Washington, D.C
KY homelessness activists heading to D.C. after Supreme Court ruling
LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — The Supreme Court ruled Friday that homeless people can be arrested and fined for sleeping outside. The ruling overturned a law in the West that determined punishing someone for sleeping on public property who has nowhere else to go was a violation of the 18th Amendment and constituted cruel and unusual punishment.
We have local reaction from the Supreme Court’s decision. A large crowd gathered outside of the Catholic Action Center, set to take a trip to Washington D.C.
They’re headed to the Mass Poor People’s and Low-Wage Workers’ Assembly and Moral March taking place Saturday.
“This is not one of those happy go lucky trips that we’re on.”
Tayna Fogle stood before several people outside of the Catholic Action Center just before departing for D.C.
This group, equipped with matching t-shirts, includes at least 45 members of The Street Voice Council in Lexington.
“We are at a starting line trying to get to the finish line as far as being homeless, as I always say, we just need a little bit of help, and this is a start,” said Greg Searight.
Searight, ambassador for The Street Voice Council, like Maurice Noe, a leader from Vocal Kentucky, has this reaction to the Supreme Court ruling.
“Today, this just shows that people in America, they don’t have a voice, they don’t have a voice,” said Noe.
House Bill 5, the Safer Kentucky Act, goes into effect July 15, meaning anyone unlawfully camping can be arrested or fined.
Jacques Wigginton addressed this group’s mission and how it plans to protest HB 5.
“It’s time for all of us to get off our couch, and make a statement, because otherwise, we become complicit in what we do.”
The effort continues on a nine-and-a-half-hour trip to D.C. after three months of planning for this event.
Former urban county councilmember Jacques Wigginton told us Friday that the group making the trip to D.C. is “part of an overall movement, that is a call to morality.”
Washington, D.C
DC leaders considering transit options for new RFK Stadium
The Commanders are set to build a new stadium in D.C., and the debate over how fans will get to and from games is happening right now. On Wednesday, city leaders will join Metro and the Washington Commanders to talk stadium transit.
Washington, D.C
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%.
Washington, D.C
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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