Majority White Legislatures Taking Control Of Predominantly Black Cities In Emerging Pattern

Published in BET (March 27, 2023)

Earlier this month, a group of angry but peaceful protesters gathered near Capitol Hill after a Republican-led effort in Congress nullified Washington, D.C.’s criminal code reform bill.

Many of the activists were part of the Hands Off DC coalition of more than 50 organizations that demand autonomy for the district and advocate for a range of other issues, including voting rights and criminal justice reform.

“Congress overturning the bill and Biden allowing that to happen have set a dangerous precedent when it comes to justice and safety in D.C., and specifically, Black self-governance for D.C. And now they're trying to overturn another law, which is a police reform bill,” Makia Green, a co-founder of the social justice group Harriet’s Wildest Dreams, told BET.com.

But what happened in Washington is not unique. A similar political power dynamic, between predominantly White Republican legislative bodies and local governments in heavily-populated Black cities, is playing out across the nation.