Ben Conarck

Criminal justice reporter @postlocal. Formerly @BaltimoreBanner • @MiamiHerald • @jaxdotcom • benconarck.27 on Signal 🦉

[Ben Conarck @conarck]

@SeamusHughes is he wearing... two zip up sweatshirts?

[Ben Conarck @conarck]

Inbox: D.C. Council chair of the public safety committee @CMBrookePinto will hold a hearing tomorrow morning on the federal law enforcement surge/National Guard deployment in the District to solicit public feedback and "discuss available local legislative interventions."

[Ben Conarck @conarck]

With a new incoming mayor and Democrats in control of Congress, ACLU of D.C. in a post-election statement calls for a different approach to public safety. "It’s time to recognize that more police and more jail time have not and will never solve all our problems."

[ACLU of the District of Columbia @ACLU_DC]

We are ready to get to work with our new slate of elected leaders to protect our civil rights and liberties, fight for D.C. Statehood, and defend against the federal government meddling in the District’s affairs.

Read our full post-election statement: https://t.co/mV3c8EDAkq

[Ben Conarck @conarck]

On public safety, incoming mayor Janeese Lewis George says she intends to fulfill her campaign promise of ending cooperation between MPD and ICE.

It'll be interesting to see how she achieves this, and whether it extends to Joint Task Force patrols of fed. agents and NG troops.

[Michael Brice-Saddler @TheArtist_MBS]

D.C. Mayor Elect @Janeese4DC is out with details on her transition team: https://t.co/M6BTZ2Ypob

[Meagan Flynn @Meagan_Flynn]

Janeese Lewis George has declared victory in D.C.' s mayoral race, with a substantial lead on her way to becoming the first democratic socialist mayor of the nation's capital: https://t.co/yvO8gBKr6v

[Liam Scott @liamjscott]

As voters across the U.S. decided the fate of Congress on Tuesday, voters in the District faced a decision on duck livers.

D.C.’s biggest Election Day fight is whether to give foie gras the bird

Latest w @postmetrogirl
https://t.co/4MshBzQhTE

[Liam Scott @liamjscott]

Breaking: Inmates detail pervasive raw sewage and mold issues at D.C. jail in new class-action lawsuit

“The toilets are like volcanoes waiting to erupt,” one inmate says.

New w @sophiansolano in @postlocal
https://t.co/WeNwL94Pp8

[angie @aangieoh]

An immigration judge denied a bond request for Amaury Monsalve, a beloved D.C.-area baseball coach, despite "significant" community support. Families & students had written letters to support his release. He will remain in ICE custody in Louisiana. https://t.co/iN0Ww6atdi

[Meagan Flynn @Meagan_Flynn]

Stunning any news outlet would parrot Trump's claim on this without an ounce of skepticism. For those keeping track crime is down 11 percent in D.C. since this time last year and 24 percent since Nov. '24.

[Ben Conarck @conarck]

The president continues to cite a 90% overall crime drop in D.C. that White House officials have yet to fully explain or support. Meanwhile, the Safe and Beautiful Task Force has used the figure of 15% in emails to me, saying they are attempting to drive crime down even further.

[Fox News @FoxNews]

"Washington, DC went from one of the most unsafe places in this country to one of the safest cities in the country."

President Donald Trump touts what he describes as a dramatic turnaround in the nation's capital, claiming crime is down nearly 90% and pointing to 83 statues and fountains that have been repaired across the city.

Trump says the crime reduction could eventually reach nearly 100%.

[Ben Conarck @conarck]

Belated update: police arrested Heath Jacob Ward over this incident, charging him w/ allegedly violating a White House stay away order and "placing a hoax weapon of mass destruction." Arrest report describes object as brick-sized package with wires protruding, later deemed safe.

[Ben Conarck @conarck]

Secret Service says this was due to a “suspicious item near the Ukrainian Embassy.” Bridge and several roads were closed “out of an abundance of caution,” investigation is ongoing and “additional details will be forthcoming.”

[Dana Hedgpeth @postmetrogirl]

She wore a banana costume on Halloween and jumped in to help after car crashed https://t.co/9l8Nf9iWHU

[Liam Scott @liamjscott]

Scoop: In Monday a letter to FAA and DOD, Sen. Duckworth criticizes last week’s flyover over D.C. as dangerous and a waste of taxpayer money.

Latest
https://t.co/kyXdmFBNw2

[Ben Conarck @conarck]

You can read our coverage here: https://t.co/jcCSBEb9k3

[Ben Conarck @conarck]

Happening now: friends and loved ones of Malik Williams, who was fatally stabbed in the D.C jail one week ago, are gathering outside the facility to hold a press conference with his attorney, Sellano Simmons.

[Ben Conarck @conarck]

After a short moment of silence, family and friends of Williams release balloons to honor his life.

[Meagan Flynn @Meagan_Flynn]

Breaking news: D.C. and Virginia have sued to block Trump's proposed triumphal arch, calling it a "flagrantly illegal" project that would permanently "transform the District’s physical landscape and upend its historic plan.” w/ @ddiamond: https://t.co/ECv3uXc95s

[Ben Conarck @conarck]

ICYMI: Kesean Pollard, an 18 y/o fatally shot in an Uber on his way to school, may have been located by his rivals via a leak from a youth detention center employee, according to a recently filed lawsuit + police charging docs. https://t.co/sJ5duROZLi