Open City Advocates

10/16/2026

"The house always wins." That's how Brittany Mobley of PDS described DYRS giving itself the power to appeal hearings it loses. Director Abed still wants that power. Councilmember Zachary Parker wasn't buying it: "I just would never imagine your deputy is not going to do what you want them to do."

DC Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services owes the Council its written changes by Oct. 23. We'll be watching.

Youtube: https://youtu.be/5tzdJm685Ok

10/15/2026

Isabella LeBlanc of JJAG's Youth Leaders in Action asked the question at the heart of DYRS's rules: "Without notice, how could a child trust the conditions of their commitment would not change at any time?"

Councilmember Zachary Parker pressed DYRS on taking away prior notice. DYRS now says young people will be told the date and time of their own hearings.

Youtube: https://youtu.be/5tzdJm685Ok

10/14/2026

DYRS's proposed rules would replace a three-member hearing panel with a single hearing officer picked by the director. Whitney Louchheim flagged it, and Brittany Mobley of PDS put it plainly: "It could be literally anyone." When CM Parker pressed, Director Abed called it "a fair criticism" and committed that the hearing officer will be a licensed attorney.

Youtube: https://youtu.be/5tzdJm685Ok?si=ERF_iTvOOIwmMnLH

10/13/2026

10/01/2026

Happy Youth Justice Action Month!🎉

Today, we celebrate a nationwide call to reimagine our response to young people impacted by youth criminal legal systems. For our clients, business as usual IS NOT ❌ working.

Our children deserve so much more🌟This YJAM, OCA will share stories, impact data, and uplift ways to get involved this... because youth justice requires ACTION!

09/21/2026

We’re very happy to welcome Kyla Woods to Open City Advocates as our new Associate Director of Policy & Outreach.

Kyla already knows Open City Advocates well. She previously served on our Board, and now she’s joining the staff to help connect parts of our work that too often get treated separately: youth and family engagement, community relationships, coalition-building, and policy advocacy.

Kyla calls it a “silo-breaking” role.

“You can be focused on theory, but you still need to know what is happening in practice,” she says. “I’m someone who likes to close that gap.”

Kyla will coordinate the Youth Justice Project, strengthen our work with young people, families, and community partners, and help make sure what we learn from people directly affected by D.C.’s youth justice system shapes our advocacy.

We’re glad she’s here. Please join us in welcoming Kyla to the team!

07/17/2026

Open City Advocates provides holistic legal representation to youth committed to DC's juvenile justice system after sentencing—work made urgent by the fact that 100% of those youth are youth of color. Our 2020 win in In re N.H.M. established their right to counsel throughout commitment. Now we're growing the team to make that right real for every kid.

Two roles are open:

🔹 Staff Attorney — full-time, representing committed youth
🔹 Legal Fellow (Fall 2027) — direct client work paired with systemic reform

https://www.opencityadvocates.org/join-us

Know someone who should apply? Tag them or share this post.

Organizational Background Open City Advocates provides holistic legal representation to youth who have been  committed to the DC Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services (DYRS) after sentencing in  the juvenile justice system. This approach combines lawyering, advocacy, and mentoring to  bett...

06/10/2026

Our team is growing, and we couldn't be happier about who's joining us.

Eric Huang joins our Board of Directors. Eric is an executive at GEICO who helps lead a nationwide legal team of more than 400 attorneys, after a career in public service that included seven years as a DC Assistant Attorney General and senior legal roles at the FBI. He has supported our work for years, and we're fortunate to have his experience on the Board.

Shaliqua McKnight joins our staff as our first dedicated Reentry Coordinator. As a proud DC native, Shaliqua helps the youth we represent return to their communities and connect to school, work, housing, and other support they need upon release from juvenile incarceration. Shaliqua previously coordinated wraparound services for youth and families at Better Morning and worked directly with young people inside DYRS facilities.

Welcome to the team, Eric and Shaliqua! We're so excited to have you joining us!

06/01/2026

Q***r and trans youth and adults are stopped, arrested, and incarcerated at higher rates, and face dramatically higher rates of violence inside jails, prisons, and juvenile facilities. This is especially true for Black and brown q***r and trans young people.

Open City Advocates honors the LGBTQ+ youth, clients, staff, volunteers, and movement partners who make our work possible, and recommits to an advocacy practice that sees them fully.

Happy Pride. 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

04/24/2026

We're partnering with CCE and many other organizations to support these candidate forums. Join us next Tuesday!