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Yesterday D.C. police began their enforcement of three drug-free zones across the city. The measure is a result of D.C. Council’s Secure DC bill, which Mayor Muriel Bowser signed into law on Monday. 

The Metropolitan Police Department’s website says drug-free zones are “public space, on public property, from which uniformed MPD officers can require groups of two or more people to disperse if they are congregating for illicit drug activity. The law authorizes the Chief of Police to declare any public area encompassing a maximum of 1,000 feet per side a drug free zone for up to five days.”

According to MPD, the following three areas are considered drug-free zones from now until Tuesday, March 19, at 7:59 a.m.:

Zone 1, located in Ward 2: 

• The 600-700 block of I Street NW 
• The 700-800 block of 8th Street NW 
• The 700 block of G Street NW 
• The 700 block of 7th Street NW 
• Gallery Way Place NW 
• The 700–800 block of 6th Street NW

Zone 2, located in Ward 7: 

• The 3800–3900 block of Minnesota Avenue NE 
• The 3900–4000 block of Benning Road NE 
• The 3900–4000 block of Clay Place NE 
• The 300 block of 40th Street NE

Zone 3, located in Ward 8: 

• The 2300 block of Ainger Place SE 
• The 2700 block of Langston Place SE 
• The 2300 block of Raynolds Place SE  
• The 2700 block of Bruce Place SE

These drug-free zones draw concerns over their potential threat to the personal freedoms of many who live in the District. According to Melissa Wasser, policy counsel at the ACLU of D.C., the targeting of loitering across D.C. creates a constitutional problem in the city. “Loitering is a constitutionally protected activity,” Wasser tells City Paper, “and the District can’t make it a crime for a person to stand around or to fail to disperse when ordered to disperse.”

Speaking with community advocate Jay Brown, a social impact consultant at nonprofit organization Community Shoulders, he tells us that the number one way to keep people safe is to make sure that everyone “knows the exact extent of the zones.” 

For more on drug-free zones and how it will affect D.C. moving forward, read our full story online. 

— Cat Sposato (tips? csposato@washingtoncitypaper.com)

• Another provision of Secure DC will go into effect on Monday. This time, D.C. Council is cracking down on Metro fare evasion, allowing MPD to stop people for fare evasion within Metro stations across the city. People stopped for fare evasion will be charged a $50 fine. In order to receive the fine, you must show your ID and address. If you refuse to do so, you’ll be fined $100. [Post]
• Cherry blossoms have officially reached puffy white: the fifth stage of their blooming cycle, which means peak bloom is up next. According to the National Park Service, this is the earliest the blossoms have reached the puffy white stage since 2012. NPS predicts the trees will reach peak bloom next week and last until about March 23 to 26. [WTOP]
• So long, Sam Howell. It looks like the Commanders quarterback is heading out of the city after a recent trade to the Seattle Seahawks. Hopefully, this move will change the fate of our hometown team, which finished 31st overall in the league last year. It’s another big move from new Commanders owner Josh Harris, who seems eager to make his mark on the team and the town. (WCP owner Mark Ein is part of the Commanders’ ownership group.) [NFL.com]

By Cat Sposato (tips? csposato@washingtoncitypaper.com)

Federal Prosecutors Hope the Worst Is Over for Crime in D.C., and They’re Tired of Taking the Blame for It.

Federal prosecutors rushed to call a press briefing with some good news Thursday: Crime is […]

• Amid questions about the role federal prosecutors play in driving down D.C. crime, there’s new energy around the cause of empowering a local district attorney to prosecute cases and taking that power away from the United States Attorney’s Office for D.C. “Putting prosecution into the hands of a federal appointee is a complete violation of the founding principles this country was built on,” says former Attorney General Karl Racine. [Atlantic]
• A confidential report commissioned by Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s administration says that the plan to move the Capitals and Wizards to Alexandria is based on some seriously flawed projections about how much attendees would pay for things like hotel rooms and parking at the new Potomac Yard development. Nevertheless, Youngkin seems to be gearing up to try and advance the project once more, despite the objections of key Democrats. [Post, WBJ]
• D.C. has increasingly been clearing homeless encampments with little to no warning, a process that can make it much harder for inhabitants to get connected to services or simply find somewhere else to go. Advocates believe the city is relying on some questionable legal justifications to support this change. [Street Sense]

By Alex Koma (tips? akoma@washingtoncitypaper.com)