Do you or someone you know have a car with a broken brake or tail light? Metro DC DSA is hosting a free Brake Light Repair Clinic! Stop by and we’ll replace your broken light for free while we learn more about how we can have safer streets without police.

Brake Light Repair Clinic

Sat, Nov 8, 2025 , 11am–4pm

(Rain date Nov 15)

Request a repair here

Outside the Autozone

955 Longfellow St NW

Washington, DC

Please spread the word to your neighbors! Also, if you’d like to volunteer to help us spread the word around Ward 4, we’ll be canvassing and wheatpasting on Saturday Oct 25 and Sunday, Nov 2 — rsvp here!

Why are we doing this? Because broken lights are used as an excuse for cops to pull Black, brown & poor people into the criminal legal system. In 2020, 77% of DC traffic stops for equipment violations were of Black residents, ending in ~200 arrests. DC residents with traffic debts over $100 are prohibited from renewing their licenses, making it difficult to go to work, school, the grocery store, or the doctor. And an unpaid ticket can snowball into a court appearance or worse.

But it doesn’t have to be this way. Berkeley, CA, and Cambridge, MA are among cities considering moving traffic enforcement from the police department to the department of transportation. The DC Council’s Police Reform Commission recommends this too. A new council bill, the Traffic Safety Enforcement Act, would be a good start: it would ban cops from stopping cars for minor infractions like broken lights, noise, tinted windows, and exhaust. This would reduce stops and help prevent cops from harassing residents. The neighboring state of Virginia and major cities like Philadelphia, Seattle, and Los Angeles have all banned stops for minor traffic violations, and Montgomery County, Maryland is also considering such a ban.

It’s time to rethink traffic safety altogether. DDOT workers could help fix broken lights instead of MPD fining you and threatening you with violence. Hoboken, NJ has had 0 traffic deaths in the last 4 years, all thanks to urban planning and non-police interventions. To truly make DC streets safe for everyone, we should invest in public transit by fully funding the Metro For D.C. Amendment Act of 2022, and create more pedestrian-only zones, speed bumps, protected bike lanes, etc — reducing traffic accidents and reliance on cars altogether