About This Interview

TWard 2 Democrats Interview Dyana Forester on Public Safety, Small Business, Housing, and Community Schools

Ward 2 Democrats leaders Howard Garrett, Ben Dalley, and Janice Ferebee sit down with Dyana Forester, a candidate for At-Large Member of the DC Council, for a wide-ranging conversation about the issues facing Ward 2 and the District as a whole.

Forester opens by discussing her background as a lifelong Washingtonian, parent, grandparent, community organizer, labor leader, and public servant. She describes her early organizing work opposing school closures, advocating for quality schools in every community, helping pass parent coordinator and community schools legislation, and working on campaigns focused on DC jobs, the $15 minimum wage, paid family medical leave, and Ban the Box. She also reflects on her leadership during COVID as president of the Metro Washington Labor Council and her current work as Maryland’s chief negotiator.

On public safety, Forester argues that youth crime cannot be solved through political talking points alone. She calls for deeper coordination among educators, therapists, police, social workers, housing advocates, and young people themselves. She emphasizes the need to listen directly to youth, understand the role of social media and post-COVID disconnection, and create safe, youth-led spaces where young people can gather, build community, and take ownership.

Forester also discusses economic vitality in Ward 2, including the need to support small businesses by streamlining licensing and regulatory processes, engaging business owners directly, and using enforceable community benefits agreements to ensure major developments protect local businesses and create real opportunities for DC residents.

The conversation also covers transportation, Vision Zero, public spaces, housing stability, homelessness, and education. Forester supports safe, accessible transportation options, reliable transit, well-maintained parks and community spaces, stronger affordability requirements tied to lower AMI levels, greater DCHA accountability, and better coordination across housing, employment, and behavioral health services for unhoused residents.

In the final portion of the interview, Forester highlights community schools as a major priority, arguing that DC should fully invest in school-centered models that bring educational, social, workforce, and family supports directly into neighborhoods. She closes by emphasizing inclusive growth, accountability, and the importance of ensuring that economic development benefits longtime residents, workers, seniors, families, and small businesses.

Timestamps

00:00 – Welcome and Introductions
Howard Garrett introduces the Ward 2 Democrats Candidate Interview Series and welcomes Dyana Forester. Ben Dalley and Janice Ferebee also introduce themselves and help frame the conversation around Ward 2 priorities.

00:55 – Dyana Forester’s Background
Forester shares her story as a DC native, mother, grandmother, organizer, former union leader, and public servant. She discusses her work opposing school closures, advocating for parent coordinators and community schools, fighting for DC jobs, and supporting major policy wins including the $15 minimum wage, paid family medical leave, and Ban the Box.

05:01 – Public Safety Priorities
Forester addresses public safety from both a personal and policy perspective, discussing her experience as the daughter of a retired DC police officer and as someone who has lost loved ones to violence. She argues that youth crime must be understood in a broader national and social context and addressed through stakeholder coordination, data, and direct youth engagement.

08:43 – Youth Crime Solutions
Forester offers ideas for addressing youth violence and social disconnection, including creating safe, youth-led spaces and activities. She discusses how social media, post-COVID isolation, and the lack of community gathering spaces have shaped youth behavior, and she connects public safety to reentry programs, pre-apprenticeships, and real pathways to employment.

12:07 – Small Business Revival
Forester discusses Ward 2’s commercial vacancies and the need to strengthen local business corridors. She calls for direct engagement with small business owners, streamlined licensing and permitting, and community benefits agreements that ensure major developments support rather than displace local businesses.

15:50 – Transportation and Vision Zero
Forester reflects on transportation access across the city and the importance of safe, reliable, multimodal mobility. She supports safe bike lanes, dependable bus service, walkable communities, and transportation planning that accounts for neighborhood resources and real-life access to schools, groceries, jobs, and services.

18:24 – Parks and Public Spaces
Forester discusses the importance of maintaining Ward 2’s parks, libraries, playgrounds, green spaces, and community facilities. She emphasizes the role these spaces play in neighborhood life, recreation, community gathering, and preserving the character and history of DC communities.

19:12 – Housing and Homelessness
Forester addresses housing affordability, senior housing, homelessness, and DCHA accountability. She calls for deeper affordability tied to lower AMI levels, stronger maintenance standards for affordable and senior housing, transparency at DCHA, and coordinated wraparound services that connect housing, mental health, employment, and long-term stability.

23:40 – Accountability and Education Goals
Forester explains how she would approach accountability as an At-Large Councilmember by working with Ward 2’s Councilmember, ANCs, civic organizations, community schools, and residents. She identifies education as a major priority and makes the case for fully funding community schools as a way to support students, families, and neighborhoods.

27:44 – Inclusive Growth and Community Benefits Agreements
Forester discusses how DC can ensure economic growth benefits longtime residents, workers, and small businesses. She argues that the District should use enforceable community benefits agreements before major development deals are finalized to secure affordable housing, worker protections, small business support, and community priorities.

29:12 – Closing Thanks and Wrap Up
Howard Garrett thanks Forester for joining the Ward 2 Democrats interview and for sharing her experience, priorities, and perspective as a candidate for At-Large Councilmember.