Police Reform Commission Press Conference

 The Commission held its first meeting on August 26, 2020 at 6:00 p.m. The purpose of this meeting was to discuss the procedures that will govern the Commission’s proceedings, the schedule, topics for future meetings, and other matters. 

The Commission held an emergency meeting on September 4, 2020 at 5:00 p.m. The purpose of this emergency meeting was to receive a briefing from the Chief of Metropolitan Police Department on the police shooting of Deon Kay in Southeast D.C. on September 2, 2020, and to discuss police shootings more generally.

The Commission held a meeting on September 14, 2020 at 6:30 p.m.  The purpose of this meeting was to discuss the procedures that will govern the Commission’s proceedings, Commission subcommittees, Act 23-336, the Commission’s schedule, topics for future meetings, and other matters. 

The Commission held a meeting on October 19, 2020 at 6:30 p.m. The purpose of this Commission meeting was to introduce the Impact Justice team, who will be providing support to the Commission, receive updates on Committee work, and other matters.

The Commission held a meeting on November 16, 2020 at 6:30 p.m.  The purpose of this meeting is to discuss the Commission’s timeline for delivering a report to Council and the Mayor, share updates on the work of the Commission’s Committees, and other matters.

The Commission held a meeting on December 14, 2020 at 6:30 p.m. The purpose of this meeting is to discuss Commission procedures and timelines,

hearing from the Chief of Police of Tuscon, Arizona on police reform, and update the full Commission on the work of the Committees. 

On October 5, 2020, the Police in Schools/Policing Youth Committee received a presentation on the history of police in schools from the Advancement Project and discussed its implications. 

 During this meeting, the Police in Schools/Policing Youth Committee discussed current staffing resources at D.C. Public Schools, including the number of social workers, counselors, psychologists, and security guards, and how that impacts the school environment. 

Professor Kristin Nicole Henning gave a presentation to the Police in Schools/Policing Youth Committee about adolescent development and the impacts this has on their interactions with the justice system. Professor Henning is the Blume Professor of Law and Director of the Juvenile Justice Clinic and Initiative at Georgetown Law School.

 The Police in Schools/Policing Youth Committee discussed restorative justice and alternative to policing for youth with guest speakers Dr. Michelle Chatman (Assistant Professor in the Crime, Justice, and Security Studies Program at the University of the District Columbia), Bilphena Yahwon (Baltimore-based writer, abolitionist, and restorative justice practices specialist), and Ashlee George (Co-Director of Impact Justice's Restorative Justice Project). 

 During this meeting of the Assessing and Expanding Violence Reduction Efforts Committee, guest speakers Tony Lewis Jr. (Author of Slugg: A Boy’s Life in the Age of Incarceration), Charles King (Founder of H.O.W.L. – Helping Others with Life), and Wayne Cunningham discussed violence interruption programming in the District. 

 At the November 30th meeting, the Committee heard a presentation from Dr. Joseph Richardson, Acting Chair of the African-American Studies Department, and the Joel and Kim Feller Endowed Professor of African-American Studies and Anthropology. 

 At this meeting, the Committee received a presentation from Michelle M. Garcia, Director of the Office of Victim Services and Justice Grants. Director Garcia was appointed in 2015. Prior to her appointment, Ms. Garcia worked with the Stalking Resource Center of the National Center for Victims of Crime for nearly a decade. 

 On January 4, 2021, Professor Deborah Epstein with Georgetown Law School presented to the Committee on how the justice system has handled the crime of domestic violence historically, and how it is currently handled.