ENROLLED ORIGINAL
1
A CEREMONIAL RESOLUTION
25-82
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 24
th
,
2005;
WHEREAS, Linda Harllee Harper and Byron Harper welcomed their son Blake Harper on
September 30
th
, 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”;
ENROLLED ORIGINAL
2
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 Of fice 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, T hat 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.