Recent Posts
The Healing Outlet App
When a young black man in Washington, D.C., lost his life to violence, Charnal Chaney felt the tragedy was preventable. “We had two government agencies in that neighborhood, over a billion dollars in resources. I feel like he should still be here.”
This conviction led Chaney, founder of Bold Yoga, and Katherine Russell, founder of Transformative Justice Solutions, to create The Healing Outlet. “We realized that there’s already a lot of great work being done, it’s just that it’s not being coordinated and we’re not working together,” Chaney said in a video with Russell in which they describe their vision for the app.
“People need resources now, so another big part of this app is being able to instantly connect people to others who are grieving and resources on how to cope with the losses that neighborhoods are feeling, that schools are feeling…the effects and the trauma [of gun violence] impact everybody in the vicinity,” Russell states.
Don’t Throw DC Under the Crimnibus
On Feb 6, the DC Council had their first vote on the Crimnibus aka Councilmember Pinto and Mayor Bowser’s “Secure DC” Omnibus in their legislative meeting. While this hyper-racist crime bill passed the first vote, HUNDREDS of you called & emailed and PACKED the Council meeting, resulting in some critical harmful provisions being removed from the bill!
These harm reduction amendments are an important win. Unfortunately, many dangerous provisions still remain and the second and FINAL vote is coming up on March 5th. But we know the community pressure is working!
So, please join us and take action to stop the crimnibus!
Beyond Vietnam -- A Time to Break Silence
“One of Dr. King's most radical speeches, given at Riverside Church in Manhattan, 1967.
This is the speech that linked war, poverty and corrupt economics. This is the speech that talked about America being " the greatest purveyor of violence in the world" and on "the wrong side of a world revolution." This is perhaps the speech that helped get him killed--assassinated exactly one year to the day after delivering it.”
A Resident’s Guide to the DC Budget
Because of a long history of racist policies and practices, DC’s Black and brown residents experience more job discrimination, inadequate access to health care, and a lack of affordable housing. Using the budget to prevent evictions, adequately fund all public schools, and get health care and cash to those who need it are just a few ways lawmakers can transform DC into a more equitable community where everyone can live well.
“We’re here to help”
“The immense power at the core of policing offers impunity that leads to questions of its legitimacy. There cannot be a solution without acknowledging the force, history, and scale of policing. “
Cash Bail 101
It is quite easy to be apprehended, despite what most people may believe. This is because police do not have to be “convinced” that you are guilty. If there is sufficient evidence for the police, regardless of the situation, you can be arrested and convicted…
Police Reforms: What went wrong? Part 3
The logic often applied to Body Worn Cameras when people call for this reform is that the threat of having misconduct recorded will prevent police from carrying out said misconduct. Unfortunately, this has not been the case…
Police Reforms: What went wrong? Part 2
Following the murder of George Floyd and the mass protests that he inspired, DC passed the Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Emergency Amendment Act of 2020. The act includes the following provisions…
Police Reforms: What went wrong? Part 1
For years now, police reform has been a mainstay in public discourse... In the almost 10 years since the inception of BLM, what reforms have been happening here in DC? And have those reforms been effective in reducing, if not ending, police brutality?…
What Deon Kay’s Mentor Wants You to Know About Him
“They’re portraying him as a man, but he was a kid. He was into tennis shoes and video games.”