By Fredrica Kramer
At its June 8, 2020 Business Meeting, ANC 6D unanimously passed the following resolution, expressing its sentiments around the killing of George Floyd and others, and the particular meaning of the recent protests to our community and the work of the ANC.
“We grieve for George Floyd and all those who have been senselessly and brutally killed at the hands of law enforcement. The horrific actions of the officers that caused the death and the many protests in our country and around the world force us to consider much larger issues about how racial discrimination and injustice, particularly for low-income communities of color, affect all of us. They expose multiple policies, practices, and behaviors that need to change, and change quickly, to protect the lives of black people and all people of color, and prevent these tragedies from happening again.
The killing has called, rightly, for police reform across the country. We should redouble our efforts with our local Police to reduce violence and to ensure that all our residents are treated with care and respect. And we will watch–to ensure that commitment is never broken. The murder of George Floyd is a reminder that more work needs to be done to preserve social comity, and to ensure that all in our community understand each other’s circumstance and reflect that understanding in our daily interactions. In the words of Dr. King, ‘Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.’
ANC 6D also covers perhaps the most diverse community in the District, and has been a model of real social integration across race, income, age, sexual orientation, singles, couples, and families, for most of the last 60 years. It is now a community undergoing the largest redevelopment in the City, which challenges our ability to maintain that diversity, and the sense of common purpose that comes from living and working together, understanding our differences and our sameness, and recognizing our shared membership in the same community.
We defend that diversity as we work with our schools to ensure that every child in our community can get a rich and effective education regardless of their race, income, or social circumstance. We defend that diversity when we press the City and developers to accommodate the needs of new and old residents across demographics. And we work with residents and our faith and civic organizations to bind us together, across race, income, age, and personal orientation.
We are also elected public officials, sworn to uphold the Constitution and tasked to represent the interests of our local community. We condemn the attempt to wrest control of our city and its citizens by any law enforcement entity other than those under the direct control of the Mayor of the District of Columbia. If we cannot function with independence, if we cannot protect our even limited sovereignty, it makes a mockery of our obligation to fulfill our role as meaningful members of a functioning democracy. We applaud our Mayor for defending our sovereignty, and for trusting our City to govern itself.
We applaud those in Black Lives Matter and the thousands of individuals who have spoken up and put their own lives on the line to insist on change.
We resolve that the events of this week fortify our commitment to strengthen the remarkable community we are.”