Photo by rjs1322

Good morning, D.C., and a happy Emancipation Day to you. The District of Columbia celebrates the date when Abraham Lincoln freed over 3,000 Washington, D.C. slaves by shutting down most of the city government. WTOP has a rundown of all the changes, which include no weekday residential parking restrictions (that’s why 16th Street was more of a mess than usual this morning), free parking meters all day, no DMV services, and no trash collection. All federal government agencies are open as normal.

Why Did Harold Brazil Pee on the Floor of a Tattoo Parlor? That’s one of the main questions to come out of yesterday’s court proceedings in the assault case against the colorful former D.C. Council member. Brazil, as you may recall, was arrested last fall after getting into a brawl with employees at Jinx Proof tattoo parlor in Georgetown. City Desk and The Post covered the trial, which revealed that Brazil also stands accused of whipping out his member and pissing on the floor of the business. Brazil says he did it because the tattoo shop employee called him the “n” word, an allegation the employee denies.

WaPo Digs in to Potential Asian Affairs Elimination: About a week after blogger Angry Asian Man began making noise about D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty’s proposal to cut the city’s Office on Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs in order to save money, the Post’s David Nakamura has a story on the subject. Fenty wants to consolidate the office within the larger Office of Community Affairs, allowing the city to cut four positions and save $300,000. Asian American activists contend that the needs of the population the office serves will not be met by such a change.

Briefly Noted: Marion Barry expected back in court this morning … Snakes, lizards in Alexandria home prompt cruelty investigation … Md. woman, puppy rescued from basement well.

This Day in DCist: In 2008, D.C. was going gaga over the visit of Pope Benedict XVI and his Popemobile Ride through the city.