Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 6/8F met both in-person at 250 M St. SE and on line via Zoom June 17. On the dias were Commissioners Nic Wilson (6/8F01), Vice Chair Markita Bryant (6/8F02), Chair Brian Strege (6/8F03), Secretary Edward Daniels (6/8F04) and Treasurer Liam Goodwin (6/8F05).
ANC 6/8F voted to send a letter urging DC Council to pass the Juvenile Curfew Emergency Amendment Act of 2025. Chair Strege pointed to recent instances in the District where large groups of juveniles converged in large numbers in neighborhoods around the District, including The Wharf, Navy Yard and U Street. Fights have taken place, as well as robberies and assaults, he noted.
Deputy Mayor of Public Safety and Justice Lindsay Appiah appeared to discuss the budget and was asked about the law. She said it does four things. First, it sets a city-wide summer curfew of 11 p.m. for kids under 18. Right now the curfew is midnight for kids under seventeen. Second, it allows the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) Chief to set a curfew of 7 p.m. for a limited time period and in a limited space with posted notice, much like the drug zones implemented last year. Third, the law creates a process by which an ANC, main street or civic organization can apply for a curfew zone in their area. Finally, it gives the mayor the authority to set a citywide curfew for minors in the case of an emergency but limits that authority to 30 day increments.
Appiah said that under the law, children violating the curfew could be collected by officers and brought to the Youth Services Center (YSC) to be collected by their parent. If they do not, Child and Family Services will bring the child home.
Commissioners voted unanimously to support the bill, with Bryant in particular saying it was something she has pushed for. Daniels said that he hoped council could pass the law before July 4, when teenagers might be out with fireworks in hand.
Mendelson Visits
DC Council Chair Phil Mendelson (D) appeared to discuss council business. He expressed skepticism about the actual impact of a curfew on criminal behavior, saying research is inconclusive. “I suspect the council will probably adopt it, and I expect there also will be a lot of rhetoric about how this makes all the difference and I’m not sure that will be true.” He said that council is likely to look at the law at the next legislative meeting July 1.
Mendelson focused on the DC budget in his remarks, noting that the Mayor’s budget support act runs to 280 pages including a couple dozen subtitles that the Council Chair said have nothing to do with the budget and that will probably be removed from the act due to the limited time in the accelerated schedule. The budget has been delayed due to congressional interference; it was received by council May 27. Councilmembers vote on the budget twice, once on July 14 and again on July 28.
Mendelson said that councilmembers need to work harder at prioritizing what they want to fund in this very tight budget. Some District programs in need of funding could be pushed to next year’s budget while others could accelerate income generation, such as the Office of Administrative Hearings, which hears appeals on tickets and fines.
One place that is losing is the environment, he said. “There’s not an environmental program I can think of that was not either eliminated or severely cut,” Mendelson noted. Local funding cuts to the Department of Energy and environments are about 25%; factoring in federal funding cuts, DOEE probably lost about 40% of their budget, he said.
“I do not know if we’re going to restore the Anacostia River fund that the Mayor swept,” Mendelson said. The Council Chair said often, council creates a revenue stream, like the bag fee, and targets funding. Then in a few years, the Mayor moves to repurpose the stream, he said, and money goes into the general fund. It took longer with the bag fee, he said, but it looks like it happened again here and he doesn’t think there is any money for new programs in the final budget.
The RFK deal will probably be taken out of the budget vote, since a July 15 deadline to approve the contract would be “incredibly difficult” for council to do, Mendelson said. Focused on the city budget, council hasn’t had a chance to analyze the RFK deal, he explained, but Mendelson’s cursory estimate is that there’s a billion dollars in direct subsidy and another billion in additional benefits. He thinks the deal could be better, but since council has only received a term sheet they aren’t clear on details, he added. However, Mendelson sees obvious risks — i.e., the Commanders are obligated to build affordable housing, but there is no deadline or provision if it does not happen.
Asked about Ward 8, Mendelson said he was intensifying attention to those constituents, holding more meetings in the ward. Former Director of Constituent Services to Trayon White, Sr. Monique Diop is now working in his office. Asked how DC Council will react if White is again elected to represent Ward 8 on DC Council in the special election July 15, Mendelson said he has “assiduously avoided predicting what the council will think,” saying speculation is useless. But he said the dynamics will play a role; if White is elected with 100 percent of the vote, Mendelson said, his answer might be different than if T. White carries the election with 25 percent.He added that this is the answer he has consistently given, referencing public statements from former Councilmember T. White who claimed Mendelson promised T. White not to move expulsion if the latter were re-elected.
Support for Taco Boat
Commissioners voted to send a letter of support to the Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Administration (ABCA) for an application for a stipulated liquor license from Cantina Cruises
The cruise is a new partnership between C Suite Cruises and District Taco that will offer chips, salsa and mini churros on each ride. As the cruises grow, they plan to roll out more culinary options. The owners already operate the Patella Paddle Club out of Georgetown, The Wharf and Navy Yard. Commissioners said they had heard only positive things about prior operations and expected to have a cooperative and settlement agreement in the next three days.
Tenants at 200 Tingey Street
The historic building at 200 Tingey St. SE, on Tingey Plaza, has been leased to event design studio Social Supply for use as a wedding, gala and event space. Daniels said the lease holders are expected to come before the ANC in the next few months.
ANC 6/8F meets on the Third Tuesday of the month. The next meeting is July 15. Find more information and how to join at anc8F.org
