03 06 2019 by Street Sense Media

VOL. 16 ISSUE 9

MARCH 6 - 20, 2019

Real Stories

Real People

COMMUNITY CELEBRATES NEW ‘ONE-STOP SHOP’ FOR HOMELESS SERVICES STREETSENSEMEDIA.ORG

@ STREETSENSEDC

suggested donation goes directly to your vendor

Real Change

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BUSINESS MODEL

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

supports your vendor, helping them to overcome homelessness and poverty

NO CASH? NO PROBLEM.

Pay vendors with the Street Sense Media app!

S TREET S ENSE M EDIA . ORG /A PP

AVA I L A B L E

VENDOR CODE OF CONDUCT

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

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. 5.

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

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Mary Coller Albert, Jeremy Bratt, Margaret Jenny, Brian Leonard, Jennifer Park, Reed Sandridge, Dan Schwartz, John Senn, Kate Sheppard, Aaron Stetter, Annika Toenniessen, Daniel Webber, Shari Wilson

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

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

Brian Carome

I agree to sell no additional goods or products when distributing Street Sense.

Eric Falquero

I will not distribute Street Sense under the infl uence of drugs or alcohol.

Jeﬀ Gray

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.

INTERESTED IN BEING A VENDOR? New vendor training: every Tuesday and Thursday // 2 p.m. // 1317 G St., NW

The Cover

The Street Sense Media Story, #MoreThanANewspaper

Street Sense Media artists Robert Warren and Reginald Black, who both belong to numerous homeless advocacy groups, tour D.C.’s new Downtown Day Services Center.

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 fi lm, 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 casemanagement services move people forward along the path toward permanent supportive housing. At Street Sense Media, we defi ne ourselves through our work, talents, and character, not through our housing situation.

PHOTO COURTESY OF REGINALD BLACK

VENDORS Shuhratjon Ahamadjonov, Dele Akerejah, Wanda Alexander, Gerald Anderson, Charles Armstrong, Katrina Arninge, Lawrence Autry, Charlton Battle, Lester Benjamin, Reginald Black, Rashawn Bowser, Clarence Branch, Debora Brantley, Andre Brinson, Laticia Brock, Donald Brown, Lawrence Brown, Elizabeth Bryant, Brianna Butler, Dwayne Butler, Melody Byrd, Antoinette Calloway, Anthony Carney, Alice Carter, Conrad Cheek, Anthony Crawford, Kwayera Dakari, Michael Daniels, Louise Davenport, James Davis, David Denny, Reginald Denny, Ricardo Dickerson, Patricia Donaldson, Nathaniel Donaldson, Ron Dudley, Jet Flegette, Jemel Fleming, Duane Foster, James Gatrell, Kidest Girma, Chon Gotti, Latishia Graham, Marcus Green, Barron Hall, Mildred Hall, Dwight Harris, Lorrie Hayes, Patricia Henry, Jerry Hickerson, Ray Hicks, Vennie Hill, James Hughes, Joseph Jackson, Chad Jackson, Fredrick Jewell, Henry Johnson, Mark Jones, Morgan Jones, Linda Jones, Reggie Jones, Darlesha Joyner, Jewel Lewis, John Littlejohn, Scott Lovell, Michael Lyons, William Mack, Marcus McCall, Jermale McKnight, Jennifer McLaughlin, Jeﬀ ery McNeil, Angela Meeks, Ricardo Meriedy, Kenneth Middleton, Amy Modica, Richard Mooney, L. Morrow, Collins Mukasa, Evelyn Nnam, Moyo Onibuje, Earl Parker, Aida Peery, Hubert Pegues, Marcellus Phillips, Jacquelyn Portee, Angela Pounds, Henrieese Roberts, Anthony Robinson, Chris Shaw, Gwynette Smith, Patty Smith, Ronald Smoot, David Snyder, Franklin Sterling, Warren Stevens, Beverly Sutton, Sybil Taylor, Archie Thomas, Shernell Thomas, Eric Thompson-Bey, Harold Tisdale, Jackie Turner, Joseph Walker, Michael Warner, Robert Warren, Sheila White, Angie Whitehurst, Sasha Williams, Robert Williams, Clarence Williams, Wendell Williams, Susan Wilshusen, Ivory Wilson

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF COMMUNICATIONS & SALES MANAGER VENDOR MANAGER

Gladys Robert

EVENTS & WORKSHOP MANAGER

Leila Drici

CASE MANAGER

Colleen Cosgriﬀ

WRITERS GROUP ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE

Willie Schatz

OPINION EDITORS (VOLUNTEER)

Rachel Brody, Arthur Delaney, Sara Reardon

ADVISORY BOARD

John McGlasson

EDITORIAL INTERNS

Grace Collins, Aaraon Raubvogel, Noah Telerski, Jordan Tobias

EDITORIAL VOLUNTEERS

Ryan Bacic, Jason Lee Bakke, Grace Doherty, Roberta Haber, Thomas Ratliﬀ , Mark Rose, Andrew Siddons, Jenny-lin Smith, Sarah Tascone, Jackie Thompson, KJ Ward

OFFICE SALES VOLUNTEERS

Miya Abdul, Bill Butz, Jane Cave, Emma Cronenwethe, Pete Clark, Orion Donovan-Smith, Maria Esposito, Roberta Haber, Ann Herzog, Bill Magrath, Alec Merkle, Nick Nowlan, Sarah O’Connell, Leonie Peterkin, e Versluysen, Natalia Warburton

STREETSENSEMEDIA.ORG

EVENTS

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NEWS IN BRIEF Security company replaced immediately after a man was stabbed at 801 East Men’s shelter

Devising Hope! Intergenerational Theatre March 12th @7:00 pm - 8:15 pm Busboys and Poets 14th and V (Langston Room)

March 13th @ 7:00 pm - 8:15 pm The Sycamore School, The Arlington Center, Suite 300, 4600 North Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA 22203 Street Sense Media is partnering with the Educational Theatre Company for a show performing a series of scenes and monologues that touch on some of the most integral aspects of the human experience: family, love, negative misconceptions, reaching one’s dreams, and the defi nition of ‘home’. This 75-minute staged reading is the product of theatre exercises and conversations shared between students and persons experiencing homelessness MONDAY, MONTH 11

UPDATES ONLINE AT ICH.DC.GOV

Gentrification and Cultural Displacement

D.C. Interagency Council on Homelessness Meetings

2:15 - 3:45 pm WASHINGTON HILTON HOTEL 1919 CONNECTICUT AVE NW

Housing Solutions Committee March 6, 1:30 pm // TBD * Most likely 1800 MLK Jr. Ave. SE

As part of the Just Economy Conference, Radix Consulting Roup, LLC will discuss where we see gentrifi cation and racial displacement taking place, factors that are used to identify gentrifi cation and how it both revitalizes and threatens communities. INFO: tinyurl.com/just-economy

Executive Committee March 12, 1:30 pm // TBD * Likely 441 4th Street NW

TUESDAY, MARCH 12

DHCD “Let’s Talk Housing” 6 - 8 pm // 1800 MLK Jr. Ave SE D.C. Department of Housing and Community Development, First Floor Conference Room Understanding your rights and responsibilities as a tenant or housing provider can be challenging. The Housing Regulation Administration (HRA) is here to help! This dialogue will cover the latest news from HRA divisions such as rental conversion and sale, rent control, inclusionary zoning, and more.

*Committee schedules only. For issue-focused working groups, contact ich.info@dc.gov.

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

AUDIENCE EXCHANGE Terry Bardagjy @TerryBardagjy

Finally downloaded the @streetsensedc app since I never have cash on me and always regret not supporting my local vendor. It’s so easy to use, y’all, there’s no excuse for not picking up a copy now! #SWDC 5:14 PM - 22 FEB 2019

Samuel Augustus Jennings Street Sense vendor loves Trader Joe’s ... Ron always greets me with a smile on his face and never tries to pressure me into buying his newspaper. 26 FEB 2019

A man was stabbed in a fi rst-fl oor restroom at the 801 East Men’s Shelter in the early morning hours of Feb. 12, according to separate reports from two shelter residents. As a result of the attack, Catholic Charities D.C., the nonprofi t contracted to run all city-funded lowbarrier shelters in the District, immediately replaced the security company at this site and all other locations where that company was in use. “The security fi rm for this facility, as well as others across the city, at the time of the incident, was a direct contractor of [The Community Partnership for the Prevention of Homelessness] and has been immediately removed and replaced,” according to a statement provided by Catholic Charities. Prince Security, the new company, started work on Feb. 14. According to Catholic Charities D.C., the incident is under investigation with support from the Metropolitan Police Department. However, MPD closed the case following an arrest on the night of the incident. The assailant was charged with assault with a deadly weapon and his pocket knife was confi scated. The police report says the assailant and the victim got into an argument while in the shelter restroom over a previous assault. After the victim was stabbed, he ran out to a common room and eventually out of the building, where he collapsed before medical personnel arrived. Protective Services Division oﬃ cers chased and detained the assailant until MPD arrived. A watch commander from the Protective Services Division, special police under the D.C. Department of General Services who protect all District government buildings, could not comment on this incident. The Community Partnership for the Prevention of Homelessness referred inquiries to the D.C. Department of Human Services. DHS did not respond to requests for comment. — aaron.raubvogel@streetsensemedia.org

DHS issued March SNAP payments early Per an announcement on DC.gov: “Due to the partial federal government shutdown at the beginning of the year, the District released February benefi ts early on Jan. 16. This was done to ensure that your benefi ts were issued before the window of access to funds closed. To account for February’s early issuance and in consultation with our federal partners, DHS decided to release the March benefi t slightly earlier. All customers who are receiving regular and ongoing SNAP benefi ts, whose cases are active, received March benefi ts on Feb. 26. ... There will be no other payments in March. SNAP benefi ts for April 2019 and the remainder of the year will return to its normal staggered issuance schedule between the fi rst and tenth day of the month.”

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NEWS

More than 40 people signed up to testify on homelessness at a D.C. Council oversight hearing BY AARON RAUBVOGEL aaron.raubvogel@streetsensemedia.org

s the D.C. Council prepares to review the mayor’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2020, a performance oversight hearing was held on March 1 to review the effectiveness of funds invested in the Interagency Council on Homelessness and the Department of Human Services in the previous year. The hearing, which was led by Councilmember Brianne Nadeau, a Democrat representing Ward 1 and the chairperson of the Committee on Human Services, began with witnesses testifying on behalf of the D.C. Interagency Council on Homelessness. Two people testified regarding the ICH, one public witness, Nechama Masliansky, a senior advocacy advisor from So Others Might Eat, and one governmental witness, Kristy Greenwalt, the director of the ICH. During her allotted 5 minutes before the council as a public witness, Masliansky suggested the ICH should g e t a l a rg e r staff so they are able to do more to combat homelessness in D.C. She also suggested doubling each family’s award Rachel Schultz from the Rapid Rehousing program in the FY 2020 budget. Greenwalt was on the stand for over an hour, like many agency representatives during the performance oversight process. She talked about how the Homeward D.C. Strategic plan is succeeding in reducing homelessness in the District, citing a 38 percent reduction in family homelessness over the past two years. In 2018, 2,500 families were provided with an emergency housing stipend to avoid shelter stay and an additional 1,300 families left the shelter system for good, Greenwalt said. She also testified that although

We need to “recognize our neighbors, the homeless, and make sure they have permanent supported housing.”

4,800 single adults have overcome homelessness, the annual point-intime count of the local homeless population has “remained flat.” In order to provide shelter to this static number of single adults, money for the redevelopment of the 801 East Men’s Shelter was included in the fiscal year 2019 budget. Following several rounds of questions from Nadeau, At-Large Councilmember David Grosso, a n d Wa r d 8 C o u n c i l m e m b e r Trayon White, Greenwalt left the witness table and testimony began regarding the D.C. Department of Human Services. More than 40 individuals signed up to add their experience with DHS to the public record. They testified on a multitude of issues, but the most common topics brought up were the need for more housing and reported mistreatment at the Virginia Williams Family Resource Center, where all families must apply to receive shelter and other assistance. At least three witnesses testified that the Virginia Williams staff refused to help them and their families because of lack of proper documentation and/or identification. People also said Virginia Williams has a lack of empathy for the people they are providing services to. One woman testified that she and her son were turned away because “he didn’t look disabled enough.” Several people, including a large contingent from Miriam’s Kitchen, pressed the committee to include $35.5 million to end chronic homelessness. This figure was circulated in a Feb. 25 email from The Way Home Campaign, saying “For $35.5 million, less than one half of one percent of DC’s overall budget, Mayor Bowser can provide housing to 1,140 individuals and 177 families experiencing chronic homelessness.” In her remarks to the D.C. Council, Rachel Schultz of Miriam’s Kitchen said, we need to “recognize our neighbors, the homeless, and make sure they have permanent supportive housing.”

Witnesses testify at the DHS-ICH Oversight Hearing BY AARON RAUBVOGEL

STREETSENSEMEDIA.ORG

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Middle schoolers asked to develop cities that are resilient to climate change also addressed poverty BY MARK ROSE Volunteer

orty-three teams of 11–13-year-olds from the U.S., Canada, and China gathered at the Hyatt Regency ballroom near Union Station for the finals of an annual international science, technology, engineering, and math competition on Feb. 19. They had been tasked with devising imaginary “future cities” that would stand up to natural disasters like floods and hurricanes. Using today’s cities as a starting point, participants implicitly also had to incorporate ways to serve low-income and impoverished people. After conducting their research, participants use SimCity brand software to develop their plans, expand on them in an essay, and build scale models. Many of the teams had already won state-wide or other smaller competitions in their areas. Members of the teams interviewed by Street Sense Media said they did not want low-income residents cast out of their imaginary cities, but included and respected in society. “We want to make sure the people of our city enjoy our city and have a healthy, happy life,” said a member of a team from Ontario, Canada. That team modeled their future city on Nagoya, Japan, on the Pacific Ocean coast, because it is resilient to natural disasters Students from Westerville, Ohio, explain their future city. // PHOTO COURTESY OF KRR PHOTOGRAPHY and floods. They planned to use renewable energy sources such as wind, ocean waves, and biomass to supply energy to the city. sure everyone’s in the same area and has good living space and “Everyone deserves an opportunity because everyone is To provide low-income housing, they built apartments environment,” the Westerville team said. useful and has talents,” one team member told Street Sense and condos. The apartment buildings are 20 stories and are A team from Reston, Virginia, used Port Vila, the capital Media. “[Participating] makes them feel useful.” built with high-efficiency lights and electricity, the student of the South Pacific island nation of Vanuatu, as their model Members of the Reston team said they wanted to avoid engineers said. The team planned for residential, commercial, because they wanted to explore its proximity to earthquakes. depression among elderly residents, so they planned to offer and industrial zones to be separated and for all buildings’ The team said in a telephone interview that Port Vila is number them meals on wheels. Aging residents in this group’s future foundations to be pile-reinforced to ward against collapse one on the United Nations’s risk report for being susceptible city would need to leave the building to eat, and that would in floods. to tsunamis. enable some social interaction for them so they wouldn’t get The middle schoolers from Housing is not stable there depressed, the students said. Ontario also said they built because it is made of wood These residential buildings would have low-income the structures with artificial that falls over in volcanic apartments spread out randomly within them, according to intelligence that uses sensors eruptions. The Vanuatu the team, so no single floor or building would become known to detect problems with the government also uses diesel for housing low-income individuals. The Reston students had electrical grid of their city. fuel, which is expensive. developed a three-tier taxing system to fund affordable housing, A team from Westerville, The Reston students said of which lower-income people would get the lowest tax rate. Ohio, modeled their city they would switch to coconut of the future on a city oil biofuel, which is cheaper. near Iceland because it is They would also build prone to a multitude of structures with strong metals, natural disasters, such as such as steel, and use crossearthquakes and volcanic bracing. They also planned eruptions, the team said. to put the foundations of all According to the students, the buildings in bedrock with apartment buildings in their rubber shock absorbers. Icelandic template city This team would give loware low-rise so they don’t income people vouchers for topple when a disaster housing, transportation, and strikes. The team built lowfood. Low-income people income housing throughout would have access to vertical Students from the Ontario, Canada. // PHOTO COURTESY OF KRR PHOTOGRAPHY Students from the Reston, Virginia. // PHOTO COURTESY OF KRR PHOTOGRAPHY their residential areas and gardens and fish farms in built homeless shelters near those areas so the residents the same apartment buildings where they live. In exchange A team from Lititz, Pennsylvania, won the grand prize would not feel cut off from the rest of the community. for work on the farms, citizens would receive free food. And for the 27th Annual Future City Competition. Students “People who live in poor areas shouldn’t have to be builders would be given permits for larger buildings if they from Huntsville, Alabama were awarded second place and separated because of their socio-economic class or made to include affordable housing within them. For example, in order a team from the JerseySTEM program, which has locations feel like they’re inferior,” a team spokesperson said. He added to construct a 20-story building, developers must include two throughout New Jersey, took third place. Each winning team that if low-income or homeless people were given separate floors of affordable housing, a team member wrote in an email. earned a scholarship for their school's STEM program, with housing, that housing would be known as “the low-income “We offer free job training, free child care, and unemployment the first prize winners from Pennsylvania also earning a trip building,” which is not fair to the residents. “We want to make insurance,” they wrote. to U.S. Space Camp.

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BUILDING COMMUNITY

Ms. Lydia is a one-time restaurant owner who now volunteers and who feeds everybody. While some participants “shopped,” others enjoyed a tasty spread that included Jamaican curry chicken, Dominican yellow rice, and homemade brownies. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN

Samaritan Ministry Caseworker Sofia Nalty with Ms. Yolanda, a formerly homeless client who now volunteers as a spokesperson for the program. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN

The unsung heroes at Samaritan Ministry are fighting the cold with kindness BY KEN MARTIN // Volunteer

On a cold Monday in January, as the polar vortex bore down on the northeastern United States, Samaritan Ministry of Greater Washington held a “Winter WarmUp” event at their Northwest D.C. office. The event is held annually at each Samaritan Ministry location to distribute warm clothing, a warm meal, and warm smiles to their program participants. While there I saw one of the District of Columbia’s unsung heroes in action. It was Ms. Annette Carver, social worker extraordinaire. Ms. Carver hates the spotlight. (Believe me, I will pay for this write-up.) But you should know what type of people are needed to make a village, well, a village! She and I go back a minute, even further than I thought. I won’t mention dates, but when I was a young man working at McKenna House on Park Road, she worked around the corner providing life-enhancing services at St. Stephen and the Incarnation Episcopal Church, which now houses Thrive D.C. and other nonprofits. Years later, she could be found at Samaritan Ministry providing the same as lead caseworker. When I lost my housing, Ms. Carver helped me to provide for my family. As a matter of fact, there were two Christmases that would have been very sparse without the aid of this angel. Both times, following the loss of income, I was struggling to maintain housing and reunite with my kids. This past holiday, our tree was adorned with ornaments they made years ago at a Samaritan Ministry holiday party. On a more current note, Sofia Nalty, a Samaritan

Ministry caseworker, keeps me on my toes with the Next Step Program as I prepare to restore/replace merchandise for my hat business. I am relying heavily on her cultural insight, knowledge of social media marketing, and corrective criticisms. She possesses wisdom and empathy that surpasses her years, some of which I suspect is from association with her unsung colleague. Ms. Nalty wrote in a post for the organization’s website, “No stomach was left empty or body unclothed. We look forward to next year’s warm-up and another opportunity for Samaritan participants and volunteers to come together. “Volunteers and staff rallied together early Monday morning and even over the weekend to move, sort, and fold all the clothing donated through Gifts for the Homeless, Inc. Many hands made light work!” Samaritan Ministry is one of the rare programs that I continue to trust. The staff and volunteers are sincere, positive, results-oriented, and empowering! They seek what we were taught to deliver when I was a Volunteers In Service to America (VISTA) volunteer so many years ago: Don’t seek statistics, seek positive outcomes! With veteran leadership like Ms. Carver to inspire them, Samaritan Ministry is demonstrating exactly what a community action program should reflect: ordinary people accomplishing extraordinary feats! Middle photo:Ms. Carver at the event, always helping.

A quite pleased couple now totally prepared for the upcoming arctic blast, thanks to Samaritan Ministry. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN

Volunteers and staff worked side-by-side with participants to sift through all the goods to find the right sizes and preferred colors. PHOTOS BY KEN MARTIN

STREETSENSEMEDIA.ORG

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CELEBRATING SUCCESS

Street Sense Media artist and vendor Sheila White in the Church of the Epiphany lobby. PHOTO BY ANGIE WHITEHURST

Morgan Jones is applying his newspaper sales experience to hand-crafted soap

PHOTO BY JANE CAVE // WWW.JANECAVEPHOTO.COM/

“Happiness is the warmth of cover from the cold!”

BY GREGORY ADAMS Digital Engagement Intern

organ Jones began selling the Street Sense Media newspaper, not because he had been experiencing homelessness, but because he had lost his job at a time when he was caring for his ailing brother and their elderly mother. This past summer, Jones began searching the internet for ways to increase his income. He came across a video of a woman making soap and became hooked. “I thought, ‘Hey, maybe I can do this,’” Jones recalls. “So, one day, I just decided to make it. I got the ingredients together, all the things I needed, and I just started making soap. It was kind of fascinating to me.” Jones believes soap-making might be beneficial to people who are seeking employment while experiencing homelessness, and he is quite clear about the need to give, sometimes, rather than sell. He believes cleanliness requires toiletries, and that he can help provide them to those who otherwise might not have access to it. “People don’t want anybody smelling bad around them. You have to have good hygiene to go to work.” When listening to Jones talk about the process of soapmaking, one gets the sense that there is much more meaning to his efforts. “When you make the soap in the molds, they’re beautiful, they’re like pieces of art. Some people buy it just to have in their bathrooms for decoration, or just for the beautiful smell,” he says. There is also much more to Jones than the entrepreneurial

efforts surrounding his soap-making. He credits some of it to Street Sense Media. In addition to selling the newspaper, he’s involved himself with other opportunities, including interviewing D.C.’s shadow representative, Franklin Garcia. “It’s been very good for me. It’s given me a chance to do movies. I’ve done two documentaries. I’m a producer over at DCTV.” Soap sales have been slow but Jones is encouraged by the support from Street Sense Media and Church of the Epiphany, where Street Sense Media’s offices are located. “Everybody’s trying to help me make soap and sell soap,” he says. In addition to his soap-making, Jones has other plans. “One of my long-term goals is to eventually have a community food bank for the vendors at Street Sense Media so that [vendors] can come in and have access to food.” He points out that food stamps only last for so long, and at the end of the month, some vendors might not have enough food. Jones also would like to help establish a credit union for vendors. “People need to know about how to start a bank account, need to learn how to sit down and talk to a banker, learn how to write checks, how to pay their bills on time,” he says. “That’s the type of thing that helps people grow, and it could be access to money, to getting housing and other things.” Jones says he remains with Street Sense Media to give himself something to do. “I really have nobody to take care of but me now.”

Angie Whitehurst Artist/Vendor

BIRTHDAYS Lorrie Hayes March 12 ARTIST/VENDOR

Patty Smith March 19 ARTIST/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

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NEWS

Department of Human Services Director Laura Zeilinger, DowntownDC BID Executive Director Neil Albert, Downtown Day Services Center Program Manager Tokyo Direkston, Mayor Muriel Bowser, D.C. Council Committee on Human Services Chair Brianne Nadeau, Ward 2 Councilmember Jack Evans and Pathways to Housing D.C. Executive Director Christy Respress take part in a ribbon cutting for the new day center. PHOTO BY JORDAN TOBIAS

Navigating homeless services is complicated. A new downtown center makes many of them available in one place. BY JORDAN TOBIAS jordan.tobias@streetsensemedia.org

The center brings all of the services people need together into one safe, welcoming, and digniﬁed space so we can help each person ﬁnd home, health, and hope. We are proud to be partners in this cutting-edge center! Christy Respress Pathways to Housing D.C.

new day center for individuals experiencing homelessness has opened its doors at the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church in the heart of downtown D.C. At a Feb. 25 ribbon-cutting ceremony, D.C. Department of Human Services Director Laura Zeilinger described the service hub as “a space not defined by fragmented programs.” That is a marked contrast to the situation that often arises. “I found [homeless services] challenging to navigate with clients,” Christian Howard, a former case manager, explained in an interview. “You’re going out into the community, picking up your clients, and transporting them to different organizations to get their needs meet.” And not everyone experiencing homelessness encounters someone like Howard, who is prepared to take them from one part of the city’s patchwork of services to the next. At the D.C. government’s new Downtown Day Services Center, however, homeless individuals can find everything in one place. Howard now supervises case managers for the downtown center, which is managed by the DowntownDC Business Improvement District and offers a variety of services provided by D.C. government agencies and their nonprofit partners, including Pathways to Housing D.C. She said she “loves the fact that the center is a one-stop shop,” mindful of the hardships she faced as a case manager. The center operates Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 1313 New York Ave. NW. Homeless individuals can get hot meals, do laundry, take a shower and accomplish other immediate needs on-site. They can also request help with critical needs for long-term stability, such as health care, housing, employment, and legal assistance. Unity Health Care physicians will provide an array of medical care during the week from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., except on Tuesdays. “If somebody has high blood pressure,

diabetes, or HIV, they can come here and we’ll prescribe their medications,” physician Catherine Crosland said. To be eligible for services, individuals only need to sign in at the front desk, where BID staff members in red vests greet them once they step off the elevator. However, people pursuing housing assistance will be asked to prove a history of chronic homelessness. While IDs are not needed to utilize the day services center, not having identification documents can make it virtually impossible to be hired or to receive benefits and housing assistance and ultimately escape homelessness. The Department of Motor Vehicles and the Department of Health’s Vital Records Division will have staff members at the center to assist clients with obtaining an ID.

A BID staff member greets Moyo, a Street Sense Media artist and vendor, as he visits the new facility. PHOTO BY JORDAN TOBIAS

STREETSENSEMEDIA.ORG

A Downtown Day Services Center common area in use on March 1, four days after the ribbon cutting ceremony. PHOTO BY JORDAN TOBIAS

Robert Warren, a Street Sense Media artist and vendor, checks out the haircut station that juts off rom the locker room where personal storage is available for patrons. Warren belongs to several advocacy organizations focused on ending homelessness, including the People For Fairness Coalition, which advocated for a day program for several years. PHOTO BY REGINALD BLACK

Specialized space at the new center includes private meeting areas that could be used with caseworkers or attorneys, heavy-duty laundry equipment and a high-speed computer lab. PHOTOS BY REGINALD BLACK

The center is expected to serve 100 clients per day, according to the Bowser administration. The new downtown facility fits into the city’s strategic plans to end long-term homelessness by 2020 and to reduce opioid deaths in the District by 50 percent by 2020. HIPS, an organization best known for providing safe sex kits in the city, oversees distribution of the opioid reversal package naloxone free of charge at the center. When the city announced in August that it would spend $1.7 million to establish the center, the mayor had planned for a Nov. 1 opening to coincide with the start of “hypothermia season,” when falling temperatures become much more likely to threaten individuals’ health and safety. Issues such as asbestos abatement, however, contributed to delays in the construction work inside the church basement where the center is located. The DowntownDC BID previously operated a day center for people experiencing homelessness from 1998 to 2007 at First Congregational United Church of Christ at 10th and G streets NW, according to the BID’s website. The center was closed when the church was renovated and did not reopen in the new space. More recently, First Congregational began hosting a drop-in center for homeless youth in partnership with the BID and Sasha Bruce Youthwork. In the absence of a downtown service center, advocates for the homeless community have highlighted the urgency of opening a replacement facility. While city officials acknowledged the need, a new downtown space was not readily identified. In 2015, the District government launched a day center in Ward 5 next to the Adams Place Emergency Shelter that is still in operation. The on-site services were well-received, though the location was inconvenient to some potential users.

A year before the Adams Place day center opened, the D.C. Public Library hired a social worker to coordinate human services throughout the library system, whose branches are regularly used by homeless patrons. The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library at 9th and G streets NW — at the other end of the block from First Congregational Church — served as a de facto day center for years, with attorneys and nonprofit outreach workers maintaining a regular presence there and the city’s shuttle van system for shelter residents operating an official stop outside. When the library closed in 2017 for a yearslong renovation project, pressure increased to implement an official downtown daytime service center. “We, who go home to our home, beds, showers and coffeemakers every single day can’t fully appreciate what it’s like not to have that sense of security for the basics of life,” Mayor Muriel Bowser said at the ribbon-cutting. “This is a one-stop [shop] to get people on a pathway to a permanent home.” In fiscal year 2019, Bowser’s administration committed $167.6 million to projects that create or preserve affordable housing in the city. At the Feb. 25 event, Ward 1 Councilmember Brianne Nadeau requested an increase of $26 million in fiscal year 2020 to end chronic homelessness in the District. The mayor will release her proposed budget for fiscal year 2020 this month. It will then undergo review and revisions by the D.C. Council, with final votes scheduled for May 14 and 28. Before the council’s vote, members of the public can comment on the mayor’s proposal. A hearing for the human services budget is scheduled for April 10 while the budget for housing will be reviewed on April 11. This article was co-published with The D.C. Line.

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Main photo: The Unity Health Care waiting room. PHOTO BY JORDAN TOBIAS Top-left corner: The Unity Heatlh Care signage. PHOTO BY REGINALD BLACK

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OPINION

The mayor’s most recent budget forums failed to engage BY ERICKA TAYLOR

This column was first published by The D.C. Line on March 1. Every February since taking office in 2015, Mayor Muriel Bowser has held a series of public events with the stated purpose of allowing D.C. residents to give meaningful input into the District’s budget. Billed as “Budget Engagement Forums,” the mayor’s annual trio of public budget presentations was anything but “engaging” this year. As a longtime D.C. resident, organizer and advocate, I see these forums as a huge missed opportunity for valuable and substantive conversations about our priorities as a city and how we allocate our resources. Every year, hundreds of D.C. residents show up, filing in to sit at tables with neighbors and fellow Washingtonians, with a broad and diverse cross section of the city represented at each forum. Some are there to discuss funding for their issues or concerns, others to learn more about the budget process. These forums could accomplish all of these goals — receiving and curating public input, educating residents, and giving everyday people a chance to speak their truth to power. Instead, these events have allowed fewer and fewer opportunities for real public input and more for scripted pitches from high-ranking government officials, framing our budget as a zero-sum game of scarcity amid competing priorities. I attended the mayor’s Feb. 21 budget forum at the Arthur Capper Community Center — the others took place in the ensuing days at Deanwood Recreation Center and Roosevelt High School — both as a concerned Ward 6 resident and as organizing director for the D.C. Working Families Party. Along with dozens of others, I was there to ask the mayor to include $30 million in her budget for the Birth-to-Three for All legislation that passed the D.C. Council unanimously last year. Unaffordable child care and racial and economic inequities in maternal and child health are among the biggest challenges we face as a city, and funding for this legislation would help address these problems. I’ve had my critiques of these forums in the past, but I

Activists stand outside the Arthur Capper Community Center on Feb. 21 ahead of a 6:30 p.m. budget engagement forum for fiscal year 2020. PHOTO BY REGINALD BLACK

was shocked that the format this year scrapped a longstanding exercise allowing each individual and every table of residents, as a group, to draft their own budget based on information about current funding levels for different priorities. While this exercise was flawed — it didn’t allow for raising additional revenue and tried to pigeonhole the budget into a handful of preordained categories — it encouraged robust conversation about priorities and funding levels. This time, that exercise was replaced with an invitation to vote live online in multiple-choice polls with packaged and prescribed answers. More than an hour — the majority of the forum’s substantive time — was spent on speeches by the mayor and her deputies, more focused on touting accomplishments from the past year than sharing a broad vision for how to tackle the biggest problems we face as a city. The budget was repeatedly framed as an overwhelmingly complex process, where new programs or legislation could only be funded at the expense of others. The core message was that the budget is too complicated for you regular people to understand,

Reparations: Fool's Gold BY JEFFERY MCNEIL

I have never supported reparations for slavery. While I believe African Americans were historically discriminated against, some of us have made peace and moved on. While there was a wrong committed, the problem is the people advocating for reparations are mostly Black professionals that are doing better economically than most whites. While black poverty is America’s albatross, reparations suggest Black people are incapable of bettering their circumstances without the help of whites. When it comes to injustice and discrimination, I have always believed that had African Americans followed the lead of Jackie Robinson, maybe race relations would be different in America. When Jackie Robinson

became the first Black ballplayer in Major League Baseball, he didn’t ask for special treatment -- he decided to let his performance speak for him. When Robinson first came to the Brooklyn Dodgers, white people didn’t want him playing on his team. Fans booed and heckled him and opposing coaches such as Philadelphia Phillies manager Ben Chapman threw black cats on the field to intimidate him. Pretty soon the fans learned Robinson was playing a brand of baseball never seen before — he was stealing home plate, making acrobatic catches and winning games. Soon the same people that said they didn't want to be his teammate saw a man of color help them take on their biggest rival, the New York Yankees, when the Dodgers won the pennant in 1955.

and whatever you’re here to advocate for will take away from something else. Near the end, with about 30 minutes left, attendees were finally encouraged to share their thoughts on the budget with others at their table, prompted by the question: “What would you cut to pay for your priority?” Gone were the handouts providing specific details on how much funding went to various priorities, replaced with a brief PowerPoint presentation. Again, the idea of raising revenue by taxing the biggest businesses and wealthiest Washingtonians was off the table unless an attendee initiated that topic. At the very end, representatives from a handful of tables were allowed to report back to the whole room on their discussion. This approach underestimates the ingenuity and intelligence of D.C. residents. You don’t have to be a budget wonk to understand that the way we spend our money should reflect our values and our priorities. D.C. residents deserve real, meaningful input into our budget process, and not just three cursory events a month before the mayor unveils her proposal. The mayor herself pointed out that the budget process began last fall when she asked her agency heads for estimates of their funding requirements for the next fiscal year. This means the government’s most visible public engagement comes about five months into a six-month-long budget formulation process. I sincerely hope that in future years, the mayor makes an effort to give people more insight and input earlier in the process. I also hope that the mayor and her staff took note of the numerous groups that came out to make their voices heard — including dozens of residents supporting Birth-toThree for All, the Fair Budget Coalition platform, expanded homelessness services, increased funding for legal aid for undocumented immigrants, and more — and support those important priorities in this year’s budget proposal. Ericka Taylor is the organizing director of D.C. Working Families Party and a Ward 6 resident. She has worked in D.C. for two decades in organizing and advocacy, including as the former executive director of the Fair Budget Coalition.

This attitude of not wanting preferential treatment in favor of knowing where one stands extends beyond baseball. African Americans in the entertainment industry were historically discriminated against but instead of complaining about racism, they took what opportunities were available. An argument could be made the African Americans who played the roles of Mammy, Bojangles and Stepin Fetchit opened the door for Sammy Davis Jr, who opened the door to Nat King Cole, who paved the way for Sidney Poitier and Denzel Washington. Throughout history there has been a segment of Black elites handpicked by the white establishment to be spokespeople for the Black race. I don’t know where this compensatory mindset comes from and who appointed people such as Kamala Harris and Cory Booker to speak for me. I don’t want their reparations. Freedom is our god given birthright — it is not

negotiable. I have no interested in being cared for or ruled under any price. Racism didn’t stop blacks from being Tuskegee Airmen or from becoming doctors, lawyers, business owners and professionals. When African Americans ran into unscrupulous white owners that robbed and exploited them, Barry Gordy came up with Motown. There was Stax records, and James Brown formed his own production company while Don Cornelius came up with Soul Train. Where did this mindset come from that Blacks are incapable of doing things for themselves? Reparations would not not help. It would confirm that the worst stereotypes about African Americans — that we as a race are inferior and unable to survive unless we are helped. Jeffery McNeil is a Street Sense Media artist and vendor who also writes for the Washington Examiner.

STREETSENSEMEDIA.ORG

What to do when you become homeless

6. Find a way to deal with your anger. Some people go into shock and shut down. Others become indignant and bitter, thinking “this isn’t supposed to happen to me” or “I’m not like ‘one of those’ people.” Denial makes it harder to deal with the truth: You are homeless. Talk with a professional counselor, minister or therapist about your experiences. Talk therapy helps. It is extremely important to take care of your mental health. 7. Practice gratitude. If you don’t appreciate what you already have, you will never be satisfied. At the end of the day, think of all the BY PAULA DYAN good that happened to you. Thank the Universe. Thank the Lord. Tap into the Divine light within Many of us see the warning signs before we you. Be your best. become homeless. Yet homelessness can happen 8. Share whatever you have. Support one suddenly. Rent eats up 30 to 50 percent of most another. Sharing makes life easier. It’s also Earthpeople’s salary, so perhaps one month, you fall friendly. When you share, there’s an abundance behind. Then two months go by, and you can’t in the Universe that blesses everyone. seem to catch up. Most of us are only one or 9. Plan for what you need: water, two paychecks away from being homeless. bathroom, shower, laundromat, meals, shelter, A catastrophe could push us over the edge: an clothing, medical care, telephone, computer, illness, hospitalization, government shutdowns, transportation, a place to hang out during the domestic abuse, addictions, mental health day (day program, library, etc.), a place to sit issues, divorce, incarceration. Even bad weather for a couple of hours, a way to get your mail or can put us on the streets: hurricanes, fires, check your email, a gym, mental health therapy floods, freezing weather, heat waves, tornadoes. (for depression and trauma), an income (Street Many of us could well become nomadic or Sense vendor?), a social worker/case manager homeless within the next 5-10 years because and maybe a legal aid lawyer. And think of of climate change. where you will find them. But there are some strategies 10. Make a list of your If they can't help, to deal with homelessness: people resources. This includes ask who can. If 1. Visit the DC/OTA when friends, family, community you're two months behind services, and acquaintances. in rent. An elderly friend of they say "no,” call Will they let you stay with them mine who fell behind on rent back and talk with two weeks or more? If so, let payments found help with the them know how you’re actively Office of the Tenant Advocate someone else. Often working to move out on your at 2000 14th Street NW. The own. Help with chores around staff can explain your rights as "no" means maybe. the house. Create a “tribe” a tenant, help with landlordof friends, says Street Sense Always appeal. tenant disputes, as well as give Media fundraiser Judith, to eat you resources to stay in your with and to help protect one Never give up. apartment. Johanna Shreve, another. Other homeless people chief tenant advocate of OTA, have a wealth of information. is an unsung hero; she and Introduce yourself. Attorney General Karl Racine have convinced 11. Figure out shelter. Will you stay in landlords to be more responsible and have a shelter, transitional housing or halfway made it much easier for tenants to get security house, or rent your own place with a friend? deposits back. 12. Eat healthy meals and snacks like oatmeal, 2. Prepare for eviction. While you’re looking yogurt, fruit, vegetables, canned or fresh fish, for help with back-rent, use the time to store nuts, seeds and berries. Eat at least one hot meal your belongings and look for a new place to a day, preferably breakfast. A tip: 7-11s have stay. Use your people as resources. It is OK to microwave ovens near the coffee stand. ask for help. 13. Carry a water bottle and refill it at meal 3. Breathe and drink fluids. To control programs, library, and government buildings. the tendency to panic, breathe in slowly 14. Use hotlines when you need them. through your nose, hold it, and exhale slowly Call CPEP Crisis Line at 202-673-9319. through your mouth. Allow yourself to relax. Call ACCESS Helpline at 888-7WE-HELP Do this several times when you’re feeling for therapy and case management. The scared, overwhelmed or angry. Once an hour, D.C. Department of Human Services has an throughout the day, drink 8 ounces of water, excellent resource list: dhs.dc.gov/service/ juice, punch, tea or soup. The deep breathing resources-dhs. Also see the Interfaith Council and hydration calm your body, making it easier of Metropolitan Washington's interactive to think more clearly. You can stay in control. Emergency Services Directory for meals and 4. Get 7 to 9 hours of sleep. Get your own other services within the DMV area at ifcmw. lightweight blanket or sheet. org. Call the mayor’s call center at 211 for 5. Shower at least twice a week to avoid information on social programs. Call the getting lice, fleas, bedbugs or maggots. shelter hotline at 202-399-2093 or 311 when

it gets too cold to stay outside. When you find a resource, call first to confirm the hours and location. 15. Get a case manager. They can help you find affordable housing, assist with applications and guide you through the bureaucratic process. However, you should do the legwork if you want a say-so in what you get. Tell them what you need. If they can't help, ask who can. If they say "no,” call back and talk with someone else. Often "no" means maybe. Always appeal. Never give up. 17. Write down your goals. Vanessa HicksEdwards, a case manager with D.C. Office on Aging, says, “The first three months are crucial. Don’t wait for someone to rescue you. Plan your days.” This includes listing immediate and long-term goals. 18. Make sure to keep important IDs with you. Keep your DMV ID and Social Security card along with your SmarTrip card in a holder around your neck. Keep money, your ATM card, health insurance cards and food stamp cards in a fanny-pack. Store all your other documents, passports, diplomas and other important papers with family or in your Case Manager's office. Here are some agencies that offer meals and have case managers: • Epiphany Church, 1317 G St, NW 7:45 am, Sun. • Church of the Pilgrims // 2201 P St, NW (left side entrance), 1-2 pm, Sun. • Thrive DC, 1525 Newton St., NW 8:30-11 am, Tues.-Fri. (women, children, men) 3:30 pm, Sun.-Thu. (women & children only); • Miriams Kitchen // 2401 Virginia Ave, NW 6:30-8 am and 4:45-5:45 pm, Mon.-Fri. • Charlie’s Place, 1830 Connecticut Ave, NW 6:30-7:30 am, Tues.-Fri. // 8 am, Sat. • SOME (So Others Might Eat), 71 O St, NW 7 - 8 am and 11 am - 1 pm, Mon.- Fri. • Bethany Day Program for Women 1333 N St, NW // 9:15 am, Mon.-Fri. • Foundry Methodist Church, 1500 16th St, NW // 9 a.m. Fri. • Friendship Place, 4713 Wisconsin Ave, NW 1-3 pm, Mon., Wed., Thu. • Downtown Day Services Center, 1313 New York Ave, NW // 10 am - 4 pm, Mon.-Fri.

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Martin's Footsteps BY MARCUS GREEN

Martin Luther King, Jr. was sent by God to show people of all colors how to love one another. He reminded us that hatred is a taught behavior and when it occurs, one's belief system grows warped. Truth and love always prevail over hate. You treat people as you would be treated yourself. Myself, I'm old school. My father whipped me for bullying, teasing or making fun of classmates. But kids today are so disrespectful to their parents, their teachers, their classmates...everybody. I try to be an example of a productive member of society. Most of the time, when I see someone behaving disrespectfully, I'll say something and give that person the glare of a disapproving parent or grandparent. And I know that no matter what your color, your gender, your sexual preference or your race, you deserve love and respect. Thank you all for your support. Be blessed and be a blessing to someone else. Marcus Green is an artist and vendor with Street Sense Media.

Paula Dyan experienced homelessness for seven years when she was younger. She has worked with the homeless community for the last 15 years. Now she is retired and continues to advocate for homeless people.

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.

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ART

Treading the Waters, PART 15

BY GERALD ANDERSON Artist/Vendor

When we were last with Gerald he was getting out of juvenile in New Orleans and had just learned that his old crew, including his best friend Greg, had gone to prison for a string of robberies...

heard a lot of rattin’. They were trying to say my man Greg was rattin’. I’m like, “D***, man.” But then I’m on the street, and they’re in. They in the big jail, you know, where the hard offenders go. And I’m about to come home from juvenile. I’m like, “D***, boy, if I’d a got caught with them n***s, I’d be gone. Boy, I’m glad I didn’t get in the car. I got in the car a few times to roll, but…”. So after they got they time and shit, I heard my man Greg was in the parish jail, OPP. I get the word from the deputies. With me being a street dude, I could go around the jail and ask some of the deputies what happened. They’d tell me. Now, I can’t go in the jail, but I can see one of the deputies like at a hamburger place, Taco Bell, a restaurant. You might see some of them fools in the ghetto. Out the hood. One deputy, he stay right across the street. And he was a rank. He was a big rank. He was SID. He’s the type of guy that, in the jail, if you act crazy, they bring you back. They punish you. They call it the Body Offender’s Shop. They break you up. We called ourselves the rat pack, but they was the real rat pack. SID is a terrible, terrible, terrible people you don’t want to deal with. What I mean is, they handle they business. They tell you they coming to get you, they coming to get you. Out the jail. Like you might be in there cutting up or something, whatever. SID is the one that come search the jail. They’ll come to the prison gate and say, “A2. LISTEN UP. THIS IS WHAT’S GOING ON.” And you might be still talking. “MOTHERF***ER, I KNOW WHOEVER BACK THERE TALKING--. WE ABOUT TO PULL YOUR A**.” Everybody’s quiet. You can hear a rat pissing. The big rats they have in the jail, you can hear them motherf***ers. “WE BE BACK UP HERE AT ONE O’CLOCK IN THE MORNING, MOTHERF***ERS.” That’s how they talk, they don’t sugar coat it. “TO TEAR THIS MOTHERF***ER DOWN. AND WHOEVER GOT A F***IN’ KNIFE--CAN-KNIFE, WHATEVER--I DON’T GIVE A F*** WHAT KIND OF KNIFE. THROW THE BI***ES IN THE HOLE. EVERYTHING. CAUSE IF WE FIND IT, WHOEVER IN THEM CELLS, YOU KNOW WHAT TIME OF DAY IT IS.” What they mean by that is they give you heads up to throw your knives out in the hole. Don’t try to hold a toothbrush or nothing. Throw it. As long as they don’t see you throw it, they can’t give you a charge. You see knives you ain’t never think you see, in that joint. You see big old screwdrivers. You see some sh** in that jail. So I’m thinking about my man Greg. I’m like, “D***”. And I was scared when I was in the juvenile, like they might come get me. N****s might say I be riding with them. Cause when rats rat, they rat. To be continued. You can read past parts of Gerald’s “Treading the Waters” series at www.streetsensemedia.org/Gerald-Anderson. His first book, “Still Standing,” based on his previous series, is available on Amazon.com.

I would like more help BY CORNELL FORD Artist/Vendor

I promise promise promise I wish I wish I wish I could go on like this But none of it will exist I can say ‘til I'm blue in the face that I would like more help More support A better way to achieve But I am and have always been My best support I am the first born of my parents’ children. I attended eight or nine middle schools. I was never held back for poor grades. I passed the first time through and was hoping for higher heights. So I hoped to join the Air Force to fly the F-16 fighter jets. But I got derailed again. I was disqualified at MEPS, where you go to take physical for the military. The next step would have been San Antonio-bound for Physical Training, but I was outed at the crucial part. Did that deter me? I think not. I have the drive to continue even when there is nowhere to turn. I graduated from high school and moved back to DC. I was in North Carolina, which is where I was born. I was discouraged at first because I did not have a backup plan. Flying fighter jets was my lifetime dream. To be turned down because I'm one-sided. My friends still have a name they call me. If you know me, you know the name. Anyway, I moved back to DC. I got to D.C. and put in application after application. There was a McDonald's that took a chance on me. I didn’t have any experience but I learned quick. So quick, in fact, that I was placed in the manager training program. I moved up and became crew trainer. It didn't take long; I was there for three months. Then I got a call from the then-long distance company (MCI) Treasury services.

I had a major account that I was in charge of. So I worked part-time for McDonald's, since they originally took a chance on me, and I didn't want to have them think I was not grateful. So I'm downtown in D.C. working in a suit, and then I go to Maryland to close the McDonald's store at night. I didn't stop there. I worked for both companies for two to three more years before I went back to school. I received a programmer certificate and an accounting certificate, COS certified. So I was offered another position inside the long distance company in Human Resources. I accepted. The pay was incredible. I was feeling unstoppable. For years it went on like this. I showed my resume to other companies; they were always interested in me. Things got boring I needed a challenge I didn't know what that was gonna be. I just sort of meandered from company to company. After those first five years, I dabbled in a lot of different positions, ranging from the American Red Cross to GSA. I changed fields a few times, only to be made to feel like I wasn't doing enough. So, to fast forward to today, I still have drive and ambition to challenge myself. But kidney cancer halted me this time. I was attending Columbus State community college and working as a contractor for three companies plus Greyhound as a baggage handler. I still have the drive, but I'm not as well as I would like to be. I'm slower now. The pain is sometimes unbearable. I am trying to attend American University in the fall and continue this story with a better conclusion. Something other than what I have now. Support those you second guess. You never know that person's plight. To be continued.

Something Clever BY KEDIST GIRMA // Artist/Vendor

Let there be no fussing The wind keeps pressing Let it ease Let it halt a conversation to start The teeth that greet Met those dancing feet The bareness of its stride The clicks of its hills

And the silence of the sandals Laid gently low under the lit-up evening candles The day has gone old Now the conversation is to be told They depart with a smile While their memories walk many miles

STREETSENSEMEDIA.ORG

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Haiku II

(In Chinatown) BY FREDERIC JOHN // Artist/Vendor

Golden arches slap— Surround the sound Clinking lucre la-da; But where is the Plata? [Chip away ice, perhap!]

A Musical Experience:

The Blues Brothers, part 1 BY CONRAD CHEEK JR. Artist/Vendor

PHOTO BY CONRAD CHEEK JR, ARTIST/VENDOR

he great thing about The Blues Brothers, in my because it incorporates audience participation to repeat the opinion, is that their music reminds me of good chorus that Calloway sings. As the chorus becomes more times, great people, and special events during the difficult, the majority of the audience is stumped by the nextcourse of my life. Starting with my first week in to-last chorus, after they attempt to sing it, they let out a loud high school, in September 1969, and stretching as roar. When the song was finished, there was an even louder far as the many jobs that I had until 1990. roar, cheering, laughter and applause. I majored in Laboratory Techniques in order to After I saw this performance on cable at a later time, I go to McKinley Technical High School. I attended a pep rally understood why Mr. Green sang “Hi De Hi De Hi De Hey!” that first week I was there, and what I experienced was truly with such enthusiasm. awesome. This was the first time that I heard, saw and felt the The funny part of the lyrics of this song is “....She had a vibrations, sounds and spectacle of a live African American million dollars’ worth of nickels and dimes; She sat around marching band, with majorettes dancing and twirling their and counted them all a million times!” batons to the music as the lights on the stage About eight years later, I was working were changing colors in sync with the sounds. at UCLA Medical Center in the Clinical This was the ﬁrst That was a “wow” moment for me. One Engineering Department. One of my time I heard, saw, of the songs they played was “Gimme responsibilities was to maintain the mass Some Lovin’” by Steve Winwood, Spencer spectrometer for the Respiratory Intensive and felt the Davis and Muff Winwood. I didn’t hear and Care Unit. This machine would monitor and understand the lyrics to the song until I got vibrations, sounds, display the carbon dioxide that the patients The Blues Brothers CD (they covered it), but were exhaling. (If they weren’t exhaling the way the marching band played the tune and spectacle of a live carbon dioxide, they weren’t breathing!) with the horn section providing the bass line My contact for the RCU worked for the African American was very impressive. They were great! Respiratory Therapy Department. Somehow My second experience with a song on the we got on the subject of The Blues Brothers. marching band ... CD was in 1980 when I was working as a And I distinctly remember him singing “Sweet That was a “wow” senior biomedical engineering technician. Home Chicago” on several occasions. During I was truly blessed to have the privilege of that time in my life, my mind was so inundated moment for me. working under the guidance of Mr. Cecil with my responsibilities that I was unable to P. Green. I consider him as “The Master.” relax and enjoy the pleasure of the artistic During the Jimmy Carter administration, Mr. beauty that this composition gives me today. Green was the architect of the biomedical These days, I enjoy the singing and the engineering curriculum that I completed at George Washington instrumental solos, starting with the lead guitar, baritone University. While I was working under his tutelage, the United saxophone, the trombone, the tenor saxophone and then the Nations asked him to go to the Caribbean and South America piano. And as The Blues Brothers build it up to a crescendo, to make recommendations for what each country would need the trumpet and possibly the tenor sax take the accent to a to advance the medical services of their hospitals. higher level. Those guys sound great! One day, we were talking about music and somehow Cab I can still hear the music in my head when I ride public Calloway became the focus of our conversation. Mr. Green transportation these days, as other people may wonder why shared with me that he had seen Calloway perform when he I seem so happy. was in Europe, I believe (it was so long ago). He then began to With all of the troubles that confront me in my daily life, sing the scat lyrics from “Minnie the Moocher” with so much I feel that I’m blessed to take time out each day to enjoy the glee that I got the feeling that he had witnessed an impressive positive things and what’s left of my life. performance that was stuck in his memory. “Hi De Hi De Hi To be continued. You can read all episodes from Conrad’s “A Musical De Hey!” he sang with a smile. Experience” series at www.streetsensemedia.org/Conrad-Cheek. This song, also covered by The Blues Brothers, is so special

My public bathroom BY ANDRE BRINSON Artist/Vendor

Not long ago my daughter wanted to eat at the Potbellys on 14th Street NW because she remembered the great time she had dancing with the band that had played the previous time she had been there. Oh, what an evening it turned out to be. Not exactly what I had planned. My family and I entered the store with shopping bags in our hands. After sitting at the table, I went to the counter to order. Then, pow! Nature kicked in. I asked the cashier, who was talking to her co-worker about a topic that had nothing to do with customer service, for the bathroom key. "You have to buy something," she said as she turned to me. "My family is sitting right there in front of you," I responded. When I asked for her name, she gave me a fake one. I snapped my fingers and said "let's go" to my family. Then I took out my phone. The cashier apparently thought I was going to take a picture or something. Then all hell broke loose. With the register open, the cashier ran from behind the counter to call some supposedly tough guy outside the store to come and hurt me. I never discovered how tough he might have been because the security guards came and defused the situation. I was very glad to see them because I was worried about my family. Remember, this all came about because I wanted to use the bathroom and the cashier wouldn't let me. As unpleasant as this experience was for my family, it taught my daughter an important lesson: don't fear the world; just keep your guard up and be ready at any time.

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FUN & GAMES Sudoku #3 3

Super-Tough Sudoku by KrazyDad, Volume 1, Book 1

4 5 8 3 2 5 1

Prior to becoming a ward of the State in 1995, I was living with my mother and grandmother in a one-bedroom apartment around Northeast, D.C. My mother was a single parent with three children. When I was young, I was separated from my two sisters, who ended up being adopted by other families. I was the only child left to see my grandmother die from cancer in 1996 and to see my mother become a serious drug addict. © 2013 KrazyDad.com Super-Tough Sudoku by KrazyDad, Volume 1, Book 1 My mother and I walked the streets of D.C. every night Sudoku #2 bumming for change, not for food SUDOKU: Fill in 3 4 9 1 6 2 7 5 8 or shelter but for crack. The only the blank squares so that each row, 8 5 1 3 4 7 2 6 9 meal we could afford was packaged each column and noodles. I became so sick from 2 7 6 8 5 9 1 3 4 each 3-by-3 block eating those noodles all the time. contain all of the 7 1 8 5 3 6 9 4 2 When I did not eat noodles, I did digits 1-9. 5 6 2 9 7 4 3 8 1 not eat at all. I didn’t even start school until 9 3 4 2 8 1 5 7 6 I was six years old because I was LAST 6 9 7 4 2 3 8 1 5 always in the streets with my EDITION’S 4 2 5 7 1 8 6 9 3 mom. She was so dazed from PUZZLE SOLUTION >> the drugs she couldn’t even help 1 8 3 6 9 5 4 2 7 me with my homework. By the

2 9 4 4 2 2 3

scratch area

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

4 3 1 7 3 8 4 2

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

4 1

7 6

4 1

5 9

2 3 8

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

In the Midst of Shadows

BY MARCUS MCCALL Artist/Vendor First draw your curves, then plot your data.

Giving up the streets for a better life and a smarter me

BY LATICIA BROCK // Artist/Vendor

time I was eight years old, I was selling crack myself and was also dropping in and out of school. A year later I was finally removed from my mother’s care and met my first social worker, who placed me in my first foster home. A year after being placed in my first foster home, I was moved again, to be placed in kinship care with my cousin. Living with my cousin was like being an adult at a young age. I always had to cook, clean, and babysit. It all had me depressed. There were times when I wanted to run away from all the drama. There were times when I just wanted to kill myself over all the pain I was going through. So, I went back to hustling with my mother and chased the block. I also started smoking marijuana and stopped going to school. I did not realize the importance of school at that time, because my goals were to make fast money to survive on my own.

In the midst of shadows Gunshots rang out, But your body wasn’t there. In the midst of shadows They hit you, why don’t the Streets play fair? In the midst of shadows All they worry about is 10 dang dollars. In the midst of shadows Why was it my brother, Who hollered.? In the midst of shadows Why can’t you all play fair? In the midst of shadows, How did my brother Junior get killed around Mayfair. I’m tired of you all Picking up those guns. Instead of picking up guns, Pick up action And tell your own kids How a book can be fun.

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.

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JOB BOARD Customer Service Associate Washington, D.C. // Part Time Patrick’s Pet Care This position is responsible for visiting houses in the area to care for pets. Duties include walking dogs, using technology, and interacting with owners. REQUIRED: Flexible 10 - 40 hr/week availability, Apple or Android smartphone, clear criminal background check. APPLY: tinyurl.com/patricks-pet-care Host/Hostess Washington, D.C. // Part Time Gordon Biersch This position seats guests, makes reservations, and must provide friendly customer service. APPLY: tinyurl.com/biersch-host Housekeeper- Public Area Washington, D.C. // Full Time Marriott International, Inc. This position cleans areas including public and employee restrooms and showers, empties trash, and responds to requests from guests. APPLY: tinyurl.com/Marriott-cleaning Groundskeeper Washington, D.C. Friends of the National Zoo This position keeps walkways and parking lots clean, greets and gives directions to visitors, and performs seasonal duties such as leaf-blowing and shoveling snow. REQUIRED: 18 or over, clean driving record, available to work weekends, evenings, and holidays APPLY: tinyurl.com/zoo-groundskeeper Service Desk Washington, D.C. Planet Fitness This position provides friendly customer service to gym members, signing up new members, and making sure equipment is clean and functioning. APPLY: tinyurl.com/gym-desk Hiring? Send your job postings to editor@StreetSenseMedia.org

Who are you?

Several Street Sense Media artists visited the Touchstone art gallery on New York Ave in January to see and photograph the Communities in Schools art exhibit. The organization, which provides support for students in publisc schools, chose to create mosaics of six youth who beneﬁt from the national program, including Angelo from the D.C. The mosaic portraits were created with items that represented characteristics of the person.

BY RASHAWN BOWSER // Artist/Vendor

Who are you? Do you know me? You look at me as if you do, Talk to me as if we are friends Yet I have no clue as to who you are So again, I ask, who are you?

Do They Care? BY TRACY JENNINGS Artist/Vendor

You look at me with a smile on your face Yet I still don’t know who you might be

I'm sitting here thinking And then start to cry I ask myself, "Do they care?" "If not, why?"

I’ll tell you who you are to me You are a nobody, a nothing Just a thought in the wind Just another person I see And that’s what you will always be to me Who are you?

I spot him three blocks away If he didn't eat yesterday I pray he did today

Photo by Ann Herzog | Street Sense Media vendors Reginald Black and Jennifer McLaughlin stand with the mosaic of Angelo from D.C. On the mosaic exhibit’s interactive website, whatwearemadeof.us, Angelo explains some of the items used to create his portrait: • Basektball: “I’ve played basketball for

that shows through in my fashion. I love

over three years. I love the sport and

being one of the few people who can pull

practice at my neighborhood court as

Trapped

BY ALICE CARTER, A.K.A. “BABY ALICE” Artist/Vendor

The Metro Transit Police locked me up In a psych ward Because I was drunk. This is kind of messed up And kind of sucks.

often as I can. I dream of playing for an NBA team when I grow up. • Electronic Chips: “I have a passion for mechanical engineering. I love working with my hands and the fulfi llment of building and innovating.” • Colorful Clothes: “I take great pride in looking fl y. I have a vibrant personality

oﬀ wearing lots of bold colors at once.” • Toothbrush: “Communities In Schools is always there for me whenever I need basic supplies, like a new toothbrush, deodorant or backpack.” • Food Pantry: “My site coordinator introduced me to the food pantry. I always made sure to bring home snacks not only for me but for my family, too.”

I smiled and went on my way

From your vendor

They said I was walking naked In front of oncoming traﬃc But when they arrested me I had all my clothes on I also had a cup with lots of cash That I couldn't spend I get released tomorrow. My mother sent me a holiday package I haven't even seen

This ain't right And it's completely unfair This makes no sense They say it ain't a punishment Yet I feel punished And I didn't even break the law

He thinks, “I'm so hungry, what shall I do? Keep walking away, or ask you: 'Hi miss, my name is James Can you spare some change? I'm sorry for my approach It may seem strange But I haven't ate a thing I'm blessed with anything the lord brings Thank you miss, have a great day'"

Thank you for reading Street Sense!

They said I wasn't in any trouble— Yet I've been here four days Against my will I drink every day this is nothing new

I had enough problems. My life is rough stuff And now they're making it Even more diﬃcult

He sees you coming You put your head down Now he's afraid And walks away with a frown

MARCH 6 - 19, 2019 VOLUME 16 | ISSUE 9

WWW.INSP.NGO

My’Yelle from Georgia writes “I grew up in New Orleans, but my life was turned upside down when Hurricane Katrina forced my family to relocate to Texas and then Georgia. I found a caring adult in my school who became a huge part of my life and helped me improve my attendance and grades. With my reignited confidence and drive, I plan to attend Xavier University or Spelman College to pursue my dream of becoming a cardiologist.

PHOTOS BY REGIONALD BLACK AND JENNIFER MCLAUGHLIN.

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