Another Thursday, another newsletter from The 51st. This week, we meet the unsung city heroes who pick up dead animals from the city's streets, alleyways, parks, and yards.
Plus, Sankofa Video Books & Cafe has been a fixture on Georgia Ave for 27 years, and the owners are trying to make sure it stays that way – this time by turning the bookstore into a worker-community-owned cooperative.
It may be muggy out there, but don’t give up on summer just yet. Grab your neck fan and welcome the dog days of the season with an outdoor movie, a cat video extravaganza, and a day at the fair.
You've definitely heard by now: We're raising money to hire on a full-time reporter. Martin Austermuhle has been covering the D.C. region for 20 years. His knowledge of local politics is encyclopedic and his energy for marathon council meetings is untouched by the sands of time. Turns out, plenty of you think that too! Thanks for donating and sharing.
Jeanine Pirro, the interim U.S. attorney for D.C., sent out a memo this week requiring immigration checks on all local and federal defendants. (It's unclear what the effect of the new directive will be, since ICE already receives people's fingerprints when they're booked into jail). [Post]
Teen artists made moving work about what it's like to be a teenager right now for an exhibition at the American University Museum. [NPR]
With your help, we pursue stories that hold leaders to account, demystify opaque city and civic processes, and celebrate the idiosyncrasies that make us proud to call D.C. home. Put simply, our mission is to make it easier — and more fun — to live in the District. Our members help keep local news free and independent for all:
Martin Austermuhle
