Washington, D.C

Southeast DC arts center celebrates 10 years with Juneteenth anniversary party – WTOP News

Published

6 months ago

June 19, 2025

Southeast DC arts center celebrates 10 years with Juneteenth anniversary party – WTOP News

It’s been nearly 10 years since Keyonna Jones opened up the Congress Heights Arts and Culture Center in Southeast D.C., and while there’s a heavy emphasis on the art, culture plays a very prominent role in the venue, too.

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Southeast DC arts center celebrates 10 years with Juneteenth anniversary party

CHACC is on Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, a two-mile straight shot south of the Anacostia Arts District. The city dedicated the area as D.C.’s official Arts District two years ago and is another indication that artistic expression is flourishing east of the river.

To celebrate 10 years of bringing artistic expression to Southeast, CHACC is holding an anniversary party in conjunction with Juneteenth on Thursday night. It will include city leaders, a go-go band, food, vendors and lots of art.

Jones said she thinks the Arts District community is different from the rest of the city in terms of how the artists create, because of the lack of resources.

“We’ve got a lot of talent,” Jones said. “We just don’t have what the rest of the city has. And so, we thrive and we really do art. We’re innovative. We use what we have to create new things.”

Dwayne Lawson-Brown, with the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities, gave Jones flowers, noting how much energy and “work (she’s put) into that space.”

“To see it survive, thrive and help bring a new generation of artists that are spreading the word and spreading their art, is a gift to Washington, D.C.,” he added.

Lawson-Brown said every community in D.C. “has a special voice, and we celebrate those different voices.”

“Ward Eight voices come about from different spaces and different experiences that people have had,” he added.

CHACC’s Juneteenth anniversary celebration and fundraiser will be held from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday night and Department of Small and Local Business Development Director Rosemary Suggs-Evans will give a keynote speech, among other speakers.

“We deserve to celebrate our community,” Jones said. “We’ve done some really good, innovative, unseen, unprecedented things for the past 10 years, and I’m proud of the work that we’ve done. So, we’re going to party.”

The event is also an invitation for the rest of the city to see what CHACC artists have to say about how things are now, and how they could be.

“Hey, we’re over here, east of the river! We’ve got some things for you to see,” she said. “Don’t be afraid to cross the bridge, come east of the river, come to South Side and see what we’ve got. Not only Congress Heights, but again, Anacostia is building.”

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Washington, D.C

D.C. Police Chief manipulated crime data; new House Oversight report

Published

12 hours ago

December 16, 2025

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D.C. Police Chief manipulated crime data; new House Oversight report

TNND — A new report from the House Oversight Committee alleges former D.C. Police Chief Pamela Smith pressured officers to manipulate crime data. The committee released the report on Sunday, less than a week after Smith announced she was stepping down.

You’re lulling people into this false sense of security. They might go places they wouldn’t ordinarily go. They might do things they wouldn’t ordinarily do,” said Betsy Brantner Smith, spokesperson for the National Police Association.

Included in the report were transcribed interviews with the commanders of all seven D.C. patrol districts and the former commander currently on suspended leave. One was asked, “Over the last few years, has there been any internal pressure to simply bring down crime statistics?” Their response, “Yes, I mean extremethere’s always been pressure to keep crime down, but the focus on statistics… has come in with this current administration.”

Every single person who lives, works, or visits the District of Columbia deserves a safe city, yet it’s now clear the American people were deliberately kept in the dark about the true crime rates in our nation’s capital,” House Oversight Committee Chairman Rep. James Comer (R-KY) said in a statement.

“They are going to have to regain the public trust. Again, this is a huge integrity issue,” Brantner Smith said.

Among the reports findings, Smith’s alleged pressured campaign against staff led to inaccurate crime data. Smith punished or removed officers for reporting accurate crime numbers. Smith fostered a toxic culture and President Trump’s federal law enforcement surge in D.C. is working.

While Smith has not yet publicly responded to the report, she’s previously denied allegations of manipulating crime data, saying the investigation did not play a factor into her decision to step down at the end of the year.

My decision was not factored into anything with respect to, other than the fact that it’s time. I’ve had 28 years in law enforcement. I’ve had some time to think with my family,” Smith said earlier this month.

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser also released a statement Monday, writing in part that “the interim report betrays its bias from the outset, admitting that it was rushed to release.”

According to crime stats from the Metropolitan Police Department, since the federal law enforcement surge started in August, total violent crime is down 26%. Homicides are down 12% and carjackings 37%.

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Washington, D.C

National Menorah Lighting in DC dedicated to Bondi Beach victims

Published

1 day ago

December 15, 2025

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National Menorah Lighting in DC dedicated to Bondi Beach victims

The first candle lit on the National Menorah near the White House in Washington, D.C., marked the first night of Hanukkah — and solemnly honored victims of the Bondi Beach shooting.

The National Menorah Lighting was held Sunday night, hours after gunmen opened fire on a crowd celebrating the beginning of Hanukkah at Australia’s iconic Bondi Beach. Fifteen people were killed, including a 10-year-old girl, a rabbi and a Holocaust survivor, and over three dozen others were being treated at hospitals.

Authorities in Australia said it was a terrorist attack targeting Jewish people.

Organizers behind the National Menorah Lighting said the news from Australia, along with the bitter cold, forced them to consider whether or not to hold the annual event.

After consulting with local law enforcement, National Menorah Lighting organizers decided to hold the event and honor the victims.

Several D.C.-area police departments issued statements confirming there are no known threats to local communities, but are monitoring just in case.

Montgomery County Executive Mark Elrich condemned the attack and said community safety is a priority.

“Acts of antisemitism, especially those meant to intimidate families and communities during moments of gathering and celebration, must be called out clearly and condemned without hesitation,” Elrich said. “I have heard directly from members of Montgomery County’s Jewish community who are shaken and concerned, and I want them to know that their safety is a priority.”

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Washington, D.C

READ: Report accuses DC Police Chief Pamela Smith of ‘fear, intimidation, threats’

Published

2 days ago

December 15, 2025

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READ: Report accuses DC Police Chief Pamela Smith of ‘fear, intimidation, threats’

WASHINGTON (7News) — Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) Chief Pamela Smith is facing yet another scathing report accusing her of manipulating crime data in the city.

The 22-page document from the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform comes less than a week after a separate draft report from the Department of Justice (DOJ) and days after Chief Smith turned in her resignation.

The main difference between the Congressional report and the DOJ report is that this new one, released on December 14, contains transcribed interviews directly with commanders from all seven MPD patrol districts.

RELATED | DC Police settles with former employee over claims that crime numbers were manipulated

The testimony reveals how Chief Smith chastised and, in some cases, publicly humiliated staff in crime briefings.

“The Committee’s investigation heard consistent testimony about frustration and exhaustion among MPD commanders and the manifestation of a culture of fear, intimidation, threats, and retaliation by Chief Smith. Often, these manifestations were triggered whenever the Chief was presented with what she considers ‘bad news,’ particularly when that news pertained to any rise in public crime statistics. Chief Smith, according to testimonies, regularly took action against her subordinates who failed to aid in the preservation of her public image,” the report states on page two.

RELATED | Trump announces probe into DC police for inflating crime stats amid safety claims

The committee launched the investigation in August when whistleblowers came forward with concerns about data manipulation.

One line of questioning in the report states:

Question: Over the last few years, has there been any internal pressure to simply bring down crime statistics?

Answer: Yes, I mean extreme… there’s always been pressure to keep crime down, but the focus on statistics… has come in with this current administration or regime, and you know, that has manifested publicly.

7News reached out to Mayor Bowser’s Office for a comment in response to the report. A spokesperson provided the following statement:

The men and women of the Metropolitan Police Department run towards danger every day to reduce homicides, carjackings, armed robberies, sexual assaults, and more. The precipitous decline in crime in our city is attributable to their hard work and dedication and Chief Smith’s leadership.

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I thank Chief Smith for her commitment to the safety of D.C. residents and for holding the Metropolitan Police Department to an exacting standard, and I expect no less from our next Chief of Police.

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