02 24 2021

VOL. 18 ISSUE 9

$2

FEB. 24 - MARCH 9, 2021

Real Stories

Real People

suggested donation goes directly to your vendor

Real Change

It’s not too late to receive your stimulus checks Find out how the IRS is helping everyone, including people experiencing homelessness, get the money they derserve

STREETSENSEMEDIA.ORG

@ STREETSENSEDC

2 // st reet sens e me di a / / fe b . 2 4 - ma rCh 9, 2021

bUsINess MODeL

© STReeT SeNSe MeDIA 2003 - 2020 1317 g street nW, Washington, dC 20005 (202) 347 - 2006

streetsensemedia.org

info@streetsensemedia.org

How it Works

Street Sense Media publishes the newspaper

each vendor functions as an independent contractor for Street sense media, managing their own business to earn an income and increase stability in their life.

$2.00 YOUR SUGGESTED

$.50 Vendors pay

DONATION

per newspaper copy

goes directly to your vendor, empowering them to overcome homelessness and poverty

NO CAsH? NO PrObLeM.

VeNDORS ayub abdul, shuhratjon ahmadjonov, gerald anderson, Charles armstrong, Lawrence autry, daniel ball, Thomas Benefield, Phillip Black, Reginald Black, Debora Brantley, Andre Brinson, Laticia Brock, Donald brown, brianna butler, melody byrd, anthony Carney, Carlos Carolina, nysir Carter, Jeffrey Carter, Conrad Cheek, Curtis Clark, Christina Cole, Anthony Crawford, Jermaine Crowell, michael daniels, James davis, David Denny, Reginald C. Denny, Patricia Donaldson, ron dudley, Joshua faison, Queenie featherstone, Jemel fleming, don gardner, Chon gotti, marcus green, Levester green, vennie hill, John howe, Kevin Jaatinen, Joseph Jackson, Chad Jackson, Fredrick Jewell, Frederic John, Carlton J.M. Johnson, Pierre Johnson, Mark Jones, Reggie Jones, Darlesha Joyner, Larry Kelley, Jacob Kuba, Jewel Lewis, John Littlejohn, marcus mcCall, Jennifer mcLaughlin, Jeffrey McNeil, Ricardo Meriedy, L. Morrow, Collins Mukasa, earl Parker, Aida Peery, Marcellus Phillips, Jacquelyn Portee, Doris Robinson, Michele Rochon, Rita Sauls, Reginald Scott, Patty Smith, Ronald Smoot, David Snyder, Franklin Sterling, Warren Stevens, Beverly Sutton, Sybil Taylor, eric Thompson-Bey, Julius “Danté” Turner, Joseph Walker, Rochelle Walker, Michael Warner, robert Warren, sasha Williams, Wendell Williams, Latishia Wynn BOARD OF DIReCTORS Mary Coller Albert, Blake Androff, Jeremy Bratt, David Cloe, Clare Krupin, Jennifer Park, Michael Phillips, Dan schwartz, John senn, aaron stetter, daniel Webber, shari Wilson, Corrine yu

Pay vendors with the Street Sense Media app!

S TREET S ENSE M EDIA . ORG /A PP

aVai laBl E

CHIeF exeCUTIVe OFFICeR brian Carome

As self-employed contractors, our vendors follow this code of conduct: 1.

2.

3.

street sense will be distributed for a voluntary donation of $2.00. i agree not to ask for more than $2.00 or solicit donations for street sense media by any other means. i will only purchase the paper from Street Sense Media staff and volunteers and will not sell papers to other vendors. i agree to treat all others, including customers, staff, volunteers, and other vendors, respectfully at all times. i will refrain from threatening others, pressuring customers into making a donation, or in engaging in behavior that condones racism, sexism, classism, or other prejudices.

4.

i agree not to distribute copies of Street Sense on metro trains and buses or on private property.

5.

i agree to abide by the street sense media vendor territorial policy at all times and will resolve any related disputes i have with other vendors in a professional manner.

6.

i understand that i am not an employee of Street Sense Media, but an independent contractor.

7.

i agree to sell no additional goods or products when distributing street sense.

8.

i will not distribute Street Sense under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

9.

i understand that my badge and (if applicable) vest are property of Street Sense Media, and will not deface them. i will present my badge when purchasing Street Sense. i will always display my badge when distributing street sense.

10. i agree to support Street Sense Media’s mission statement. in doing so i will work to support the Street Sense community and uphold its values of honesty, respect, support, and opportunity.

11. i understand that until further notice, all street sense Media Vendors are required to wear a face mask and gloves while vending to the public. This Personal Protective equipment (PPe) will be provided and replaced as needed.

INTeresTeD IN beING A VeNDOr? New vendor training: every Tuesday and Thursday // 2 p.m. // 1317 G St., NW

eDITORIAL DIReCTOR eric Falquero

DePUTY eDITOR Jake Maher

DIReCTOR OF VeNDOR eMPLOYMeNT thomas ratliff

VeNDOR PROgRAM ASSOCIATeS Aida Peery, Clifford Samuels,

DIReCTOR OF PROgRAMS Darick Brown

CASe MANAgeR Charlie musoff

OPeRATIONS MANAgeR raven neely

DIReCTOR OF DeVeLOPMeNT AND COMMUNICATIONS doris Warrell

WRITeRS gROUP ARTISTS-IN-ReSIDeNCe Willie schatz

The Cover A photo of a u.s. treasury stimulus check.

PHoTo By

BeN MeTCALF / FLICKR

The Street Sense Media Story, #MoreThanANewspaper Originally founded as a street newspaper in 2003, Street Sense Media has evolved into a multimedia center using a range of creative platforms to spotlight solutions to homelessness and empower people in need. The men and women who work with us do much more than sell this paper: They use film, photography, theatre, illustration, and more to share their stories with our community.

Our media channels elevate voices, our newspaper vendor and digital marketing programs provide economic independence. And our in-house case-management services move people forward along the path toward permanent supportive housing.

At Street Sense Media, we define ourselves through our work, talents, and character, not through our housing situation.

OPINION eDITORS (VOLUNTeeR) Rachel Brody, Lydia DePillis, Britt Peterson

INTeRNS athiyah azeem, matt gannon, ben gutman, Kaela Roeder, Kate Santaliz, Lilly Tanenbaum, Monique Wilson

eDITORIAL VOLUNTeeRS Ryan Bacic, Katie Bemb, Lilah Burke, Lenika Cruz, Kelsey Falquero, Jacqueline Groskaufmanis, Roberta Haber, Moira McAvoy, Nick Shedd, Andrew Siddons, Jenny-lin smith, orion donovan-smith

VeNDOR PROgRAM VOLUNTeeRS haley gallagher, Katherine Kuenzle, taylor maddox, eva reeves

streetsensemedia.org

EVENTS

// 3

News In brief 5 people dead in 11 days

They were all experiencing homelessness in the nation’s capital

By Eric Falquero ericf@streetsensemedia.org

“Knowing our past, creating our future:” An intergenerational conversation about youth leadership in DC activism Thursday, Feb. 25, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. // Online Join the Anacostia Community Museum for an intergenerational conversation with Washington, D.C. organizers — past and present — about the power and role of youth leadership in Black-led social movements in the city. Hosted by organizers Katie Petitt (Current Movements) and Matt Birkhold (Visionary Organizing Lab), the conversation will feature Courtland Cox (Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee), Chi Hughes (Sapphire Sapphos), and Myah Davis (Black Swan Academy). Register at: tinyurl.com/dc-activism-event Saturday, feb. 27

updates online at ich.dc.gov

Saturday, feb. 27

Contactless food drive

D.C. Interagency Council on Homelessness Meetings

Takoma/Manor Park budget management forum

Strategic Planning Committee Feb. 23, 2:30 p.m.

3 -4 p.m. / Online

1 -3 p.m. / National United Methodist Church, 3401 Nebraska Ave. NW The NUMC is holding a food drive for food to be given out or used to prepare home-cooked meals for families in need. Those interested can drop off food on Feb. 27. They can also order food on Amazon for NUMC at: tinyurl.com/numcfood-drive. Those interested in volunteering can sign up at: tinyurl. com/numc-volunteering.

Youth Committee Feb. 25, 10:00 a.m. ***For call-in information, as well as meeting info for unlisted working groups, contact: ich.info@dc.gov.

Teanna Willis with the Fair Budget Coalition will provide a presentation on D.C. budget basics and why your voice matters.

ANC 4B commissioners will then seek your feedback on budget priorities for D.C. specific to their neighborhoods.

RSVP for the Facebook Live invite at: https://tinyurl.com/anc4b-budget.

Submit your event for publication by emailing editor@streetsensemedia.org

Audience exchange The Kojo Nnamdi @kojoshow

Stomp Out Slumlords @stompoutslumlords

“There’s an economist that estimated that homelessness could increase from 40%-45% nationwide ... But when you look closer at D.C. his model projected a 6% increase in homelessness [because the rate is already so high].”

— @streetsensedc’s @EricFalquero

“Most immediately, I would want the people in power to cancel rent and to make sure that nobody here has to deal with a lifetime of debt just because of the pandemic,” @ henry_widener told @streetsensedc — nice coverage of our Jan protest!

5:19 PM - 17 feb 2021

4:44 PM - 18 feb 2021

When Street Sense went to press, at least six D.C. residents had died without a home in the month of February.

One unidentified individual died due to complications from COVID-19. First recorded on coronavirus.dc.gov/ data on Feb. 8, their death increased the total number of people experiencing homelessness who are known to have died from the virus to 24.

Two more people died in the cold.

A man whose name has not been released died while sleeping on the Columbia Heights Civic Plaza, according to a tweet from Ward 1 Councilmember Brianne Nadeau. D.C. EMS personnel administered CPR to no avail and he was pronounced dead on the scene in the early hours of Feb. 11. The weather was listed as “sleet or hail” on the police report.

Six days later, Angela Hill, who had made her home under the John Philip Sousa Bridge for years, was found dead by a community member who had come to check on her. Mayor Bowser said during a briefing the next day that the cold had contributed to Hill’s death.

She was 58.

Two others were killed.

On Feb. 7, Sean Burgess was struck and killed in Foggy Bottom by a driver heading east on E Street NW, at the 1800 block where the road threads between a large park with a fountain and a federal office building.

He was 42. The Metropolitan Police Department is investigating the crash. The time of Burgess’s death aligns with an anonymous tip Street Sense Media received that a resident of a tent encampment two blocks away had been hit and killed.

Around 4 a.m on Feb. 11, approximately three hours after the man died in Columbia Heights, Dennis Hall was found suffering from stab wounds inside of a Subway sandwich shop near Union Station. He had no fixed address, according to the police report. MPD officers were responding to a call about an unconscious person. EMS personnel also responded but Hall was pronounced dead on the scene. He was 50.

If you have knowledge of either incident, information may be shared with MPD by calling (202) 727-9099 or texting 50411. In the case of Dennis Hall, MPD offers a reward of up to $25,000 to anyone that provides information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for any homicide committed in D.C. Last year, at least 180 people died while experiencing homelessness in the District of Columbia, according to a report issued by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner on Dec. 15. There were 51 natural deaths caused mostly by cardiovascular disease or infection, nine homicides, four suicides, one person that drowned, 90 accidents caused mostly by intoxication, and 25 people whose cause and manner of death was either still pending or undetermined Street Sense Media aims to write an obituary for anyone who dies without housing in our community. If you knew any of these individuals and are willing to be interviewed, please contact editor@streetsensemedia.org or 202-347-2006 x 201.

4 // St reet Sens e Me di a / / fe b . 2 4 - ma rch 9, 2021

NEWs

An amendment 4 years in the making, with many implications for affordable housing in DC, will be voted on in March

By Athiyah Azeem // athiyah.azeem@streetsensemedia.org

D.

C. C o u n c i l C h a i r P h i l Mendelson reintroduced the Comprehensive Plan Amendment Act of 2020 on Jan. 4, making it the first bill of 2021 and Council Period 24. In 2016, Mayor Muriel Bowser’s office saw that the Comprehensive Plan, which guides development in the District, was last amended in 2011 and required a significant update. In May 2016, the Bowser administration launched town halls and meetings with residents, ANC commissioners and developers, so they can discuss and submit the changes they want to see in the Comprehensive Plan. They sent a first round of amendments to D.C. Council in September 2017, urging prompt passage of bills to quicken development in the District, including her plan to deliver 12,000 new affordable housing units by 2025.

The amended plan instead spurred four years of unprecedented engagement from nongovernmental organizations and District of Columbia residents alike, whether in full support of or in great concern over its effects on D.C.’s future.

Provisions that govern the expansion of affordable housing in the city are particularly controversial, due to concerns around whether such housing will be truly affordable and accessible to the communities that most need it. The Comprehensive Plan Amendment Act has been edited and reintroduced into Council repeatedly in order to reflect various community concerns. The legislation was last introduced into the D.C. Council in April 2020, at the mayor’s request; it received a hearing in November but did not progress to a vote before the council period ended that year.

“The goal is for Council to act on the [the Comprehensive Plan Amendment Act of 2020] prior to the start of the budget period in March. We anticipate that the Council will consider them starting at the end of February,” Mendelson told Street Sense Media. The mayor releases her proposed budget on March 31 for DC Council to begin reviewing in April.

The Comprehensive Plan is a massive document that outlines development plans for the District. The proposed amendment

nearly doubles its length to 1,500 pages. It is divided into 24 elements, addressing housing, education and other crucial sectors of the city’s development. It also contains two land maps, the Future Land Use Map (FLUM) and the Generalized Policy Map (GPM), that guide housing developers on where and how many properties they can build within the District.

While the document does not alter the city’s existing land use and zoning laws, it governs how the D.C. Office of Planning (OP) approves developers’ future land use and zoning appeals.

Specifically, it guides how OP shapes the city.

The plan foresees population density growth in several regions and reviews development proposals according to the District’s needs.

When OP considers developers’ proposals to build high-rise apartments or alter infrastructure, they must check if the end results will align with the Comprehensive Plan’s mission and trajectories.

Chapter 2, the Framework Element, explains why the Comprehensive Plan is being amended and guides readers, including developers and OP, on how to interpret the rest of the plan. It is divided into four parts that describe forces changing the city’s demographics, the city’s projected growth forecasts, an updated vision of inclusivity, and an explanation of the Generalized Policy Map and Future Land Use Map. The Framework Element was the first section that the Mayor’s office amended, largely focusing on guiding future development of the city to fit its growing population. It notes that “between 2006 and 2016, the Washington metropolitan area grew by almost 17%, increasing from 5.2 million to 6.1 million residents.”

These proposed amendments were sent to the D.C. Council in September 2017, edited extensively after public hearings were held, and introduced as a bill into D.C. Council on Jan. 8, 2018.

However, the Framework Element was met with intense scrutiny from D.C. residents. For many, a significant concern was the lack of plans for affordable housing in the District.

Public worries about the plan’s focus and intentions stem from the negative effects of gentrification and Black and brown displacement in the city, particularly in the

past decade. Between 2011 and 2015, a rapidly increasing number of white households with incomes greater than $100,000 moved into neighborhoods like Columbia Heights, NoMa, and sectors on the edge of downtown like Navy Yard and Capitol Hill, according to a D.C. Policy Center study. These neighborhoods were noted hot spots for gentrification between 2000 and 2012, a period in which D.C. lost half of its low-cost housing units and held the status of most intensely gentrified city in America. The city lost that position in 2018 and now ranks 13th.

The public outcry over gentrification led Bowser’s office, after its 2017 submission of the Framework Element, to resubmit a modified version in January 2018. Yet major concerns with the Framework Element persisted among residents, resulting in a 13-hour D.C. Council hearing on March 20, 2018 that ended a little after 3 a.m. the next day. Two hundred and seventy-five residents testified in front of the council, voicing support of and concern over the plan.

After the hearing, Mendelson submitted an edited version of the Framework Element, which, according to Greater Greater Washington, included much of the language expressed by D.C. residents about developing affordable housing across the District. A final amended Framework Element was eventually passed by the D.C. Council, signed by Mendelson on Oct. 8, 2019. The Framework was amended again and signed by Bowser and Mendelson on Feb. 11, 2020. Street Sense Media created a side-by-side comparison of the 2018 and 2020 versions, seen here.

The most significant changes made to the draft prior to its publication as a bill in 2019 were the acknowledgement of the city’s need for affordable housing, the need to improve and fix public housing that is currently in disrepair, and the provision of zoning relief to developers who promise to build a portion of affordable housing.

Defining affordable housing Caitlin Cocilova, an attorney at the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless, said D.C. still does not adequately define “affordability” in the plan.

Section 500.5c of the Housing Element in the amendment that is expected to be voted on this March, added and amended in October 2019, states that affordable housing is “housing in which occupancy is limited to households meeting special income guidelines,” where these units are built and priced below market levels using deeds, grants, vouchers and more.

Tenants of such housing cannot be charged more than 30% of the household’s income. The difference must be covered by the subsidies they receive. Categories of affordability of housing are defined through staggered percentages of Area Median Income, a number determined by the federal government. These categories are moderate, 120% AMI; low, 80% AMI; very low, 50% AMI; and extremely low, 30% AMI and below. The District’s AMI in 2020 was

$126,000, meaning that someone could qualify for housing reserved for “very low” income people while earning as much as $63,000 a year.

Affordable housing is separately defined in the Glossary section of the plan, which states that it is “housing that can be rented or purchased by a household with very low, low, or moderate income for less than 30% of that household’s gross monthly income.”

Cocilova argued that all definitions in the plan lack detailed goals to build more affordable housing for households earning below 30% of the AMI, or below $37,800.

In her testimony to the D.C. Council from Dec. 3, 2020, she wrote that the plan fails to consider those that earn only 15% to 20% of the AMI, such as families who qualify for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families.

TANF recipients earn at most 18% of the AMI, or $21,216 a year. There were approximately 21,600 DC residents receiving TANF in 2020, who earn at most 18% of the AMI, or $21,216 a year. The lowest income example given in the plan, however, was $29,000.

The 2020 amendment to the plan sought to address practical challenges in expanding affordable housing and achieve the Mayor’s second term housing goal: to create 36,000 new homes in the District by 2025, with one third of them set aside as affordable housing.

In a Jan. 26 press release, Bowser’s office said D.C. has created 2,040 affordable housing units in two years, achieving 17% of the mayor’s target. The press release also stated that passage of the Comprehensive Plan amendment would enhance the city’s potential for housing growth.

Whether these new units actually cater to residents in need of affordable housing, however, is another question. Wes Heppler, a board member of the Legal Clinic where Cocilova works, argues that existing plans for affordable housing are vague and miss the mark on housing residents who are most in need.

Heppler cited the Housing Production Trust Fund (HPTF), a major funding outlet for the District’s affordable housing development projects, as an example of a project that misses D.C.’s residents with the lowest incomes. The HPTF caters to households earning between at least 30% of the AMI and as much as 120%, or $151,200 annually per household.

Since she took office, Mayor Bowser has committed $100 million annually to the HPTF, more than any past mayor. According to her Fiscal Year 2020 D.C. Housing Authority Action Plan, this funding comes with the stipulation to delegate $40 million of those funds toward residents earning below 30% of the AMI. A household with only one earner on the city’s $15 minimum wage, taking no unpaid leave, would earn only $31,200 a year, which is 25% of the AMI. As of a 2017 estimate by the American Community Survey, about 112,596 households make minimum wage in D.C. Heppler said Bowser’s allocation of $40 million is not enough to meet the city’s needs, and that medium-income housing has been prioritised first in development over sub-30% AMI affordable housing. The D.C. Department of Housing and Community Development,

streetsensemedia.org

which allocates HPTF funds to building affordable housing in the District, publicly updates their development project pipeline online. Their last completed project building new affordable housing units occurred in 2014, creating 120 units at 60% AMI. “The vast majority of residents who need [the mayor’s] help, who need affordable housing, are earning 30% AMI and below, and they receive virtually no help,” Heppler said. “It makes no sense, but this is how the city’s been doing it for years.”

Parisa Norouzi, CEO of the nonprofit advocacy group Empower D.C., claims that while the plan mentions affordable housing, it does not clearly define goals and objectives for building different housing at all levels of income relative to the AMI. Norouzi is also a guiding leader of the D.C. Grassroots Planning Coalition, formed by Empower D.C., ANC representatives, the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless, and other organizations to organize residents to participate in the Comprehensive Plan amendment process.

The plan fails to make strong goals or requirements to address the needs of thousands of the lowest-income residents most in need of housing, like people experiencing homelessness, Norozi said. “There’s actually nothing in the Comprehensive Plan that requires [below] 30% of Area Median Income housing be built.”

Norouzi’s point is supported by the D.C. Fiscal Policy Institute’s statistical analysis comparing the need for affordable housing per income level to the number of units that have been built.

DCFPI, a progressive think tank, determined in February 2020 that an annual investment of $240 million in the HPTF is required to fulfill affordable housing needs in the District. Yet in a draft of the mayor’s Fiscal Year 2021 Annual Action Plan, the Bowser again dedicated $100 million to the HPTF for the year, with the usual $40 million of funding aimed at residents earning less than 30% of the AMI.

Public involvement Concern over affordable housing is only one in several factors that caused unprecedented public engagement with the Comprehensive Plan.

A second key revision in the bill now being considered relaxes language governing how the Office of Planning awards zoning relief, exceptions to zoning regulations in exchange for public benefits like improved pedestrian spaces, more facilities for commercial use in the neighborhood, and more affordable housing.

Building development proposals that would usually violate zoning regulations are required to go through the Planned Unit Development (PUD) process. While costly and time-consuming, PUDs tend to allow developers to build more housing units than the area is zoned for, and they eventually pay for themselves through profits from rent.

Before filing, developers typically meet with ANC commissioners and community members to discuss needed public benefits.

The OP must ensure the proposal is “not

inconsistent” with the Comprehensive Plan.

In 2016, the D.C. Court of Appeals vacated two PUD appeals by the Zoning Commission — the $720 million McMillan project, and a mixed use building at 901 Monroe St. The McMillan project was rejected by the court after a lawsuit was filed by Friends of McMillan Park, a group of neighborhood residents who opposed the project. The group argued that the construction did not align with the Comprehensive Plan at the time, and would negatively impact the community.

In 2013, the Zoning Commission’s first appeal to develop 901 Monroe St. was rejected by the court, again citing a lack of alignment with the Comprehensive Plan, and a failure to prove the actual density of residents in the area.

This first caused a rush of lawsuits against PUD appeals by activists and neighborhood groups, with 62 lawsuits against PUD cases filed in 2013 alone compared to 28 suits filed between 2000 and 2012, according to Bisnow.

Such organizers have increasingly found success appealing PUD agreements that the Zoning Commission has signed off on in court, halting development and arguing for changes to the development proposal such as more familysized units or more affordable units. Those involved say they are stopping displacement and gentrification. Developers and some city officials say you cannot do that by slowing the creation of more housing, regardless of whether that housing is affordable.

According to a 2019 PUD case database created by the D.C. Policy Center, about 20,000 housing units, 4000 of them subsidized housing units, are held up in court.

In order to reduce future congestion of PUD cases and to significantly expand housing supply, the amendment asks the OP to consider relaxing zoning limits on height and density near transit stations, to be more flexible when considering proposals to modify the height of buildings, and to speed up entitlement reviews, where OP determines if a developer has the right to build property in D.C. These development goals are primarily represented in the Future Land Use Map, which predicts future densities of wards and neighborhoods.

However, Norouzi and Cocilova, steering committee members of D.C. Grassroots Planning Coalition, say that the majority of changes to the Future Land Use Map and Generalized Policy Map were submitted by developers, with little review from the Mayor’s Office. They believe that once the amendment is approved, developers will flock to build high-cost housing in low-density districts that are predicted to be mediumdensity in the future. The coalition calls this “UpFLUM-ing” and says it will be that much worse if engaging current residents of those areas through the PUD process won’t be required. (The submissions for FLUM and GPM changes can be seen in a spreadsheet embedded on the official D.C. government amendment website: tinyurl.com/flum-gpm.)

Norozi finds cutting out community engagement to speed up development, out of

all the other processes involvement in these projects, concerning. “I think it’s actually a lie, that the community slows down development,” she said. “In reality, these projects are always very slow.”

Norouzi also worries about building higher density units in neighborhoods without community input. As these projects would not need to go through the PUD process, it also does not need to provide public benefits.

Addressing racism The approved Framework Element added more language and descriptions about how displacement has affected Black residents, and adds more of this language in the Housing Element, which is still up for review. It adds numerical data about the number of Black households being displaced over time, and the affordability requirements Black families need to stay in the city.

The Framework Element amendment that was passed in 2019 added that rising costs of housing in pockets throughout the city forced many Black D.C. natives out of their homes and into lower-income districts, or into suburbs outside the District such as Prince George’s County and Montgomery County in Maryland.

Black households are struggling to overcome the lack of affordable housing in the District. The D.C. Fiscal Policy Institute article showed that 90% of households most in need of affordable housing are Black and brown and spend more than 50% of their income on rent. The median income of Black residents in the District is between $40,000 and $45,000, equivalent to 31% to 36% of the AMI. A $1 billion lawsuit was filed against the D.C. government in June 2018 by Anacostiabased lawyer Aristotle Theresa, alleging that the government’s development policies fueled this gentrification. Plaintiffs blamed the displacement of residents through the rapid pace of highincome housing development on former mayors Vincent Gray (2011-15) and Adrian Fenty (2007-11), and their respective development plans, titled Creative Economic Strategy and Creative Action Agenda respectively.

However, the D.C. Grassroots Planning Coalition still calls the Comprehensive Plan racist. Norouzi and other steering committee members of DCGPC state that the plan not only does not specify detailed practices and policies required to provide affordable housing to Black residents in the District, but also ignores the opinions of Black communities by bypassing the PUD process to upFLUM construction projects.

The Framework Element also did not mention gentrification anywhere in its explanations of displacement until it was edited after the 13-hour D.C. Council hearing in 2018. Even then, the word is only mentioned once, stating the city government needs to consider the “impacts of gentrification.”

DCGPC’s Housing Justice Priorities proposal, updated and presented to the D.C. Council in November 2020, details additional criticisms and suggestions of change to the amendment.

// 5

The coalition asks that the D.C. Council provide more explanations and discussions on how each element and the FLUM and GPM maps affect residents of each ward.

The document includes detailed additions that DCGPC says would expand rent-control, build and preserve more public and affordable housing, end housing instability, and encourage more community-led equitable development.

As of now The Mayor’s Office submitted further changes to the amendment in April 2020, and organized themes under five categories: COVID-19, housing, equity, resilience, and public resources. The mayor requested Mendelson introduce the bill to the council, which would become the Comprehensive Plan Amendment Act of 2020.

At this point, major advocacy organizations like DCGPC and the Housing Priorities Coalition (HPC) — formed by the Coalition for Nonprofit Housing and Economic Development, Greater Greater Washington, the United Planning Organization, and other advocates for nonprofit and affordable housing — diverged in opinion.

After the mayor’s changes in April, the HPC elected to fully back the 2020 amendment and advocated for it to be passed with expediency.

The DCGPC, however, still believes that the amendment’s elements and maps, as well as its relaxed language around PUD cases, will lead to mass development of high-income housing without involving neighborhood residents in the process. DCGPC and 140 residents testified against the amendment in a two-day hearing in front of D.C. Council in Nov. 2020. Despite the mayor’s hope to pass the amendment that year, Mendelson sought more time to review the changes and consider the remaining criticisms as the city grappled with the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.

The HPC sent a letter to Mendelson in September 2020 urging him to pass the bill without delay in early 2021. The Coalition for Nonprofit Housing and Economic Development circulated another sign-on letter with the support of other HPC member organizations in January 2021, asking for support to persuade Mendelson to pass the amendment as quickly as possible.

While a number of the community members who testified in November expressed still-present concerns over the direction and language of the Comprehensive Plan amendment, the bill was reintroduced last month without any changes. “We are considering the public’s comments carefully, and looking for opportunities to address the issues raised in the context of the plan amendments,” Mendelson said.

Cocilova noted that Mendelson and other councilmember staffers are still engaging with the coalition’s concerns.

“I know that they’re taking the time to [engage] and I think it just depends on how quickly, and how much time it takes to do it.”

6 // St reet Sens e Me di a / / fe b . 2 4 - ma rch 9, 2021

NEWs

Tax assistance available for low-income people facing challenges collecting credits and stimulus checks

By Matt Gannon matt.gannon@streetsensemedia.org

P

eople who did not receive one or both of the federal economic stimulus checks distributed last year, or who did not get the full amount of aid they are eligible for, will be able to claim these payments in their 2021 tax filing through the recovery rebate credit.

The two Economic Impact Payments (EIPs) were distributed automatically to qualifying U.S. residents through the CARES Act in March and the relief bill passed late in December. But the Treasury Department has noted that there have been issues for some seeking to claim their EIP. In some cases, checks sent to individuals’ last known addresses did not reach their intended recipients. In others, the intensely expedited rollout schedule required by December’s relief bill caused some checks to be delivered to closed accounts.

In addition, people who have not filed taxes in several years — including many people experiencing homelessness — may not be known to the IRS and may have missed the first rounds of stimulus as a result, according to Deacon Jim Shanahan, director of the Financial Stability Network at Catholic Charities D.C. Nationally, the number of unclaimed checks from the first round of stimulus may have been as high as 9 million several months after distribution began. In an email, Mike Littmann, a VITA tax preparer at the FSN, added that “just by filing, the IRS will now have information on the homeless individual, ensuring they get the stimulus check(s) they might not otherwise receive.”

The IRS attempted to stem these problems by offering a nonfilers option on their online portal, by utilizing direct deposit when possible, and by encouraging the use of 2021 taxes to claim any missing funds, according to IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig. “Throughout this challenging year, the IRS has worked around the clock to provide Economic Impact Payments and critical taxpayer services to the American people,” Rettig said.

Noting that “a very, very large number of people have still not gotten any economic stimulus checks,” Shanahan emphasized the importance of filing for the recovery rebate credit. He said that the refund will function like a typical tax return for those who file for it, with uncollected funds being “sent to the individual as a tax refund along with other refundable credits like the Earned Income Tax Credit.”

Shanahan stressed that “if [an individual] didn’t affirmatively apply for economic stimulus last year,” it is essential that they file their taxes to reclaim the amount they are owed. “If they don’t come forward,” he said, “the IRS doesn’t know they exist, and they can’t get economic stimulus payments” or collect tax refunds. According to remarks made in an IRS press briefing on Feb. 11, “line 30 on the tax forms 1040 and 1040 SR is where [tax filers] will find the RRC.”

Challenges and misconceptions prevent low-income filers from accessing tax credits Aside from COVID-related economic relief, many filers will also have access to the usual tax credits available to individuals with low-to-moderate incomes. The Earned

Income Tax Credit, most often available to low-income claimants with children, is “the biggest financial resource that a low-low-income or low-income family can receive,” according to Joseph Leitman-Santa Cruz, the CEO and executive director of Capital Area Asset Builders. He added that the District of Columbia can match up to 40% of the federal EITC. “Many people who are homeless have some income,” Littman said, making them eligible for “between $538 and $6660, depending on how much the homeless individual earned in 2020 and how many children they have.”

Other resources include the Child Tax Credit and Additional Child Tax Credit, which can allocate up to $2,000 per eligible dependent. Low-income D.C. renters are also eligible for the D.C. renters’ tax credit, which can provide up to $1,000 toward mounting rent bills.

In a hypothetical example of how tax credits work in tandem to assist low-income families, Shanahan noted that this year, a single mother with one child working a minimum wage job could be eligible for $10,000 in refunds. That sum is composed of the EITC, the CTC, and two unclaimed stimulus payments.

But many of these credits go unclaimed, leaving $40 million in federal EITC funds undistributed each year, according to CAAB projections. “Unfortunately,” Leitman-Santa Cruz said, “at the national level, it is estimated that only four out five EITC-eligible folks claim it; in the District of Columbia, it is slightly lower than that.” Locally, Shanahan noted, “there are approximately 20,000 families who are missing out on the Earned Income Tax Credit year in and year out” because they do not file taxes.

Misconceptions about who can or should participate in the tax process likely contribute to these missed rebates. LetimanSanta Cruz stressed that “one does not need a permanent or formal residence to file taxes.” For people facing housing insecurity or homelessness, the address of a trusted nonprofit with which a filer is affiliated can be used in place of a personal address. Moreover, people with no yearly income should also file tax forms, he said, adding that earnings from 2018 through 2020 can be retroactively reported regardless of their sum total. “That family might not owe any money to Uncle Sam,” Leitman-Santa Cruz said, “but Uncle Sam might owe that family thousands of dollars.”

Tax preparation services available for low-income filers Several services are available in the D.C. region to assist low-income filers obtain the funds they are owed through tax credits. Three Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) programs work in partnership with Capital Area Asset Builders: Community Tax Aid, United Planning Organization (UPO), and the Financial Stability Network of the Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington. In addition, United Way of the National Capital Area offers tax help in association with the D.C. Department of Insurance, Securities, and Benefits. All of these services are free for filers with an income of less than $57,000 per year and provide expert assistance in completing tax forms.

Shanahan said that filers should visit Catholic Charities’ online portal to participate in the VITA program. Community Tax Aid and UPO have similar websites where taxpayers can register for assistance. “What the taxpayer needs to send us,” he added, “is a picture of a social security card, a selfie of themselves with a [government-issued] photo ID card, and pictures of their tax

documents, such as a W-2 form.” Welcome specialists can assist taxpayers with filling out a Google Form, locating tax documents and uploading forms to the IRS cloud, he said.

Littman said that more than 650 people had pre-registered for Catholic Charities’ services as of Feb. 9. He encouraged taxpayers to register as soon as possible for the first-come, firstserved program and attributed the influx of users to a growing need for tax credits in the midst of an economic downturn. “On average,” he said, “we’re seeing people get back around $2,000 and sometimes as much as $10,000.” According to attorneys at the University of the District of Columbia Tax Clinic, “familybased tax credits, like the EITC, can help pull a working family out of poverty.” Stephanie Crane, Community Impact Manager at United Way of the National Capital Area, added that “the benefits are tremendous for residents — there is no cost to them, they get their taxes professionally prepared and filed, and have the potential of earning a larger refund.”

“That family might not owe any money to Uncle Sam, but Uncle Sam might owe that family thousands of dollars.”

Joseph Leitman-Santa Cruz CEO, Capital Area Asset Builders Littman also said that VITA programs offer a “trusted, free, reliable source for tax preparation,” unlike some for-profit tax services, which can claim up to half of the filer’s return.

Shanahan stressed that “what’s important here is that 100% of the return goes into the pocket of the taxpayer.”

But filers often face challenges in obtaining the funds they are owed. In an email, attorneys at UDC Law’s Tax Clinic said that errors can easily arise when taxpayers fill out their tax forms, noting that “unfortunately, an innocent error in claiming the EITC can have repercussions, including a two-year ban on claiming the credit.” Additionally, the social security card, proof of income, and photo-ID needed to properly file taxes are sometimes unavailable to filers, resulting in further difficulty accessing tax credits. Crane recommended that filers in this situation contact a VITA site to speak to a tax professional. The UDC clinic also suggested that taxpayers who have encountered issues in receiving credits or filing taxes consult with a service that offers free legal representation. “A consultation with a tax legal clinic can pick up where a tax preparation site left off,” they said. “If a lowincome worker encounters a problem with a refund, a free legal clinic specializing in tax issues provides an avenue to get legal assistance.” UDC Law’s Tax Clinic is available to assist taxpayers year-round, with reduced hours in the summer.

In addition to these perennial difficulties, accessing filing help has been complicated by COVID. According to a list of tax preparation clinics provided by United Way, only one out of 15 local sites offered in-person services, with the others offering either entirely virtual assistance or using a document drop-off method. In an email, Crane said that the “top priority [of United Way NCA] is the safety and well-being of our partners, staff and the communities we serve. Each location that is offering

StreetSenSeMedia.org

// 7

AT A GLANCE in-person services is practicing COVID-safety measures.”

Despite the risks, Littman noted that some filers are seeking in-person tax preparation assistance due to the difficulty many low-income individuals have in finding a computer or smartphone through which to access services’ online portals.

With computers at D.C. libraries unavailable for public use due to pandemic precautions, many would-be filers have no way of accessing the internet. Littman suggested that the computers and phones of trusted family, friends and neighbors is the best place to start while public facilities are closed.

While filing season opened Feb. 12, many clinics will not

open their doors for several more days, citing policy changes, COVID precautions, and a backlog of registrations. Crane recommended consulting the website of each clinic to learn more about appointment availability in the coming weeks.

With confusion mirroring that of last year’s tax filing season, Shanahan said “we’re hoping that the IRS pushes out the April 15 date.” Littman saw a silver lining, adding, “like last year, we suspect the IRS is going to extend again, which will hopefully give everyone the opportunity to get their information right.”

Whether or not the deadline is extended, tax preparers urged lowincome taxpayers to seek out assistance services immediately.

tax assistance resources GENERAL ASSISTANCE: Capital Area Asset Builders Website: caab.org/en/dceitc Phone: (202) 419-1440 Financial Stability Network of the Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington* Website: ccvita.org Phone: N/A *Few appointment available before March 21 Community Tax Aid * Website: communitytaxaiddc.org/freetax-assistance/feb2021/ Phone: (202) 547-7773 *No information available before February 22, 2021.

United Planning Organization* Website: upo.org/taxprep/ Phone: (202) 238-4609 *For filers making less than $56,000 per year.

UDC VITA Tax Clinic Website: udc.edu/sbpa/sbpa/vita-taxclinic/ Phone: (202) 274 - 7000 United Way of the National Capital Area Website: unitedwaynca.org/programs/ economic-opportunity/tax-prep-vita/ Phone: (202) 488-2000 TAX DISPUTE LEGAL ASSISTANCE: UDC Law Tax Clinic Website: law.udc.edu/page/TaxClinic Phone: (202) 274-7315 DC LOW-INCOME TAX CLINICS: UPO Ralph Waldo “Petey” Greene Community Service Center* Address: 2907 Martin Luther King Jr Ave SE Washington, DC 20032 Type: Drop-Off Only Email: N/A Phone: (202) 231-7903 Start/End Dates: 2/8/2021 - 4/15/2021 *Mon-Thurs; Spanish language available; no walk-ins allowed

Woodbridge Library Address: 1801 Hamlin St NE Washington, D.C. 20018 Type: Virtual Email: DCTaxAide.Help@gmail.com Phone: (202) 642-9037 Start/End Dates: 2/12/2021 - 4/15/2021

Chevy Chase Community Center Address: 5601 Conn Ave NW Washington, D.C. 20015 Type: Virtual Email: DCTaxAide.Help@gmail.com Phone: (202) 642-9037 Start/End Dates: 2/12/2021 - 4/15/2021

Turkey Thicket Recreation Center Address: 1100 Michigan Ave NE Washington, D.C. 20017 Type: Virtual Email: DCTaxAide.Help@gmail.com Phone: (202) 642-9037 Start/End Dates: 2/12/2021 - 4/15/2021

Bellevue Library Address: 115 Atlantic St SW Washington, D.C. 20032 Type: Virtual Email: DCTaxAide.Help@gmail.com Phone: (202) 642-9037 Start/End Dates: 2/12/2021 - 4/15/2021

Shaw Library Address: 1630 7th St NW Washington, D.C. 20001 Type: Virtual Email: DCTaxAide.Help@gmail.com Phone: (202) 642-9037 Start/End Dates: 2/12/2021 - 4/15/2021

Catholic Charities VITA* Address: N/A Type: Virtual Email: ccvirtualvita@gmail.com Phone: N/A Start/End Dates: 2/1/2021 - 4/15/2021 *Spanish language available

Petworth Library Address: 4200 Kansas Ave NW Washington, D.C. 20011 Type: Virtual Email: DCTaxAide.Help@gmail.com Phone: (202) 642-9037 Start/End Dates: 2/12/2021 - 4/15/2021

Anacostia Library Address: 1800 Good Hope Rd SE Washington, D.C. 20020 Type: Virtual Email: DCTaxAide.Help@gmail.com Phone: (202) 642-9037 Start/End Dates: 2/12/2021 - 4/15/2021

King Greenleaf Recreation Center Address: 201 N St SW Washington, D.C. 20024 Type: Virtual Email: DCTaxAide.Help@gmail.com Phone: (202) 642-9037 Start/End Dates: 2/12/2021 - 4/15/2021

MD LOW-INCOME TAX CLINICS:

Georgetown Library Address: 3260 R St NW Washington, D.C. 20007 Type: Virtual Email: DCTaxAide.Help@gmail.com Phone: (202) 642-9037 Start/End Dates: 2/12/2021 - 4/15/2021 Emery Recreation Center Address: 5701 Georgia Ave NW Washington, D.C. 20011 Type: Virtual Email: DCTaxAide.Help@gmail.com Phone: (202) 642-9037 Start/End Dates: 2/12/2021 - 4/15/2021

Prince George’s Community College* Address: 301 Largo Rd Largo, MD 20774 Type: Drop-Off, Virtual Email: habersbx@pgcc.edu Phone: (301) 546-0713 Start/End Dates: Unclear *Multiple languages offered VA LOW-INCOME TAX CLINICS: Enterprise Development Group Address: 901 S Highland St Arlington, VA 22204 Type: In-person by appointment Email: nteferra@ecdcus.org Phone: (571) 321-6976 Start/End Dates: Unclear

Reginald Black Photo bY roLando aParicio VeLaSco

artist and vendor reginald black was voted in as the co-chair of the interagency council on homelessness’s emergency response and Shelter operations committee in January. he’ll take on the role in addition to the appointment as a consumer representative that he has held for several years. black was also considered for a co-chair position with the housing Solutions committee. congratulations, reggie!

BIRTHDAYS Doris Robinson Feb. 18 AUTHOR/VENDOR

our stories, straight to your inbox Street Sense media provides a vehicle through which all of us can learn about homelessness from those who have experienced it. Sign up for our newsletter to get our vendors' stories in your inbox.

www.StreetSenseMedia.org/newsletter

8 // ST REET SENSE ME DI A / / FE B . 2 4 - MA RCH 2, 2021

ART On Feb. 1, Shernell Thomas, a longtime Street Sense Media vendor from 2011 to 2018, died in her sleep at the age of 75.

After writing a tribute for her brother when he died in 2014, Shernell also became an occasional contributor to our paper. An essay and illustration by her were part of a collection recognized as a finalist for the International Network of Street Papers awards in 2016. May she rest in peace.

If you knew Shernell and would like to write a tribute to her for publication in a future edition, or would be willing to be interviewed as we research her obituary, please contact editor@streetsensemedia.org. If there is a public memorial service, those details will also be shared in our publication and on our social media channels as they become available.

2017 HOLIDAY PARTY ARCHIVE PHOTO

Dear Street Sense Media community,

Dear Street Sense Media,

Dear editors,

I am saddened to read in [the previous] issue of Street Sense that Shernell has died.

I have not seen her in a few years now, but was a regular purchaser of the paper and would occasionally chat with her when she sold the paper at the Dupont Circle Metro.

I used to worry about her, especially when she talked about sending money to Nigeria related to some scheme that surely sounded like a scam to me. But she would have none of it and insisted that lawyers were helping her.

I also remember her grief at losing her brother. One of the last times I saw her, she told me she found housing in Montgomery County and it was too difficult to come down to Dupont Circle. I should have asked her how to stay in touch. I missed having conversations with her. She often made me laugh as she had a great sense of humor.

And she was a striver, very consistent in selling the paper in all kinds of weather. I hope she has found some peace!

I used to buy Street Sense from Shernell every Sunday at the Dupont Circle Farmers Market and talk to her a little. She often had something nice to say about what I was wearing (which was nothing special on a Sunday morning). We shared a love of hats. Shernell herself was always stylishly dressed, within what I’m sure was a very modest budget. It impressed me that she would go to that trouble. I enjoyed seeing her and talking to her.

I felt terrible when I heard a few years ago she had had a stroke. I followed her progress as best I could through another vendor. And now, she has died. I only hope she’s in a better space.

Sincerely, Anna Pfitzer

2018 PHOTO BY ROLANDO APARICIO VELASCO

Sincerely, Joan Mooney

I am surprised to have learned that Shernell has passed away.

I and a lot of her customers that were closer to her, especially at Dupont Circle Farmers Market, are definitely going to miss her sassiness and jokes.

The last time I saw Shernell was last year back in the summertime at Dupont Circle Farmers Market. I said “Hi” and she turned around and acted like she really didn’t recognize me. Shernell was doing that a lot, forgetting people, in these past few years.

After I said hello, I asked how she was doing. She told me she was staying with her sister, which made me happy. Even though I never met her sister. I knew she was in good hands because she wasn’t in disarray from the outside. She looked good and well. I was thinking about her just last week, wondering what she was up to.

Shernell, today there is no more physical pain. Once you got to know her she was a very nice person.

2017 PHOTO BY JANE CAVE

Sincerely, Aida Peery (Artist/Vendor)

Two angels gone forever

BY SYBIL TAYLOR // Artist/Vendor

Valentine’s Day is sad for some people who are missing their loved ones. Much love to my father and my sister-in-law, who both departed in the month of February, Dad on the 20th in 2016, and Tracey on the 15th last year. Two angels missed and gone away.

It has been very hard not waking up and talking to them each day. Smiling and laughing with them, sharing their sorrow, pain, and heartache. They felt their sadness and pain each day. Sometimes their laughter covered up the inner pain they felt. My Dad suffered from colon cancer and he was in A LOT of pain.

My sister-in-law was on dialysis. She had a needle in her arm that could not be removed because each time she would go to dialysis they would draw blood from her. One time she was in so much pain at home due to the needle stuck down in her arm since early

2000 that she took the needle out while she was in the shower. When she did this she bled to death. When the paramedics arrived she collapsed on the floor, lost consciousness, and died. My brother took it so hard, the loss of his wife brought tears from his eyes as well as our family’s. And he spent his last day with her on Valentine’s Day, the last time he ever saw her. He is dealing with a lot of hurt and pain. For my mom, his first loss does hurt. After 6 years, the pain is still there.

Each and every day, day by day, night by night, teardrops fall. My family misses both of these two angels. Thank you for all the prayers and support for us. They are in their final resting place in Heaven, with no more pain.

They are missed. Happy Valentine’s day. This is a sad one for us, but we know they are not suffering anymore.

Collage art by Sybil Taylor.

STREETSENSEMEDIA.ORG

// 9

Messy beds lead to messy heads

BY JEFFERY MCNEIL Artist/Vendor

Before the coronavirus upended Washington D.C., my life was chaotic. My life became stagnant, wandering aimlessly with no direction or purpose. At 53, I gave up, unable to find happiness in anything.

2020 was not a good year for me. I wasn’t the same since the passing of my longtime partner and friend Antoinette Wollack passed away.. To this day, I’m still struggling with her passing.

Without her, I deteriorated, my blood pressure skyrocketed into the stratosphere, where it felt like climbing a set of stairs was climbing Mt Everest, I neglected my hygiene and was severely depressed.

My room looked like a natural disaster area, and that’s insulting natural disaster victims. Although I didn’t like living in filth, I seemed powerless to do anything about it!! The garbage, empty soda cans, scattered books became overwhelming. My room became a junkyard where I accumulated everything but discarded nothing. I dreamed of a clean room but had no clue where to begin I was in a battle that I kept losing. Living in filth had taken a toll on my psyche and self-esteem. Why did I struggle to stay clean, organized, and focused? I did not know organization was a battle. In all battles you need roadmaps and game plans or attempts are futile. Every day you must fight for that silver lining in times of adversity and despair.

The final straw and the seeds of change In any contest, whether it’s athletics, chess, or poker, there is an event that will either get you over the hill or sow the seeds of defeat. Thanksgiving Day was the moment I conquered filth.

Because my room became so filthy, I had guests in my room.

I couldn’t sleep, because the mice were partying. Then one night I dozed off and felt something rubbing my nose.I woke up, and I saw a mouse staring me in my eyes. I threw in the towel, saying, “ I can no longer live this way.”

Thanksgiving was the day I decided to conquer life rather than let life conquer me. By good fortune, out of the piles of dirty books, I discovered a book titled; Organizing for the Creative Person. I systematically read each chapter doing all the assignments and following their instructions. I started off with dread but began unlocking concepts I had learned in the military but forgotten. How I chose sloppiness over paying attention to detail leaves me mystified.

Cleaning my apartment was no longer a chore. It began feeling like I was doing something constructive. The messy papers and dirty books came off the floor and onto bookshelves.

Old bills became filed, phone numbers and contacts became systematically filed. It felt as if I was crossing the Atlantic and beginning to see land.

Being sloppy erased years from my life. Great ideas went undetected because I never wrote anything down. I tried diaries, journals, and calendars being gung-ho until something stressful happened. Then I give up becoming depressed and even sloppier. Cleaning benefitted my mental and physical health. Laziness left me unhealthy, sad, and depressed.

Cleaning led me to set a time schedule to exercise, write, and pursue the thing I enjoy.

We all get low spiritually but what’s been working as of late is, before I begin my day, I read two books and TwentyFour Hours a Day. I have a good planner that has a paragraph on goals and the big picture. These simple techniques when stressed can turn a crappy morning into a day filled with

PHOTOS BY JEFFERY MCNEIL

enjoyment and energy.

When planning activities, set goals that give you the motivation to have bigger dreams and aspirations. You are no longer crossing the seas without a destination. The way to stay forever young is to be active. There are activities in D.C. that you can plan your day around. Street Sense has writing groups and seminars you can attend. Activity prevents boredom which leads to depression.

Instead of having millions of thoughts, I love using Microsoft Outlook to journal my days and track my goals. I love Excel which has given me greater control over my finances. It’s easy to become a victim, but by journaling, you can celebrate positivity so you don’t revert to stinking thinking. Cleaning has done wonders for my health and self-esteem and I now see the direction I want to head. I learned to shape the surrounding forces rather than have forces shape me. Another bonus was the books I collected are on bookshelves. The notebooks and journals I spent money on are now cataloged and filled. I purchased a new computer that helps me stay on top of the goals I cherish.

What I say isn’t an expert or professional opinion, and I doubt they’ll publish this in an established medical journal.

Who cares what they think!! Based on my observations, I believe the best way to prevent mental illness is goal setting.

My father used to say, “messy to messy heads.” As I look at where I am from where I have been, through discovery, making your bed or cleaning up after yourself can turn someone from going off the deep end toward becoming coherent and orderly.

In the coming months I will reveal more about utilizing time in turbulent circumstances.

Songs for love, remembrance, and reunion in eternal life 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

Walter Hawkins, “I’m Going Away” Kirk Franklin, “Till We Meet Again” Walter Hawkins, “Goin’ Up Yonder” Marvin Gaye, “Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology) Stevie Wonder, “I’ll Be Loving You Always” Ray Charles and the Voices of Jubilation, “Oh Happy Day” G.C. Cameron, “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday” Aretha Franklin, “Wholly Holy” Marvin Gaye, “Sunny”

These are very emotional songs, they bring tears to my eyes, because they are all about seeing your loved ones again after you have both gone on to a better place. Listen to these and more at streetsensemedia.org/two-angels-playlist.

1 0 // S t reet Sense Me di a / / fe b . 2 4 - ma rc h 9, 2021

opinion

Career counseling and after school programs: What’s the connection?

By Charlie Fletcher

T

his past year has been trying in ways that many of us couldn’t have ever imagined before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Across the country, hundreds of thousands of citizens have been put into difficult positions where they must choose between earning a paycheck and putting their loved ones at risk of being exposed to a deadly disease. And that is just the least of it.

For those Americans who are living at or below the poverty line, some of those choices haven’t even existed.

Many have lost jobs as employers cut back to save their suddenly deeply uncertain business future. These losses have pushed those who are already at the highest risk into positions of desperation.

Many high school age students and those who have just recently graduated are at a particularly vulnerable place right now. A considerable number may be finding fewer job options awaiting them as they enter the workforce in a contracting economy. Others may already be struggling to help their families make ends meet without the added difficulties associated with the virus.

An expanding gap As schools have closed and reopened and closed again as a result of the pandemic, many students and their parents are experiencing some level of whiplash regarding their education. The starting and stopping, as well as the difficulties in transitioning from in-school to online learning, have been incredibly challenging for many students. This is especially true in households where the technology and support for online learning may not exist due to financial constraints.

Many experts are deeply concerned that the educational fallout from COVID-19 will be severe, especially for those students coming from low-income households. In

many of these cases, parents are working as much as they can to make ends meet and may not be available to make sure their kids are attending and paying attention in their online classes. They may not be in a position to help students with homework or technological difficulties.

This expanding gap could have profound longterm side effects. Students whose families are facing economic difficulties at home may be at greater risk for homelessness and keeping up in school may be the least of their concerns. Regardless of the reason, studies indicate that students who fall behind in their education typically have an incredibly difficult time catching back up, which could ultimately lead to fewer opportunities and a higher risk of negative fallout associated with limited options.

Creative opportunities Those educators who are seeing the daily struggles their students are dealing with have some of the deepest understanding of how serious the problem is likely to become. Many of these teachers are working tirelessly to seek funding opportunities that will enable them to help their “at-risk” students to a greater degree. Many have developed ideas and programs that are making a real difference.

For instance, some schools are promoting after-school programs that can help students accomplish different goals, whether they are getting help with homework or gaining experience in a career path they might be interested in pursuing after graduation. Many schools offer places where students can safely store their personal items. In some settings, these school storage spaces can be safer than the home.

Other programs are more directly focused on keeping students in school and helping them to stay out of trouble.

One of these is the Alternative to the Court Experience

Improving DC’s mental health services

By Marcus McCall

D.C.’s COVID-19 response is trying its hardest to tackle some of the hot spots. Adam’s Place shelter has been moving men out to other places so that they can start deep cleaning. I firsthand witnessed one major mental health organization’s response to their homeless clients.

Pathways to Housing came out and the h3 Project organization is helping out in this pandemic. The h3 Project helped house some people. They also help out with supplies like sweaters, handwarmers and jeans.

And how has the city response affected me? It has slowed down services, like the Department of Behavioral Health if I wanted to go to rehab, or the Department

of Motor Vehicles if I needed a city ID. I’ve also been affected by some mental health COVID-19 closings.

City Care up Kennedy Street closed without notice one day. I found out when I was going up to see my social worker, Mr. Terrance. I’ve been switching mental health organizations since I came home in June, trying to get the right help.

D.C.’s response can become much better by meeting with some mental health organizations. Put your high risk clients on call notice. Make sure the clients’ needs are met.

Communication is key!

Marcus McCall is an artist and vendor with Street Sense Media.

Diversion Program (ACE) which targets at-risk teens and pre-teens who have been involved with the legal system.

The ultimate goal is to give students a more structured environment with the support they need to be successful and the ability to help keep themselves off the streets.

Can career counseling help?

For some students, there may just not seem like that many options exist for them after graduation. This is where someone like a career counselor could make a difference. Career counselors work with students to help them discover potential career paths and determine what they need to do to reach a career goal.

Because of direction such as this, some students have been able to learn resume-building and interview skills necessary to gain apprenticeships that will lead to stable, well-paying jobs. Learning that good opportunities aren’t that far out of reach is an important task that can really make a difference in the lives of students.

*** The COVID-19 pandemic has created a huge challenge for many students who were already struggling. Many are contending with difficulties at home that put education on the backburner, which ultimately perpetuates struggles over the long-term. School programs and career counseling that are designed to target at-risk students and help them develop themselves and reach career goals can play a pivotal role in helping reduce the risk in their young lives.

Charlie Fletcher is a freelance writer who is passionate about workplace equity, and whose published works cover sociology, politics, business, education, health, and more.

You can see more of her work by visiting her portfolio at: charliefletcher.contently.com.

Join the conversation, share your views • Have an opinion about how homelessness is being addressed in our community?

• Want to share firsthand experience?

• Interested in responding to what someone else has written?

Street Sense Media has maintained an open submission policy since our founding.

We aim to elevate voices from across the housing spectrum and foster healthy debate.

Please send submissions to opinion@streetsensemedia.org

streetsensemedia.org

/ / 11

Individual apartments or single-room occupancies?

By Jeff Taylor

P

lease allow me to preface this whole thing by clearly stating that I believe in the importance of dignity, respect and independence. But we end up brushing over difficult problems in the name of protecting human rights. This leaves too many destined to return to homelessness.

We have to do better.

I have personally known both types of public housing (individual apartments and single room occupancies) first hand.

And from a second hand perspective, too, having stayed with others who had vouchers. From what I have experienced and witnessed, I believe a serious overhaul is in order that could hasten the end of homelèssness as we know it. Or at least take a big bite out of repeated homelessness.

Before we go further we need to know, what is a single room occupancy (SRO)? While specific rules vary from residence to residence, an SRO is pretty much as it sounds. A resident has his/her own bedroom with shared common areas. Why do so many folks seem to steer clear of SROs? The rules and strict oversight are reasons some folks prefer to hold out for their own apartment. They prefer the privacy. This is understandable.

Perhaps more people could be persuaded to go into an SRO if they had the understanding that they could move on to more independent living at some point in the future.

But the world of independent living among the newly housed is fraught with the potential for missteps that could easily lead right back to homelessness. Among these missteps is housing voucher abuse.

Abuse of housing vouchers is common. It is also in certain circumstances overlooked if not encouraged within the system itself by the well-intentioned in order to keep people off the street.

Common abuse of vouchers includes subletting a room for $300-$400 a month. It's survival in the world of the poorest of the poor.

Beyond the profit motive, some folks just want and/or need companionship! Housing is a crucial component for leading

some semblance of a stable life, but it is only one component.

The system needs to develop some kind of roommate program.

The fact is some, if not many, folks don't need or necessarily want a place all to themselves. And they would function better if they had someone to share household responsibilities with.

Many formerly homeless folks once housed still deal with vicious substance abuse and/or mental health problems that go insufficiently addressed. This is yet another crucial piece of the puzzle for a stable, productive life.

Some case managers simply don't make regular in-home visits to make sure things are in order: unit clean, no subletters, no drug paraphernalia, etc. These issues get little to no serious oversight in too many cases, resulting in a client's unfortunate and completely avoidable return to homelessness.

Some specific examples My friend Alice, who finally got her own apartment in 2015, eventually lost it a couple of years later, mainly due to loneliness. She had her own place but she desperately wanted to share it with so-called friends who took advantage of Alice's hospitality. People moved themselves in, made themselves right at home and in no time at all they took over her apartment, at times leaving her homeless when she actually had her own apartment!

A few years ago, I moved from a friend's living room floor to an SRO. The place was somewhat in transition as far as management and rules. As the rules tightened, the existing culture resisted the changes, namely regarding overnight guests and smoking in the privacy of one's room. Both had become strictly forbidden, with surprise inspections that eventually led to my eviction.

About two and a half years later I finally got a voucher for my own apartment. I was thrilled. But things haven't worked out quite the way I had thought or hoped. Looking back, I honestly have to wonder if I would have been better off in an SRO, at least for a while until I was really up for taking on

my own place again. Because truth be told, without going into detail, I have jeopardized my housing yet again.

People are losing their housing too easily and too often. And once you've lost your housing voucher, good luck and a long wait getting it back!

What if we were to implement some kind of rewardable/ progressive housing program where clients moved from phase to phase based on personal goals and abilities? For instance, phase one would be settling into an SRO. If the client is successful in this setting and wishes to move, then phase two would be an individual apartment.

Phase three is my vision of folks being able to move from apartments into modified tiny homes. I say modified because tiny homes are already a thing. (Google it. They're very cool.

And adorable!) Tiny homes are pretty tiny though. They also tend to be mobile, which would have advantages. But I envision something more permanent and with a little more square footage. And just enough yard allowing for a little gardening if desired, but small enough to keep maintenance to a minimum.

I would propose the city look into finding small tracts of property around the city where multiple modified tiny home villages could be constructed.

NIMBYs This area has a lot of private homes on large lots. Perhaps with adequate tenant screening and maybe the offer of tax incentives, some of these property owners would be interested in helping end homelessness in a significant way. They could potentially be turned from NIMBYS to YIMBYS. So there they are. My suggestions for fixing a system that too often unnecessarily falls far too short when it comes not just to housing the homeless in the first place, but at retaining housing once gotten.

Jeff Taylor is an artist and vendor with Street Sense Media.

What masters are you serving?

By Jeff McNeil

Since the days of George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, and Thomas Jefferson, America has had three viewpoints on how Americans should govern. Washington disdained political parties because partisan interests didn’t unify the nation against enemies foreign and domestic; quarreling factions opened the door for enemies to weaken the concept of a free nation.

Alexander Hamilton was America’s first elitist; he didn’t trust the common people. He wanted safeguards against selfgovernance because he feared the people might revolt against elites such as himself. Thomas Jefferson believed in trusting citizens to make decisions for themselves and was suspicious of intrusive government. He believed a government that governs least governs best.

Hamiltonians, who morphed into modern-day elitists, do everything for partisan gain and political expediency. The elites govern in the pursuit of pleasure without any concern about the long-term harm they cause. Recklessness, emotion, and a sense of entitlement rule them. They want to impose these rules on certain classes that they feel need wisdom and instruction.

The elites’ rigid obsession with diversity and multiculturalism, rather than competency, turns some things into a bureaucratic nightmare. The CEO of McDonald's Corp could lose 15% of his bonus if he doesn't achieve certain hiring diversity goals, for example.

To elites, different points of view are considered hate speech.

They are all-knowing as wise but what have they been right on? Where is the wisdom, denying 18-year-olds from drinking in bars, while sending them off to faraway places to die in rich man’s wars? What complicated math do you need to recognize, that outsourcing American jobs for slave wages does not benefit Americans but wealthy elites?

It amazes me that those who read the Washington Post or the New York Times believe they are more informed than the unwashed masses in flyover country. If you take the average Washingtonian and dropped them off in flyover country, they would freeze to death or get sucked up by a tornado. Their priorities are not lowering crime, securing borders, or creating jobs.

Donald Trump, the unwashed rube, tried to create wealth in America, but the Woke did not want jobs or better opportunities.

I find it odd the same people who are cheering socialism take their government checks and squander them at Walmart and Amazon, which pay their worker's low wages, pay little taxes and do nothing for communities of color.

According to the elite, we all should cheer President Joe Biden who won 80 million votes, even though the rest of the world knows something Americans don’t. That we swapped what other nations envied about America. That we were independent and self-reliant. We already had a revolution overthrowing tyranny, yet have allowed the descendants of Hamilton to convince the masses that freedom is too risky and society needs to defer to rulers, experts, and kings.

Jeffery McNeil is an artist and vendor with Street Sense Media.

1 2 // s t reet sense me di a / / Fe B . 2 4 - ma rCH 2, 2021

ART

Treading the Waters, Part 33

BY GERALD ANDERSON Artist/Vendor

Joy

When we were last with Gerald on the streets of New Orleans, he was catching up with his long-time friend, Greg, who was fresh out of prison for the first time in a while...

BY RITA SAULS Artist/Vendor

After Greg come out of prison he got busted for a simple robbery charge. I asked his momma where he was at. She said he be locked up. So I’m like, “Man…”. Greg had laid back in the jail.

Capital offenses went to OPP, Orleans Parish Prison. When you got a lesser offense, you might go to Templeman I, Templeman II, Templeman III. They got four or five Feds. It’s a jail, but you got lesser charges. You might catch a Federal flow up in there where the rats be at, the polices. The polices, and rats who ratted on big cases.

Greg was back up in there. Greg had sent the word through his sister to me. He say he had run into my man, Minew.

He say he see Minew on the dock where they go to court at. It’s where they take you up and put you in the cell, and you wait till they call your name to come into the court.

When he was across from Minew, the celly was telling him, “That’s Third Ward man, Minew, right there.”

So they was chattin’ from across the bars to each other, like baller baller.

Greg kicked it to him, “What’s up, brah? You got a cigarette over there?”

And Minew shared a cigarette with him.

Greg said, “Man, that’s my may-ane.” Talking about me.

Minew said, “Man, I’m hoping I beat the charge. Go in front of that judge and get the discharge.”

Right now today I can’t really tell you if he get the discharge or not. But that’s what they were chattin’ about.

One day, Greg called by his mother’s house on the phone, collect.

With so much negativity in the world, one should always look for peace within oneself and also provide peace to others such as friends and family. Providing such peace brings joy to the mind and what affects the mind, affects the body. So joy can be a person, place or thing that’s close to your heart, like a loved one, or something you love, like the smell of a rose, your favorite designer clothes, the aroma of a meal or the best of the best deals all reveal what joy feels.

Sometimes, I feel joy listening to music. You have down home blues, that sings about everything going wrong, such as “I lost my love, my money and my home,” but it then reminds us of the joys: “I still got family and friends and a joyful life to live.”

And it so happened I’m in the area and she tell me Greg on the phone. They get nothin’ but 15 minutes on the phone, but I got to chat with him a minute.

He said, “Man, Third Ward, guess what. I met Minew, man. Dude, it was funny. He gave me a few Camel cigarettes to smoke.”

But I’m hoping, I’m like, “Man, what happen on your charge?”

He say, “I’m supposed to come back home in about a month or two, I’m about to get dismissed. Cause ain’t nobody showin’ up.

No witness, no victim, nobody.”

I told him, I say, “I wish you luck, bro.”

He say, “Yeah. A few months we be kickin’.”

Come a few months later, he back on the street.

We chat. I say, “Man, where you was at?”

He say, “Downtown Bourbon Street.” That’s our favorite cut, Bourbon Street.

I say, “Man, Minew funny, huh?”

He say, “Man, you heard anything about him?”

I say, “Man, he supposed to be trying to go to trial, but I’m trying to tell him to take what they want to give him, the 10.”

I wouldn’t want to tell him to take the 10, but you gotta run from it when you see it carry 21. That’s a lot to carry, 21 to 49 years.

I say, “With Minew record, he might lose.”

A few months passed, it’s gettin’ around Christmas time, he go to trial. God was with him because he beat the charge. He beat the charge!

He back on the street. Me, him and Greg runnin’ together in the city.

To be continued. Anderson’s first book, “Still Standing: How an Ex-Con Found Salvation in the Floodwaters of Katrina,” is available on Amazon.com.

Technology and Our Future, Part 3

BY REGINALD SCOTT Artist/Vendor

Masku

BY QUEENIE FEATHERSTONE Artist/Vendor

Please keep your masks on!

But I CAN’T BREATH with this mask.

No, put it back on!!!

Styles, colors, bands, prints Please, my people, we can’t vent Dead, that’s where you went How long with these masks?

I can’t breath, again, I’ll ask.

Much longer, my mask?

The trilogy of articles has now been written for all human beings’ the target shows sincerity of clingy in 2021 and beyond with the confirmation toward the nexus of their significant other’s or others’ future and our technology by all cost. Ergo in all to say: the future flesh and bones. Being clingy must apply to the point one will not and our technology can not take charge of reality, RARG, which be out the eyesight of their significant other or others takes the future and our technology on the levels where present, as their presence. All because they’re real as real gets present flesh and bones presents as representing living-life levels and progression the presence of the future and our technology. with the future and its technology.

So we as the human being must realize, Ergo the future and its technology too, recognize the fake must be deleted redeem first with the infa-beam, which because the future and our technology in all means once the significant respect the real as living-life levels other’s or others’ flesh and bones progression is the stone printed from intertwined into the intervene the past to the presentation of the subjugation apply an makes its present as the presence, which mean way by all terms. Now as the peak any cultures really don’t matter, speaks of the significant other or cause we as human beings must others whom attachments seek breed to become as the bosses we are, living life elevations, levels of too, for the succoring of all human the future and our technology. The beings escaping from the levels of the living-life levels progression sort the life-living levels to the living-life level scope which shows all identification of within our future and its technology.

PHoto CoUrtesY oF reginaLd sCott identity progression from the stages of The end. life-living levels to living-life levels, while

streetsensemedia.org

CONFESSIONS, PART 2: I used to not care much about homeless or mentally ill people

BY JEFF TAYLOR Artist/Vendor

PREVIOUSLY: I like to think I'm a good person and I want to make sure I'm not BS-ing myself about that. Oh hell, I know I'm far from perfect. Like, really far, as you'll easily see as you read further. But when it comes to trying to live by the golden rule (and not without a few major stumbles along the way), I'd give myself a solid B, maybe B+. That leaves room for improvement and I'm willing, by the grace of the greater universe, to work harder at being an a**hole even less of the time. In part one, I detailed my relative economic stability and confessed to having paid for sex, out of occasional desperation and not without a sense of shame, as a gay man forced to remain in the closet...

I

ended up leaving the Midwest to come to D.C. because, by an unfortunate set of comedic missteps, my sexual orientation became known to the personnel committee of the church where I worked. It wasn't a problem for everyone. But for just enough key detractors, it was enough to shove me out the door. And out of the closet once and for all!

I had been informed of a group called More Light Presbyterians, a former subsect of the Presbyterian Church USA that championed changing the church's official standing on the ordination of members of the LGBT community. I did my homework and landed a job at a More Light church in Rockville, Maryland. And so, I was off to the East Coast.

Now back to the confessions.

Lacking empathy The little Presbyterian church I now worked for had a multipurpose room with a stage and a commercial kitchen on the third floor of the education building. The aging and dwindling congregation didn't use the space much for community events, especially since there was no elevator. But the space was put to good use as a handful of women founded Rainbow Place, a winter women’s shelter. Looking after the needs of the shelter was the heart and soul of the church.

I admit, when I saw the space I thought to myself, “Gee whiz, we could do a bunch of fun dinner theater stuff in here if it weren't for all these homeless people.” Shame on me!

The tradition for the church's youth group was to serve dinner one Sunday each month and prepare bag lunches for the next day. Of

course, as director of the youth group, that meant I was also volunteering at the shelter.

I fell in love with the culture of the place and ended up joining the staff. The women were treated with as much dignity as possible. I loved the residents. Eventually, I was asked if I would be willing to serve as president of the board.

the embezzlement I don't have a lot of regrets in life, not more than a few things for which I'm still deeply ashamed of to this day. This is the one thing for which I may never forgive myself and will always regret.

When I moved to the D.C. area, I was convinced this was a place where I could meet that special someone. But the love of my life was elusive. I was still having to pay for intimacy — only, like everything else, it cost a hell of a lot more here than back in Peoria, Illinois.

My little "sessions" were now running an average of $175! In Peoria, I could scratch my itch for as little as $40! Neither Salary Calculator nor I factored this dramatic budget increase into the cost of living in the comfort to which I had grown accustomed.

This became a problem in a mere matter of months.

One of the final acts of the pastor on his way out the door was to hand me a checkbook to pay for the youth group’s summer mission trip. I was to be the sole signatory, with no accountability to anyone. There had never been an audit since the congregation trusted staff in these matters.

It most certainly, at that moment, never occurred to me that I was even capable of breaking that trust. Nonetheless, circumstances were what they were and in an initial moment of weakness, I convinced myself it would be OK “just this once.” I fully intended to pay it back, after all. It wasn't like it was stealing, I assured myself.

I could go into more detail as to the circumstances around that first time I used mission trip money to pay for sex, but let me just say I regret it more than anything I've ever done.

Now, this next paragraph is not one of my confessions, but it needs to be included.

I specifically came to this church because it billed itself as being open and affirming. I was extremely disappointed and felt very threatened when, after I'd been in this new position for less than six weeks, the interim search committee recommended a young conservative to be the next temporary pastor. This individual opposed my eligibility to be Elder or Minister of the

word and sacrament (governance positions within the Presbyterian Church). I really felt betrayed. I'm not using any of that as an excuse for what I ended up doing. But I can't help wondering if I might have remained more stable. I can't help but wonder if I would have had the sense and strength enough to tell myself “no” when the notion of borrowing money that wasn't mine to pay for escorts first entered my head.

Anyhow, I had every intention of paying it all back from the first time I did it. “Surely I’m bound to meet someone and live happily ever after and pay the money back with nobody being ever the wiser,” I figured.

I desperately did not want to have my misdeeds exposed, not out of fear of the consequences to me, but out of guilt at having betrayed the trust of a whole lot of good people.

I didn't want to hurt them. They had already been burned by a former director of education for sexual misconduct with one of the senior high youth.

I did everything I knew to do to try and meet someone beyond hiring escorts. I moved from Gaithersburg into Logan Circle, D.C. I joined the Lesbian Gay Chorus of Washington.

I regularly went to a couple of gay restaurants in my neighborhood. Still nothing.

I didn't meet anyone and the job wasn't working out. I was offered three months severance. I had only a couple of months to pay back the money, something that just wasn't gonna happen. My new plan was to use the severance to pay back what I had taken.

I figured I had two choices: skip town with what little was left in the account and live the rest of my life on the lam, or step up, fess up, and let the cards fall where they may.

I agonized over that like few other decisions in my life. I eventually decided on the latter option. I was lucky to have been a white man admitting to a white-collar crime. I received two years suspended sentence, a year of supervised probation, and had to pay restitution. Oh, and of course the church revoked the severance.

I was told by my boss that the church had been legally advised, should they be contacted as a former employer, that prospective new employers should be notified that they may want to ask me about a matter of financial misconduct. Fortunately, I had already lined up a new job before anyone knew anything and my new employer, the Conference on Opportunistic Infections (CROI), never found out about the embezzlement.

To be continued in part 3 “Pimping, penance, and poverty.”

// 13

Sick and Tired

BY CARLOS CAROLINA-BEY Artist/Vendor

Sick and tired! Of being Sick and tired! Of being Sick and tired!

When the storm come and the tide rise Can blind eyes see through blind lies?

When the blind lie do the dying rise?

GOOD GOD We in a time where you can’t tell time It’s time Take hands and come alive Take hands and we all gonna rise ALL RISE

ALL COME ALIVE

Matter of Fact

BY AYUB ABDUL // Artist/Vendor

As the night slips away and a new day appears Come here to say we are getting closer in mind, and we’ll get closer in time.

Yet we are far apart.

I got a longing to be in your company but the feeling remains still.

As the day peels, the heart grows fonder and desires become all that matter.

The earth hears the sound of music, a flute plays a song you’ve been waiting to feel, and you know that the end is near.

Once things begin to come together again the wait will be over.

1 4 // st reet sen s e me di a / / Fe B . 2 4 - ma rCH 2, 2021

FUN & 3 GAMES 1 2

5 4 3

7 9

6 8

8

5 1

2

2

4

7

6

5 3 9 3

7 6 1 4 9

8

8 5 3 6 1 2 4 8 7 3 2 5 9 6 4 1 7

9

Sudoku #2 9 4 2 6 1 7 5 8 3 6 8 7 Novice 5 3Sudoku 2 Puzzles, 4 9 Volume 1 1, Book 1 3 1 5 8 9 4 6 2 7 2 5 8 7 6 1 3 4 9 4 3 6 9 2 8 7 1 5 7 9 1 3 4 5 2 6 8 8 2 3 1 7 6 9 5 4 5 7 4 2 8 9 1 3 6 1 6 9 4 5 3 8 7 2

Sudoku #7 4 2

8

9 7 6 4 3 1 Sudoku 8 #49 9 44 6 8 7 61 2 3 2 6 3 1 7 8 7 54 4 2 9 3 3 69 9 7 8 3 5

2

7

1 7

9

9

1

6

7

7 6 8 4 9 3 28 59 63 8 8 5 7 8 1 3 9

5

4

4

4

2

8 3 1

7 2 9

1 7 8 6 5 8 2 1 5 7 4 5 4 7 3 9 1 6 4 1 5 9 ©6 20133 KrazyDad.com 2 8 3

2

1 7

2 4

Fill in the blank squares so that each row, each column and each 3-by-3 block contain all of the digits 1 thru 9.

6 2 8 3 2 6 7 8 9 4 3 9 5 7 4 1 1 5

7 4

9 5

7 1 6 3 2 8 9 6 4 2

3 5 1 6 7 2 9 4 7 3 6 8 1 9 3 4 8 9 7 5 1 6 2 4 8

2 5

Sudoku #6

If you use logicFill you in can solve the puzzle without guesswork.

SUDoKU: 6 9 4 7 8 1 5 2 3 the blank squares Need a little help? The hints page shows a logical order to solve the puzzle. each the row, Usethat it to identify next square 2 the 9 answers 4 1 page 1 so 8 you7should 3 solve.

5 6Or use if you really get stuck. each column and 5 each 3-by-3 block 5 2 1 3 9 4 8 6 7 contain all of the 3 1 4 8 6 7 9 3 5 2 digits 1-9.

8

9 4 8

2 1 5 3 6 7

3

LASt EDItIon’S PUZZLE SoLUtIon >>

1 2 8 4 7 6 7 6 2 4 3 5 1 9 8 4 8 7 9 1 6 2 3 5 2 3 5 8 4 7 6 1 9 9 1 6 2 5 3 7 8 4 5

9

Sudoku #8 2 5 9 3 3 4 6 5 8 1 7 6 5 3 4 8 9 6 1 4 7 2 8 9 1 7 3 2 4 9 2 1 6 8 5 7

1 8 9 7 2 5 6 3 4

7 6 8 2 9 7 4

5

6 2 3 7 1 3 8 4 5 8 9 1

2

1 5

4

4 1

3 9 8 6

5 6 7 3 2 9

"Many a man in love with a dimple makes the mistake of marrying the whole girl."

-- Stephen Leacock

6 9 9 8 4 2 6 7 3 2 9 8 1 6 4 5 8 5 3 2 1 7 5 7 4 1

Novice Sudoku Puzzles, Volume 1, Book 1

No. 10: Umbrella Phantasy

BY SAUL TEA Artist/Vendor

This is page 10 of a 13-part song book accompanying the “Hell’s Bottom Congress Of Puppets” folk opera, created by Saul Aroha Nui Tea. The song is loosely inspired by “Both Hands” by Ani DiFranco.

Look for the rest of the opera in future editions of Street Sense and find music videos made with puppets of the characters, along with more information about the project, at congressofpuppets. blogspot.com.

author gene Weingarten is a college dropout and a nationally syndicated humor columnist for the Washington Post. author dan Weingarten is a former college dropout and a current college student majoring in information technology. many thanks to gene Weingarten and the Washington Post Writers group for allowing street sense to run Barney & Clyde.

streetsensemedia.org

COMMUNITY SERVICES

Shelter Hotline Línea directa de alojamiento

(202) 399-7093

Youth Hotline Línea de juventud

Domestic Violence Hotline Línea directa de violencia doméstica

(202) 547-7777

Education Educación

Health Care Seguro

Clothing Ropa

Legal Assistance Assistencia Legal

Case Management Coordinación de Servicios

Food Comida

Employment Assistance Assitencia con Empleo

Transportation Transportación

Showers Duchas

All services listed are referral-free Academy of Hope Public Charter School 202-269-6623 // 2315 18th Place NE aohdc.org

Bread for the City - 1525 7th St., NW // 202-265-2400 - 1640 Good Hope Rd., SE // 202-561-8587 breadforthecity.org

Calvary Women’s Services // 202-678-2341 1217 Good Hope Rd., SE calvaryservices.org

Catholic Charities // 202-772-4300 catholiccharitiesdc.org/gethelp

Central Union Mission // 202-745-7118 65 Massachusetts Ave., NW missiondc.org

Food and Friends // 202-269-2277 (home delivery for those suffering from HIV, cancer, etc) 219 Riggs Rd., NE foodandfriends.org

Foundry Methodist Church // 202-332-4010 1500 16th St., NW ID (Friday 9am–12pm only) foundryumc.org/ministry-opportunities

Friendship Place // 202-364-1419 4713 Wisconsin Ave., NW friendshipplace.org

Georgetown Ministry Center // 202-338-8301 1041 Wisconsin Ave., NW georgetownministrycenter.org

Jobs Have Priority // 202-544-9128 425 2nd St., NW jobshavepriority.org

Charlie’s Place // 202-232-3066 1830 Connecticut Ave., NW charliesplacedc.org

Loaves & Fishes // 202-232-0900 1525 Newton St., NW loavesandfishesdc.org

Christ House // 202-328-1100 1717 Columbia Rd., NW christhouse.org

Martha’s Table // 202-328-6608 marthastable.org

Church of the Pilgrims // 202-387-6612 2201 P St., NW food (1-1:30 on Sundays only) churchofthepilgrims.org/outreach

Community Family Life Services 202-347-0511 // 305 E St., NW cflsdc.org

2375 Elvans Road SE 2204 Martin Luther King Ave. SE

Miriam’s Kitchen // 202-452-8926 2401 Virginia Ave., NW miriamskitchen.org

My Sister’s Place // 202-529-5991 (24-hr hotline) mysistersplacedc.org Community of Hope // 202-232-7356 communityofhopedc.org

Covenant House Washington 202-610-9600 // 2001 Mississippi Ave., SE covenanthousedc.org

N Street Village // 202-939-2060 1333 N St., NW nstreetvillage.org

New York Avenue Shelter // 202-832-2359 1355-57 New York Ave., NE D.C. Coalition for the Homeless 202-347-8870 // 1234 Massachusetts Ave., NW dccfh.org

Father McKenna Center // 202-842-1112 19 Eye St., NW fathermckennacenter.org

Patricia Handy Place for Women 202-733-5378 // 810 5th St., NW

Samaritan Inns // 202-667-8831 2523 14th St., NW samaritaninns.org

Behavioral Health Hotline Línea de salud del comportamiento

1-800-799-7233

Housing/Shelter Vivienda/alojamiento

// 15

1-888-793-4357 Laundry Lavandería

Samaritan Ministry 202-722-2280 // 1516 Hamilton St., NW 202-889-7702 // 1345 U St., SE samaritanministry.org

Sasha Bruce Youthwork // 202-675-9340 741 8th St., SE sashabruce.org

So Others Might Eat (SOME) // 202-797-8806 71 O St., NW some.org

St. Luke’s Mission Center // 202-333-4949 3655 Calvert St., NW stlukesmissioncenter.org

Thrive DC // 202-737-9311 1525 Newton St., NW thrivedc.org

Unity Health Care 3020 14th St., NW // unityhealthcare.org - Healthcare for the Homeless Health Center: 202-508-0500 - Community Health Centers: 202-469-4699 1500 Galen Street SE, 1500 Galen Street SE, 1251-B Saratoga Ave NE, 1660 Columbia Road NW, 4414 Benning Road NE, 3924 Minnesota Avenue NE, 765 Kenilworth Terrace NE, 555 L Street SE, 3240 Stanton Road SE, 3020 14th Street NW, 2700 Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SE, 1717 Columbia Road NW, 1313 New York Avenue, NW BSMT Suite, 425 2nd Street NW, 4713 Wisconsin Avenue NW, 2100 New York Avenue NE, 2100 New York Avenue NE, 1333 N Street NW, 1355 New York Avenue NE, 828 Evarts Place, NE, 810 5th Street NW

Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless 1200 U St., NW // 202-328-5500 legalclinic.org

JOB BOARD Community engagement specialist Howard University // Pleasant Plains This position supports activities, programs and services to increase engagement of communities in minority health and health disparities research. Knowledge of health disparities and experience with issues that put people at risk for poorer health such as homelessness, incarceration, intimate partner violence, and/or substance abuse is also highly helpful.

REQUIRED: A high school diploma or GED is required for this position. Exceptions may be granted with otherwise qualified candidates when a commitment to complete a GED within a certain time period is made in conjunction with acceptance of employment.

APPLY: tinyurl.com/howard-u-job

Awake overnight house monitor Wanda Alson Foundation Full-time and on-call // 11 p.m. - 7 a.m. // holidays required The Housing Monitor works to ensure that all LGBTQ youth who are residents of the Wanda Alston House are safe, supported, monitored and cared for respectfully. Sensitivity to the needs and problems of primarily black/African American LGBTQ young adults who are homeless, at risk for homelessness, and who have experienced trauma is preferred.

REQUIRED: None listed.

APPLY: tinyurl.com/wanda-alston-house-job

Shift leader CHOPT Full-time // Hours are variable and can mornings, evenings, weekends and holidays.

Shift leaders will prepare salads for CHOPT customers.

REQUIRED: None listed.

APPLY: tinyurl.com/chopt-job

The Welcome Table // 202-347-2635 1317 G St., NW. epiphanydc.org/thewelcometable

Barista/pastry server Farmers Fishers Bakers // Georgetown

Whitman-Walker Health 1701 14th St., NW // 202-745-7000 2301 MLK Jr. Ave., SE // 202-797-3567 whitman-walker.org

Part-time This position’s responsibilities include to prepare and serve hot and cold coffee and tea drinks and to warm and plate dessert items.

REQUIRED: None listed.

APPLY: https://tinyurl.com/farmers-fishersbakers-job

For further information and listings, visit our online service guide at StreetSenseMedia.org/service-guide

Hiring? Send your job postings to editor@StreetSenseMedia.org

I’ve been a Panther all my life

BY PIERRE JOHNSON, A.K.A. “ABDULLAH MUTAWAKKI SHAKOOR” // Artist/Vendor

F

ILLUSTRATION BY PIERRE JOHNSON

ighting for Black Power is part of my history. My dad was in the air force and when we moved to D.C. for his work when I was only seven years old, I started going to the Black Panther Party’s after-school program. I became a member of the Black Panther Party for Self Defense (BPP) when I was old enough. And when I was about 38 and the New Black Panther Party for Self Defense (NBPP) came around, I joined that too. I’m currently the local field marshal for the NBPP. We work with everyone, anyone that’s willing to uplift the overworked and underpaid Lumpenproletariat class.

[Editor’s Note: The New Black Panther Party, founded in 1989, is currently designated as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center for being a “virulently racist and antisemitic organization whose leaders have encouraged violence against whites, Jews and law-enforcement officers.” Some former leaders of the Black Panther Party, which was dissolved in 1982, have denounced the group and its use of the Panther name.

The author of this essay focuses on his personal goals and involvement in multiple Black Power organizations and is adamant that the local group he belongs to rejects hatred toward anyone and disavows NBPP national party leaders’ past comments against LGBTQ+ people and against Jewish people.]

Two college students founded the Black Panther Party in 1966 in Oakland, California. Their primary goal was to provide defense against police brutality and drive revolutionary change in the United States. Their platform included the right of Black people to determine their own destiny; the right to full employment, decent housing, and education; and the right to gain knowledge of themselves through their own history.

They also called for an end to police brutality, equal justice by their own peers, the exemption of Black people from all military service, immediate freedom for unjustly imprisoned Black people, and land and reparations. Can you dig it?

The Panthers quickly branched out to other major cities throughout the country in the ‘60s and ‘70s. In an effort to expand the membership and to counter negative press, the BPP worked hard at the community level, setting up breakfast programs for elementary school children, establishing health clinics and liberation schools, and collecting clothing for the poor. They served many people in need and attempted to create a positive image, but many Americans were troubled by the Panthers’ Marxist-Leninist politics and the support of the use of violence to protect Black people from unjustified attacks by police and others.

The movement was personal, my oldest two brothers were BPP members. There were some really big names throughout the national party, too: Mumia Abu-Jamal, Eldridge Cleaver, Fred Hampton, Alan Davis, Angela Davis, Geronimo Pratt and Afeni

Shakur, the mother of Tupac Shakur, to name a few. By 1969, the concept of Black Power engulfed a number of Black organizations and individuals who had otherwise felt hopelessness, despair, frustration, and outrage at the unwillingness of the United States to support its creed that all people are created equal.

“Black Power” as a phrase was first enunciated by Stokely Carmichael as he led the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). Soon, the slogan could be heard at almost every major protest, but it meant different things to different people. So much so that Carmichael and Charles Hamilton published a book the year after the BPP was formed to delineate the meaning of the phrase.

They said it is a call for Black people in this country to unify, to recognize their heritage, and to build a sense of community.

It is a call for Black people to begin to define their own goals, lead their own organizations, and support those organizations.

It is a call to reject the racist institutions of society and its values. We all must still actively seek this revolutionary change.

I further interpret Black Power to be a call to pull your pants up and look, walk, talk, and think like men and women if you want to be respected. It is a call to wake up from the pathetically self-disastrous somnambulism that is annihilating the future of our youth, a call to start taking on the responsibilities of adulthood. It is a call to rise and shine, so that we can rise and shine! It is a call to stop the violence! It is a call to respect all of humanity, no matter what color. It is a call to run the illegal drug industry out of our schools and our communities — to run it out of business. It is a call to clean up our nation and save our planet. It is a call to start from the bottom and work our way up. Is it a call to make a way out of no way. Can you dig it?

There were and still are many people and organizations, such as myself, keeping the Black Power movement alive today. Whether America can deal with its own historical reality or not, and end the U.S. government’s race-based fascism against its own people is yet to be seen. Ask yourself, what kind of condition will this world be in when we get old if the responsibility to run this new world and its system is passed down to this new generation?

The local New Black Panther Party is looking for men and women to uplift our communities and provide positive responsible role models and guidance for our youth. We go out to feed people experiencing homelessness, especially during this pandemic — just like we did in the BPP in the ‘60s. And every Monday I host our “Freedom or Death” radio show to let people know about this struggle. Our community needs programs that provide social, political, spiritual, academic, cultural and historical education.

The only way people can be misled is if knowledge and information is withheld, concealed, changed, or absent.

Many people get the wrong idea about revolution out of fear. Revolution should begin within each of us, first, to rehabilitate yourself against self-destruction. Revolution is rehabilitation against illiteracy, against racism, against deceit. It's the rehabilitation against hate and self-hate, the rehabilitation against hypocrisy and jealousy. Revolution is the rehabilitation towards love, respect, and unity of all nations as equal human beings — no matter what creed or heritage. The fact of the matter remains that we are all children of God.

Birdlai We set out som smoke fly tha kirk chims broke on fair JAZZ BY YARD (he spoke fromm th’ BOP), how woke offt whair yn dream wue can toke POT. Why, then to stroke ane air!

BY FRANKLIN STERLING Artist Vendor

WILLIAM GOTTLIEB / LIBRARY OF CONGRESS

Thank you for reading Street Sense!

From your vendor FEB. 24 - MARCH 9, 2021 | VOLUME 18 ISSUE 9

WWW.INSP.NGO

4 million READERS

Pierre Johnson (second-from-right) and other members of the New Black Panther Party drove 28 hours to visit Kansas City, Missouri, where the last survivor of the domestic terror attack on “Black Wall Street” in Tulsa, Oklahoma had escaped to in 1921.

PHOTO COURTESY OF PIERRE JOHNSON

Portrait of Charlie Parker, Tommy Potter, Miles Davis, and Max Roach, Three Deuces, New York, N.Y., ca.

August 1947. PHOTO COURTESY OF

9,000 VENDORS

100+

STREET PAPERS

35

COUNTRIES

24

LANGUAGES