County raises rainbow flag to mark start of Pride Month
Montgomery County marked the start of Pride Month on Wednesday by raising a rainbow flag at Veterans Plaza in downtown Rockville.
Throughout June, there are multiple events scheduled to celebrate the LGBTQIA+ community, and the Pride Flag will be raised at several county buildings and private businesses.
“We are thrilled to host Pride in the Plaza again in 2022,” said Melvin Cauthen, administrator for the County’s HIV/STI program and Pride in the Plaza steering committee member. “This year, we have expanded to a whole week of events, and more importantly, we are building partnerships that will continue to connect and support LGBTQ+ communities far beyond Pride Month.”
A closer look at a Kensington neighborhood
The Washington Post profiled Rock Creek Hills, a neighborhood in Kensington.
It noted the diversity of housing styles in the neighborhood, the camaraderie among neighbors, and the annual spring fling and Halloween party.
“Usually 150 to 200 people come, and it’s just a really nice chance to see everybody. Obviously, the pandemic slowed things down, but it’s one of my favorite things about the neighborhood,” said Erica Weiss, a Rock Creek Hills resident.
But it also noted the area’s history, which includes racial covenants restricting non-White residents.
“Peter Chatfield, an attorney who represents government whistleblowers and a former president of the RCHCA, has found around 400 such covenants that applied to Rock Creek Hills … The covenants haven’t been enforceable since the Fair Housing Act passed in 1968. However, many of them remained. A Maryland law that took effect in 2020 allows homeowners to go to court to have them removed for free,” The Post reported.
Rape charges dropped against Gaithersburg man
First-degree rape, attempted second-degree murder, and assault charges were dropped against a Gaithersburg man.
The Montgomery County State’s Attorney indicted Patrick Parker, 32, after the incident allegedly occurred in September 2021. Police said that Parker had met a woman in Silver Spring, and then offered her a place to stay.
Once they were at Parker’s home, he attacked, strangled and raped the woman, police said. But charges were dropped after the woman could not be located by police or the state’s attorney’s office, prosecutors said.
Today’s weather: Chance of scattered thunderstorms, with a high near 87
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