MAYOR BOWSER: DC Demands For Change

On the night of June 23, 2020, organizers and protestors were exercising their First Amendment right to peaceful protest and assembly at Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington, DC. Mayor Bowser allowed the Metropolitan Police Department to ambush, brutalize, and unfairly arrest peaceful protestors. This is a blatant attack on black citizens and their allies. This is a clear indication that any support Mayor Bowser claims she has for Black Lives Matter is purely performative. This was a direct warning by Mayor Bowser that she wishes the protests to end.

We will not be silenced. We will not be scared away. We will #occupyHstreet every night until our demands are met. Our demands are outlined below:

1) DEFUND THE POLICE! Restructure the DC federal budget to expand funding for social services by reallocating funds from law enforcement to social service programs. Expand funding for the following services: healthcare, quality education, mental healthcare, housing, and food assistance.

2) HOLD THE POLICE ACCOUNTABLE! Institute a system of independent investigations into police misconduct consisting of defense attorneys and investigators to fight bias within connected departments. Establish a standardized test for mental fitness for all peacekeeper (police officer) departments that will evaluate each potential officers’ bias tendencies. End qualified immunity; a citizen should be able to sue an officer for violating their rights without having to cite another legal case that ruled in their favor.

3) REFORM THE PRISON SYSTEM! End solitary confinement, as it is cruel & unusual punishment. Develop mental health and social services offered in prisons. Institute programming in prisons such as education, trade, etc.

4) END THE SCHOOL TO PRISON PIPELINE! Get cops out of schools. The current system shuts down opportunities for advancement for students of color and funnels them into the criminal justice system. End the academic brutalization of black and brown children. Every child has the right to quality education.

5) INVEST IN OUR YOUTH! Set aside more money to provide black and brown people with more opportunities and access to education, grants, and scholarships. Require that high schools offer in-school voter registration for eligible students.

6) END DISCRIMINATORY PRACTICES! If a person is denied employment due to their criminal history, the crime must be related to the position. There is no reason for companies to ask if a person has ever committed a crime unless it is in relation to the position – this is a discriminatory question. End of predatory probationary practices (i.e. drug tests and other measures that target people of color).

7) BUILD A COMMUNITY! Create coalitions between peacekeepers and citizens. Listen to black citizens.