Thank you CM Janeese Lewis George Brianne K. Nadeau for your unwavering commitment to the Office of the Ombudsperson for Children, a critical resource which DC children & families cannot afford to lose.

In his DYRS testimony this morning, Raymond Ngu raised questions about funding for vocational opportunities and the continued failure to prioritize community-based treatment. As he pointed out during Q&A with CM CM Trayon White, the trade-offs become obvious in tight budgets!

"We have an opportunity to start these children off, knowing that they are seen, that they are loved... I want people to realize that these kids are in our community. They are our future.” washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2024/…

The best way to ensure that young people can trust the legal process is ensuring that they have zealous, well-trained attorneys who safeguard their rights & ensure their voices are heard until they are free from system involvement.

Kids behind bars need regular access to counsel. JSP's absence on Wednesdays is sure to be felt. Tough news.

A Call to Expand Post-Disposition Representation of Youth in the Juvenile Legal System, by The Gault Center and Open City Advocates

We're hiring a new Staff Attorney. Come help us defend the rights of young people committed to DC's juvenile legal system! opencityadvocates.org/join-our-team

👏🏿👏🏽👏🏻CM Janeese Lewis George! We are thrilled that you were able to restore funds for the Office of the Ombudsperson for Children. Your leadership during this tough budget season is so appreciated and will have an impact on the lives of DC children and families for years to come.

HUGE thank you to Brianne K. Nadeau for being a champion of the Office of the Ombudsperson for Children from the very start. This important office would not exist without you 💯

TY Councilmember_RobertWhite for working hard to fund new housing vouchers in the FY25 budget & standing against plans to end rental assistance for 2,000+ families currently in RRH. We agree that more $$$ and solid transition plans are needed to keep these families in stable housing.

The children we lock in cages or send thousands of miles away for "rehabilitation" are so often forgotten if they don't have a legal advocate in their home city. If we're going to take a tough on crime approach, we also need to fund access to counsel.

“This week, the population is listed at 108 young people. Its maximum capacity is 98.” Dangerous overcrowding in DYRS facilities leads to fights and contraband. Under Jerry M the cap was supposed to be 80 with surge capacity at 88. nbcwashington.com/investigations…

“Fewer judges mean fewer courtrooms where we can try cases,” says U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves. DC's high rate of judicial vacancies is delaying #justice for DC's residents in all kinds of cases, from carjackings and robberies, to divorce and adoption. Learn more 👇

Fantastic work by CCE, that highlights the ways in which failures to coordinate between agencies leave kids maximally in need of care unprotected. It's another reason why at Open City Advocates we've been calling for DC's Ombudsman for Children to be granted oversight over DYRS.

As members of CCE's Youth Justice Committee, we have strongly supported this report since its inception, and were proud to contribute our expertise in post-disposition representation and knowledge of DYRS's practices. We see these crossover failures firsthand all the time!

Residential are so often just places of torture 100s of miles from family and others who can ensure care (like legal counsel from Open City Advocates). washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/…

Come join me and an amazing group of activists tomorrow as we present our ideas on how to make dc more just, safe, and welcoming for all!

I was honored last week to join DC Justice Lab Policy Training Academy. Here's a photo of all the powerful advocates at the Community Safety Fair, as well as information about our campaign to expunge juvenile records. Let's close those juvenile records and open futures!