The U.S. Senate voted overwhelmingly Wednesday to block an effort by the District of Columbia to overhaul the city’s criminal code. President Biden said he would sign the Senate resolution, in a victory for Republicans who led the effort to stop measures such as reducing maximum sentences for carjackings and expanding the right to jury trials for certain misdemeanors. D.C. leaders and activists condemned both parties in Congress and Biden for interfering in their governance. This is D.C. Councilmember Janeese Lewis George speaking at a “Hands Off DC” rally.

Councilmember Janeese Lewis George: “Congressmen, years back and today, have stated a city, a majority-Black city, with Black leaders in power, cannot lead themselves. That is facts that they have put out there time and time again. So statehood is not just a human rights issue and a voting rights issue; it is a racial justice issue.”