February Downtowner
By • February 24, 2025 0 193
Doors Close for ‘A Day Without Immigrants’
Many area businesses shut down on Monday, Feb. 3, to show their support for “A Day Without Immigrants,” a nationwide protest in response to President Donald Trump’s aggressive, seemingly uncoordinated crackdown on illegal immigration, including raids on businesses and stepped-up arrests and deportations. The protest was meant to show the importance of immigrants to our country and how the economy, especially in industries such as construction, hospitality and farming, is unable to function properly without them.
Crash Intensifies Air Traffic Control Concerns
Following the deadly crash of a commercial jet and a Blackhawk helicopter over the Potomac River on Jan. 29, air traffic controller staffing concerns have intensified. National Air Traffic Controllers Association President Nick Daniels appeared on CNN, reporting that the system, which currently has about 10,800 controllers, needs 14,355. The system is also short more than 3,500 control towers. Though recruitment has improved, many controllers don’t make the grade prior to certification or quit. The mandatory retirement age is 56.
District Council Expels Trayon White
District Council member Trayon White was expelled last week due to federal allegations that he took thousands of dollars in bribes from a government contractor. White, who pleaded not guilty, is currently expected to go on trial next January. Oddly enough, despite his expulsion, he is eligible to run in a special election, to be held in the coming months, to fill his seat. White was reelected to a third term last November, despite being arrested earlier that year. His expulsion is the first by the Council in its half-century history.
Man Shot Near White House Earlier this Month
Early last week, a man was shot and wounded on K Street NW, around 500 yards from the North Lawn of the White House. D.C. police recalled a killing two years ago in the same area, just three blocks north of the White House, in which a man was the unintended victim of a feud between rival drug gangs. On Feb. 3, the Metropolitan Police Department responded to the 1600 block of K Street NW around 5 a.m., but found only spent casings and no victim. A man shot in the leg showed up later at a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
