Legislative Town Hall Meeting for the Marijuana Private Club Task Force: April 19^th

I, along with Councilmember Brandon T. Todd will hold a legislative town hall meeting on the use of marijuana in private clubs and other communal spaces on Tuesday, April 19^th from 6-8pm at the John A. Wilson Building, Room 412 (1350 Pennsylvania Ave NW). Councilmember Todd and I have been appointed to the Marijuana Private Club Task Force, called for by the Council and established by the Mayor earlier this year. The Task Force will make recommendations regarding the potential licensing and operation of venues at which marijuana may be consumed in accordance with District law. The recommendations will include effective ways to regulate those venues to ensure the health and safety of staff, members and invitees and the health and safety of the nearby public and general public.

Through this town hall I will collect community input for the Task Force as it begins its 120-day work period. Members of the public will be given up to three minutes each to give their feedback about what factors the Task Force should consider as it begins its work.

Among the legislation I’ve introduced recently:

• Following the moving testimony of District residents in the Council’s first-ever hearing on street harassment, I introduced legislation establishing a task force to collect important data and recommend training and policy changes to help make DC streets safer by reducing harassment. Learn more about my efforts to fight street harassment here.
  • Read coverage of the bill in the Washington City Paper.
  • I spoke about the bill on the Kojo Nnamdi Show this week.

• The Attorney General and the Office of the Tenant Advocate will get new powers to hold landlords accountable for temporary relocation costs due to poor maintenance under legislation I introduced. The legislation would hold landlords accountable for relocation costs when tenants are displaced due to circumstances beyond their control when the housing provider has failed to satisfy his or her obligations with respect to maintenance.

• Following ongoing raids in the Washington area by Federal immigration authorities, I introduced legislation that calls for an end to the targeting of Central American refugee youth and families. The Sense of the Council Resolution details the ongoing humanitarian crisis in countries such as El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras, and the serious dangers refugees face upon their forced return.

Last week while the Council took its annual spring recess, I was out in Ward 1 visiting with our seniors, small businesses and community groups. I spent time meeting with seniors at the Terrific Inc. lunch program at Garfield Terrace and the Paul Laurence Dunbar Apartments, and visited Victory Heights, Hubbard Place, Urban Village, Samuel Kelsey and more, and shared some of the ways I’m working to ensure Ward 1 is a place where our seniors can age in place. In the year since I’ve taken office I’ve introduced or co-introduced ten separate bills to help seniors, especially to protect their housing.

I also spent time visiting organizations serving the community, including the DC Masonic Lodge – Federal Lodge No. 1, which encourages civic engagement and supports local organizations, and HIPS, a District group working on harm reduction and community engagement for residents engaged in drug use or sex work.