The Sackler family owns Purdue Pharma, the producer of OxyContin, the controversial drug at the center of the opioid crisis.

The demonstrators began the rally by chanting, 鈥淒OJ prosecute, DOJ prosecute.鈥� Activists held up a large Lisa Monaco banner demanding her not to shield the Sackler family from prosecution.

Listen to protestors chant demanding the DOJ to prosecute the Sackler family.

is stronger than morphine and is largely responsible for the opioid crisis in the United States, which claims the lives of more than 100 people a day, according to the .

Protesters, most of whom were parents or family members of victims of opioid addiction, held posters of their lost loved ones. One sign read 鈥淥xy profits cost lives; Purdue: The American cartel.鈥�

Danny Strong, a showrunner for the Hulu series Dopesick, a movie that depicts American struggle with opioid addiction, was a guest speaker at the rally. Strong called on Monaco to investigate the Sackler family. earlier this year that the DOJ would focus on white collar crimes. Strong said the Sackler鈥檚 role in the opioid epidemic family should absolutely be considered a white collar crime.

鈥淲e have a white collar case for you that demands actions by you and the Justice Department,” Strong said.

Strong said the Sackler family has caused too much harm and should be held accountable.

鈥淚t is undisputed that Purdue pharma invested in a multi-decade scheme to profit by poisoning American citizens to OxyContin, accusing hundreds of thousands of deaths in untold daily horror for the addicted and their families,鈥� Strong said.

In a prosecution and settlement with the Sacklers, the Department of Justice announced that Purdue Pharma鈥檚 prescription opioids led to the nation鈥檚 addiction and charged them more than 8 billion dollars.

Strong also said Purdue Pharma used an untrue sales pitch to market .

鈥淪o much of the data they gave to doctors, patients, hospitals attesting that the drug was not addictive, so much of this as we now are dishonest,鈥� Strong said. According to the , Purdue Pharma put money prioritize money over the well being of patients.

Strong said Purdue created fake studies to better market the prescription drug. According to a published in the American Journal of Public Health, Purdue sales representatives marketed OxyContin as a drug with a risk of less than 1%.

鈥淢ore than 700 thousand dead, millions of American families have been destroyed, millions more left in poverty and despair, lost in a cycle of addiction that they still struggle to free themselves to this day,鈥� Strong said.

Another speaker at the rally, Ryan Hampton, a recovering addict and author of 鈥淯nsettled: How the Purdue Pharma Bankruptcy Failed the Victims of the American Overdose Crisis,鈥� called on Monaco to give justice to the victims of oxycotin.

鈥淒eputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, I know you can hear us, this is for you and your boss Attorney General Merrick Garland: We need you to do what is right, we need the Department of Justice to indict the Sacklers for their crimes against Americans,鈥� Hampton said.

He said claimed she would hold people accountable and now is the time.

鈥淭he Sackler family are the deadliest white-collar criminals in our nation鈥檚 history and they have walked free for over 20 years, unchallenged and unpunished,鈥� Hampton said.

Lisa Becker said her family has suffered because of an addiction that started through OxyContin.

鈥淢y son has been in active addiction for about 10 years, he is in recovery right now,鈥� Becker said.

While trembling through tears, Kelly Deedly spoke of how her son Patrick died of a fentanyl overdose at the age of 25. is a powerful opioid that is similar to morphine but is 50-100 times more potent, according to the National Institutes of Health. It is often prescribed for chronic pain.

Deedly said her son Patrick, was a good child but started dabbling with prescription pills when he was 16.

鈥淏ut then OxyContin got hard to get and expensive, one pill would cost $15 or $20, heroin was cheaper and easier to get. A lot of the kids turned to heroin,” Deedly said.

She said the opioid crisis has brought so much suffering to families and the Sackler family should be prosecuted and sent to jail.

Since her October announcement about focusing on white collar crimes, Monaco has not announced any further investigations into the Sackler family.

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But 14-year-old Valerie Hernandez isn’t like most teenagers.

Hernandez spent her day off cleaning the Raymond Park in Columbia Heights as part of a service project on a recent, chilly Saturday morning. The cleanup was affiliated with the Baha鈥檌 Institute, a religious group that provides opportunities for youth to learn about service.

Valerie is shy and 鈥渁lways on her phone,鈥� her mother, Nadia Hernandez, said. Nadia encouraged her daughter to join the religious group to have her interact more with others.

鈥淚n the beginning, I was not a big fan of the classes or the service days,鈥� Valeria Hernandez said. 鈥淢y mom would force me to attend, but I like them now.鈥�

The Raymond Park cleanup, held on Nov. 27, was the most recent of many service projects held by the Baha鈥檌 Institute, which provides classes for all members of the community, regardless of their faith.

The Baha鈥檌 Institute, on Quebec Place NW, holds three different types of classes for youth about how to incorporate service into their day-to-day lives. The Baha’i faith teaches that service is the way to heaven.

Nickole Best, the D.C. Baha’i junior youth program director, said youth below the age of 11 learn how to be caring to others through stories of Baha’ u’llah during the classes, those between the ages of 11 and 14 focus on how to make independent decisions that will be of service to the community and those older than 14 talk about all different topics from school, work, job, religion and other service opportunities.

Youth from all three classes, along with their parents, met at the Baha’i Institute House where they used bags and rubber gloves to clean up litter in Raymond Park. The children were paired with adults as they picked bits of paper, discarded wrappers and water bottles.

Although Columbia Heights has other programs where people can volunteer, those who participated in the Saturday cleanup said this program has been more proactive in reaching out. Most of the participants said they found out about the cleanup and the Baha’i youth classes through email.

Nadia Hernandez, who has been a Columbia Heights resident for 10 years, brought Valerie and her two other daughters to the cleanup day. She said she likes meeting neighbors through service days held by the Baha鈥檌 Institute.

鈥淚鈥檓 trying to teach them about keeping our neighborhood clean so that they can play in a safe place,鈥� Hernandez said.

Nadia Hernandez talks about why it is important to keep her neighborhood clean. Note: this interview was originally conducted in聽Spanish.

Hernandez is not part of the Baha’i faith but allows her children to attend these Baha’i gatherings because they focus on how children can contribute to society through service.

Younger children, like five-year-old Pablo Challan, said they especially liked the service day because they were able to play games in a clean park after the cleanup.

鈥淚 am always bored at home, but today I got to clean and play with my friends,鈥� he said.

One of Nadia Hernadez鈥檚 other children, five-year-old April Hernandez, attends the children鈥檚 classes and attended the Raymond Park cleanup day. She said she loves art, but also likes when the group does different activities like cleaning up.

鈥淲e do not clean up the park every day. I wish I could do it every day, then I will get to play with a lot of people,” April Hernandez said.

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For the Afghans who made it to the United States, a long journey of resettlement and integration lies ahead.

The Afghan Resettlement Report looks at the journey of evacuees fleeing Taliban rule in Afghanistan, how they are navigating the U.S. government resettlement system, and how they are being welcomed by nonprofits and local communities.

This podcast was reported and produced by the graduate broadcast journalism students of American University鈥檚 School of Communication.

Thank you to the local experts who shared their time and knowledge with the reporters of this podcast:

Mark Greenberg, Senior Fellow at Migration Policy Institute
Hannah Tyler, Research Analyst at Bipartisan Policy Center
Monika Evstatieva, Senior Producer of Investigations at NPR
Glenn Luther, Former Photography Instructor in Afghanistan
Rep. Abigail Spanberger, (D-VA) (Statements from House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on 9/13/21)
Noah Klose, Community Outreach Manager at Homes Not Borders
Billy Coleburn, Mayor of Blackstone Virginia
Lea Ruscio, Field Operations Lead for Team Rubicon
Kenneth Speicher, Parishioner at United Methodist Church
Timothy Young, Press Secretary for Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service
Huneressa Fariad, translator from the All Dulles Area Muslim Society
Taliha Masroor and the rest of her family, owners of Bistro Aracosia

Supervising Faculty: , SOC Professor聽

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The law would bar unvaccinated students from attending school in person unless they met certain exemptions. The bill was debated on Oct. 27 in a public hearing and is supported by eight council members of the 13.

It is likely to pass, making D.C. one of the first cities in the U.S. to require vaccinations for students.

But Deputy Mayor for Education Paul Kihn testified during the hearing, opposing the bill as it鈥檚 currently written saying the December deadline was .

The D.C. mandate would apply to all students in public, public charter, independent, private and parochial schools and would also require doctors to submit records.

The bill would also require childcare workers to be vaccinated against the coronavirus.

The bill is supported by Brianne Nadeau of Ward 1 who represents Columbia Heights, Charles Allen (Ward 6), Mary Cheh (Ward 3), Janeese Lewis George (Ward 4) and Elissa Silverman (At-large).

The mandate could have a focused impact on Columbia Heights, which has seen total 2,946 cases as of Nov. 5 and continues to have the highest cases in the District.

Representatives of Howard University Middle School administration expressed excitement for the vaccine mandate in an email statement. According to the statement, a majority of the positive cases at the school have been children.

The school said children who are not vaccinated will be required to get tested for COVID-19 weekly in school through their testing program.

Karen Torres is a parent of two children in Columbia Heights and is in favor of the new law. One of her children, who is 11 years old, would be required to get the vaccine if the law is passed.

鈥淚t is good for children to get vaccinated because they are always in contact with others when they are playing,鈥� she said.

She’s also planning to get her two children vaccinated as soon as she has time to visit one of the pop-up clinics.

Nancy Vierangaza, another Columbia Heights resident, is also in favor of the mandate.

鈥淚 believe everyone should be vaccinated, especially kids, so they can interact more with others,鈥� Vieraganza said.

Lexi Ali lives on Euclid Street in the neighborhood. She said kids need the vaccine the most.

鈥淟ittle kids are more susceptible to diseases, especially if they bring it home to the parents who can be immunocompromised,鈥� she said.

D.C. would join other jurisdictions in requiring vaccines for school children, like , set to take effect sometime next year.

Georgetown student Ally Dunnigan, who also lives in Columbia Heights, said everyone including children should get vaccinated. She said this is the way to reach herd immunity and return to normal without the fear of people dying.

Dunnigan said children need all types of vaccines to start going to school and parents have always gotten their kids vaccinated. She does not understand why parents are against the COVID-19 vaccine.

鈥淭he more sanctions that they have for people who are not vaccinated, the more likely people are to get vaccinated because it is a barrier to the way you live life these days,鈥� Dunnigan said.

She said since Columbia Heights has the highest COVID-19 cases per capita and there needs to be more mandates to stop the spread.

鈥淪anctions aren’t always the best but it is what will motivate people to get vaccinated,鈥� Dunnigan said.

D.C. Council has not yet announced when it will vote on the聽 vaccine mandate.聽

There has not been any information if the Dec. 15 deadline is for the first dose.

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Nationwide one in four women and one in six men face domestic violence. In D.C. alone, roughly 2,300 people face abuse at home or on the.

The House of Ruth, a D.C. shelter providing safe housing to women and children experiencing homelessness and abuse in D.C., said it receives more than 25 additional calls daily from people in need of assistance. It has also seen a 20% increase in the number of people it has helped compared to before the pandemic.

Sandra Jackson, CEO and president of House of Ruth, said domestic violence has increased during the pandemic. She said the increase in domestic violence could be attributed to people experiencing high stress during the pandemic from lockdowns and loss of employment.

鈥淪ome people do not even know that they are facing domestic violence,鈥� Jackson said. There are still many stressors related to the pandemic, she said. 鈥淒omestic violence will not decrease,鈥� Jackson said.

This year more people are talking about domestic violence strangulation than before, said Beth Meeks, program director at the National Network to End Domestic Violence, a program that addresses causes of domestic violence.
鈥淚t is exceedingly common, and the world has just started talking about and taking it seriously,鈥� Meeks said.

There has been a 21% increase in the number of people reporting this year, according to the , a program that provides care to people who have faced child abuse, sexual abuse and domestic abuse. The program found that there were many more people calling about strangulation this year.

鈥淧rosecutors often do not prosecute for domestic violence strangulation, police do not charge it and medical professionals do not screen for it, but it is seen commonly by domestic violence advocates,鈥� Meeks said.

She said in her 30 years working with survivors of domestic abuse, she noticed a lot of survivors had signs of strangulation but health practitioners were not documenting it.

States are now taking domestic violence strangulation more seriously by making strangulation a standalone felony.

D.C. passed , which creates a felony offense of strangulation. The felony creates an offense for violating a post-conviction stay away or no-contact order, both of which would protect victims 鈥� particularly victims of intimate partner violence. D.C. has joined the 48 states that have passed laws to make domestic violence strangulation a felony.

But, while strangulation is a critical determinant of domestic violence, the issue is even more far-reaching.

In the early days of the pandemic, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) warned that 31 million additional cases of gender-based violence could occur because of lockdowns and people losing jobs.

New data has not yet been released to prove whether that occurred.

Providing services has also become more difficult during the pandemic as some resources have been diverted to the COVID-19 response and some like Central Union Mission鈥檚 emergency men鈥檚 shelter had to close according to UNFPA.

People living on the street are even more vulnerable to domestic violence.

According to the 2021 done by the D.C. coalition against Domestic Violence, 20% of homeless single adults and 44% of homeless adults in families have reported a history of domestic violence in the District.

Jackson said House of Ruth kept its door open during the pandemic and will continue to provide escape plans for people facing domestic violence.

My Sister鈥檚 Place is another domestic violence shelter near Columbia Heights offering shelter to women and children facing domestic violence. Although the shelter does not offer housing to men, it does offer counseling and can lead men who are facing domestic violence in the right direction for help.

Meeks said strangulation is a regular occurrence in domestic violence, 鈥渆very day, you see women who have experienced strangulation,鈥� and it’s time people start talking more about it.

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Dickson, a health practitioner, is not required to get the flu shot because of her job but she always makes the decision to protect herself against the influenza virus.

鈥淚 have always got my flu shot because I work in health care,鈥� she said.

But Dickson said she can鈥檛 say the same for others.. She said she has seen a limited increase in other Columbia Heights residents getting their flu shots this year despite the neighborhood having the highest rate of COVID-19 cases in the District.

鈥淭here is so much work to be done,鈥� she said.

Over half of Columbia Heights residents, around 53%, have received the COVID-19 vaccine, but many of those interviewed for this story were not as enthusiastic about scheduling their flu shot.

最新蜜桃影像 asked 10 Columbia Heights residents who all received the COVID-19 vaccine about their plans to receive a flu shot. Half had already received a flu shot.

Three residents have not received a flu shot yet, but are planning to get vaccinated for this upcoming season. Two said they will not be getting the influenza vaccine despite increased health risks with the pandmeic.

Pharmacies are expecting to supply 188 million to 200 million doses of flu shots this year, according to the . The U.S. distributed around 194 million doses during the 2020-2021 flu season.

Columbia Heights has 2,842 positive COVID-19 cases, the most in the District. Some residents said the pandemic has pushed them to get their flu shot.

鈥淚 never got the flu shot before but this year my doctor recommended that I get the flu shot due to COVID,鈥� Columbia Heights resident Jasmine Landrin said.

Landrin, a nursing student at Howard University, said she is vaccinated against COVID-19 and got the flu shot this year as a direct result of the pandemic.

Others, like resident Dean Kim, said they do not have any plans to receive a flu shot. Kim, a paralegal, said he has never gotten a flu shot in his entire life.

鈥淢y mom never made me get one and I never questioned it,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 do not feel threatened by the flu at all.鈥�

Andie Rowe has 25 years of experience in health promotion and is director of Employee Wellness at American University. She said she has seen little to no increase in individuals receiving flu shots since the start of the pandemic.

Rowe said American University is holding flu shot clinics on campus in a push for staff members to get vaccinated. Despite not noticing a big change, Rowe said she has seen more families coming in for vaccines.

鈥淗ealth care programs that work with schools have been creating new ways for schools to get flu shots this year earlier than they did before the pandemic,鈥� Rowe said.

Celeste Dickson, the health practitioner, said she knows how important it is to be vaccinated against the flu. 鈥淚 am not worried about what is in the [flu] vaccine, it is very safe,鈥� Dickson said.

Walgreens, CVS and Safeway are some of the places that are offering free flu shots in Columbia Heights.

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Howard鈥檚 attack comes as the U.S. education sector saw a 15 percent increase in cyberattacks in July compared with the first half of 2021, according to .

Richard Forno, assistant director of University of Maryland Baltimore County鈥檚 Center for Cybersecurity, has 20 years of experience in the field. Forno said attacks against schools are going to rise because of the way they operate. 鈥淭here is a different mindset about openness, being able to access different servers and systems,鈥� he said.

Forno said cyberattacks might not be preventable but the impact can be minimized if the school engages in better cyber security and IT management.

On campus, some students are frustrated with how Howard is handling the aftermath of the attack, which caused classes to be canceled for two days. 鈥淭eachers, they do not have access to Blackboard but they still expect us to submit assignments but they can鈥檛 grade them so it鈥檚 kind of frustrating,鈥� Howard sophomore Ciara Harthorn said.

Jasminemarie Mack, also a sophomore, expressed a desire for more flexibility, especially when it comes to dropping a class and due dates on student assignments. 鈥淭hey should be considerate of the students,鈥� Mack said, noting that following the ransomware attack, students have been able to drop classes but it鈥檚 marked by the university as a withdrawal.

The FBI is investigating the ransomware attack but did not provide further comment as the investigation is still ongoing. Howard University campus police also did not provide an official statement as it is not investigating the cyber attack.

鈥淭o be honest law enforcement, the police, there is not much that they can do, they are really in a reactive mode, they are thereafter the crime has been committed,鈥� Forno, the cybersecurity expert, said.

He said lawmakers need to make cyber attacks more challenging and less profitable to implement.

鈥淐yberattacks, unfortunately, are a part of modern living,鈥� according to Forno, and there is no easy solution. Forno said students can play a part in preventing future attacks by using strong passwords and not sharing passwords. He said students should also be patient as the IT team works to restore the system.

With the increase of cyber attacks, some schools choose to pay the ransom. (There is no information on whether Howard University paid the ransom that had been demanded in its attack.)

But Forno said he does not encourage a university to pay ransoms as the attackers then see the university as an even easier target 鈥� and there is no guarantee that the attackers will stop.

鈥淵ou might pay a ransom to one criminal group and get a password but then a week later, you are reinfected again with another ransomware attack,鈥� Forno said.

It is not known whether Howard University faced another cyber attack after the first on Sept. 3.

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