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Eleanor Holmes Norton

Sunday, Jan. 27, 2013 5:25 p.m.

Led by Connecticut families, more than 1,000 march for stricter gun legislation

by The GW Hatchet

This post was written by Hatchet reporter Tiana Pigford.

At least 1,000 people from across the country marched down Constitution Avenue Saturday, led by about 100 Newtown, Conn.-area residents, to advocate for stricter gun control legislation.

Blocking off streets, the group walked in silence and held signs reading the names of gun violence victims.

“I don’t want to take away anyone’s rights to protect themselves,” said Newtown resident Sandy Goldsberry, whose daughter was in Sandy Hook Elementary School on Dec. 14, when a shooter killed 26 students and staff members. “But I don’t think anyone needs semiautomatic weapons.”

After the 12-block trek, demonstrators gathered on the National Mall to hear from activists, victims, performers and elected officials. Each time a speaker called for an assault weapons ban or universal background checks, there was a thunder of applause, as Newtown residents – positioned in front of the stage – standing to their feet.

When Education Secretary Arne Duncan came to the podium, he said he spoke as a father and as someone who grew up knowing victims of gun violence in Chicago. He recalled later leading the city’s public schools, and remembering the students in his district who died each year from gunshot wounds.

“I used to have a drawing on my desk from a child,” Duncan said. “It said, ‘If I grow up, I want to be a fireman.’ ‘If I grow up.’ Far too many children are growing up in an environment where they are scared. Our country deserves better than that.”

The march had been put together in less than a month, led by D.C. activists and a grassroots organization called One Million Moms for Gun Control. Molly Smith, the artistic director of  D.C.’s Arena Stage, launched the event through a Facebook page.

Participants also heard from Collin Goddard, a survivor of the Virginia Tech massacre in 2007, D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray, and Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton.

“The only answer is a national, federal solution and let’s work hard to make that happen,” Gray, an alumnus, said. He pointed out that while D.C.’s gun laws are among the nation’s tightest, weapons can enter the city’s borders from states with less stringent regulation.

A handful of anti-gun control activists, representing the Libertarian Party of Virginia, lined the participants’ route.

Sarah Ferris contributed to this report.

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Thursday, Jan. 10, 2013 8:38 p.m.

Council member, GW law professor asks Obama to adopt new license plates

by Brianna Gurciullo

Mary Cheh represents Ward 3 on the D.C. Council and teaches constitutional law at GW. Hatchet File Photo

D.C. Council member and GW Law School professor Mary Cheh will meet with White House representatives Friday to implore President Barack Obama to display the phrase “Taxation Without Representation” on the presidential limousine’s license plates.

The Ward 3 council member – whose constituency includes American University, Foxhall and Chevy Chase – and chairman Phil Mendelson will attend the meeting, after the Council unanimously passed an emergency resolution Tuesday regarding the tags, according to a release.

The council has asked Obama to affix the plates for the Jan. 21 inaugural parade.

President Bill Clinton brandished plates bearing the phrase during his second term in office, but President George W. Bush did not during either of his terms.

D.C. mayors must obtain congressional approval to spend tax dollars. The District’s delegate in Congress, Eleanor Holmes Norton, has the right to vote on committee cases, but not on the floor of the House of Representatives.

Alumnus and Mayor Vincent Gray, Norton and D.C. council members launched a nationwide campaign for statehood last November, which included a centralized website, Metro bus advertisements and pleas to state legislatures for support.

The movement made headway in 1978, when Congress passed the District of Columbia Voting Right Amendment, but only 16 of the required 38 states ratified the proposal. Norton has introduced several bills on D.C. statehood and representation since she entered office in 1991.

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Monday, Dec. 3, 2012 2:48 p.m.

D.C. congresswoman urges students to utilize free HIV testing at GW

by The GW Hatchet

Updated Dec. 4, 2012, 4:28 p.m.

This post was written by Hatchet reporter Kirstie Murr.

Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton implored students to take advantage of GW’s free HIV testing and help prevent the disease’s spread during a World AIDS Day vigil Saturday.

The District’s delegate in Congress said proper medical practices will help combat the sickness that affects millions, but all should take precautions.

“Getting tested is itself some kind of stigma and that is what we are trying to erase,” Norton said to the gathering of about 35 people. “Unless we do so, we cannot erase this disease.”

Norton said HIV-related deaths in D.C. have dropped in half since 2008, with a 75 percent drop in the number of HIV cases stemming from injection drug use. The congresswoman called the city an “epicenter” of HIV/AIDS activism.

vigil, AIDS,

Students gather in Kogan Plaza for a World AIDS Day candlelight vigil  Saturday. Cameron Lancaster | Hatchet Photographer

GW Student Global AIDS Campaign and Grassroots Colonials organized the evening vigil in Kogan Plaza, raising awareness of the 34 million people living with HIV worldwide, according to the World Health Organization estimates.

“I certainly hope it will bring more awareness,” Samuel Garrett, co-chapter leader and policy director of GW Student Global AIDS Campaign, said. “The fight against AIDS has always been important to me and working with this group is a great opportunity to continue in that fight and to continue here on campus in the global fight against AIDS.”

Garrett’s organization was part of student coalition that led GW to offer free HIV testing clinics through Student Health Service starting this October.

This post was updated Dec. 4, 2012 to reflect the following:

The Hatchet incorrectly reported that Rep. Jim McDermott, D-Wash., a co-chair of the congressional HIV/AIDS caucus, and Senior Associate Provost and Dean of Students Peter Konwerski also attended the vigil. In fact, they were guests at last year’s vigil but did not attend this year. We regret this error.

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Saturday, March 31, 2012 8:47 p.m.

GW students win CGI U challenge as Clinton, Stewart close conference

by The GW Hatchet

Jon Stewart speaks with former-President Bill Clinton during the closing remarks Saturday in Lisner Auditorium for the Clinton Global Initiative University. Marie McGrory | Hatchet Staff Photographer

This post was written by Hatchet reporter Kelly Quinn. 

Former President Bill Clinton announced that three GW students won a Clinton Global Initiative University challenge before engaging with “The Daily Show” host Jon Stewart in the conference’s closing conversation Saturday at Lisner Auditorium.

Engineering students Matthew Wilkins and Jon Torrey and business school student Chris Deschenes took home first prize in a bracket of student ideas with their sustainable bamboo bicycles, dubbed Panda Cycles, which has “staggering potential,” Clinton said.

“There’s so much to do in the world and people need to know about it,” Torrey, a graduate student, said of his group’s commitment to action, which will look to help people in Africa by providing affordable transportation.

Clinton presented the trio with a basketball signed “Bill Clinton #42,” signifying his mark as the 42nd president. The group earned the most votes after two weeks of online voting.

“The last thing we expected coming into this was to walk away with a basketball signed by the president,” Deschenes said.

Clinton opened up the discussion by saying students could make a difference in ways beyond ambitious commitments, like bringing the issue of prescription drug abuse to light on college campuses.

The former president alluded to the death of 28-year-old GW graduate student Benjamin Gupta, who died in his sleep in December from a mix of drugs and alcohol. Clinton was a friend of Gupta’s family.

The hosts, as well as students who asked questions, brought up a variety of issues ranging from the mistreatment of women in Afghanistan to juvenile crime.

To an Afghan student’s question about what to do when your commitment puts you at physical risk, like venturing to the country’s dangerous regions, Clinton called the situation a “horrible dilemma,” and reiterated later the importance of finding inspiration to move forward.

Although Stewart cut back on his signature satirical humor throughout the conversation with Clinton, he could not resist cracking a joke about Panda Cycles, saying: “I made a bong out of an apple once, and now I know I should have used bamboo.”

Another student asked about the negative impacts of foreign aid, to which Stewart chuckled, “She must have meant people being sick of Bono.”

At the close, Stewart told the attendees, “I’ve rarely been in a room where I’ve felt like I’d like to work for every one of you.”

On Sunday, students will participate in service projects across the D.C. area, with expected guests Clinton and Eleanor Holmes Norton, D.C.’s delegate in Congress.

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Thursday, March 15, 2012 7:14 p.m.

Candidate for D.C. senate seat asks for jail time

by Priya Anand
Pete Ross

Pete Ross. Photo courtesy of Pete Ross.

A candidate for the District’s shadow senate seat was sentenced today by the D.C. Superior Court to one day in prison as a result of a December arrest during a voting rights demonstration.

Pete Ross will spend the night in prison – instead of serving out the typical low-level punishment of probation and a fine – after pressing for a stricter sentence to draw attention to the District’s lack of voting rights, according to DCist.

The December protest called for full representation for the District in Congress. D.C.’s delegate in the House of Representatives, Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton, can serve on and vote in committees and introduce bills but lacks the power to vote on legislation on the House floor.

Ross, who has spent more than $200,000 out of his own pockets in an effort to win the April 3 election, was also convicted in 2007 for failing to pay federal employment taxes, according to The Washington Post.

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Monday, Feb. 13, 2012 5:58 p.m.

White House budget calls for D.C. to receive budget autonomy

by The GW Hatchet
Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton

Eleanor Holmes Norton, D.C.'s delegate in Congress, prepares to speak to local students about D.C. voting rights last September. Hatchet File Photo

This post was written by Hatchet reporter Sloan Dickey.

President Barack Obama’s fiscal year 2013 budget proposal met praise from District officials Monday for suggesting the city gain autonomy over its budget.

The plan, released by the White House Monday morning, said the administration would “work with Congress and the Mayor to pass legislation to amend the D.C. Home Rule Act to provide the District with local budget autonomy.”

The Home Rule Act requires the city’s legislature to pass along its yearly budget to Congress for approval. Congress also holds the right to review and veto legislation passed by the D.C. Council.

Amending the act would also allow D.C. to control local funds in the event of looming federal government shutdowns during budgetary negotiations.

Eleanor Holmes Norton, D.C.’s delegate in Congress, said the measure put forward in Obama’s budget “keeps a promise he personally made to her” about reforming the Home Rule Act.

District leaders have been calling for increased control over the local budget alongside their decades-long plea for D.C. to become the 51st state.

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Thursday, Jan. 26, 2012 6:27 p.m.

City leaders to visit New Hampshire to push for D.C. statehood

by The GW Hatchet
Michael Brown

D.C. councilmember at-large Michael Brown unveiled a plan in November to take the campaign to grant the District statehood cross-country. Hatchet File Photo

This post was written by Hatchet Reporter Evan Koslof.

District leaders will testify Friday before New Hampshire’s state legislature as part of a campaign to gain national support for the movement to make D.C. the 51st state.

Following the weather-related postponement of a trip scheduled for two weeks ago, D.C. Council members and Mayor Vincent Gray plan to urge the state’s lawmakers to pass a resolution in support of D.C. statehood.

While they will not travel to every state, they intend to visit Florida, Tennessee, Illinois and other states David Meadows, spokesman for D.C. Council member at-large Michael Brown, said.

“We need to take this cause outside of the District,” he said. “That’s the only way we’ll be successful.”

Brown announced the push for a cross-country campaign in November, with Metrobus advertisements, a new statehood-centric website and literature to mail to state legislatures to garner support.

Taxpayers will foot the transportation bill for the trip, Meadows said, but not any of the additional costs.

Ward 2 D.C. Council member Jack Evans said he will not join the New Hampshire trip but supports it because taxation without representation is unfair to D.C. citizens.

“We are reminded almost daily that we remain the only U.S. citizens who pay federal taxes, fight and die in wars, and serve on juries without full congressional representation and full control over local matters,” he said.

Congress passed an amendment to grant D.C. full representation in 1975, but just 16 of the required 38 states ratified the proposal. The District’s delegate, Eleanor Holmes Norton, has the right to vote on committee cases, but not on the floor of the House of Representatives.

The fight for statehood has also gained a voice on campus in freshman Markus Batchelor, who was born in the District and serves as the national president and co-founder of the D.C. Statehood Student Association.

He said the push for statehood is a call for equality.

“What really makes a lot of young people involved is the sense of inequality,” Batchelor said. “I’m not given equal privileges and equal access to democracy like other citizens.”

Batchelor added that the movement to foster a national campaign for statehood is “sparking a new fire” nationally that could fuel it forward.

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Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2011 3:25 p.m.

Congress to allocate third $150 million installment for Metro

by Priya Anand
Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton

Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton prepares to speak to local students about D.C. voting rights last September. File photo

Congress is expected to dole out the next portion of a 10-year $1.5 billion funding plan for Metro, D.C.’s delegate in the House of Representatives announced Tuesday.

The $150 million installment geared toward supporting improvements to the rail system is expected to pass through the House and Senate this week, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton said.

“This third installment of funds for Metro improvements is a tremendous victory for our city and the region during this time of deep budget cuts, when every dollar is in doubt,” she said. “Because the safety of our residents must never be compromised, these funds are indispensable.”

Norton sits on the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. She said the funding is key to ensuring Metro safety and provides extra assistance, especially during harsh weather.

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Sunday, Jan. 16, 2011 11:56 a.m.

Obama administration officials, D.C. leaders to help close MLK Day of Service

by Amy D'Onofrio

Obama administration officials and D.C. representatives will be on hand Monday to help volunteers from the University close a day of sprucing up five schools in Ward 8, according to a University news release.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, White House Director of Domestic Policy Melody Barnes, D.C. Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton  and Ward 8 Council member and former D.C. mayor Marion Barry are expected to speak at Ballou Senior High School to end the MLK Day of Service.

University President Steven Knapp and Ballou’s principal Rahman Branch will also speak at the afternoon ceremony.

More than 500 volunteers from GW will work at the high school along with Ballou Stay School, MC Terrell/McGogney Elementary School, Stanton Elementary School and Moten at Wilkinson Elementary School as part of the annual MLK Day of Service.

These schools are located in a part of the District that sees the highest rate of poverty, of children in poverty and highest unemployment rate in the city, according to GW’s news release.

Volunteers will partner with local organization Guerilla Arts Ink to paint murals, design word art, paint walls, clean and organize rooms, as well as perform yard work.

The day of service in honor of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is sponsored each year by GW’s Office of Community Service and the Multicultural Student Services Center.

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Tuesday, July 27, 2010 11:48 a.m.

Medical marijuana officially legalized in D.C.

by Gabrielle Bluestone

Medical marijuana was legalized in the District Monday night, clearing the way for D.C. proponents to establish official medical marijuana dispensaries.

The D.C. Council first passed a bill that would legalize medicinal marijuana and open dispensaries around the city in May, which was signed by Mayor Adrian Fenty. Under Home Rule, Congress has 30 days to review any bill before it becomes law. That time period elapsed Monday night.

According to The Washington Post, the next step is establishing regulations for who can open dispensaries, which will be limited to a maximum of 95 marijuana plants within city limits, “an apparent effort to keep dispensers within federal law that heightens penalties on anyone arrested with at least 100 plants,” The Post reported.

Though the new law stipulates that citizens suffering from cancer, glaucoma, HIV/AIDS and other chronic ailments can procure up to four ounces per month, it is not yet clear how this will affect GW’s drug policies, which prohibit usage of marijuana. Spokesperson Michelle Sherrard could not be reached for comment.

Already, proposals for dispensaries are popping up. A Rabbi has proposed plans to open shop near the Takoma Park Metro station, drawing debate from community members who fear that the dispensary will draw crime to the area.

Eleanor Holmes Norton, D.C.’s Delegate in Congress, said Monday that the law will be tightly regulated, and commended the council for passing the legislation.

“We have faced repeated attempts to re-impose the prohibition on medical marijuana in D.C. throughout the layover period,” Norton said in a statement.  “Yet, it is D.C.’s business alone to decide how to help patients who live in our city and suffer from chronic pain and incurable illnesses.”

Although marijuana has only been legalized in 14 states, there has been a growing acceptance of the drug for medical purposes. Yesterday, the Veterans Affairs Department announced that it would amend VA guidelines to allow patients to use medicinal marijuana at some VA hospitals and clinics in the 14 states and D.C., where it is legal for use.

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