DC mayor and police chief defend police handling of WorldPride, saying event was ‘successful’

By Kate Ryan
June 9, 2025 | 4:43 PM

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said she had 鈥渟ome regrets鈥� about the controversy surrounding the closing 鈥� then later opening 鈥� of Dupont Circle Park for the weekend鈥檚 WorldPride-related events, but during a news conference Monday defended police response to violence that erupted.

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Two teenagers were involved in a stabbing at Dupont Circle Park on Saturday, and there was a shooting in the Dupont Circle neighborhood.

Across the District, D.C. Police Chief Pamela Smith said there were 15 arrests over the course of the entire weekend involving 鈥渁ffrays,” a legal term referring to fights, assaults and assaults with dangerous weapons.

Bowser said she tried to balance the desires of the community to keep open Dupont Circle Park 鈥� a deeply symbolic site for D.C.鈥檚 LGBTQ+ community 鈥� with safety concerns. Bottom line, she said, 鈥淲e have to listen to the police, we have to listen to law enforcement.鈥�

Regarding police performance during all of WorldPride, Smith said, 鈥淓verything that happened around the city that was associated with WorldPride was successful.”

Smith also said she stands by the city’s process in coming to a decision on whether or not to keep the park open.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 have any regrets. I support the Mayor and her decision and my job is one job and that is to provide public safety for the city and I will continue to do that,” she said.

For Bowser, the violence that did occur is not indicative of the city’s ultimate decision and its ability to manage events.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 think we鈥檙e trying to prove anything to anybody. Nobody here cares any more about the public safety of our citizens than we do,鈥� Bowser said. 鈥淧eople should be able to go to a park during Pride. OK? So you can ask me questions, you can ask MPD questions, but we also have to focus on why somebody thought it was OK to bring a gun to that celebration.鈥�

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Fired opinion writer still waiting for call from Washington Post after arbitrator ordered reinstatement, back pay

By Neal Augenstein
August 25, 2026 | 1:59 PM

Several days after an arbitrator ordered the Washington Post to reinstate fired opinion writer Karen Attiah, she told 小萝莉影视 she's still hasn't gotten a phone call about returning to work. "I'm waiting to hear from the Washington Post as of this morning," Attiah said. "I'm willing to go back to the work that I was doing as a columnist and as a writer particularly focused on race, gender and international rights." A Thursday ruling by arbitrator Sarah Miller Espinosa said the newspaper did not have sufficient cause to fire Attiah over social media posts about violent white men following last year's killing of Charlie Kirk, and ordered the Post to award Attiah full back pay and lost benefits. "So, the Washington Post has its marching orders, let's see if they follow them," said Attiah, who described her reaction to arbitrator's ruling as "vindicated, slightly tired, really happy about the decision and reinstatement, plus back pay, of course."