By Southwester Staff On December 2, Councilmember Charles Allen announced the winners of the 15th annual Ward 6 Brickie Awards in a live streamed ceremony. The awards, which take the shape of a brick, are awarded to Ward 6 residents in categories such as civic pride, public service and more. The five winners for 2021 […]
Redistricting to Shift Ward 6 Boundaries
By Melissa Silverman Every decade, the boundaries of all eight wards of Washington, DC are reconsidered in a redistricting process that aims to ensure equitable representation across the city. The 2020 Census recorded the District’s population as 689,545, which means that, by law, each ward should have between 81,883 and 90,503 residents. Under current boundaries, […]
September Mutual Aid Hours, Back to School Bash
By Carlee Brown and Max Grossman Ward 6 Mutual Aid (W6MA) is a collective of Black and Brown grassroots organizations working together to help keep our communities safe. For over a year and a half, the Southwest Pod of W6MA has partnered with Christ United Methodist Church (CUMC) on a community food and supply drive […]
City Budget Includes Jefferson Modernization and Neighborhood Upgrades
On May 30, the DC Council held its first vote on the fiscal year 2018 budget, moving forward with a budget that included several of Councilmember Charles Allen’s top priorities. This included an increase in the per-pupil funding formula to 3%; significant investments in affordable housing, public safety, and aging-in-place programs; and fully funding the […]
Charles Allen Announces “Books from Birth” Initiative
DC Ward 6 Councilmember Charles Allen held a press conference Jan. 16 at the Southwest Public Library to announce the upcoming introduction of his bill to create a new early literacy initiative in partnership with DC Public Libraries. “Books from Birth” will mail a book to each child in the District every month from birth […]
Charles Allen Announces Council Staff Appointments
Ward 6 Councilmember Charles Allen recently announced the appointment of his inaugural Council staff. Allen took office on Jan. 2 and will serve on the Committees on Education, Transportation and the Environment, and Business, Consumer, and Regulatory Affairs. Serving as Chief of Staff will be Laura Marks, who was Chair of Allen’s Council campaign. Marks previously worked for Democratic […]
OPED: Decriminalization Nation?
Four decades ago, Richard Nixon waged the modern war on drugs that still severely impacts Americans today, especially in our quaint neighborhood of Southwest DC. According to a study published in July 2013 by the Washington Lawyer’s Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs, there were roughly 950 drug arrests in Ward 6 in 2011. […]