Bill Summary – FastDemocracy

ENROLLED ORIGINAL

                              A CEREMONIAL RESOLUTION

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                  IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

                                        June 6, 2023

          To recognize and honor the life and accomplishments Linda Harllee Harper.

        WHEREAS, Linda Harllee Harper was born and raised in Washington D.C. and was a

lifelong resident of the District who resided in Ward 4;

      WHEREAS, Linda Harllee Harper graduated from Jackson Reed High School, formally

known as Wilson Senior High School;

       WHEREAS, Linda Harllee Harper earned her Bachelor’s degree in business administration

from the University of The District of Columbia and earned her Master’s Degree in Counseling

psychology from Trinity Washington University;

        WHEREAS, Linda Harllee Harper married her husband Byron Harper on March 24th,

2005;

      WHEREAS, Linda Harllee Harper and Byron Harper welcomed their son Blake Harper on

September 30th, 2005;

      WHEREAS, Linda Harllee Harper began her career in public service in the District of

Columbia as a Substance Abuse Prevention Officer at the former Oak Hill Youth Center;

        WHEREAS, Linda Harllee Harper worked in both the public sector and non-profit sector

throughout her career as an advocacy leader for the reform of the District of Columbia Juvenile

Justice System;

        WHEREAS, Linda Harllee Harper helped lead the effort to help establish the New

Beginning Youth Center to create a more restorative and rehabilitation focused center for the

Districts Youth Correctional Center;

      WHEREAS, Linda Harllee Harper shared her vision of helping the youth of the District of

Columbia with public beyond her role in government on her radio show “Led By Love”;

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        WHEREAS, Linda Harllee Harper’s leadership in working to create safer communities for

District residents led her to hold multiple leadership roles within the District of Columbia

government including Deputy Director of the Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services, the

first Director of the Office of Gun Violence Prevention, and the Director of the Office of

Neighborhood Safety and Engagement;

       WHEREAS, Linda Harlee Harper’s leadership of the Office of Gun Violence Prevention

improved data collection and transparency around violent crime and advanced interagency

collaboration to strategically save thousands of lives in the District of Columbia;

       WHEREAS, Linda Harllee Harper has led the Office of Gun Violence Prevention since its

founding to have invested more than $1.5 million in local community startup initiatives to better

resource District residents in solving and preventing gun violence in their own neighborhoods;

        WHEREAS, Linda Harllee Harper for her years of dedication to her community, family,

and friends of her home in the District of Columbia where she shared her passion of helping the

most vulnerable of the District community and worked to ensure that they were uplifted through

her work.

        RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this

resolution may be cited as the “Linda Harllee Harper Posthumous Ceremonial Resolution of

2023”.

        Sec. 2. The Council of the District of Columbia recognizes and honors Linda Harllee

Harper for her years of dedication to the District of Columbia where she led a career of public

service focused on helping the District’s most vulnerable residents and solving the epidemic of

gun violence.

       Sec. 3. This resolution shall take effect immediately.

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