Good afternoon.

I am Ward 5 Councilmember Zachary Parker, Chair of the Committee on Youth Affairs.

Today is April 30th, 2026.

We are meeting in room 500 of the John A.

Wilson Building and virtually via Zoom.

The time is now 3.29 p.m.

And I am calling to order this round table on youth alternatives to teen takeovers, recreation opportunity, and accountability.

Just a quick note, I want to apologize about the delay in today's start.

We were having some technical difficulties that I am told have been addressed.

I want to thank my colleagues who have joined me today.

If there are any witnesses whose names are called but have yet to arrive, we will call your names again to provide you another opportunity to testify.

Today we are going to go with the flow.

And I just want to give some housekeeping notes.

Today's hearing is meant to prioritize the voices of our young people.

And so with that said, we are going to do everything possible to amplify and prioritize their voices.

And so I appreciate your flexibility and grace in advance.

Each witness will have three minutes to share your testimony.

Today I am pleased to hear testimony from members of the community voicing their perspectives on youth public safety.

Washingtonians from across the city will share their perspectives about what we must do to foster youth well-being and prevent destructive behavior and unproductive outlets.

In particular, today's roundtable is a vital opportunity to hear from our young people about their perspectives and approach to the teen takeover phenomenon.

We look forward to hearing from youth, parents, families, and advocates about effective solutions to preventing these takeovers and providing services for our youth.

Teen takeovers are not new and they are not unique to the district.

Similar events are taking place all across the country, from Los Angeles to New York to Chicago to Atlanta.

These events demonstrate a broad need to address a lack of adequate safe spaces, supervision, and structure for teenagers across the nation.

As local governments grapple with the consequences of the unfulfilled gap, it is vital to remember that any durable solution requires the voices of young people.

Our youth need and deserve to be heard about the issues that directly affect them, especially in the midst of a public safety crisis created by these takeovers.

During today's round table, I am looking to hear from youth across the city about what they would like the district to do and what they would like to see.

These include these ideas include uh ideas for the types of third spaces that teens can access and enjoy with their friends, especially in light of the dramatic loss of movie theaters, malls, and public plazas that have closed in the past two weeks, two decades.

New approaches to out-of-school activities and recreation, youth believe high schoolers want to engage in, mental health resources to support teen wellness, and opinions on the current state of teen employment and summer opportunities.

Most of all, today is a chance to ask our young people what they need to thrive and be safe.

For the past year, the majority of the council's conversations on takeovers have focused on the opinions of adults and centered on the merits of designated curfews.

While I have been engaged in those conversations, I wanted to provide a different forum, one centered on a broad range of solutions and focus on the voices of our youth.

So today is primarily an opportunity to give them the floor and listen to what they think.

As chair of the council's committee on youth affairs, I know that we have the duty to both protect and uplift our young people.

Today's round table is an opportunity to center their perspective on how we can effectively do that.

Before we jump into today's hearing, I want to give an opportunity for my colleagues to provide opening statements or remarks if they have them.

I'll first recognize Councilmember Robert White, and then I'll turn to Councilmember Traon White if he is on line virtually.

So with that, Councilmember Robert White.

Thank you, Chairperson uh Parker.

Look, residents deserve to feel safe in every neighborhood, and pretty much everyone agrees with that.

And young people deserve to safe spaces to gather and enjoy our city.

We cannot enforce our way out of the issue that we're seeing now.

The only plan is dispersal.

The behavior will shift to a different block or start earlier in the day.

The goal is not just fewer gatherings, but is fewer injuries, fewer fights, fewer weapons, fewer robberies, and fewer young people cycling into the justice system.

What I'm looking for today is clarity.

Clarity about what is actually driving these gatherings and what will change behavior.

This roundtable is framed around recreation, opportunity, and accountability, and that is exactly the right frame.

But if we mean that seriously, the budget has to reflect it.

Right now, the proposed budget for the city moves in the wrong direction.

It adds roughly $90 million to the Metropolitan Police Department and adds about $6.5 million to the Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services, or DYRS, including for more secure detention of youth.

But it cuts $6.8 million from the Department of Parks and Recreation, including $5.6 million in site-based programming.

That is not a prevention first budget.

The Department of Parks and Recs has shown that when the district creates structured late night options, young people show up and things can stay safe.

When DPR is hosting an event, they are running a legitimate safety operation.

They are coordinating with MPD in advance, conducting walkthroughs, communicating during the event, maintaining outside scrutiny, installing metal detectors, and setting clear rules at the door.

We should also be honest about the resource reality.

DPR's recent large events cost roughly $148,000 per event in DPR costs alone.

That doesn't include the cost and contributions of MPD, the Department of Public Works, the Department of General Services, the District Department of Transportation, or violence interruption partners.

This only works at scale if we fund this idea at scale.

But if we're serious about prevention for the summer, Friday is not enough.

We should be talking about Saturday coverage, rotating across neighborhoods and making sure young people in every ward have safe spaces to go.

But we can't ask DPR to scale late night programming while cutting the site-based programming from the agency's budget.

We can't say recreation is part of the answer and then take away the resources that make that recreation possible.

We also have to be honest about what we are choosing when we put more money into detention and policing while cutting youth programming.

I understand the need for the need for immediate public safety response, but if our answer to young people gathering in public is more MPD and more secure detention and less DPR program, then we aren't solving the problem.

We're waiting for young people to get in trouble and then paying more to control, arrest, detain, and process them afterwards.

We also have to name something that too often goes ignored.

Some youth are out late because home is not stable, it's not safe or not available.

If a young person doesn't feel safe going home, enforcement is not a solution.

I want to hear the district's plan for youth who cannot safely return home at night, where they go, and who's responsible for the warm handoff.

Any youth centered safety plan that ignores housing instability and family conflict is incomplete.

We owe residents and young people more than slogans.

We need a prevention strategy that can scale, a safety strategy that does not depend on sweeping youth contact and clear way to measure whether we are actually reducing harm.

Young people are not a problem to be managed.

They are residents to be supported.

If we want fewer takeovers, we need more safe spaces, more opportunity, more stability, and a budget that invests in prevention before crisis.

So I look forward to hearing from our young people today.

Thank you, Chairperson.

Thank you, Councilmember Robert White.

Uh next we'll hear from Councilmember Treon White.

Uh first of all, I want to thank you, Councilman Parker, for hosting this very important hearing today.

I think that the youth is the foundation for our tomorrow.

Um, as a former chair of the committee on recreation library youth affairs, I host of some of these in the community uh even on the weekends to ensure the youth had a voice.

Uh even today I dressed down, try to look a little younger today to try to appeal to some uh younger people in the community.

Uh but now I'm considered O head on my block, so you know it is what it is.

Um this round table uh recognize the need to hear from those affected by uh the our team takeover.

I know there are a lot of adults, over 80 people testifying, but more importantly, it's good to see the young people in the audience and online because we can't have a conversation about what they need without without listening to them.

Uh they hosted a lot of uh round tables, discussions, uh youth town halls throughout the years, and their voice uh has been heard, but not to the magnitude that we think needs to be heard to feel their needs.

Uh it is important to be attentive about building bridges for the next generation.

Uh, we we think about the future, we have to hear the voices of today.

And if not, we are building a future that doesn't include them.

Uh these are our Washington's, these are our young brothers and sisters, these are our children, and these will be the future leaders and future fathers and mothers of the next generation.

And as a black father, I must, we must do everything we can to make sure that they are successful.

However, as I look at this budget as it currently is before us, it concerns me because we don't put our money where our mouth is.

In fact, uh when I grew up in Washington, D.C., had a summer job starting at 14, and some 25 years later, I think the summer job pay was like five, twenty-five an hour.

And now we're talking about 25 years later, it's only like $7 or something an hour.

Um, and the year-round job opportunities are not really available to the magnitude we need in our city to keep our youth engaged and and dealing with uh the unemployed unemployment and also the poverty issues in our community.

It is my my privilege to present to the future today, but it's also my honor and duty to make sure we are doing everything we can to ensure a brighter future for tomorrow.

Um I've seen as I grew up in in DC, grew up in Ward 8, over 10 recreation centers closed in my community.

We asked the youth why they're outside, why they're not doing nothing productive because we don't build something constructive for them to do, we lead them to do stuff destructive.

So it's on us, not on them.

This is not a youth problem, but it's a parent problem.

Uh I also want to welcome all who are here today and those who could not make it.

Um, because I know there are another number of youth who are still in school engaged in other activities, but I want to applaud those who came down today because you are part of our solution.

There's no solution without you, without you.

Um while I have to I'm gonna hop online and continue this hearing, because I do have to get my daughter today from school to unfortunately I'll be still listening in to figure out what we can do to really make this budget reflect our priorities because this is a more document to show why money money is money where we put our money where we put our money.

I do want to say this in closing.

We did more with less.

As I look back on the budget I had when I was a young person, we had about a nine billion dollar budget, and we had programs everywhere.

I was involved in so many programs.

Now we have 22 billion dollars, and we've doing less with more.

Um so we have to fix that.

And we don't have all the solutions.

That's why we need to hear from you today, figure out what we can do to make this budget more equitable.

Um, not just for youth, but our young adults and also for our families.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councilmember Trayon White, and I appreciate the commitment to today's hearing and even looking the part.

Um I am told Councilmember Pinto is joining us virtually, but she is not on yet.

And so when she joins, I will uh give her space to provide remarks as well.

With that, we're gonna get started with today's hearing and invite our panelists to join.

I will say again and I will emphasize today's emphasis is on our young people.

And so with that, we're going to rearrange a little bit the order, and we're gonna start with Darien Carter from the Trigger Project and Onesti Heel.

I hope I pronounced your name right.

Honesty.

Um we'll have Magnalina Chongus from the Council of Court Excellency.

Chris Gamble from the Children's Law Center.

And we'll stop there for now.

And with that, uh Darien, you may begin.

My name is Darion Carter.

Um, I'm a member of the Trigger Project and our YDM board, aka Young Different Minds, also our um Youth Advisory Board.

And I'm speaking behalf of all my peers around the city.

The curfew and the solution is unacceptable.

Um cutting funding, stripping neighborhoods of their youth resources, like building new schools and communities and community buildings.

But the solution to these problems has been here for a while.

Um funding programs like the Trigger Project, Black Swans, and others.

These programs give youth a safe space and ability to speak up, think, express their beliefs, and we the youth in the city feeling neglected and unheard by our current mayor and council.

We asking for safe space for you for youth to be youth.

An example, last week and I had an opportunity to go outside to an 18 and up club, where a lot of the youth got there.

The line to enter the building went around the whole block.

The place was at capacity and no one can enter.

This goes to show there's not enough safe spaces in the city for youth to have fun.

We also need economic opportunity, extending some of the jobs for the entire year.

This isn't just the only thing youth has been asking for, but something parents have been asking for too.

And to get the best outcome, use some of a job as an opportunity to get youth started on careers much earlier and increase the current wage for youth with summer jobs.

Also create a youth council that is led by youth that gives youth a voice and an opportunity to speak up, speak up on new rules, regulations in the city.

And um also extend recreation operation time around the city past eight o'clock.

Also holding law enforcement's accountable accountable for racial profile and youth who are actually doing the right thing.

An example is being shown on Instagram and TikTok across videos, the youth cur curfew zones where youth are trying to go home and MPD, National Guard, and transit police are stopping kids from getting onto trains to get home and using excessive force to people who are trying to get home, shooting paintball guns that are infused with pepper spray, and this is unacceptable.

Thank you for your testimony.

Uh I there will be a round of questions after your panel.

Uh next, we'll have Honesty Hill.

Hey, y'all, I'm Honesty, and I'm a part, I'm also a part of YBM through the trigger project, and I'm from Southeast DC, so this isn't just policy to me.

This is personal.

I do not believe the teen curfew zones are necessary, and I don't believe that they address the real issue.

A lot of young people are outside after school because they're trying to get away from something, not because they're trying to cause harm.

Not every home is safe, not every environment is stable, and for some kids, being outside is feel better than being inside.

A curfew does not fix that, it ignores it.

Yes, there are some teams that go out with the intention to act out, and I'm not denying that, but it's not fair to punish every young person for the actions of a few people.

There are plenty of teens who are just spending time with their friends, minding their business and trying to exist, and that's why we need extended rec hours, year-round employment programs, and funding for community-based organizations like the Trigger Project that actually give young people somewhere positive to go.

I've personally witnessed the transit officer get on a train and aggressively yell and harass kids with paintball guns, and regardless of how you feel about the situation, the response was excessive.

It feels less like protection and more like intimidation.

That kind of approach only makes things worse.

If we're being honest, policies like curfew zones can actually push young people to rebel more.

When you treat teens like they're the problem instead of trying to understand them, of course they're going to resist, especially when the same systems claiming to help them are the ones making them feel targeted and disrespected.

If a curfew is truly being considered as necessary, then there needs to be more accountability across the board.

Whereas the parent engagement, community input, and I think a parent council could be a starting point to better understand what's happening at home and what support families actually need.

Because again, curfew is not going to make someone unlearned trauma or suddenly feel safe in their own home.

Young people in DC do not deserve to be criminalized simply for being outside, especially when the city is not consistently providing enough resources, programming, or safe environments for them.

If we really care about youth safety, then we need to invest in them, and that means more youth spaces, more mentorship, more mental health support, and most importantly, more youth voices involved in the decisions that affect them.

Thank you.

Thank you for your testimony.

Next, we'll hear from Magnolina Shongas.

Thank you, Chairperson Parker and members of the committee for the opportunity to present testimony on strategies that promote the safety and well-being for district youth.

I will highlight worthwhile potential investments to support young people as well as discuss both positive investments in areas that need increased funding as compared to the mayor's proposed budget.

However, I want to begin with what National Research says about curfews and the impact of further criminalization of our kids' behavior in light of council's consideration of a permanent juvenile curfew in the district.

In multiple public hearings over the past year, youth and advocates have testified to the experience of kids in the district since the temporary juvenile curfew has been in place, and their lived experiences should serve to educate us on the reality of what the policy is meant in practice.

Data and research are consistent in this area that increased exposure and contact with police, whether in the context of a curfew or otherwise, are associated with adverse health outcomes for black youth.

An analyses of juvenile curfews specifically raise questions not just on their effectiveness, but their potential concerns about constitutionality.

But the good news is there are smart community-rooted, evidence-based alternatives that can improve positive youth engagement.

I want to highlight just a few of the areas that young people and orgs that CCE has worked with have raised up as priorities that have positive evidence associated with their approaches.

Our partner Black Swan Academy's Black Youth Agenda, developed by middle and high school youth, for example, specifically asked for increased access to housing, investment in community safety, and low barrier access to youth resources, including 24-hour access to spaces in the community, such as rec centers and youth shelters.

They also highlighted that 86% of youth want more opportunities to make money through employment.

And summer youth employment programs with disproportionately serve low-income youth of color have been shown to improve outcomes for youth participants and consistently reduced involvement in the criminal justice system for participating youth for the duration of the program and at least a year beyond.

While considering ways to support positive youth development in the district, we asked the committee to critically analyze Mayor Bowser's proposed budget for opportunities to invest more meaningfully, both directly in youth programming and in social safety nets for youth and families.

Positively, in the mayor's proposed budget out of school time programs remain mostly stable with 27 million in funding.

And while there's a modest increase in the Marion Barry Summer Youth Employment Program, there's a larger cut to year-round workforce programs for youth, however.

Conversely, there are also once again proposed cuts to social safety nets, including TANF and not restoring funding to the CHAMPS program, which is emergency response service for children and teens in mental health or behavioral crisis.

And regrettably, proposed budget also includes $29 million in the capital budget to expand the number of beds for incarcerated children and new beginnings and at the youth services center.

Investment in increased bed space in lieu of improving community-based alternatives to incarceration shows a prioritization of incarceration over diversion.

We ask that you'd make a meaningful take a meaningful look at this budget and prioritize investment in mental health and housing for young people, as well as recreational opportunities over incarceration and policing.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next, we'll have Chris Gamble with the Children's Law Center.

Good afternoon, Chairperson Parker and members of the Committee on Youth Affairs.

My name is Chris Gamble, and I'm a behavioral health policy analyst at Children's Law Center.

Thank you for providing the opportunity to speak today about what the district can do to support youth.

The health sector's budget this year is particularly alarming with DBH reducing funding across all areas of youth services.

Our submitted DBH testimonies provide more details on these, but today I will highlight three key programs that, if not supported with sufficient funding, will jeopardize youth well-being.

First, the district's only youth mobile crisis team, Champs, is being eliminated, and DBH has an inadequate plan to bring that work in-house.

When youth experience suicidal ideation, self-harm, or emotional dysregulation, they need behavioral health experts to respond and provide developmentally appropriate interventions that keep them out of contact with police and hospitalizations.

Champs has been doing this work for nearly two decades, while the CRT, which DBH plans to take over full responsibility for youth crisis response has only done so for three years on overnight and weekend shifts.

The CRT does not have the expertise or the relationships with schools and other youth-focused community resources necessary to keep youth and families safe and healthy.

We urge this committee to work with the Committee on Health to restore and increase funding for champs to 1.3 million dollars, which will support increased staffing and reduced response times.

The school-based behavioral health program is being cut by $6.1 million as DBH begins to implement its comprehensive plan, despite a clear consensus across schools, parents, teachers, community advocates, and experts that the plan will maximize disruption and minimize care for students in the district.

The comprehensive plan will walk back on years of progress.

DBH has not been collaborative in this process, failing to communicate with schools, parents, and community members about how proposed changes will impact the services available to youth.

The council has heard directly from students calling for more behavioral health services in schools.

They should not be ignored.

We asked this committee to work with the Committee on Health to restore SBBH funding to 25.4 million dollars.

Lastly, thousands of youth and families are navigating the traumatic effects of abuse.

They deserve to seek justice and healing in a supportive environment.

Children's advocacy centers fulfill this purpose by coordinating entities involved in abuse investigations, conducting expert forensic interviews, and providing mental health services.

Last year's 1.35 million dollar CFSA budget enhancement to fund safe shores, DC CAC is not included this year.

The pattern of not including funding for safe shores and then having to advocate and restore it again has gone on for too long.

Instead, we need a long-term solution that solidifies the place of a CAC as supporting the essential government function of investigating child abuse.

We urge this committee to restore the enhancement to fund safe shores and seek a long-term reliable funding solution.

Choosing to invest in the health and well-being of DC's young people provides them with stability and lets them know that that help is available.

Thank you for the opportunity and I welcome any questions you have.

Thank you.

Just given the number of witnesses we have today, I'm gonna say five-minute round for questions.

Um and if there's a need for more, we can do that.

Uh Darien, I wanted to come to you.

Thank you for your testimony.

Uh you mentioned uh a party that was super well attended.

The line was wrapped around the corner.

Who sponsored that event?

Um I'm not sure, but it wasn't like a party, it was just an actual club itself is an under um uh 2018 and up club.

It's called um can't remember the name, but it's near uh ultra bar.

Okay.

And I'm assuming based on how you describe that, you're you're highlighting the interests and the appeal of those type of events.

Yes.

Uh where young people are looking for places to go.

Yes.

So would you say we as a city should be sponsoring more events like that?

Yes.

Uh what about for young people below the age of 18?

Um, so example was the when DPR had uh um little functions and stuff that worked really well for the young people.

Understood.

And then you also recommended the creation of a youth council.

What type of activities would a youth council engage in?

Oh, and where would you envision such a uh body existing in DC government?

So I will say under you guys and well, not under you guys, but like equal to like what you guys do and um I would say like us to have our own um like come together, litigate, go over like whatever like laws that are against us and we don't feel comfortable with we can like fix and have a better solution to like I see.

I see oh you're trying to put us out of work.

I I like it, I like it.

Um and so literally a youth council that would be empowered to weigh in on policy and other decisions.

Yeah.

And how should we go about selecting young people for such a council?

Um everybody deserve equal opportunity, so it should so it should be an open vote for you to come up, come up with their hands.

Like the public vote for the young people to be a part.

I got it.

Okay.

Uh honesty, thank you for your dynamic testimony.

Um, and you even got a round of applause for it.

Uh you mentioned the phrase accountability across the board, and then you talked about engaging with parents.

Can you elaborate what you meant by that?

So just to like touch back on what I say when I I say I know that like some people go out with the intention to act out.

What I'm saying is a lot of that stuff starts at home, like they go outside and act a fool because they're seeking the attention that they're lacking at home.

So they want to go out and get attention from the law or just anyone for that matter.

So I think that we should connect with parents so that we can see like is how do you think that we can help your child because maybe they don't have the resources to do what they need to do.

Do you think parents are being held accountable currently?

No.

Do you think parents should be held accountable?

Yes.

And so you said uh meeting with them or talking about how they can support their young people, like what might that look like?

Um, like I said, like um like a parent council, and I I would say like y'all could select the people like how I don't know how y'all do it for jury duty, but like you know, that type of vibe you just send the stuff out in the mail if people want to participate, they can.

I wouldn't say that it has to be like a hundred percent mandatory, but I feel like more parents need to be in the discussion too, because a lot of this stuff starts at home.

Do you think parents know when their child is at these teen takeovers?

Um I don't like calling them teen takeovers because I feel like it kind of gives it like a negative connotation because I don't think that they're trying to What should we call it?

Yeah, don't flatter me.

Um yeah, like a meetup, like they just hanging out, a teen hangout.

That's literally what they're doing.

Just because it's so many of them doesn't mean that they're intending to take over.

It just that's just how it falls into place.

So these team meetups have either of you, Darien or Honesty been to them, and what is the appeal you would say?

Well, I'm 20, so I go to work and I participate in my program and I stay out the way.

But there have been times where I've been outside and I have seen the teens being outside and they hang out in groups, but who want to hang outside by themselves?

So like it, I don't really know what would you at?

Uh so um leaving from work, I seen the group and going to work.

I seen a group of teens, and they weren't really doing nothing disruptive.

They was just standing there having fun, talking to each other, riding bikes, riding scooters, like normal people.

So I feel like to call it a takeover is really insane.

Understood.

Well, thank you all for that.

And I would just say, Magnolina and Chris, your thank you for your testimonies, especially the focus on DBH.

I share your concern uh with the elimination of champs and the proposal of bringing so many services in house when we have no uh verification that the agency is even equipped to do that.

So know that that is on our radar.

Uh, but thank you all for your testimony.

Wait before you leave, uh, Councilmember Robert White.

Do you have any questions?

Uh a few.

Uh thank you all very much for for your testimonies.

Um, and you all highlighted some things, you know, there's um a uh something I hear a lot, which is like like we can't uh parents have to do their jobs, right?

The government can't parent, and it that is true, and I'm I'm hearing even from young people the need for parental accountability.

I also recognize though when I grew up here, we had the Ritz, you know, which was 18 over.

We had other clubs that you could go to if you were under 21, and we went.

Uh we had significantly more movie theaters, skate ranks, more uh rec programs.

And so it it doesn't seem like young people are are different now than they were, you know, when I was young, but the options are different.

And like most people, like we developed this way over time.

We we we we come together.

Um, and so I want us to kind of see it through that lens.

There are missing things, and we've got to pick up on that.

Um why why why do why do young people from your perspective gather um in neighborhoods other than their own neighborhoods?

Why why why do we see so many young people going to the same place that's not their neighborhood?

Um because their neighborhood might not be safe, and um areas like gallery place, Navy Yard, and all the other careful zones are places that are heavily policed, even when like the curfew zone isn't active, so maybe that's where they feel like it is it's kind of like a um what am I trying to say?

Safe zone.

Oh that's interesting.

Like that's interesting.

They go there because it's safe.

That's interesting.

Um that's powerful.

So um you just made me lose my whole train of thought.

Um that that is powerful.

So um one of the things I've heard, I've heard it uh from both of you from uh Honesty and Darien.

Um but I I want to drill down a little bit.

Uh I've had young people tell me some some young people don't feel safe at home or don't feel supported at home.

But usually we don't go beyond that, right?

And and not everybody grew up in a situation where it was unstable or unhealthy, and so that may not make sense to a lot of people.

They may think, you know, folks are just kind of making that up.

Is it is there any information in these stories or examples that that you all have seen or heard that might make that point more real to people?

So we have um we so Trigger created this thing called the anonymous story box, where you're able to like put up stories that you deal with at home or like gun violence in general.

So we have this one story in particular, it's really gruesome because their friend had got killed in child in front in front of them, and um they was they they wind up going outside like to numb the pain and everything, and then she wind up having a child all at the same time of dealing with grief and everything.

So I feel like you can't just stay home and deal with all this by yourself.

So you definitely need people to talk to or places where you can let loose.

Yeah.

Uh how old were you two during the pandemic?

I was 14.

I was in eighth grade.

Okay.

And eighth grade.

Okay.

So, you know, a pandemic, the the the crux of it, like was a couple few years before we even started getting normal again.

I think about I was wild in eighth grade.

But like the difference between eighth grade to 11th grade, like that's a big important part of life where your lives were very different than anybody before you, right?

Um, and so experiences are different.

Do you believe that the pandemic had lasting uh impact, uh emotional mental impact on you or other uh young adults?

Yeah, I feel like the the pandemic just made a lot of people lazy and it just gave people an excuse to prolong things that they genuinely need to be doing, like ASAP.

So they kind of use it as a crutch to you know, not really do what not even what it is, what they need to do, what they don't feel like doing at the moment.

And I feel like during the pandemic, of course, yeah, we had to stay in the house just to keep our to keep ourselves safe, but we are six years past COVID, and the kids need something to do because they're getting restless, and yeah, we need safe spaces.

I appreciate that.

I have a response.

So during COVID, my I graduated from Annacos to High School, and during COVID, before COVID, we had one of the highest attended classes that went to that school as a freshman.

And then graduating because of COVID, we had the smallest class that graduated from that school.

And um I feel like COVID had a negative effect on people's ability like to emotionally like emotionalize everything that was going on and to like deal with everything.

And I feel like a lot of negative things happened on COVID, like a lot of people lose lost family and everything.

So it was a lot of trauma going on.

I appreciate it.

Thank you uh very much.

Thank you.

I want to acknowledge we've been joined by my other at-large colleague, Christina Henderson.

Um, and so council member Henderson, feel free to give an opening statement or remarks if you have them and then five-minute round.

Um test member, right?

The other council.

Oh, I totally missed that.

Um we'll go to council member Treyon White uh first for five minute rounds, and then I'll turn to council member Henderson.

Thank you.

Yes, thank you.

Uh appreciate that.

I just wanted to ask uh Darian, he's you've been involved in the community on so many different uh levels since uh being a younger teen and now you know pretty much grown.

Um do you think that uh the city has been listening, have making adjustments and changes based on uh your peers' requests over the years, and also Ms.

Honestly, you can answer that too.

Yeah, I feel like they try to do their best with the um spring break DPR events, like that was really good to see, and that was good to do.

And yeah, that's really it.

No shade.

I'm sorry, you were cutting in and out, so I really didn't hear your question.

It's well as she did.

Okay, sorry.

Uh I was just saying that you've been involved in youth advocacy um for many years, and I appreciate that.

I was asking, have you seen the city listening to any of the youth in your area uh request and trade out over the years?

Um so right now, I feel like it's everything the same.

They want safe spaces like we had back then, more wrecks, like more things to do inside the wrecks, like my recreation center.

We lost our boxing program.

We lost uh we lost a lot of things.

We don't have a basketball team no more.

We never had a football team, but we also was trying to get one and then Kip Legacy came in and took everything away from us.

And what rec was that?

Um Fair Behope Recreation Center.

Okay, I'm familiar.

We are we do have money in the budget to be able to do a box and ring back up there, uh, with the other things that you're saying are just as important.

Um I did want to ask you, what are your thoughts about uh CTE programs as a young person that's offered in the schools?

That means career technical education to help people get ready for careers outside of high school, those who do and don't go to college.

So I feel like in school there's not a lot of programs that can get you ready for like um careers.

Like there's so my school, we didn't have a lot of programs, but we had like things where uh um people will come in and speak and they were like say, hey, this is my number if you want to join this trade, I can help you get in.

Like we didn't have like designated programs inside the school.

I don't mean any harm.

But I work with the trigger project, and we are currently looking for a space.

So if you guys know about any spaces that we can use, then we can expand our program to more youth, and we can create a bigger, safer space.

And work all year all year long, because we can always prevent violence.

So also I hear about youth wanting to get access to jobs uh after school.

Do you all see that as something that's offered readily to young adults and teens?

No.

Um aside from the SYIP program, no, because what's your E S Y IP, Summer Youth Internship Program, Darion?

Um, aside from that, there's really like no opportunities for youth to get jobs unless they're doing it on their own, but sometimes people genuinely need help through the city.

So I say no, um I said I'm sorry, I say no, and because other than what she said just now, um jobs aren't hiring, and if they do hire, uh they say that oh, we don't feel like um training you, or they just make their self look like they hire when they not.

And l last question for you on a I think you can time.

Okay, I see it.

Uh for Ms.

Honesty, you said something about uh enacting a current linkage organization.

I think that was a great idea.

I think I've heard of something like that from a young person.

Can you speak to that a little bit?

Yeah, like I think that it should just be like a space for parents from around the city to come and speak to maybe what's going on at home or challenges that they feel like their children are going through in maybe some ways that they can feel better supported, and sometimes I don't mean no harm, but some parents do not know how to be parents because their parents were never parents to them.

So they also need the help that they kids need because this they first time living too.

Got you.

Thank you all.

Thank you, Councilmember White.

Uh we'll turn to Councilmember Henderson.

Um, thank you, Councilmember Parker.

Thanks to this panel.

I'm gonna focus my question on the young people because well, Chris, I've seen you at two hearings already.

So I've asked uh some questions in terms of I recognize some of the challenges that we have with DBH, and we're certainly gonna work through that.

Um and Darien, one of the things you guys talked about uh was sort of the um hangouts.

I'm not gonna call them takeovers, although sometimes that's what's on the flyer, but nonetheless.

Um I think that there are some distinctions between perhaps some of the activity that happens in Navy Yard and even some of the things that we have seen happen on say U Street, for instance.

Sometimes the U Street activity isn't just hanging out, it's people on top of cars, those kinds of things, etc.

How should we approach those types of incidents which do occur?

Um, which I think in some of these areas were kind of the impetus that led towards the extended curfew in those particular places.

So I can kind of speak to personal experience when it comes to stuff like this.

But I feel like when one, okay, they do say that one bad bad apple spoils the bunch, but I feel like when it comes to people trying to be outside and just have somewhere to be and have something fun to do, y'all should send those bad apples where they sh, you know, y'all should send the bad apples somewhere, but y'all shouldn't ruin it for everyone because there's been countless times where I've been to an event, and just because two people were fighting, now the whole event is shut down, and everyone is just roaming the streets lurking doing nothing because y'all shut down the hangout.

So like I feel like we gotta hold people accountable.

I don't So deal with the apples, don't spoil it for the bunch.

Okay.

Um another thing that we know has come up as well is that as you mentioned in your testimony, right?

It's not all DC kids.

And I know that a lot of the young people are actually from Maryland and Virginia who are coming here.

And while I could program all day long at our DPR centers, rec centers, etc.

How do we communicate or should we be communicating to the surrounding counties, et cetera, of like these are the places that young people should go as opposed to some of the other activity?

Like I I'm trying to figure out how do we sort of deal with this issue that like National Harbor has a curfew.

Pentagon City has a curfew.

So folks are coming to DC.

How do we deal with that?

Everyone should be welcome because clearly they need somewhere to go.

I don't really like, I don't know.

What do you think, Darriel?

So I feel like before, well, previously when the curfew first started, and this was a couple years ago when they first implemented the curfew.

Um the kids were going, instead of being in DC, they were going to those places that you just named.

Yeah.

So and then they wind up implemented their curfew.

And so now I feel like they come in here and trying to trying to feel like children again, like be safe, have fun without being imposed to like policing and stuff.

Yeah, it's just like they got ran out of one spot to go somewhere else, and now they're getting ran out of that spot too.

So like I say, it's feeling like they're being targeted, and that's not a good feeling.

And when you when you're trying to go somewhere and you're trying to feel safe and have fun, and they keep telling you, oh no, you can't do this, oh no, you can't do that, that makes you want to do it even more.

Because it's like, dang, at least I'm not out here doing what other people are doing, and I'm trying to do something safer.

I might be, you know, with my friends, we might be a little loud and stuff, but that's just not like it's not that serious.

Okay, so you guys are on sort of the older end of the age groups that we're kind of talking about, right?

So one of the criticisms have been, oh, the DPR programming, even the spring jam, et cetera, ends too early.

I'm putting in air quotes because 10 o'clock, 9 30.

For certain age groups, for y'all, you 20.

Do you, you over 18.

But like, what's the appropriate time for the 15, 14, 13-year-old crowd?

Um I think that's pretty reasonable, and I'm not trying to like speak to anyone's parenting, but when I was around that age, that was like my curfew time, like 10, 9:30, 10 o'clock, depending on the day, depending on the weather.

But I feel like that's a pretty decent time.

The earliest they should end is 10 o'clock.

Like, that's like pretty reasonable.

But I feel like sometimes y'all should have transportation for some people to get back into like at least get them in a familiar area because when they're heading back to the train station and they're walking past people that they might not be on good terms with, that's when things start to escalate because not most of the times when fights are occurring and stuff, it's after the event or outside of the event when people are seeing people they have issues with.

So I feel like a more safer option would be transportation for them to and from these places or even like to a train station or something, so they could be in a familiar area.

Uh can I speak on?

I'm trying to speak on.

So her last part where she said was really like really good because my school, they provided transportation to certain stations.

Like they had one that went to Anakos there, Southern Avenue, and um yeah, in Congress Heights for the kids to get home safely, and the bus was stopped when the when they needed to stop.

So it will like and like stop conflict right then and there.

Thank you.

Thanks.

Thank you all for your testimony.

Really, really insightful.

Thank you.

Uh next we'll have Penelope, Spain, with open city advocates, Leslie Redman, Robert Vincent Branham.

Carla Portia.

She's coming.

Okay.

All right, we're gonna keep it moving.

Uh Cheryl Tracy.

I see Mr.

Branham, so if you can make your way, and then Cheryl Tracy, if you can make your way.

You can have a seat up here.

Yep.

And Penelope, Spain, you may begin.

Sure.

Good afternoon, Councilmember Parker and other council members as well and staff.

I actually don't have prepared comments for today, in large part because this hearing is not um another opportunity to hear for me.

Um, but I did want to um first of all commend you for um establishing this round table, really elevating the voices of our young people because that is who we really need to be hearing from at this critical moment.

Um I am staunchly against curfews.

Um, but I wanted to zero in today a little bit in kind of maybe the wonkier space of uh federal law and uh what we need to be mindful of uh if we were to ever implement curfew, which sadly we are in this current moment.

Um, but so I wanted to um really call attention to the juvenile justice delinquency prevention act.

Um I've been working in the deep end of the juvenile justice system for over 20 years, and I served on the DC juvenile justice advisory group for over a decade.

Most of the work that we did on the um juvenile justice advisory group was to ensure that the district stayed in compliance with the juvenile justice delinquency prevention act, the federal law.

One provision of that law is to um called the DSO, the deinstitutionalization of status offenders.

Um, and that's really calling attention to the fact that young people who are being picked up in any form or fashion and not being charged with a delinquent offense, but instead a status offense, um, an offense that is due simply because of their age, underage drinking or curfew would be good examples of that, um, is that we are forbidden by federal law to allow for those status offenders to um to come into contact with those in the delinquency system.

I think this is a really important point because it's really grounded in research and best practices that show that um you know, when we expose our young people to the criminal justice system, it actually exacerbates harm and um sends them deeper into the system.

So, this is something that our our federal government has said for for decades now that um we should not be um treating status offenders in the same way that we would delinquent young people.

Um sadly, I think that the way that the curfew has been um exposes children to those exact same harms, right?

We're handcuffing young people, bringing them to the youth services center, processing them through the very same Sally ports as delinquent youth, and in fact, exposing them to the delinquent, you know, there we're having um both populations in the same exact um spaces.

That is a violation of federal law.

It exposes the district as well as a result.

So that's really what I want to say.

And lastly, I suppose um is just the importance of the theory behind that is that young people are trying on new identities.

This is the time that they're learning how to be in the world.

And if we are treating them as delinquent or criminal youth, we're offering them that opportunity that we don't want to give them, right?

We want them to see themselves as powerful forces in our community with a voice that we want to listen to.

And that's why I'm really pleased that this hearing is happening today, where we really can elevate their voice and um see them from that light instead of one to be controlled.

Thank you.

Next, we'll hear from Robert Vincent Brennan.

Greetings and salutations.

My testimony has been changed because of recent events.

It is my purpose to speak boldly and bluntly in support of DC youth who are citizens of the District of Columbia.

They need they may be too young to vote, but they still deserve to be respected and supported.

The government's focus should be on offering youth hope, guidance, and opportunities to grow and survive.

The issue is not if young people should not be held accountable.

The issue is the wrongful and double standard in the implementation of justice.

On Monday, the Washington Times published a commentary attacking me because I dare to question U.S.

attorney for D.C.

Janine Pirot about her public safety hypocrisy and dishonesty.

The Times commentary disparaged me for questioning Ms.

Pierrell's call to lock up black young children.

This coordinated racism metasticized itself, as the Times refused to publish a rebuttal from me.

Yet it did today publish a shorter version as a letter to the editor.

Before this committee, the people of the District of Columbia, and directly to the Times, I declare I am not afraid to speak the truth.

Ms.

Pyrrhot and the Times do not support due process for the people, particularly black DC residents and youth.

Ms.

Pirot worked for 34 counts convicted felon, a man found liable for sexual assault, and who issued pardons to insurrectionist who assaulted police officers, yet they support public safety.

Ms.

Pyrrhough has stated her office, will not prosecute persons who walk the public with long guns.

Let's think about what happened at the uh correspondence dinner.

ICE ages shot shoot innocent black DC residents, yet there are not any commentaries about the lives of DC residents being in jeopardy by the criminal conduct of ICE agents, by the Times or Ms.

Perrot.

Ms.

Pearl is intellectually dishonest and disingenuous.

The Times and Ms.

Pearl are boldly misrepresented the image of DC young black people.

They are intellectually hypocritical as they are silent to the criminal behavior of President Trump.

Ms.

Perrell and the Times have exposed themselves as non-believers in justice, dignity, and are willing not to believe in the best of D.C.

black children.

The goal of Ms.

Pearl and the Times is to keep all black youth in the dark out of sight and grow up in prisons.

The Times is aligned with the right wing.

Young people often make bad and inappropriate decisions.

So too have President Trump and Ms.

Pierrell, who are adults.

The indefensible, it is indefensible to forgive and forget their transgressions while demanding young black children be treated harshly in a biased system of justice.

Ms.

Pearl asked me to respect her service, but she will not respect mine.

I thank you for your for this opportunity to testify.

Thank you.

I don't think I was clear.

No, I'm I'm joking.

Um Mr.

Raymond or Miss Raymond, Redman.

I'm good.

Leslie Redman.

Sorry about that.

No, no worries at all.

Grace and peace.

My name is Leslie E.

Redman.

I am a third generation Washingtonian, a proud product of D.C.

public schools, and I was once a part of this D.C.

youth population that we are talking about today.

I went from a DC youth to a first generation college graduate.

I went on to pursue my JD, my MBA, and I passed the bar on my first attempt.

And if there's any lawyers in the room, if you know, you know.

I became the youngest president in the history of the Minneapolis NAACP, also serving when Brother George Foy was murdered, and I helped corporations and philanthropic philanthropic organizations usher in hundreds of thousands of dollars in the inner city communities.

And I don't say this to boast on myself.

I say this to boast on DC.

I'm the product of a DC that invested deeply in its young people and believed in this young people.

When our forever mayor Mary and Barry started that pipeline program recognizing that young people needed opportunity and access to jobs and to put them in a position to succeed, that is me.

And I also want to say something because Councilmember White also spoke to this.

People are blaming the parents, but I also want to say that if it was only up to my parents for my well-being and my success, I would not be the woman that I am today.

Which you see, today is a product of a system of investment, of an intentionality in a village that stood up for young people.

And that's why I'm here today, right, Mimi?

Amen.

And so I would go forward to say when I came back to DC, I was a professor in Minnesota, actually teaching law for business leaders.

And I really wanted to come home and activate.

And so I started working at Bard High School Early College in Southeast.

And what I saw was very disturbing, not only the violence outside, but inside of the schools, and again, it was really not into a larger systemic issue.

And what I also saw was concerned parents, concerned parents that recognize that our communities have been flooded with drugs, with guns, with disinvestment for so long, and now we're starting to see the product of that.

I'm also a youth minister at my church, Pilgrim Baptist, which we just celebrated 115 years being in existence.

And while I was there hosting a youth activation event, my nephews who were 13 and 14 years old were standing outside of the church and some older teens attempted to rob them.

And the only thing that stopped it was my presence, right?

But it showed a powerful thing.

One, how quickly our youth can become targets, and two, how the presence of concerned adults can actually make a difference, right?

When I think about what's going on in our communities, I think about the fact that playgrounds have now been replaced with soccer fields, how youth spaces have continued to evaporate in plain sight, and we just haven't properly invested in our young people.

Young people are not only our future, but they are our now.

And from working very closely with them, I recognize that they have so much to offer to DC, and I pray that we will reinvest in them the way that DC invested in me.

Thank you.

Thank you for your testimony.

Uh next we'll hear from Cheryl Tracy.

Good afternoon, all council members, youth lobbyists, and public speakers, and um thank you, uh Councilmember Parker for this round table.

First, I'd like to start by stating that I am a Trump supporter.

Yes, I am a Trump supporter.

And now that everyone has the attention, our mayor for life also, and I only support Trump's gumption to address matters that are controversial and others and others that are afraid to address these issues.

And that's the only reason I support him because of his gumption.

That's it.

He um he steps out there.

Our mayor for life also had gumption to address matters that may have been controversial, but he went full speed ahead to implement programs.

Some worked, some didn't, but uh some needed tweaking, but he did something.

He did something.

You never know what works until you try.

The CARE Act introduced by Zachary Parker in 2025 from Correct.

And it's not a single bill, but it's a comprehensive bill 16-bill legislative package focused on youth in Washington, DC, especially those in the juvenile justice and child welfare system.

What does care stand for?

Coordinating assistance, rehabilitation and empowerment.

The overall goal is to improve outcomes for young people, shifting the system away from punishment and towards support, prevention, and rehabilitation.

Some of the um the bill is this bill is in big debate for our council members.

This plan sits right in the middle of a larger question whereby council members are divided, just like Congress, the efforts to implement these changes would require members to be vulnerable and attack these uh issues.

Um I commend the advocates for presenting the issues, however, I'm disappointed that they bring rhetoric and no solutions.

Key supporters of the care approach, uh chair of council, committee on youth affairs, driving a prevention first public health approach to youth crime.

While not every vote is identical, Parker's approach tends to align with members who um I'm sorry.

Sorry about that.

While um his uh while Parker's uh ideals are supported by uh Charles Allen, Janice Lewis George, and Robert White, and I want to say kudos to all of you all for um understanding and seeing the problem.

My oh my goodness, the uh this is if you could wrap up.

The other thing is um I don't want to age myself, but we used to have house parties, and at these house parties, this is where we would come together and just hang out.

And I would um suggest that we could find a place where the teens could just hang out, and it would have to be the late hours, you know, like nine to twelve.

Let's just hang out, let them um be free and just be free.

Thank you.

Thank you for your topic.

No, thank you for your and Penelope.

If we could invite Carla Pattia up, if you wouldn't mind just swapping chairs with her.

I called too many people for the and you may give your testimony whenever you're ready.

Good afternoon, everyone.

Good afternoon, everyone.

My name is Carla Portillo, and I am one of the lead organizers of United Leaders for Freedom.

We also form a part of the Youth Power and Safety Collective, aimed to protect and guarantee the safety of young people in DC, alongside with many other organizations.

As a DC resident and someone who has attended DCPS schools throughout my academic years, I can assert to you that the youth curfews are not helpful and are not beneficial to youth.

Instead, a curfew and curfew zones in DC allows for the over policing of youth and also the utilization of excessive force.

How are youths supposed to feel safe in our city if they are being harassed by police and other agencies?

If MPD officers say to youth, and I quote, we're going to get you and are yanking children from bicycles and putting them at risk.

Criminalizing and violating the rights of youth is not the answer.

It's an attempt to silence their voice and allow the continuous abusive power from MPD.

The response that should be focused on is investing into the programs offered to youth, pouring into them with resources and beneficial career readiness that will prepare them for their future and impact them in a positive way.

Creating more safe spaces around all areas of the city that allow youth to feel welcomed and catered to after a long day of school.

I have participated firsthand in these safe safe safe spaces as a staff person, and it has a great purpose to serve as a welcoming environment to youth where they can interact with each other, eat some food, and be carefree.

These programs and spaces don't take much to create.

Please invest where it is needed.

Please don't give up on our youth and the opportunities that they deserve to have access to.

Thank you.

Thank you for your testimony.

Again, we'll do a uh a quick round of questions if there are questions.

I don't have follow-ups for everyone, but I did want to come to you, Ms.

Rettman.

I really appreciated your insight.

You talked about uh it being a system of investment into the young people uh and that's what helped you succeed.

What can you parse that out a little bit more?

What specific investments should we as a city be making so that our young people can thrive like you?

Thank you.

Workforce development is a huge one.

The summer job program, I remember when I was growing up, everyone can get a summer job.

When I was working at BART, a lot of the students would come to me and say, Ms.

Leslie, can you help us get a job?

And I was already doing 10 jobs outside of the job I was supposed to be doing, so I couldn't help them as much.

But I think there needs to be more resources because there is a desire and willingness.

And the only other thing I'll say about that is when we can get them into a job, we can actually.

I was working for the Department of the Interior from 16 to 22, and that was because of the summer youth program, right?

And so I think we need to invest in more programs like that, and then also entrepreneurial as well.

When I was in high school, there was a group of young people from Wilson, they were called team major and they would host the local go-go's that went on in the community.

And so there are young people who already have the answers.

We just have to invest in them and bring it to life.

I really appreciated that.

And then Carla, you two spoke about work development.

Um should we be thinking about that, both for the Marion Barrier Youth Leadership Program, but also external to that?

You had the mic on and you turned it off.

Nope, the light tells you.

Um I feel like just having programs that are able to kind of guide them in the correct path for them to be ready for college or other like she also said like entrepreneurship as well.

That is something that I feel like I didn't have in high school, and that would have helped me a lot.

So can I push a little bit?

And I I'm just gonna be real.

So let's say we create that program.

How do we ensure that the same self-motivated young people that are gonna apply to everything and excel anyway are not seizing all of these opportunities?

How do we get those opportunities to the students most at risk to help turn their lives around?

Um I believe that maybe being able to just address their situation in the most like holistic way possible, like um hearing from their individual experiences, not only as like DC students, but also being in DCPS and how does that contribute to their own experience that that they've had?

Um I feel like also being able to cater to all different areas of DC and all the different wards so that it's like assured that everyone is able to participate, not just certain areas is also important.

Um but yeah.

Okay.

I'm gonna leave it there for the sake of time, but I'm gonna turn uh to my colleague uh councilmember Robert White.

Uh thank you very much.

Uh thank you to uh this panel.

I'm I'm gonna keep it brief as well.

I want to make sure we reach our our young people.

But um couple things I want to lift up.

Uh one, um Cheryl Tracy, were you offering your home for a house party?

Because that's how I heard it.

Absolutely.

Actually, the home that I live in, it was my husband's home, and it was a very popular house party house.

And people would just come and um just hang out.

So I'm thinking that maybe we could have a place which I had chatted with Allison about where uh a private venue and do that call or however they figure out how to get there and just let them hang out, hang out with uh people that um just hang out with each other, but maybe have uh uh people that could help offer programs, some cards and things and them.

So I'm thinking that maybe we could have a place, which I had to chatted with Allison about where uh a private venue and do that call however they figure out how to get there, and just let them hang out, hang out with uh people that um just hang out with each other, but maybe have uh uh people that could help offer programs, some cards and things and and the other major thing I want to say is I think that this follows um council member Janice when she last night when she discussed small businesses.

What's wrong with having whatever programs that come, like the young lady mentioned, she needed a space.

Let her have a space, fund it, and what we could do to ensure that the finances are going uh the right way, maybe in your office, council member, we'll have we'll manage the money for them.

Let them bring the ideas and so I I want to pick up on that, and then I want to uh let my colleagues go.

I I I do think we we can't go around in circles talking about it forever.

And you know, Councilmember Parker just raised a good question.

How do we make sure all youth get an opportunity?

I have a philosophy, uh, because I've done it wrong a lot of years, but the the process must be ready fire aim, which is to say start and perfect as you go.

We we'll spend years trying to say how do we catch everybody, how we do everything right.

We've got to start somewhere.

And to your point, we are identifying $90 million in an increased budget for the police department.

Could we not develop a fraction of the budget and say we are going to be led by youth on what we do with this money and see if it prevents uh violence?

The the other thing I want to lift up because I'm gonna be fighting for it in this budget because it came from young people.

Uh some young people I think are gonna testify today, but they kept asking for mentorship.

So I said, what's the easiest way to get a citywide mentorship program is give leave to DC government employees, one hour a week paid leave to mentor or tutor a young person.

We've passed the bill, but my hope is that we will fund it because we've got to listen to young people and then we've got to act on it.

Um but if we just identify in addition to that a piece of budget and say, look, this belongs to young people.

Our goal is to listen to them to implement what they say and see if it works.

Um thank you all very much.

And we need people outside of DCS to see that.

Thank you for your testimony.

Uh we will turn to Councilmember Henderson.

I'll be brief.

Um, uh Councilmember.

Um a thread that kind of came up, uh, Ms.

Redman in your testimony, and even Miss Tracy and yours was around private spaces or private businesses being.

I'm curious, Ms.

Redmond.

Um, you talked about the group at Wilson who used to sponsor the T gogo's.

And what I've noticed, at least from we're gonna call them the team gatherings.

We've got some budding, I want to be a party promoter.

Hello.

Uh you know, I see it, right?

You want to gather, you want to have a theme and all the whatever, but you don't necessarily have a space.

I guess the question I have is how do we make those connections to some of the um private spaces?

Does that make sense?

120 percent.

And I also want to know what you're saying is like these transferable skills, and I think a part of it is being able to identify it for the young people because they have the skill set, they have the network, but they might not have the language and they might not have the connections, right?

And so that's why I really wanted to push on, yes, I think DC employees are good, but I think there are so many people in the community who have a lot of these skill sets as well who could be very helpful.

And then I mean, those people from Team Age, I still know Jordan and TJ and all of them are still around, right?

Like a lot of these things, we don't have to recreate the wheel if it's something that young people are interested in.

There really could be pipelines and mentorship to invest in these young people.

And one more point that I wanted to say about like the leaders, just like we need you all to lead and represent, young people need young people to lead and represent.

When I was a DC student, we came and we protest right here at the Wilson building back in my day, and it was the student leaders who did that.

And just naturally, there are going to be some people that rise to the top, but we want to get the people that's gonna grab the other people who are maybe not engaged.

So trying to figure out inclusive leadership.

Can I ask a question?

And I would just say, like um, we have a meeting I'm trying to organize with some of the bid leaders because like I said, I don't think this is all a government issue, but for some of the business improvement, clearly the young people want to be in your corridors.

So, how can some of the programming that you have address some of the right?

I don't need you to start something new, but uh waterfront, for instance, Capitol Riverfront um bid.

Every summer they do like a summer concert series.

Okay, maybe one night, I don't know.

It's uh it's a DJ instead of a band or something to that effect.

Um the other thing though that I I wanted to ask, and I it left me.

It sure did.

So I'm gonna leave it there.

I'm uh I'm gonna circle.

Yep, I'm gonna leave it there.

It like it was there, but it's not there anymore.

So it's all good.

It's okay.

Thank you.

I want to say thank you.

Mr.

Chairman, before you go, there's something I say.

Uh I'm sitting here.

Uh I said my testimony was changed.

Let me say this.

I am not a Trump supporter.

Okay.

I am not a Trump supporter.

And not only that, but I think I implore this council to take up a challenge to uh Ms.

Pearl.

She wants to take away your authorities to uh promote and to prosecute.

She wants to be able to have the authority to and the right to prosecute young people and send them to jail.

And you really get her here.

Invite her here.

Invite her here.

She's so bold and brave.

She goes on Fox News all the time.

The president goes on Fox News.

Invite them here.

Understood.

Invite them here.

Thank you, sir.

Um Zach, sorry, I remember.

Yes, okay.

I'm gonna come to you.

I did have one follow-up question, Mr.

Brennan.

Uh do you support the designated curfews?

I wasn't clear in your testimony.

I support programs.

I I curfew already exists.

Let's get beginning.

That's right.

Curfew already exists.

So I can know which college.

But we cannot say that children should are not permitted to go in certain parts of the city where they live and where their parents pay taxes.

You know, you can't say you can't go here, you know.

But you can go there at nine o'clock and ten o'clock at night, but you can't go there at seven o'clock in the evening.

I didn't mean to get you worked up.

I'm sorry.

I want to turn back to consumer.

I I remembered.

Ms.

Redmond, I think you mentioned in your testimony that you you used to work for DCPS.

I did.

Okay.

I I'm if you are still a DCPS employee, then feel free not to answer this question.

No, I resign, but go ahead, I'm not sure.

Sorry, so then I guess my um I mentioned this uh during the ledge meeting, but I think one of the like sad points of the past school year was when DCPS said um students are no longer allowed to go to a football game without a parent.

I thought that that was like a low point for us, and I felt like that should have been a catalyst to having a conversation because a football game is a third space.

Yeah, you should be able to go to a football game on a Friday night and hang out with your friends.

And I recognize that there was um behaviors that were happening, but it feels like there was never a conversation around what we should do to honesty's point earlier.

We just said, okay, fine, nobody can come, as opposed to what should the protocols be.

Yep.

I just know from your perspective as an educator on that.

Yeah, 100%.

And one of my students is here, she's gonna be speaking later.

But a hundred percent that what you're saying, and I know the one young lady said we shouldn't call it team takeover, team gathering.

The same things that are happening in the community are the same things that's happening in the schools, and I don't think that the schools are actually equipped and have like the networks with the community and people who could actually make a difference.

Because you have a lot of people that's not from DC.

I was one of the few DC natives that was in that building.

And so you have people coming in that's not from DC, don't understand DC dynamics, don't understand what these young people are having to navigate every day, trying to really constrict and conform them into like the social status.

And so I agree with you, they need to be a lot more conversation, but there also needs to be a lot more connection, activating the ecosystem, like you said, the businesses, the churches, the grassroots organizations, the schools, government.

We need to all really be working together because we're not gonna be able to fix this in isolation.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Uh, we're gonna keep moving for the sake of time.

Uh, thank you all for your testimony.

Thank you.

Uh next next we will have Nick Del Don, DC Safe Streets Coalition, Janice Patterson, Zachela Nicholson with We Got Voices 2.

And if you're in the room and making your way up, if you could just raise your hand or make a noise so I know you're at least coming.

Otherwise, we're gonna keep ticking through.

Uh Denise Garti with advancement project project.

Derek Floyd, Jill Perry.

Denise.

All right, we're gonna keep going.

Nini Taylor, we're here it's uh dreams, Frankie's Cebron, here is dreams.

And we'll stop there for now.

I think it's almost good.

Uh first we'll hear from Denise.

You may have a question.

Uh good afternoon.

My name is Denise Gardi, and I'm an attorney with the Advancement Project in DC.

I'm here today because for the last few months, my colleagues and I have been interviewing and listening to young people of DC.

Um bring it down.

Okay.

And to date, we've interviewed over 30 uh DC youth for a report that we're releasing soon, the goal of which is to center the voices of DC's uh black young people to show that alternatives to increased policing and extended curfews not only exists, but they are being named by young people impacted by these policies across DC right now.

What young people have told us really demands your attention, especially before the council takes another action at this uh on this youth curfew legislation.

I'd like to start, however, with some history to ground us, and because this moment did not arrive out of nowhere.

DC has been down this road before.

In 1971, when DC Council proposed its first youth curfew, council uh vice chairman Sterling Tucker warned plainly that it would target quote uh black poor, a poor black kid in the wrong neighborhood at the wrong time.

A community coalition of adults of adults and youth called the Neighborhood Planning Council strongly opposed the uh proposed curfew and called it quote an invasion of individual privacy and an attack on their personal dignity and freedom as citizens.

And that was his 1971.

The community showed up, fought against the implementation of this youth curfew, and as a result there of their protest, that 1971 curfew failed.

In 1987, the city passed a curfew on GoGo Clubs, one of the few affordable joyful spaces black youth and teenagers could gather and had um and have a good time.

In 1989, a federal judge struck down another youth curfew, calling it an attack on constitutional values subject uh that the that subjected the district's youth to virtual house arrest.

Um, which brings us to today.

In July 2025, the council passed an emergency curfew legislation uh in curfew zones were placed in Navy Yard and U Street, etc.

The black space the exact spaces where black and brown youth uh had claimed as their own.

Uh in our interviews, a 14-year-old told us last summer U Street was one of my favorite places to be.

It was ro fun.

This year I really don't think I'll be down U Street as much as last year.

A 12-year-old said, I still want to go outside.

Sometimes I want to go outside just to play.

I'm still under the age, but I just don't want to go through all that trouble.

One young person shared, it's just a general message in the media that black and brown young people as a whole are just absolutely wild and out of control.

There's this idea that if you look a certain way or fall into a certain stereotype, then that means that you are doing bad things, which is just not true.

Uh these are young people who should be cared for, and the city's answers has been soldiers, pepper spray, and curfews.

This is not public safety.

This is a reactive stance that punishes young people for being present in public spaces.

One young person stated they're criminalizing kids.

They basically took the spots where kids are mostly at to have fun and just snatched it from them.

It was like, hey, go somewhere else.

Then it comes to the point where it is what if they go somewhere else and you're going to snatch that from them as well.

Young people we interviewed had already told you what it looks like to show up for them.

Extended recreation center hours, investment in youth programming, mental health resources, youth employment programs, and an end to the criminalization of simply being black and young.

And if I can end on one young person's statement, I'll say that by quote, this person said, Why do young people need to be controlled?

At the end of the day, we are the next generation.

Our decisions are what make are what makes the foundation of the next generation.

By trying to control us, you are confronting, you are conforming us back to what you are used to, what your times had, what you're accustomed to.

The whole point is as humans already, at the base form, our natural motive is evolution to grow, to become something different.

If we keep trying to control the next generation, nothing's going to change.

We shouldn't be controlled.

We will have our falling outs, we will have our moments where we make mistakes, but we will never learn from those mistakes if we don't make them.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Have you submitted your testimony?

If you can please make sure you do.

And if possible, to share the quotes from the young people that you surveyed.

Awesome.

Uh Jill Perry.

Thank you.

Um my name is Jill Perry, and I'm a Ward 5 resident and a community member, passionate about helping the youth.

Um just want to state what everyone else is saying, that the youth curfew sole focus is um punitive measures which per perpetuates the cycle of violence, and it's not the answer.

Um but it's also very um important to address the issues of the curfew zones that I feel like we don't say enough, is that the Navy and the waterfront are home to the baseball teams and the Washington Spirit.

Tickets cost 40 to 140 dollars.

Chinatown hosts the Washington Capitals with tickets of upwards of 250 dollars.

You can see but you can't touch.

Um, and then U Street, historically known as Black Broadway, was the heart of America, African American culture, business and jazz up until the early 20th century.

It was a hub during segregation, like with the iconic Lincoln and Howard Theater all destroyed during the assassination of Martin Luther King.

And we might note that the commander stadium will create the same situation as we've got going on at these other curfew zones.

That being said, the DPR construction projects to date, budgeted um back to 2022 and then budgeted, has spent 385 million 923 and 843, $804.

Forgive my math if I make small changes on new construction and adjustments.

But yet, with all the money that remains, it's a gross amount of money spent, the centers remain grossly and dangerously understaffed and underutilized, resulting in empty rooms, no program, and without transparency or accountability, there is little um profit motive or interest or incentive in retaining cost and improving the quality of the services and resources.

Maintaining the status quo creates huge inequalities, disinvestment, and a complete neglect of the community, exasperating the already extreme wealth gaps between the white and the black communities.

By creating a web of partnerships, the boys and girls club, other local nonprofits, local organizations, creating an outstanding youth and community employment programs, filling the recreation centers with needed resources, milk and food and diapers and formula, toothpaste and shampoo, all of the things that people need that they can walk in and help themselves to in their own community, would create a more unity and a more resilient community working together to create energy intergenerational support systems.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you for your testimony.

Next we will have Nini Taylor.

How are you doing?

My name is Ninny Taylor.

I'm a DC native, and I'm also a Trump supporter.

So, no, um, and being a Trump supporter, I did not prepare a testimony.

So I'm gonna speak from the heart.

Um, honestly, I'm someone that's outside, inside in the courtrooms at the Wilson building and outside with the youth.

Um, I have a I have a program where I literally have my staff go and go out there to the youth zones.

I've been out there along with my um program manager, program director, um, doing these youth times to make sure that we tell the youth to go home or you know, or support as we did with the DC, the Department of Recreations um meetup for the for the kids.

But my problem is um we can't police our way out of this.

And I want to first, and frankly, I'll tell you, I actually was upset with myself um that I got triggered by the police on how they were handling our youth.

And I was more so embarrassed that I actually asked the cops to de-escalate another cop that was holding a big pepper spray gun, saying, and he grabbed the youth who was just trying to go down to the subway station.

I say, hey, y'all need to de-escalate him before he harms someone and he yielded de-escalate yourself.

And so what and he was like, move, move, move.

So I wanted to give him the same energy he was giving our youth.

And I end up like cussing in front of the youth and calling out his name, but that's not what I want my youth to see.

But also, I need to protect my youth because I was that youth, and just like Leslie and Yana Ford is here, we were here.

I've I've been successful, born and raised in Southeast in the projects because I had a job early since I was 14 years old, because of Mayor Bury.

And that made me a productive person.

And because you all gay programs, I I was a bad that bad kid became a busy kid.

And I was busy learning how to do the things that were at my rec racist center.

It's nothing I don't know how to do.

I know how to play tennis, I know how to play basketball, now to play softball, I know how to play football, I know how to sew, I know how to cook, I know how to go build a go-kart.

It's nothing I don't know how to do because I didn't have to be in the streets.

So I want y'all to invest in resources and then I worry, I'm okay.

If y'all are gonna do like an amendment, don't say you're gonna do the amendment and don't have the funding to supplement the time.

I'm here for the amendment, but how are we gonna do amendment and say these deep park of recreation is gonna do this thing and y'all pulling money from DPR?

So that's what I'm saying.

Don't criminalize our youth.

I got a child right now that 25 cops came up for fighting the school, 25 cops for fighting.

That's not okay.

And I'm gonna be I'm gonna I'm gonna give y'all the time, but I'm just saying I'm live experienced.

Don't police your way out of this situation.

We need resources and not cops.

Thank you.

Thank you, Nini.

Uh, next we'll hear from Frankie.

Frankie Cebron, third third generation Washingtonian.

I have two children.

My oldest will be 17 years old this year and goes to high school in Ward 7.

Um, 4.6 GPA, if I might add.

Um, but Samaya testified in front of the council in December.

Um, and their words were, and I quote, we don't need more uniforms or curfews, we don't need more prying eyes of teachers.

Administrators and law enforcement, we need and deserve safe spaces.

So what I can say that the council did do is DPR did provide a safe space.

When you are inside of those DPR walls, the kids are having fun, they're playing basketball, they're doing various things.

When you leave the DPR area, I mean lines of cops, as if it is a military-style parade.

You have MPD, there's National Guard, there's a cop everywhere you go.

There are police shining lights in the eyes of kids.

There are police pulling children off of bikes that are not in curfew zones.

And what we really really need to remember is that DC is still occupied.

What children need when they're leaving those DPR spaces is a different adult.

Because going from somewhere of safety directly into a carceral setting, if somebody shining light in your eyes and had and has a gun on their hip, how are you going to respond?

Are you going to be calm if they're threatening you with pepper spray with something that looks like an assault rifle?

I I'm not gonna stay calm.

I'm probably gonna cut somebody out, right?

And so 89 mil 89 million dollars additional has been allocated to MPD when there's already a bloated budget.

92 million dollars they spent on overtime last year, y'all.

Like, so let's be very serious.

DPR's funding is cut, but MPD keeps getting more money.

Whether MPD does a good job or a bad job, y'all keep giving them more money.

And I feel dismayed because where is Brooke Pinto?

Where is she?

Why isn't she here right now?

If she wants the full scope of what's happening, she needs to hear from every single youth that's in this room because these are these are the children who will have to interface the violence.

That's who's dealing with cops in these curfew zones.

I'm a mother of teens.

Two young boys were shot in Northeast DC, and my heart broke because my 17-year-olds, best friend, lives around the corner from the circle K.

So when I tell you my heart broke, my heart broke.

I have the access to be able to take my kids out of the city, do different things with them for spring break.

Allow y'all invest.

You have to invest.

We have to be creative.

And Harris Wilder's dreams and these and and these other programs cannot be the only people who are making sure that the cops don't mess with our kids.

We need more of y'all down there.

I invite you, Zachary Parker, to come out.

I invite you, Robert White, to come out with us, see what these zones look like.

Come come come be a part, actually physically a part of the solution.

Thank you for your testimony.

Next is Nick Deldon, who is virtual.

Hello, can you hear me?

Yeah.

Yes.

Oh, okay.

All right, that's a surprise.

My name is Nick Delagan.

And I represent the DC C Streets Coalition.

And uh I really applaud what you're doing here today to get views from the youth.

Um on Easter weekend, uh, a 10-year-old was riding his bike in a bike lane.

He was riding an e-bike.

And um, he was uh hit by an ATV and uh suffered brain damage.

And the mother was quoted as saying afterwards that I thought my son would be safe in a bike lane.

And this I um I I'd like to call attention to the fact that the city is actually encouraging more and more e-bikes on the street without limitation, without qualification, without precaution, without safeguards, and people do not know what is safe and what is unsafe.

The the mother miss uh trusted, but her trust was misplaced in the city.

We need something.

So our coalition is sponsoring a um campaign this year to for e-bike regulation, and that would include registration of the e-bike, like a motorcycle, tags, insurance, certification that they could be on the street and they knew what they were doing.

And um it would involve the minimal uh intervention from the police.

Everybody says, well, how are you gonna enforce it?

If somebody spent money to register their uh vehicle and um and took the time to take a test that they were certified to ride in the street, they would have a more mature attitude when they got on their bike because they knew they they might be recognized and caught and held accountable.

And so it might be self-policing.

Something has to be done.

It's a wild, wild west in the streets, and um, but I applaud the uh the uh intention to listen to the youth and see what they need and meet their needs.

What we need though is some safety in the streets for all of us, and it does affect the pedestrians and seniors, particularly.

The e-bikes are scary.

Thank you.

Thank you for your testimony.

Uh I have no questions, but I'll turn to Councilmember Robert White to see if you have questions.

Uh, thank you.

I want to uh thank our our witnesses.

I do want to make sure we can get to as many youth and they don't have to leave, so I'm gonna uh skip questions.

Thank you.

And then uh wait, wait, before you leave, uh Councilmember Treyon White, do you have any questions?

Uh no, I don't want to thank everyone who came out.

I think it's important to be here.

So I have a lot.

Awesome.

Thank you.

Uh next, we will uh again we're flexing with the agenda based on young people's uh schedule.

Uh Lanil Allen, Adia Moody, Aliyah Moody, Zahanna Green, if they're here.

I see Nicholas Deladon with a hand up on the line, not sure.

All right, I'll call him again.

Lanil Allen, Aliyah Moody, Zahana Green.

They're coming.

Okay.

And then we'll also have Camone Freeman on this panel as well.

Welcome, welcome.

You can have a seat up here at the uh panel.

What's your name?

What's your name?

Zayola.

Zayana.

Okay.

I may start with you because I don't see the two others that I called.

Uh I'm told that Lanil and Aaliyah are on their way.

Uh but for the sake of time, Zayana, why don't we have you start with your testimony?

Oh, okay.

Uh good evening.

My name is Ayana, and I'm a resident of Washington, D.C.

War 8.

I'm here today to speak about the issue of the proposed team curfew.

I understand that the intention behind the curfew is to improve public safety and protect young people.

As someone who cares deeply about our community, I share that goal.

However, I believe we need to take a thoughtful approach that balances safeties with fairness and opportunity for our youth.

Teenagers are not monolithic.

Many are working late shifts, participating in school activities, helping their families, or simply spending time in a safe supervised environment.

A strict curfew versus unintentionally penalizing responsible young people who are doing the right thing.

If the current if the concern is safety, we should also consider addressing root causes such as the access to safe spaces, youth programs, and community support rather than relying on the enforcement.

Curfews can sometimes strain relationships between young people and the law enforcement, especially when they are apply unevenly.

I encourage the council to consider alternatives and modifications such as responsible exemptions, clear guidelines, and investments in youth engagement programs.

Policies are most effective when they are fair, practical, and supported by the community.

Our goal should be to keep young people safe while also respecting their growth independence and contributions to our city.

Thank you for taking your time to listen to.

You did a great job.

Wait, don't leave.

Don't leave.

We have some questions for you when you're done.

But you did a great job.

I'm not seeing the other two coming.

So I'm gonna also invite Nathaniel Cundrat uh to join us.

As well as Rosalind Lake.

And come on, you can begin with your testimony.

I attended a Bernie Sanders event last night at the U.S.

Capitol Auditorium on the existential threat of AI and a need for international cooperation because there has been no serious effort to regulate AI like was done to regulate nuclear weapons, despite the fact industry experts report that it has a 20 percent chance, at least a 20 percent chance to destroy all of humanity.

And it just amazes me just how many people think our kids are a bigger threat, even when the voting rights act being gutted.

But what really breaks my heart is to see so many black people supporting the further criminalization of our kids and a corrupt system designed for them to fail.

I am grateful for Councilmember Parker, my war fire councilman, on his youth alternatives to teen takeovers.

I would like to span the platform by inviting all these young people to join me at 14th in you for a Stevie Warner birthday block party celebrating his protest song for MOK holiday, May 13th, 6 to 9 p.m.

I think a deep dive into Stevie Wonder's catalog is a great way for intergenerational dialogue.

Another opportunity to discuss the need to address the root causes of crime and violence, rather than a circular fine squad of the same reactionary policies.

DC has more police per capita than any city in America.

And America has the largest prison system in the entire world.

Clearly, the existing policies are failing to rise to meet the moment, but rather simply continue to profit from it.

In this city, the average white family has 81 times the wealth of the average black family.

Over 30 percent of our kids live in poverty.

That's twice the national average.

So if you have twice the national average, you should expect twice the problems.

Did you did you know that an undeveloped mind, and I submit that's anyone under 21 is deprived of four key nutrients?

They are 51% more prone to violent behavior.

Who lives in food deserts?

When people hear this, they say, Oh, you're making excuses for bad behavior.

If you give a kid too much sugar and tell them to sit down and be quiet, what is that kid going to do?

Now, is something wrong with the kid or what's been given to the kid?

And what have we given our kids?

Poverty, violence, trauma, dysfunctional system designed for a desired outcome, where government sponsored crack epidemics broke homes and families.

So, no, before you criminalize the least of us, what is the most you have done for us?

Why isn't chess part of the DC public school system when it has been proven to be an effective training method for conflict resolution and critical thinking?

For decades, Vaughn Bennett and the DC State State Chess and Mazzy Mutaffer, words based on life on WPFW 89.3 FM have been contributing to undeveloped minds in the effort to do just that.

Hopefully the new mayor will support this and the Washington Teachers Union.

I keep hearing about spaces.

We at Radio and the Gogo Museum has a performance space behind our buildings called Bundy's Secret Garden, named for our business partner who lost his life to violence.

The city could sponsor more concerts and events to be held there.

Spike Lee is screening his iconic film School Days at the Lincoln Theater tomorrow at 8 p.m.

Who is willing to co-sponsor young people to see it?

Finally, the Mirenbury Summit Employment Program needs to be paid, need to be paying these young people a living wage.

I support a paid mentorship program.

We need to engage more young people at the budget table.

As you well know, if you're not at the table, you're on the menu.

We should not be engaging in collective punishment that is defined as a war crime under international humanitarian law by stealing all young people's summer.

Thank you.

Thank you for your testimony.

Uh next we'll uh have Nathaniel.

Good afternoon.

My name is Nathaniel Cundra.

I teach sixth grade Earth and Space Sciences, and I run the DC Scores program of 48 poet athletes at Brooklyn Middle School.

So to contribute to the prioritization of youth voices around the topic of third spaces, um, I polled my students about places they'd prefer to gather after school.

Over half of them voted for turf fields, believe it or not.

To understand the response, I believe some context would be helpful.

Councilmember White, you previously asked why the youth would travel outside of their community to hang out with uh their peers, and you received a powerful response from honesty that their community isn't always safe.

I would like to build on that response by adding that spaces which have been made safe are often rented out.

Um the loss of the DPR historical permit has had a huge impact on the availability of field space for DC scores.

We've lost half of our outdoor practices since March, and as of this week, we will not have the chance to practice outside again for three weeks.

This has impacted players and their willingness to participate in the program.

Just yesterday I had a student skip practice um to hang out with his friends because he wanted to be outside and he got into an altercation.

He said it was just plain, but we know how quickly that can turn serious.

Um the reason why our students overwhelmingly cited their desire for turf fields at Turkey Thicket Recreation Center is because the field has been in terrible conditions for years, plagued by chuck holes, field depressions, and dirt patches, and yet our players finish every practice by cleaning up the trash on the field and not just what's been left by our team.

This is a habit that stuck after one of our service learning projects focused on reducing gun violence in our community.

Every day that we go out to practice and find that the field has been rented out to those from outside our community.

Our poet athletes respond the same way.

That's our field.

And often they charge me with the responsibility to remove them.

They think I have way more power than I do.

But they've inspired me to use what power I do have.

My testimony, Councilmember Parker.

You ask how we make sure that the support we give goes to the youth who need it most.

And that's who DC scores services.

Many of my poet athletes at Brooklyn Middle School go home to dual-income households and parents who work multiple jobs.

Some scholars are even tasked with taking care of their younger siblings.

This conversation does not happen outside the context of the economic reality for DC families.

So it's important that the ultimate priority of the third spaces we develop is fostering community rather than generating revenue.

And while this is a multifaceted issue, I want to emphasize the importance of equipping our youth with the skills they need to thrive.

DC scores helps build emotional resilience and communication skills, both on the pitch and in the classroom.

But without reliable field space, we're left to operate with one of our hands tied behind our back.

Thank you.

Thank you.

And next we'll have Rosalind Lee.

Hello.

Okay.

Let me see.

I'm trying to do this right.

Uh good evening.

My name is Rosaline Lake.

I'm here with Empower at DC today, but I'm also a proud teacher at Paul International High School.

I'm on my eighth year teaching here in the district.

I don't want to do no testimony anymore because a lot of times I testify and people like to come at me crazy.

First of all, I have young siblings, and I think I'm gonna have one living with me soon.

So this whole situation with the curve is really near and dear to my heart.

I'm only here in Washington DC because I truly believe that our students can set the standards for education across the nation.

And even the world, we're not the only city that's dealing with teen takeovers.

Like that needs to be clear.

We're not the only city that's dealing with that.

And something that I really really dislike about DC politics is that politics get confused with how our young people are living.

I've lived in word seven, word eight, and were now I live in word five due to my own safety.

Um I'm gonna continue with my thing.

The structure starts at home.

Our young people should be at home at a reasonable hour.

I agree.

However, they need to feel safe and they need to have whoever's policing them.

I don't like the word policing.

Whoever's trying to keep things out of harm's way, they need to learn how to communicate with children.

I am not um I'm not a principal, I'm a teacher.

I like teaching.

I could lead, I don't want to.

In my school, I really really respect Paul because even as I'm testifying today, we're hosting a youth dance for free for the kids because it traumatizes me as an educator that our young people are in a city with so many resources and so much powerful knowledge that people are not mentoring them.

I don't understand how you have companies in the district that don't go into this public charter school and into these schools to mentor our kids.

Uh I will continue.

We must invest in youth center alternatives, like everybody here is saying, especially during our school breaks.

The last time I came into this building, I had to testify because a student of mine got shot, and that was traumatizing for me.

Um and for all her peers in our school community.

But you have it and it happens every summer.

Every summer you go to a school and somebody doesn't come back.

We gotta uh have a real conversation.

I'm not for people pollu policing children, but I am for solutions.

Are we gonna start investing in having the families that are doing the right thing?

Are we gonna bring them to the table?

Do you guys need to say to the school?

What kids are coming on time, what kids are not missing school, and the school needs to give you guys data so those parents can help these the parents of the children out in the streets.

At the end of the day, they're kids, but they are not it's not safe for them to be out there.

If my young brother is in a DC young party at night and a grown woman hits on him, like flirts with him, I'm gonna feel uncomfortable.

The same way a grown man would like try to flirt with a young lady.

That's the issue that I have with the whole curfew.

Thank you.

Thank you for your testimony.

Um we will move to questions, but I do want to acknowledge that we've been joined by my Ward 7 colleague Wendell Felder.

Um, and you know, I wanted to start here with Zahanna.

Um what would you say are the motivations for young people gathering in these team meetups?

If you can push the microphone.

Uh I would say the motivations that have us done I'm I think um there's no wrong answer.

Like we'll make us do it, right?

Yeah.

Um when it feels good outside.

Say that one more time.

Uh I think the weather.

Um when the weather is nice, yeah.

You want to meet up with other young people from across the city.

Yeah.

And then it just become a bigger group.

And how do you or how do you know other young people hear about these meetups?

Social media, too.

Which platforms in particular?

TikTok and Instagram.

And so you see the flyer, and then I assume you talk to other friends, say, we're gonna go to this.

Yeah.

Okay, so now walk me through it.

You go to the event, and then what happens?

You see people you know?

Yeah.

Um you go to events, you often see many people you know, or people you want to school with or something, and then and just connect from there.

But also um everybody just because some people's behaviors one way don't make the next person behavior one way, or it could be people.

Um, it could be good people in a group and bad people.

That don't make them a like.

Well, we're gonna reframe that.

I don't think they're bad people.

Oh, well, not bad people, but people make decisions that aren't right.

That's right.

Um, I've seen some of these flyers, and it says, bring your own drink, bring your own weed.

Uh, we're gonna have music, whatever.

Well, like what where are young people accessing liquor and other things to bring to these meetups?

Um they use their relatives that's old enough to purchase it.

And so you would say the relatives know they're giving it to them and they want them to take it to the meetup.

Yeah.

And so well, hold on.

Again, there's no there's no wrong answer.

Uh, and I would just ask for to minimize reactions.

Um, and I thank you for just being brave enough to be up here.

But uh let me ask this.

When there are incidents that happen, like let's say a fight breaks out, what then happens uh amongst the young people?

Uh everybody starts to scatter and gather or whatever.

But the police they don't make it better either.

They try to like they go straight to violence or their batons or mace or something instead of having a conversation or just taking those two groups or whatever it is uh to de-escalate the situation.

Um can you say more about that?

Okay, for I don't guys okay.

So they be telling us like they want us to go home and stuff, right?

But they also keep us outside of the station, like Navy R, for example.

They send groups down at a time, which makes sense, but then again, it doesn't because you still have people on that property, and then more people come and it just makes it worse if you still gonna use the mace over there.

So they're saying go home, but at the same time they're preventing you from entering the station to exit.

And when you see the officers with batons or pepper spray or their weapons, what reaction does that um bring to me?

Yes.

Calls for you.

I stay out the way.

I don't get in the way of it, but I watch from a distance.

Okay.

And I heard earlier another young person said, Well, we should just deal with the young people that are fighting.

Remove them and let everybody else continue to hang out.

Would you agree with that sentiment?

Yes, but no, because sometimes it's things that trigger other people and everybody come from different homes and stuff.

So you don't know, you don't know what's going to trigger the next person.

So it's probably a reasonable reason as to why somebody is fighting or a prior incident to the event or whatever.

Understood.

Last question.

Um I'm clear from your testimony, you don't support these designated curfews.

Is that right?

I don't.

So what should we be doing as a city so that we don't have hundreds of young people gathering, running around, and that ultimately lead to acts of violence?

Um longer recreation hours.

Uh so you think if we were to say you can go, what's a rec center near you?

Furby hope.

So if we were to say Fairbury Hope is going to stay open later on the weekends later, you think young people would go there versus going to a meetup?

Uh I feel like that's uh everybody was going to recreations first before even Navy R or anything for real for real.

But they the recreations closed at like eight or something, and parents let their kids be out later than that, like my mom.

But it is how you go about certain situations outside and how you carry it.

Understood.

Well, I want to say thank you for coming.

I'm sure my colleagues have questions for you, but I think you did a really great job and provide a great insight for us.

So thank you.

Thank you.

Uh, Councilmember Robert Wright.

Uh, thank you very much to this panel.

Ms.

Lake, good to see you again.

Um I apologize.

I tried to write down your last name, cut Kundrick.

Kundra.

Um, what DPR permit change did you say happened?

Um the DPR historical permit.

Okay.

The DPR historical permit.

Uh, to my knowledge, the program was removed and there's no longer a DPR historical permit.

And DC Scores was a program that was benefiting from it.

Um these scores being a nonprofit, the typical permitting window, we don't fall until after um public schools uh through DCIAA and DC SAA.

Um get first access to field space, and oftentimes that uh after school window is tightly contested.

Okay, I appreciate it.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Uh uh, Mr.

Freeman, thank you for your testimony.

It's always uh thoughtful and on point.

Um Zahana, uh are you in school?

Yeah.

What grade?

12.

Well, okay, excellent.

Excellent.

Well, you you did an incredible job testifying.

One of the things I noticed you seem more confident than when I started as a council member.

So uh kudos.

Uh, if you go back to my old hearings, I sound sound nervous.

But so you know, we this is such an important hearing that council member Parker has put together, but it's because of the youth voices, right?

Uh we are learning something because of you all.

If you could design um the hangout space that you and your friends want to go to, what what would be there?

Um my friends or me and like the people around my age.

Let's start with you and your friends.

Uh I don't know.

Would there be music?

Oh, yeah, it would be music, but I'm thinking talking about like what kind of activities will be there as well.

Anything.

Would it be inside or outside of both?

It would be both.

Both, okay.

Um what what would you do when you were there?

You think?

Um we'll have like contests, um, food to eat.

Okay.

So it'd be it'd be fun.

Yeah, it'd be like a cookout or something.

Okay.

So um when you were answering council member Parker's uh questions, one of the things I thought about is when I grew up, we went to go-go's, right?

Fights happened at GoGo's, but not most people.

And most of us didn't want to be involved in a fight.

But the people who were sitting in these seats at the time would blame the go-gos for the violence in the city, as if you went for the fights, not you went to enjoy it, and they were fights that you try to avoid, right?

Um so it this is is such an important time for us to listen.

But what's gonna matter most is what happens after this hearing is whether anything changes because of what you all said.

And if nothing changes, then I'm bet willing to bet you will lose confidence in elected officials and whether or not it matters if you show up here.

So um I have to leave soon because I have a uh a a candidate debate on law safety and justice on this issue.

I'm gonna be talking about some of my lessons learned here.

But but I want to say before I go how proud I am of of you all for for showing up uh for um bringing things to light that were not clear before.

Um and for the adults that help facilitate for for a lot of you all.

Um it takes a lot to show up, but it is really important for this council and for the mayor uh to do something different after this hearing and then this budget.

Uh otherwise it's all performative.

Um so um I just want to thank you, recognize um that your presence and your contributions.

So thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next, Councilmember Filter.

Uh thank you, Councilmember Parker, for convening this meeting and uh so Hannah I echo uh my colleagues' sentiments.

I appreciate your transparency.

I'm just going to dive in in the interest of time.

Uh how has the curfew affected your daily life?

Um my daily life.

It didn't affect me, not gonna lie.

But I'm just speaking for if it was to affect me and my peers.

I understood.

And do you feel like the curfew is fair or unfair?

I feel like it has its pros and cons.

Okay.

Uh did you want to talk about what you think some of the pros are?

Um the age.

Well, no, I think that's a con, actually.

Why?

Um right or wrong answer.

The pros, I think of it is the area, probably.

But also it's public space.

That's like going to inner cost the apartment and turning you to leave, but it's a public area.

I completely understand.

And have you participated in any of DPR's late night hikes?

Yeah.

Okay.

Um what did you like most about them?

Uh I liked the music.

They had uh battles or whatever.

It was strict rules and everybody followed them that I understood, but after that it wasn't in their hands no more.

Okay.

Um, yeah, it was cool.

Uh, and if the city created more late-night hikes, would you attend them?

Yeah.

Okay.

Uh, what kind of spaces feel unwelcoming versus welcoming to you?

Um I don't know.

Okay.

Uh would you be interested in help to plan or lead activating other young people?

Yeah to uh do you feel like adults listen to you?

Uh or rather do you feel like adults listen to young people who make decisions?

Uh I feel like it's a lot of adultism, independent on the adult you talking to.

Okay.

Um, couple more questions.

Uh tell me what your weekend consists of.

My weekend.

Yeah, like what like what do you typically do on the weekend with you and your friends or family members?

How do y'all get there?

Uh I be asleep.

Okay.

Can you list three places across the city that you normally uh visit?

Um like the outlet, the mall.

Uh and DPR events.

Yeah.

Okay.

Now, I heard you answer uh council members Parker's answer as it relates to why will young folks would go to a team takeovers.

Uh could you speak to uh so I'm not gonna ask that question, but could you speak to who are the adults that you trust the most within your community and why?

I didn't hear it and then at what you said.

All right, I said, could you uh speak to who are the adults that you trust the most in your community and why?

Uh the adults I trust most in my community is the ones that advocate for us because they understand our point of view.

I love it.

I love it, I love it.

What could adults do differently to earn more trust from young people?

Um take accountability.

Oh yeah, well, like what does that mean?

Uh I feel like just because adults uh feel like, oh, they experience more than kids or something they know right from wrong, or we don't have the rights to feel how we feel, but everybody has feelings no matter how old you are.

And that's where the adult citizen comes in because they feel like they bigger and older that they we don't have no say so.

You definitely a future lady will be up here soon.

Could you speak to uh could you speak to what's one thing you wish decision makers understood about your generation?

That is not like the old days now.

I'm probably I'm not that older than you by the way.

But if you if you could design a solution to reduce violence and keep your peers safe, what would that look like?

Um I feel like that's up to us.

We have to be together to figure out how that's gonna look like the youth, we have to all be on the same page or whatever.

So I love I love that honest mature answer.

I was gonna say accountability works both ways.

Uh and I was gonna ask you finally, what role do you or what role do you see young people playing in keeping themselves safe?

Um following rules.

I mean, the only way you can you say following rules.

Yeah.

Yeah, you can say that.

Okay.

All right.

Well, thank you so much.

Uh I've gained a lot.

Uh, and uh I appreciate your courage again.

Uh Mr.

Chairman.

Thank you.

Um, and thank you all for your testimony.

Really insightful.

And I would say for others, don't interpret the lack of questions as a lack of interest, but we're prioritizing youth voice.

But thank you.

Thank you.

All right.

We have uh significant number of folk who are online, so I'm gonna call a group of individuals next.

And uh so we'll be a number of eight people.

So we have Caroline Pryor, Devon Montgomery, Lamar Wright, Emmanuel Codillo, uh Ayo Mende Miller with Youth for Justice and United Leaders for Freedom, Marlea Meeks, Life Rain, Deja Barnes, Life Rain, uh Dominique Moore, Life Rain.

And I'm gonna also invite Aliyah Moody to join us as well on this panel.

Okay, I'm not seeing any of them come online, but uh if they um I'm here okay, one second.

And the sec for the sake of time, Aliyah, please uh move forward with your testimony.

Um, Councilman Parker, Aaliyah is extremely um nervous.

This is her first time, and if it's okay, um I'll read for her.

Um and she's open to questions, but um extreme.

I would really love if Aaliyah could give the testimony.

Are you not up to giving it your testimony at all?

You can do it, you could I think you could do it.

And if not, we can um we can have someone else read your testimony, but I will love to ask questions.

Okay.

That's group.

Okay, thank you, um, council member.

Um, so my name is Aliyah.

Um, I live in Ward 8, and I think that we should be more there should be more socializing programs at uh recreation centers.

Programs where people can talk about their feelings, play games, and feel connected and safe in their communities.

Um safety looks like everybody not fighting all the time, doing um safety track uh uh safety checks um that don't violate people but keep everybody safe.

Um, because there's um most times there's nothing to do.

Um I think you should invest in more programs like bold yoga and black swan.

Awesome.

Thank you.

If you give us one second, we are trying to figure out the individuals online.

All right, Caroline Pryor.

Uh good evening, Chairman Parker and staff.

My name is Caroline Pryor.

I'm Director of Policy and Power Building at EmpowerEd and a member of the Youth Power and Safety Collective.

As you've stated in your committee and heard today, curfew perpetuates deep harm on our young people, and it's an ineffective tool to curb community violence.

This is worsened by unclear levels of coordination and collaboration that persists between MPD and federal law enforcement, meaning any invitation to MPD to interact more with our young people is despite assurances otherwise an invitation for federal law enforcement to come along for the ride.

Yesterday's MPD testimony confirmed that just this year six young people have been arrested in curfew zones.

I'd also like to point you to MPD pre-hearing responses from February's hearing, uh, where they say in their day-to-day work they disproportionately it shows that they disproportionately target black youth, 94% of young people that are stopped and searched are black.

Uh and in the same time frame since calendar year 2025, 127 young people were transported to YSE.

We also are disturbed by the mayor's four-year plan to expand carceral spaces for young people.

So what do we do instead?

We're excited by your open letter to colleagues released yesterday, although we hope you adjust according to feedback from youth and educators today.

In recent years, our city's made strides to push for restorative justice inside schools, though that work appears to fall apart as soon as students leave the school building.

Our educator stand beside behind the youth written solutions and a strengthened social safety net as solutions to support young people.

We also know that this work requires building strong relationships of mutual respect between trusted adults and young people, and the need to build places for youth to connect and socialize with each other.

In addition to investing in our schools, particularly by replacing and expanding funding for community schools, which provide wraparound supports for students.

We're also supporting robust mentorship for young people.

You heard Councilmember Waite on Tuesday discuss his youth mentorship and community law, which was co-written with young people, and the council has yet to fund.

We ask you to support funding this legislation at 2.1 million.

Next, we know that protecting and expanding funding for out-of-school time programs, flat funded in the mayor's budget, which is an effective cut, uh, is fundamental for creating community.

Youth programming that engages and builds agency is one of the most pivotal ways for us to put our money where our mouth is, safe spaces, late night hypes, and youth-facing TPR programming, as we've already seen, are hugely successful, especially when we partner with young people in planning.

Spark requires staffing and sustainable planning, which must be built into the budget, and we must work to reopen TPR rec centers on weekends and evening hours.

Seems reasonable to borrow from MPD's bloated overtime budget, upwards of 80 million budgeted for this year, uh, and 90 million spent last year to not only replace the five and a half million cut to DPR, but to expand its budging and staffing levels beyond that.

Finally, we must bolster our social safety net, mental health landscape, and care continuum.

You heard already today about the gutted SBBH program.

Um also zeroing out champs, uh, which we desperately need you to replace that funding for.

This work is not easy, and we know from yesterday's letter, you understand it requires a coordinated systems level approach.

As I testified yesterday at MPD's hearing, what we're asking for is good faith investment instead of, not in addition to punitive approaches.

When we employ a both and approach, we actually undermine the efficacy of holistic solutions.

Thank you.

Accountability, a word you've used often thrives on relational, not carceral systems.

Thank you.

We will now jump to a humende Miller, and I hope I'm pronouncing your name correctly.

Correct me if not.

I'm not CND.

I'm told that the life reign uh participants are sharing a computer.

So if you are Dominique Moore, Deja Barnes or Merlea Meeks.

I see Dominique Moore.

You may begin your testimony.

Hello.

Hi, we could hear you.

We can't see you though.

Oh, I'm gonna be my officer on the computer.

I mean to turn on the camera, I'm sorry.

Okay.

Well, uh, we can hear you, which is most important, so you can proceed with your testimony.

Okay, did you call Dominique Moore or Marley and Meeks?

I'm sorry.

Uh both.

Okay, I'll let Marlea go first.

She's the you.

Okay, thank you.

We have a useful word.

And Marlia, if you're speaking, we can't hear you.

Okay.

We're gonna try one more time.

I see you coming off mute going back on mute.

Now you're off of it.

Okay, let's try this.

Go ahead, finish.

Hello.

Yes, we can hear you.

Okay, my name is Marlea, and I am a young female in DC.

I do not think curfews make girls safer or any team safer.

Girls face a lot of different challenges, including harassment, peer pressure, bullying, relationship stress, and family responsibilities, no matter where we come from.

Sometimes we are buying some school, helping at home, friendships, and our own mental health.

And it doesn't make it any better or easier that kids and events that are the problems to our most black people and students.

We need more safe spaces where girls and students could go out to school and hang out and just relax.

Life Rain has given me that event.

It has given me that place and activities to have fun, not just on school days, but also weekends.

On Thursdays, I attend Safe Space, whereas a space where all kids can meet up after school and enjoy snacks, playing games and watching movies and coloring.

We have kids from all ages from four all the way up.

I am an 11th grade that comes up here and mentors kids and also watches movies and just has fun and plays football outside with the young youth.

We need drop-in spaces with programs that include webinars activities, homework help, mentorships, and art creativity activities and mental health support.

Times are different now, and we deal with a lot more issues than most adults do.

Like DPR events, safe space, volunteer places, and community service are a lot of things that a lot of youth need to help just release stress and get away from home and away from police who are also just hurting and abusing the power that they have.

Safe Space helps give girls confidence and helps them build more confidence.

It helps to show what healthy relationships and community should look like.

And instead of a curfew, we should just have places where youth can hang out, like more DPR events, more safe spaces, and men and more mentors that are willing to help us.

So please invest in more youth spaces and emotional support services instead of curfews.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Um I know there is a lot of young people moving.

I'm gonna ask for the adults in the room to help us so we can move as efficiently as possible.

As you see the names coming up, if you can please have the young people ready on either the computer or in the chamber, that will help us save time.

I'm told Lanel is here now.

And Lanil, if you could join us, uh we will have you go next if you're okay with that.

We're excited to hear from you.

If you can push the button, there you go.

Now the mic is on.

When you see the red light.

Now it's on.

Yeah, my name Ronnie Lala.

Uh for one.

I think the curfew should be left it because as young is in the community that come from practice, such as myself, I play football.

So the curfew does not help with me getting home because I constantly get stopped.

Every time for being a black male walking on Columbia Road or any road of matter fact, you get stopped.

And they always asking me what I got in my bag.

So it's never that for me to get arrested for some minor.

Or just being at the wrong place.

I got a little cousin.

He uh he outside 20 like 24-7.

It's not for him to do in the house.

He likes to go outside.

So when I go outside, I'm gonna I see police trying to talk to him.

Ask him about stuff that just made it weird for me.

So for that curfew to be out and police to be running around trying to grab any black male or any black female, because there's some females that's getting detained by officers for no reason.

You can see that on the internet.

So that's just it for me.

Thank you for that.

If you could where about in the city do you live?

I live uh Columbia Rural Northwest.

Okay, that's good.

You don't have to tell me exactly.

I just wanted to uh situate it.

Um if you can hang out, we're gonna have some other people share, but I'm gonna come back with questions.

And you can push the buttons to the mic goes off.

There you go.

All right, next we will uh go to is Deja Barnes here.

No, she's still in transit.

Okay.

Uh Dominique Moore, then that would be me.

Um, good afternoon, Councilman Parker and members of the committee.

I'm really sad that you can't see us today.

Um, my name is Dominique Moore.

I'm the founder and executive director of Life Rain.

I'm also the community organizer from Power Ed, which is where you probably um will remember my name or voice, but we are also members of the Youth Power and Safety Collective.

Um, just to give some perspective, uh former DCPS teacher who currently substitutes clearly a community organizer and a founder of a youth organization.

Um, I would like to acknowledge and appreciate the time and effort being put into this issue.

It is encouraging to see a willingness to discuss youth safety in a serious and thoughtful way.

Um, Councilman Parker, I did have a chance to look at your uh letter and recommendations that you put out.

So in my written testimony, I will have some uh recommendations and feedback.

However, we must be honest about what we're calling team takeovers or youth disturbances, and know that they are not isolated incidents, they are symptoms of a larger issue.

I often testify about the ecosystem of services, supports, and safe spaces needed for children and families to thrive in the district.

Growing up in Northeast DC, I had access to a neighborhood recreation center attached directly to my school.

Um, I could walk there, it was accessible, familiar, and safe that mattered.

Young people today, as I spent a lot of time with them, are still looking for what many of us once had places to gather belong, explore and simply just be young.

Safe spaces are real, but they must be real accessible and geographically distributed.

One event or one location can simply not carry the weight of an entire city's unmet need for youth engagement.

I'm at Life Hiring every week.

We see what youth are actually asking for.

Uh community building, yoga and wellness activities, arts and crafts, cultural education, including programming that have community-based experiences.

No, your rights training is all as well as homework helping academic support.

Um, as you heard, every Thursday, there is an organization here that hosts the same space from 3 to 9 p.m.

We uh specialize in holistic care.

We also serve dinner every Thursday.

So you call me just serving dinner, I'm a little out of breath.

Um, but I always feed the kids a starch, a protein, and a vegetable.

You know, growing up that was something grandma or mommy always said you had to have.

Um every Thursday, we service about 30 kids at this particular location.

The youth power and safety collective services over a hundred kids weekly.

This is what prevention looks like.

In this particular safe space, there are you from at least five different schools that are represented in our space.

And that matters because community building across schools reduces conflict, increase increases familiarity, and strengthens peer relationships.

We cannot continue to invest in punishment while under investing in prevention.

There are a lot of other things that I had here.

Um, but what I wanted to put in retrospect is I uh run this space for about $500 every week.

If we do eight wards with two centers in each ward for 52 weeks, that is less than a half a million dollars.

It works out exactly to be 416,000 because you safety is not created through surveillance or force.

It's thank you for your testimony.

Thank you, and I welcome any questions.

We are gonna just keep pushing because uh of time.

Devon Montgomery.

He's here when you get a second to double back.

Thank you.

I'm sorry.

Good afternoon, Chairperson Parker.

My name is Devon Montgomery, and I'm the dean of students in Harmony DC Public Charter School, an empowered ed fellow and a member of the fair budget coalition.

Nothing happens in a vacuum.

Every action has an equal and opposite reaction, meaning that continuing the juvenile curve for you will only continue to alienate and criminalize district youth.

If we want youths to thrive, it is our responsibility to pour into them.

Today you have heard and will continue to hear about the ways that youth are calling on the adults to lead with empathy.

I'm here today to ask the council to oppose any legislation imposing a youth curfew in the district.

Our youth should not be criminalized for their existence or be forced to interact with law enforcement under the guise of communal safety.

I'm delighted to see all of the recent citywide youth-driven forums on crime prevention.

But I urge city leaders to act on their demands.

Strengthening our social safety nets for our youth depends on this council using the coming budget to solidify the direction of our moral compass.

The proposed budget increases MPD funding by about 90 million dollars.

And that increase out of that increase, 88 million is in local funds and nearly 4 million federal funds.

I would ask that MPD reach out for federal funding to secure that desired 86 million for their increase in overtime.

Chiperson Parker, I'm aware that those funds lie outside the purview of this committee, but I urge you and your colleagues to repurpose those funds to strengthen our social safety net.

I've heard youth throughout the district advocate for safe third spaces, employment opportunities, adult mentorship, mental health support, housing security, food security, free and safe transportation, and engaging at school activities, amongst other demands.

Our youth are not the problem.

The lack of investment in our youth is the problem.

DPR, DBH, DME, RC, DPS, DHS, DCHA, and OAG, amongst all these other organizations, all have a responsibility to youth across our city, but they need help from the council.

The proposed proposed budget has cut off agencies at the knees and has made this work increasingly more difficult.

In order to support the demands of our youth, I urge the council to strengthen DC's social safety net by providing the following.

Fund Robert White's mentorship legislation.

Fully fund DBH and SBBH through champs.

Invest in a restructuring of safe passage, fully fund and expand funding for community schools, fully fund and increase funding for DPR recreation services and programming.

Fully fund the tennis program, fund ERAP, and fund DHS and DHC in DCHA and all their housing vouchers.

It takes a village to raise a child and only a dash of fascism to burn it to the ground.

Voting no on the juvenile curfew is the first step of many in rallying around our youth.

Uplift the next generation by moving the needle in the right direction.

I agree with the Rex in your open letter to your colleagues.

Thank you for your time and consideration of my testimony.

Please review my written testimony for further elaboration.

Thank you.

Uh Lamar Wright.

Hello, everybody.

Good afternoon, Chairman Parker.

Thank you for holding this round table and allowing me to speak for myself and thrive under 25 coalition.

My name is Lamar Wright, and I'm a part of Emerging Adult Cohort.

We advocate for anyone who entered the adult judicial system before the age of 25.

I'm also a free manager.

I'm sorry, Mr.

Wright.

It is really hard to hear you.

Is it possible to get closer to the microphone?

Okay.

Can you hear me now?

That's better.

All right.

I'm basically basically I'm coming for Thrive on the 25 coalition.

My name is Lamar Wright.

I'm a part of the emerging adult cohort.

We advocate for anyone who entered the adult judicial system before the age of 25.

I'm also a free minds member.

We do poetry, writing, and we offer paid connection for DC residents who are currently incarcerated or who were incarcerated.

We are part of the DC Arts Education Alliance, who has already sent you a list of arts programs that teams will be interested in participating in, such as myself, spokes and things such as spoken word, making music, theater, painting, and much more.

I wanted to share some ideas of what we at Thrive on the 25 think the city should invest in.

When we don't have anything to do, that is when we start to do crazy things.

People, things have happened to their peers.

If we start offering younger people opportunities to have fun and earn different money, money in different ways as well, they will start to do it.

Me personally, I know that because I've done it myself and I've been in that situation myself.

Whenever a dollar is involved, a young person will be gladly involved.

That I know.

So we recommend activities where young people can be like out with their friends, make money and learn skills, expose the jobs, more activities, like just more programs to get kids out of their neighborhoods and not worry about the wrong things.

Incentives, like incentives for the activities to make them want to even participate in these activities.

Ask local businesses to provide products and gift cards.

Ask youth to promote it on their social medias to like influencers.

There are plenty of influencers in this community alone that can basically promote this.

Everyone likes Amazon gift cards as well.

Like who don't like shopping on Amazon?

Make the activity something that that's awesome and fun that teens will want to go to, like a zoo trip or like y'all hear earlier in one testimony, like a hike.

Um I know kids are not little kids, so people may not want to do like laser tagging and stuff, but y'all get the point, like just more activities.

We could we could do a takeover of Smithsonian's museums for a night, not for a nighttime kickback closed to everyone but DC Youth in the Air and Space Museum, National Museum, or African American art and culture, the art museum and others.

We could have a nighttime tour of the Capitol DC just for DC teens.

Like y'all want to say earlier.

Thank thank you for your testimony.

Thank you for your testimony.

Uh and then I believe Deja Barnes has joined us.

Yes, I'm here.

All right, you may give your testimony.

Okay.

Uh good afternoon.

My name is Deja Barn, and I'm a student at N DC and the youth learned health life ring.

Curfews do not address the real issues youth are facing.

A lot of young people are under pressure, like dealing with school shares, family responsibilities, such as taking care of older or younger family members, financial stress at home, or and anxiety about future.

Some students need somewhere safe to go, school somewhere to go after school to focus, decompress and get support.

Such as kids be needing place just to go and get away from like uh home, home problems.

Some students need somewhere safe to go after school to focus, decompress, and get support.

More youth drop in space spaces and programs will help with students by providing tutoring, food, safe places to study, trusted adults, and community support.

Families also need support because youth safety starts with show support systems at home and in the community.

Please invest into your programs, family support, and mental health resources.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Um, I'm gonna only ask a couple of questions for the sake of time, but for Aaliyah, Lynnell or Deja, uh, what are some of the motivations for young people wanting to attend these teen takeovers or team meetups in your experience?

Um I think like I just feel like we do just need more like fun activities for like the older youth, because that's where a lot of the curfews are like for like older youth, not really younger children.

And I feel like they kind of like try to water everything down because they want to make it available or for all ages, but a lot of teens don't really have nowhere that they think is like really just for teenagers a lot of the time, such as just like going on certain trips, like um just certain trips.

I don't think be like make the students want to do it because you know sometimes they can still bring their little siblings and stuff like that.

I just feel like it just need to be more focused on the teenagers more so.

Understood.

Do either of you want to weigh in?

No.

Um I've heard a lot today about DPR programming.

If there were more programs at DPR rec centers, uh perhaps young people wouldn't be going to meet up.

If we were to extend hours, do you think that would help address some of the reasons why young people are gathering in such large numbers?

Yes, I think that um having it extended a little longer will help because a lot of the kids do be trying to come late so that like we not there when it's nobody there.

So then that just give us a like a little bit of time just to really like you know, um interact with each other, so it just make us want to like have a side quest and do something else after that.

Cause I know well, for me, such as myself for DPI, I grew up in that community area.

So I know that'd be good for it.

Okay.

Aaliyah.

May you repeat the question?

If we were to do more DPR programming, do you think that would help address or help prevent so many young people gathering in large uh numbers around the city?

I would say yes and no.

Okay.

Can you say more about what you mean by yes and no?

Um I would say.

And if you could just talk a little bit more into the microphone.

You could pull it down.

So that's an interesting perspective.

So you think the recs are more focused on sports?

Most of the time, yes.

And so what other activities would you or other people not interested in sports want to see?

To be honest, I don't know.

But a lot of people most of the time just want to um talk or just hang out.

Understood.

Can I ask a question?

And this doesn't have to be personal to you all, but when incidents break out or a fight happens, um, what are the motivations or the reasons behind that in your experience?

A lot of people have problems with each other.

And where is that stemming from rumors or like people just having weird attitudes at times?

Is there anything you think government could do to help prevent that?

Not really.

So when I went to school, we didn't have social media.

So I would imagine.

So when I went to school, like the issues ended at the end of the school day, and they resumed when we went back to school.

For you all, I would imagine social media means it's happening 24 hours a day.

Does that feel right?

No.

No?

Okay.

Well, you tell me.

So like uh conflicts are natural, they're gonna happen between young people, and I would imagine when young people who are in conflict see each other, then that's when these incidents are happening.

Some conflicts also happen because it'd be people in between the conflict going back and forth, playing both sides.

Instigating.

Yes.

Yes.

And it's not always on social media, it's always either at school or just people that's just in the middle.

Understood.

Let me ask you all one more question, and it's about accountability.

There's been a lot of talk about holding parents accountable, holding young people accountable.

Uh what should we be thinking about in terms of accountability?

Lanil, Deja, Aliyah.

There's no wrong answer.

This is Marlia Danger's sister.

Can you repeat the question?

What what ideas do you have regarding accountability?

There's been a lot of talk about holding parents accountable, young people accountable.

What should government be doing to hold people accountable when these violent incidents erupt?

Um I would say like make it so like that way that the kids that are involved in that can't come to the next DPR event or the next event.

But I want to say really hold it over the head because at the end of the day, kids are going to be kids and we gotta learn life.

Like we all go through certain things that it's like sometimes you just need to relieve stress, and sometimes it happens at the wrong moment.

Somebody might say something to you at the wrong time.

I hear you.

No more?

You don't want to share?

No, go for it.

It seemed like you were about to come off mute.

Okay, fair enough.

Uh I say the accountability goes into both parties.

Cause for one, some youth don't always be looking for attention.

It comes to them either from a place you may claim or people you might hang out with.

It's never a moral corner you can turn and cause something can happen.

Okay.

I know I said that was my last question.

I do have one more.

There's a lot of talk about mental health.

Do you all know where to find mental health support or someone to talk to if you're having an angry moment or a bad day?

And if so, what are those outlets you find helpful?

I know some youth may use music.

Music.

The sport, any activity to cope with mental health problem.

Me myself, I use my music and stuff to get out of it.

And that's are you suggesting you are kind of self-regulating?

Self-regulating because people don't always want to get right there and talk to somebody.

If we had like crisis response teams or behavioral health professionals at these events or out in a community, do you think young people would talk to them?

No.

No.

Okay.

That's that's fair.

Elya, what do you think?

Um I don't think they would either.

I really feel more as they would talk when they're by themselves privately with the person.

Or unless they have a friend they can talk to that can calm them down.

Okay.

So how then do we support young people's mental health?

I don't have an answer.

Okay, I see Dominique Moore, but I'm assuming you're Deja.

Oh, you're not Deja.

Or share your name one more time, I'm sorry.

We can't hear you.

Uh no, I see you talking, but we can't hear you.

Uh I'm sorry, Alia.

Can you repeat that?

I missed, I missed what you shared.

I'm sorry.

It was about like where do where can young people find mental health support then?

Because I think you're right, young people probably would more readily talk to somebody when they're by themselves.

They can um find help at school.

At school.

With counselors that they feel comfortable talking to.

Do you all feel like you have counselors or professionals in your schools you could talk to?

Um I've had before.

Do you have one now?

No.

No.

What about you?

Yeah.

Okay.

Last chance.

Uh you hear us.

We still can't hear you.

I'm sorry.

Maybe if you try and call in.

But we're gonna for the sake of time, we're gonna keep it moving.

But thank you all for your testimony.

Uh, really insightful, and we are taking note of all of your recommendations.

Thank you.

Um, this is what we're gonna do.

We're going to again jump around so we can get more youth voices uh in front of us.

Um Isaiah Eichler, who I don't believe is here, but I'm still calling in case you're online now.

McKenzie Whitfield, who I believe should be online in the room, we should have Navea Williams.

Atreo Lee.

Rain Torian.

Yes.

Terim?

Terrain.

Rain terrain.

And I believe we have one additional seat.

And uh we will go.

Uh Sanai Miles.

Okay, we're gonna start with McKenzie.

Hello, can you hear me?

Yes, now we can hear you.

But if you could try to speak as close to the microphone as possible.

Okay, my name is McKenzie Whitfield.

I'm a junior at Benjamin Banneker Academic High School, and I thank you for this opportunity to testify.

I want to take this moment to bring awareness to the negative diction used in the media to bring down teens of color in DC.

The Washington term actually started the term uh teen takeover, which created created the narrative and idea that majority black teens were going around and seizing Navy art, uh, which I feel is essentially propaganda, propaganda, I apologize, and justifies not only police brutality, which includes profiling, but also this curfew.

I feel like instead of the media highlighting everything negative, they should be highlighting the fact that programs like Global Kids are using teens to better the world.

Uh we go on field trips to embassies, uh, colleges and more and do action projects that is just a bunch of community service.

But like when we went to DC Central Kitchen, and we advocate a lot for our um for problems we see.

Um instead of solutions like the curfew, we need to put more effort into getting teens into programs like global kids and DPR Supreme teams that not only educate them but about the world, but keep them safe off the streets and give them new opportunities to travel, uh, serve their community and make the world a safer place.

I'll open to any questions as well.

Thank you for your testimony.

Um, good afternoon.

My name is Nave Williams.

I go to Anacostia High School.

I am a black swan youth leader.

I am also a young person from DC, and I'm here to say this clearly.

Your youth curfews are not about safety, they are about control.

In this city, instead of investing in us, you criminalize us, you see groups of young people and assume the worst.

You treat us like the problem to be managed instead of people to be supported.

I know team takeovers are wrong and nothing excuses them, but curfew doesn't stop violence.

It gives police another reason to stop and question us.

This policy will fall hardest on black youth in DC.

It always does.

We are the ones who will be stopped walking home, coming from school, leaving work events, or just being outside with our friends.

That's not protection, that's fear.

You say you want safer communities, but where's the investments?

Where are the jobs, the mental health supports, and the transportation?

You cannot punish your way into safety.

You cannot police your way into trust.

What message are you sending us that our presence is dangerous, that we should be endorsed or under superveillance, supervision just to be seen as good.

We are not the problem.

The lack of resources is the problem.

The lack of opportunities is the problem.

The lack of listening to young people is the problem.

If you were if you really if you actually care about youth in DC, then prove it.

Invest in us, protect us without criminalizing us, hear us before you harm us.

Because right now, the curfew doesn't feel like safety.

It feels like us being pushed out of our own city.

Thank you for your time.

Thank you for your testimony.

Um leave.

Yeah, it's a tray you.

A trade you.

Yes, a trade you leave.

You could call me Trey.

Um, I'm award a lifelong resident.

I'm here today representing Pathways to Power by Swan Academy and Thurgood Marshall Academy as a senior class president.

And before I start my testimony, I do want to say that I am very disappointed with the lack of preparation that I failed this hearing had when it came to prioritizing youth voices.

But um the council failed when they chose a punishment curfew of a restoration and prevention.

We asked for infrastructure created alongside us, but what we got was a curfew that called us juveniles before we could be seen as neighbors.

The places dedicated to teenagers in DC need to be advanced further and advertised better.

It feels like we just have a trip to Pentagon Mall, which isn't even in the city, or a meetup at gallery place.

That experience looked like scraping up money to eat, walking around aimlessly, then taking the metro to walk around somewhere else just to have anything to do.

Takeovers exist because we're forced to make something from what feels like nothing.

Helping this could look like developing existing spaces further or creating new spaces alongside us, but if that's what will happen, I wouldn't be here today.

The existing team spaces need more support and a different design.

One team space that gets this right is the team lounge at Marxist Table on Elvis Road.

We get fed, we can relax, we can play the game, and we receive Uber vouchers to get there and back home safely.

A friend of mine named David Totally at the team lounge has empowered him to do something in life through their programming like Mindful Wednesday and Healthy Happy Hour that they provide.

At my school, Thurgo Marshall Academy, we have programming with Peace for DC and cognitive behavioral therapy training where students learn to combat negative thinking cycles.

These programs are here, and teams love and engage with them.

And they also have a positive impact on the community.

Enlightenment is a result of spaces and programming made for us.

But like many wrecks in the city, the teen lounge closes too early.

And despite that, it still had an impact on David, me, and every other team who goes there every single day until it's closes.

Therefore, DC must ensure that all DPR censors and new ones to be built can follow Amartha Table's footsteps, but bigger.

I'm calling for funding to provide food because everybody free doesn't look the same.

I'm calling for funding of ride vouchers to get us home safely.

I'm calling for doors that open up late because we deserve to have fun any night.

Uh I'm calling for programming like mine for Wednesday and calling to behavioral therapy training that will uplift us and not tear us down.

And when these changes are made, come tour our schools.

Meet us where we at and tell us about it.

So we can know it's available.

And yes, everything has a price tag, but the cost of prevention is cheaper than the cost of policing.

Staffing a curfew enforcement and processing juvenile costs more than providing a real home in a safe place to exist.

Invest in our joy today.

Like in Baltimore, where Mayor Brandon Scott has opened multiple rec centers until 11 p.m.

while simultaneously hosting midnight basketball, pool party, and block parties.

We've seen the progress Baltimore has made with prevention because as of yesterday, Baltimore reported its lowest homicide rate in 50 years, thanks to those critical investments in young people and neighbors.

DC can achieve this too, and the blueprint is here.

I'm right here telling you there's always youth here telling you this.

And but before I stop, I do want to say that we could have came to this conclusion sooner if we had a youth advisory council and still into the DC council.

You guys are asking, like, how can we get to the youth?

How can we communicate with them?

Blackswell Academy has been drafting legislation to make sure that we can be here with the council with you and speaking with you.

We'll be able to vote on the floor as well.

It's like it's it's just a basic want for democracy, and I'm asking you if you if you will co-sponsor this legislation.

Thank you.

Thank you for your testimony.

Rain.

Rain.

Dear council members, my name is Rain Turain.

I'm a high school youth leader with BSA Black Sword Academy.

I'm a freshman attending H.

D.

Wilson, and I live in Ward 8.

Thank you for your time.

Today, I'm here to speak against the passing of the permanent youth curfew.

This is due to the problematic nature surrounding it.

Youth curfews have not and will not prevent crime within DC.

It will only continue to be an oppressor to young people.

Additionally, this bill would allow adults in positions of power to criminalize normal team behavior, creating an even more creating even more resentment between youth and authority figures.

On top of this, the youth curfew does a great job at ignoring the deeper level issues as to why some youth are behaving in the manner that they are.

I'm asking you, I'm asking you all to not pass this bill due to the reason that the youth curfew has very clearly clearly shown its ineffectiveness within communities.

If this bill were to be permanently passed, the issues that you all claim to be fixing would still continue to impact youth and our communities.

My name is Rain, and thank you for your time.

Thank you for your testimony.

Destiny Howard.

Good afternoon, Councilmember Parker.

My name is Esny Howard, and I'm an 11th grade scholar at Friendship Technology Preparatory Academy.

I am a student athlete, actor, and entrepreneur.

I also serve as the 11th grade class president, and I was recently elected as the National Arts Society Secretary for the 2026 to 2027 term.

Today I'm here to address the issue of the curfew and its enforcement.

Enforcing the curfew in DC is not only challenging teens, but it's also provoking them to stay out longer and test authority, which is a natural and development developmentally appropriate response as teenagers grow into adulthood.

Still not all young people who are outside past careful are out for the wrong reasons.

For me, in addition to being a scholar, I also take the responsibilities of taking care of my siblings.

I may be young, but I carry a lot of responsibilities.

I'm not alone in that.

As adults, you have to recognize that every situation does not call for a reaction.

But rather a deeper look at the root of the problem.

You cannot mandate a rule for one specific great age group and not the whole border community to the same standard.

If you look deeper, many teens are simply mirroring what they see from adults.

If adults are partying, we see it.

If adults are drinking and smoking, we see it.

If adults are fighting, we see it.

And when violence shows up, we see that too.

Instead of relying only on curfews, those resources could be used to expand mentorship programs like Big Brother, Big Sisters and give you full responsibilities that provide positive outlets.

For example, the Department of Parks and Recreation hosts events for the youth community where young people can express themselves, engage in activities and simply be free.

These events have given you the opportunity to feel free and just be kids.

Not only does our behavior change, but our mindset begins to share for the better.

But even with that, events alone are not enough.

The reality is that the youth who are most in need are often the least connected to these spaces.

What can what can we do to reach those who are least connected?

And for the youth who do enter these spaces and still choose to cause chaos, they should still be still should still be accountable, but accountability should not just be punishment.

It should be can comes, it should come with guidance.

There should be structured, clear expectations, and consequences.

Oh sorry, I'm nervous.

But also follow up mentorships and support to help correct the behavior, not just remove them from the space.

Because at the end of the day, beyond moments, we need the relationships.

We need mentorships, people who are consistent and pregnant and investing in who we are becoming, not just where we are.

People who will look past our flaws and our struggles and still choose to invest in us and put into our potential.

If we truly want to see change, we cannot rely on restrictions alone.

We have to invest in connections, consistency, accountability, and community.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next, we have Corey McSwain.

Good afternoon.

My name is Claire McSwain.

I'm also known as the Kid President.

I'm a student at Friendship Technology Preparatory Academy, a proud water youth leader, the chief of staff for Student Government Association, and the founder and CEO of the King Your President Coalition for Progress, which is a youth advocacy organization committed to empowering young people and creating real lasting change in our communities.

And today I'm here to speak, not to make anyone comfortable, but to be clear.

Youth are not the problem, but we are being filled by the systems that are supposed to guide us, protect us, and invest in us.

And what we are seeing right now, the so-called youth takeover is not random.

It is a response.

It is what happens after years of neglect and consistency and missed opportunities.

And when young people like structure, access and support, they will find something else.

And that is just the reality of it.

Now let's talk about accountability to parents.

Parenting is a responsibility, not just the title, presence and structure matters.

But many parents are working multiple jobs and we are never given the support they need it.

So, yes, accountability belongs to parents, but also to a system that must support families instead of leaving them on their own.

To city leadership, stop making decisions about us without us in the room and stop funding programs that don't reach the youth who actually need them.

Because right now we are more comfortable reacting to problems than preventing them.

And let's be honest.

There is always money after something always goes wrong, but when youth ask for opportunities ahead of time, we hear there's no budget, or we can't.

That is unacceptable.

Why is it easier to fund failure than invest in potential?

There are young people in the city with real ideas, real businesses, and real leaderships, but they are being told no until it's too late.

So here's what we need.

Youth centers open after schools and weekends, paid jobs starting at 14th, a youth innovation fund, real mentorship, mental health support, and transportation access.

There are not realistic demands, they are necessary investments.

And to my fellow youth, we also have responsibility.

We must make better decisions and lead our sales forward.

But we are not asking for handouts.

We are asking for a fair chance.

This is shared accountability, youth parents, and leadership.

Everybody has a role.

And at the end of the day, this is our city.

And if we want something different, we have to do something different.

And I'm being honest and unapologetic because this moment demands truth, not comfort.

The youth that watching, the youth are ready, the youth are capable.

And the question is would the system meet us halfway, or will we keep having the same conversation year after year and after every problem?

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

I'm gonna um I'm ask a couple of questions.

Uh oh no, I have Sanaya.

I'm sorry, it's Sunai, Sinai Miles.

Next.

Um, to clarify, I'm not Sanai, but I am her peer who will be speaking for her.

Okay, what is your name?

My name is Taylor Riddle.

Okay.

I am 16 years old and I'm a student at Anacosia High School.

Today I'm here to speak about the current uh youth curfew in DC and why we need to focus on real alternatives that support young people instead of simply restricting them.

Right now, DC is enforcing a youth curfew that prevents anyone under 18 from being outside between 11 p.m.

and 6 a.m.

with additional curfew zones that can start as early as 8 p.m.

in certain areas.

While this policy is meant to address safety concerns, it does not address the root causes of why young people are outside in the first place.

Curfews are a temporary solution.

Instead of investing in policing youth behavior, we should be investing in youth by expanding access to late-night recreation, safe community spaces, and programs that give young people somewhere positive to go.

We also need more mental health resources, mentorship and job opportunities so young people feel supported and engaged.

At the same time, you should have a real voice in these decisions.

That is why the youth governing council is so important.

It ensures that young people can share their experiences and help shape solutions that actually work.

If the goal is safety, then the solutions must include trust, investment, and collaboration with youth, not just restrictions.

We cannot curfew our way out of challenges that require community-based solutions.

I urge the council to prioritize our alternatives that empower young people rather than police them.

Um when you invest in youth, you invest in a safer and stronger DC.

Before I finish, I will also like to ask why there's questioning about the erratic behavior of youth when you guys are cutting the mental the funding for mental health uh resources.

Thank you for your time.

No, thank you.

Thank you.

I just want to make sure I have your last name.

What is your last name?

Red out.

Got it.

Got it.

Thank you.

Um, all right.

I have two general questions.

Feel free uh to jump in.

Um one is around mental health, and so I'm gonna pick up where you left off, Taylor.

We hear that a lot, but what does that actually look like for young people?

Where are examples where you've seen mental health resources or individuals be able to reach young people successfully?

Yeah, working.

And inside the schools, and I I just generally speaking, I think a lot of times we make things recomplicated, and it has to be children are in school, we can go to school and support them there.

But like me, I have a council, I have a counselor or therapist that I meet with consistently, and she had pulled me out of class and helped me.

And even though there's only about like six or eight of people on what we call our wellness team, which are certified therapists, they do their job and span out to uh about three to four hundred kids in my school.

So being in school and supporting the existing frameworks that are there to fund for like my school has 300 students.

We shouldn't only have eight people in the wellness team.

Uh I don't I don't know if it's because our school is small or it's because of the funding issue.

But if we're talking about providing mental health support, we need to meet them where they're at, which is at school.

Understood.

Others.

I would like to second that.

Hello, can you hear me?

Yes, we can hear you.

Yeah, I would like to second that thought.

I feel like my school, Benjamin Banner Academic High School does a pretty good job at meeting us where we're at.

Um my counselors, Ms.

Henderson, Ms.

Boone, Miss Klein is Davis, and also our um our therapists, like Miss Desin, they all always checking in, always allowing us the space and opportunity to come to them.

It's a safe environment.

Um they help me once before with something personal, and they're always checking in, always telling us, yeah, come to my lunch, and it's not like a come to my lunch and uh just to say it, they mean it, and they're always emailing us um different health resources and scholarships and all this type of stuff.

So I feel like it all starts in school, and if we um put more money towards DCPS, I know next year a lot of DCPS funding is getting cut.

I feel like out of that funding, most of like a lot should be going into the guidance counselors because that's where a lot of teens feel comfortable.

I feel like really insightful if you wanted to do that.

Can I third that yes?

Okay, so this is that's the reference to technology preparatory academy.

I go to a small school, too.

It's only about 300, 200 students at most.

And I feel like we only have about, well, I know I go see my therapist, and she's always welcome.

And whenever I'm in a crisis, she's always there for me.

Not only that, but if my therapist is not there, the teachers are another resource that are there for us.

So even if we don't have enough counselors, the teachers are always there.

They always put in effort to make sure that we're okay because at the end of the day, it takes uh it takes a village, it takes a community, and they always make us feel like we're not alone.

Even if this person is not here one day, okay, you still have us.

So I feel like it really does, like I piggyback on it, really do start the schools and stuff.

Like if we don't have our enough therapists or guidance counselors, we always have our teachers and principals who reach out and make sure that we're good.

They make sure that we have what we need to be successful, and they never set us up for failure.

So we should look more into the schools and provide more money to schools so they can better come up with better resources, more resources other than just the school house because it school ends at 3:30, it's not much that they can do in that time period.

Understood.

Thank you.

Rain, you wanted to jump in?

Yeah, yeah, I just wanted to say that I agree there are like it does start at the schools, but then again, there are students who don't go to smaller schools and whose schools don't actually have you know a lot of hands-on council members, and I feel like something that could be helpful with that, or like more programs like the Went Center.

That was something that I was involved in.

And I feel like, yeah, there are programs, but it would be like more programs that are specific to youth mental health, like the Went Center would be extremely helpful because I feel it doesn't kind of it it's like let me think.

It helps, but like most programs is just like a specific thing that we're gonna do, and yeah, it may be helpful, but like I also have these other problems going on in the went center.

I feel like it really helped with that, you know.

Yeah, okay.

And that's outside of school.

It's it's inside of school and outside of school.

But meaning you can access it even outside of the traditional school day.

Yeah.

Got it.

Thank you.

I'm gonna turn to council member Treon White if you have any questions.

Yes, thank you.

I I do I don't have a question, I have a comment.

I guess for me, I'm just extremely proud of our young people.

I've just been listening to them on all these different panels, and I just uh I feel overwhelmed with emotions that you know we all use the off the stereotype to ostracize and just saying what they can't do, and we just a clear example of what they can do.

And to those who are and being around them, encouraging them, uplift them, give them information.

I think that's critical.

Um I just think that we have to not just listen but implement what they're saying.

It does no good for us to come to these meetings and hearings and listen and then can't follow through on that.

So it's on us as leaders to make sure they got a brighter future so they can become whatever they desire to be.

Uh a lot of these young people I know personally, so I see them in action.

But I'm also concerned um about those young people that are not as engaged, uh in the hallways, maybe not in school, getting those counselors, maybe don't have the parent at home that to direct them or redirect them, um, that just need a little more guidance, a little more love, a little more direction.

So uh I'm just in a listening mode.

Uh my staff is here taking notes.

We want to make sure we circle back to all of our colleagues.

I want to thank everyone who participated, even adults who uh spoken us with Dominique here earlier, and though it's uh Tia who uh runs Trick or Project, all those organizations that pour into our young people to ensure that they get what they need to be successful, and we have to put more into them so they can in turn put more into our young people.

Um, thank you for that.

I I I do have one follow-up.

Um, you cut me off.

Oh, I'm sorry, I thought you were done, Councilmember.

Go for it.

What I was gonna say is as we think about the cuts to uh medical insurance, Medicare.

We think about our cuts to um violence prevention programs, our cuts to mental health services, our cuts to uh our school budget, our cuts to organizations that affect the parents and affect the household, which often affects our young people.

So all of it's intertwined, and all of it has uh we we felt funding 90 million dollars for the police department.

So we send out a message about what we really care about.

It's my hope, and I appreciate the leadership on this councilman Parker and all those who voted no on it on the uh the bill for the Tron, the Troncy bill, um surf re bill, but I think we have to go a step further to go make sure we have resources club in to make sure they have alternatives to doing self-destructive.

Um to make it just make sure they can do stuff constructive for those who are not as engaged.

I just want to say that I want to thank you all for speaking today.

I appreciate you all.

Thank you.

And again, my apologies.

I um I think there may have been a glitch there.

Uh, I did want to ask one follow-up.

Uh I've been clear that I don't uh support the extension of the designated curfews, but I want to play devil's advocate and I want to get your response.

There are some that would say if there is uh an incident two weeks from now, three weeks from now, and we don't have this curfew, how can we respond to hundreds of young people descending on you you name the area, let's say you street or Navy Yard.

Can I ask a question to that?

So is the problem the youth groups?

Like is it is it groups of young people again?

I'm playing devil's advocate, so this isn't me talking, but uh what I would imagine some people would say is, and we actually heard the mayor say this on national television, when you have hundreds of young people gathering, it creates uh a greater likelihood that something's going to happen, either between the young people themselves or young people in the police, and so it's safer if we can disband uh the young people from gathering.

What would be your response for what we should be doing in the immediate sense outside of a curfew?

Um if no one's going to answer, I would like to answer, please.

Sure.

Jump in.

Okay.

Um I would like to say that during protests, it's groups of people walking, and um I feel like police are there to escort them.

So I feel like maybe that's something we can do.

If it's like the quote unquote teen takeovers, instead of um pro I mean, like instead of being there to like get the teens as soon as something goes down, police can be there to just navigate the teens and still give them the space to hang out because there aren't many third third-party spaces for teens to hang out anymore.

So it's we have to go to these places and do what we have to do to hang out.

So instead of um being ready to attack and arrest, you can just help and nurture the space so that teens still feel safe and that nothing well, nothing is never going to happen, but less happens.

Thank you for that.

Thank you for that.

Go for it.

Can I add on to?

Uh let me go here in the room and then I'll come to you.

Go for it.

Okay, thank you.

Yeah.

Uh Zach, I just want to give you some context of my experience at the council.

Council member Parker, respectfully.

So we are gonna still be in order.

Uh so the last time I came to the council, I testified about the curfew.

Yes.

And I bring up a study that synthesized 7,000 instances of youth curfews across the country.

And they all prove to be ineffective.

If you look it up in database, I got it.

I got it.

So I'm you're preaching to the choir, but they are still because you're you're pushing forward this rhetoric trying to be the devil's advocate.

You're not going to be able to do that.

But the people out there, there is a pressure point.

There are constituents that are demanding the city to do something.

And what I'm asking you all is what is the something?

We know what we don't want, but what can we do in the immediate?

And so what I heard today is well, your ideas are good, Councilmember Parker.

I appreciate that.

But that's going to take time for us to do that.

That's going to take months and years.

And so again, the emphasis is on what can we do in the immediate sense outside of the curfew, which I agree is not the answer.

Um like many people have stated, if there were better alternatives, especially positive spaces, then youth, you wouldn't have a bunch of young people outside.

I also think there needs to be better training with police of how to handle youth because we don't have guns, at least most of us don't, and we're not walking around with knives and mace and all that, like the police is there's so much protection, yet there's this fear, and I'm wondering what this fear is coming from because we aren't the ones that's threatening any harm.

I also just want to say I don't understand why there's this big problem with hundreds of young people, but there isn't a problem with a bunch of adults.

I mean, adults, we get these behaviors from them.

They're the ones that's drinking and then they're doing public indecency, and yet there seems to be more news coverage on what the youth are doing, and that's my issue.

No, thank you for that.

Any last take this?

And and also I want to say what what takes a long time about asking direct centers to be open later.

That that was a direct thing that I would requested here, and I I you can let me know if I'm viewing this wrong because I'm not a government official, but it feels like hey, DPR, open this up later, or is it not that simple?

Because I I gave you multiple layers of solvency from me and from things that I collected from young people, and this is what we want.

You say that you don't know, you do know the immediate because we all been in here saying it to you the entire hearing.

I I agree that I think those are immediate solutions.

Uh there is good to cursing cost, uh, but what I'm asking the question for is to lift up for more of the naysayers.

While this hearing is happening, we have other government officials, we have other government officials, not the people in this room.

Other government officials that are council member, not in this here, not in this room.

Listen to me, listen.

There are other government officials, there are federal officials that want to criminalize you all.

There are those of us that are standing in a gap to say this is not the way to go.

There are also residents and neighbors that are saying, well, we have to do something.

Because to do nothing uh is not satisfactory.

And so I just want you all to know my team is taking notes of the ideas like extending uh wreck hours.

Uh you say it may not be that simple.

I agree that comes with a cost, but I would argue that's a cost that the city should pay for and the a cost that is worth expending.

Um, but your ideas are hopefully going to lead to a solution.

I'll give you the last word.

Um I just wanted to mention well, you said that um doing something is better than doing nothing, but I feel like we have been doing nothing, at least when it comes to you guys.

We've said multiple times the things we want, and even before everything has happened, we've constantly advocated, and yet you guys gave us no results.

That's fair.

I think that's a very fair criticism.

I just I would like to say something really fast.

Um you said, like what other ideas would we have aside from the youth curfew, but as with like me and my peers here, because I know them.

We've been here multiple times, and we've done this many times over, and I feel like I don't know, we've introduced different things besides a youth youth curfew, but it's just being ignored.

That's very fair at this point.

Well, I will say a lot of what you all have highlighted.

I shared a letter with the mayor, and I'll say this for those in the public.

I shared a letter with the mayor with many of these recommendations, including extending rec hours.

Um, and so now I'm able to go back to say we had a hearing and we heard from dozens of young people to say, actually, this would help us.

Um let's actually match the dollars with those recommendations.

But shouldn't it have been a thing instead of us jumping to do something?

Why and jumping to do something and then a bunch of people expressing that they're not okay with this.

Why isn't it that you we all y'all couldn't like come to the youth first or come to anybody first before it was just decided?

Oh, let's make a youth curfew that we have seen is not effective, has not worked, has been very detrimental.

But yes, this is a good idea.

Let's all do this.

I think that's a very fair question of government, and I think we need to create more spaces like this.

Uh for the sake of time, we're gonna keep moving, but thank you all for your testimony.

Thank you, thank you.

So I just want to check one more time.

It's uh Sanai Miles is not here.

She's not here.

Okay.

Naomi Bunilla or Bunya, if I didn't say that right.

Uh I don't think she's here, but I'm gonna call the name Samaya Best.

Naya Barrow.

Denim I'm sorry, say that one more time.

Naye Burrow.

Uh Denim Matthews.

I am butchering names today.

I'm sorry.

I'm sorry, y'all.

Jamila Summers.

Are you Jamila?

If you can come sit on the front, and then we'll get you on the next panel.

All right.

Naomi, you can begin.

Okay.

Good afternoon, Council members, and thank you for the opportunity to speak today.

My name is Naomi Bonia, and I attend McKinley Technology.

I'm here to speak against the proposed youth curfew.

While I understand that safety is a priority, a youth curfew is not a real solution to the issues our city is facing.

Curfews assume that young people are the problem instead of addressing the root causes of crime, such as lack of resources, safe spaces and opportunities for youth.

Many of us are responsible, hardworking students who participate in extracurricular activities, jobs, and community programs that may take us to the evening.

A curfew could unfairly target and criminalize youth, especially those who are simply trying to get home safely or spend time in their communities.

It risk and it risk increasing unnecessary interactions between young people and law enforcements, which can create more harm than good.

Instead of investing in polices that restrict youth, I urge the council to invest in us.

We need more accessible programs, mental health resources, safe recreational spaces, and support systems that actually prevent crime and help youth people thrive.

Please do not pass a policy that limits our freedom without addressing the deeper issues affecting our city.

Thank you for your time and listening to my testimony.

Thank you for your testimony.

I I don't want to butcher it again.

Naya.

Naya, if you can push the microphone.

There you go.

Good afternoon.

My name is Naya.

I'm a junior at Bar High School Early College.

Um this is my testimony.

TINA 17 is supposed to feel inside exciting, but it's hard to feel that way when you're constantly worried about your safety.

For many people, young people in DC, our reality is that the streets don't always feel safe.

It's scary knowing that friends have been robbed, hearing about classmates being killed, and then watching everything go back to normal like it didn't happen.

Over time, it starts to feel like we're getting used to violence, and that's not okay.

It shouldn't be normal.

We need more awareness.

We need real solutions.

What if we had more safe spaces?

Community centers that stay open later, programs that teach real usable skills, spaces where young people can grow, create, and just be kids without fear.

I've experienced what that kind of support looks like.

I've been part of a program where people genuinely care, where they don't give up on you.

People like Ms.

Leslie, who give who goes above and beyond to help us find opportunities and believe in ourselves.

We need more of that.

More mentorship, more after school activities that people actually will engage in, more spaces where we can express ourselves through art creativity and leadership, more resources that help us to build a future, not just survive the present.

Because we are not the problem, we are the potential.

And if you invest in us, we will show you what is possible.

All it takes is one adult to make you feel heard and seen.

Another thing is we don't need a curfew to be safe because stuff happens at any time of day.

I feel like the government is scared and use DC residents and teams as an excuse for all the extra law enforcements, is more of a political thing.

Our president and other people seen as powerful, put us in these predicaments outside of our communities and try to flip it on us.

Just like in the 80s and 90s with the super predators narrative that demonized youth.

Um we can't run from our reality.

Our voices matter, yes, but has anybody thought to advertise the problems going on with the real world that would that will affect our education and our future that will rob us of the opportunities to make it the college or even be motivated to get there.

Thank you.

Thank you for your testimony.

Thank you for this opportunity.

My name is Dennis Matthews.

I go to Stuart Hobson Middle School in the eighth grade, and it's my testimony.

One way to fix this is by investing in teen and things teams actually care about, like late-night recent sports leagues, sport leagues, music programs, and creative spaces that give them them somewhere to positive to go.

Mentorship programs can also help by connecting teams with people who understand them and can guide them instead of only focusing on punishing them.

Punishing communities should focus on giving young people real opportunities like jobs, internships, and skill building programs so they can build a future.

When teens feel supported and have something meaningful to work toward, they're much they're much less likely to get involved in risky situations and the whole community benefits.

Thank you for your testimony.

Uh, if you hang out one second, we will have some questions.

This is Jamila here.

All right.

Uh what is your name?

Are you Naomi?

Okay.

You make proceed with your testimony.

Good afternoon, Council members.

My name is Naomi Red, and I am testifying in the place of Samaia Best.

I am a 17-year-old high school junior.

Thank you for your time.

You all, as council members should be doing a better job at appealing to your youth audiences by giving us safe spaces to be um to use as outlets.

When you guys attempted to do so in the past, like the spring break events, they have been geared more towards youth in between the ages of 10 and 14.

Whereas I'm an arising adult and oftentimes found these types of events boring.

When youth are bored, they are more inclined to go outside and want to express themselves in ways that the council's decisions don't allow.

Even if you even if youth aren't bored, there still should be spaces made for youth in general.

DC has a lack of youth spaces, more specifically for the young adult bracket of youth between ages 15 and 18.

We need we need spaces to hang out and be kids.

Now I'd like to go more to outside and take over culture.

Not every teen is involved in these events, therefore all youth shouldn't be punished for it.

The constant curfews have proven to solve nothing and continuously proves to make DC a hostile environment for youth people.

I mean, young people, oof, like myself.

Every other weekend I hear about people around my age that look like me being detained or locked up for trying to stimulate themselves.

Even if youth aren't participating in tick takeovers, if they are caught in curfew zones, they are being treated poorly by police and other law enforcement agencies.

DC has become an over police place that isn't a place for youth, knowing that you all still treat us as if we are what makes DC a dangerous place.

How can you all set curfews and then not be and then not have teen-specific spaces for us and then wonder why we are outside?

As youth, we are tired of not having a place to go and not having anything to do.

But on the same hand, I will hold my peers accountable for causing having and participating in illegal activities, but that does not give you all the green light to treat us all like criminals.

Please invest more in youth and young adult spaces.

Please don't take away the little support that good that is given to us.

Once again, thank you for your time, Council members.

Thank you for your testimony.

And I believe that is it for this panel.

I want to ask a question or a series of questions about accountability.

That's a word that keeps getting thrown about.

How do you all think we should hold young people accountable when things at these meetups go left or don't, you know, there is a violent fight or something.

What is accountabil effective accountability look like?

Well, I haven't participated in any of the meetups because sadly I prioritize every other things.

But I feel like um as far as holding yourself accountable, I wouldn't go anywhere knowing that there's a possibility that will lead to something else.

Like, even though I understand because people, my little brother, my family members, other people do participate in these things.

And taking accountability more so my little brother, he was recording while some kids was fighting and stuff, and I told him you shouldn't even have went, you shouldn't be recording.

Like even if you're not gonna hold yourself accountable, because I wasn't there to hold myself accountable, but I'm gonna hold him accountable.

You shouldn't be a part of that crowd.

You you gotta separate yourself from that crowd.

Not saying that you don't have to, you can't hang with these people because of that.

But when things go left, you're gonna be put into this category, you're gonna be um forgot the word, but it was a word.

But basically, you want to be categorized as this type of person.

You you're gonna be seen as you are what you hang around, even if you're not, and that's just the sad reality.

So you don't have to be a part of it to be labeled as that.

And that's where it goes left.

Understood.

What is effective accountability look like for anybody?

It could be for government, for parents, for young people.

You want to say more?

Sorry, but it does mean change.

When you're holding yourself accountable, you have to change.

Because you cannot, you can hold yourself accountable without saying it out loud.

You know you need to be held accountable for something.

So change is the first part.

Can I be honest with you all?

I hear remarks from adults sometimes that make me uncomfortable.

I hear things like these kids are out of control.

These we need the uh young people are talked about in a way that I think is not productive and is not representative of the brilliance clearly on display.

There is a disdain almost that some adults have when they are speaking about youth in the district.

Um what I will say is a lot of kids don't demonstrate their way in it their self in that type of light.

Like when you get on a bus, like, and say if somebody say, hey, good afternoon, like you're gonna think, oh, why is this lady talking to me?

But other people engage in conversations because a lot of the people be stuck up, a lot of my peers, like people you will give sometimes you give people a reason to think things about you, but then sometimes your silence also kills like that.

What about others?

It seems like you want to jump in.

I just wanted to say that these stereotypes come from adults like you with power that put these, push these stereotypes onto these children like myself, and then come back and question us.

But it it doesn't make sense.

And I I want to understand where you're coming from.

I'm not saying I share that view, but I'm just being honest.

I want us to have an honest conversation.

That I'm what I'm saying is that is the perception that some adults have, or that we hear leaders um having in the public about young people.

I I know you all are great and amazing and brilliant, and part of the conversation I'm hoping today, yes, is about advancing solutions, but it's also to better understand the motivations for some of the behavior that we're seeing.

So on the last panel, I think I heard a young person say uh young people are being provoked.

Like when you put the curfew in place, it's provoking young people to show up and then act out.

Is that something you would agree with?

I do agree with that statement.

Um but the the flip side of the point is that why press for these curfews if it has continuously proven that it's not it's not helping anything.

People are still going out, the takeovers are still happening, while we still having curfews.

And I would agree with you.

That's exactly what I said the last legislative meeting.

Yeah, my question is so what you know what happened on the news.

Uh the mayor standing next to the U.S.

attorney spoke with um characterize young people in a way that I don't think repres is representative of what we're seeing here today.

And so what I'm trying to get at in this conversation is how help me help you.

Help us protect young people in this district.

Um and how do we move beyond yes, curfew, no curfew?

Like we need a separate conversation, which is what I'm trying to push us towards.

But I appreciate your perspective.

I haven't heard from these two.

Either of you want to jump in.

Um I just want to say, you know, summer is kind of coming up, and if we're already having events like this during the summertime, it's gonna be more and stuff.

It's gonna keep building up.

But I know that the curfew, you know, y'all guys may, you guys may not listen.

So I think that we should have programs that could train youth leaders to like de-escalate situations because sometimes teens tend to like understand other teens.

So some teens can be Can you elaborate on that?

I I totally get that, and I agree with that.

But how how do we stand something like that up across the city in a short amount of time?

Honestly, I'll have to think about that.

But it's already some programs like Black Son, they kind of help us out.

We have DC Girls Coalition, um, United for Freedom, Global Kids, and stuff like that, and those kind of help us like understand how we could guide our other peers and help them out.

Awesome.

Awesome.

Last word.

Okay, this is the last thing.

When even the curfews, it is a problem, but then it's not because when kids um violence happened, kids die like young deaths in the community, and it'd be other people in our community killing other people.

So we can't just say that the curfew is just like it's about fun and kids wanting to get out because what happens when you do go have fun and then stuff that's already been happening before the curfew happened because parents look the point of fing point of finger at somebody, like somebody gotta account for their child dying, basically, and they look to go point the finger, but with these curfews, it's like I like my free will, I would like to do what I want to do, and I'm sure other kids do too, but also it does like I feel like we don't look at the bigger picture, we just look at oh, we want to have fun.

But like some kids don't get to be a kid anymore, like you have to grow up faster.

So it's like although y'all want to prioritize y'all fun and stuff, but the safety been an issue and it's still gonna be an issue with these curfews.

It's gonna be more kids out.

Some people are just like ignorant, like they like the star violence, they like to do the stuff for the fun just for the fun of it.

And putting these people all together, it just like it makes them like easier to start these things and make it easier for these things to happen.

Now I do feel like kids need more opportunities.

Like some people are not gonna make it.

Last thought.

Oh, I'm sorry.

Some people are not gonna make it um educationally, so they need other ways.

They need to know that they can make it yeah, different trades and different things.

Well, thank you.

Uh and what you're getting at is this is complicated.

It is a complicated um situation, but your testimony is really insightful and important, and thank you for joining us today.

Uh we are going to start this next panel with Jamila.

Makaiah King Brooks or Makai King Brooks.

Said it again?

Sure.

How do you say your name?

Makai?

Mackay.

Got it.

And it's Gabriel.

Is Stephen Cook here?

Stephen Cook.

Okay, Jamila, you can begin.

Okay.

Hello?

Okay.

Good evening, Chairman, council members, and everyone present.

My name is Jamila Summers, and I'm here today to speak about the proposed youth curfew change.

I'm a resident of Ward 8.

I'm 15 years old.

I attend Washington Leadership Academy, and I'm here as a youth advocate for never black down.

I understand the purpose of curfews is to keep youth safe.

I want to explain how moving the curfew earlier actually puts youth, us as youth in a more inconvenient position instead of the protection that's trying to be enforced.

I am currently a sophomore high school student that also attends UDC and rely on public transportation to get home.

Because of class schedules, bus schedules, and train delays, I'm constantly traveling after the proposed curfew time.

Because I'm not causing trouble, but because I'm simply trying to get home after safely after furthering my education.

If this curfew is moved earlier, youth could be stopped, questioned, or even put in a stressful, dangerous emotional or mental situation while doing the right thing.

Being outside after 9 p.m.

does not automatically mean a young person is doing something wrong.

As a young woman, I also worry about my safety while traveling.

Public transportation is unpredictable.

If I miss one bus or train, I may have to wait longer or even walk further.

During that time, I am vulnerable of being approached by the wrong people.

But I should not have to be to not have to have fear of being ambushed, profiled, or treated like a criminal by the same authorities that are supposed to protect and keep me safe simply because I'm trying to make it home.

Instead of strict to curfew, I believe the city should focus on creating safer solutions for youth, such as safer transportation options, more community programs, and safe spaces where young people can go if they are delayed.

This can be done by aligning curfew policies with actual school and transit schedules, extending hours at recreation centers near major transit routes, and creating designated safe transit zones where youth can wait without fear of being stopped or questioned.

If the goal is safety, then the solution should meet us where where we actually are, not where people assume we are.

I understand the question of ensuring all teens do right.

I've heard it from other responses.

They can't just create spaces, but they have to build trust with us.

That means involving youth in the planning, hiring people we can relate to and placing these spaces where we already are.

Like near transit stops in schools.

If young people feel safe and they feel like they have a guide and not a therapist trying to fix something that's not broken but hurting, it's more likely to actually use those spaces.

Please consider youth like me, students, workers, and young people with responsibilities before making decisions that affect our daily lives.

Thank you.

Thank you for your testimony.

Uh next we'll have Makai.

So after the day I had today, I don't really have much of a random testimony to speak up.

It's just what I seen.

Um, so far what I seen and what I heard.

You asking what the problem is.

I feel like everybody needs to be held accountable at this point.

Today was for the youth.

We were supposed to be able to represent each other and represent ourselves.

It shouldn't, it should be no reason why right now it's 705 and it's still part of the youth still speaking.

It's so many adults that already spoke.

How can we receive an APM curfew when we got people like us doing this out here right now?

If we gotta go catch the Metro home, we're not gonna make it home by 8 o'clock.

We out here doing the right thing, and that's what we continue to do every day.

I came out here to represent my people, and I'm gonna make sure I did that.

Uh when I came up here first, it was at least six people up here.

It's two of y'all left up here, but I'm still here.

I just want that to be known.

So if I feel like if anything, the reason why we're here today is a reason why we don't deserve our curfew.

A Trey, you said he's been there so many times.

Have you seen the look in his eyes?

He is tired.

We are tired for fighting for our community.

This is not the first time I see none of these faces in this room.

And that's crazy.

Because the answers are in your face.

We've been asking for for years.

We're not getting an answer.

You guys are our council members.

Treyon White, when Treyon White first came, he got most of popularity.

He was there every time at Ward 8.

Every time something happened.

He was there on the scene.

He was there for the family.

What's going on right now?

Now we're taking away all of our places, all of our buildings are gone, all of our rights are gone.

We still pay taxes too.

We still work as minors sometimes when we are able to actually get that job once we make it that far, because you know it's really hard to find employment, especially as youth in DC.

Once we make it that far, how is the curfew gonna help us?

We still got a balanced school.

My name is Mikai King Brooks.

I'm from Ward 8.

I grew up in a 10-place Willow Road community.

I go to Thurgood Marshall Academy, Public Charter High School with a 4.5 GPA.

I love to represent my people.

This is what I do.

This is what I came out here to do, no matter how long I was gonna have to stay out here, because that's what I do.

It's not enough of our people out here.

Like I said, everybody here, I seen them before inside of a different room.

It's the same of us.

Keep speaking about what we need and what we want done.

And it's not happening.

How many times do we got to say how many times do the cycle got to happen over and over and over again?

We know it's people in the bad bunch.

How many times do you have to hear the same story about the same trauma in the same neighborhoods?

I just looked you up.

You grew up in Chicago.

You don't even know how it gets in DC.

You don't know how it is going up from right here as from a minor.

Like I done seen a lot.

I'm still young.

It's still much more to see.

I haven't seen anything yet.

But I already been through a lot.

I'm not trying to keep going through this.

All this curfew, curfew.

You can't stop us.

Y'all already said there's thousands of us.

We gotta find better solutions out here.

We're giving you guys solutions.

We're giving you guys answers.

Make it happen.

Because no matter how much they try, we do not go in.

We don't I went, I went through our spring break.

I went to a few of the takeovers just to see what it was like because I was working.

I was driving around the city.

I wasn't, I was disengaged with the city.

This spring break, I really engaged with my community.

I met a lot of the party hosts at some of the quote unquote takeovers.

They're not takeovers, they're youth gatherings at public locations.

That's what they are, but that's not what the police want to hear.

We out there chilling, we having water, like we playing outside in the sun and water, and the police is coming trying to tear us down and bring us apart.

Like, no, that's not that's not what it was.

It was not one fight out there until the police came out there trying to fight with us.

You can't send ice on the other people and send the police against the natives.

We're from here.

This is chocolate city.

You're not taking it from us, not from the youth.

Never.

Nobody can ever.

So I just want everybody to see this to know that's how I truly feel right now.

I don't have much of a testimony to speak.

There's no need to apologize.

I I appreciate your testimony.

Um, Gabriel is next.

But let me just say this about the adults testifying.

I think that's fair criticism.

The hearing was set to start at three o'clock today.

What we knew is that three o'clock was before many young people got out of school.

And so we set to have a handful of adults start the conversation while we worked with parents and advocates to get the young people here.

What you may not know, and some people may not be aware of, we had technical difficulties that delayed us about 30 to 40 minutes.

And we have been pivoting trying to catch up in time.

But I think it is a very fair criticism.

Um, but uh we welcomed advocates, parents, and folks working with young people uh to share their insights as well.

Uh, but I want it to be clear.

The point of today's hearing was to hear from our young people.

And if I have to stay here to midnight, I'm happy to do that.

Um, and I do not pretend to know everything.

I did not grow up in DC.

I can tell you the challenges in Chicago are uh very real.

Uh they are having similar challenges.

And what I would offer you to think about is that this isn't a DC problem.

It is a systemic problem.

It's a problem rooted in our country.

So I I I appreciate the passion.

Keep the passion.

And what I'm offering you is that I want to work with you and your peers to come up with solutions.

I get it.

I really get it.

What you I'm I'm taking a lot of heat, uh, but I get that that's because city leaders for too long have not listened to our young people.

They're criminalizing you, they demean you when they talk about you.

They uh they are scared of a lot of our young people.

And what I know to be true is that our young people are brilliant.

So I'll get off my soapbox.

Uh, but today's hearing is in fact to do what you uh encouraged us to do.

So, Gabriel, I'll give you the floor.

Good afternoon, chairman, everyone present.

My name is Gabriel Evans.

I live in Woolwick, and I'm an attendant of Thurgood Marshall Academy Public Charter School, and I'm here today to speak on the curfew giving us youth as a community.

I feel as though the curfew giving us was meant to keep the community safe, but also puts innocent bastards in the middle of danger.

Additionally, this also gives the police department another reason to randomly stop us and check us all through to our skin colors or the way we dress or how many of us it is.

For example, for all my athletes out there, how you think it feels when we randomly just get approached by police officers, the ones that are supposed to protect us, just come up to you and slap handcuffs on your wrist and throw you in the back of a cop car.

All because you're outside beyond your curfew.

It just doesn't feel right.

If they're here to protect us, why be the ones to try to put fear in the youth?

That's not something a role model should do.

They should be leading us to safety, not danger.

Also, as a speaker for the youth, I just wanted to state it.

I don't feel safe in my own city.

Thank you for listening to Matt.

You have you have some more time.

Can you elaborate on that last statement?

Yeah, I basically just want to say, like, it just don't make sense.

Like, we was obviously born and said we're growing up here.

Everybody outside every day.

Obviously, everybody knew each other.

We grew up with each other.

We go and do dumb stuff.

It's out of spike.

We still young.