Today, in response to the Mayor and DC Council’s emergency legislation aimed at limiting the harm of the coronavirus pandemic, Tazra Mitchell, Policy Director at DCFPI released the following statement:
“DCFPI applauds the quick and decisive action that the Mayor and DC Council are taking to contain the coronavirus pandemic’s damage to residents’ health and the local economy. The approved ‘emergency legislation’ will save lives, reduce immediate hardship, and bolster an economy that faces serious risk.
“More action is needed, however, particularly to support and protect the health of our neighbors who are homeless and provide emergency relief to child care providers. Both groups are primarily Black and brown residents, illustrating why acting swiftly and aggressively is an economic and racial justice issue. The legislation also fails to prohibit terminations for families participating in the rapid rehousing program.
“District policymakers rightly discuss how great it is that the city has been able to build up its reserves for a rainy day and should be just as proud to use reserves when a rainy day comes. That time is now.”
In the coming months, we must all do our part to come together to blunt the impacts of this global pandemic and contain the harm to the health, well-being, and economic security of people in and beyond DC.
