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DC police investigate possible hate crime, suspect arrested

Wednesday, 26 June 2019 by timroot

A possible hate crime is under investigated in the West End area of Northwest D.C.

Around 2:30 p.m. Monday, 33-year-old Nehemiah Taylor, of Miami, and another person were involved in an argument on 19th Street Northwest at the intersection of L Street, near Dupont Circle, according to D.C. police.

During the argument, Taylor reportedly threatened the victim, hit him with a bicycle and shouted homophobic slurs, police said.

Taylor was arrested shortly afterward and charged with Assault with a Dangerous Weapon.

Below is a map of where the incident occurred:

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House amendment directs FAA to prioritize fighting plane, helicopter noise

Wednesday, 26 June 2019 by timroot

As residents describe what appears to be more frequent and louder airplane and helicopter flights over neighborhoods, the House passed an amendment that would direct the Federal Aviation Administration to prioritize combating the noise.

The amendment, added to the 2020 transportation appropriations bill, was sponsored by D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, who co-chairs the Quiet Skies Caucus, and is a senior member of the Aviation Subcommittee.

Earlier this month, the Government Accountability Office said it will conduct a study of helicopter noise in the region, beginning in fall, after a letter from Norton and other local lawmakers.

“Our amendment to direct the FAA to prioritize airplane and helicopter noise is critical to the work we have already done in the District and the region on airplane and helicopter noise,” Norton said, in a news release.

“It is our latest effort to provide much-needed relief to our neighborhoods and families affected by such noise.”

The issue of airplane and helicopter noise isn’t limited to the national capital region. As the FAA modernizes the national airspace system NextGen, one goal is to fly more direct routes, saving time and fuel.

The GAO and other studies will attempt to quantify how NextGen flight plans are affecting citizens.

Local co-sponsors of Norton’s amendment include Democrats Rep. Don Beyer of Virginia and Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland.

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DC Council proposes legislation to set boundaries on e-scooter companies

Wednesday, 26 June 2019 by timroot

On Tuesday, members of the D.C. Council introduced new legislation that would place stricter guidelines on companies that operate e-scooters in the District.

Councilmember Mary Cheh, D-Ward 3, introduced the legislation to the council along with councilmembers Charles Allen, D-Ward 6, Brianne Nadeau, D-Ward 1, and Jack Evans, D-Ward 2.

Some of the proposed changes include a ban on the operation of scooters between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m. and changes to the speed limits of scooters and electric bikes.

My Take: For Jack Evans, the fall is much faster than the rise

Wednesday, 26 June 2019 by timroot

Another day in D.C., another corrupt politician.

My Take: 6/25/2019

Clinton Yates

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Officers Tase Innocent Black Man

Tuesday, 25 June 2019 by timroot

By Micha Green, AFRO Washington, D.C. Editor, [email protected]com

In another case of, “racist, White cops,” on June 22 a Black man on D.C.’s metro was tased essentially because he looked like he was about to fight. Yes, you read that right. Not because he put his hands on an officer or committed a crime; but because he, “exhibited behavior consistent with fighting an officer,” according to an official statement released by Metro Transit Police.

It all started when Metro Police responded to a call on Saturday around 5:42 p.m. about “disorderly juveniles,” Metro Transit Police wrote in a statement. The Root reported that allegedly there were complaints of two boys threatening Metro riders with fireworks or sticks. When they responded, officers detained and cuffed two Black boys, reportedly identified by witnesses- and that’s when it all gets dicey.

Other passerbyers began to advocate for the detained youths, claiming the boys the officers arrested had nothing to do with the alleged disorderly conduct.

In a video recorded and uploaded to Facebook, Che’mere Jones is heard consoling the boys.

“I just want to make sure y’all alright,” Jones is heard saying. “What I don’t want is one of these colonizers to get on y’all… because I don’t wanna have to go off and I ain’t got my nails done.”

In the middle of Jones comforting the youths, a Black man, now identified as Tapiwa Musonza, 29, is seen in the background speaking to two White officers on behalf of the boys.

While passionate, the Musonza is not being belligerent by any means, and is seemingly trying to explain that the boys were innocent. That’s when out of nowhere, a third White officer, who we’ll call, “Officer Tase-a-Black,” is seen approaching an unarmed Musonza, and within seconds, begins tasing him. Then another White officer joins in the excessive force by wrestling the man to the ground, before he is then tased again. While crawling on his back, the Musonza is seen putting up his hands, in the widely recognized, “Hands up, don’t shoot,” motion, before eventually being arrested by the officers.

Captured all on tape, Jones is heard saying to the officers, “That is not necessary. He’s not even resisting. He’s not even resisting. He’s not even resisting.”

#BlackChildrenMatter#BlackWomenMatter #BlackLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/rAsVImhlvM
— BlackLivesMatter DC (@DMVBlackLives) June 25, 2019

Those three words resonate as video viewers see officers tase, wrestle and work to arrest the unarmed, Black man who was simply trying to help the boys.

Musonza was taken into custody.

Police charged Musonza, with assaulting an officer, obstruction of justice and resisting arrest.

After Jones’ onsite journalism went viral on social media, Metro Transit Police said they are beginning an investigation into the incident.

“Based on concerns raised on social media about the officer’s handling of the interaction, as well as the appropriateness of the use of force, the Metro Transit Police Department has initiated an investigation into the matter,” Metro Transit Police wrote in a statement.

In addition, Metro Transit Police dropped all charges against Musonza, according to WUSA9.

“Mr. Musonza did nothing wrong,” his lawyer, Lee Smith, said. “He did exactly what you would want a person to do. He tried to deescalate the situation. We had an officer who was intent on escalating the situation.”

Had it not been for Jones, this incident of excessive use of force may have never been mentioned again and according to The Root Officer Tase-a-Black is still reporting for duty.

Jones is now advocating for further repercussions for Officer Tase-a-Black.

“That dangerous cop is still on those D.C. streets. All of our children are at risk. I need y’all to blow up social media with those videos,” she wrote on Facebook. “Charges being dropped doesn’t mean ish. They shouldn’t have existed. Justice doesn’t end just because [Musonza] is home. How many other children and men need do be traumatized??!!! I’m not stopping until change happens.”

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What to know about this year’s Fourth of July fireworks at the National Mall

Tuesday, 25 June 2019 by timroot

If you’re heading to the National Mall to celebrate the Fourth of July, there will be some new events and changes to the annual fireworks display.

A “Salute to America” at the Lincoln Memorial, from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., will take place for the first time and will feature remarks from President Donald Trump, which means the fireworks launch location has been changed from the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool to West Potomac Park.

“That has allowed us to open up some very prime real estate in the Constitution Gardens,” said National Park Service spokesman Mike Litterst.

Visitors shouldn’t be worries about obstructed views of the display as a result, he added.

“Traditionally, we didn’t see much in the way of spectators in West Potomac Park,” Litterst said.

In addition to the changes, the display has also been extended this year.

“We’ve got two companies that will provide fireworks for us,” Litterst said. That will extend the display by 15 minutes.

The fireworks display will run from 9:07 p.m. to 9:27 p.m.

“With the additional fireworks, we’re launching all the way from West Potomac Park moving Northwest and wrapping around the Lincoln Memorial, so we’ll light up the sky from a bunch of different directions,” he said. “There shouldn’t be any challenge watching the fireworks.”

Staying away from buildings and trees when picking the perfect spot to catch the display will also help people’s chances of capturing the perfect view.

Metro Transit police ask for review of evidence in U Street stun-gun incident, arrest

Tuesday, 25 June 2019 by timroot

The Metro Transit Police are asking the U.S. Attorney’s Office for D.C. to review the evidence in the case of a man whom the transit police struck by a stun gun and arrested on Saturday night.

The police said on Tuesday that Chief Ron Pavlik has asked for the review in the case of Tapiwa Musonza, 29.

On Saturday evening at about 6 p.m., the transit police detained several boys after a report of juveniles allegedly threatening people with sticks on the platform of the U Street station. Musonza spoke with police officers while resting his hands on one of the detained boys.

Another officer intervened; he quickly struck Musonza with the stun gun, and he was arrested. The police claimed in a statement Monday that he “exhibited behavior consistent with preparing to fight the officer.”

The incident was caught on a cellphone:

Its Black Joy Sunday & we still demanding @councilofdc have @wmata & @DCPoliceDept stop criminalizing & brutally beating Black children & people @charlesallen @CM_McDuffie @RobertWhite_DC @trayonwhite the kids were innocent yet handcuffed & made to look like a criminal @ACLU_DC pic.twitter.com/nogAGNITvF
— BlackLivesMatter DC (@DMVBlackLives) June 23, 2019

Musonza was released Monday without being charged, although the U.S. Attorney’s Office said he still could be; none of the boys was arrested, since the transit police couldn’t find any victims, the police said.

DC Council’s Jack Evans returns to work, asks to make his case before removal vote

Tuesday, 25 June 2019 by timroot

Embattled D.C. Councilman Jack Evans returned to work Tuesday, joining fellow council members for breakfast.

He used his time to ask Chairman Phil Mendelson for chance to make his case before any action is taken to remove him from his Finance Committee chairmanship.

“As you stated in the press conference yesterday, taking away a council member’s committee is a drastic action,” Evans said. “By any standards of due process or fairness, I have the right to present my side of the story and to answer any questions from my fellow council members before any action is taken.”

“I believe that if my colleagues hear my side of the story, and I respond to all of your questions, you will not take any action at this time,” he added.

Mendelson said he was amenable to scheduling a meeting for the morning of July 2.

After telling his colleagues that he intended to answer all their questions, Evans said nothing to reporters.

And after Jacks Evans saying he wanted to answer all questions, this happened. pic.twitter.com/ROGdKs7a5I
— Neal Augenstein (@AugensteinWTOP) June 25, 2019

Evans — who is under federal investigation over accusations that he used his positions on the D.C. Council and Metro Board for personal gain — hasn’t commented on Friday’s FBI search of his Georgetown home.

He was supposed to chair a Finance Committee meeting Wednesday on sports betting, but Mendelson said he would take the helm instead.

A vote on Evans’ removal from the Finance Committee chairmanship will take place July 9.

And Mendelson said that the council might remove Evans from the committee entirely.

Evans was reprimanded back in March due to ethics concerns.

Q&A: ‘Save a Horse,’ ride a ‘Pony’: Big & Rich, Ginuwine hit local baseball games

Tuesday, 25 June 2019 by timroot

WTOP’s Jason Fraley previews Big Kenny & Ginuwine at the ballparks

Jason Fraley

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They were both born in the D.C. area before rising to music fame in their respective genres.

This week, Big Kenny of country duo Big & Rich will sing at the Congressional Baseball Game on Wednesday, while R&B star Ginuwine will appear at the Bowie Baysox on Thursday.

WTOP caught up with both artists to preview their events and reflect on their careers.

Big & Rich

Big Kenny will perform his own rendition of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” at Nats Park.

“I’m super excited to come back to D.C.,” Kenny told WTOP. “My hometown is Culpeper, Virginia, exactly 90 miles from Washington D.C. Every time I’m coming to the East Coast, I’ve got a couple of young boys, I love to bring them to D.C. It’s a great celebration of America, beautiful buildings, monuments, so much to see and do and so much for the kids to learn.”

He said the Congressional Baseball Game is a perfect chance to put partisanship aside.

“It’s not just the baseball, it’s the coming together of everyone in D.C.,” Kenny said. “This event is the biggest celebration of bipartisanship for good in our capital. That’s what I find super exciting about it. Seeing people get together no matter what their political opinions are to have fun, to celebrate not only baseball but our country, our community and give back. … We’re also celebrating our veterans and first responders, primarily our Capitol Police.”

How did he make his way from Culpeper to Nashville?

“I was brought up playing music as a kid, but you really had to be out there working a real job,” Kenny said. “I was working on the farm there in Virginia and working in construction. … In the ’90s there was a famous oil crisis that swept across the country and put everybody out of the construction business. My friends said, ‘You sing pretty well, you should go to Nashville.’ So I went to Nashville, I didn’t know anyone, I just went to the city and said, ‘Here I am.’”

Playing in a band four nights a week, he eventually got a record deal in 1999 and formed his so-called MuzikMafia in the early 2000s. During this time, he had many of the life experiences that inspired him to write hits for other artists, including “Here for the Party” for Gretchen Wilson, “Hicktown” for Jason Aldean and “Last Dollar” for Tim McGraw. The lattermost was inspired by his own “last dollar” moment in Las Vegas in 2002 before Big & Rich got signed.

“My manager was doing Alabama’s farewell tour and said, ‘If you make your way out, I got a free hotel room.’ … I’m down to $100 at 3 a.m. going, ‘What am I going to do?’ So I went and sat down at a blackjack table. … I won 10 hands in a row and got up to about $800 … but then that dealer decided to deal herself a blackjack. … I grabbed that $1 chip, pushed myself away from the table … went up to my room, sat on the corner of the bed and the heel pulled off my boot! I said, ‘What next, Lord?’ Thirty minutes later I wrote, ‘Down to my last dollar.’”

After grinding it out in Nashville and writing songs for other artists, his life-changing moment came when a mutual friend brought ex-Lonestar singer John Rich to one of his shows.

“I was playing a little club in Nashville … and at the end of my shows, I’d always bring stuff you can give to people, so I got a big bag of after-Halloween candy,” Kenny said. “I had a big bag of Double Bubble gum and I was slinging it out to everybody. I grabbed a big handful and made sure I got some to the back of the room, where John happened to be standing. A piece hit him right under his cowboy hat on his forehead between his eyes. … She kept at it until we finally got together and wrote a song. … By the end of that year we’d written about 100 songs.”

Thus, Big & Rich was born in 2003 with their debut album “Horse of a Different Color,” including the stadium anthem “Comin’ to Your City,” played to this day on college football.

“I had been asked to be a mentor to 50 students that had won an essay contest to come to Nashville,” Kenny said. “I’d break them up in groups of 10, write songs with them, then take them into the studio and then hit the stage and perform them live. … I asked John to write with me and this one group of 10 students had gone around the room meeting everyone, asking where they’re from, all from different states, different places, and I said, ‘I got this song idea called ‘Comin’ to Your City’ and all these places here, they’re the places we’re going to be.”

Another student meeting inspired their smash party song “Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy.”

“We asked, ‘Has anybody heard anything since coming to Nashville that might make a good song title?’” Kenny said. “This one girl said, ‘We went to the Wild Horse Saloon last night and it hadn’t been 10 minutes before this cowboy said, ‘Hey darlin’, you wanna save a horse and ride a cowboy?’ … John and I looked at each other and said, ‘Well, that’s our song. That’s gotta be written.’ Within the next hour, right there in front of them, we wrote that song and it turned out to be our ‘Stairway to Heaven,’ it turned out to be our ‘Sweet Home Alabama.”

In addition to party anthems, they could also do serious topics, tackling abuse in “Holy Water.”

“Life’s not all fun and games,” Kenny said. “Country music has been able to breach and talk about things that are super important, emotional issues in people’s lives. In the case of ‘Holy Water,’ it was abuse. … It seemed like almost half the girls you talked to in our lives had been through these horrific situations and it seemed like music was the one thing that could bring some closure or comfort or compassion to that issue, so the song ‘Holy Water’ came about.”

The same goes for their 2006 hit single “8th of November” about a Vietnam veteran from the 173rd U.S. Airborne Brigade during Operation Hump in South Vietnam on Nov. 8, 1965.

“It’s the story of a Vietnam vet that John and I met in Deadwood, South Dakota named Niles Harris, who was a bartender there,” Kenny said. “He said, ‘You guys oughta write a song about this,’ so sitting there in Deadwood, we wrote that chorus. … Then we actually traveled back to Vietnam with him to where he was wounded that day. … We got our friends Lynyrd Skynyrd and Gretchen Wilson to help us out for a show in Atlanta, Georgia, and raised enough to finish off the budget to build the memorial for the 173rd Airborne down in Fort Benning, Georgia.”

Now, he’s honoring veterans and first responders at the Congressional Baseball Game.

“That’s all personal to me because of family members who have served,” Kenny said. “Me and my father helped build our volunteer firehall in my hometown of Salem inside of Culpeper. I’ve got relationships with veterans and military folks for years and years now. Those are all just people on the front lines that should be really important to all of us, so that’s another reason that makes it super exciting to be here and be part of the congressional game.”

Find more details on the event website. Listen to our full conversation with Big Kenny below:

WTOP’s Jason Fraley chats with Big Kenny (Full Interview)

Jason Fraley

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Ginuwine

Meanwhile, just a day later, Ginuwine will throw out the first pitch for the Bowie Baysox.

“I’m throwing out the first pitch, doing a meet and greet and just saying hello to the fans,” Ginuwine told WTOP. “It’s been a while since I’ve done something like that and since it’s home and it’s right up the street, I was like, ‘Yeah, I gotta be a part of that.” Looking forward to seeing everybody.”

Is he ready for the first pitch? Does he have his windup down?

“I definitely know how to throw, so we’re not going to have that problem,” Ginuwine joked. “[I played] one year in high school, one year in junior high school and going out for gym to play softball, but nothing professional. I still can throw though. I know how to throw a ball. But yeah, I’ve seen some of the epic fails and I’m like, ‘How the hell did that happen?’”

Ironically, he was actually named after legendary D.C. basketball player Elgin Baylor.

“My father and my mom were [fans] and named me after him,” Ginuwine said. “I guess they wanted me to play basketball or something, but instead I sang, performed and entertained. Either way, I’m happy about it. … I always wanted to entertain. Once I saw the girls start screaming and how the girls loved me, I was like, ‘Oop, this is what I want to do right hurr!”

Growing up in D.C., he played music and studied law at Prince George’s Community College.

“The music thing was always something that was within me,” Ginuwine said. “I was in a go-to band, then I was in a break dancing group, then a singing group. … It’s a long shot. Even if you get the opportunity, there’s not a lot of people that actually ‘make it,’ as they say. So I either wanted to be an entertainment lawyer or just be around it. I always felt like if I was around it, I’d get a better opportunity. I was just weighing my bets, just trying to get in there somehow.”

He later moved to Rochester to work alongside Missy Elliott and Timbaland in the Swing Mob.

“We were all trying to make it,” Ginuwine said. “DeVanté Swing had a label and was going around the country looking for talent. He came to D.C. and found me. He came to Virginia and found Missy and Timbaland. We moved up to New Jersey with him [and] the rest is history.”

Timbaland produced his platinum debut album “Ginuwine … The Bachelor” (1996) with the smash hit “Pony,” which topped the R&B charts and hit No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100.

“That song is going to outlive me, you and everybody else,” Ginuwine said. “That’s one of those songs that’s going to be here a long time. It came in the right time when music was just changing. Timbaland pretty much changed music. When he did the double beat thing and he came with the new music, he changed music. That’s something that will never be duplicated.”

Find more details on the event website. Hear our full conversation with Ginuwine below:

WTOP’s Jason Fraley chats with Ginuwine (Full Interview)

Jason Fraley

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Slow travel likely on Canal Road, Whitehurst Freeway on 2nd day of emergency roadwork

Tuesday, 25 June 2019 by timroot

Work to repair a gas main at Canal Road and Whitehurst Freeway in D.C. is continuing Tuesday, after the unexpected roadwork caused a major backup during the Monday morning commute.

The WTOP Traffic Center says both Canal Road and Whitehurst Freeway will only have one lane open past the work zone. Left turns will not be allowed for outbound travelers on Whitehurst Freeway.

Expect delays to persist through midday. On Monday, Washington Gas said crews are expected to finish their work on Tuesday.

ADVISORY: Canal Rd + Whitehurst Freeway will have ONLY 1 lane OPEN with no left turns, due to emergency work (8:45am). Expect delays thru mid-day. #DCTraffic #Georgetown #NWDC
More ✅ https://t.co/nb3VFR1abs pic.twitter.com/bX0u72g0vP
— WTOP Traffic (@WTOPtraffic) June 25, 2019

Inbound lanes of Canal Road to Georgetown and downtown D.C., as well as outbound lanes on the freeway, were backed up for miles on Monday morning while Washington Gas worked to repair the break.

For the latest road and traffic conditions, see WTOP’s traffic page.

Below is a map of the area:

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TRAFFIC

DC police investigate possible hate crime, suspect arrested

House amendment directs FAA to prioritize fighting plane, helicopter noise

DC Council proposes legislation to set boundaries on e-scooter companies

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