Everyone is Invited! The Community Patio and the Takoma Streetery on Laurel Avenue will be open tomorrow, Friday, June 12, with outside seating available. Please make note that all social distancing and mask requirements are in effect.
It’s supposed to be a beautiful day tomorrow, get outside and enjoy!
Here is some information on the Laurel Avenue Closure!
Laurel Avenue Lane Closure Begins June 12 In support of Takoma Park’s small businesses and needed steps toward re-opening, the City Council authorized the closure of the northbound side of Laurel Avenue for outdoor seating, sales, and customer pick-up. Beginning June 12, the side of Laurel Avenue where the businesses are located will be closed to allow for outdoor dining and enjoyment, curbside pickup and other public uses to assist Takoma Park’s businesses, employees, and residents during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Barriers and signage will be installed to announce the lane closure and detour around the church.
The handicap parking space will be relocated across Laurel, on the southbound side
The Takoma Park Post Office will not be impacted by the Laurel Avenue street closure. Hours and parking remain the same.
The businesses will begin using the outdoor space in order to re-open the restaurants, as permitted by the reduction of State and County restrictions, beginning on Friday, June 12, 2020.
The City has developed a new webpageto address the use of public space for these purposes, with the opportunity for the public to give feedback:
Driveway at corner of Carroll Avenue and Central Avenue
Multi-instrumentalist Sarah Hughes will play a free concert at 4 pm on June 13 in the Roadside Attractions driveway music series co-sponsored by the Viaduct arts salon and the City’s Takoma Park Arts cultural series.
Sarah is an improvisational musician and a prominent fixture in the D.C.-Baltimore experimental scene. Playing saxophone, clarinet, and flute, she has performed in numerous musical contexts, including jazz ensembles, contemporary music ensembles, swing bands, blues jams, folk groups, rap and hip-hop troupes, and indie music collectives. In 2015, she toured Sweden and performed in the country’s first Women in Jazz festival. She performs regularly at Rhizome in Takoma Park and other venues in the area. You can hear some of her music on her website.
Musicians receive an honorarium from Takoma Park Arts to support their livelihoods. Please join us for this free concert where Sarah also is seeking donations for An End to Ignorance, which provides food for vulnerable populations in Baltimore.
Please wear masks and maintain social distancing to keep everyone safe. You can learn more about all of the events in the Takoma Park Arts series at takomaparkmd.gov/arts where you also can sign up for our weekly e-newsletter. Let’s celebrate the return of live music to Takoma Park!
We are aware of the #8CANTWAIT recommendations for Law Enforcement agency use of force policies. We currently have in place policies that cover to some degree all of the eight of the #8CANTWAIT recommendations.
We are currently in the process of reviewing our use of force policies. Specifically, the ban of chokeholds except where deadly force is needed and the language used in the section “exhaust all other means before shooting.”
We look forward to working with members of the community and our City Council, as we review this and other policies in our efforts to increase community policing and building trust across the community. We are also compiling information to provide to the public about the training provided to officers.
Background on the #8CANTWAIT Use of Force Policy Recommendations
Below is an overview of the #8CANTWAIT recommendations and our related policies.
Duty to Intervene:
Each department member has the individual responsibility to intervene and attempt to stop any other member from committing an unlawful or improper act, including but not limited to, acts of brutality, abuses of process, abuses of authority, and any other criminal acts or major violations of department rules and procedures. Successful intervention does not negate a duty to report.
Require De-escalation:
Our current policies require all officers to use de-escalation techniques prior to using force.
Ban Shooting at Moving Vehicles:
Our current policy prohibits officers from shooting at or from moving vehicles unless circumstances would authorize deadly force.
Officers are prohibited from intentionally placing themselves in the path of a moving vehicle where an officer’s use of deadly force would be the probable outcome. When confronted by an oncoming vehicle, officers will move out of its path, if possible, rather than fire at the vehicle.
Ban Chokeholds & Strangleholds:
Our current policy bans the use of chokeholds except where deadly force is needed.
Require Comprehensive Reporting:
Our department requires comprehensive reporting and review of all use of force incidents. The list of reporting requirements is extensive. They can be found on our website under general orders, Use of Force, General Order 617.
Require Use of Force Continuum:
Our department has a use of force continuum that officers are trained in and must follow.
Exhaust All Other Means Before Shooting:
Our current policy requires officers to use only that amount of force, which is reasonable and necessary. Officers are required at all times to exhaust every other reasonable means of apprehension before resorting to the use of deadly force. Officers may use deadly force to defend themselves or another person from what they reasonably believe is an imminent threat of death or serious physical injury. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that any use of deadly force must be objectively reasonable. This standard will be applied to all uses of deadly force regardless of whether or not a suspect is fleeing when an officer employs deadly force.
Require Warning Before Shooting:
Our firearms training and policies require all officers to provide warnings before shooting.
June 1, 2020. Takoma Park City TV received a 2020 Hometown Media Award from the Alliance for Community Media Foundation. The awards program was established to honor and promote community media and local cable programs that are distributed on Public, Educational, and Governmental (PEG) access cable television channels.
City TV won in the $300,000-$650,000 category the Overall Excellence in Government programming, awarded to the overall production of the channel. “This is the best award we could win,” says Alvaro Calabia, production manager for City TV. He believes that “they have appreciated the diversity of programs we produce and how we try to reach all demographics in the City. Besides English and Spanish, in 2019 we produced shows in Amharic, Haitian Creole, and French. We also collaborated with the Thunderbolts to produce our first baseball games ever, and we have rooted deeper our relation with Takoma Radio, WOWD. We have a lot of partners in Takoma Park responsible for the award.” You can see City TV programs on their YouTube page.
Each year, a panel of judges evaluates over a thousand entries based on several factors including subject, experience, and budget. Awards are then presented to the most creative programs that address community needs, develop diverse community involvement, challenge conventional commercial television formats, and move viewers to experience television in a different way. Proceeds from the awards program are used exclusively for facilitating, preserving and promoting education in community media.
“The Hometown Media Awards celebrate both the excellence of work and the diversity of media that appears on community channels being produced around the country. The ACM Foundation is proud of their achievement and of how they represent their communities in their work,” said Mike Wassenaar, president & CEO, Alliance for Community Media.
Waking up this morning to the video of one of our officers removing a sign calling for action, was not only upsetting, it was infuriating. The taking down of the signs and the officer’s interaction with a young person is not acceptable. And, this is about much more than taking down signs.
Our job as leaders is to change laws and policies and fight against how their enforcement criminalizes black identity and actions. But we can’t stop there. We must also enact legislation that furthers equity and justice in our communities.
I thank our Police Chief and City Manager for taking swift action this morning and for the work they have been doing in the last few years to make changes in our department. And more needs to be done locally and at the state level.
I pledge to advocate and ask others to join me to push for reforms at the state level especially addressing the Law Enforcement Officers Bill of Rights which hampers progress and necessary changes we want to make at the local level in Maryland. We have an opportunity with Del David Moon being appointed by the Speaker of State House to work with other delegates to propose reforms that will be turned into legislation for the next session.
Today, I call on residents to join me in an act of solidarity by putting up signs around town calling for justice and taking anti-racist actions to not only prevent police violence against people of color but to dismantle the very structures of white supremacy wherever they exist.
The redacted text of the incoming call to our dispatch center on June 1, 2020 has been released. Last week, we wanted to respond to the incident as quickly as possible. Now as additional background information is available, we will continue to review the facts and circumstances surrounding the incident and continue to make operational improvements as appropriate.
Update to Chief DeVaul’s Message – June 04 at 5:30pm
Update to Chief DeVaul’s Message – June 02 at 12:00pm
As I have stated in my previous statements, we need to acknowledge and address the issues involving racism and mistreatment of minorities by police and I am committed to making the needed changes. Removing a sign calling for action from a light pole – this during a time when violence against people of color from police officers is rightfully being called out — is not consistent with how we as a police department want and should work with the community.
I also understand this is about more than the removal of signs. The dismissive tone of the officer and the interaction was not how we as a police department should behave.
The officer who responded to remove the signs last night did so as the result of a call from a resident who felt that the language in certain signs displayed would incite violence. Only the involved signs were removed. Other signs supporting the Black Lives Matter movement were left in place. This still does not excuse the dismissive tone and actions of the officer. That is being addressed.
Posted this morning – June 02 at 8:55am
We are aware of the video posted on social media of an interaction between one of our officers removing a sign calling for action from a light pole. Posting signs on light poles and other structures is illegal in Takoma Park. However, during this time of mourning and reflection, we support creating more spaces for residents to express their feelings and raise awareness with signs, posters, and other means. Understanding this need, City Manager Suzanne Ludlow will be putting out an emergency order overriding the posting of sign restriction. We encourage residents to post signs throughout the city.
We have addressed this incident with the involved officer and will be discussing it with all of our staff. As I have stated numerous times, we want to be part of the solution, not the problem. The removal of signs is not part of the solution and for that, I apologize. We all understand that tensions are running high across the country and in Takoma Park. Let’s find a way to learn from this incident and take steps to bring us together.
We are reeling, hurting, and angry. I am urging Takoma Park residents to put signs up across the City. Let’s show the world and each other what we are hoping for and working for, how we are grieving and raging and loving, and working to make this world a just and welcoming place for all.
I am suspending the rules against posting signs in the City right of way. For safety reasons, we will move signs if they are in an unsafe location such as covering a traffic sign or blocking sightlines at an intersection.
Let’s put up the posters, draw with chalk on the sidewalks and show who we are!
This week, the plight of being black in America has hit me like a ton of bricks. As a black woman, I know all too well that racism exists. I’ve seen the looks that some give when they make assumptions about you. I’ve been forced to assimilate and change aspects of who I am to make white people feel more comfortable in my presence. I’ve had awkward conversations with my niece and nephews, well before they were of age to understand, about how to behave so that “people” don’t think that they are criminals. “Don’t touch anything unless you plan to buy it.” “You can borrow the car, but remember if you get stopped by the police to do as you are told. If you are ever arrested, be polite, don’t resist, or say anything.”
However, this week, I realized that despite the preparation that we give black children so that they can survive an encounter with the police, black people are not safe in America. The case of Ahmaud Arbery proves that we can’t jog in our own neighborhood. Breonna Taylor’s death shows that we can’t sleep in our houses. George Floyd’s murder illustrates that even if you don’t resist arrest, you can be killed by individuals who took an oath to protect you.
I am grateful for the work that the City of Takoma Park is doing to acknowledge racism and put systems in place to promote equality. Takoma Park Police Chief DeVaul is changing the culture of policing in the City of Takoma Park; including actively recruiting a diverse police force. The City’s commitment to race equity is shown by the training of staff, and their proactive work to serve residents and small business owners who have less access to power and resources. This work in the Police Department and throughout the City is critical and will continue.
Yet, we must also recognize that we are fighting hate and a system that allows those who hate to prosper. Nelson Mandela said “No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love.” As a community, we must vow to teach love.
Specifically, you must:
Talk about racism and police brutality with your family.
Speak up when you see or experience racism.
Seek out opportunities to encourage and promote diversity, particularly among elected officials.
Advocate at all levels of government for policies that promote equality and reverse systems that disadvantage people of color.
One of my favorite albums is Songs in the Key of Life by Stevie Wonder. In the song, Love’s in Need of Love Today, Stevie Wonder sings “Love’s in need of love today. Don’t delay. Send yours in right away. Hate’s goin’ round. Breaking many hearts. Stop it, please. Before it’s gone too far.”
The hate has gone too far. But, there is still time to make things right. Please join me in vowing to teach love. Together, we can fight racism.
The deaths of Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, Finan Berhe, and the ones before, force us to continuously come face-to-face with the persistent pandemic destroying our communities – racism.
It is important that the Takoma Park community continues to show up, as a united front, and take a public stance against racism. As perfectly stated by Angela Davis, “In a racist society, it is not enough to be non-racist, we must be anti-racist.”
For real change to happen, accountability and action must take place. Every single one of us is responsible and we must all do our part.
YOU ARE INVITED to join Unity in the Community co-founder Meaghan Murphy, fellow neighbors, Takoma Park Radio, community activists, Takoma Park City Council members, Mayor, City Manager, and Chief of Police on Monday, June 1, 2020, at 6 pm for a moment of reflection. We will explore how we as individuals, and as a community, will help eradicate racism in this country and work toward just and equitable communities.
Tune in to Takoma Park Radio Station 94.3 from 6:00 – 7:00 pm to explore social justice through music. Hear messages from Chief of Police Antonio DeVaul, Denise Jones and the Essex House Girls Club, long-time TKPK community residents Cedric Boatman and Chris Barclay, community organizer Brandy Brooks, and City Council Member Talisha Searcy.
We encourage you to grab your markers, a piece of paper, and make a sign that reflects the message in your heart and a pledge to take one or all of the following actions:
support-on-the-ground activists
help when it is not an emergency
educate yourself
call lawmakers and vote
talk to your community about racism
With your sign in hand, step outside your front door and find a socially distanced place to sit and reflect, or open up your window and turn up your radio.
Consistent with the actions of other jurisdictions in the Washington, DC area, the Montgomery County Board of Health voted this afternoon to move Montgomery County into Phase 1 Reopeningon Monday, June 1 at 6 am. Phase 1 allows some outdoor seating around restaurants, some curbside service from retail stores, limited hair appointments, and some child care operations. Rulings and guidelines related to these private businesses are under the State of Maryland and the County health departments.
The City of Takoma Park continues to work with our business community to assist them in preparing for changes allowed under Phase 1. Unfortunately, there was not much advance notice from Montgomery County that Phase 1 Reopening would begin Monday, so we and the businesses are scrambling to get ready. Thankfully, we have been working closely with them since the health crisis began and we are here to support our businesses and protect public health.
City Manager Suzanne Ludlow
What does the County decision mean for Takoma Park? The biggest changes starting on Monday will be:
Restaurants will be able to continue take out service and begin outdoor seating following social distance protocols.
Retail stores will be allowed to have curbside pick up.
Hair salons and barbershops are allowed to reopen following specific guidelines.
There will be no significant change in the City of Takoma Park governmental operations due to Montgomery County’s Phase 1 Reopening.
City of Takoma Park governmental buildings will not be open to the public for many weeks and most of our services will continue to be handled remotely. Our Police Department is always open for emergency services and our Police and Public Works staff continue to work serving the community.
What have we been doing in this time before Phase 1 Reopening?
Our City staff has been putting in long, difficult hours working with families and small businesses in need. It is hard to adequately describe the heart-wrenching situations many of our residents face. We have families whose primary breadwinner is sick and suddenly the family is without income and health insurance. Applying for and access to services and stimulus payments are complicated by limited English or lack of documentation. We have been able to help a number of these families get testing, pay rent, obtain food and face masks and make key connections to ongoing services. We will continue to provide this assistance.
Our small businesses have also been pressed to the limit. When the federal stimulus program was issued to help small businesses, the program went through banks. Banks focused on the businesses they worked with most closely, which were often larger businesses. Most of our businesses in Takoma Park were not helped. However, the City of Takoma Park had already acted. Even before the federal government acted, we had started our Mini-Grant program with funds we were able to pull together. So far, we have helped about three dozen businesses with our Mini-Grant program with grants mostly in the $2,000 range. When we received their applications for help, the businesses were ranked by need. Those with employees and special needs ranked higher, and we have been working through the 93 approved applications as funds become available. Now that the Council has identified additional funds, we hope to be able to assist all or most of the eligible businesses that applied for assistance over the next two months. However, we estimate that the businesses that applied represent only about 15% of our business community, so much more work is needed. Staff has been having weekly calls with the Crossroads Development Authority and the Old Town Business Association and communicating directly with many small businesses. We will continue to provide assistance to our businesses and we have prepared recommendations for Council consideration of the use of public space to support our small businesses and protect public health.
City administrative work has been heavy: our staff has been working long hours on budget preparation, oversight of employee health measures and hazard pay, IT services to staff working remotely, and facilitating the City Council as they hold virtual meetings. We will continue to hold virtual meetings at this time.
Recreation, Library and Arts staff have been doing virtual programming, and it is wonderful! Please watch for the special summer programming the Recreation Department is putting into place. They have also been planning for direct services under new health protocols. Senior Recreation staff are studying the child care protocols, which are quite extensive, and preparing for a number of options depending on how Montgomery County Public Schools decides to proceed with its classes. The Library is looking to begin contactless book lending in June. (If you still have Library books from before the pandemic started, please return them so that we can get them ready for our new program!) Besides work for their own departments, some Recreation and Library staff have been helping other City efforts, from garden maintenance to assisting residents through the Emergency Assistance program.
Communications about the rapid changes that have occurred during the health emergency are key. We have been helping residents and businesses access funds and services, providing health information, and telling success stories. Our one Communications Specialist has had her hands full, but staff from other departments have stepped up. We have done mailings, social media, and website updates. It’s a huge lift and ever-changing, but we have focused on being accurate and targeting information to those who need it the most. We will continue to communicate with residents and keep them informed during the crisis. Be sure to check out our Covid-19 Information and Resourcepage.
Soon our Neighborhood Services Team staff will be returning to more active service. They provide educational information regarding our Safe Grow and other environmental laws, and they do parking enforcement and property code enforcement. While enforcement of serious safety issues has continued throughout the health emergency, most parking and code enforcement activities have been on hold. We will not start regular parking enforcement right away, but now that more businesses can do curbside sales, we know there may need to be increased parking enforcement.
Even as we look at how to address City service needs this summer and fall, we also have to keep our eyes forward to next year and the year after that. We will be watching how revenue changes may affect Takoma Park. The City Council and I will have frequent discussions on that topic as we learn more. And, we need to keep our eyes on the vision and priorities for Takoma Park post-pandemic. What will we be doing to make Takoma Park a more equitable and livable community?
“Takoma Park – Safe, Strong and Supportive of Each Other” is not just a nice sentiment; it is a necessity. The pandemic has brought that home. What each of us does affects our neighbors. Wearing your mask, keeping your social distance, washing your hands, and helping each other out when we can is a health and community necessity.
northbound side of Laurel Avenue for outdoor seating, sales, and customer pick-up. Beginning June 12, the side of Laurel Avenue where the businesses are located will be closed to allow for outdoor dining and enjoyment, curbside pickup and other public uses to assist Takoma Park’s businesses, employees, and residents during the COVID-19 pandemic.
production of the channel. “This is the best award we could win,” says Alvaro Calabia, production manager for City TV. He believes that “they have appreciated the diversity of programs we produce and how we try to reach all demographics in the City. Besides English and Spanish, in 2019 we produced shows in Amharic, Haitian Creole, and French. We also collaborated with the Thunderbolts to produce our first baseball games ever, and we have rooted deeper our relation with Takoma Radio, WOWD. We have a lot of partners in Takoma Park responsible for the award.” You can see City TV programs on their 
I am to make white people feel more comfortable in my presence. I’ve had awkward conversations with my niece and nephews, well before they were of age to understand, about how to behave so that “people” don’t think that they are criminals. “Don’t touch anything unless you plan to buy it.” “You can borrow the car, but remember if you get stopped by the police to do as you are told. If you are ever arrested, be polite, don’t resist, or say anything.”
Taylor’s death shows that we can’t sleep in our houses. George Floyd’s murder illustrates that even if you don’t resist arrest, you can be killed by individuals who took an oath to protect you.
