District of Columbia
D.C. man arrested for killing trans teen charged with ‘road rage’ two years earlier
Child cruelty, reckless driving offenses dropped by prosecutors in earlier case
A D.C. man who was charged last week with fatally shooting an 18-year-old transgender woman outside a Mechanicville, Md., bar on March 24 while inside his car was arrested in an unrelated incident in D.C. in February 2021 for allegedly ramming his pickup truck into a car in an incident police attributed to “road rage.”
Among the charges filed against him at that time was Attempted Second Degree Child Cruelty after D.C. police discovered his three-year-old child was sitting without a seatbelt in the passenger seat of the pickup truck he used to ram the other vehicle.
The St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office announced last week that its deputies, with the support of D.C. police homicide detectives, had arrested that same man — Darryl Carlton Parks Jr. — in D.C. on a murder warrant for the shooting death of Tasiyah Woodland in a parking lot outside the Big Dogs in Paradise bar and grill after “some type of confrontation” occurred.
The announcement said Parks has been charged with First-Degree Murder, Second-Degree Murder, Firearm Use/Felony-Violent Crime, Illegal Possession of a Regulated Firearm, and two counts of Reckless Endangerment from a Car.
He was being held without bond in D.C. while awaiting extradition to St. Mary’s County. The Sheriff’s Office statement says investigators do not believe Woodland had been targeted for the murder because of her gender identity. But her family members have disputed that claim, saying they believe the murder was a hate crime.
In the earlier case in which Parks was arrested in D.C. on Feb. 21, 2021, court records show he had been charged with Aggravated Reckless Driving and Attempted Second Degree Child Cruelty.
Charging documents filed in D.C. Superior Court stated that D.C. police officers witnessed Park intentionally ram a pickup truck he was driving into another car near the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and 2nd Street, N.W. while he was “engaged in a road rage.” An arrest affidavit filed in court says after Parks exited his truck when police arrived on the scene of the crash, one of the officers opened the passenger door and found Parks’ three-year-old child in the front passenger seat with no seat belt on and no child safety seat in the vehicle.
One of the charging documents says the child cruelty charge was filed because “Parks did intentionally, knowingly and recklessly attempt to maltreat D.P., a child under 18 years of age, that is about 3 years of age, and attempt to engage in conduct causing a grave risk of bodily injury to D.P.” The charging document identifies the child only as D.P.
Another charging document says there were four people in the car into which Parks allegedly rammed his truck, with one of them “sustaining injuries.”
Court records show that prosecutors with the office of the U.S. Attorney for D.C. on several occasions requested a delay in the proceedings. On one occasion, on June 15, 2022, court records show the judge approved a motion by prosecutors for a “continuance” to delay proceedings due to a “Government Witness Availability Issue.”
Finally, with no reason given, the court records show that on Sept. 26, 2022, Judge Kimberley Knowles dismissed the case at the request of prosecutors one day before a non-jury trial was scheduled to begin.
“The United States of America, by and through its attorney, the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia, hereby requests the Court to enter a nolle prosequi in the above-captioned matter,” a dismissal motion filed by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ryan Creighton and Elizabeth M. Van Haasteren says. “Nolle prosequi” is a Latin term used in U.S. court cases to disclose a refusal to prosecute or a cancellation of a prosecution.
Patricia Hartman, a spokesperson for the D.C. U.S. Attorney’s Office, told the Washington Blade on Monday that the office never comments on its reasons for charging related decisions, including decisions to ask a judge to dismiss a case.
District of Columbia
Campaign launched to elect more LGBTQ candidates to ANC seats
Capital Stonewall Democrats behind Queering ANCs effort
The Capital Stonewall Democrats, D.C.’s largest local LGBTQ political group, announced on July 7 it has launched a campaign to help elect large numbers of LGBTQ candidates to the city’s Advisory Neighborhood Commissions.
The D.C. local government is believed to be unique among U.S. cities in currently having 46 Advisory Neighborhood Commissions consisting of 345 single-member districts in neighborhoods throughout the city in which unpaid Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners are elected for two-year terms.
The commissions are charged with considering a wide range of policies and programs impacting their neighborhoods, including traffic, parking, recreation, street improvements, liquor licenses, zoning, economic development, police protection, sanitation and trash collection, and D.C.’s annual budget, according to the ANC website.
Although the ANCs do not have authority to set or reject policies or proposals, such as applications for liquor licenses, city agencies are required to give “great weight” to ANC recommendations, according to the law creating the ANCs.
Kent Boese, a gay former ANC commissioner, currently serves as executive director of the D.C. Office of ANCs.
“We are launching the most ambitious hyperlocal LGBTQ+ candidate pipeline initiative in the country,” said Stevie McCarty, the Capital Stonewall Democrats president, in a July 7 statement that announced the Queering ANCs campaign.
“As an ANC member, I know firsthand how these seats shape our neighborhoods, from housing and public safety to sanitation,” McCarty says in the statement. “I’m proud to lead this effort to ensure more LGBTQ+ Washingtonians see themselves as leaders in their communities,” he said.
The ANC Rainbow Caucus, which was created by LGBTQ ANC members, shows on its website that there are currently 38 caucus members consisting of elected LGBTQ ANC commissioners serving in the current 2025-2026 two-year term.
The website shows there are LGBTQ commissioners who are caucus members in each of the city’s eight wards, with six in Ward 1, eight in Ward 2, one in Ward 3, six in Ward 4, five in Ward 5, three in Ward 6, eight in Ward 7, and one in Ward 8.
The Washington Blade couldn’t immediately determine how many of them will be running for re-election in D.C.’s general election in November. But McCarty said Capital Stonewall Democrats hopes to recruit many more LGBTQ candidates to run for ANC seats.
The D.C. Board of Elections website shows the deadline for filing 25 required petition signatures to be placed on the ballot is Aug. 5.
A Queering ANCs website launched this week by Capital Stonewall Democrats provides details on how to run for an ANC seat and offers help for those interested in running.
“Think of someone in your building, neighborhood, friend group, community organization, or professional network who cares deeply about D.C. and would make a strong leader,” McCarty says in his statement. “Send them QueeringANCs.org and personally ask them to consider running,” he said.
The website can be accessed at QueeringANCs.org.
District of Columbia
Mary’s House founder, CEO retires
Dr. Imani Woody played leading role in opening DC’s first home for LGBTQ seniors
The board of directors for Mary’s House for Older Adults, DC’s first official home dedicated to providing affordable housing for LGBTQ seniors, announced on July 7 that its founding president and CEO, Dr. Imani Woody, has retired.
Woody, who holds a PhD in Human Services, is credited with playing a leading role over many years in arranging both city and private funding needed to construct and operate the Mary’s House three-story building located at 401 Anacostia Road, S.E., in the city’s Fort Dupont neighborhood.
The house, which opened in March 2025, with a grand opening ceremony held in May 2025, includes 15 single-occupancy residential units and more than 5,000 square feet of shared communal living space.
“It is with profound gratitude and hearts full of celebration that the board of directors of Mary’s House for Older Adults, DC (MHFOA) announces the retirement of our visionary founder, Dr. Imani Woody, from her role as president and CEO,” the Mary’s House board says in a statement.
“Dr. Woody’s journey with Mary’s House began with her vision and a kitchen table gathering of women with a bold, urgent, and loving vision: to create safe, affirming, affordable housing for LGBTQ/SGL older adults in Washington, DC,” the statement says.
It adds, “What started as a dream has grown into DC’s first affordable LGBTQ+/SGL affirming communal living space for adults 60 and over, a 15-room community residence at 401 Anacostia Road in Southeast Washington.”
The statement says Woody will continue to serve on Mary’s House board.
“The board will be sharing information about the leadership transition process in the coming weeks,” the statement continues. “We are committed to honoring Dr. Woody’s legacy by ensuring Mary’s House continues to thrive and grow in faithful service to LGBTQ/SGL elders experiencing housing insecurity and isolation.”
District of Columbia
SMYAL receives $25,000 award for ‘courageous acts’
D.C. group provides support services for LGBTQ youth
The D.C.-based organization SMYAL, which provides services for LGBTQ youth in the D.C. metro area, including housing for homeless LGBTQ youth, announced on June 30 that it received a $25,000 award for its “courageous acts” in support of the community it serves.
The award was a monetary grant from The Courage Project, which describes itself as a “national initiative investing in acts of courage and compassion that strengthens our communities and democracy.”
A statement on its website says it was launched in May 2025 and is funded and backed by leading national foundations in the U.S.
“At SMYAL, we are deeply grateful to receive support from The Courage Project and are inspired by their bold investment in LGBTQ+ youth at such a critical moment,” SMYAL CEO Erin Whelan said in a statement. “For queer and trans young people, simply showing up as themselves each day requires immense courage, and that courage is strengthened when organizations like The Courage Project stand behind them loudly, proudly, and without hesitation,” Whelan said.
In its statement announcing the award SMYAL says The Courage Project will recognize SMYAL and other awardees and their work on July 3 at the Washington National Cathedral as part of a special interfaith service marking the U.S. 250th anniversary.
“The Courage Project is a bold initiative honoring everyday acts of bravery – the quiet, often unseen acts of heroism that reflect the best of the American spirit and strengthen democracy at the community level,” the project states on its website.
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