On Friday, March 26th at 12pm the DC Council Committee on Government Operations and Facilities will be holding a public roundtable to vote on a resolution presented by Mayor Bowser to reappoint Monica Palacio as Director of the DC Office of Human Rights (OHR). For anyone who is not familiar, Monica Palacio served as Director of OHR from November 2013 through January 2020 when she resigned as Director of the agency to run (unsuccessfully) for the At-Large seat vacated by Councilmember Grosso.

The problems at OHR are well-documented, are wide in scope, and go back years. So imagine the surprise when earlier this year, Mayor Bowser selected Ms. Palacio to return to OHR where she currently serves as Acting Director pending council confirmation. The Advoc8te doubts that the District is suffering a shortage of competent civil rights attorneys, so why was this vacancy not filled for nearly a year?

The Advoc8te is including a video excerpt from the Committee of Government Operations and Facilities Performance Oversight Hearing of OHR that took place on March 5, 2021. You can watch the full video to see public testimony from yours truly and a host of public witnesses, all of who are ringing the fire alarm about OHR’s many failings. The Acting Director testifies toward the end.

But there is good news. As of this year, the Committee is now Chaired by At-Large Councilmember Robert White (insert applause) who appears much more attentive than his predecessor, former Councilmember Brandon Todd. Councilmember Robert White isn’t the only new welcome addition to the committee. The video below features newly elected (and certified badass) At-Large Councilmember Christina Henderson questioning the Acting Director about OHR’s backlog of cases. It is during this exchange that Acting Director Palacio discloses that of the 509 pending cases in OHR’s inventory, approximately 140 cases are at least three years old.

I think you know this already but I am one of those 140 people. I first contacted the DC Office of Human Rights in spring 2018 and as of today, it has been 1,077 days and my case against a Ward 8 nonprofit is still pending. In case you were wondering, DC statute dictates that complainants should complete intake and mandatory mediation within 120 days - it took over 351 days for my case to get to the mediation stage.

But OHR isn’t the only bottleneck. 47% of the cases that go before the DC Human Rights Commission take over 15 months to resolve (the commission meets every two months). DC advocacy and legal groups have spent years pleading with District leaders to intervene and provide much-needed reform and oversight in OHR’s processes and leadership. Until now, those requests have fallen on deaf ears.

The DC Line: Amid leadership changes, Office of Human Rights struggles to reduce backlog given resource limitations

Frustrated? Aggravated? Appalled? Join the club and see below for what you can do about it. It’s going to take a bit of “good trouble” from a lot of good people to give District residents the justice and protection they deserve.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE EXCERPT OR PLAY VIDEO BELOW

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE FULL MARCH 5TH HEARING

So you’ve watched the video. So I have to ask, “Is Monica Palacio the best choice to continue to lead the agency responsible for protecting your civil rights?”

If you think it’s time for a change there are some things that you can do THIS WEEK to help.

• OPTION #1: Provide testimony in opposition to Monica Palacio’s nomination

The Committee on Government Operations and Facilities invites the public to testify remotely or to submit written testimony. Anyone wishing to testify must sign up in advance by contacting the Committee by e-mail at facilities@dccouncil.us or by phone at (202) 741-8593, and provide their name, phone number or e-mail, organizational affiliation, and title (if any) by the close of business on Wednesday, March 24th, 2021. Witnesses are encouraged, but not required, to submit their testimony in writing electronically by emailing advancetofacilities@dccouncil.us. Witnesses will participate remotely via Zoom. The Committee will follow-up with witnesses with additional instructions on how to provide testimony in advance of the proceeding.

• OPTION #2 - Contact the Committee Councilmembers voicing your opposition and encourage them to attend Friday’s hearing

At-Large Councilmember Robert White (Chair)
Email:rwhite@dccouncil.us
Telephone: (202)-724-8174
Fax: (202)-727-8210

At-Large Councilmember Christina Henderson
Email: chenderson@dccouncil.us
Telephone: (202) 724-8105
Fax: (202) 724-8071

Ward 1 Councilmember Brianne K. Nadeau
Email: bnadeau@dccouncil.us
Telephone: (202) 724-8181
Fax: (202) 724-8109

Ward 2 Councilmember Brooke Pinto
Email: bpinto@dccouncil.us
Telephone: (202) 724-8058
Fax: (202) 724-8023

Ward 8 Councilmember Trayon White
Email: twhite@dccouncil.us
Telephone: (202)724-8045
Fax: (202)724-8055

• OPTION #3 - Contact the Executive Office of the Mayor

Phone: (202) 727-2643
TTY: 711
Email: eom@dc.gov

So, if not now, when?