Mayor’s Office of Legal Counsel 2nd In-Person Appearance

On April 17th, I head back to the Office of the Mayor of DC. I need to understand why my appeal was denied.

(At the Office of the Mayor of DC, approaching the MOLC office)

Rude Staff Member: "Can I help you?" (Tone is dismissive)

Me: "Yes, I was hoping to get some clarification on the denial of my appeal regarding the CCTV footage."

Rude Staff Member: "It's office policy that we don't answer questions in person."

Me: "That's surprising. I was assisted in person during my previous visit."

Me: "Could you at least provide me with an email contact person I can reach out to regarding this policy and my appeal?"

(The Rude Staff Member abruptly slams the door in my face.)

Me (to myself): "Well, that was... unhelpful."

(Proceeding to the Executive Office of the Mayor and speaking with the service representative)

Me: "Excuse me, I'm looking for some assistance."

Service Representative: "Of course, how can I help you?" (Friendly tone)

Me: "I just had a very negative experience at the MOLC office and I'm trying to understand the appeals process for a FOIA request. I was hoping someone here could offer some guidance."

Service Representative: "I understand. Let me introduce you to the Director of the Mayor's Office of Community Relations & Services."

(Meeting with the Director)

Director: "Hello, I understand you've had some difficulty. How can I assist you?" (Helpful tone)

Me: "Thank you. I'm trying to understand why my appeal for the CCTV footage was denied and what my options are for obtaining it. I'm also trying to get the Red Light Traffic Safety Camera image of the incident."

Director: "I can certainly help you navigate this. Let's exchange contact information, and please keep me informed of any further communication you have with the Mayor's Office. We want to ensure you have the information you need."

Me: "Thank you, I really appreciate that."

So, I have a contact now, which is good. But I still don't have the answers I came for. I still need to figure out how to get that CCTV footage and the traffic camera image.

Summary

On April 17th, I returned to the Mayor's Office, anticipating a different outcome. My appeal regarding the HSEMA footage had been denied, leaving me uncertain about the next steps. Despite providing evidence of the incident, the Mayor's Office of Legal Counsel (MOLC) hadn't sided with my account.

My primary reason for returning was to seek a clear explanation from MOLC regarding their decision-making process.

Upon entering and heading towards the MOLC office, I was immediately met by a particularly rude staff member. She stated it was their office policy not to answer questions in person, contradicting my previous positive experience. When I requested a contact person for email correspondence about this new policy, she abruptly slammed the door in my face.

Following this negative interaction, I went to the Executive Office of the Mayor and had a pleasant conversation with the service representative. She introduced me to the Director of the Mayor's Office of Community Relations & Services. He offered assistance, and we exchanged contact information, with him asking me to keep him informed of any further communication with the Mayor's Office.

I left the Mayor's Office with mixed feelings. While I had established a potentially helpful contact, my main goal remained unresolved: understanding how to obtain the actual CCTV footage of the incident from the date and time specified in my initial FOIA request.

Additionally, my secondary objective, as outlined in my revised FOIA request, is to obtain the Red Light Traffic Safety Camera image of the incident. While the CCTV footage would only show the vehicle running the red light, the traffic camera should provide a closer view of the assailant during the immediate incident.