Today Councilmember Brianne K. Nadeau has announced the creation of the U Street Task Force to address violence and vitality on the vibrant, historic corridor. The task force will include representatives from ANC 1B, U Street Main Street, Shaw Main Streets, The Alcoholic Beverage Regulatory Agency (ABRA), the Office of the Attorney General, the Department of Regulatory Affairs (DCRA), the Metropolitan Police Department and community leaders who have experience working in both the U Street corridor and in others with similar challenges. The Mayor’s Office of Nightlife and Culture and The Department of Transportation have also been invited to join the task force.
“Since my time on the ANC, I have been working to support a vibrant U Street corridor that is welcoming and safe for residents, businesses and visitors, and a continuation of the legacy of Black Broadway,” said Nadeau. “This has been a particularly difficult time, and it’s clear we need better coordination and resources to address the serious safety issues that persist. By bringing government, community, and business leaders together, I know we can solve the problems we are facing.”
The task force is expected to convene during the month of June and report back to Councilmember Nadeau with proposals after a series of working meetings. “Over the years I’ve pushed for more resources and supports to address nightlife-related violence, but it hasn’t yet yielded the solutions we need,” Nadeau added. “By getting everyone in the same room I know we can develop a clear plan of action. It’s my hope that this model of coordination will help in other corridors, since Ward 1 is the undisputed nightlife heart of the District.”
During her time on the ANC, Nadeau worked with business owners to establish safety plans at nightlife establishments, and to support daytime retail to create a diversity of uses. As Councilmember, she established the U Street Main Street as well as the Clean Team that serves the corridor, and collaborated with residents and businesses to establish a security detail that currently works on the 1900 Block of 9th Street, NW.
Nadeau first mentioned her plans for a task force at a community meeting last week, and after talking with additional community members since that time, along with the violence over the weekend, she moved forward this week with assembling the group.
In addition to those resources and formation of this Task Force, the Council is poised to approve an ANC redistricting map for Ward 1 that includes the establishment of anew ANC 1B that is more focused on U street specifically, and will include the entirety of the U Street commercial corridor in Ward 1. Councilmember Nadeau looks forward to working to support this new Commission to bring even more focused governance and attention to historic U Street.
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