In August, President Donald Trump declared a 鈥渃rime emergency鈥� in D.C. and deployed federal law enforcement agents and National Guard troops to patrol city streets.听听

However, while the federal surge ended in early September, its effects have not.听听

Several business owners and pedestrians in the Chinatown and Gallery Place area expressed that unease but declined to speak on the record, saying they feared retaliation for criticizing the police or federal agents. Others who agreed to talk described an atmosphere of tension and confusion during the federal operation and a lingering skepticism toward local law enforcement.听听

A frequent visitor to the area, who requested anonymity because of safety concerns, said he understands MPD had little choice but to cooperate with federal orders. Still, he said the collaboration听blurred lines between local and federal authority.听听

鈥淢aybe it鈥檚 not even anybody鈥檚 fault,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut I do think to an extent that MPD still has to lend a hand and maybe, in some instances, avoid fear tactics when they are unnecessary.鈥澨�听

Another frequent visitor to the area, who also requested anonymity because of safety concerns, said she would like MPD to take a more vocal role in reassuring the Chinatown community that its mission is to serve and not intimidate. 听

She recalled a recent incident where a woman pushing two children in a stroller was publicly detained at the Metro station for skipping the fare gate.听听

听鈥淚 think they could exercise more discretion in situations like that,鈥� she said. 鈥淵es, give her a ticket, but it鈥檚 things like that that make people fear local police.鈥�听

Thaddeus Johnson, a former law enforcement official in Tennessee and a senior fellow at the Council on Criminal Justice, said the sense of surveillance and mistrust can linger for a long time. 听

He said the community in Chinatown may not differentiate one law enforcement entity from the other when they see a badge, and actions from one agency can directly impact how citizens see law enforcement in general. 听

Johnson said it takes more than participating in community events to strengthen the relationship between locals and law enforcement. 听

He said officers should practice 鈥渋ntelligence– driven patrol鈥� to show the community they are not doing 鈥渟tops and frisk.鈥�听

鈥淭rust is hard to build and easy to break,鈥� Johnson said. 鈥淵ou have to show that you’re responsible, responsive to the needs of people. You’re never supposed to govern in symbolism.鈥�听

Although violent crime District-wide went down by 4,760 reported incidents between January 2024 and October 2025, according to the , Chinatown remains one of the city鈥檚 areas of concern.听

D.C. Crime Cards data shows theft and robbery remain persistently high in Chinatown, particularly around the Metro area. However, theft rates fell from 13,002 to 9,007 incidents between 2024 and 2025.听

Johnson said the Asian community was targeted during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, and though he said things have improved, recent history combined with the federal takeover could trigger fear and mistrust.听

Nearly 40% of over 3,500 arrests made since the operation began in early August were immigration-related, according to the Associated Press. Johnson said though MPD didn鈥檛 perform those actions, local communities may not distinguish one authority from the other. 听

鈥淎ll we see is a badge of enforcement,鈥� Johnson said. 鈥淪o, how other agencies act impacts how you feel, even about the officers you see day to day walking in your community.鈥�听

The DowntownDC Business Improvement District did not respond听to questions in time for publication.

MPD First District Capt. Paul Hrebenak said a large part of policing is training MPD officers on community policing and identifying biases. He said MPD focuses on having a fair balance and check system so the community feels like they are 鈥渢reated fairly.鈥澨�听

However, he said he understands how the federal takeover may have impacted the trust in local enforcement.听听

鈥淚 can definitely understand that there鈥檚 been a shift, perhaps, as this takeover has happened with the community鈥檚 trust in law enforcement,鈥� Hrebenak said. 鈥淏ut I think in the long term and the medium term, things really haven鈥檛 changed that much in our response from neighborhood to neighborhood.鈥�听

The post Federal law enforcement leaves Chinatown uneasy first appeared on 最新蜜桃影像.

If you didn鈥檛, you are not alone. It鈥檚 been 50 years since the first ANC elections, but D.C. residents are unaware that these neighborhood commissions administer community grants.听听听

While a lot of confusion remains about the role and power of ANCs in the District, the community grant program can have visible impact, if you鈥檙e lucky enough to live in a neighborhood that offers them.听听

听According to the Office of Advisory Neighborhood Commissions FY 2025 , the role of the ANCs is 鈥渢o advise the District government on matters of public policy,鈥� which range from planning and social service programs to health, safety, and sanitation.听听

The ANCs provide advice and recommendations to the D.C. Council, the mayor, and various agencies, boards, and commissions of government. Some ANCs also award grants to help their communities.听

鈥淎NCs do a tremendous amount of work,鈥� says Executive Director, Kent Boese. 鈥淲e are in a much better city because of them.鈥�听

The OANC oversees each of the District鈥檚 individual neighborhood commissions. When it comes to grants, both the OANC and the ANC receive the applications.听听

The OANC reviews the grant for fiscal compliance and makes a recommendation on if they feel it would be an appropriate expense. The ANC can then decide if it still wants to support it, Boese said. 听

For community members who want to apply for a grant, there are rules, of course. Grants can be as much as $3,000 and are available to organizations, not individuals, based on D.C.听听

Organizations can鈥檛 receive more than one grant in a year.听

Can鈥檛 duplicate a city service.听

Also, for a group to receive a grant, it can鈥檛 be for a program that duplicates a city service. Boese said that line is clear, but there is nuance.听听

鈥淔or example, the city has a program where you can ask for free tools during the fall for community clean-up. However, the city doesn鈥檛 operate a program for that during the winter,鈥� he said. A grant for a winter program would be allowed, but the ANC would need to retain ownership of the tools, he said.听

Additionally, grants can鈥檛 be used for things such as food, must benefit the community (not a person or organization), and must be for a future event, Boese said. 听

Ward 1 resident Wendy Singleton, a board member and logistics coordinator for , has helped her organization get an ANC grant for the past five years. The organization, founded by Ransom Miller III, has used the money to support their annual Thanksgiving food distribution. This event, celebrating its 30th year, helps Project Giveback support over 5,000 families with bulk food distribution throughout the city.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not a hard process,鈥� she said. 鈥淵ou have to get in early. The ANCs want to make sure their constituents are being served.鈥�听

听Not all commissioners offer grants.听

Since the ANC鈥檚 have final say if an organization or event gets funded, single member district representatives can sponsor a proposal for an organization that is based outside of their ANC. This is important because not all ANCs offer grants.听听

For example, Anna Krebs, commissioner and treasurer of ANC 6B06, represents one of those districts.听听

鈥�6B does not currently have grants available, but it is something that we are actively working on,鈥� she said. 听

She said her neighborhood commission is working with the OANC to see what kinds of grants have been approved for other neighborhoods.听听

Before becoming an ANC commissioner, Krebs said she hadn鈥檛 heard of the grants either. However, she added that she does see the value of them.

听鈥淧art of why we want to bring back grants is so we can put money back into the community,鈥� she said.听听

So who decides if an ANC will offer grants or not? According to Boese, that鈥檚 up to the ANCs as well.听

听鈥�It is important when reading the Code to pay attention to the words 鈥榤ay鈥� and 鈥榮hall.鈥� 鈥楳ay鈥� means that a Commission is allowed, but not required, to do something. 鈥楽hall鈥� means that a Commission鈥�must鈥痵o something,鈥� Boese said.听

Boese is referring to section 1鈥�309.13(l)(1) of the D.C. Code, which says 鈥�Expenditures may be in the form of grants by the Commission for public purposes within the Commission.鈥�听

Some commissions have elected to start creating programs themselves, rather than issue reimbursements to organizations, Boese said.听

According to the OANC Annual Report for FY24, ANCs receive an approved allotment in the D.C. budget by the mayor. For the last two years, that amount was $915,688, which comes to $1.327 per District resident based on the 2020 census.听听

The OANC can also recommend that the Office of the Chief Financial Officer withhold a portion of an ANC鈥檚 allocation if that commission has spent money for something that is not allowed (e.g. a committee luncheon) or is not in accordance with the procedures for spending money (e.g. the expenditure is not recorded in the minutes, or the check does not have two signatures). It is the OCFO that makes the quarterly allotments to the ANCs.听

ANC budgets are restricted to two main uses: administration and community support. Admin can be office supplies, business cards, signs, advertising, or rent for office space or community meetings. The commissioners themselves are not paid, however.听

A common theme is a lack of awareness. 鈥淓ven if people don鈥檛 get involved, they should know we exist,鈥� Krebs said.听听

Singleton said she found out about the grants from a member of her church.听听

鈥淭hey don鈥檛 publicize,鈥� she said. 鈥淵ou need to be active in the ANC, and you need to go to meetings.鈥澨�听

Boese said his office is working to fix the lack of awareness of the grant program. In addition to improving individual websites, his office is working on an initiative in conjunction with local libraries to bring more attention to the commissions, and the work they do, before next year鈥檚 election.听听

The post ANC community grants: An underpublicized feature not uniformly offered first appeared on 最新蜜桃影像.

The Japanese restaurant it lost its lease to the incoming $75 million Marriott Tribute Chinatown Hotel, part of a redevelopment project led by Eddie Moy, the building鈥檚 longtime owner, and local developer Rift Valley Capital.

鈥淎s we enter another healing phase, we have all the intention of regrouping and finding another way of continuing Momiji in the D.C. community,鈥� the restaurant wrote on an Instagram post.

Momiji鈥檚 closure highlights a broader shift underway in D.C.鈥檚 Chinatown, where longtime businesses are giving way to redevelopment projects and changing demographics. The hotel project, a new luxury apartmenttower and are set to reshape the area.

Some residents and business owners see new investments as a chance to modernize and bring fresh activity to the area, while others worry it accelerates the decline of legacy businesses that once defined the neighborhood鈥檚 character.

Andrew Cohen, a Chinatown resident since 2021, said losing local businesses to bigger corporations can impact the cultural aspect of the community.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a shame to see places closing, but if something is going to close, I hope it can be replaced with something of a similar kind,鈥� Cohen said.

Cohen said he is not familiar with specific plans for the Marriott hotel but added that he is optimistic the company will support the Chinese traditions in the area.

Momiji joins the list of Asian-owned business losses for the neighborhood, following Full Kee Restaurant and Gao Ya Salon, two long-time Asian-owned businesses that vacated their properties in July because of the hotel project.

Moy said the businesses were not forced to leave the building. Instead, he said the owners signed a month-to-month lease with the understanding that redevelopment was possible.

The building owner said the plan is to offer local Asian business owners the option to lease street-level retails and spaces below the hotel.

The hotel project is expected to preserve the seven historic row homes along the H street, where Momiji is located, and will feature 142 boutique rooms, a pan-Asian restaurant and a Chinese market.

鈥淭he hotel would bring more foot traffic to the city and a more vibrant and exciting Chinatown to the public sector and the Asian community,鈥� Moy said.

Fewer than 10 legacy businesses.

Momiji鈥檚 closure will leave Chinatown with fewer than 10 small legacy-owned businesses, according to . Shani Shia, an activist with the Save Chinatown Solidarity Network, said the closures are part of a larger trend threatening the neighborhood鈥檚 cultural fabric.

Shia formed the network in response to  D.C.鈥檚 Mayor Muriel Bowser鈥檚  and to 鈥渟upport the preservation of Chinatown鈥檚 working class.鈥�

She said the group calls for stronger protections to keep legacy businesses in place, saying that rising rents and redevelopment threaten to erase the neighborhood鈥檚 cultural identity.

鈥淭here needs to be more cooperation, collaboration and shared prioritization of preserving the legacy businesses instead of trying to replace with new stuff,鈥� Shia said.

Bowser created the task force in 2024 to find ways to revitalize the neighborhood. As the initial stage of the task force came to an end in 2025, the group has recommended new steps to revitalize the area with Asian grocery stores, cultural festivals and targeted funding for minority-owned businesses.

Ben Guzman, the director of the Mayor鈥檚 Office on Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs, said Chinatown is a key part of Bowser鈥檚 broader vision for the revitalization of downtown.

鈥淐hange is inevitable, and what’s important is how the city, from our perspective as a city agency, is how the city manages that change,鈥� Guzman said. 鈥淭he coming and going of businesses matters, but it is how we set the table in terms of being a place where businesses can and want to come that helps create the conditions of the culture we want to foster in Chinatown.鈥�

Guzman said the role of Chinatown in D.C. has evolved since it was in the 1880s.

At the time, the prohibited the immigration of Chinese laborers into the United States. The act pushed Chinese immigrants to create a place where they could integrate with others during a time when the law was against them.

Over the years, the Chinese and broader Asian communities spread to other areas, redefining Chinatown鈥檚 role as a cultural hub. In 1990, 60% of residents in Chinatown were Asian. In 2020, that number dropped to about 20%.

Guzman, who has lived around the area for almost 30 years, noted multiple factors that are leading to changes, including the effects of COVID-19 and the growth of other neighborhoods such as The Wharf and Union Market. Both districts underwent rapid redevelopment in the past decade, attracting more businesses and visitors. The Wharf and Union Market serve as examples, Guzman said. 鈥淏ut we’re not just trying to attract businesses to Chinatown. We’re trying to maintain a cultural legacy.鈥�

Evelyn Moy, senior president of the Moy Family Association, agreed. She said Chinatown has long been a cultural touchstone for Chinese Americans in D.C., rooted in the history of exclusion and migrations.

Evelyn Moy said advocates won鈥檛 succeed in keeping major developments from happening. However, she sympathizes with advocates who want to preserve the culture in the neighborhood and said she encourages them to keep the cultural legacy alive.

鈥淭he city could have done more, but the city can鈥檛 save everybody,鈥� Evelyn Moy said. 鈥淵ou have to adapt and change. You have to take the good and the bad, and there has to be a balance.鈥�

The Moy Family Association is not involved in the Marriott Tribune Hotel project led by Eddie Moy and Rift Valley. Eddie Moy is the co-president of the association. However, the hotel is part of a personal project for him.

Although the Gallery Place/Chinatown Task Force completed its initial phase in 2025, Bowser appointed two community advocates to move into a second phase of revitalization. Winston Lord, a D.C. native, and Tim Ma, a local chef, will work as liaisons between the Chinatown community and the city.

Their appointment comes as city leaders seek to guide Chinatown鈥檚 transformation while maintaining its cultural identity.

鈥淲e will bring Chinatown back as a vibrant cultural destination that鈥檚 rooted in heritage and designed to bring people together.鈥� Lord wrote in an .

The post Chinatown loses another legacy business as Momiji shuts down first appeared on 最新蜜桃影像.

Francis Stevens, which houses elementary and middle school students, is in its final year of a three-year modernization process. The $57 million project is slated to be completed for the start of the 2024-2025 school year.听

鈥淚鈥檓 confident that D.C. Public Schools will tell us that our building is ready for next year, I do not know if the building will actually be ready or ready to a degree of quality,鈥� said Zach Carroll, a middle school social studies teacher at Francis Stevens, as well as the Washington Teachers Union representative for the school.

Another DCPS school is expected to relocate to the temporary facility that Francis Stevens is currently using in the next school year, he said, so Francis Stevens staff and students will likely have to move back into the school鈥檚 2425 N St. NW location whether the modernizations are satisfactory or even completed.

Parents also expressed a lack of faith in the quality of the modernization and in the city actually listening to feedback.听

Leah Shoval, the parent of three children at the school, said, 鈥淭hey鈥檙e still not necessarily listening to the needs of the community, per se, in terms of things we care the most about. There are obvious budgetary constraints.鈥�

Parents and teachers also expressed concerns that the school community has received about the modernization is heavily filtered and infrequent, leading to a lack of confidence in the project.

鈥淚 think we get fed information from the architecture firm a lot and from the [Department of General Service] project managers that is self-serving to some extent, and so it鈥檚 hard to know what鈥檚 actually getting communicated to the community,鈥� Shoval said.

The DCPS facility planning and design point person on the project, Matthew Dela Cuesta, said he has no concerns and the modernization is on track to be completed on time and ready for the upcoming school year.

鈥淏y all accounts, we will be opening up in time to open the school and welcome students for school year 2024-2025,鈥� Dela Cuesta said.

He also said the brunt of the requested feedback from the community was during the design phase of the project, back in 2021. However, economics have changed since the budget for the project was last decided, and the allocated funding has not.

鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 feel like our voices are being heard and/or that budgets are being changed with inflation, with material costs, anything like that,鈥� Shoval said.

After two years in a temporary facility鈥搕he old Benjamin Banneker school two miles away鈥損eople are ready for a new building but hesitant that they will have the quality, modernized building promised by the city.听

Already, some students have transferred due to the modernization, whether families don鈥檛 want to deal with children being bussed across town or for other reasons.

鈥淎 lot of people kind of jumped ship because they didn鈥檛 want to go across the city and get bussed across the city during the modernization, so the student body has sort of changed as well,鈥� Shoval said.

Laura Frazier moved her elementary-aged son to another nearby public school at the start of the 2022-2023 school year before students were moved to the temporary site at Banneker.

鈥淲e chose to send him to the new school because of number one, communication not being great, the length of time they were going to be displaced, and then the convenience,鈥� Frazier said. 鈥淲e had another option available in our neighborhood that was an equally good school.鈥�

Another family moved their daughters to the same school that Frazier moved her son to, she said.

鈥淭hey did the same thing we did,鈥� Frazier said. 鈥淭hey came to the same conclusion and switched both of their daughters to the other school.鈥�

Communication was a key factor in the decision for Frazier to move her son.

鈥淭hey didn鈥檛 really tell us any information, which motivated us to change schools, because they weren鈥檛 really keeping everyone up to date and clear on the modernization project. Plus the school that we sent him too was already renovated so we knew that there would be no chance of him having to re-locate or re-shuffle to a different place.鈥�

According to data from DCPS and the National Center for Education Statistics, enrollment at the school has dropped from the 2019-2020 school year, which was before the modernization construction began, from 540 to 479 students last year.

Additionally, Carroll said the temporary facility that Francis Stevens currently inhabits, this past week has had temperatures of over 90 degrees in a few elementary classrooms, Shoval and Carroll both said they have seen flooding as well as rats and mice in the building.

Shoval said her children have told her about heat issues at Banneker and continue to wear shorts and short-sleeved shirts to school, even in the winter, to deal with the high temperatures in the building.

鈥淭hey鈥檝e said things like, 鈥榠t鈥檚 so hot don鈥檛 make me go to school with pants on, don鈥檛 make me go to school with long-sleeve shirts on, I never have enough water during the day,’ 鈥� she said. 鈥淪o all of those things to me create a learning environment that鈥檚 not exactly conducive to optimal learning spaces.鈥�

Carroll also said he鈥檚 noticed disengaged students and attributed some of the lack of interest to the heat.

鈥淚t鈥檚 really difficult to lead effective instruction for young people and for young people to feel motivated coming to school when the school building is that hot and they don鈥檛 see anything being done to fix the issues,鈥� he said.听

Students feel undervalued and are more cognizant of the city鈥檚 lack of upkeep of their school building than many people realize, he said. They also appear tired and sleepy, and the heat in the building is likely a contributing factor.

鈥淭hey have the feeling that they鈥檙e uncared for,鈥� Carroll said. 鈥淭hey don鈥檛 see care for their personal well-being and basic needs.鈥�

The post Francis Stevens parents lack confidence that DCPS can deliver promised modernized school first appeared on 最新蜜桃影像.

Not only is she the first woman to hold this office at the university, but she is also the first president to openly be a part of the LGBTQ+ community.听

Prior to her role at GW, Granberg served as provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at the Rochester Institute of Technology. She served in similar leadership and administration roles at Clemson University and is a sociology scholar specializing in self, identity, and mental health.听

In an with the student newspaper The Hatchet last week, Granberg said she plans to spend her remaining first year as president ending the medical faculty associates鈥� debt crisis, increasing alumni engagement, and bolstering GW鈥檚 academic medical enterprise.

Kim Lee, the director of community strategy and engagement at the American Council on Education, a major coordinating body for U.S. higher education institutions, said, 鈥淭here鈥檚 an applause for George Washington and other institutions that have identified women at the helm, but still there is yet more to be done, particularly when you look at the demographics of the student population.鈥�

While the number of female college and university presidents grew from 9.5% in 1986 to 32.8% in 2021, a representative mismatch remains, according to research conducted by ACE. The majority of students at colleges and universities are women, but only a third of the institutions鈥� presidents are.听

鈥淚 think that representation plays a really big role in ensuring that women can see themselves in leadership positions so I think that we still have a lot of work to be done in terms of just ensuring that we can create pathways for women to succeed and to ascend in the college presidency,鈥� said Danielle Melidona, a senior analyst at ACE who worked on the American college presidents study.

Search firms will sometimes only include women, or members of other under-represented groups in higher education, in the search pool to appear inclusive or diverse or to meet a quota, Lee said.

This was not the case for Granberg, said Christian Zidouemba, the student member of the GW Presidential Search Committee.听

鈥淭his search overall was not a diversity hire, it was to pick the best person for the job,鈥� he said.

Zidouemba, a former student body president, said the committee was looking for someone who could meet the university where it was in terms of recent changes and aspirations, and who could advance GW. Granberg was the person who rose to the occasion, he said.

鈥淭his also shows that higher education is changing. You don鈥檛 have to come from a certain background to lead a university,鈥� he said. 鈥� If you have the knowledge, the background for it, the sky鈥檚 the limit.鈥�

Lee said one of the main barriers for women aspiring to higher education positions, especially as university and college presidents, is that they are continuously told they are not prepared and need additional professional development, which is advice men are less likely to hear. Additionally, women are less likely than men to think they are qualified for the job if they do not meet all of the criteria listed in the job description.听

鈥淭he more emphasis on inclusivity, I think it really will have an impact on the outcomes, particularly for students, for the community,鈥� Lee said.

GW students say they feel represented by having a female president at the school, but so far they don鈥檛 know much about her and have not seen much from her in regards to her work at the school.

鈥�We don鈥檛 have much interaction with her, she鈥檚 a figurehead,鈥� said Kyla Rounsoville, a GW freshman.

She and Kimaya One-Routier, another GW freshman, said they鈥檝e only seen glimpses of her at large events where she鈥檚 giving speeches, so they don鈥檛 really know anything about her.

Another first-year student at the university, Samantha Berman, said that while Granberg has only been at GW for a short time, she鈥檚 done a decent job, specifically with her handling of an incident on campus this past week. to students, parents, and other members of the GW community in response to the images projected on the Estelle and Melvin Gelman library.听

Berman said she thought this was the right thing for the president to do.

Several members of Advisory Neighborhood Commission 2A, which represents where GW鈥檚 campus is located, met with Granberg in recent months. ANC Commissioner Trupti Patel said it was clear that Granberg wanted to be seen as a resource and as someone who was involved at the beginning of a situation instead of debriefed after.

鈥淚 think she wanted to emphasize that she wanted to be engaged with the community, wanted to be seen as a partner,鈥� Patel said.

However, the ANC has not had a true opportunity to work with President Granberg yet.

At the most recent ANC meeting Oct. 18, commissioners Jim Malec, and Dasia Brandy, who represents the GW campus area, also expressed positive sentiments about the new president. Brandy, a senior at GW, introduced a resolution welcoming Granberg into the community. Kevin Days, director of community relations at GW, also spoke at the ANC meeting, inviting the community to join the inauguration festivities.听

While Granberg has technically been in office since July, her formal investiture ceremony will be held Friday, Nov. 3 at 11 a.m.听

The post GWU to inaugurate its first female president in 200 years: here鈥檚 why it matters first appeared on 最新蜜桃影像.

Kevin Chavous, a spokesperson for committee chair Anita Bonds (D-At Large) said the bill was expected to pass the committee.听

The bill is sponsored by Councilmember Brooke Pinto (D-Ward 2) and builds upon her previous bill, the Expanding Student Access to Period Products Act of 2021, which was passed unanimously earlier this year.听听听

That required all public, public charter, private schools, and post-secondary institutions to provide free period products to students. The legislation also required the creation and implementation of a menstrual health education standard by the District鈥檚 State Office of the Superintendent of Schools (OSSE). 听

鈥淭he inability to access period products can create serious health consequences,鈥� Pinto said Oct. 4 in a public hearing notice on the new bill. “Women, transgender men, and non-binary people who lack access to menstrual products are more likely to reuse products or use products for too long, which puts those individuals at higher risk for infection and other conditions that require medical care.”

Pinto鈥檚 Period Act seeks to alleviate the 鈥減eriod poverty鈥� experienced by many of D.C.鈥檚 most vulnerable residents, such as the unhoused, the councilmember said.听听

All entities in the District that have been awarded human care agreements, which include shelters and care facilities, would be required to provide free period products. These human care agreement recipients provide services to a number of demographics, from minors in the custody of the District, to residents that are disadvantaged, disabled, elderly, and unemployed.听

Another aspect of the bill would require a dispenser or container with period products to be in all women鈥檚 and gender-neutral bathrooms. In the case that a building does not have a gender-neutral bathroom, at least one men鈥檚 bathroom would be required to have menstrual products and a sign would be provided in the other men鈥檚 bathrooms indicating their location.听听

With Pinto鈥檚 bill, both tampons and pads would be provided at all locations.听听

At an Oct. 11 hearing of the housing committee, Pinto said: 鈥淭his bill is another step towards overcoming the stigma surrounding menstruation and treating period products the same as toilet paper 鈥� a product everyone agrees is a basic necessity and can be readily found in public buildings and places.听

鈥淭he District has the opportunity to be a national leader on period equity and look forward to getting this bill passed and implemented.鈥�听

At the hearing, many menstruating individuals testified to the importance of the bill and provided comments on how it could be more effective in assisting groups the bill is trying to reach. 听

Winnie Zhang, a community organizer at Period, a nonprofit focused on eliminating period poverty and furthering menstrual equity legislation, told the committee: 鈥淚f this act is enacted in the District, it will show other states what they鈥檙e capable of achieving, it will show policymakers that period poverty is a real legitimate problem that many experience and many should not be experiencing. And that the solution is simple: provide free access to these products鈥� really would be a shame if this period act wouldn鈥檛 be enacted because that would perpetuate the notion that marginalized groups don鈥檛 matter.鈥� 听

Others, like Harvard sophomore Shruti Gautam, who helped facilitate state policy organizing in her home state of Missouri and volunteers with community organizing in the Boston area to end period poverty, talked about the necessity of period products.听

鈥淓very person needs to be able to take care of themselves and their bodily processes that they don鈥檛 have their own jurisdiction over, thus there is a right to a bathroom, and this translates for there being a right to be able to use these products and facilities,鈥� Gautam said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 no one鈥檚 fault they have these processes and not giving them the proper resources to take care of them is putting more people at a disadvantage and susceptible to a disease.”听

Many, like University of the District of Columbia law student Beth Brodsky, shared stories of their experiences of not being able to locate period products when they needed them most. 听

鈥淎 few days ago, I could not access menstrual products myself,” Brodsky recounted. “I went to a D.C. professional event requiring business attire, so I wore a pair of tights, and outside the event, a group of men were uncomfortably staring at me, I wasn鈥檛 sure why. And so, when I got to the bathroom, I realized they were staring because 鈥� surprise 鈥� I got my period, which for me, like many other menstruators it鈥檚 hard to predict. As a student, I鈥檓 trying to establish a professional identity in public spaces, and nobody wants to hire someone that bleeds all over themselves.鈥� 听

听鈥淚 think it’s fantastic not only because sometimes you forget products and accessibility is important but all because accessibility is important in the terms that period products are taxed and a luxury with a pink tax on them,鈥� American University student Mara Shepherd told 最新蜜桃影像. 鈥淭hey’re a necessary hygiene item. It鈥檚 like not having access to toilet paper – we can鈥檛 just hold it in and wait for later.鈥澨�听

AU student Bryanna Miller agreed, saying 鈥淚t鈥檚 a wonderful idea, I think it should be implemented everywhere. There鈥檚 women, femme-presenting people, people who experience periods everywhere, so it鈥檚 like why wouldn鈥檛 you. I don鈥檛 see any downside to it.鈥�听

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