District of Columbia
US Attorney’s office discloses two D.C. anti-LGBTQ hate crime cases
Murder, assault with dangerous weapon cases still pending
The office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, which prosecutes most people charged with committing crimes in the nation’s capital, disclosed for the first time earlier this month that a murder and an assault with a dangerous weapon that occurred in D.C. in 2021 have been classified as anti-LGBTQ hate crimes.
Court records show that arrests have been made in both cases and a man arrested in the murder case is being held without bond and is scheduled for a jury trial on May 6, 2024. Another man arrested in the unrelated anti-transgender assault case is scheduled to stand trial on Sept. 26, 2023.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Linda Monroe provided information about the two cases at a June 15 virtual meeting of the D.C. U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Hate-Bias Task Force, which was attended by local LGBTQ activists.
Although Monroe provided only a brief description of the two cases, she disclosed the D.C. Superior Court case numbers for the cases, which enabled the Washington Blade to obtain further details of the cases.
Murder case
Public court records show that D.C. police, following a month-long investigation, charged D.C. resident Idrissa Idy Fall, 36, on Aug. 3, 2021, with the July 18, 2021, murder of his ex-girlfriend, Dara Northem.
A 7-page affidavit in support of Fall’s arrest prepared by a D.C. police homicide detective states that a friend of the victim listed as an eyewitness to the incident who is identified only as Witness 1, or W-1, called 911 and reported that Fall allegedly shot Northem in the head while Northem was sitting in the front passenger seat of Witness 1’s car.
Witness 1, according to the affidavit, said the car was parked in front of the house where Northem, Fall and another person lived at 6101 4th St., N.W. Witness 1, the affidavit continues, told police Fall shot Northem through the passenger side window seconds after Northem entered the car and after he chased after her and shouted at her, “Stop playing with me with that gay shit.”
The affidavit says the police investigation learned from Witness 1 and the other person who lived in the house with Fall and Northem, who is identified as Witness 2, that Fall and Northem were in a relationship that became strained when Northem became friends with and went out with Witness 1, who identifies as a lesbian.
“It was learned that the decedent’s sexual orientation was heterosexual, but W-1 is gay and there was no romantic relationship between the decedent and W-1,” the affidavit states.
Nevertheless, the affidavit and other court documents filed by prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office imply that Fall believed his girlfriend, who broke up with him shortly before the murder while the two continued to live in the same house, was being “unfaithful” to him by having an affair with Witness 1.
“Witness 2 said the defendant had paranoia because the decedent had gay friends,” the affidavit says.
Like other hate crime cases it prosecutes, the U.S. Attorney’s official initially charged Fall with Second Degree Murder While Armed and did not list the case as a hate crime. But court records show that in November 2022, prosecutors brought the case before a D.C. Superior Court grand jury.
The court records show that on Nov. 9, 2022, the grand jury handed down a three-count indictment against Fall, including First Degree Murder While Armed (Premeditated.)
“The grand jury further charges that the murder was a bias-related (hate) crime,” the indictment states. Although the indictment doesn’t say so directly, court observers believe the hate crime classification is based on defendant Fall’s perception of Northem’s sexual orientation as being homosexual and his hatred toward her for becoming a gay woman as he saw her.
The second count of the indictment charges Fall with Possession of a Firearm During Crime of Violence or Dangerous Offense; and the third count charges him with Unlawful Possession of a Firearm after having been previously convicted of a crime punishable for a prison term.
The arrest affidavit says D.C. police learned that Fall pleaded guilty in November 2020 to a charge of driving under the influence of alcohol in Montgomery County (Md.) Circuit Court and was sentenced to 60 days with seven days suspended.
Court records show that the first judge that presided over the case and another judge who replaced him each denied requests by defense attorneys requesting that Fall be released while awaiting trial.
The records show that a status hearing for the case is scheduled for July 5, and a jury trial is scheduled for May 6, 2024. Neither the court records nor the U.S. Attorney’s Office have given a reason for why the trial could not be scheduled for an earlier date.
Man charged with assaulting woman while shouting anti-LGBTQ slurs
The second of the two cases disclosed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office involves an Oct. 23, 2021, incident in which Darryl Barnes, 45, whose address is not provided in court charging documents, was charged with assault with a dangerous weapon for allegedly hitting a woman in the face with a metal pole inside Chen Sunny’s Carry Out restaurant at 3131 Rhode Island Ave., N.E.
A D.C. police charging document says witnesses, including the woman who was allegedly assaulted, and another person who was with her, told police that Barnes called them both “faggots” shortly before he assaulted the woman.
“Officers interviewed Complaint 1, who stated that her and Complainant 2 were coming to the location to get something to eat when Defendant 1 produced a screwdriver and a pole and hit her in the face with the pole while wielding the screwdriver in his other hand,” the charging document says.
The charging document says Complainant 1 sustained a small abrasion over the left cheek from the metal pole and Complainant 2 sustained a small abrasion to the left shoulder as a result of Barnes hitting them with the pole.
The charging documents do not say why Barnes was charged only with assaulting Complainant 1, who is identified by name as a woman. The Blade has a policy of not disclosing the names of crime victims except for murder cases if they cannot be reached for permission to use their names. Contact information for the victim could not immediately be obtained by the Blade.
Court records, like the murder case, show that Barnes was not immediately charged with a hate crime. But the records show that on May 31, 2023, at the request of prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, a Superior Court grand jury handed down an indictment charging Barnes with Assault with a Dangerous Weapon that it classified as a hate crime.
“The grand jury further charges that such criminal act demonstrated the prejudice of Darryl Barnes based on the actual or perceived gender identity or expression of [name of victim],” the indictment states.
Court records show that Barnes was initially ordered held in jail pending a mental health competency hearing, which was postponed several times. The records show that on Jan. 28, 2022, Superior Court Judge Michael Ryan issued an order finding Barnes “mentally incompetent” and ordered him to undergo “Inpatient Competency Restoration.”
The court record shows that Ryan ordered that Barnes be committed to D.C.’s St. Elizabeth’s Hospital for the competency restoration process. According to the records, the judge on April 1, 2022, found Barnes incompetent to stand trial and ordered that the competency restoration process continue and be conducted on an inpatient basis.
However, by July 29, 2022, the records show that Ryan approved Barnes eligible for release on his personal recognizance under the court’s High Intensity Supervision Program.
On Nov. 29, 2022, the court record shows that Barnes, though his attorney, rejected a plea bargain offer made by prosecutors and a trial date was set for July 11, 2023, after the court determined he was competent for a trial. But the records show that following the grand jury indictment against Barnes on May 31 of this year, the trail date was changed to July 26, 2023.
District of Columbia
Capital Pride announces change in date for 2026 D.C. Pride parade and festival
Events related to U.S. 250th anniversary and Trump birthday cited as reasons for change
The Capital Pride Alliance, the D.C. based group that organizes the city’s annual LGBTQ Pride events, has announced it is changing the dates for the 2026 Capital Pride Parade and Festival from the second weekend in June to the third weekend.
“For over a decade, Capital Pride has taken place during the second weekend in June, but in 2026, we are shifting our dates in response to the city’s capacity due to major events and preparations for the 250th anniversary of the United States,” according to a Dec. 9 statement released by Capital Pride Alliance.
The statement says the parade will take place on Saturday, June 20, 2026, with the festival and related concert taking place on June 21.
“This change ensures our community can gather safely and without unnecessary barriers,” the statement says. “By moving the celebration, we are protecting our space and preserving Pride as a powerful act of visibility, solidarity, and resistance,” it says.
Ryan Bos, the Capital Pride Alliance CEO and President, told the Washington Blade the change in dates came after the group conferred with D.C. government officials regarding plans for a number of events in the city on the second weekend in June. Among them, he noted, is a planned White House celebration of President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday and other events related to the U.S. 250th anniversary, which are expected to take place from early June through Independence Day on July 4.
The White House has announced plans for a large June 14, 2026 celebration on the White House south lawn of Trump’s 80th birthday that will include a large-scale Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) event involving boxing and wrestling competition.
Bos said the Capital Pride Parade will take place along the same route it has in the past number of years, starting at 14th and T Streets, N.W. and traveling along 14th Street to Pennsylvania Ave., where it will end. He said the festival set for the following day will also take place at its usual location on Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., between 2nd Street near the U.S. Capitol, to around 7th Street, N.W.
“Our Pride events thrive because of the passion and support of the community,” Capital Pride Board Chair Anna Jinkerson said in the statement. “In 2026, your involvement is more important than ever,” she said.
District of Columbia
Three women elected leaders of Capital Pride Alliance board
Restructured body includes chair rather than president as top leader
The Capital Pride Alliance, the D.C.-based group that organizes the city’s annual LGBTQ Pride events, announced it has restructured its board of directors and elected for the first time three women to serve as leaders of the board’s Executive Committee.
“Congratulations to our newly elected Executive Officers, making history as Capital Pride Alliance’s first all-women Board leadership,” the group said in a statement.
“As we head into 2026 with a bold new leadership structure, we’re proud to welcome Anna Jinkerson as Board Chair, Kim Baker as Board Treasurer, and Taylor Lianne Chandler as Board Secretary,” the statement says.
In a separate statement released on Nov. 20, Capital Pride Alliance says the restructured Board now includes the top leadership posts of Chair, Treasurer, and Secretary, replacing the previous structure of President and Vice President as the top board leaders.
It says an additional update to the leadership structure includes a change in title for longtime Capital Pride official Ryan Bos from executive director to chief executive officer and president.
According to the statement, June Crenshaw, who served as acting deputy director during the time the group organized WorldPride 2025 in D.C., will now continue in that role as permanent deputy director.
The statement provides background information on the three newly elected women Board leaders.
• Anna Jinkerson (chair), who joined the Capital Pride Alliance board in 2022, previously served as the group’s vice president for operations and acting president. “A seasoned non-profit executive, she currently serves as Assistant to the President and CEO and Chief of Staff at Living Cities, a national member collaborative of leading philanthropic foundations and financial institutions committed to closing income and wealth gaps in the United States and building an economy that works for everyone.”
• Kim Baker (treasurer) is a “biracial Filipino American and queer leader,” a “retired, disabled U.S. Army veteran with more than 20 years of service and extensive experience in finance, security, and risk management.” She has served on the Capital Pride Board since 2018, “bringing a proven track record of steady, principled leadership and unwavering dedication to the LGBTQ+ community.”
• Taylor Lianne Chandler (Secretary) is a former sign language interpreter and crisis management consultant. She “takes office as the first intersex and trans-identifying member of the Executive Committee.” She joined the Capital Pride Board in 2019 and previously served as executive producer from 2016 to 2018.
Bos told the Washington Blade in a Dec. 2 interview that the Capital Pride board currently has 12 members, and is in the process of interviewing additional potential board members.
“In January we will be announcing in another likely press release the full board,” Bos said. “We are finishing the interview process of new board members this month,” he said. “And they will take office to join the board in January.”
Bos said the organization’s rules set a cap of 25 total board members, but the board, which elects its members, has not yet decided how many additional members it will select and a full 25-member board is not required.
The Nov. 20 Capital Pride statement says the new board executive members will succeed the organization’s previous leadership team, which included Ashley Smith, who served as president for eight years before he resigned earlier this year; Anthony Musa, who served for seven years as vice president of board engagement; Natalie Thompson, who served eight years on the executive committee; and Vince Micone, who served for eight years as vice president of operations.
“I am grateful for the leadership, dedication, and commitment shown by our former executive officers — Ashley, Natalie, Anthony, and Vince — who have been instrumental in CPA’s growth and the exceptional success of WorldPride 2025,” Bos said in the statement.
“I look forward to collaborating with Anna in her new role, as well as Kim and Taylor in theirs, as we take on the important work ahead, prepare for Capital Pride 2026, and expand our platform and voice through Pride365,” Bos said.
District of Columbia
D.C. Police Chief Pamela Smith to step down Dec. 31
Cites plans to spend more time with family after 28 years in law enforcement
In a surprise statement on Dec. 8, Mayor Muriel Bowser announced that D.C. Police Chief Pamela Smith will step down from her job on Dec. 31 after a little over two years as the city’s police chief.
In August of 2023, after Bowser named Smith as Acting Chief shortly before the D.C. Council approved her nomination as permanent chief, she told the Washington Blade in an interview she was committed to providing “fair and equal treatment” for all of the city’s diverse communities, especially the LGBTQ community.
She pointed out that in her role as the department’s Chief Equity Officer before she was appointed chief, she worked in support of what she said was the significant number of LGBTQ police officers serving in the department and also worked closely with the department’s LGBTQ Liaison Unit.
“We also have LGBTQ members serving in the reserve and volunteer corps supporting many functions in the department, including support for the LGBTQ Liaison Unit,” she told the Blade. “We have a nationally recognized LGBTQ Liaison Unit.”
Bowser’s statement announcing Smith’s resignation praised Smith for playing a lead role in significantly lowering the city’s crime rate.
“Chief Smith dramatically drove down violent crime, drove down the homicide rate to its lowest levels in eight years, and helped us restore a sense of safety and accountability in our neighborhoods,” the mayor said in her statement. “We are grateful for her service to Washington, D.C.”
Bowser’s statement did not provide a reason for Smith’s decision to step down at this time. But in a Monday morning interview with D.C.’s Fox 5 TV, Smith said she was stepping down to spend more time with her family based in Arkansas.
“After 28 years in law enforcement I have been going nonstop,” she told Fox 5. “I have missed many amazing celebrations, birthdays, marriages, you name it, within our family,” she said. “Being able to come home for Thanksgiving two years after my mom passed really resonated with me,” she added in referring to her family visit in Arkansas for Thanksgiving last month.
Smith said she plans to remain a D.C.-area resident following her departure as police chief. Bowser said later in the day on Dec. 8 that she needs some time to decide who she will name as the next D.C. police chief and that she would begin her search within the MPD.
Smith served for 24 years in high-level positions with the U.S. Park Police, including as Park Police Chief in the D.C. area, before joining D.C. police as Chief Equity Officer in 2021. A short time later she was named an assistant chief for homeland security before Bowser nominated her as Police Chief in 2023 and installed her as acting chief before the D.C. Council confirmed her as chief.
She became D.C. police chief at a time when homicides and violent crime in general were at a record high in the years following the pandemic. Although Bowser and Smith have pointed to the significant drop in homicides through 2024 and 2025, Smith was hit with President Donald Trump’s decision in August of this year to order a temporary federal takeover of the D.C. Police Department and to send National Guard Troops to patrol D.C. streets on grounds, according to Trump, that the D.C. crime rate was “out of control.”
Both Bowser and Smith have come under criticism from some local activists and members of the D.C. Council for not speaking out more forcefully against the Trump intervention into D.C. law enforcement, especially over what critics have said appeared to be D.C. police cooperation with federal immigration agents sent in by the Trump administration.
During a mayoral End of Year Situational Update event called by Bowser on Dec. 8, shortly after announcing Smith’s resignation, both Bowser and Smith said they cooperated with federal law enforcement officials to a certain degree as part of the city’s longstanding practice of cooperating with federal law enforcement agencies since long before Trump became president.
“We are currently on pace to be at the lowest number of homicides in over eight years,” Smith told those attending the event held at the D.C. Department of Health’s offices. “To date, homicides are down 51 percent compared to 2023, and we are down 30 percent compared to the same time last year,” she said.
She also noted that homicide detectives have been closing murder cases by arranging for arrests at a significantly higher rate in the past two years.
In her 2023 interview with the Blade, Smith said she would continue what she called the department’s aggressive effort to address hate crimes at a time when the largest number of reported hate crimes in the city were targeting LGBTQ people.
“What I can say is in this department we certainly have strong policies and training to make sure members can recognize hate crimes,” Smith said. “And officers have to report whether there are any indications of a possible hate crime whenever they’re investigating or engaged in a case,” she added. “We have a multidisciplinary team that works together on reported hate crimes.”
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