Bill Summary – FastDemocracy

ENROLLED ORIGINAL

                                A CEREMONAL RESOLUTION

                                              25-285

                   IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

                                       November 12, 2024

To recognize and honor the courage and valor of Ronita Shawnail Oxley.

       WHEREAS, Ms. Oxley is a native Washingtonian and long-time Ward 8 resident;

       WHEREAS, Ms. Oxley attended Van Ness Elementary School, Thomas Jefferson

Junior High School and graduated from Ballou High School in Ward 8;

       WHEREAS, on the morning of September 12, 2024, Ms. Oxley had escorted her

daughter to school and stopped on her way back home to converse with a friend and neighbor as

they watched children walking to school;

      WHEREAS, suddenly Ms. Oxley was alerted by the sound of gunshots fired near the

Kipp DC Legacy Campus in Ward 8;

      WHEREAS, Ms. Oxley started running in the direction of Kipp DC behind her friend

who had two sons attending the school and wanted to ensure their safety;

       WHEREAS, Ms. Oxley was alarmed by the number of students scrambling for safety and

begun to inquire among them whether they were okay when she spotted a young man lying on

the ground suffering from a gunshot wound in his leg;

       WHEREAS, Ms. Oxley had recently purchased a tourniquet kit which she rapidly pulled

from her purse and applied to the young man’s leg to stop the bleeding;

       WHEREAS, Ms. Oxley was approached by another young man who had been shot in his

back and she acted quickly to remove his jacket and tie it around his gunshot wound to stop the

profuse bleeding;

       WHEREAS, Ms. Oxley acted quickly to organize the chaotic scene when she

noticed that school staff and faculty were watching in disbelief instead of aiding, and shouted

for them to call the police and an ambulance to get medical attention for the 2 young men;

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                                                                   ENROLLED ORIGINAL

       WHEREAS, the ambulance arrived, and a paramedic tapped Ms. Oxley on the

shoulder to let her know they would take over care of the 2 young men- ages 16 and 17- who

were later transported to the hospital;

         WHEREAS, Ms. Oxley was motivated into action by the recent losses her family had

suffered in the preceding years of her 2 nephews murdered only 2 days apart in Prince

George’s County, Maryland and the murder committed by another nephew of his mother and

little brother.

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

resolution be cited as the “Ronita Shawnail Oxley Recognition Resolution of 2024”.

       Sec. 2. The Council of the District of Columbia recognizes and honors Ronita Shawnail

Oxley for her courage, bravery and efforts to aid gun violence victims.

       Sec. 3. This resolution shall take effect immediately.

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