Maryland AG rules Montgomery County cannot ban police from making traffic stops

Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown has ruled that the Montgomery County Council does not have the legal authority to pass a law that would prevent police from making traffic stops for minor offenses. Council President Evan Glass sought an opinion from Brown in regards to legality of the proposed STEP Act (Council Bill 12-23). Introduced by Councilmember Will Jawando, and co-sponsored by Councilmember Kristin Mink, the bill would ban police from making traffic stops for offenses such as a defective headlight or tinted windows. 

Brown's finding, issued in a September 15, 2023 memo to Glass, is that Maryland vehicle law preempts any County law regarding traffic stops. However, Brown advised Glass that another STEP Act provision, which would ban police from seeking consent to search a vehicle unless there is "reasonable suspicion" that a crime has been committed, would be permissible because Maryland vehicle law "does not address the subject of searches during traffic stops."

The STEP Act is one of several criminal justice reforms introduced or steered to passage by Jawando in his two terms on the Council. Those initiatives have been highlighted during his current campaign for the Maryland U.S. Senate seat of Ben Cardin (D), who is retiring after his term ends. In advocating for the STEP Act, Jawando argued that change was necessary to reduce the outsize impact of traffic stops on drivers of color. 

One group that advocated for both of the STEP Act provisions in question, the Decriminalize Montgomery County Coalition, said in a statement that its members are "disappointed" in Brown's ruling on the traffic stop question. It urges the Council to move forward on passage of the provision on consent searches of vehicles, and the Maryland General Assembly to update the state's vehicle law to allow localities to ban traffic stops for minor offenses.

"The Decriminalize Montgomery County coalition is deeply concerned that [Brown's] opinion poses an obstruction to racial justice," the organization said. "The STEP Act was introduced to reduce racial disparities in traffic stops. In fact, the opinion correctly acknowledges that police disproportionately stop Black and brown drivers compared to other drivers. Drivers of color are frequently stopped for minor offenses, such as a broken taillight or an expired registration, even though these violations do not threaten public safety. These stops often end up turning into consent searches so that police can search vehicles for drugs, and can escalate into emotional and physical harm. They are fundamental problems that still need to be addressed. Stopping consent searches is a step towards that end, but the best way to reduce police harm is to ensure that the stop does not happen at all." 

Organizations that are part of the DMC coalition supporting the STEP Act include Young People for Progress (YPP), the Silver Spring Justice Coalition (SSJC), the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Maryland, and Jews United for Justice (JUFJ).

Kura Revolving Sushi Bar to open in Rockville

Federal Realty is making news again this week by signing a second restaurant to a lease at its Federal Plaza shopping center in Rockville. Kura Revolving Sushi Bar will open a 3,325-square-foot restaurant at the property next summer. It will be the chain's first Maryland location, and second in the Washington, D.C. region. As the name suggests, sushi plates circulate throughout the dining room on conveyor belts, offering patrons choices of sushi, udon, ramen, hot and cold sides, and desserts. Upping the entertainment value for diners are the prizes dispensed by KuraBot robots for every 15 plates or beverages they serve. 

Kura Revolving Sushi Bar joins Torchy's Tacos in announcing their leases at Federal Plaza this week.  “We welcome Torchy’s Tacos and Kura Revolving Sushi Bar as they expand into Maryland,” Ralph Ours, Director of Leasing, Mid-Atlantic Region at Federal Realty said in a statement. “These two new, innovative dining additions further cement Federal Plaza as a popular shopping and dining destination for the Rockville and greater Montgomery County community.”

KuraBot

Photos by Lisa Czech (top), Emily J. Davis (middle), Kura Sushi (bottom)

Adam Van Grack endorsed by District 17 Senator Kagan, Delegates Spiegel & Vogel in Rockville City Council race

Delegate Ryan Spiegel

Adam Van Grack, a candidate for Rockville City Council, has added to his lengthy list of endorsements from area elected officials. Newly-appointed Maryland State Delegate Ryan Spiegel (D) has joined his District 17 delegation colleagues Senator Cheryl Kagan (D) and Delegate Joe Vogel (D) in backing Van Grack in the race. "Adam Van Grack has been an active member in the Rockville legal community for many years," Spiegel said in a statement. “He has the expertise and experience to excel on the Rockville City Council, and he is the type of leader who I know can get big things done. I am proud to endorse Adam Van Grack for Rockville City Council and urge you to join me in supporting him."

State Senator Cheryl Kagan

"Delegate Spiegel has set the standard for effective local leadership and I’m proud to have his support in this race," Van Grack said. "During his time on the Gaithersburg City Council, Delegate Spiegel was an effective voice who listened and delivered results not just for Gaithersburg but for all Marylanders. As a member of the Maryland legislature, I have no doubts that he will continue to benefit from his leadership and I look forward to working with him and our District 17 delegation to deliver results for Rockville, District 17, and our state."

Delegate Joe Vogel

Congresswoman Lauren Underwood endorses Will Jawando for Maryland U.S. Senate seat

Montgomery County Councilmember Will Jawando's latest endorsement for the Maryland U.S. Senate seat of Ben Cardin (D) comes from a federal lawmaker already on Capitol Hill. Illinois Congresswoman Lauren Underwood announced this morning that she is backing Jawando over his leading opponents in the Democratic primary, Congressman David Trone and Prince George's County Executive Angela Alsobrooks. "I am excited to announce my support of Will Jawando for the United States Senate," Underwood said in a statement. "For nearly two decades, Will has been a mentor and friend. He's a tremendous leader who cares deeply about the lives and well-being of all Maryland residents. Will is an effective, disciplined, and inspiring legislator who is prepared for the challenges ahead. I am proud to endorse him."

A registered nurse, Underwood gained national attention by winning a Republican seat once held by Congressman Randy Hultgren and the disgraced former House speaker, convicted child molester Dennis Hastert. Underwood has the 16th-most-liberal voting record in the U.S. House according to VoteView, likely a winning data point with Jawando, who is positioning himself as the true progressive in the Senate race.

"I am honored to receive the endorsement of Congresswoman Lauren Underwood," Jawando said in a statement. "She is in the top echelon of our nation’s public servants and tirelessly fights for her constituents. I have had the honor of knowing the Congresswoman for many years and know her to be a tireless leader for Illinois."

Torchy's Tacos opening in Rockville

Those who made Federal Plaza a stop for Tex-Mex food during Chuy's short run there will have another Mexican chain from Texas to check out there soon. Torchy's Tacos has signed a lease at the shopping center, property owner Federal Realty announced Monday. Its 3,961-square-foot Rockville location will be the chain's first in the Washington, D.C. area. Torchy's, founded in Austin in 2006, is promising to serve "the most unique tacos, coveted queso and refreshing margaritas in the game, and the rotating Taco of the Month."

Assault reported at school in Rockville

Rockville City police responded to a report of a 2nd-degree assault at a school last Friday morning, September 22, 2023. The assault was reported at a school in the 600 block of Great Falls Road at 9:30 AM. Julius West Middle School is located on that block.

Black cemetery advocates to "pour 250+ symbolic bones" at protest of Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich

The Bethesda African Cemetery Coalition plans to protest Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich's appearance at a County budget forum this Wednesday, September 27, 2023 from 7:00 to 8:30 PM at the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Regional Services Center, in the East-West Room, at 4805 Edgemoor Lane in downtown Bethesda. In a statement, BACC says it intends to "pour 200+ symbolic bones at Marc Elrich's feet," representing bones and other artifacts removed from a construction site directly adjacent to the desecrated Moses African Cemetery in Bethesda that were trucked to a Gainesville, Virginia warehouse. BACC asserts that Elrich and the self-storage company developing the construction site have both blocked access to the remains for independent testing, and that the remains have not been adequately tested to determine if they are human or not.

The site in question, directly behind the McDonald's at 5214 River Road in Bethesda, was not part of Moses African Cemetery. But given the reality that property lines of older, unfenced cemeteries - and of segregated Black cemeteries like Moses - in then-rural areas were not always clear or precisely followed in burials, there was a strong concern that there could be human remains on the site. The Montgomery County Planning Board ignored those concerns when it approved construction of a self-storage building on the property in 2017. 

Demolition of an auto repair building on the site soon followed, and excavation began on the project in 2020, but it has been beset by delays and interruptions ever since. The developer has not commented publicly on why the project has repeatedly stalled out, and the BACC has maintained a steady campaign of protests and rallies at the site, which have garned local, national and international media coverage. Elrich, the County Council and Congressman Jamie Raskin have all declined to intervene in the dispute, leading BACC to protest at their offices and public appearances. 

"Moses Cemetery is located in Mr. Raskin’s district," BACC said in a statement this week, "and we demand that he fight white supremacy in his own backyard as he purports to do on a national level." In the same statement, BACC calls Elrich's inaction on the issue "a clear allegiance to white supremacy." Raskin has said he is deferring to local officials on the matter, and Elrich - who walked in Dr. Martin Luther King's March on Washington and was active in the civil rights movement -  has maintained that he has no legal authority to intervene in the case.