The District - AWOL

Policy doesn’t equal policing in drug arrests

Washington, D.C., decriminalized drug paraphernalia in 2020. Metropolitan police continue to arrest people for the offense.

Audrey Hill, Staff Writer • December 21, 2022

Although the DC Council unanimously voted to decriminalize all drug paraphernalia in 2020, data from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) shows that officers continued to arrest people for...

“A platform for vulnerability”: A conversation with the creators of Lumxn

The founders of this women-of-color focused magazine, recently featured by the National Museum of Women in the Arts, on the process behind its creation and how they center authenticity in their publication.

Luci Rascher, Podcaster • December 1, 2020

Lumxn features the experiences of womxn of color in a raw light. The goal is to highlight people in different parts of their healing journeys through spotlighting their creative projects or telling their...

The “rise up.” photo exhibit brought the Black Lives Matter protests below ground

Dupont Underground's in-person and online exhibit captured the vitality and tumult of Washington's 2020 Black Lives protests in photographs.

Kayla Benjamin, Copy Editor • November 1, 2020

Underneath Washington D.C.’s Dupont Circle lies 15,000 square feet of underground space occupied by Dupont Underground, a nonprofit community arts organization. The front desk’s quiet music and the...

AU uses past anti-union tactics against WAMU organizers, staff relationship with university remains strained

The university moved to prolong negotiations, redefine potential union membership, and promote internal changes that organizers said failed to take staff members’ voices into account.

Braeden Waddell • November 1, 2020

Around a third of all potential members of the WAMU content staff’s union could be excluded from voting for, and becoming a part of, the union they helped organize. Just days before this move was...

WAMU content staff move to unionize after a year of upheaval, AU stays quiet

Amidst a year of upheaval and a breakdown of trust between the university and the station, AU’s latest decision adds to its long history of anti-union actions.

Braeden Waddell • October 29, 2020

The content staff at WAMU, a local NPR affiliate licensed by American University, have filed to form a union with the National Labor Relations Board after AU’s refusal to voluntarily recognize them. Now,...

D.C. City Council takes the first step to establish an Office for the Deaf, Deafblind and Hard of Hearing

While Deaf activists see the office as a step in the right direction, they also say that there are more steps to take in order to gain inclusion.

Elizabeth Scott, Staff Writer • October 12, 2020

The Council of the District of Columbia unanimously voted to establish the Office for the Deaf, Deafblind and Hard of Hearing late last month. This is a big step for the District, which has more people...

Homeless activists call for D.C. Department of Human Services Director’s resignation

Protesters say the director neglected her duties by allowing for inhumane conditions in the District’s public housing and homeless shelters.

McKenzie Beard • September 16, 2020

Activists and community members gathered in front of the home of D.C. Department of Human Services Director Laura Zeilinger on Saturday, calling for her resignation over the quality of services provided...

District of Columbia debt lawsuits on the rise amid COVID-19

Margaux Renee, Staff Editor • April 28, 2020

WASHINGTON — Since the first cases of COVID-19 were reported in Washington in early March, the resulting recession has sent entire industries reeling, leaving 93,000 Washingtonians unemployed. Nationwide,...

AWOL Issue 27: The Quarantine Issue

AWOL • April 25, 2020

Dear reader, AWOL is pleased to bring you our 27th issue and the spring 2020 edition of our magazine. Given the global pandemic, we are publishing this semester's issue in digital format. All of our...

DC Council to vote on COVID-19 consumer protection measures Tuesday

In its legislative meeting tomorrow, D.C. council will consider additional provisions to protect district residents amid COVID-19, including increased consumer protection measures.

Margaux Renee, Staff Editor • April 6, 2020

In an effort to further address the critical needs of residents as coronavirus cases spike in D.C., the city council will vote on the COVID-19 Response Temporary Amendment Act of 2020 this Tuesday.

Washington November DACA Protest

Natalie Harder • February 13, 2020

Photojournalist and student Natalie Harder covered Washington's DACA protest on the steps of the Supreme Court in November 2019. Luz Chavez is a student at Trinity Washington University and also a protected...

With the fate of DACA unclear, undocumented students seek legal help

Zach Vallese, Fall 2019 Podcast Director • February 13, 2020

Luz Chavez didn’t know she was an undocumented immigrant until the week before applying to colleges. As a student in Montgomery County, her dream schools were American University and the University of...