Black cemetery advocates raise Juneteenth flag at Jamie Raskin's office

Leaders and members of the Bethesda African Cemetery Coalition traveled to Congressman Jamie Raskin's office last week, to protest Raskin's "continued refusal to take congressional action on the desecration, flooding, pouring of concrete on our ancestors, and cover-up of crimes against African people in Moses African Cemetery." Raskin previously visited the site of the burial ground, which is located under Montgomery County government-owned parcels of land on the Westwood Tower property, and directly across the Willett Branch stream from the rear parking lot of Westwood Tower. However, he has refused to meet with the group since or take action at the federal level on the cemetery issues, BACC says.

At Raskin's office last week, the group raised the Juneteenth flag in honor of Pvt. William H.H. Brown, who served with the United States Colored Troops who fought for the Union side in the U.S. Civil War. Brown is among the many former slaves buried in Moses African Cemetery. BACC has also created a video with a Civil War reenactor playing Pvt. Brown. "We told the White Union officers, if they would give us the gun, we would free ourselves," the actor portraying Brown says in the video. "We won our freedom. Now Montgomery County, Maryland is desecrating our sacred remains."

The BACC has called on the public to boycott all official Montgomery County government-sponsored Juneteenth events, in light of our elected officials' inaction on the cemetery matters. It has planned a full program of alternative Juneteenth events it encourages residents to attend instead. See the event announcements below for full details:

NIST begins joint research on Secure Digital ID for public benefits

The U.S. Department of Commerce's National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Gaithersburg has embarked on a collaborative project to adapt NIST's digital identity guidelines to the administration of public benefits programs. These include programs that help beneficiaries pay for food, housing, medical and other living expenses. The initiative gained momentum due to large-scale fraud related to COVID-19 pandemic benefits.

NIST is teaming up with the Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation at Georgetown University, and the nonprofit Center for Democracy & Technology, on the project. The partners are attempting to balance security concerns with potential impacts on privacy, "due process," and "potential biases in systems that disproportionately impact communities of color and marginalized groups."

"To improve benefits delivery to the U.S. public, it is vital that agencies balance access and security," Undersecretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology and NIST Director Laurie E. Locascio said in a statement this morning. "Different populations have different needs, barriers and circumstances that must be considered, and this collaboration will bring together a diverse set of communities to do just that."

Rockville school principal charged with assaulting student

Rockville City police have arrested the principal of Ritchie Park Elementary School at 1514 Dunster Road for allegedly assaulting a student in the building. The department jointly investigated the accusation with Montgomery County police detectives after the assault was reported to the RCPD by a staff member at the school on February 9, 2024. Principal Andrew Winter, 54, turned himself into police at the Montgomery County jail central processing unit on June 3, after a warrant was issued for his arrest by Judge Roger Zepeda that day. 

According to court records, Winter has been charged with misdemeanor 2nd-degree assault. He posted $1500 bond on June 4. A trial has been scheduled for July 18, 2024 at 8:30 AM in Montgomery County District Court in Rockville. Winter has led Ritchie Park ES since his appointment in May 2020. WTOP reports that Winter is accused of stomping on a student's foot during a disciplinary interaction that was allegedly captured on video, and has been on leave since the incident was first reported.

Bonobos closes at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Bonobos has closed at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. Its parent company, Express, Inc., filed for bankruptcy in April. However, the filing hadn't affected Bonobos until now. Columbus Business First reports that Express rejected 17 leases across the country last week, and that some of those stores were Bonobos locations. Bonobos has another Bethesda location at Bethesda Row, which remains open.

Armed robbery at Park Potomac

Montgomery County police responded to a report of an armed robbery at the Park Potomac development early Saturday night, June 8, 2024. The robbery was reported on the street in the 12400 block of Park Potomac Avenue at 6:41 PM. It is still daylight at that time, and also the height of dinner hour.

Assault at Rockville Town Square

Rockville City police responded to a report of an assault at Rockville Town Square late Friday night, June 7, 2024. The incident was reported at the development at 10:34 PM. It reportedly took place in a parking garage in the 100 block of Gibbs Street.

Timeless Living opening in Rockville

Timeless Living, a furniture retailer, is coming to Rockville Pike. It has leased a 13,441-square-foot space at Congressional Plaza on the second level, above The Container Store. That space was formerly home to Neiman Marcus Last Call Studio. Timeless Living has an existing furniture showroom at Tysons Corner Center.

"Timeless Living offers luxury, mid-century, and modern furniture," the store's marketing materials state. "It offers high-end, premium-quality furniture with personalized service, also mid-century furniture designs from the mid-20th century with clean lines and functionality. [W]e also offer modern contemporary designs inspired by the latest trends and often feature customizable options."