On Feb 6, the DC Council had their first vote on the Crimnibus aka Councilmember Pinto and Mayor Bowser’s “Secure DC” Omnibus in their legislative meeting. While this hyper-racist crime bill passed the first vote, HUNDREDS of you called & emailed and PACKED the Council meeting, resulting in some critical harmful provisions being removed from the bill!

These harm reduction amendments are an important win. Unfortunately, many dangerous provisions still remain and the second and FINAL vote is coming up on March 5th. We know that community pressure is working! So, please take 30 seconds to email DC Council and take just 2 minutes to call at least 1 Councilmember to tell them to:

1. Stay strong and not let Councilmember Pinto roll back the harm reduction amendments from the first vote!
2. Remove the harmful provisions remaining in the bill at the second and final vote on March 5th!

Scroll for more information about what happened at the first vote!

Sample script:

Hi, My name is _____, I live in Ward ___, and I am calling to ask you not to roll back the important harm reduction amendments passed during the first reading of Secure DC. The Council was right to remove the invasive, expanded DNA collection provisions from the bill and make the expansion of pretrial detention temporary. Please stay strong and keep these amendments at second reading!

I also ask that you remove the remaining harmful provisions in Secure DC. Specifically:

• Do not revive old, ineffective, and racist practices, like drug-free zones and anti-mask laws, which Council already unanimous repealed years ago
• Do not expand MPD’s power to kill and injure DC residents. We should not make it easier for cops to use neck restraints or engage in deadly police chases
• Do not expand prosecution, lengthen prison sentences, or change the Sentencing Commission
• Do not broaden current surveillance practices, like GPS monitoring and camera subsidies
• Do not reduce transparency and oversight over the police. Cops should not be allowed to view body camera footage before writing reports. MPD should not hide names of cops on adverse action hearing notices regarding police misconduct
• Do not create loopholes to recriminalize metro riders for fare evasion
• Do not make it easier to violate data privacy of children in the youth legal system

Phone numbers:

If you can, please call all 13 councilmembers. But if you can’t, prioritize calling your Ward’s Councilmember, the Chairman, and the At-large members! Remember to mention that you are a DC resident and/or a resident of that councilmember’s ward. Don’t know what Ward you’re in? Find out here.

What happened at the first vote:

Pretrial detention expansion is now temporary

• The original version of the crimnibus would have permanently made it easier to jail adults and children before trial, which is before they have been convicted of a crime. Data has repeatedly and consistently shown that pretrial detention is ineffective, increases crime, and ruins people’s lives.
• At the first vote, Councilmember McDuffie introduced an amendment that will make the expansion of pretrial detention temporary (225 days). The amendment passed 10-2! Ideally we would want to block the expansion of pretrial detention altogether, but stopping it from becoming permanent is still a big victory. But it is not over yet. Councilmember Pinto is pushing to bring back expansion of pretrial detention.

Expansion of DNA collection has been removed entirely

• The original version of the crimnibus would have required MPD to collect a DNA sample from a person arrested for a range of crimes, including any felony, even if DNA evidence isn’t at all relevant to the case. This is a broad invasion of privacy.
• At the first vote, Councilmembers McDuffie and Lewis-George introduced an amendment that removed the expansion of DNA collection and keeps the current law as is, limiting DNA collection to when a person is convicted of certain crimes. The amendment passed 9-4! But it is not over yet. Councilmember Pinto is pushing to bring back expanded DNA collection.

Record sealing and expungement expansion will happen sooner

• At the first vote, Councilmember Lewis-George introduced an amendment that will move up the implementation of the Second Chance Act, which expands eligibility for criminal record sealing and expungement in DC. It passed 10-3! This is a great win and critical protection for criminalized folks, who deserve to live and thrive without discrimination.

Teeny-tiny change to the anti-mask law

• The crimnibus revives DC’s overly broad anti-mask law that bans the wearing of masks by people if their "intent" is to commit a crime or to “intimidate” another person. Its broad language gives police the power to decide who they think is and isn't "legitimately" wearing a mask, making it easier for cops to target Black residents.
• Councilmember Henderson introduced an amendment (that passed) removing a provision that criminalized causing fear while wearing a mask. It is not enough. The whole anti-mask section needs to be removed.