Alexandria Police are making preparations in case the unrest from the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden spills into the city.
Last night, Police Chief Michael L. Brown updated City Council on plans to keep Alexandria safe during inauguration week. Brown said that the siege on the Capitol on Jan. 6 was a tragic event where five people lost their lives, and that he has participated in conversations with his regional counterparts and the assistant director of the Washington field office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
“We have a civil demonstration unit, which we’re prepared to deploy if we need to,” Brown said. “But let me assure you at this point we have nothing to suggest that there’s going to be anything in the city.”
Brown anticipates activity in the city this weekend, and has canceled training and leave for his officers during inauguration week, in addition to putting detectives in uniform.
“There’s a lot that’s going on,” Brown said. ‘It will change a lot over the next 48 hours. We anticipate that there may be some activity this weekend, and if we do we’ll certainly share with the community to the extent that they can be prepared.”
A 6 p.m. curfew was imposed on Alexandria and Arlington by the governor on Jan. 6 at the request of the jurisdictions, a move which Mayor Justin Wilson said led to a quiet night in Alexandria. Some protestors were staying in hotels in Alexandria, and were on the police department’s radar.
“We also thank the governor’s office for for quickly reacting on Wednesday on our request, in partnership with, with our friends at Arlington County,” Wilson said. “They moved very quickly to react and adjust and support the concerns that we had in Alexandra and Arlington, and I think it enabled a very quiet evening in both jurisdictions.”
Brown said that in case incidents do occur in the city and mutual aid is needed that law enforcement resources will be shared with Alexandria.
“We have been receiving intelligence information and it’s been changing rapidly, certainly in the last 24 to 36 hours,” Brown said.
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If you had a chance to enhance a child’s future with a time commitment of less than 2 hours a week, how would you respond? You have that opportunity right now to join over 200 Alexandrians as a reading tutor volunteer with the Alexandria Tutoring Consortium (ATC).
ATC tutors work with one child in kindergarten, first, or second grade in Alexandria public schools who need extra help with reading. Tutors meet with their Book Buddy 1-2 times each week for 30 minutes October-May at school, during school hours. Many struggling readers only receive one-on-one instruction through this program, and it makes all the difference. Last year, ATC served 195 children, of whom 82% ended the year reading on grade level and 96% made substantial reading gains. But the need is great, and we are still seeing learning lags from the pandemic.
This year, ATC plans to significantly increase the size of the program to reach over 250 students and to serve every elementary school in Alexandria. This is very exciting news, but we will only succeed if we can recruit more tutors. ATC trains you, matches you with a child, and provides ongoing lesson materials and support.
If you have been thinking about buying your first home or haven’t owned one in the last three years, THIS IS FOR YOU!
In the DMV area, it can be difficult to save the downpayment necessary for you to get into your own home. We have a solution. The Funder’s Summit!
We have assembled a summit with different municipalities to tell you how to access their funds for your home purchase.
Family Fun Fall Fest
Mark your calendars and join us for the Family Fun Fall Fest on Saturday, October 7, 2023, from 11am – 2pm!
This FREE in-person event will be held at the Shoppes at Foxchase, located at 4641 Duke St, Alexandria, VA
2023 Alexandria Fall Festival
Food trucks, bounce houses, pony rides, magic shows and more at the 2023 Alexandria Fall Festival, an Alexandria Living event presented by The Patterson Group. Join us at River Farm on Sunday, Nov. 5 from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.
