Responses of Charlene Drew Jarvis to GLAA 2000 Questionnaire
for DC Council Candidates
| Yes/No | Substance | Record | Championship | Total |
| 1.5 | 3.5 | 3 | 0 | 8 |
PUBLIC SAFETY
1. Will you vote for a budget for the new Citizen Complaint Review Board and the Office of Citizen Complaint Review large enough to prevent the development of a case backlog?
Yes. I supported reestablishment of the Citizen Complaint Review Board and the Office of Citizen Complaint Review. Having taken this action, I will support funding for these agencies so that they may perform their work in a timely, efficient, and effective manner and thus prevent case backlogs. I will support the use of unspent federal dollars in addition to appropriated DC funds for these agencies. However, it is most important for the funding of CCRB and other issues raised in questions that follow to be considered during the budget cycle. I am willing to work with GLAA and my colleagues to include these issues in the FY 2002 budget.
2. Will you support legislation that will reverse the Council's recent enactment of a ban on moonlighting by members of the Metropolitan Police Department at bars and sexually oriented establishments?
I am willing to reconsider and possibly to amend this legislation. Many of my constituents in Ward 4 adamantly demanded the enactment of such a ban following incidents at several Ward 4 ABC establishments where they believed the police had a conflict of interest. (Most notably the IBEX Club, a club located two blocks from the 4th District Police headquarters where numerous acts of violence and illegal activity occurred despite the presence of off-duty police as security; the club was closed after an IBEX patron killed an off-duty police officer across the street from the club.)
I know that security at GLBT establishments is essential and the hiring of off-duty officers has been effective. However, it is also essential for the Metropolitan Police Department to address and resolve the security problems at GLBT establishments as a part of their police work in our communities.
3. Will you support amending recently enacted Sexual Offenders Registration Act, "Megan's Law," so that those who can prove to the court that they no longer constitute a danger to the community will not be required to register as a sex offender?
Yes. I realize that the Massachusetts law which served as a model for the District's law has been struck down twice by the Massachusetts courts as unconstitutional. I will support legislation to amend the recently enacted Sexual Offenders Registration Act to provide for an appeals process and allow people to prove that they are no longer a danger to the community.
4. Will you support the full funding and full staffing of the Metropolitan Police Department's newly created Gay and Lesbian Liaison Unit (GLLU) as currently proposed?
Yes, I support the hiring of additional employees to bring the staff up to seven and I support funding so that GLLU can be an effective unit within the Metropolitan Police Department.
5. Will you demand mandatory gay male, lesbian, bisexual and transgender sensitivity and diversity training including gay and transgender community representative as a continuing part of the training for all members of the Metropolitan Police Department and the Fire/EMS Department?
Yes. I believe that representatives from the GLBT community are the most effective providers of sensitivity and diversity training on gay and transgender issues. I oppose the possible elimination of GLOV volunteers from community relations training programs for those in public safety. In the long-run the provision of such training by the GLBT community will promote an environment of tolerance and understanding, and reduce instances of discrimination within public safety agencies.
PUBLIC HEALTH & HIV
6. Last year, a unique identifier system for tracking the spread of HIV was approved by the Council and Mayor, rather than a names reporting system that would deter some people from being tested in the first place. Will you insist that unique identifier system be implemented without delay and fairly evaluated?
Yes. I opposed efforts to institute an HIV/AIDS names reporting system. While the unique identifier system legislation, which I supported, has been enacted by the Council, it has not been implemented by the Department of Health. Though I do not serve on the Council's Committee on Human Services, I will request that the Committee Chair convene an oversight hearing to determine why this much needed legislation has not been implemented and to establish a timetable for its implementation and evaluation.
7. Will you oppose Bill 13-240 which would make possession and distribution of marijuana for medical purposes a felony?
Because of the impact that Bill 13-240 will have on Initiative 59, which I supported early on, I realize that additional work must be done so that the District will not make felons out of our critically ill residents and their care-givers. My staff is currently researching how other states have addressed this issue, including the use of buyers clubs and the reclassification of dronabinol from Schedule 2 to Schedule 3.
When I introduced Bill 13-240, it was to address the concern my constituents have about the proliferation of marijuana sales in Ward 4 and the blatant acts of violence that often accompany such activity. Many neighborhoods in Ward 4, which I represent on the Council, are plagued by turf wars between gangs that sell marijuana, drive-by shootings, and murders. Regardless of how large an amount of marijuana an individual may possess when arrested, presently that individual can only be charged with a misdemeanoner and is free to return to "business" immediately. I want to increase penalties for this behavior.
8. Will you support the use of District taxpayer funds to implement a needle exchange program?
Yes. I have always supported the use of District funds to implement a needle exchange program. I will continue my support because I recognize that needle exchange programs have proven to be a means of reducing the spread of HIV and other blood-borne diseases. However, since Congress has banned the use of any District funds for needle exchange programs, it is necessary to support Prevention Works!, an independent entity that administers a needle exchange program in the District.
9. The Administration for HIV/AIDS (AHA) is still unable to account for its spending. Will you ask the Inspector General to audit AHA contracting.
Yes. I want to know what has been spent, by whom, for what, and what have been the outcomes.
10. Will you support earmarking funds to combat mental health problems and homelessness among sexual minority youth?
Yes. I recognize the fragility of sexual minority youth in our community. They often slip through the safety net of established District and non-profit social and health services. Therefore, I support the District's contracting with organizations such as the Sexual Minority Youth Assistance League and Metro Teen AIDS that have experience working with sexual minority populations.
HUMAN RIGHTS
11. Will you support a temporary increase in the annual budget for the Office of Human Rights (OHR) over the next several years until its persistent 700-case backlog has been eliminated?
Yes. As a member of the Council's Committee on Government Operations, I supported the establishment of OHR as an independent agency and voted for this in the FY 2000 budget. It is my understanding that increases to the Office of Human Rights over the next three fiscal years will result in the elimination of OHR's case backlog. I am committed to such an increase.
12. Will you support legislation that will codify OHR's former practice of giving top priority to discrimination complaints filed by people with AIDS or other major life- threatening diseases?
Yes. I was very supportive of the OHR policy which gave priority to complaints filed by people with AIDS or other life-threatening diseases and I think it can be best preserved, if it is legislatively mandated.
13. DC's rate of HIV infections among teenagers is significantly higher than the national average. Will you support legislation to increase HIV prevention efforts targeted towards sexual minority youth?
Yes. Again, I must say that sexual minority youth are often missed by programs targeted to the general population of youth. If the District is to succeed in its HIV prevention efforts, it must target those who are disproportionately impacted by exposure to HIV infection. I will support establishing such efforts as a priority and I will support funding..
DEFENDING OUR FAMILIES
14. Will you support legal recognition of marriages between partners of the same sex?
Yes. I was a supporter of the District's Domestic Partnership legislation. I have agreed to join with other of my colleagues on the Council to introduce legislation that will recognize marriages and/or civil unions between partners of the same sex.
15. Will you agree that the District should recognize the same-sex civil unions established in Vermont or other jurisdictions?
Yes. As the District seeks to increase its population and expand its tax-base, it cannot afford to dishearten a whole segment of potential residents who fear that their legally recognized civil unions will be null and void upon relocation to this community.
16. Will you support legislation in the District similar to Vermont's civil unions law?
Yes. See answer to Question 14.
17. Will you support the well-established decision by D.C. Courts, which recognize the right of unmarried couples to adopt children jointly?
Yes. I have always stated that "the best interest of the child" should be the guiding principle in adoption cases. This principle is firmly grounded in the District as a result of DC courts which have refused to base adoption decisions on the marital status or gender of potential parents. The need for adoptive parents is so great in the District that we cannot irrationally restrict the pool of potential parents.
YOUTH AND PUBLIC EDUCATION
18. Will you support legislation prohibiting harassment of students in the District schools (both public and charter) on the basis of any of the protected categories enumerated in the D.C. Human Rights Law?
Yes. I was very pleased to learn that former Superintendent Arlene Ackerman issued a directive prohibiting harassment of students in DC Public Scools, because I initiated discussions with the DC Public Schools on behalf of SMYAL almost ten years ago. I will support legislation to prohibit harassment of students in DC Public and DC Public Charter Schools.