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Volume 10 Issue 13 May 8 - 21, 2013
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Street Sense aims to serve as a vehicle for elevating voices and public debate on issues relating to poverty while also creating economic opportunities for people who are experiencing homelessness in our community.
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New start for women of Calvary. Sinkholes - a looming menace. Aida Basnight-Peery finds joy in a place of her own.
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COVER ART Scenes from Bread from the City’s community rooftop garden, located in Shaw. PHOTOS BY ZOE KING
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@streetsensedc /streetsensedc OUR STORY Street Sense began in August 2003 after Laura Thompson Osuri and Ted Henson approached the National Coalition for the Homeless on separate occasions with the idea to start a street paper in Washington, D.C. Through the work of dedicated volunteers, Street Sense published its first issue in November 2003. In 2005, Street Sense achieved 501 ( c ) 3 status as a nonprofit organization, formed a board of directors and hired a full-time executive director. Today, Street Sense is published every two weeks through the efforts of four salaried employees, more than 100 active vendors, and dozens of volunteers. Nearly 30,000 copies are in circulation each month.
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STREET SENSE May 8 - 21, 2013
3
NEWS
Mayor, Council Ponder Major Changes to City Homeless Law By Mary Otto Editor-in-Chief On May 7, as Street Sense went to press, city officials and homeless advocates continued to weigh the future of three significant and controversial amendments to the city law that governs the District’s homeless services system. The amendments proposed by District Mayor Vincent Gray and contained in the city’s Fiscal Year 2014 Budget Support Act would help ease shelter crowding and move homeless individuals and families toward self-sufficiency, city human services officials say. But the potential changes to the city’s Homeless Services Reform Act have raised concerns among homeless advocates, who say that because of their possible impact upon vulnerable individuals and families, more time is needed to consider them. Under the amendments: • Clients in some city shelters and transitional housing programs would be required to place a portion of their incomes into savings or escrow accounts; • Families refusing to accept two offers of rapid-rehousing assistance could be terminated from shelter or supportive housing programs; and • Shelter placements for families would be offered on a “provisional” basis only to those with no alternative, such as relatives or friends. Parents
YES!
would work with city human services staff to find alternatives to a long term stay in a hotel or in the city’s overwhelmed family shelter at the former D.C. General Hospital. “We’ve got 600 kids still over at DC General and hundreds more at hotels,” said DC Department of Human Services (DHS) Director David Berns. “That is no way to grow up.” If passed, the amendments would save $5.3 million that DHS could divert to other homeless programs, according to department documents. If the amendments do not pass, however, DHS warned it would have no choice but to close three emergency shelters – New York Avenue men’s shelter and John Young and Nativity women’s shelters – during all but the coldest months of the year. Berns acknowledged the provisions could be seen as “somewhat controversial.” But he defended them as making good sense and good use of limited resources. Many homeless families residing in shelters are also beneficiaries of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families or TANF. Under the mandatory escrow amendment they would be required to put 30 percent of their income into savings for the day when they leave the shelter system so “one flat tire or one broken window” does not begin a downward spiral back into homelessness, Berns said. As for the requirement that families accept offers of rapid-rehousing or face the loss of shelter, Berns said that under
the current system, “we have a terrible time getting people to accept” short-term rental assistance under the city’s rapid rehousing program. They are hoping instead for a permanent housing subsidy, Berns said. Seeking to allay fears, he noted that more than 90 percent of District families served by rapid-rehousing have not returned to the homeless system. Berns also defended the provisional placement approach to offering shelter. Housing a family at DC General costs the city $50,000 a year, he said. At that rate, we can put three or four in their own apartments.” But homeless advocates who spoke out at a May 3 city council hearing on the Budget Support Act expressed deep worries about the changes.
Marta Beresin, a staff attorney at the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless, praised goals such as moving families out of shelter and into housing. But she said the amendments, as currently drafted, run afoul of laws protecting the homeless and disabled because they remove the right of clients to appeal the appropriateness of rapid rehousing
placements, allow the city to terminate family shelter placements on short notice and legalize termination from housing due to institutionalization or incarceration. She asked the city council to withdraw the amendments from the Budget Support Act “due to serious concerns about the lack of community input and the high risk of serious and unintended consequences to both providers and participants in shelter and supportive housing programs.” Another witness, Kate Coventry, a policy analyst at the DC Fiscal Policy Institute, joined Beresin in commending the goal “to move to a homeless services system that serves families with children year round and that minimizes the length of stay in emergency shelter.” But she also agreed with Beresin that the amendments should be removed from the Budget Support Act. “The changes deserve careful consideration and stakeholder input through the normal legislative process,” Coventry said. City Council member Jim Graham, chair of the council’s human services committee, also expressed concerns about the potential impact of the changes and the need for more time to consider them. As this newspaper was being prepared for press Graham said he was asking to have the amendments removed from the Budget Support Act. “I’m quite confident the (human services) committee will take them out. That would be our recommendation,” he said. “Where they go from there: that will be up to the majority of the (city) council.”
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Community Garden Offers Meals and Lessons “ An exciting change is more direct control from the community.”
By Zoe King Editorial Intern On a rooftop up above Seventh Street NW in the city’s Shaw neighborhood, young eggplants, peppers and squash are sprouting from wooden boxes. Herb seedlings planted in multi-colored containers reach for the sun. Spring has come to Bread for the City’s community garden, a place dedicated to growing and learning about healthy food. “We kind of have a little bit of everything so that we can educate people,” said the nonprofit’s urban agriculture coordinator Jeffrey Wankel. “We also want to teach people how to grow smart and grow what works well for their space.” The garden was built two years ago as part of an expansion of Bread for the City’s Northwest facility, a project that increased space for the nutritional, social, medical and legal services the organization provides to low-income residents in Northwest Washington. And since its first planting, the rooftop garden has expanded, too, thanks to an increase in community involvement, according to Wankel. “An exciting change is more direct control from the community,” he said. “We went to them for what we should grow, so a lot of it comes from planning meetings and surveys, and tracking what produce is really popular in the pantry.” A majority of the plants grown in the garden are vegetables according to Wankel, including peppers, eggplants and tomatoes. The community garden also yields a variety of fresh herbs: everything from rosemary and lemon balm to
chocolate mint. “We try to use herbs as much as possible because they’re packed with nutrition,” he said. “They have more nutrition per part than vegetables do and fresh herbs can spice up a lot of different meals.” According to Wankel, about 50 percent of what is grown in the garden is sent downstairs to the food pantry. The other 50 percent either goes home with client gardeners or is used in weekly cooking classes, which are lead by Wankel. “I try to build basic principle recipes, like teach people how to make tomato sauce in different ways,” he said. “We’re growing food so we need to teach people how to cook it.” Wankel says his cooking classes are geared toward simple economic needs, with each recipe having no more than five ingredients. Wankel also tries to cook dishes that are not only delicious, but healthful as well. “I work closely with the staff nutritionist; that’s been huge for understanding healthy recipes,” he said. “I’m just teaching people how to make eggplant that your kids will eat.” In addition to weekly cooking classes, Wankel also distributes food samples outside of the food pantry twice a month. “First there’s a little nervousness, but we’ve found that its due to lack of exposure,” he said. “We’ve seen the process happen that food pantry clients try something at the food pantry for the first time and then they come back to the rooftop
garden and want to grow it.” Wankel also serves samples of more common dishes, with a healthy twist. “We’ll do a healthy potato salad without mayonnaise that’s vinegar based,” he said. “Its really basic. If you want people to eat healthy, just show them how.” Growing fresh produce close to home is not only sustainable, but also helps clients consume the greatest amount of nutrients, according to Wankel. “All the nutrients in a plant come from the soil so the second you pick something, it starts losing nutrition,” he explained. “If you’re eating a tomato from Canada or Venezuela, you’re getting 10 percent of what a tomato should give you.” The community garden mirrors Bread for the City’s new nutrition initiative, which began seven years ago with the elimination of high sodium products in the food pantry. The nonprofit also operates a center on Good Hope Road in Southeast, D.C which also boasts a thriving garden, actually established a year before the garden in Shaw. “We had a volunteer run a little container garden,” he said. “We’ve seen it go from a container garden three years ago to a completely enclosed green wall space.” To Wankel, the gardens are a living tribute to Bread for the City’s mission. “We try to take a holistic approach to poverty and what’s going on in DC,” he said. “Everyone deserves access to fresh produce.”
STREET SENSE May 8 - 21, 2013
NEWS
Marian Peele of Capital Area Food Bank, Enid Borden of National Foundation to End Senior Hunger, Nancy Roman and Greg Teneyck of Capital Area Food Bank. PHOTO COURTESY OF CAPITAL AREA FOOD BANK
Hunger: A Hidden Crisis By Mark Rose Volunteer Hunger afflicts the young and burdens the old. It takes a tragic toll on lives here in Washington DC, across the country and around the world. With hard work, hunger can be reduced and possibly eliminated, according to regional and national hunger experts and advocates who gathered recently for the 2013 Metropolitan Area Hunger Conference. Nancy Roman, president and CEO of The Capital Area Food Bank, the DC nonprofit that sponsored the conference, estimated that 700,000 people in the greater DC region are hungry and that currently, food programs are only reaching 400,000 of them. “To see that kind of hunger in the capital city of the most powerful country in the world, it’s really inexcusable,” Roman said. But she was quick to point out that hunger is a global scourge. She noted that 40 percent of the world’s population in cities, or 68 billion people, are hungry. Food must be made more affordable, and hungry people need to be educated about how to eat healthier and become self-sustaining, Roman added. Hunger shortens lives, and foodborne diseases spread most readily among those who don’t have enough to eat, she said. Child hunger is a particular concern to David Lee, of the national hunger relief organization Feeding America, the parent organization for all food banks in the country. He said it imprints lives with an indelible mark. “The malnourishment that starts in childhood does not leave,” he said in one of the workshops offered at the conference. “There are kids in school who don’t learn as well because they’re hungry,” he added. Hunger “erects barriers” to chil-
dren’s proper development. Lee praised federal programs such as Women, Infants and Children Food & Nutrition Service (WIC) and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program also known as SNAP, or food stamps. He said the food provided by such programs pays off in healthier children and more productive adults. He called on advocates to work to protect and increase funding but warned of “an uphill fight.” Other speakers at the conference stressed the importance of empowering people by showing them self-sustaining practices, like planting their own gardens. Several attendees were from nonprofits that operate vegetable gardens. One group, called Top Banana, offers garden planting sessions. A client “feels strong, she feels empowered,” a representative said in an interview. Some noted that many tomatoes can be grown with little more than a 2 to 6-yard patch of dirt and sunshine. Food pantries love offering fresh vegetables and fruits, but they are perishable and must be supplemented with canned and frozen produce. The topic of food insecurity was also raised. Lee estimated that one in five children, and just over 50 million Americans meet that definition: they do not know where their next meal is coming from. Food Bank spokeswoman Page Dahl Crosland said in an interview that this year the organization will be working
with Feeding America to sponsor a demographic study geared toward better targeting resources to the neediest people throughout the Washington region. To be published in 2014, Crosland said the study should be particularly useful in gathering demographic data about “hidden hunger,” among people who are in need of assistance but do not come forward for help. That problem is of particular concern among older citizens, the speakers noted. Keynote speaker Enid Borden, founder, president and CEO of the National Foundation to End Senior Hunger, stressed hidden hunger and how the hungry are marginalized and stigmatized by society. “We must work in unison to stop the madness. We can do so many wonderful things if we can end hunger,” she told the audience. “You’ve taken on this challenge and said ‘we can do better.’ We together can do it; we must do it. Let’s imagine in Washington, D.C. there will be no hunger,” Borden concluded, to a standing ovation.
5
Keep the Promise By Reginald Black Vendor, Da Street Reportin’ Artist
For the past two years the grassroots group known as SHARC, for Shelter Housing and Respectful Change, has been holding town hall meetings to get homeless people involved in the fight to end homelessness in the District. On April 29th, SHARC’s monthly town hall featured a film that offered some historical perspective and brought the struggle home. The documentary Promises to Keep took the audience back to the 1980s, with the story of homeless advocate Mitch Snyder, the Community for Creative NonViolence and the campaign to get federal funding to open a shelter in the old Federal City College building. The shelter they managed to open evolved into the CCNV shelter, the very place where the town hall meeting was held. The film produced by director Ginny Durrin traced the campaign, with its sitins, hunger strikes and demonstrations, all aimed at raising awareness about the homeless crisis. And it offered a sense of Mitch Snyder’s leadership style, laying out the problem and explaining that people who were living on the streets were there due to a lack of needed services.
Members of SHARC break off into discussion groups. PHOTO BY REGINALD BLACK
He had a way of laying the problem at the feet of his listeners. When you see someone on the street, he said, don’t pass them by. An initial fast he organized to get action from government officials was supposed to only last four days. But nothing happened until members of CCNV had fasted for 51 days.
When Mitch Snyder was near death from the fast, CCNV managed to reach an agreement with the administration of President Ronald Reagan that allowed the group to take over the building for use as a shelter. But the struggles between CCNV and the federal government over funding for the decrepit shelter went on, marked by a sit-in at the White House gates, ar-
rests and a court battle so intense it spilled into the streets. A judge ruled the city could close the shelter, but housing for the homeless had to be found first. The fight continued until December of 1985 when US Marshals were sent to serve an eviction at CCNV. When residents refused to leave, President Reagan halted the eviction. The story took still another turn after Hollywood decided to get into the act by making a movie about those who were fighting for CCNV. Finally, four years after the initial battle with Reagan, the newly renovated CCNV shelter opened. The showing of this movie to currently homeless people gathered at the CCNV shelter of today helped highlight the idea that homeless people can fight for their rights and win. And in another sense, it reminded viewers that the story of CCNV is not yet over. The covenant between Snyder and the Reagan Administration is set to expire in July of 2016. Plans for what may happen to the place are being made, and homeless advocates say they want to be involved. As Robert Warren, of the People for Fairness Coalition said, “We’re really fighting for the right to housing.”
A Fresh Start on Good Hope Road By Shonette Reed Editorial Intern
It has been two years since Calvary Women’s Services launched a $3 million expansion project. Now a new shelter on Good Hope Road in Anacostia is helping women get back on their feet. The facility is a three-story building that includes a full kitchen and dining room where breakfast and dinner are served daily. The bedrooms big enough for four women and include storage space for the women’s belongings. Residents take part in writing, art, cooking and life-skills classes while moving toward self-sufficiency. One of the goals of Calvary Women’s Services is to help women find housing during the time they are settled in the shelter. The progress they make is heartening to Calvary’s development director, Heather Liang. “It’s a real pleasure to know that the work I do makes a difference in women’s lives — providing a safe place to live, moreover making sure they have support, education and opportunities they need to move out of homelessness,” she said. According to Executive Director Kris-
Beverly Sellers-Robinson, Cornell Chappelle - Deputy Director for Operations at The Community Partnership for the Prevention of Homelessness, Kristine Thompson - Executive Director at Calvary Women’s Services, and Cindy Schwarz - Member of the Board of Directors at Calvary Women’s Services cutting the ribbon at Calvary’s new shelter. PHOTO COUTESTY OF CALVARY WOMEN’S SERVICE
tine Thompson, 45 women live in the shelter and are allowed to stay for six months. Though there is a waiting list to get into the shelter, Calvary Women’s Services serves 150 women or more each year, she added. The organization partners with other nonprofits and agencies to help women apply for benefits and other assistance. The nonprofit also partners with DC Cen-
tral Kitchen and Jubilee Jobs to help the women find employment. “One of the joys of working at Calvary is watching women take control of their lives. Many times, we see the beginning stages of transition, then women make the next steps. Following women’s progress is not only satisfying, it reinforces that our determination to continue providing support is essential,” Program Di-
rector Robin Aycock said. Much development has taken place on the Martin Luther King side of Anacostia during the construction of Calvary Women’s Services’ new home. While there were questions raised about their presence in a commercial neighborhood, the shelter has had a warm welcome since moving onto Good Hope Road. “It’s exciting to see that there is continuing development in this neighborhood and that our investment in this neighborhood and in this building is hopefully of value as well,” Thompson said. She praised her staff and clinical team for the many gifts they bring to their work. And she spoke of the talents of the women who come to Calvary for help. “I definitely don’t sew and I sadly don’t lead arts and crafts classes. I wish I could do those things but it’s not where my talents lie I’m afraid.” Thompson laughed. She then said that if she had to lead a class, it would be baking, starting with baking bread. “I suspect there are women here better at baking than I am, so maybe we could all learn from each other.”
STREET SENSE May 8 - 21, 2013
7
NEWS
All Trains Lead Home: America’s Train-Hopper Culture By: Joe Nolan www.street-papers.org Aaron Dactyl’s Railroad Semantics #2: Southern Oregon, Northern California is a travelogue by a train-jumping diarist and photographer who shares his experiences of riding the rails in the Pacific Northwest.The work is also a catalog of contemporary hobo culture, a treasure trove of train lingo and a whiskey-breath love poem to the gorgeous landscapes in the wide-open spaces that itinerant train-jumpers of all kinds claim as their own. Dactyl is a photojournalist and a modern day hobo based in Eugene, Oregon. His photographs have been featured in a number of alternative publications and in his own Railroad Semantics zine. The first book version of Dactyl’s Semantics was more Oregon-centric, but this follow-up finds our hobo hero catching trains all the way to California. Dactyl’s snapshot capturing-in words and photos-of the contemporary echoes of Depression-era hobo culture are compelling in their timeliness and in their first-person accounting. Opening up Railroad Semantics is more like looking at a collection of collages than reading a book, and it’s probably not a coincidence that the compellingly flippable pages of maps, text, found photos, found railroad articles, film stills, handwritten letters and Dactyl’s own snapshots combine to create an effect that is not unlike a succession of various train cars rushing past the eyes. Railroad Semantics #2 was an official selection for Best American Travel Writing 2012(published by Houghton Mifflin). When Dactyl is on the move and out in the middle of the country, his writing is at its most inspired, and certain passages recall Jack Kerouac in their giddy energy, their mystical longing and their pure American-ness: “With the air growing cold, a great darkness set upon the land and a million stars shone in the sky-so many that I could not discern the most basic constellations or even the Big Dipper. The faint milky fog of the galaxy band arched above at an odd degree and the annual Perseid meteorites sparked through the atmosphere leaving singed trails in the air that lingered for a second after the comic bit had burnt... I felt as if I was on some extrasolar planet, some cold, lonely rock belonging to no particular light source other than the backdrop of a million equidistant stars light-years away, drifting unorbitally through a vast and infinite universe where no other sentient being is known.” Of course, Dactyl is also a photographer and this book is full of images. Portraits of fellow travelers, landscapes, highway scenes, historic sites and city snapshots abound, but
A box-car artist leaves his legendary mark. PHOTO COURTESY OF MICROCOSM PUBLISHING
the small, low quality black-and-white printing makes these images tough to really appreciate beyond their illustrative utility. What really stands out here are Dactyl’s photographs of the railroad graffiti that he captures in detailed close-ups, allowing for intense poring over. Many of the markings are simple graffiti tags of hobo’s nicknames, record-
A collage of graffiti-covered boxcars in the Pacific Northwest, from Aaron Dactyl’s Railroad Semantics #2: Southern Oregon, Northern California. PHOTO COURTESY OF AARON DACTYL
ing the box cars they’ve ridden in and on. Other marks incorporate the signs that were used by the first hobos. An “X” surrounded by a circle carved on a tree or a fence post signaled a good place for a handout and a drawing of a kitten meant that “a kind lady lives here.” There is also a lot of rail poetry here and slogans like “Nowhere Bound” and “Ride Free” pepper Dactyl’s boxcar interiors, but none seem to capture contemporary hobo life and the spirit of Dactyl’s book like “All Trains Lead Home.” In the same spirit another publication, Mostly True: The West’s Most Popular Hobo Graffiti Magazine collects freight riding stories, interviews with contemporary hobos and boxcar artists, historical tidbits and pages of photos of hobo graffiti and the artists that create it. Aside from the contents, what makes this odd volume more than just a collection of modern hobo-dom is the way it’s arranged to come off like a vintage rail fanzine: The information in the upper left corner of the cover reads “April, 1908. Vol. 19, No. 7.” At the bottom of the cover a teaser for the “magazine’s” contents proclaims what reads like boxcar artist A-list: “In this issue: Bozo Texino, Herby, Coaltrain, Seldom Seen, Colossus of Roads, J.B. King Esq., The Rambler.” The actual ads on the inside are presented with a faux-vintage look and funny little hobo cartoons and comic strips pepper the pages throughout. Originally published four years ago, this second edition includes a whopping 24 pages of additional hobo-alia. Mostly True was written by author, installation artist, photographer and experimental documentary filmmaker Bill Daniel, and the book serves as a companion piece to his nearly-20-years-in-the-making, 2005 hobo graffiti documentary Who is Bozo Texino? The film traces Daniel’s ongoing journey across miles of rails, between bustling boxcars and camped out in modern hobo jungles in search of the artist behind a ubiquitous bit of train graffiti: a primitive portrait of a pipe smoking hobo in a ten gallon hat decorated with a Texas lone star. The cartoon is always signed with the name “Bozo Texino.” The film has played everywhere from RV parks to the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. It’s critically acclaimed not only for its documentation of contemporary hobo culture and boxcar art, but also for its commentary on the centrality of freedom of movement in the American experience.
Hiking for Hope
By Mark Poetker Volunteer The Montgomery County Coalition for the Homeless kicked off its 2013 Fannie Mae Help the Homeless program with a May 5 Shelter Walk ‘n Roll Community Walk. Approximately 100 people gathered at the Mattie J T Stepanek Park in Rockville for the event, enjoying music, face-painting, games, and of course, a festive walk around the King Farm community. The event was attended by Montgomery County Councilmember George Leventhal (At-Large) who chairs the council’s health and human services committee. While noting that the county’s goal of ending homelessness has not yet been attained, Leventhal credited local efforts with reducing homelessness for both individuals and families in recent years. Montgomery County has seen its homeless population fall from over 1,800 in 2002 to just over 950 as of January 25, 2013, Leventhal noted. Susanne Sinclair-Smith, Executive Director of Montgomery County Coalition for the Homeless, expressed gratitude for all who attended, and gave their time, tal-
Charity Grill-Off, Wine/Beer Tasting and Silent Auction Charities, Inc.
Thursday
· June 6
· 2013
5:30 PM - 9:30 PM
Judging at 7:00 PM - Awards at 8:00 PM at
The Historic Oxon Hill Manor 6901 Oxon Hill Road Oxon Hill, MD
Things you will experience at Grill, Grapes & Jazz
Donations:
at the event will go toward maintaining and expanding MCCH programs that directly address ending homelessness.
$55.00 $65.00 $75.00 $50.00
Tickets may be purchased online at
www.thehrsource.com/events Tickets will not be sold at the event Tickets will not be sold after May 31st
For more information call 301-459-3133
COMICS & GAMES
SHAW & SHARK ON SPORTS: APRIL AGONISTES
TERRON’S GAME: STREET BANKS
By Chris Shaw “The Cowboy Poet”
By Terron Solomon Vendor
Adam stood in the box For Strike-out Number twenty-three, Fanned out, for numero twenty-four; Twenty-five he could see for free. Strasburg, now he smugly throws practice tosses, so unmindful(it seems) Of his mounting losses! Espo, You'll just have to go-go, If your on base 'pee-cee-tee,' Grows any more lo-low. So it is with our delicate Nats. What rictus is it, That e'en freezes their Bats? In the recent home stand We appeared to retake command, By snatching a trio from the Dreaded Reds, Yet in the fourth game of the series, Once again- Dead. With a nod to Chaucer, give us A mighty Ball Tosser, Thus rending to the showers Rodriguez, Storen and Haren: Pitchers without powers! In May's bright resumption of Atlanta league war; Davey needn't shed alibis nor apologia. Nevermore!!
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY CHRIS SHAW.
STREET SENSE May 8 - 21, 2013
OPINION
The Ballot or the Bullet, Revisited By Jeffery McNeil Vendor In my last column, I reviewed some of the events in the life of Malcolm X that led up to his landmark speech “The Ballot or the Bullet.” In this issue, I will pick up the story where I left off, with the April 3, 1964 appearance of Malcolm X at Cory Methodist Church in Cleveland Ohio and the actual delivery of the speech. His audience was a crowd of three thousand people, many of them white. Louis Lomax, Malcolm’s long-time colleague, opened the ceremonies and then turned the podium over to Malcolm X. Malcolm X began by explaining his break from the Nation of Islam. He said he remained a Muslim and he stressed the importance of transcending religious differences. These are his words on the subject: “You and I - as I say, if we bring up religion we’ll have differences; we’ll have
arguments; and we’ll never be able to get together. But if we keep our religion at home, keep our religion in the closet, keep our religion between ourselves and our God, but when we come out here, we have a fight that’s common to all of us against an enemy who is common to all of us.” Discussing politics was forbidden by the Nation of Islam. His break from orthodoxy became evident when Malcolm rolled out his new plan for change. A philosophy evolved around community involvement in grassroots activism. On politics, Malcolm said: “We must know what part politics play in our lives. And until we become politically mature we will always be mislead, lead astray, or deceived or maneuvered into supporting someone politically who doesn’t have the good of our community at heart.” He went on to add this: “We will have to carry on a program, a political program, of reeducation to open our peoples’
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eyes, make us become more politically conscious, politically mature, and then whenever we get ready to cast our ballot, that ballot will be cast for a man of the community who has the good of the community at heart.” In terms of job creation, Malcolm X favored a market-based solution. He believed the best way to create jobs was for the people in the community to become job creators. Here is what he had to say: “The black man himself has to be made aware of the importance of going into business. And once you and I go into business, we own and operate at least the businesses in our community. What we will be doing is developing a situation wherein we will actually be able to create employment for the people in the community. And once you can create some employment in the community where you live it will eliminate the necessity of you and me having to act ignorantly and disgracefully, boycotting and
picketing some practice some place else, trying to beg him for a job. Anytime you have to rely upon your enemy for a job you’re in bad shape.” Malcolm X opposed public assistance; he saw it engendering a culture of dependency. He said self-help, in the form of black nationalism, was the key to getting off the plantation of government. “We need a self-help program, a doit-yourself philosophy, a do-it-right-now philosophy, a it’s-already-too-late philosophy. This is what you and I need to get with, and the only way we are going to solve our problem is with a self help program. Before we can get a self-help program started we have to have a selfhelp philosophy. Black nationalism is a self-help philosophy.” In the next issue I will continue to explore important points made in “The Ballot or the Bullet.”
Why Geological Surveyors Are the Most Important People on the Planet By Cynthia Mewborn, C = MB2 Vendor Bitumen is wonderful stuff. Oily, black, naturally-occurring, humans have been mixing it with other materials and putting it to good use for centuries. Also known as tar or asphalt, it’s really useful for waterproofing homes and paving roads. Recently while walking I noticed a hole in the asphalt near the corner of H Street and Vermont Avenue. I reported it. A few days later I came back and measured the depth of the hole. It was 3.5 feet deep. Some might call that formation - caused
by a drainage system failure or standing water - a pothole. I thought of it as a sinkhole. Sink holes are natural depressions in the earth’s surface. They occur most often in areas of karst terrain. In these areas, the rocks beneath the surface are carbonates such as limestone which are highly soluble and very susceptible to any form of precipitation or flow from underground drainage systems, whether natural or manmade. Sinkholes have been in the news recently. In February a sinkhole opened beneath a house in Florida and killed a man. Such events highlight the need for a detailed and accurate mapping system to better determine the distribution of soluble rock in the United States. The system would provide education and provide a data base network, helping state and local land-use planners determine areas where sinkholes
might develop. Sink holes can range in size from 1 to 600 meters (3.3 to 200ft) both in diameter and depth. With development increasing and with sinkhole terrains underlying 20 percent of our country, including areas of Florida, Texas, Alabama, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Pennsylvania it is important to know more about sinkholes. Even here in Washington D.C., we have areas identified as potentially hazardous. That little sinkhole at the corner of H Street and Vermont Ave. NW is just a reminder that we need a better understanding of what is going on beneath our feet. Let’s get started today in properly identifying and mapping areas in the United States that are currently susceptible in developing into sink holes. Without adequate solid rock we may be all at risk! We can save lives just by what we do today!
A depression in the pavement at the corner of H Street and Vermont Ave. PHOTOS BY CYNTHIA MEWBORN
Appreciation for a Friend and Mentor By Eric Thompson-Bey Vendor When I first heard Jeff Gray speak in early October, I noticed he had a Southern accent. He was an editorial intern for Street Sense and he was giving out papers to the vendors. As we engaged in conversation he told me he was from Little Rock, Arkansas, and that he had gone to Ole Miss. As we continued our conversation the topic turned to one of my favorites: sports. I found out that Jeff and I had something in common: we both like sports. As time went on I found we had some-
thing else in common. We both like to write. When it was time for me to have my profile in the paper, Jeff wrote it. During the interview we got to know each other better. When our editor asked me to do a recap of the Super Bowl I jumped at the opportunity. I got with Jeff so that he could give me some pointers. That’s when I found out what a good teacher Jeff was. He showed me the format to use when writing a recap. He also showed me how to use different words so that you can keep the attention of the reader. But most of all, he was patient.
When I found out that Jeff’s internship would be over at the end of March I decided I would write about my experience working with him and what he plans for the next part of his life. He’s looking to stay in DC and find a job by June. “What I’m looking for is anything to do with writing,” he said. He is now a volunteer writer for an Ole Miss sports blog. He expects this experience to add to his resume. Jeff hopes his future lands him with a job as a sports writer. “I’ve always been good at writing and always had a passion for sports. It makes
sense to put them together,” he said. Jeff says that he’s gained a lot of experience during his time at Street Sense. “I’ve learned a lot about journalism. Because I never had it in school, everything I’ve learned about journalism comes through the internship.” Jeff’s internship has ended, but he still volunteers at Street Sense. Jeff, I just want you to know that it has been a pleasure learning from you and working with you. I wish you the best with your career.
The Street Sense Writers’ Group is led by two writing professionals and meets every Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. The group’s goal is to develop ideas and collaborate on the next great issue of Street Sense.
The Future
Victoria Grew
By Gwynette Smith Vendor
By Victoria Beaumont Vendor
The writer wondered, as often she did, About her life, And thought to herself What could I write About me? Do I want to be happy? Do I want to be rich? Will children come to me? As she pondered her life, Her muse came to her, And told her, Open your eyes and see No one knows What enters or leaves Or what will even be.
I Had a Poem in My Head By Robert Warren Vendor I had a poem in my head For the young and the old Untold wisdom would be known. I had a poem in my head With words for lovers and friends Just about the thought one being there. I had a poem in my head For those who read and write poetry And learn them through to the end, again and again. I had a poem in my head That could sing along It could be part of a great song. I had a poem in my head That let one know of rain drops and snow Fall leaves, the sun, heat, a cool breeze coming off the trees I had a poem in my head That spoke of the glory of the Lord In one’s life, soaring to new heights, with prayer and trust in there. I had a poem in my head But where did it go? That poem that I had in my head that said and said and said So many things about me And who I hope to be That poem that I had in my head.
Well campers, another Victoria-gras came and went. Yeah Victoria-gras is the anniversary of my 21st birthday. OK, in June it will be one year since I started selling Street Sense. I am bleeping tired of still being out here. I hoped within six months I could get a stable forever home and a job in the corporate world. I am not mad at the government for not helping me. Yes, I chose to become residence-free when I left a man who ended up beating me. We were engaged. I thought I had found my soul mate and could anticipate the next chapter in my life. OK, at times I drink too much wine.
Some of you may be thinking, so what? Others of you who read my articles may know I quote songs like “Hotel California,” “California Dreamin’,” and “Californiacation” in memory and tribute to when I lived in Los Angeles — the happiest time of my life. However I am not sure how many are familiar with the sitcom “My Name is Earl.” The main story of the show is that the main character, Earl Hickey, has this list. He wants to right all the wrongs in his life due to karma. How does this relate to me? Honestly, I do not know; however, I am not sure why things in life happen or what I am supposed to learn from them. But I believe in karma: Do good and it will come back to you. Do badly and the
same will happen. Now I want to say thank you to those who gave me gifts: my mum for her sex appeal and charismatic personality — It helped me survive out here; my daddy for his quick wit intellect and charm — he has no idea how much it helped me out throughout my life; my brother for strength and being there for my mum and daddy; Rob for the best times of my life; Gary No.1 for showing me what true love is all about; and my sissy for taking me into her home and holding me accountable for my actions. Those all are true gifts that I carry with me every day, whether it is my b-day, Xmas or Groundhog Day.
new friend. Suddenly, without warning, the train jerked to a start again. I flew forward several feet, and hit the lower left part of my chest on an armrest of the subway car. I got up, feeling stunned, and shook myself to see if I was dreaming. After exiting the train, I wandered aimlessly for a couple hours. I began feeling some pain in my chest. I mentioned my accident to a guy at a bus stop, and he urged me to go to the hospital. I took the bus to George Washington University Hospital ER. I told the doctor what happened. She had my chest X-rayed. I had rib fractures. The doctor kept me overnight for observation, since broken ribs can be fatal if a lung is punctured. She gave me a Percocet for pain, and a plastic inhaler to clear fluid from my lungs. At sunrise the next morning, I was discharged from the hospital. A happy birthday indeed! I couldn’t sleep for a couple nights,
because when I shifted, the pain woke me up. Every time I breathed, my chest ached. Late summer and early fall allergies added to my misery. Coughing and sneezing were not just annoying, but painful as well. I did not feel well enough to stand up and talk to people in order to sell my Street Sense newspapers. The aches and pains slowly subsided over the coming months, but I will always remember my 61st birthday as the time of broken ribs.
the food trucks take money away from local businesses. Some local restaurant managers that I talk to want city officials to restrict parking for the food trucks. Some people say that there’s enough money to go around for everybody to make money and the food trucks should be left alone. At Eastern Market one day, the police were called and the manager of the vendors inside the flea market had the food trucks ticketed. I just hope that they can work out some solutions to make things better for the food trucks and local businesses. As one food truck manager told me, they aren’t going anywhere. But until they can work it out, there will probably be more problems.
They want to tell their loved ones all that they know, but they are afraid of What they might say. They want them to know everything about them, But don’t want them to know too much, And want them to stay with them Always.
Broken Ribs By Gary J. Minter Vendor On the warm, rainy evening of August 19, 2012, I traveled to the Church of the Epiphany to have dinner with youth volunteers in the YSOP program, to tell them about Street Sense, our capital’s newspaper for the homeless. When the rain let up, I entered the DC subway system at Metro Center. While waiting for the train, I struck up a conversation with a teacher at Wilson High School who is working on her Master’s degree. We continued our conversation on the train, discussing the state of our schools and of teenagers, some of whom I taught 40 years ago. The red line train stopped, and I stood up to get off and said goodbye to my
Food Trucks By Phillip Black “The Cat in the Hat” When I sell my Street Sense papers downtown and at Eastern Market, I notice that there are more and more food trucks around. During the lunchtime rush, people line up to get the food of their choice. And believe me, the food is very good. But one thing I do know is that it hurts McDonald’s, Cosi, Lawson’s, Pret A Manger, and other local food places. For instance, when I was working at Eastern Market, the lobster food truck parked his truck near the Silver Spork. As people lined up, the manager of the Silver Spork told me he was losing money. He said
Secret
By Rashawn Bowser Vendor Someone here is lying. Someone here is hiding. Someone here knows something, But doesn’t know how to tell it.
So, now they sit and wonder, Still holding onto their secret, And keeping it where no one can reach it.
STREET SENSE May 8 - 21, 2013
ISOTOPIA
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FICTION
PART SEVE N
By Ibn Hipps Vendor The story so far: Josh found a baby and brought it home to Melissa. They both know the myth of a mystical child with the power of Light and Life. The weird way Josh found the baby makes them think of this myth. The whole family cares for the baby. Josh hears a voice that tells them the curse of Isotopia will soon be lifted. __
T
hrough dreams and visions God sent special prayers and chants. A new way of life for Josh and his family: prayers and chants were taught from the head of the household down to the young ‘uns. Prayers of protection. The voice tells Josh, in his dreams, that these prayers and chants are most important to be taught to his whole family: cousins, nephews, everyone. But the voice doesn’t just tell, it orders. So Josh teaches his whole family the prayers and chants he‘s seen in his dream. “Since the brown-skinned, wide-eyed, black-dotted-head child is with us, everything will be fine,” Melissa says.
She grabs and holds Josh tight because he tosses and turns all night. We all do, but some are allowed to sleep during times chosen by Maliki, the Child of Life of Light. Depending on the weight of the visions, Josh wakes up most nights sweating heavily. Melissa always wakes up in tears, but Josh is there to comfort her. So do the kids, as Melissa sits on the edge of their bed, comforting them and talking to them. “Everything is going to be all right,” Melissa says. The weather gets crazy; it happens all over the world. People blame it on science and modern technology. But Josh and Melissa know that it’s the Child of Life of Light cleaning up the darkness and evil of Isotopia. The world is blind to what’s going on. The people of Isotopia don’t believe God is sending someone, much less that he is here with us now! The sickness of Isotopia has lead astray all but a few. Each year the Child of Life of Light grows. The evil, misguided people suffer the wrath of a biblical punishment
from the one God himself, sent straight to Isotopia. “What more do we want?!!” yells Josh, one of the many hungry fighting soldiers. The corrupt way of living is over, the heartless have lost. Peace has arrived. Welcome to the true freedom. One faith, one God, that’s all the Lord has asked of us. One Saturday, the kids and the new one all asleep, Josh and Melissa sit over a nice romantic candlelight dinner. Together they talk about their dreams, or their ‘visions’ Josh calls them. Josh explains to Melissa that his dreams tell him that the evil in the hearts of mankind will come alive and consume the bodies of mankind. Once a human-like child reaches adulthood, things that you see are going to make it hard for you to smile. The weird things about Maliki: he doesn’t cry at all - he’s always at peace, always smiling, and always smells like musk. Mike and his brother play with the child, sent straight from the heavenly God himself. Things at school change. Each change brings a different reaction. Some good, some bad, some devastating, some
tragic. Josh tells Melissa that the voice in his dreams tells him, “Life is what you make it.The poor and the believers: I am here to bring truth to you, for thou cannot lie.“ The people of Isotopia, so stuck in their selfish and sinful ways, do not realize the change in themselves, nor the change in their city of Isotopia. ‘The blind people’ Josh has called them ever since the baby arrived. The weather has been crazy: thunderstorms, hurricanes, earthquakes, you name it. When the sun shines, it kills the animals and crops with its blazing rays of heat. “The dreams do give protection of prayer,” Josh says. He and his family practice every day, these prayers and chants, to protect themselves from the evil of Isotopia. The human-like child looks on, wide-eyed and wide-smiled. “He knows,” Josh says. “Yeah, he knows,” replies Melissa.
(To be Continued)
BEFORE THE RAIN PT 21: A MAGICAL QUADRANT FORSOOTH TO EXPLORE By Chris Shaw “The Cowboy Poet” Loomis once again had kinda awoken from a dreamlike state wondering about Lyndsey whom he now incoherently referenced as “my Gal,” but entirely unawares as to her whereabouts. He further recalled flashing on a brick and timber village called “Foggy Bottom,” in far-away Washington, DC. Why there? -Oh yeah, I think I, Loomis Johnathan Akula Reader, was born there or mebbe stayed there as a shavetail... “But NOW? WOW!!” Here he sits on a moldy ole marble slab-- smack dab in the middle of Girod Cemetery, in New Orleans -- and it’s raining slightly, brown puddles everywhere. Leering across the way is this Gothlooking dude with greased back longish black hair, name of Victor. And he’s holdin’ an ol’-fashioned QUILL PEN, all the better to sign this crinkly contract with Loomis’ name over it in about a dozen places, hooked up with the word, “Talent!” Victor and his wingman Ed
leaned heavily into the slowly reviving “Mr. Reader,” urging him, “Sign the paper, man, Wouldja please?” Loomis figured it was his time to ‘ask DeMille for his close-up,’ drawling, “How do I know I ain’t signing away my very SOUL?” Ed and Vic both chimed in menacingly. “Sign the dam’ document, and save us the trouble of---” “Aw sheesh--”, Loomis muttered nonchalantly. “What th’HAIL I‘ve got to lose..” He scribbled all the necessary John Hancock lines and initializings the paper required. “Now I’m your boy, right??” He looked across the slab. He could swear a marchin’ band was starting off on strains of “Saint James’ Infirmary,” even as we spoke. Ed and Victor merely locked in a knowing glance. Loomis was flummoxed. “W-Where does I know you two odd gents from, anyhow, And is dat a thoid cat lurkin’ in tha overgrown boxwoods overhead of us?” Indeed it was, and this figure was not
only all in black, but cloaked, with a crimson sash AND a battered top hat. Loomis suspected he glommed a skeletal smile under the hat. Victor piped up forcibly, “DAT, good chum, is for US to know an’ YOU TO FIND OUT, suh!” The cloaked shroud-shape tossed its head back into a croaking, sinister, but clownish monolog, along with the jazz horn trio wafting over the cemetery wall. “An’ put mah 1879 Morgan Liberty Dollah, On mah Watch-Chain, So’s Ah can tell the world I DIED, STANDIN’ PAT!!!” Loomis was inwardly freaking out--this was true WEIRDNESS, even for his vast range of experience. Mind, the entire Orleans Parish and all of her surroundings were undergoing the ultimately “Ult,” in paradigm shifting, at this time, but still, Loomis’ permutations were profound. So when Victor gurgled deeply, to ask Loomis if he’d met “Baron Legba,”(that is to say, the swell with the topper and cloak) previously, the subject of this interrogatory-LOOMIS- chose to blot out the unthinkable.
Meaning in his mind, his monkeymind, “Have I al-READY crossed the Styx River into the Land Of The Dead? Bull-Hockey! NO way, man-(Then, snapping back, fully sentient now), “Did, uh, did you say, Vic? Do I understand you is TRYIN’ to revive my spotted career in ENTERTAINMENT? I say, I say, Let’s GO FOR IT!!” Loomis staggered to his feet, and with the aid of Ed and Master Victor (his newly minted “Manager,”) propping him up ‘neath either arm pit, they sauntered forth as a shaky band of three out the side gates of Girod cemetery, with “Baron Legba,” or whomever was covering ‘Dat’ role, a short shadowy distance behind. This ensemble picked its way thru the litter and detritus of Katrina-stricken ‘Nola,’ in the directionof Perdido Street. Remember, children,“Perdido” to many, in Spanish, means ‘Lost’. (To be Continued)
Happy Mothers Day! By Sybil Taylor, Vendor To Two Moms, My mother Hedy who brought me in the world on Christmas Day. With lots of joy in her heart. What a joy to my dad. Then she had two others: my two sisters and one brother. Mom you’re my heart, my everlove, my best friend, a treasure of gold and silver, a diamond that shines and sparkles. A glow of lights, sparkling and twinkling eyes, caring and understanding, loving, fun, sad days, good days, happy times, bad times. Mom you stood the test of time being a grandmother and a mother. I love you always and forever. You’ve been with me through thick and thin, through rough periods of my life. A life savior, a strong savior. Being the best wife to my dad, best mother to me and my sisters and brother. You’re the best of all things. May all your wishes and dreams come true. 3rd Mom: Mrs. Pat for all your love and support and for keeping me on the right road for God and for praying for me. Love you always Mom. Happy Mothers Day. To my Godmother Ella, Ella you’ve been kind and nice and sweet to me. You opened your heart, love, and home to me when I had nowhere to go. You showed so much love for me to care for in in your home. I am glad I could support you in your time of need due to your stroke. You have a loving warm heart to me. I thank God I have a place and space in your heart for me. I thank you for taking me in off the streets. With your love for me, I will never forget. Love you Mom Ella Happy Mother’s Day to All the Mothers of the World, Moms to daughters, aunts to nieces, grandmothers to granddaughters. This day shows a lot of love to very special mothers who gave their all and all to become moms, who labored pregnancy, giving birth to their babies, mothering and caring throughout the years. Sending their kids through school and college and so on. We give moms a lot of honor with roses and flowers and presents, wining and dining. We try to give mom the best day of her life. But sometimes her favorite part is when we spend a quiet moment in time with her. Happy Mothers Day to all the Wonderful Mothers of the World.
Mothers Day
Mother
By Evelyn Nnnam Vendor
By Veda Simpson, Vendor M is for the many things she gave me.
Mothers are the sunshine and water that nurture our trees. And when sunshine and water combine together, she will create the rainbow that lights up our path with sparkling colors. she is the soil that helps our roots to hold rigidly on the path, and the stem that support us during our path in life. God created a wonderful, beautiful being and that is a mother. Happy Mothers Day!
O means that I owe her all I own. T is for the tender sweet caresses. H is for her heart of purest gold. E is for her eyes like scarlet shining. R means right, and right she'll always be. Put them all together and they spell "Mother," a word that means the world to me.
street sense VOLUNTEER CORPS
We need your help to better serve our vendors! Office Volunteers will be responsible for the sale and distribution of newspapers to vendors as well as assisting with various vendor workshops, office tasks, and special projects as needed. All volunteers must be able to display patience and courteousness when interacting with vendors. Candidates must be willing make a 3-month commitment (preferably 6-month or longer) and must be available to work at least one (preferably two or more) 4-hour shift(s) per week on a regular schedule. Street Sense hours of operation are Monday - Friday between 9 am to 5 pm; sales shifts are 9 am to 1 pm and 1 pm to 4:45 pm. For more information, or to apply, please contact Brandon Caudill brandon@streetsense.org | 202.347.2006
Service Spotlight: Thrive DC
COMMUNITY SERVICES
By Shonette Reed Editorial Intern Thrive DC got started back in 1979 as the Dinner Program for Homeless Women. Its first goal, providing meals to the hungry, came in response to Washington’s first major wave of homelessness. Since then the organization’s mission has grown to encompass far broader aims: “To prevent and end homelessness by providing vulnerable individuals with a comprehensive range of services to help stabilize their lives.” Thrive DC’s services have expanded as well. The organization now offers homeless clients emergency services which include two meals a day, showers, laundry, a mailing address and telephone, internet access, personal care supplies, transportation assistance to medical appointments, and emergency
Academy of Hope: 269-6623 601 Edgewood St, NE aohdc.org
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STREET SENSE May 8 -21, 2013
clothing and blankets. Clients are also encouraged to take advantage of enrichment activities including art therapy, yoga and presentations on physical and mental health. Thrive DC also offers resume workshops and other help with job preparedness. An emergency pantry program is available to individuals in need of supplemental food resources. The organization also provides assistance to victims of domestic or sexual violence. In 2012, Thrive DC was able to serve 108,000 meals, including diabetic options, distribute 100,00 pounds of emergency groceries, and offer thousands of free showers and loads of clean laundry to its many clients.
Community of Hope: 232-7356 communityofhopedc.org
Housing/Shelter
Clothing
Outreach
Transportation
Education
Legal Assistance
Food
Showers
Medical/Healthcare
Laundry
Employment Assistance DEPARTMENT OF MENTAL HEALTH ACCESS HOTLINE 1-888-7WE HELP (1-888-793-4357)
SHELTER HOTLINE: 1–800–535–7252
Martha’s Table: 328-6608 2114 14th St, NW marthastable.org
Thrive DC: 737-9311 1525 Newton St, NW thrivedc.org
Covenant House Washington: 610-9600 2001 Mississippi Avenue, SE covenanthousedc.org
Miriam’s Kitchen: 452-8926 2401 Virginia Ave, NW miriamskitchen.org
Unity Health Care: 745-4300 3020 14th St, NW unityhealthcare.org
Calvary Women’s Services: 678-2341 1217 Good Hope Road, SE calvaryservices.org
D.C. Coalition for the Homeless: 347-8870 1234 Massachusetts Ave, NW dccfh.org
My Sister’s Place: 529-5991 (24-hour hotline) mysistersplacedc.org
The Welcome Table: 347-2635 1317 G St, NW epiphanydc.org/thewelcometable
Catholic Charities: 772-4300 catholiccharitiesdc.org/gethelp
Father McKenna Center: 842-1112 19 Eye St, NW fathermckennacenter.org
N Street Village: 939-2060 1333 N Street, NW nstreetvillage.org
Whitman-Walker Health 1701 14th St, NW | 745-7000 2301 MLK Jr. Ave, SE | 797-3567 whitman-walker.org
Bread for the City: 265-2400 (NW) | 561-8587 (SE) 1525 7th St, NW | 1640 Good Hope Rd, SE breadforthecity.org
Central Union Mission 745-7118 1350 R Street, NW missiondc.org
Charlie’s Place: 232-3066 1830 Connecticut Ave, NW charliesplacedc.org Christ House: 328-1100 1717 Columbia Rd, NW christhouse.org Church of the Pilgrims: 387-6612 2201 P St, NW churchofthepilgrims.org/outreach food (1 - 1:30 on Sundays only)
Community Council for the Homeless at Friendship Place: 364-1419 4713 Wisconsin Ave, NW cchfp.org Community Family Life Services: 347-0511 305 E St, NW cflsdc.org
Food and Friends: 269-2277 219 Riggs Rd, NE foodandfriends.org (home delivery for those suffering from HIV, cancer, etc)
Foundry Methodist Church: 332-4010 1500 16th St, NW foundryumc.org/ministry-opportunities ID (FRIDAY 9-12 ONLY)
Georgetown Ministry Center: 338-8301 1041 Wisconsin Ave, NW georgetownministrycenter.org Gospel Rescue Ministries: 842-1731 810 5th St, NW grm.org
Jobs Have Priority: 544-9128 425 Snd St, NW jobshavepriority.org John Young Center: 639-8569 119 D Street, NW
New York Ave Shelter: 832-2359 1355-57 New York Ave, NE Open Door Shelter: 639-8093 425 2nd St, NW newhopeministriesdc.org/id3.html
Rachel’s Women’s Center: 682-1005 1222 11th St, NW rachaels.org
Samaritan Inns: 667-8831 2523 14th St, NW samaritaninns.org Sasha Bruce Youthwork: 675-9340 741 8th St, SE sashabruce.org
Subscribe to Street Sense 1 Year: $40 2 Years: $80 3 Years: $120 I want half of my purchase to benefit a vendor directly Vendor Name Vendor Badge # Name
So Others Might Eat (SOME) 797-8806 71 O St, NW some.org
Address Phone
From Homeless to a Home By Aida Basnight-Peery Vendor First of all, I’ve got to say that God is so good and I want to thank Bethany House/N Street Village for giving me the opportunity to have a place I can call home. It feels good to have a home. The first week of living in my efficiency I slept a bit longer, probably because I kept waking up in the middle of the night thinking I was dreaming that I was in my own place. Now, every morning when I get out of bed, I drop to my knees and thank God for waking me up, giving me the wonderful blessing of a home. I also ask God to bless other men, women and families, that they might also have homes. Homeless shelters are a good thing, but they can also be a bad thing too. Speaking from my own experience there are some shelters — and I’m not going to say which ones — where the inexperienced paid staff members don’t know how to treat the clients. The reason why you see some people sleeping on benches, parks, near train stations, etc. is that they have not been treated with respect. The irony is, some
of these paid staff members at the shelters want to be treated with respect, but they show no respect to the clients. The D.C. Department of Human Services (DHS) has done plethora of work for the chronic homeless men and women throughout the city, and I would like to give them a standing ovation. The people at DHS aren’t talking about creating more shelters. They would rather give homes to people who want them and are in need. What is needed is more help from the U.S.Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in building housing complexes affordable to people looking for work, or working at low-wage jobs. Those folks you see on park benches, bus depots etc. are waiting for the miracle of someone to say to them, “Hey I got a home for you to go to.” When that happens you will see those parks, bus depots, train stations, churches cleared of people sleeping. When I first moved into my efficiency, Bethany House provided me a starter set of dishes, utensils and pots and pans, a whole set of sheets for my bed, a TV converter box, and a towel and washcloth. God is good and so is Bethany House because Bethany didn’t have to provide that to me. Offering me an apartment is
May 8 - 21, 2013 • Volume 10 • Issue 13
Street Sense 1317 G Street, NW
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Washington, DC 20005
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good enough for anyone. Bethany House could have said, we provided her a home and our job is done. But Bethany House went beyond making me and others who live in the same building to make sure we had on the essential things a person would need until they are able to provide more for themselves. After two and half years of living in and out of shelters, tents, bus depots, and parks during some cold and warm days, it was hard to get use to the fact that I actually had a home. Trust and believe me it didn’t take me long to realize it. I had to get my mind and body back to a schedule because my only source of income is still selling and writing articles in Street Sense. I still get up early in the morning to fix some coffee, breakfast and turning on the TV on to watch the news. Lately, I’ve been working on getting back on schedule to start selling my Street Sense papers in the early morning when I’m not looking for a steady job. I’m also working with “N Street Village” Employment and Education Community (EEC) and going through a 10 week workshop to improve my chances of looking for employment and to make myself go back
to school for a certification in hopes of being more marketable in my field. You would think eight years of college with a graduate degree in information systems with a 3.83 GPA would be enough to find a job. So, now I have to do some serious meditation and drink some energy juice and pray to God to get my mindset on some certifications in my field. Lanie, who is an intern for Street Sense, took some pictures of my new apartment. She wanted to take some pictures of the building and I decided that wasn’t necessary. I used to live at Second and D Street NW, known as Creative Community for Non-Violence (CCNV) and at Harriet Tubman. If I want folks to know exactly where I live I will tell them, and there are some I just don’t want to know due to my safety and to others who happens to live in the same building as me. I also want to give thanks to all my loyal customers for supporting me by buying the Street Sense paper from me because again Street Sense is my only source of income right now. I want to also give thanks to Roy and Linda for each giving me a housewarming gift card.
STREET SENSE May 8 - 21, 2013
9
FEATURE
Gospel Art! Expressing Art from the Soul of the City By Lanie Rivera Editorial Intern The red doors of the historic Church of the Epiphany on G Street NW open wide, welcoming peo pl e o f many faiths and walks of life. Wo r k e r s f r o m nearby offices concerts in the sanctuary. Members of a local Muslim society meet on weekdays at Epiphany to pray. And on Sundays, Episcopal services draw worshippers from throughout the area, as they have since before the Civil War. The old church near Metro Center has also found some innovative ways to minister to its poor and homeless neighbors in downtown Washington. The congregation homeless, including Street Sense. And every Sunday morning at 7 am a vibrant ministry known as Gospel Art! at t ract s homeless and forme rly homeless men and women with a unique blend of offerings: a hot breakfast, Bible study, worship and a celebration of creativity. Participants say they have found friend-
ship and healing through Gospel Art! “Everyone’s got their own way of expressing themselves,” said David Godecki, who has been coming on Sunday mornings for six years. The sessions provide a welcome break from life at Adams Shelter and on the streets, he says. “I come here for companionship [and] community,” Godecki said. “It’s a safe place.” the art supplies, including paint, pencils and clay. A military veteran named Wayne says he has attended the Gospel Art! program for the past six months. Creating art has helped ease the burdens of post traumatic stress disorder, he says. “It’s a therapeutic environment,” he says. Gospel Art! sells cards with images of the artists’ artwork and some artists donate their artwork to the church to be day morning breakfasts, which usually feed 150-200 people. (For more information see www.epiphanygospelart.weebly.com.) “It’s the homeless feeding the homeless,” says Gospel Art! co-facilitator Marge McNaughton with pride. “The artists don’t keep any of the money.” McNaughton, an Epiphany parishoner and retired associate dean at the Virginia
CHILDREN’S ART: SPRING FLOWERS
- Aden, age 2 Turning Point There are 1,880 children experiencing homelessness in the District. The Homeless Children’s Playtime Project visits 6 different transitional housing and emergency shelter programs to provide weekly activities, healthy snacks, and opportunities to play and learn to as many children as possible.
Theological Seminary, came up with the idea for the program in a conversation with another parishoner, artist and theological student Billie Abrahamson. Then McNaughton, Abrahamson and a third colleague, Lisa Kimball, a professor at Virginia Theological Seminary, got busy and applied for grants. Funding from the Evangelical Education Society of the Episcopal Church helped get the program started in 2006. Now Gospel Art! is supported by Epiphany and proceeds from the sale of artwork. These days, Kimball serves as co-facilitator of the program with McNaughton. But the whole thing has evolved into a community effort, with participants also deeply involved. “Everyone takes responsibility for the program,” McNaughton says, “It’s not like the leaders come in and take over everything. It’s a team effort. When we make decisions … it’s a part of the gospel artists’
FAR LEFT: This framed award was presented to the Gospel Artists in 2012 by the Evangelical Education Society. ABOVE: The Gospel Artists use many mediums, including painting, drawing and sculpting, to create their artwork. BELOW: paint his next piece. PHOTOS BY LANIE RIVERA