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Welcome to Monday, D.C. I hope you’re enjoying false fall, but summer isn’t done yet. The Capital Weather Gang predicts temperatures could climb into the 90s by Tuesday, and reach as high as 100 degrees Wednesday. Here’s some news you might have missed while you were listening to new music from local artists.
Mansion Rentals, Vet Bills, and Luxury Clothes
Brandon Anderson, a Georgetown University graduate, founded a nonprofit focused on police accountability in 2017. He was inspired to do so after his fiance was killed by police in Oklahoma City—or so he claimed.
Anderson has said he named the D.C.-based nonprofit Raheem AI after his partner. But an investigation by the New York Times found that Anderson spent thousands of dollars of the charity’s funds on luxury vacations, clothes, a chiropractor, veterinary care, and rideshares while making little to no progress on his stated mission.
“Most confoundingly, the nonprofit had paid $80,000 for luxury vacation rentals, including a service that let members stay in luxury mansions around the world, according to the board’s accounting,” the Times’ David A. Fahrenthold reports.
The luxury spending first came to light when a D.C.-based employee reached out to the D.C. Attorney General’s office about unpaid wages.
On top of the questionable expenditures, the Times could find no record of the police in Oklahoma City killing a man named Raheem. In fact, “no homicide in the entire state of Oklahoma involved a man named Raheem, nor did any match the particulars of the officer-involved death Mr. Anderson had described,” the Times reports.
Double Duty
On the same days that Ward 8 Councilmember Trayon White is alleged to have met with a confidential FBI informant, he was also posting to his social media channels about his work in the community on behalf of his constituents.
During those six weeks, White’s social media documented him “hosting a ‘unity’ kickball game for children, promoting free produce delivery and health screenings, and visiting incarcerated men at the D.C. jail,” the Post reports.
On July 17, for example, White allegedly met with the informant about his discussions with government employees and the progress he’d made in steering city contracts toward the informant’s business. The men also discussed that White would receive a 3 percent cut of more than $5 million in government grants that the informant was seeking, according to the arrest affidavit.
On the same day, White posted on Instagram about his visit to the jail for a mentorship program.
Their Campus
Student groups and other protesters returned to George Washington University campus last week to protest the current Israel-Hamas war.
The GW Hatchet reports that about 100 demonstrators gathered at 20th and I streets NW before marching to President Ellen Granberg’s on-campus F Street House. The crowd screamed in unison for a minute outside the residence in an act meant to verbalize the pain of Palestinians in Gaza—a tactic used by protesters at Columbia University earlier this year. Demonstrators also gathered around the fences surrounding U-Yard, leading to some interactions with Metropolitan Police Department officers before the crowd dispersed.
Delia Departs
WUSA9 reporter and anchor Delia Gonçalves announced Sunday evening that she is leaving the station. She has spent the past 14 years at channel 9 and told viewers that it’s time for a “career pivot.” Gonçalves did not share where she’s going next, but she said she will remain in D.C.
—Mitch Ryals (tips? mryals@washingtoncitypaper.com)
Credit: Darrow Montgomery
Page Three, 2024
Page Three is our regular column from staff photographer Darrow Montgomery.
The Department of Justice is suing RealPage, the Texas-based company that makes a rent-setting algorithm, over alleged antitrust violations. The lawsuit argues that RealPage participated in an illegal price-fixing scheme that contributed to rising rents throughout the country. D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb filed a similar complaint in October. [ProPublica, NPR]
Walmart recalled thousands of cases of its Great Value brand apple juice sold throughout the U.S., including D.C., due to elevated arsenic levels. [WTOP]
The Paralympics kick off Thursday and here are the six local athletes to root for. [Washingtonian]
By City Paper Staff (tips? editor@washingtoncitypaper.com)
It’s the first day of school in the District, and D.C. Public Schools Chancellor Lewis Ferebee says he is “close” to striking a deal on a new contract with the Washington Teachers’ Union (though labor leaders have raised a variety of complaints with the negotiating process). Ferebee is also trying to offer resources to families impacted by the sudden closure of Eagle Academy, the charter school that recently collapsed due to financial problems. [NBC Washington, Post]
Washington Commanders principal owner Josh Harris is cautiously optimistic that a bill giving D.C. the chance to redevelop the RFK Stadium site can advance through Congress in the “lame duck” session after the election. He’s broadly targeting 2030 to open a new stadium for the team, whether it’s in D.C. or elsewhere. (City Paper owner Mark Ein is part of the Commanders ownership group.) [Post]
The pedestrian bridge over D.C. 295 that collapsed after a truck slammed into it three years ago is officially back open. The new “Lane Place Bridge” required about $17 million in federal funding to complete—and it’s three feet taller than the old one. [WTOP]
By Alex Koma (tips? akoma@washingtoncitypaper.com)
In an effort to determine the best sandwich shop in D.C., Axios has launched a sandwich tournament. But whichever establishment wins will have to deal with a big fat asterisk next to their name. No D.C. sandwich bracket is complete without Mangialardo’s. [Axios]
Business is booming at Cava. In its fourth straight profitable quarter, the local food chain’s revenue grew by 35 percent in the second quarter compared to the same period last year. A combination of new store openings and improved sales at existing spots are responsible for the growth. [WBJ]
TikTok food critic Keith Lee continues to make local headlines for his recent drive through the DMV—but not all of them have been good. Lee pissed off local restaurateurs after he told fans that, in D.C., “All their restaurants are geared directly towards alcohol.” Lots of locals in the biz—and some of Lee’s fans—fired back. Todd Thrasher, rum distiller and owner-operator of Tiki TNT, responded: “I think Mr. TikTok could go to Albi and not drink and he’d be fine.” [Post]
Tom Sietsema calls Georgetown’s new spot the River Club a “sublime new dining destination.” [Post]
By City Paper staff (tips? editor@washingtoncitypaper.com)
Local art gallery reviews may be in a state of flux, but that’s not stopping Dandelion Collective from doing its thing. The new Columbia Heights-based queer and trans art gallery dedicated to uplifting queer voices and LGBTQIA artists celebrated its opening with a reception on Saturday. [Blade]
Theater writer Nathan Pugh calls Signature Theatre’s production of Soft Power “a theatrical sucker punch.” Pugh, a Filipino American, dissects theater’s recent interest in Asian stories, wondering if “we’ve simply replaced one kind of violent musical spectacle with another. Perhaps there’s not much distance between the violent Golden Age musical and the shocking musical processing violence. In both, horror and music keep playing on.” [DC Theater Arts]
Where to game in the DMV. [Washingtontian]
By Sarah Marloff (tips? smarloff@washingtoncitypaper.com)
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