Local
Gay cop says dog shooting was necessary
Caretaker, animal rescue group call for police investigation

Editor’s note: This story has been updated since it was posted as the Blade’s Lou Chibbaro Jr. received returned calls from sources he hadn’t heard from when he initially filed. The additions are in bold text. Subsequently some of the initial reader comments are addressed in the additions.
A gay D.C. police officer and a gay caretaker of a dog named Parrot have become involved in a highly emotional dispute following the officer’s decision to shoot the dog before dozens of bystanders at D.C.’s annual Adams Morgan Day festival on Sept. 12.
Dale Edwin Sanders, an attorney representing Officer Scott Fike, said extensive media coverage of the incident has failed to report that Fike is a dog lover assigned to the department’s canine unit and takes home each night one of the unit’s German Shepherds.
“He’s being portrayed as a monster by bloggers and it’s totally unfair,” Sanders said. “He’s the last person in the world to shoot a dog if it wasn’t absolutely necessary.”
But Dupont Circle resident Aaron Block, 25, who was caring for Parrot through a dog foster care program run by the local group Lucky Dog Animal Rescue, told the Washington Post that Fike shot and killed the dog without justification after Parrot and a poodle being walked by a woman got into a fight on the street.
Fike said he isn’t authorized to speak to the media and referred a reporter to Sanders for comment.The owner of the poodle, Adams Morgan resident Sheila Martins-Silva, could not be reached.
John Valentine, an attorney representing Lucky Dog Animal Rescue, said Block told him Fike took hold of Parrot after Block had already subdued the dog and had him under his control.
Block said Fike forcefully pressed the dog into the pavement with his knee then tossed Parrot into a stairwell before shooting him in the neck and killing him in the stairwell.
“There were dozens of people watching,” Block said. “I can tell you that if you ask any of them they will tell you this was so unnecessary. There was no reason for that police officer to shoot Parrot.”
Sanders points to a police account that Parrot locked his jaws on the poodle’s paw as Block and others who rushed to the scene tried to free the poodle from Parrot’s mouth. Sanders said Fike told him Block had not been able to regain control over Parrot and the dog – who has been identified as a Shar-pei-pit bull mix breed – posed a threat to the safety of nearby festival goers.
Sanders said Fike, who was on patrol duty at the Adams Morgan Festival at the time of the incident, reported what he described as a chaotic scene, with festival goers screaming and a young man later identified as Block on the ground with his hand inside Parrot’s mouth.
“There was blood all over the place,” Sanders quoted Fike as saying in describing Block’s hand and arm. Sanders said Fike’s immediate observation was that Parrot was not under control and that Bock was being injured and he and others in the crowd were in imminent danger.
At the time Fike arrived on the scene, the Poodle had already been disengaged from Parrot’s mouth and Fike initially didn’t know another dog was involved in the incident, Sanders said. All Fike saw upon his arrival was Block’s hand locked inside Parrot’s mouth.
It was at that time when Fike kneeled on the dog and pulled on his leash, enabling Block to free his hand from the dog’s mouth, Sanders said.
Block called that account “not even remotely true,” saying he freed his own hand from Parrot’s mouth. He said he scraped his own fingers and hand as he pulled open Parrot’s mouth to secure the release of the poodle’s paw. He said his injury “was not big deal” and he didn’t need medical attention.
Sanders said Fike claims Parrot bit him as he tried to subdue the dog. Fike threw the dog into the stairwell as part of a “conservative measure” to try to injure and subdue the animal without having to use lethal force, Sanders said. But Sanders recounted Fike’s claim that Parrot began to charge at Fike from the staircase, prompting Fike to shoot the dog to protect himself and others standing nearby.
“If Scott hadn’t done what he did that dog could have gone into the crowd and killed somebody,” Sanders said.
Block said he was looking in another direction when the confrontation between the two dogs started and he did not see which dog started what he called a fight between the dogs. Valentine said other witnesses on the scene reported that the poodle inflicted injuries on Parrot’s face and they were unclear as to which dog started the fight
The poodle’s owner has said she allowed her dog to walk over to Parrot while both dogs were on leashes and without any indication that the dogs would get into a fight, Valentine said.
Block said Parrot has no history of biting anyone and described the dog as gentle and friendly to people. Valentine and Block said many witnesses who have come forward have backed up Block’s version of what happened.
Block said he doesn’t believe Parrot bit Fike and believes the injury reported on Fike’s hand was likely caused by chaffing from Parrot’s leash.
Valentine notes that a police report refers to Fike’s hand injury as an “abrasion” rather than a dog bite.
Sanders calls that account “absolutely false,” saying a police evidence technician examined and photographed Fike’s wound and observed puncture marks, confirming it as a dog bite. He said a police official also alerted Fike that he may have to undergo rabies shots if an autopsy of Parrot tests positive for rabies.
In a development that alarmed Fike and police investigators, according to Sanders, officials with Lucky Dog Animal Rescue couldn’t immediately find records showing whether or not Parrot had been given rabies shots. Sanders said that Fike was also concerned that Block wasn’t using an appropriate dog leash for taking Parrot into an area crowded with people, noting that Block should have used a “looped” leash that can be pulled over a dog’s snout and is far better suited to control a dog.
Block said Lucky Dog Animal Rescue, for which he is a volunteer, had all the necessary records for Parrot, including Rabies immunization records.
Sanders said witnesses, including a local judge whom he did not identify, have come forward to support Fike’s version.
Sanders said that before leaving the scene of the incident, Fike responded to pleas for help by Martins-Silva, the owner of the injured poodle, by arranging for a police officer in a cruiser to take the poodle to an animal hospital in Northwest Washington, where the dog received emergency treatment.
He said police officials have put Fike on temporary administrative leave as the department’s Internal Affairs unit investigates the incident.
The dog shooting, which received national media coverage, took place on 18th Street, N.W., with hundreds of festival goers standing nearby and dozens watching in horror as the incident unfolded.
District of Columbia
D.C. to receive $300,000 from Gilead for ‘illegal kickback scheme’
Alleged effort to pay doctors to prescribe company’s HIV meds

D.C. Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb announced on July 15 that the pharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences will pay $316,413 to the District as part of a settlement of civil allegations that it engaged in an illegal kickback scheme with doctors to promote and sell its HIV medication.
A statement released by Schwalb says Gilead allegedly violated D.C. and federal false claims laws “by paying doctors and other healthcare providers to promote and prescribe its suite of HIV medications over those marketed by its competitors.”
The statement adds, “Because the resulting insurance claims filed with the District’s Medicaid program were induced by kickbacks, they violated the District’s False Claims Act ((FCA).”
Gilead’s $316,413 payment to D.C. is part of a total of $202 million the drug company agreed to pay in April of this year to 46 states and the District to settle a lawsuit initially filed against it in 2016 over illegal kickback allegations.
“For years, Gilead Sciences illegally boosted sales by paying lavish kickbacks to doctors, and in so doing, cheated both District patients and taxpayers,” Schwalb said in his statement.
“Gilead develops, manufacturers, and sells medications for the treatment of infectious diseases, including HIV/AIDS,” the statement continues. “A federal and multistate investigation revealed that between 2011 and 2017, Gilead administered a kickback program for its suite of HIV medications whereby 548 healthcare providers received over $23.7 million in honoraria payments, in addition to extravagant meals and paid travel expenses,” the statement says.
It says these payments were part of Gilead’s “HIV Speaker Programs” intended to entice the doctors to prescribe Gilead’s drugs. “Throughout this period, Gilead caused claims for payment for its HIV medication – induced by the illegal kickbacks – to be submitted to the District’s Medicaid program,” Schwalb’s statement says.
In a statement at the time of the settlement in April, Gilead said it “entered into this agreement to avoid the cost and distraction of potential litigation regarding this legacy compliance matter.”
The statement adds, “Gilead’s speaker programs have served to educate healthcare professionals about the appropriate use and benefits of these important medications … Gilead’s therapies have transformed the treatment paradigm for HIV, and Gilead will continue to drive innovation to meet patients’ needs.”
While under criticism for the alleged kickback scheme, Gilead received favorable news coverage in June when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a new HIV prevention medication developed by Gilead called lenacapavir that needs to be taken by injection once every six months.
Public health experts and AIDS activists called the new HIV prevention, or PrEP, drug, which testing showed to be greater than 99 percent effective in preventing HIV infection, a major advancement in the years-long effort to end the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the U.S. and worldwide.
Delaware
Delaware church to protest Rehoboth restaurant’s drag brunch
Broad community support, counter protest mobilized for Goolee’s Grille

Delaware LGBTQ advocates are organizing a counter-protest in response to a planned protest against a drag brunch in Rehoboth Beach on July 20.
Members of St. Ann’s Church in Bethany Beach announced plans to protest a Sunday drag brunch hosted at Goolee’s Grille, a gay-owned restaurant in Rehoboth Beach. In the church newsletter, they described the action as a “peaceful and Legal Rosary Rally in Protest and Reparation for Goolee’s Grille Rehoboth Beach hosting ‘Drag Brunch’ to normalize transgender and variants.”
The counter-protest will begin at 11:15 a.m. outside the restaurant and is organized by a coalition of local organizations including Sussex Pride, Indivisible Delaware, Speak Out Against Hate, CAMP Rehoboth, Rehoboth Beach Pride, and the Delaware Anti-Violence Project.
“The rally is aimed at showcasing the overwhelming support for Goolee’s Grill, a beloved small business that has stood as a beacon of diversity and acceptance in the Rehoboth Beach community,” read a press release from Sussex Pride.
The Rehoboth Beach Pride festival takes place the day before on July 19.
“As we celebrate Rehoboth Beach Pride, all LGBTQ+ people, but particularly LGBTQ+ youth, should know that there are many faith communities here that love and accept us exactly as we are,” said David Mariner, executive director of Sussex Pride. “These members of St. Ann’s Church of Bethany do not speak for everyone.”
Goolee’s hosts drag brunches every third Sunday of the month. This week’s show is sold out, though the gift shop will be open. The restaurant opened in 2004 in Ocean City before moving to Rehoboth in 2014.
“As a perpetual student of Jesus Christ, my faith has always taught me to love my neighbor, offer myself to the stranger, and reach out to those living on the fringe,” said Rev. Shelley D. McDade, Rector of the Parish of All Saints’ Church & St. George’s Chapel. “Thank you, Goolee’s, for continually serving up an authentic dish of love, acceptance and fun.”
District of Columbia
Gay Ward 1 Council candidate expresses ‘passion’ for public service
Brian Footer says listening to residents’ concerns is focus of campaign

Gay Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Brian Footer, who has announced his candidacy for the Ward 1 D.C. Council seat up for election in 2026, says his campaign includes a diverse coalition of supporters dedicated to addressing the concerns of Ward 1 residents.
In an interview with the Washington Blade, Footer outlined his plans for addressing a wide range of issues impacting Ward 1 and the city as a whole, which he said affect all city residents, including LGBTQ residents.
“On the City Council I’m going to be especially focused on making housing more affordable, improving public safety, and making it easier to do business in our community,” he said. The needs and concerns of the city’s senior citizens is also an issue of great interest for him, he told the Blade.
“Public service is something that has always been ingrained in me,” he added. “And local government is where I’ve chosen to channel that passion, because it directly impacts people’s lives.”
Footer, a Democrat, initially will be running for the Ward 1 Council seat in the city’s June 2, 2026, Democratic primary. If he were to win the primary and the November 2026 general election, he would become the Council’s second openly gay member.
Incumbent Ward 1 Council member Brianne Nadeau (D) told the Blade last week that she wasn’t ready to discuss her plans for the future and whether she would run for re-election. Longtime Ward 1 community activist Terry Lynch has announced his candidacy for the Ward 1 Council seat as a Democrat.
Blade: Can you tell a little about your background, where you were born and raised and where you are from if you are not a native of the D.C. area?
Footer: I’m proud to say I’m a third-generation native of the D.C. area. From my grandfather’s dental practice just north of Dupont. From my parents meeting while working at G.W. Hospital. Or three generations of Footers attending the Hebrew School of Washington Hebrew. D.C. is my home and part of my family’s history.
And for the past 20 plus years as an adult gay man, D.C. has been my chosen home, in large part due to the vibrant and proud LGBTQ+ community. Public service is something that has always been ingrained in me. And local government is where I’ve chosen to channel that passion, because it directly impacts people’s lives.
I started my public service journey as a U.S. House page working for Dick Gephardt. And cut my teeth in local policy working for the New York City Council’s Speaker, Christine Quinn, managing her aging and veterans affairs portfolio. That’s where I got to experience how local government can truly impact people’s daily lives. …
I chose to extend my public service by first running for ANC in 2014…. And I came back to the ANC in 2022 and served as chair of 1E since then.
Blade: Can you say a little about how you describe your occupation and your working career?
Footer: I would say that I am an expert in the Older Americans Act. And that is an amazing space to make sure that we’re supporting our senior community to a place of dignity and respect. And so, I worked for government for many years, like 10 or 11 years. I started at the federal level, went down to the state level and eventually found my passion at the local level.
And that’s where I started getting my expertise in the aging space. And currently I work at KPMG as a healthcare consultant. And my clients there are the Center for Medicaid and Medicare Services.
Blade: Have you been involved in local D.C. community affairs for
a good amount of time?
Footer: Yes, in 2014 I decided to run for ANC. And as I mentioned, I have a passion for really getting into local issues. And so, running for ANC was an opportunity to extend my experiences and I’ve had an amazing time doing that. And then I ran for the Ward 1 Dems position. I was chair of that. And that took me through the 2016 presidential election.
And then in 2022 I decided to run again for ANC just a couple of blocks away. And I represent the southern part of Howard University and the northern part of Shaw. And I’m on the southern boundary of ANC 1 E, which represents Howard University, Park View, and Pleasant Plakins, with Georgia Avenue running through all SMDs [Single Member Districts].
Blade: What neighborhood do you live in now?
Footer: I live in the northern Shaw neighborhood, kind of the east side of U Street. So, I live in a building called Atlantic Plumbing. It’s right next to the 9:30 Club.
Blade: You mention on your campaign website that you feel things are not going as well as they should in the city in a number of different areas. Can you tell a little about what those areas or issues are and what you would do to correct or fix them?
Footer: So, on the City Council I’m going to be especially focused on making housing more affordable, improving public safety, and making it easier to do business in our community. And these are urgent issues. And people need relief now, not a decade from now. And so, with respect to public safety, we have been given a false choice between law enforcement and compassionate long-term solutions that get people back on their feet.
We need both. And they have to be coordinated. We have a lot of public safety programs in place, but they’re not working because we’ve thrown everything at the wall and aren’t doing any one of them very well. We have the information and data about crime and safety in Ward 1 to focus on targeted policies that will actually work if only we’re committed to them and follow through. I mean better coordination between agencies, more consistent support for violence prevention programs, and urgent improvements for things like street lighting, trash, and behavioral health services. So, we need to feel safe and be safe. Right now, too many residents don’t feel either.
With respect for housing, the rent is too high. It is unaffordable for lots of families. And so, over the past 10 years, rent has increased more than 66 percent while the consumer price index for the area increased by approximately 25 percent; that means that rent prices have been increasing by a rate of more than double that of general inflation.
We’ve been given a false choice between supporting business or supporting renters. I’m in favor of working with the business communities to build as many new homes as possible. It doesn’t have to come at the expense of renters and owners’ rent. There are solutions that have been implemented elsewhere in the country we should emulate. We should use the power of local government to make it easier and cheaper to build while bringing renters and the business community to the table.
As for small businesses, there are plenty of good programs in D.C. to support small businesses. Right now, however, different parts of the D.C. government don’t talk to each other. And we’re putting the onus on business owners to navigate this bureaucratic maze. We should be making it a lot easier for entrepreneurs and small businesses to get the licenses they need, pay their people a living wage, and serve our community.
Blade: Can you say a little about the current Ward 1 Council member? Do you feel she is not doing what you feel should be done on these issues?
Footer: So, you know, what I’ll say about Council member Nadeau, she has served Ward 1 for many years. And I respect anyone who steps up for public service. Whether she decides to run again or not, my decision to enter this race comes from listening to neighbors who are ready for a new vision. One that’s focused on safety, stability, and a city government that truly works for everyone.
I’m not running against anyone. I’m running for the future of Ward 1. I bring a different leadership style. I listen first. I build coalitions. I act boldly and I follow through. This campaign is about what we can do differently and better to make people feel safe, supported, and seen. Ward 1 deserves that conversation no matter who is on the ballot.
Blade: The local D.C. government and its current laws, including the Human Rights Act, are recognized as being supportive of the rights of the LGBTQ community. As a gay candidate, is there anything else you think needs to be done to protect the rights and the wellbeing of the D.C. LGBTQ community?
Footer: I will say I’m proud to be a gay man and part of D.C.’s vibrant LGBTQ+ community. And my involvements in the community over the years have been both personal and political, from organizing alongside queer leaders, advocating for inclusive policies, to showing up for the community when it matters most.
In D.C., I have worked with and supported local LGBTQ+ groups in a variety of ways, from volunteering for the Victory Fund in my early career to organizing LGBTQ+ senior housing round tables for SAGE and other housing advocates. But beyond formal affiliations, my queer identity informs how I lead. It’s with empathy, resilience and a deep appreciation for chosen family and intersectionality.
That’s why I’m running – to make sure queer people in Ward 1 and across the city feel seen, heard, and supported. And just to answer your question a little more directly, I think that there are two things in particular that are going to be important that I want to work towards and bring a lot of attention to.
One of them is dealing with housing. LGBTQ+ seniors are twice as likely to live alone and four times less likely to have children compared to their non-LGBTQ+ peers. And so national surveys show that many LGBTQ+ seniors fear having to go back in the closet when entering assisted living or retirement communities or nursing homes. And so, stories of misgendering and lack of cultural competency among staff are common.
So, affirming and safe and affordable housing isn’t just about comfort. It’s about dignity and safety for our seniors. And the second topic we see a lot about is to support organizations like SMYAL, because up to 40 percent of youth experiencing homelessness in D.C. identify as LGBTQ+. So, we need to make sure that we have those services to support people.
Blade: The D.C. Council has been considering a proposal by Mayor Bower in her FY 2026 budget to repeal a law impacting restaurants and bars, including the city’s gay bars, known as Initiative 82 that was passed twice by voters in a ballot initiative, which calls for ending the so-called tipped wage and requiring the businesses to pay the full minimum wage to restaurant and bar workers. Businesses and many of the tipped workers say the law has had a devastating impact on the businesses and they support repealing it. Do you have a position on that?
Footer: I think this is a good example of what I’ve said before that we are consistently being given false choices, right? And so, I think that we need to do our due diligence in order to find what is the common ground. You won’t find a small business in D.C. that doesn’t want to pay their people a living wage. And so, the question becomes how do you support our small business community to be able to thrive and also make sure that they’re supporting their employees.
And so, the specifics of whether I would vote for repealing it – I would say I’m not in favor of repealing what the voters have now said twice. But I do think the economic situation of our city has changed since the last time the voters had the opportunity to address this issue. And so, I figure it’s the City Council and the mayor’s job and the city government’s job to find out how we can make sure we’re blending those two things. It shouldn’t have to be a binary choice.
Blade: So, at this point are you saying you would not support the full repeal of the law?
Footer: At this point I don’t know if I would support a full repeal.
Blade: One other issue we have learned is that another candidate, longtime community activist Terry Lynch, has entered the race for the Ward 1 Council seat. Have you had any interaction with him over the years?
Footer: I haven’t. I recently reached out to him, and we’re supposed to get together soon to catch up. But I’m not very familiar with Terry Lynch. I’m looking forward to meeting him
Blade: The local LGBTQ group GLAA DC, formerly known as the Gay & Lesbian Activists Alliance, issues ratings for candidates running for the D.C. Council and for mayor. They base their ratings on a candidate’s record on LGBTQ issues and their response to a questionnaire the group sends to all candidates. Two of the questions they always ask is do you support decriminalizing sex work between consenting adults and decriminalizing possession of recreational drugs such as cocaine. How would you answer those two questions?
Footer: We just started to do a lot more research into that. And I don’t have a position on that just yet. But you’re not the first person to bring up that topic. It’s definitely something we’re going to do research on and have a better understanding on how that directly impacts people in Ward 1. So, I’ll have a more formal answer and be able to talk through the specifics of that.
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