|
June 2020
Over the past two weeks I have joined hundreds of residents at peaceful and powerful student led rallies throughout the County. My heart aches for the decades and centuries of injustice, but the determination and leadership of these young people to correct these wrongs gives me hope. The Council recently approved a $5.8 billion budget for FY21 that includes $288 million for the police department.
I'm committed to working with residents and community-based organizations to reallocate resources and ensure that funds go to the community and towards ending systemic racism and cycles of poverty. We have much work ahead of us.
#BlackLivesMatter
Councilmember Glass and Rep. Jamie Raskin attended a recent rally.
Earlier this week I learned that the Montgomery County Food Council and all of our nonprofit food partners have provided 2,691,738 meals to residents since the start of the COVID-19 crisis. That is an absolutely incredible statistic, but also heartbreaking –– to know how much need exists.
On a daily basis, I hear from constituents who are in desperate need of food for themselves and their families, and I am proud to be partnering with the Up 2 Us Foundation to distribute 500 boxes of fresh fruit and vegetables to county residents who are experiencing food insecurity. We recently provided food in Wheaton and will be providing more in Rockville during the coming weeks.
If you or anyone you know is experiencing food insecurity, please reach out to my office by emailing councilmember.glass@montgomerycountymd.gov or by calling (240) 777-7966.
Montgomery County is moving forward with plans to help businesses and retail reopen in a safe and deliberate manner. Our new “open streets” concept will allow restaurants in downtown areas of Bethesda, Silver Spring and Wheaton to operate in outside pedestrian plazas. The Bethesda Urban Partnership has already launched a “streetery” –– temporarily closing several blocks for exclusive use for customers –– while Silver Spring will close sections of Georgia Ave beginning June 12 for restaurant use; plans for Wheaton are being finalized.
If you have ideas for other areas of the county that would be suitable for a “streetery”, please send me an email.
As we continue meeting COVID-19 health metrics necessary for reopening, the County has announced how we will begin Phase 2 of our recovery. More details can be found here.
 Photo credit: Bethesda Beat
At this moment in time, with the rallies and protests taking place throughout our community, the honest conversations that we’ve had and will continue to have about how Black Lives Matter are extremely important. My role as a Councilmember is to ensure that every resident feels safe to live here without fear or harm.
And it is in that spirit that earlier this week the County Executive and I raised the Pride flag in Rockville to express our support for members of the LGBTQ+ community, who also want to live here without fear or harm. Click here to watch the flag raising.
It was 51 years ago this month when the New York Police Department stormed the Stonewall Inn, arresting mostly gay men of color and black trans women, which was the start of the Stonewall Riots and the start of this modern movement.
The LGBTQ+ rights movement has made tremendous strides over the past few decades, and while there remains much more work to do, I believe that bringing us all together can help in this moment and offer some healing.
Please join me for a series of events to celebrate Pride as we continue the fight for fairness, equality and the ability to live one’s life without fear or harm. From a conversation about the Supreme Court to a Broadway + Disney singalong to a youth poetry slam, there's something for everyone!
You can RSVP to the upcoming events here: bit.ly/MoCoPride20
You can also watch my conversation on the five year anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court case Obergefell v. Hodges with the plaintiff and lead attorney here.
The Montgomery County Department of Recreation has a virtual “Rec Room” for residents to enjoy from home. We realize it can be challenging to stay fit and creative during this time, so we've created some exciting ways to do all things Rec while you're home. Here you'll find DIY arts & crafts, fitness videos, virtual classes, trips, tours and fun recreational ideas for any age. The virtual Rec Room is available 24/7 at www.mocorec.com/recroom. Enjoy!
|
