LUNCHTIME MUSIC ON THE MALL START JUNE 11
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May 29 - June 4, 2014
Cornell Brooks the new face for NAACP Page 2 www.districtchronicles.com
Volume 13 Issue 41
6
Editorial
Welcoming the new NAACP Leader: ‘An inspired choice’ By Dr. E. Faye Williams, Esq.
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(TriceEdneyWire.com) -- On the 17th of May, I was overjoyed to learn that the Rev. Cornell William Brooks, Esq., was selected as the new President and CEO of the NAACP. Those of us who observe the selection process routinely take for granted that the person selected to lead this preeminent civil rights organization is a person who embodies the highest standards of character, achievement and leadership. With the selection of Rev. Brooks, I can assure my readers that these criteria have been met. I‘ve been fortunate to know the new NAACP leader for many years. I would like to share what I know about him. He was born in South Carolina. His father was a physician; his mother was a nurse. His parents came from humble beginnings and rather than the pampered existence lavished upon many of the children of professional people of that time, Cornell was taught the value of hard work and preparation to meritoriously make his place in society. He was taught to appreciate the lifestyle his parents provided him. He also learned that he was no better than other children in his community. Cornell likes to say he is a graduate of the Yale School of Law, but that he is also a graduate of Head Start! Early in life, he developed the skill of goal-setting and a dogged determination to persevere to the achievement of his goals. These qualities were reflected in academic achievement and led him to pursue his undergraduate degree at Jackson State University in Mississippi. There he achieved academic honors and, as a plus, met Janice Broome, who would become his wife. After graduation from Jackson State, Cornell pursued his Master of Divinity degree at the Boston University School of Theology. He later received his law degree from the Yale School of Law. Thereafter, he clerked for Judge Sam Ervin, III. Later, he served at the Dept. of Justice in the Civil Rights Division and successfully prosecuted several high-profile housing cases.
Brooks takes over helm of venerable NAACP as President and CEO.
From there, he moved to the Federal Communication Commission. He ran for Congress in 1998. Most recently, he’s served as president and CEO of the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice where he worked with the legislature to promote the”Ban the Box” law which, when enacted, will remove the stigma of arrest and incarceration from the job application process in New Jersey. That’s the history of the Rev. Brooks that the press and most inquiring minds will learn. I also know him as a dedicated husband and father. Janice, his wife, mirrors Cornell’s dedication to social equity and justice, and has been a member of the NCBW for nearly 20 years. She serves on our National Board. Their sons reflect their disciplined love of learning and personal excellence, and have been an integral part of our youth programs. Rev. Brooks was an early supporter of our College for Kids Program and served as a volunteer facilitator of “Law Day” where he
introduced basic principles of law and civic responsibility to our students. He gained notoriety for his creative “Law Day” mock trials. I know at least one former College for Kids student who’s enrolled in law school and vividly remembers the influence of Rev. Brooks. He has also pastored a church. In his spare time he wrote a weekly newspaper column that often highlighted NCBW initiatives and accomplishments. Many fear change, especially in organizations as venerable as the NAACP. In both public and personal ways, Rev. Brooks has demonstrated qualities of leadership that make his selection as NAACP President and CEO an inspired choice. With his servant’s heart, he’s right for our time and future. As a Life Member of the NAACP, I invite you to join me in welcoming our new leader. Dr. E. Faye Williams is Chair of the National Congress of Black Women, Inc. www.nationalcongressbw.org. 202.678-6788.
Finance
Albert Duce/Creative Commons
Detroit: A city for sale
Since Detroit’s bankruptcy, many people except Black folks have been buying back property in a bid to revive the city.
By James Clingman (TriceEdneyWire.com) -- I remember when Vice President Dan Quayle said we should be glad that “foreigners” are buying properties and land in our country; “America is for sale,” he said. I guess he was correct, considering what we have seen over the past 25 years, especially what we see going on in Detroit now, where the most powerful person is the bankruptcy judge. It looks like the Chinese people want to get in on the Detroit property bonanza, along with many other Detroiters and Michiganders, of course. One person bought 428 homes for $379,100. According to the Detroit Radio website, “In Wayne County’s 2013 auction, nearly 20,000 properties hit the auction block – about 90 percent of them in Detroit. Some could be had for as little as $500.” Since Detroit filed bankruptcy, and even before then, property in that town has been selling at an unprecedented pace. No one can blame folks for speculating and buying the land; we know Detroit will come back and once again be a great city. For Black folks, however, who comprise as high as 90 percent of the population, it will mean even less control of the economics of that town, despite occupying much of the political strata. Is this a microcosm of Black folks in general? Surely, Black people are buying some of the property too, but at the rate and volume others are buying it, including
Chinese buyers, the Motor City is definitely in for a major transition as it emerges from bankruptcy. But as the sayings go, “Money talks” and “he who has the gold makes the rules.” Much has been written about Detroit’s bankruptcy, but the bottom line is that it is being sold. Articles abound about China buying Detroit; some say it’s true others say not true. Forbes magazine wrote a piece in December 2013, titled, China’s newest city. My Quayle memories notwithstanding, a little common sense tells me that America is for sale -to anyone who has the money to buy it, but my memory of the proposed “Maroon City” by former Detroit resident Claud Anderson, still haunts me. In 2005, during the comedic reign of Kwame Kilpatrick, Claud was quite prepared to develop a Black economic enclave in the heart of Detroit, but the mayor and a few of his cronies decided that would be “racist,” “divisive,” “a suicidal form of ‘reverse racism,’ and a bad deal for Detroit,” despite the existence of other ethnic economic enclaves in that Chocolate City. Black folks said those things, not Whites. Fast forward to today, and we see a continued movement by everyone other than a major contingent of Black people buying Detroit properties. I wonder how Detroiters feel about Anderson’s plan now as they watch the economic takeover of their city. An-
derson, along with the support of Joann Watson, Kwame Kenyatta, and hundreds of citizens, were desperately trying to do what others before them had attempted. In 1968, Detroit icon, Albert Cleage, said, “This marks a new day for Black people In Detroit. We are trying to invent strategies for this, such as the development of co-op retail stores, co-op buying clubs, co-op light manufacturing, co-op education. These ventures will give Black people a sense of their economic possibilities and a realization of their need for economic training.” The “Black Madonna” must be weeping right now. While we have a tendency to revere folks like Cleage and Anderson and drop their names from time to time, we seldom follow their lead, as Carter G. Woodson said about Black folks in his book, “The Mis-Education of the Negro.” We love symbolism more than substance. So as the sale of Detroit continues, I pray Black folks will carve out a significant piece for themselves in the city they have supported and built up for decades. If they don’t capture this latest opportunity, Detroit will come back and Blacks will continue to be the fodder from which the wealth of other groups will be generated. Black people may indeed hold on to the politics, but the more important ingredients, economic control and ownership, will be in the hands of others, thus, maintaining a system of dependence by Blacks upon those who own the assets.
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D.C. zoning regulation plans worry residents
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Some advisory neighborhood commissioners and residents worry about corner stores encroaching in residential zones.
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By Savannah Harris Howard University News Service
T
he District’s Office of Planning is teetering on a thin line between making the city appealing to newcomers and retaining families that have resided in the city’s neighborhoods for decades. In the process of revising the city’s zoning regulations, the Office of Planning proposed a number of drastic changes, including a plan that would allow the creation of corner stores in row house neighborhoods as a matter-of-right. The worry for some Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners and residents is that the combination of allowing corner stores and homebased businesses could effectively transform residential neighborhoods into commercial areas. The Committee of 100 on the Federal City, a group dedicated to preserving the unique character of D.C., has called the new zoning proposals “one-size-fits-all commercialization of our neighborhoods” and has tried to engage and inform residents. Commissioners Kathy Henderson of ANC-5D and Anthony Muhammad of ANC-8E have called the process of zoning rewrite disenfranchising. Other commissioners said that the Office of Planning’s 1,000 pages of revisions are too dense, and they need more time to fully review the proposals, according to a press re-
lease from the DC Zoning Changes Network. Commissioner Jimmy Rock, chair of ANC 1C08’s Planning, Zoning and Transportation Committee, disagreed. He said the process started in 2007 with working groups that were open to anyone and that there was no exclusionary factor in the process of developing revisions to current zoning. “People had a chance to have as much input as they wanted. I find it frustrating that people who come in at the end of the process complain, when they could’ve been involved three years ago,” said Rock. As for corner stores specifically, Rock said, “ANC 1C has not taken a position on this. But, I personally don’t have a problem with it. The only thing that could open as a matter-of-right is a grocery store.” For now, opening a food store is a matter-of-right. Any other type of store requires a special exceptions process, including a Board of Zoning Appeals hearing. “I support this because I think it’s useful for areas that are underserved by grocers,” said Rock. Areas of Southeast D.C. would qualify as “underserved” areas, and the new zoning proposal might create incentive for people to open grocery stores, he said. New residential flat zones, RF-3 and RF-4, apply to Adams Morgan, and the Kalorama Citizens Association is against corner stores opening in their neighborhoods.
According to the Resolution of the Kalorama Citizens Association Concerning the Ongoing Review of the DC Zoning Regulations, their goal is to protect Adams Morgan neighborhoods from commercial intrusion. The association unanimously opposed matter of right commercial use and called on Mayor Vincent Gray and the Office of Planning “to either drop proposal to allow commercial and other non-residential uses in R-5 neighborhoods, or exempt Adams Morgan from any such proposal that may be sent forward to the Zoning Commission for consideration.” Commissioner Rock said, “From an economic standpoint, small groceries won’t thrive in Adams Morgan—that market is saturated.” There is both a Harris-Teeter on Kalorama Road and a Safeway on Columbia Road only a few blocks away from each other. Rock also pointed out that people who want to convert their corner properties into retail stores or restaurants would likely choose to do that in a commercial corridor. As the zoning debate comes to a close and a final version is adopted, there will likely be an increase in pushback from the community, now that the proposals are in the spotlight. There is no set date for the adoption of the new zoning revisions yet.
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The mass exodus of Whites following the Brown vs. Board decision has had its impact on city mainline churches.
By Tom Ehrich Religion News Service
N
ot long ago, I visited Topeka, KS., to teach at one of those grand old mainline churches that got caught in the aftermath of Brown v. Board of Education. It was around the corner from the modest home of a railroad worker named Oliver Brown who decided his daughter Linda shouldn’t have to attend an elementary school far from home just because the neighborhood school was for Whites only. The Supreme Court agreed and, in 1954, struck down the “separate but equal” doctrine that had allowed segregation in public schools. That decision set in motion the mass exodus of whites from urban neighborhoods. So-called “White flight” suburbs sprang up just outside the borders of newly integrated school districts. New schools went up to attract White families, as did housing developments promising a better way of life, code for “Whitesonly.” Some mainline congregations followed their White constituents out to the suburbs. Others stayed in beloved Gothic piles and, like the one I was visiting, tried to retain a former way of life while surrounded by new neighbors who didn’t identify with grand old hymns, starchy Sunday rituals and an attitude of charity, not wel-
come. Churches that once served several thousands every Sunday, dwindled to a few dozen stalwarts who, still decades later, expected people like themselves to discover their better way of being church. Meanwhile, church leaders wonder why “millennials are leaving the church” and what magical mixture of doctrine and Sunday worship would draw them back. Reality is that congregations can’t “lose” younger cohorts they never had. It has been 50 years since a young-adult generation found urban mainline congregations appealing. It’s the reality no one wants to address, because at the heart of it is the fact of race. Urban mainline churches “hollowed out” when their White constituents relocated to suburbs and those who remained couldn’t bring themselves to connect with new, darkerskinned neighbors, except possibly as objects of pity and “mission.” They developed a fortress, almost colonial mentality. Meanwhile, newer suburban congregations arose that offered a more modern approach but remained predominantly White. How can a 60-year-old Supreme Court decision still be shaping religious life in America? It’s because race still divides us, determining where White parents send their children to school and where housing values are considered stable enough to invest. Urban schools continue to be
racially imbalanced. Neighborhoods show a high degree of racial uniformity. When I drove through Topeka, a public radio show was debating when — when, not whether — Brown v. Board of Education would be overturned and White people could return to their city. I worked with a downtown church in Indiana, where they had tried to make peace with racial diversity but now were truly excited because “gentrification” had reached their area and prosperous Whites were moving back in. Now they had a future. This appraisal might seem unfair to the many congregations that did adapt to racial diversity and, by now, have lost their attitude of noblesse oblige. But they aren’t the norm, I’m sorry to say. Meanwhile, Black congregations have thrived and new congregations have emerged outside mainline boundaries that embrace African Americans as treasured friends, not charity cases, and serve Hispanic immigrants with Spanish-language worship and traditions such as Las Posadas, remembering the Holy Family’s search for welcome. Tom Ehrich is an Episcopal priest based in New York. He is the author of “Just Wondering, Jesus” and founder of the Church Wellness Project. His website is www.morningwalkmedia. com. Follow him on Twitter @tomehrich.
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Cover Charter schools present post Brown challenge WASHINGTON, D.C. – In 1954, Lucinda Todd was one of 13 plaintiffs in the infamous Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court case. On the 60th anniversary of the ruling Todd’s granddaughter, Lucinda Noches Talbert, stood on the steps of the Supreme Court and continued making the argument for equal public education under the law. “I’ve seen what happens to communities when schools are closed. What once was the heart of the community becomes a rotting eyesore of the community, forcing children to faraway schools,” Talbert told a crowd of parents, students, labor union members and activists gathered in the name of “educational justice.” “To my grandmother, the Brown case was about equality, access to opportunity, and access to the American Dream. We still have not realized my grandmother’s dream.” Speakers at the rally included American Federation of Teachers president Randi Weingarten, National Education Association president Dennis Van Roekel, and D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton. In the 60 years since Brown, a perfect storm of factors has eroded public education, most visibly through school closings and the charter school boom, especially in minority communities. As of fall 2014 in New Orleans,
Jazelle Hunt/NNPA
By Jazelle Hunt NNPA Washington Correspondent
Many people from across the nation rallied outside the Supreme court for the anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education and called for action on the persistent challenge of segregation in schools today.
for example, all but five of the city’s 89 public schools have been closed or converted to charters. Houston has closed 32 public schools since 2003. Washington, D.C. has closed 39 since 2008. Chicago closed 49 public schools last year alone, and 111 in total since 2001. A new report by the Journey for Justice Alliance, “Death by a Thousand Cuts,” makes the case against school closings. The national network is composed of 36 grassroots organizations led by community members working for communitydriven school improvement. “This is institutional racism … and Journey for Justice is your
mirror,” said Jitu Brown, National Director of the Journey for Justice Alliance. “We will not sit by while you steal our schools, and steal our children. This is not going to be a report that’s going to sit on somebody’s desk. This report is going to be backed by boots on the ground.” It reads: “The core premise of charter schools was that they were to be given increased freedom from rules and regulations in exchange for improving academic achievement, and yet we now have over 20 years of data demonstrating that they are no more effective, on average, than public schools, even
if we judge them by the extremelylimited, standardized-test-based metrics they prefer.” There’s also a trend of charters refusing special education, disabled, and English-language-learning students. In 2012, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) reported that charter schools were enrolling significantly less children with these characteristics, and that about half of charter schools reported having insufficient resources to serve students with disabilities. Charters usually appear in minority communities, using public dollars and competing with established public schools. They prom-
ise newer facilities and alternative education methods, and public school enrollment falls. “Residents lose community services housed in schools, such as pre-K programs, before- and afterschool programming, adult education classes, and health clinics,” the report explains. “Property values in the neighborhood often declines, residents moves away, and new residents become much harder to attract because a boarded-up school is a sure sign of neighborhood instability and deterioration.” Teenager Andy Juerakhan, attended the rally saying he felt like she was being “pushed out” of school. Juerakhan, who has been trying to resume his education, says he was repeatedly suspended from school, which led to chronic truancy on his part. With his record and dwindling public school options, due to Boston’s closing of 18 schools in the last six years, he is unable to find a school that will allow him to enroll. “When you don’t come to school enough, the school basically forces you to drop out. Since I’m a push-out, getting back into school has been one big process. Sometimes schools won’t take you just because you’ve been out,” he said. “I’ve tried the Re-Engagement Center but there’s only so much they can do. I have to get a lawyer … I’ve been to three [school] interviews, and they didn’t accept me. It’s not school anymore, it’s like prison.”
African leaders pledge ‘total war’ against kidnappers Special to the Trice Edney News Wire from Global Information Network Still unable to account for the over 276 teenage girls kidnapped in Nigeria a month ago, the government of President Goodluck Jonathan has agreed to step up the fight against the Boko Haram militants with regional and international support. At a summit in Paris, the Nigerian president met with African leaders and agreed to wage a “total war” against the rebel group now said to be overrunning neighboring Cameroon and Chad. The meeting was hosted by France and attended by representatives of the
U.S., the UK and the European Union. African presidents in attendance were from Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Benin. The rebels, seeking to install a radical form of Islam, are believed to be better armed than the Nigerian military, with advanced weaponry thought to be coming from the stockpile of former president Moammar Gaddafi whose entire trove of military might was “liberated” upon his murder in 2011. Nigerian foot soldiers have given evidence of the imbalance of fighting strength when they shot at their own commander after being ordered into a Boko Haram ambush. The deadly ambush led to
6 | May 29 - Jun. 4, 2014 | District Chronicles
over half a dozen casualties among the soldiers. Speaking before the talks in Paris, UK foreign secretary William Hague urged West African nations to put aside their differences. “This is one sickening and terrible incident,” he said of the kidnapping, but (the insurgents) continue almost every day to commit terrorist attacks and atrocities of other kinds, so they have to be defeated in the region.” He said Nigerian security forces were not well structured to deal with the threat posed by Boko Haram. “We can help with that, which is why we are offering to embed
military advisers within the Nigerian headquarters,” he said. “Nigeria has the main responsibility and must be the leading nation in tackling this and that includes to mount an effective security response.” Yet low morale and other problems within the Nigerian military – low pay, poor housing, ageing weapons – have even been cited by the soldiers themselves. “Our equipment doesn’t work and they give us just two magazines (about 60 bullets) to go into the bush,” one officer complained to Sky News. Other soldiers told the Associated Press that some in their ranks actually fight alongside Boko
Haram – a suspicion echoed by the president who admitted publicly in 2012 that Boko Haram members and sympathizers had infiltrated every level of his government and the military. U.S. State Dept. officials attending the Paris meeting said the group would meet again soon and that sanctions could be imposed against Nigerian officials in the next few weeks. Meanwhile, supporters of the Nigerian president are said to be calling for postponement of next year’s general elections by 18 months. Their campaign is called “Preserve Nigeria’s democracy: Postpone the 2015 now.”
Politics
Democrats may sink Obama’s judicial nominees
By Freddie Allen NNPA Washington Correspondent
Freddie Allen/NNPA
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Democrats and civil rights advocates continue to express concerns over two of President Obama’s federal judicial nominees for Georgia’s northern district, who have suspect civil rights backgrounds. In a package deal with Republican United States Sens. Saxby Chambliss and Johnny Isakson from Georgia, President Obama nominated Julie Carnes and Jill A. Pryor to the United States Eleventh Circuit Court, Leslie Abrams to the United States Court of the Middle District of Georgia, and Michael Boggs, Mark Cohen, Leigh May, and Eleanor Ross to the Court of the United States Northern District of Georgia. If confirmed, Abrams and Ross would become the first Black women to serve lifetime appointments as federal judges in Georgia. However, Democrats and some progressive groups object to the nominations of Boggs and Cohen. The United States Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing for the nominees where Democratic senators grilled Boggs, who is currently a judge on Georgia’s appeals court, over his voting record while he served in the Georgia state legislature. When questioned about his votes against removing the Confederate battle emblem from the Georgia state flag, Boggs said that although he found the Confederate symbol personally offensive,
his constituents wanted the opportunity to vote on any changes to the state flag. Boggs also voted for legislation requiring doctors to list how often they provided abortion services. When senators questioned him about the public safety concerns associated with publishing such a list following decades of violence against doctors who performed abortions, Boggs said that he was unaware of that history at the time of the vote. A day before the hearing, Rep. David Scott (D-Ga.) said on the Tom Joyner Morning Show, “Here you have the architect and the attorney that defended photo ID voter suppression laws in Georgia, the very same laws the president is fighting all across the country” nominated to the federal bench in Atlanta where most of the Black people are. To have this being done by the first African-American president is shameful, it’s painful, and it hurts deeply.” Scott continued: “The president should have stood up to those Republicans and said, ‘No, I can’t do this to my people. You wouldn’t do it to George Bush. You wouldn’t have done it to Bill Clinton. Why are you doing it to me?’” When white students sued the University of Georgia over the school’s freshman admissions
(L-R) Leslie Abrams, Judge Michael Boggs, Mark Cohen, Leigh May and Judge Eleanor Ross are sworn in before testifying for Senate Judiciary Committee.
policy that used race as factor, Cohen scored a court victory in 2001 for affirmative action proponents
discriminates against Blacks and the poor. Brooks said it was a move that likely provided Baker, who is Black, political cover. Brooks called Boggs and Cohen friends and said that he – Rep. David Scott (D-Ga.) had no reason to oppose their who supported the university’s nominations. program, according to Brooks. “This isn’t the perfect deal, but Nearly a decade later, then- I trust the president,” said Brooks. Georgia state Attorney General “If [the president] had a different Thurbert Baker, asked Cohen to hand of cards, the package would defend Georgia’s photo identifica- look different, but he’s doing the tion law for in-person voting that best that he can do under these cirmany voter’s rights advocates say cumstances.”
The president should have stood up to Republicans
Mary Frances Berry, former chair of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, says that President Obama held his ground and nominated Boggs and Cohen, assuming that the civil rights groups and Democrats in the Senate would go along with his decision. “The problem with that is that the advocacy groups believe that the president should fight harder to get the nominees that he wants. The president has a lot of power to make horse trades with people on things other than appointments,” said Berry. “There are always things that Senators want. Obama made the deal but some think the price is too high, said Berry.
Blacks urged to vote in to keep Dems in control of Senate By Frederick H. Lowe Special to the Trice Edney News Wire from TheNorthStarNews.com
31 percent of independents say they will vote to oppose the president compared to 11 percent who support him,” reported Gallup. African-American groups are pushing to get out the vote to protect the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which has benefited Blacks, but Republicans have sworn to repeal it if they win control of the Senate. Republicans also have blocked increases in the minimum wage and many of President Obama’s appointees. The results are from an April 24-30, Gallup poll in which 1,336 registered voters 18 years old and older were surveyed by telephone. The voters live in all 50 states.
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African Americans are being urged to vote in numbers like never before in November’s midterm elections to help Democrats keep control of the U.S. Senate, and a recent Gallup poll should give them added incentive. Some 30 percent of registered voters told Gallup they will vote for a candidate in November’s elections opposed to President Barack Obama. An equal number said the same thing before the 2010 midterm elections in which Republicans and Tea Party Republicans
took the U.S. House of Representatives from Democrats. The poll also reported that 24 percent of voters said they will support President Obama. However, 43 percent of voters said their vote will not be a reflection on the president. Some 64 percent of Republicans said they will vote to oppose President Obama compared to 54 percent of Democrats who will vote to support the president. “This indicates one of Obama’s problems: Only slightly more than half of Democrats are motivated to vote in support of him, while almost two-thirds of Republicans are willing to vote against him. Some
African Americans will need to turn out record numbers for the midterm elections to help Democrats keep control of the Senate and protect the ACA.
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Reports show that while many are quick to point out an aggressive driver, few are willing to admit their similar behavior.
8 | May 29 - Jun. 4, 2014 | District Chronicles
(BPT) - Aggressive drivers speed, drive too fast or carelessly, change lanes without warning, cut off other vehicles, tailgate and pass in ways that endanger others. Aggressive driving likely causes “a substantial number” of the 6.8 million crashes that occur every year on American highways, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) says. Everyone is aware of aggressive drivers, but you may be surprised to learn how many people think that other drivers are the only offenders; the truth is that most drivers should take a closer look in the mirror - aggressive drivers may be closer than they appear. Eighty-five percent of motorists describe other drivers’ behind-thewheel behavior as aggressive, yet only 36 percent admit their own driving is aggressive, according to a survey by Safeco Insurance. Despite that discrepancy, the survey also revealed wide-spread agreement on two important points: 82 percent said they experience negative feelings because of how other people drive, and 72 percent said they would welcome the chance to improve the driving experience for everyone and make at least one change to their own behavior. Recognizing the need to reduce aggressive driving, Safeco launched a “Drive it Forward Fridays” movement. Drivers can visit www.safeco.com/diff, or use the hashtag #DIFF, to pledge to
be more courteous drivers, and to share how they’re making positive changes to their driving habits. The survey also identified behaviors that, if stopped, would make driving more pleasant for everyone. This includes cutting off other drivers (59 percent), using high beams toward oncoming traffic (57 percent) and tailgating (56 percent). “People’s emotions and anxieties often will play out on our roads and highways, putting us all in tense, high-stress driving conditions that can be dangerous,” says Jonathan Alpert, a Manhattanbased psychotherapist and author of the book “Be Fearless: Change Your Life in 28 Days.” Alpert has also written about road rage. “Changing aggressive driving habits is not only good for society, but it’s good for your mental health. Simple positive acts can have a huge impact on how you feel by activating the reward center in the brain - meaning it really can make you feel good.” Alpert offers some tips to help drivers begin curbing aggressive road behaviors: Aggressive drivers cut off other motorists, tailgate, have unnecessary and excessive use the horn, speed and change lanes rapidly. If these behaviors describe your driving habits, resolve to make a change for the better.
Model good driving behavior by being friendly and courteous on the road. Your good behavior can inspire others to be courteous as well. Give up a parking spot, and when it’s safe to do so, allow other drivers to move into your lane. Accept that some undesirable road conditions, such as heavy traffic, slow drivers or excessively fast ones are a normal and unavoidable reality of driving. If you normalize these irritations, you’re less likely to be frustrated by them. Don’t take it personally. A driver who cut you off was likely just being thoughtless, and didn’t intend to anger or endanger you. Consider other explanations; perhaps the driver is traveling to an emergency or simply didn’t see you. In addition to improving your own behaviors and encouraging others to do so, too, avoid antagonizing aggressive drivers. NHTSA recommends you do your best to get out of the way of aggressive drivers and don’t encourage them by speeding up or attempting to block them. Avoid eye contact and ignore rude gestures - in short, don’t encourage bad driving behavior by behaving badly yourself.
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In the Neighborhood
Metro Briefs: Notable news in and around Washington District of Columbia Annual Lunchtime Music on Mall starts June 10
L
unchtime Music on the Mall begins Tuesday, June 10, and will run through the summer on the National Mall, by the Smithsonian Metro Station, at 12th Street and Jefferson Drive SW., the office of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton announced. Lunchtime Music on the Mall, sponsored by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities, and the National Park Service brings local and regional musicians to the National Mall to give visitors as well as federal and other office workers downtown a break from the pace of business in Washington. The performances, which will take place every Tuesday and Thursday during lunchtime hours, will include gypsy jazz, indie pop, traditional North Indian classical music, acoustic soul, traditional Irish folk, West African percussion, classic rock and much more. The list of the first month’s performers will be released shortly.
Montgomery County County ranked fifth for local government green power purchases The Montgomery County Clean Energy Buyers Group has been ranked fifth largest among local government purchasers of clean energy by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The group also ranks 41st among all national purchasers -- a list that includes some of the largest governments and corporations in the country. Spearheaded by Montgomery County Government, the buyers group includes Montgomery County Public Schools, Montgomery College, the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, Chevy Chase Village,
“This will be the third straight year we are able to bring local musical talent to the Mall thanks to WMATA, the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities, and NPS,” said Norton. “We are building from each year’s success. The Mall should not be an empty space during work hours. What better way to bring it to life than with the sound of music?”
Local, undefeated welterweight prospect and fan favorite, Dusty Hernandez-Harrison scored a dominating fourth-round stoppage victory over game veteran Roberto Valenzuela of Sonora, Mexico, Saturday at Mountaineer Casino Racetrack & Resort. “The plan tonight was to box and to dig to the body. We thought if I did that, the knockout would come,” said Hernandez-Harrison. “My Dad and I watched video on my opponent, came up with a game plan, and I executed it tonight.” Hernandez-Harrison scored knockdowns in both the third and fourth rounds along with two standing eight counts before the
referee was forced to the stop the fight following a vicious assault from the Southeast native. With the win, the WBC Youth Welterweight champion improved his record to 22-0 (12 KO), just days before his twentieth birthday. “It was a great fight for Dusty and exactly the kind of performance I wanted from my son,” said trainer Buddy Harrison. “Hopefully, Dusty will be back home soon because I know his fans in Washington can’t wait to see him.” Currently world ranked No. 15 by the WBO and No. 18 by the WBC, Hernandez-Harrison will soon make a major announcement regarding the next step in his career that will have a major impact on his rise up the ranks towards a World Championship and international superstardom. “As we look ahead to some big fights during the second half of the year, the goal was for Dusty to display his superior boxing skills and control the tempo of the bout. Mission accomplished,” said Jeff Fried of All In Entertainment, Hernandez-Harrison’s promoter. “Dusty is a fan favorite, and his desire to be great was reflected in his training camp work ethic, and translating into his solid performance this evening,” added Fried.
Chevy Chase Village Section 5, Gaithersburg, Rockville, Takoma Park, Kensington and Somerset. Collectively, these County agencies and municipalities purchase an average of 26 percent of their electricity from clean and renewable sources. Montgomery County Government purchases 30 percent, 10 percent beyond the amount mandated by County Council Resolution. “Purchasing clean energy to offset greenhouse gas emissions from our electricity consumption is a critical part the County’s effort to boost the clean energy economy and wean our nation off fossil fuels,” said Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett. “The County is pleased to be recognized for the 10th consecutive year by the U.S. EPA for this long-standing effort. We look forward to expanding this
initiative in the near future” “Purchasing clean energy is just one portion of a multi-pronged strategy to green Montgomery County operations,” said Department of General Services Director David Dise. “The County is also taking tangible steps to green its fleet, reduce the energy consumption of buildings and reduce paper consumption.” To further reduce the County’s greenhouse gas emissions, the County is planning a comprehensive initiative to install clean energy generating photovoltaic systems on its facilities where feasible. DGS recently established the Office of Energy and Sustainability to coordinate green strategies across County operations. The Office is instrumental in executing the County’s clean energy purchasing strategy.
Southeast boxing welterweight reigns supreme again
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In the Neighborhood
Northeast D.C. Love Nightclub auctioned for millions
By Darren Whetstone Howard News Service
soulofamerica.com
T
he former Love Nightclub, once the hottest nightspot in D.C., was auctioned for $5.1 million on May 1. Officials declined to identify the new owner. Tranzon Fox, one of the largest real estate auction companies in the country, said that the U.S. Bankruptcy Court had ordered the sale. The 35,000-square-foot nightclub, at 1350 Okie St. NE, was considered D.C.’s largest venue before it closed in late 2013. It held 3,500 patrons on four floors and is constructed out of masonry block with a brick front and steel truss roof. The D.C. tax office assessed the property for $6.4 million. The nightclub originally opened as Dream in 2001 and struggled financially until it changed its name to Love in 2005. The former owner, Marc Barnes, sold the club to real estate investor Dean Smothers in 2010 for $7.1 million. The club shut down after it had its liquor license suspended for an unpaid tax bill of more than $160,000. Smothers did not respond to two email requests for an interview. Love Nightclub was known for hosting parties for today’s biggest stars, including Gilbert Arenas’
The nightclub was auctioned for $5.1 million. It is located near the Hecht Warehouse District, which is being redeveloped into a mix-use complex.
25th birthday party. Diddy hosted, Busta Rhymes, Lil Wayne, The Game, and T.I. performed. Other guests included Washington Redskins’ Jason Campbell and Clinton Portis, the Capitals Alexander Ovechkin, starlet Megan Good and other Wizards players like Etan Thomas, Antawn Jamison and Jarvis Hayes. To even get a table at
such an event cost between $4,000 and $16,000. The club is a half block away from the Douglas Development Hecht Co. Warehouse. The area, known as the Hecht Warehouse District, is being redeveloped into a six-story building with two stories dedicated to retail, restaurant and mixed-use office space and the
remaining four stories to about 300 residential units. Next door, the development company is building a seven-story parking garage with a ground floor for retail space. Some residents are fine with the nightclub being gone and wonder what is going to take its place. Michael Thomas, 55, said that he would rather the club be turned
into something more productive for the community. “I had an accident about five years ago where a drunk driver coming from Love totaled my car,” he said. “I’m just turned off the club completely. I’m glad it’s gone and hopefully, it’ll be turned into something positive for our community.”
$120 million Fort Totten project set for 2015 opening By Tanaysha Smith Howard University News Service
12 | May 29 - Jun. 4, 2014 | District Chronicles
Hickok Cole Architects/JBG.com
At the intersection of South Dakota Avenue and Riggs Road in Northeast D.C., a new development, Fort Totten Square, is under construction with a completion date of 2015. Clark Builders Group Superintendent Tom Benson said that the project is on schedule. The mixed-use site will be near the Fort Totten Metro Station. It will include an urban-format Wal-Mart with full-service grocery selection, pharmacy and general merchandise. The property will also include 350 rental apartments with studios, one-bedroom and two-bedroom homes, according to developer, The JBG Companies. Daniel Perez, a resident of the Fort Totten neighborhood near the
new development, said he looks forward to the Wal-Mart. “It’s going to be cool, the apartments and a Wal-Mart. I look forward to the Wal-Mart for the shopping so that people will not have to walk to another place,” he said. “It’s a long way to New Hampshire for another store.” This store will be one of six Wal-Mart stores expected to be built within the next few years throughout the District of Columbia. Wards 4 and 7 will have two stores each, with one store each in wards 5 and 6. The project has been underway since January 2013. Windows can be seen on what is assumed to be the 130,000 square foot-residential floors of the complex. Residents say it’s amazing to see the structure emerging from an empty block. Regina Williams, a 20-year resident
Fort Totten square will have housing units sitting atop a level of retail space including a much anticipated Walmart.
of the neighborhood, said she, too, looks forward to Wal-Mart coming to the community. “There will be some pros and cons. I don’t think that there will be too many cons since it will be a lot of studio apartments,” said Wil-
liams. Williams said that she does not know what type of crowd the apartments will attract. The residents of this neighborhood are primarily older, working middle class people, she said. “I look forward to it all, it will
bring some good changes,” she said. This $120 million project will be LEED, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, certified under the United States Green Building Council and cover a total of 384,450 square feet.