by WorldTribune Staff, October 13, 2019
Murders in Washington, D.C. increased by 40 percent in 2018. Overall, the nation’s capital has one of the highest crime rates in America.
D.C., a city which has long been under Democratic Party control, also has one of the highest poverty rates and highest rates of teen pregnancies in the nation.
You would think that, of all the “emergencies” in Washington, D.C. that need to be addressed, changing the name of Columbus Day would not be a priority.
You would be wrong.
The D.C. city council, in an “emergency declaration,” has voted to scrap Columbus Day and re-name it “Indigenous Peoples’ Day in the District”.
Columbus Day has been a federal holiday since 1934.
The “Indigenous Peoples’ Day Emergency Declaration Act of 2019” was proposed by council member David Grosso, “who has championed the bill for at least five years,” WAMU reported on Oct. 8.
“I put forth emergency legislation that forced a vote of the full Council to finally do the right thing by ending the celebration of the misleading narrative of Christopher Columbus on the second Monday in October,” Grosso said in a statement to WAMU.
According to the D.C. Council’s website, once signed by Mayor Muriel Bowser, the emergency legislation puts the measure into immediate action, without need for congressional approval or second reading, for 90 days.
“The temporary legislation has a shelf life of 225 days and requires congressional approval — meaning that as of now the bill is active until around mid-May 2020. If no permanent legislation is produced by Oct. 14, 2020, the name of the holiday will return to Columbus Day,” the WAMU report said.
For Grosso, this means passing “urgently permanent” legislation — something he’s been unable to do in the past, the report said.
“For at least five years now legislation supported by a majority of the Council that would honor our native populations and rename Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples’ Day has been stalled by Chairman Mendelson without any public input or hearing,” Grosso said.
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