser’s description. “I will not be able to afford rent food or any other necessities to keep my home.”

As of Monday, Nov. 29, Land has raised nearly $41,000. Viewers of the TikTok and supporters of the fundraiser stood behind Land saying that he did the “right łŮłóžą˛Ô˛ľ.”

“Just heard on the news this video shut this place down,” one TikTok user commented. “You’re awesome. Thank you!”

One person who donated to Land’s GoFundMe commented, “To lose your job over this is 100% wrong. Who knows how many customers’ health you’ve saved with this horrific discovery.”

The DC Department of Health told 91ÇŃ×Ó in a statement that the restaurant was not shut down for “rodent activity” but for “not maintaining proper cold holding temperatures (e.g., units and foods inside) in the walk-in freezer and refrigeration units.

DC Health said that during their inspection, no rodents were found inside the establishment.

“If there are rodents running around the restaurant or the building or the store on a regular basis like Popeyes that is a sign of something bigger going on in the background,” ANC6B Chair Brian Ready said.

The Food and Safety Hygiene Division of the DC Health Department was scheduled to do a presentation at an , but they didn’t ˛őłó´ÇˇÉ.Ěý

Ready said although he had confirmation that DC Health would be at the meeting, when he reached out to see why they didn’t show, they realized it was just a łžžą˛őłŚ´ÇłžłžłÜ˛ÔžąłŚ˛šłŮžą´Ç˛Ô.Ěý

DC Health is now scheduled to come give their presentation to the community at the ANC’s Dec. 14 meeting, according to Ready and he is hopeful they will show because he is interested in knowing the process behind these health inspections.

The neighborhood has already begun to recover from the viral attention and renovations on the space previously occupied by Popeyes are taking place.

The post ‘Love that chicken from Popeyes’: viral rat video sparks conversation in Capitol Hill first appeared on 91ÇŃ×Ó.

Noticing his tense stance, another young man, slightly older than he, Nunez recalled, asked if Nunez was a veteran. Nunez didn’t respond.

“Don’t tell anyone here that you are,” the man said.

Nunez said he didn’t understand why.Ěý

“I’m in the United States. I’m glad I had served, but yet we’re not good enough,” Nunez told 91ÇŃ×Ó, recalling a decades-old pain.

On Wednesday, the day before Veterans Day, veterans and others at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, World War II Memorial and Korean War Veterans Memorial, three of the 17 monuments, museums and memorials in D.C. honoring those who have served in the military, said it’s important for younger generations to learn about the country’s past. They shared memories of war and family to emphasize the importance of documenting history.

Vietnam Veterans Memorial: The ‘wall that heals’

When Nunez left the United States to serve in the Army during the Vietnam War, he said he went out the “front door,” proud to be a soldier for his country. However, when he returned, he came in the “back door,” troubled by the stigmas surrounding the war in Vietnam.

“I was more afraid of people coming back to the states than I was in Vietnam,” Nunez said.

At the end of the Vietnam War in 1975, the veterans returning home weren’t greeted with ‘Welcome Home’ parades, but with . Although the war led to controversy across the nation, Vietnam War veterans visiting the memorial are proud to have served.

Opened in 1982, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial serves to commemorate those who died or are still missing from the war. The names of those who died in the war are identified with a diamond and those who are still missing, a cross. When someone is deemed no longer missing, the cross is altered to become a diamond.Ěý

The black granite walls list the names of soldiers who fought in the war. Bill Walters, a volunteer at the memorial and a Vietnam Army veteran, said they were purposely designed by architects Mary Lin and David Osler to be reflective.

“This monument is about all the names. It’s about all the people,” Walters said. “That’s an awful lot of names.”

Walters said he enjoys when school groups come to visit the memorial so they can learn more than what “they might have read in a history book.”

Haartz first came to ‘The Wall’ in 1996 with his original battalion. He said that if it weren’t for the group, he might have never come. The camaraderie and support he has had when coming to ‘The Wall’ has “helped” his “demeanor.”

“The guys that don’t come to the wall don’t know what they’re missing,” Haartz said. “It’s really a wall that heals.”

When asked how it felt to come to the memorial, “Krazy” Karl Haartz, a Vietnam War Army veteran visiting from Campton, New Hampshire, who served alongside Nunez in the 5th Battalion 7th Cavalry, said it is nice to “be together.”

“Coming to the memorial is…” Haartz started.

“Soothing,” Nunez chimed in from the other side of the bench.

World War II: The deadliest conflict

Mary and Gary Brown visited the World War II Memorial Wednesday while in town celebrating their daughter’s birthday. The Arizona residents, who are retired, said both of their fathers served in the military during World War II, hers in the United States and his in northern Africa.

“My father was pretty quiet about his World War experience,” said Gary Brown, standing in front of a fountain at the memorial’s center. “I think being a flight engineer and being in planes so much he became pretty hard of hearing.”

World War II, the deadliest conflict in human history, began when Nazi Germany invaded Poland in 1939, triggering a six yearlong conflict involving most nations. Nazis murdered 6 million Jews during the Holocaust, which began in 1941, in addition to millions more.

Mary Brown said her mother served as a civil servant in Detroit, Michigan, during the war. She said memorials, like the one commemorating Americans who served during World War II, are important to remember “our history, our foundation.”

For Gary Brown, the history of the war is personal in another way.

“World War II was very significant, particularly in Europe because my ethnicity is — I’m 100% Jewish,” he said. “I was born seven years after the Holocaust.”

Memorializing the Forgotten War

New York resident Juan Parra stood next to statues of soldiers Wednesday on his first visit to the Korean War Veterans Memorial. Parra, who described himself as a retiree of the delivery business, said while he finds war memorials interesting, he couldn’t help but think about what other kinds of historical sites may be missing.

“We’re supposed to have more monuments about peace,” he said.

The United States, in an effort to keep communism from spreading, supported South Korea in the war after North Korea invaded the bordering nation in 1950, according to . The war, which never formally ended, left millions dead.

Parra also said the United States should have more memorials commemorating Black men who served.

His wife, Merrill Parra, said war memorials can help people learn more about the country’s history. Parra, who’s also retired, started a veteran’s program at Lehman College, City University of New York, where she served as director of Student Services.

“I bet you if you did a poll, people wouldn’t even know that we were in the Korean War,” she said.

The post Veterans, visitors reflect on what war memorials mean to them first appeared on 91ÇŃ×Ó.

There are 26 Main Streets in Washington, D.C. which are all part of the under the larger Main Streets America Program. The purpose of this nonprofit, according to the Department of Small & Local Business Development (DSLBD), is to “revitalize communities by retaining and recruiting businesses, improving commercial properties and streetscapes and attracting łŚ´Ç˛Ô˛őłÜłžąđ°ů˛ő.”

Eastern Market Main Street was distinguished as an official main street in 2016.ĚýSince then, it has served as a pillar of the community.

“The whole goal is to help businesses in a very historic area survive and thrive and help the community be the interesting community Capitol Hill is,” Mary Quillian Helms, owner of Mr. Henry’s and EMMS Treasurer, said.

Helms said that urban areas like Union Market and EMMS are “in vogue.” However, she noted that EMMS is different from many private developments like Union Market because they don’t have the same control over things like closing down the streets for events.Ěý

“A little Main Street like Eastern Market Main Street doesn’t have a developer; we don’t have anybody that’s actively looking into the area as a whole,” Helms said.

“We are individual businesses in individual buildings, owned by either the business or owned by individual landlords that it’s the main street that acts as the collective to try to harness all of our energies and to benefit everybody.”

During the height of the pandemic, it was difficult for many small businesses to stay afloat, but former Executive Director of the EMMS board Charles McCaffrey said that in “some respects” the pandemic “helped” their mission.

“Many of our business owners and residents have been there for quite some time,” McCaffrey said. “They’ve been there long enough, especially with the business owners, they know how to run their business. But then when everything changes, it was, how do I adjust?”

McCaffrey and Helms both said that during the pandemic time, there was an influx of collaboration between businesses. Helms’ restaurant, Mr. Henry’s, was a big part of this. For stores with a large local clientele who didn’t want to pay to have something shipped a few blocks, they could submit a pick-up order and grab it from Mr. Henry’s. This kind of collaboration was beneficial for both the restaurant and the businesses that utilized this service.

“If you were picking up books from a restaurant, you probably felt obligated to maybe pick up a burger, which you would want to anyway; Mr. Henry’s has really good food,” McCaffrey said.

According to their , EMMS was able to award $40,000 in grants to help support their businesses during the pandemic. This money came from DSLBD, but also from a GoFundMe campaign hosted by the leaders of EMMS.

EMMS has had this grant program in place for a few years, however, due to the pandemic, they had to change things around. Originally, the federal and donations money they received for the grants needed to be used for specific purposes, like facade renovations such as window replacements or new signs. However, because  of the pandemic, they decided to let businesses use the money however they saw fit.

“We decided to just call it emergency grant funds,” McCaffrey said. “So they didn’t have to submit what they were going to use it for because it was like, we understand you need funding.”

Many of the businesses used their grant funds to help boost their social media presence and to dive into E-commerce by setting up websites for their businesses.

Every weekend, EMMS hosts a Flea Market. Weekend vendors, who don’t have a permanent business on the main street, also felt heavily supported by EMMS during the pandemic.

Zachary Sasim, an artist originally from Bulgaria, has been selling his art at the market for 17 years. He said the community has been “tremendous” in supporting each other.

“Even at the time of this pandemia, it was really well operated by the managers of the market,” Sasim said. “They actually do a great job.”

Douglas Cochrane, also known as the “Old Book Guy,” has been a vendor at EMMS for around 12 years selling vintage Life Magazines and said he feels the same kind of support and collaboration among businesses in the area.

“I got to know some of the vendors very well and neighboring vendors and everybody’s very friendly and helpful,” Cochrane said.

This year, the Washington City Paper named EMMS the for the third year in a row. EMMS first received the recognition in 2019 and then again in 2020, McCaffrey said it was “nice” to receive it again, but he just wanted to make it through the year.

“I think that says a lot about the Capitol Hill community and the support that they get, but I was absolutely thrilled,” McCaffrey said.

McCaffrey said that even though he is no longer on the EMMS board, he is hopeful for EMMS and thinks that because the area bounced back so quickly it says a lot about the community.

“We do a lot with very little funding and typically it’s a one-person organization,” McCaffrey said. “I just think it’s an incredible asset to the city.”

The post Local business collaboration on Eastern Market Main Street fosters success first appeared on 91ÇŃ×Ó.

Brosmer, president of the Capitol Hill Business Improvement District (BID) and founder of RWW said the community resisted the concept at first.

“There was a  lot of resistance to that element,” Brosmer said. “I’d seen it work in New York and my board was really courageous in letting me bring the program to Washington.”

In doing so, the program has proven to be largely . 70% of participants in the program “remain employed, independently housed and drug-free after three years of entering the program.”

Founded in 2013, Ready, Willing and Working is modeled after the Doe Fund’s New York initiative, . The program’s goal is to help individuals escape cycles of homelessness, relapse and welfare dependency in what the RWW calls a “paid-work rehabilitation program.”

Brosmer said that New York provided them with the “magic formula” for what was needed in founding this program.

“That’s to provide a loving environment for these guys; one where they feel safe and cared for and aren’t afraid to be part of mainstream society,” Brosmer said.

Pushing a Bucket

Andrew Lee began pushing a bucket. After years of being in and out of jail, he decided that RWW was a way to kickstart his life again.

At first, he said he had a 90-day plan to get himself back to working in the hotel industry, but after the RWW surprised him on his birthday with lunch, he wanted to give the program more of a chance.

“That changed my mindset that day. I said, ‘well, wait a minute. This is a pretty good thing. Let me stick around and finish this and see where it goes,’” Lee said.

Now, Lee serves as the Vice President of Ready, Willing and Working.

“There is a light at the end of the tunnel,” Lee said. “We’ve had guys come in here with prison mentality, and now, they’re happy, productive citizens. We are not here to judge. They’ve had enough judgment in the past standing in front of a judge.”

He said a lot of people who have been incarcerated use that as an “excuse” when it comes to the difficulty of getting a job.

“The overall mentality of the prison population is ‘it’s over now. I have a record. I can’t do anything but be a criminal the rest of my life,’” Lee said.Ěý

Lee said finding a job after incarceration is not as hard as people make it out to be. He said that men with RWW have gone on to start their own businesses and become property owners.

“I understand how you have mixed emotions because at some point you start saying, ‘well I can’t buy a house pushing a bucket,’ and in reality, you can,” Lee said. “I’ve got guys on my team who have bought houses, so it can be done, but you just got to have the mindset to do it.”

The Men in Blue

The RWW has “Clean Teams” who, under the guise of BID, go around the neighborhood cleaning public spaces.Ěý

“Before the team, before the BID started, you would consider Capitol Hill dirty and dangerous,” Brosmer said. “Our BID services are meant to supplement, not replace, what the city does. It just enhances what they can do.”

However, during the early days of the program, Brosmer said there was pushback from the community because they didn’t like the idea of having “undesirables” as a labor force. But, leaders on the Capitol Hill board gave them a chance.

“I think it just takes time,” Brosmer said. “I was frustrated the first few years where I was really trying to shove it down the city’s throat, you know, this is the best thing ever, but I learned that we have to prove the product and I believe we really have.”

Over the years, the community has taken to the idea of Ready, Willing and Working beautifying DC neighborhoods like Capitol Hill. McKenna Pugh, marketing director for RWW said people have started recognizing the Clean Teams calling them the “Men in Blue.” She said that they continue to have positive interactions with the community during events like the Capitol Hill Community Fourth of July Parade, where they march every year.

“The Men in Blue come behind us and everyone screams and is clapping and is so happy,” Pugh said. “We get letters and emails from people about how grateful they are to see them around and have them help out.”

RWW employs primarily men, but two out of their 60 employees are currently women.ĚýThey have seven contracts in DC, including Capitol Hill, Mount Vernon Triangle, Adams Morgan, Capitol Riverfront, Barracks Row Main Street, Pennsylvania Avenue East and Mid City.

Pugh said that the Men in Blue are doing more than just pushing buckets and cleaning the streets.

“They’re helping people clear their sidewalks when it snows and if they see someone carrying something heavy, they’re going to help them,” Pugh said. “They have made such a positive impact on the community and people know who they are and really appreciate them.”

Magic & Miracles

As a non-profit organization, the RWW relies on donations and outside funding for its projects. Monday, Oct. 25 thru Wednesday, Oct. 27, Ready, Willing and Working will be hosting their .

This free virtual event hosted over three days will consist of a and a video presentation to honor the “Men in Blue.” Auction items will include artwork from local artists, a children’s birthday party package, vacations to tropical destinations and gift łŚąđ°ůłŮžą´ÚžąłŚ˛šłŮąđ˛ő.Ěý

“It’s really cool this year too because we have so many vacations and gift certificates, people from all over the country are able to bid and participate,” Pugh said.

The Gala will also document the launch of Work Works America. This organization will also follow along the New York Ready, Willing and Able model to create a national approach to the work that Ready, Willing and Working does.

“We’re working together to build sort of a roadmap for other cities across the country to replicate,” Brosmer said. “You get people all the time saying ‘you know what this is a great idea, we can use that in our city’ and what we want to try to do is make it less scary and a little easier for them to replicate.”

Ready, Willing and Working also host a GED program, where employees can take classes to earn their GED. In 2019, they hosted a graduation ceremony for men who had completed the program. Brosmer said that the pandemic put a halt on the GED program, but hope to get it back up and running soon.

Brosmer said RWW’s biggest goal is to help people “realize their own life dreams.”

“Some of our guys have been with us for 10 to 12 years and this is the most comfortable life they’ve ever had,” Brosmer said. “We’d like, from the beginning, like to say you can come work for us. We’ll give you all the skills you need and then, go off and make room for somebody else to have that opportunity.”

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The D.C. chapter of the Hearing Loss Association of America is working to advocate and bring more awareness to the issues those experiencing hearing loss face.Ěý

“If I hadn’t told you, you wouldn’t know I was hard of hearing,” Judy Alden, D.C. chapter president of the HLAA said. “So, that’s something we are working hard to educate people on.”

Only about 2% of people with hearing loss speak American Sign Language because they lose their hearing later on in life. Alden says this makes the hard of hearing community not “Instagrammable” because they have an “invisible disability.”

“The hard of hearing community, although we are less visible because we don’t sign, we don’t consider ourselves a culture like many in the deaf community do,” Alden said. “We are people and we happen to have hearing loss. We are not top of mind often with people.”

On Sunday, Oct. 2, the HLAA hosted a Zoom meeting with members of the D.C. and Capitol Hill community to speak on behalf of the policies they want to see put in place for more inclusion.

“My biggest problem is with education. I want people educated,” Lise Hamlin, director of public policy for HLAA said in the meeting. “People need to know what are possibilities and what is out there.”

The HLAA is currently focusing on three initiatives: providing input for the Food and Drug Administration on the consumer perspective regarding, over-the-counter hearing aids, expanding Medicare to cover hearing aids and hearing health care services, as well as, accessibility for people with hearing loss during the pandemic.Ěý

Hamlin used the meeting to provide people with a better understanding of the legislative process and what is being done to better provide services and access for those in the hard of hearing community.Ěý

The meeting was posted on Capitol Hill neighborhood meeting boards and consisted of mostly attendees who experience hearing loss themselves. Lisa Finkelstein, described her experiences with a doctor who wore a clear mask so that they had a better way to communicate in the midst of the pandemic.

“We have to be our own advocates,” Finkelstein said. “We each have to do our own part with the people we encounter.”

The HLAA is also advocating to make assistive hearing technology like hearing aids and cochlear implants more affordable. They also are placing an additional focus on improving the quality of .Ěý

On Oct. 1, the recently established was officially funded. The office was created by law last September and it will only now start receiving the $836,000 in funding from the D.C. City Council’s FY2022 budget in order to establish new programs for the deaf, deafblind and hard of hearing communities, which the HLAA hopes will include some of their initiatives.

Ward 6 Councilmember Charles Allen has been an for more inclusive legislation and policies for the deaf and those experiencing hearing loss. Allen and former at-large Council Member David Grosso introduced a second form of this legislation in 2018 and used the help of locals to put it together.            

Concerns with the office are that there won’t be any distinction between the deaf, deafblind and hard of hearing communities. 91ÇŃ×Ó tried to contact Allen multiple times to talk about his efforts to establish and fund the Office of Deaf, Deafblind and Hard of Hearing, but received no response.

“It may seem like a small thing to make it plural rather than singular,” . “But it really mattered to members of the deaf, deafblind, and hard-of-hearing communities to say, ‘This is a collection of communities, and don’t treat it like a monolith. Really work hard to make sure the office understands that.’”

The HLAA, along with the Office for Deaf, Deafblind and Hard of Hearing, is determined to bring more awareness to the need for inclusive policies and better access to inclusive healthcare.

When asked if these policies will be put in place soon, Hamlin said she is very hopeful.

“I think there is some real chance here because we have been talking about it, everybody’s been talking about it,” Hamlin said. “It’s not like some little thing nobody talks about…I feel like it’s for the first time, in my professional life, that there is some possibility it will happen.”

For more information about the HLAA’s policy initiatives go to .Ěý

The post Hard of hearing seek greater accessibility first appeared on 91ÇŃ×Ó.

Redrawing voting boundaries, or redistricting, is done to redistribute populations for equal representation. This is required by federal law after the release of the latest census every 10 years. However, this often has a negative impact on communities because it changes which representatives residents vote for, making some people concerned about the new boundaries.

“My community is really on the chopping block,” Sondra Phillips-Gilbert, a nine-year resident and homeowner in Ward 6 and also an ANC commissioner. She told 91ÇŃ×Ó she’s passionate about the potential changes to her neighborhood. “I gotta fight to stay and keep my community in Ward 6.”

The showed a total population of 689,545 in April 2020, an 88,000 person increase over the last 10 years in D.C. The census reported that Ward 6, which includes parts of the Capitol Hill, Navy Yard, and NoMa neighborhoods, accounted for nearly a third of the city’s growth.

“Our population has exploded over the past decade as more people recognize D.C. as one of the hottest places in the nation,” Mayor Muriel Bowser said in a released statement. “People know that D.C. is a welcoming and diverse hub of opportunity – a place that has something for everyone.”

The City Council’s Redistricting Subcommittee, consisting of at-large Councilmembers Elissa Silverman, Christina Henderson and Anita Bonds, will be the ones to make recommendations on new ward lines. These recommendations will also include how Advisory Neighborhood Commissions (ANCs) are represented.

“Redistricting is a legally required process and the essence of that legal requirement is to balance the population,” Will Singer, legislative director at the office of Council member Elissa Silverman said. “This is just about the political boundaries that make up the wards.”

With the 2022 election cycle around the corner, some residents have raised concerns about what this means when voting for council members or ANC representatives. Amanda Farnan, communications director for Council member Christina Henderson, said that all redistricting will be finalized before the June 2022 primary elections.

“There is one main idea of not diluting the voting power of any board, so that will be kept in mind, no matter what redrawing habits,” Farnan said. “When folks go to vote in their June primary, they will be voting for the council member who represents them, even if they have changed boards or anything like that.”

Phillips-Gilbert is concerned how redistricting will affect her underserved neighborhoods. She says the city council is going to take what she calls, “the easy fix” and cut communities into to the “haves” and “have nots.”

“I want to make sure we are fairly represented; that the council doesn’t use an easy fix, cut us and put us in Ward 7 on top of another underserved community,” Phillips-Gilbert said.

Phillips-Gilbert says she has seen the political “games” that are played when it comes to redistricting during her time as a commissioner.

“I want the politicians to be responsible and help the people that really need the help and I just have not witnessed much of that in all of my nine years as an ANC Commissioner and a homeowner,” Phillips-Gilbert said. “I am hoping to turn this around and again out of all the commissioners I am the one Black person, I represent a small community and I do not want to see us move towards [ward] 7, but to remain with those who have the influence who can help us improve our lives here.”

Phillips-Gilbert is testifying on Wednesday in front of the subcommittee to speak on behalf of Ward 6.

Singer says that the council members know not everyone will be happy with redistricting, but their goal is to remain transparent and make sure everyone’s voices are heard.

“Councilmember Silverman wants to make sure that residents know that redistricting is happening, why we are doing it and what the goals are so people aren’t surprised and wake up one day in a different ward than they were before,” Singer said. “I understand people having an emotional connection to their ward, but at the end of the day, there are elected officials whose job is to listen to you, and that is going to be the case before and after redistricting.”

The decision on where precisely the lines are being redrawn is still in the works, but residents of the area can utilize a created by the subcommittee office to provide their input on how they think their wards should look. Members of the public can also sign up for .

“I think, you know, we are all neighbors in the district, so no matter if you are in Ward 6, 7 or 8, Ward 5 or even 3, just because your ward changes, doesn’t mean your community changes,” Farnan said.

From now until May 2022, the sub-committee will host task force meetings, public boundary hearings and draft the ward redistricting bill for a final vote in June 2022, making the new ward redistricting lines official if passed.

“The folks who want to get involved and who want to have their voices heard, they have the opportunity to and at the end of the day, we want to make sure everyone has continuous ward lines, but also feels proud of where they are living in D.C.,” Farnan said.

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