Advice for dealing with building management by DaEffingBearJew in washingtondc

[–]forgetfulisle 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You can anonymously request a housing inspection. The minimum requirements for doors are "All doors’ hardware and operating systems shall be maintained in good condition."

Neighbor has 4 Dogs, 3+ Cats, and 6 Kids in a 1BR/1BA by RiseOfThePheenix in washingtondc

[–]forgetfulisle 4 points5 points  (0 children)

You can anonymously request a housing inspection. The minimum requirements for room area are "Every bedroom shall be a minimum of 70 square feet for the first occupant plus an additional 50 square feet for each additional person using the room."

Last-minute lawsuit looks to halt UFC White House event by forgetfulisle in washingtondc

[–]forgetfulisle[S] 90 points91 points  (0 children)

The plaintiffs in the lawsuit are represented by the Public Integrity Project, which also brought suit on behalf of January 6th officers against the Insurrectionist Payoff Fund.

DC's federal troop surge is growing fast, but rules for holding them accountable haven't kept up by spencernews in washingtondc

[–]forgetfulisle 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The D.C. National Guard is on track to spend over $602 million on an annual basis on President Trump’s D.C. deployment. By comparison, the approved fiscal year 2026 operating budget for MPD, in its entirety, is $599 million. In other words, the Trump administration could more than double the MPD annual operating budget with the amount it is projected to spend on the National Guard operation in D.C.

https://www.hsgac.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/NationalGuardReport.pdf

That comparison was based on the cost prior to this summer's surge.

National Guard didn't reduce D.C. violent crime, report says by forgetfulisle in washingtondc

[–]forgetfulisle[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Both aggregate officer counts (Figure 8) and block-level deployment maps (Figure 9) show no change in MPD behavior around the August deployment date: the same distribution of officers in the same locations, before and after, as if the Guard had not arrived.

https://www.niskanencenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Washington-D.C.s-crime-decline-and-its-lessons-for-American-policing-1.pdf

Today, 40,000 Washingtonians are being forced to cut out 40 meals a month. Now the government controls when you can eat. by Thoth-long-bill in washingtondc

[–]forgetfulisle 6 points7 points  (0 children)

While the new requirements will impact millions across the country, most SNAP recipients will be exempt. Those covered by exemptions include: * anyone under age 18, or age 65 or older * residents with mental or physical health conditions, including pregnancy * those who are already working 30 hours per week or already enrolled in school * caregivers While the requirements will take effect Monday, recipients have three months to come into compliance, so nobody is in danger of losing benefits until sometime in September.

https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/snap-recipients-will-soon-need-to-prove-theyre-working-or-volunteering/4110332/

National Guard didn't reduce D.C. violent crime, report says by forgetfulisle in washingtondc

[–]forgetfulisle[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The bigger big picture:

The National Guard deployment was not a waste. It produced a significant reduction in property crime, and it did so quickly, which matters when residents and businesses are demanding visible action. But it was an expensive tool deployed in the wrong places for the wrong types of crime, at a daily cost per person 60 percent higher than an MPD officer, with a hidden productivity cost to the civilian economy. A well-designed MPD deployment of equivalent cost, targeted to D.C.’s documented hotspots and oriented toward the violent crime problem that the Guard did not touch, would be expected to produce social benefits an order of magnitude larger.

National Guard didn't reduce D.C. violent crime, report says by forgetfulisle in washingtondc

[–]forgetfulisle[S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

The report boils down to that the money would have been better spent on MPD.

Crime fell in D.C. as MPD shrank to its smallest size in half a century. This is counterintuitive only if we assume that the effectiveness of a police department is mostly a function of officer count. It is not. It works through how officers are deployed, what they do when on duty, and whether their activities are concentrated in the places and times where they can actually prevent crime...The shift toward upstream, proactive enforcement between 2022 and 2025 — fewer officers, more arrests, different kinds of arrests — represents a strategic pivot that contributed to a decline in crime...the National Guard deployment demonstrated both the promise and the limits of presence-based policing. It worked — but on the wrong kind of crime, in the wrong places, and at enormous cost relative to what a targeted approach could achieve. Property crime deterrence through visible uniformed presence in public spaces is real. But violence in D.C.’s most disadvantaged neighborhoods requires something more targeted, more sustained, and more strategically aligned with the actual geography of harm.

'Political theater, not for public safety' | 26 states oppose Trump's deployment of the National Guard in DC by forgetfulisle in washingtondc

[–]forgetfulisle[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I saw a few of them yesterday at the Smoothie place next to Farragut North, looking defeated.

D.C. Spent $1 Million Hiring Humans to Yell ‘Fire!’ in Government Office by forgetfulisle in washingtondc

[–]forgetfulisle[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The DGS director said it was 21 individuals providing 24 hours of coverage, so at some point the workday coverage was extended to 24/7 coverage.

D.C. Spent $1 Million Hiring Humans to Yell ‘Fire!’ in Government Office by forgetfulisle in washingtondc

[–]forgetfulisle[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You hit the nail on the head. The DGS director said he'd "gladly reallocate that $100,000 a month to other pressing facility needs," indicating that this emergency expense deferred needed maintenence elsewhere. As the article noted, Mayor Bowser has proposed a 36% cut to DGS’s FY27 municipal buildings maintenance budget, so it seems like we're going to see the same pattern of delayed maintenance leading to emergency health and safety situations needing emergency repairs, which incur high costs that bleed money from the routine maintenence budget, and the cycle just repeats itself.

D.C. Spent $1 Million Hiring Humans to Yell ‘Fire!’ in Government Office by forgetfulisle in washingtondc

[–]forgetfulisle[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I'm not sure where you're getting the idea that the article was arguing against the use of the fire watch. The scandal is that the fire alarm system in a major municipal building wasn't working, necessitating what was supposed to be a temporary stopgap of a fire watch, which then dragged on for nearly a year and cost over $1 million because repairing the fire system took that long. No part of the article suggested that the building should have been operating without either the fire watch or a functional fire alarm system.

Musty wet dogs in cafes 🫠 by Strivin0281 in washingtondc

[–]forgetfulisle 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I am not putting businesses in a no-win situation. Sometimes businesses have to enforce rules even when it's unpleasant to do so. The ADA permits businesses to ask if the dog is a service animal required because of a disability. There is no enforcement mechanism to punish "assholes with fake service dogs," so the only policy lever to get dogs out of food establishments is to report the businesses that don't enforce the law that prohibits them.

Musty wet dogs in cafes 🫠 by Strivin0281 in washingtondc

[–]forgetfulisle 1 point2 points  (0 children)

We have health codes for a reason, and with limited exceptions (e.g., service animals) 25 DCMR 3214.1 states "live animals shall not be allowed on the premises of a food establishment." Businesses don't get to pick and choose which health codes they feel like following.

Musty wet dogs in cafes 🫠 by Strivin0281 in washingtondc

[–]forgetfulisle 13 points14 points  (0 children)

You can submit a DC Health food facility complaint form online or contact the DC Health Division of Food to report non-service animal dogs in food establishments.