Volume 14: Issue 18 July 12 - 25, 2016
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STREET SENSE July 12 - 25, 2017
NEWS Grosso Introduces Landmark Civil Rights Amendment to Protect Homeless Washingtonians By Dorothy Hastings dorothy.hastings@streetsense.org
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t a July 11 meeting of the D.C. Counci1, At-Large Councilmember David Grosso introduced the Michael A. Stoops Anti-Discrimination Amendment Act of 2017. If passed, the amendment would add homelessness as a protected class to the Human Rights Act of 1977, which is enforced by the D.C. Office of Human Rights. The Stoops amendment would be the first legislation of its kind in the nation, according to Michael Santos of the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty. The Office of Human Rights would have the authority to enforce this amendment against homeless discrimination through legal action, with the same framework that has been used for decades in local cases of discrimination against other protected classes such as race and religion. OHR’s oversight differentiates the amendment from Homeless Bills of Rights that have been passed in other states and cities, where each complaint must be reviewed in the courts. According to Annie Leomporra of the National Coalition for the Homeless, the reservation some councilmembers may have is a possible increase in lawsuits brought against the city if the Act is passed. As written, the amendment would guarantee equal access for homeless individuals to educational institutions, businesses, housing, commercial spaces, and health and human services. Grosso,
along with Councilmembers Mary Cheh, Brianne Nadeau, and Robert White, Jr., is in the process of drafting a Homeless Bill of Rights to include with the antidiscrimination amendment. A bill of rights would add more protection against homeless discrimination and specify how these rights would be safeguarded, Grosso said in an interview with Street Sense. “Discrimination on the basis of homelessness runs rampant throughout our city, from law enforcement to private businesses, medical and social services,” Grosso said when introducing the bill to his colleagues. “...Passing this legislation will help eliminate discrimination against homeless people simply because they are homeless.” NCH and the NLCHP have been advocating for homeless antidiscrimination legislation for about four years. The bill’s title honors Michael Stoops, founding member of the NCH and longtime homeless rights activist, who pushed for this amendment in 2015. Stoops died on May 1. “It’s important to honor his legacy,” Grosso said. “It’s important to recognize the work he has done to prevent discrimination against the homeless.” A 2014 survey conducted by the NCH and George Washington University showed that 132 of 142 homeless individuals surveyed in the D.C. area felt they had been discriminated against based on their housing status. Respondents attributed the most discrimination to private businesses and police officers.
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PHOTO BY DOROTHY HASTINGS
D.C. public space laws and encampment sweeps target people that live unsheltered. A National Law Center study titled “No Safe Place” documented that from 2011 to 2014, city-wide bans on camping in public increased across the nation by 60 percent, city-wide bans on loitering, loafing, and vagrancy increased by 35 percent, citywide bans on sitting or lying down in specific public places increased by 43 percent, and bans on sleeping in vehicles increased by 119 percent. “It’s legal right now for businesses to turn someone away who appears
homeless,” Michael Santos of the NLCHP said in an interview. “This [bill] would make that illegal.” In 2012, Rhode Island became the first state to introduce a Homeless Bill of Rights, and a year later Illinois and Connecticut passed similar legislation. These bills protect the privacy and personal property of homeless individuals and provide for their right to vote and enjoy equal treatment by state agencies, equal access to employment opportunities and medical care, and the right of free access to public spaces. Three cities have also passed similar Homeless Rights resolutions and advocates are campaigning for “Right to Rest” bills in California, Colorado, and Oregon that specifically counteract public space and vagrancy laws that criminalize the homeless. The most ambitious of these bills would have provided services such as adequate housing and shelter, clean restrooms and hygiene centers, non-emergency health care, and even “access to income sufficient for survival,” but it failed to pass in California because providing these services would have been too costly. The Stoops amendment does not include protection against encampment sweeps and discriminatory enforcement of laws regulating loitering and panhandling, nor does it provide free access to parks and other public facilities. Grosso hopes that these efforts would be included in the Homeless Bill of Rights being drafted. The Michael A. Stoops AntiDiscrimination Amendment Act was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety to be reviewed after D.C. Council’s August recess. ■
Activists Seek to Enshrine Affordable Housing Values in Comprehensive Plan By Mark Rose Volunteer
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he public comment period for the revision of D.C.’s Comprehensive Plan closed on June 23. T h i s d o c u m e n t i s t h e D i s t r i c t ’s legislative framework for long-term growth and development. Activists are calling for a plan that requires inclusion of safe, quality low-income housing in any new development plan approved by city government. And they are calling for a plan that regulates rent increases in units designated as affordable. The Comprehensive Plan is revised every five or 10 years, including a major revision in 2006, another update in 2011 and now a major revision for 2018, according to Claudia Barragan, an urban planning and environmental policy expert. The last of several community meetings held throughout the city to gather residents’ feedback occurred June 10 at Ambassador Baptist Church in Southeast. Affordable housing advocates, members of tenants’ groups, faith groups, officials from nonprofits and for-profits who deal with public housing and some individual citizens all agreed on the importance of preserving and increasing the city’s stock of public housing. This issue has dominated all of the meetings, which were organized by the nonprofit advocacy group Empower D.C. A report by Empower D.C. summarizing feedback from the meeting series is now scheduled to be reviewed by the D.C. Office of Planning, which will also review input from other citizens’ groups. The D.C. Office of Planning said in an email they received 3,000 proposed amendments to the Plan, up from the 200 they received the last time the Plan was up for revision in 2010. The Office of Planning held several community meetings, workshops and town halls across all eight wards. They also sponsored “meetings in a box,” in which community representatives had conversations with constituents about the plan. All of these efforts brought a robust response, according to Office of Planning Communication Officer Chanda Washington. The Office of Planning will produce a draft report from all this that will be available for public comment for 60 days, Washington said. After public comment, the office will make adjustments and submit a legislative package to D.C. Council. Barragan and Empower D.C. Executive Director Parisa Norouzi both told the assembly at Ambassador Baptist Church that it is important for citizens and constituents to keep public pressure on
the D.C. Council. “We don’t want to have a lull, because this is just beginning,” Norouzi said. It will be important to show up to hearings and see what they accept and what they don’t, Norouzi added. Once approved by D.C. Council, the plan amendment will be submitted to the federal National Capital Planning Commission and finally to U.S. Congress. Federal review and approval is given within 90 days. Growth and change need to be managed, according to Barragan, who called for all residents to be given equal access to education, employment and interconnected neighborhoods. Gentrification has been a growing problem in the District, with rising rents driving poorer residents to far-flung pockets of the city where poverty persists. Barragan said that these residents, many of them native Washingtonians, must be accounted for and supported in all planning and development efforts. She called for language to be added to the plan about preserving equality in distribution of government resources so the poor don’t get left behind. “They didn’t want to deal with equity [in 2006],” Barragan told those gathered at Ambassador Church. “It’s too hard.” Activist Chris Otten commented that “this plan has been weak; it needs more accountability” He described seeing a lot of upscale studio and one-bedroom apartments being built for single professionals, disregarding the need for affordable family housing. “It’s all for more profit,” he concluded. Otten told Street Sense that Trammell Crow, Patrick, Nancy Hofmann, and the Menkiti Group have been awarded the bulk of residential building contracts in the city since the administration of former mayor Anthony Williams. He expressed concern that D.C. Council w o u l d n o t t a k e t h e c o m m u n i t y ’s suggested amendments seriously. “Affordable housing is a civic priority,” Caroline Petty said at the meeting. She lives in the Brookland neighborhood in Ward 5. “Prioritize housing for those with the greatest need.” Petty said that most new development over the past two decades seems like it is only built for affluent people who can generate more money for the District and for the developers who build it. Norouzi was hopeful, saying the pursuit of equity for all residents has united communities across the city. There are three levels within the plan: policy that applies to the entire city, policies for specific wards, and small area plans. Flyers provided at the meeting said
Claudia Barragan speaks to roughly 40 District residents at a meeting about upcoming amendments to the city’s Comprehensive Plan. The meeting was held at Ambassador Baptist Church on June 13 and organized by advocacy group Empower D.C. PHOTO BY MARK ROSE
that Advisory Neighborhood Commissions, which represent neighborhoods and small areas, should hold more sway in local government, especially when it comes to land use and development decisions. Advisory Neighborhood Commissions are crucial when it comes to collecting feedback from residents. However, it is not clear from any guidelines what their “advisory” role should be. Barragan suggested that Comprehensive Plan amendments should be approved by any ANC that they would affect. A news release from the Office of Planning’s housing organizer, David Whitehead, said a coalition of 16 for-profit and nonprofit development organizations in the city has developed a list of 10 detailed amendments for the plan. They included strategies to meet housing demand, fairly distribute housing assistance, locate affordable housing near public transportation, support neighborhood commercial corridors, improve data collection and more. These priorities were endorsed by many residents and local organizations, which the release says included eight Advisory Neighborhood Commissions Members of these development organizations also unanimously agreed that all residents down to the poorest need fair access to housing they can afford, including realistic plans to help people priced out of their own neighborhoods by new development. Barragan stressed that most of the city’s wards have had a lot of growth since the last major update to the plan in 2006, including 15 new small area plans in Ward 5. Many attendees offered their own suggested amendments.
Otten asked whether developers who build near transit hubs, which tend to have the most desirable and thus expensive housing, could be asked to contribute to Metro. Laura Richards, an activist from Ward 7, denounced the number of charter schools concentrated in her ward, 50, while there are none in the more affluent Ward 3, “They’ve turned the building of charter schools into land grabs,” she said. Richards added with dismay that even the percentage of units developers are required to market as affordable are often out of reach for citizens earning 30 percent or less of the Area Median Income “One size does not fit all” for building affordable housing, according to Richards. Barragan noted that the Area Median Income is based on the D.C. metro region, including Fairfax and Montgomery counties, some of the wealthiest in the nation. In 2015, the D.C. Metro Area AMI was $93,294, while the city’s AMI was $75,628, according to U.S. Census data. This number would further vary if calculated for some of the most economically-segregated enclaves of the city. Many people in Ward 8, for example, are subsisting on $31,000 for one person, and $32,000 for a family. Yet units that are priced at 50 percent of the AMI would cost $46,000 per year to rent, based on the 2015 AMI. “We’re still abiding by something that’s really unfair,” Barragan said. She called for calculating AMI by city ward, noting that New York City officials are considering redefining AMI by zip code. Changing the definition of AMI in our Comprehensive Plan, now, is a necessary update, Barragan said, “Let’s be bold.” ■
D.C. May Remove Civil Commitment Requirement for People With Intellectual Disabilities
STREET SENSE July 12 - 25, 2017
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NEWS
By Justine Coleman justine.coleman@streetsense.org Robert Kennedy, vice president of Project Action, receives services from the Department of Disability Services and believes people should not need to be committed to obtain services. | PHOTO BY RODNEY CHOICE
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he D.C. Council may change the city’s status as the only jurisdiction in the country that requires those with intellectual disabilities to be civilly committed to receive city services. The council’s Committee on Human Services is reviewing a bill that would remove the city’s mandate that people with at least moderate intellectual disabilities be civilly committed in order to acquire services from Medicaid and the Department of Disability Services. A committed person is placed in a licensed home by the court, obtains an attorney and attends review hearings with judges at least annually. Under the legislation proposed by Mayor Muriel Bowser in March, people who are currently committed would choose whether to remain in the system, and no future commitments would occur only if individuals are found incompetent to stand a court trial. The bill would also provide intellectually disabled people with the choice to appoint a supportive decision maker, a friend or family member who would advise the person in care-related decisions such as whether to have a surgery. A supportive decision maker would only have the authority to make recommendations, unlike legal guardians who can make final decisions, according
to Neha Patel, the deputy general counsel at DDS. The bill brings civil rights back to individuals and their families, according to DDS Director Andrew Reese. It removes the court’s ability to make decisions for them, which Reese said can sometimes be overreaching, such as when an individual was told that she could not get married. “The attorney and the judge told her that her behavior needed to improve before she could get married, which to me is a clear violation of a person’s constitutional rights, their civil rights,” Reese said. Sixteen individuals have been committed since 2010 after DDS has shifted to place individuals in community-based services instead of facilities and institutions like Forest Haven, Reese said. Forest Haven was an institution for people with disabilities that is remembered for the mistreatment and abuse of its residents. An earlier version of the bill, proposed in 2015, would have abolished past commitment altogether. But families and advocates pushed back, saying that some committed individuals consider their attorneys part of their support network. On June 15, the Committee on Human Services held a public hearing where several advocates praised the bill for providing more freedom for individuals
D.C. Resources for People With Intellectual Disabilities DEPARTMENT OF DISABILITY SERVICES Local government agency (202) 730-1700 | dds.dc.gov
QUALITY TRUST Nonprofit advocacy organization (202) 448-1450 | dcqualitytrust.org
UNIVERSITY LEGAL SERVICES Federally mandated protection and advocacy system in D.C. (202) 547-0198 | uls-dc.org
PROJECT ACTION Self-advocacy organization 202-448-1458 | dcqualitytrust.org/ families/join-project-action
to manage their own lives without court interference. Others were concerned that removing commitment for people with intellectual disabilities would leave them without supervision from the court and attorneys to ensure proper treatment from care providers and the DDS. “If DDS is doing the monitoring and the providers are doing the monitoring, it’s like the fox in the henhouse situation,” Betty Sinowitz, the president emerita of the Family Court Trial Lawyers Association who represents those with disabilities, said. “We need outsiders.” Sinowitz said her clients and those with at least moderate disabilities do not have the ability to make the decision whether to stay in commitment, and the bill does not allow her as an attorney to help her client make the decision. Supporters and opponents were united in their concern over the lack of an external grievance process. Reese said D.C. Council, DDS and advocates are currently in discussions about addressing this concern, either in amendments to the legislation or in the future. Sandy Bernstein of University Legal Services, a legal advocacy system for people with disabilities in D.C., said in an interview that she thinks people should be able to choose if they want court involvement in their life – instead of experiencing involuntary commitment to receive assistance. “That’s not a system that exists anywhere else in the country,” Bernstein said. “People apply for services — they get services. You don’t need to have a court approve to change where you live or change what you do during the day.” Bernstein added that people with more severe disabilities and without family support would be supported by
a government-appointed guardian and would not need court oversight. Robert Kennedy, the vice president of Project Action, an advocacy group for people with disabilities, receives services from DDS and said in an interview that because some people do not need to be committed to function, it shouldn’t be required to obtain services. “Some of my peers are scared it might not pass,” Kennedy said. “Don’t be scared of it. Just speak up for your rights.” Councilmember Brianne Nadeau, the chair of the Committee on Human Services, said she plans to make some changes to the bill and move the bill out of the committee on July 12. “There was quite a bit of support for this bill,” she said in an interview after the hearing. “We know we have a few tweaks to make.”
“Don’t be scared of it. Just speak up for your rights.” —Robert Kennedy Marie Rawles, the mother of a 51-yearold woman who is committed and living in a group home, favors some court involvement. Rawles said she is concerned about her daughter’s commitment status and future individuals who would not be committed and not have as strong of a check and balance system to ensure they receive appropriate care. “It seems to me that this is working,” Rawles said. “When we go to the court, it’s not that we’re there to dictate to an individual what to do or what not to do. We’re there to support whatever is in place for them.” ■
“Voter fraud is a fraud. Voter suppression is real.” a street paper exclusive interview with Rev. Jesse Jackson By Adam Sennott Volunteer
Jesse Jackson surrounded by marchers in 1975 carrying signs advocating support for the Hawkins-Humphrey Bill for full employment, near the White House, Washington, D.C. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS
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n March 1965, 24-year-old Jesse Jackson joined Rev. Martin Luther King and hundreds of others as they marched on Selma, Alabama in protest of the state’s racist voting laws. Many, including future U.S. Sen. John Lewis (D-GA), were beaten by police during the 18-day protest, but their actions led to the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. While their victory was historic, Jackson now says they had no idea how fragile it was. “We didn’t understand the chains of voter suppression,” Jackson said in a telephone interview. More than five decades after securing the right to vote, Rev. Jackson and other civil rights leaders are fighting to defend it. In the 2013 Shelby v. Holder decision, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that key provisions of the landmark law requiring federal oversight of voting practices in states and municipalities with histories of discrimination in voting were unconstitutional because these provisions did not reflect the less restricted landscape since the Voting Rights Act was enacted. Jackson said the decision allowed Republicans to manipulate the electoral map via gerrymandering. Since then, many states have also enacted voter ID laws, and closed hundreds of voting precincts. According to The Nation magazine, there were 868 fewer polling precincts across the country during the 2016 election. “They fought to remove the protections for 40 years,” Jackson said. “The Shelby decision undercut the Selma decision. They removed the protections and gerrymandering started all over again.” Despite President Trump’s claims that millions voted illegally, costing him the popular vote, in-person voter fraud “very rarely happens,” according to a report from the Brennan Center for Justice. “Voter fraud is a fraud,” Jackson said. “Voter suppression is real.” Since the Supreme Court’s decision, 33 states have passed laws requiring some form of identification to vote, according to The Atlantic. This past November marked the first election in 50 years without the full protections of the Voting Rights Act.
Jackson said that voter suppression in several states, One way to restore the integrity to voting is to pass though not all with voter ID laws, was responsible for laws that would automatically register voters as soon Trump’s election. as they turn 18, Jackson said recently in a column for “Hillary [Clinton] lost not by the Russian hack, but the Chicago Sun-Times. Recently, the Illinois General because of voter suppression in North Carolina, and Assembly unanimously passed a law that registration Philadelphia, and Detroit, and Milwaukee,” Jackson would be automatic upon interaction with state driver’s said. “They suppress the black vote and elevate the license and other agencies. If signed by Gov. Bruce white vote.” Rauner, Illinois would become the ninth state where In Detroit, there were 75,000 ballots an automatic registration law is enacted. A that “didn’t have the top of the ticket Rauner spokesperson told the Huffington Post marked,” Jackson said. Voting precincts that Rauner would sign the bill. were closed in North Carolina. “With popular organizing and mobilizaO n M a y 1 1 , Tr u m p s i g n e d a n tion, it will hopefully be the first of many,” executive order creating a commission Jackson said in the Sun-Times column. on voter fraud and suppression. Along with efforts to suppress voters, “The Commission on Election Jackson also said he took issue with Integrity will study vulnerabilities in Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ plans to voting systems used for federal elections increase the use of private prisons. that could lead to improper voter “He wants to open up private jails and registrations, improper voting, fraudulent close public schools,” Jackson said. “Less voter registrations, and fraudulent Reverend Jesse Jackson voting and more prison. voting,” the White House said in a spoke at the United “He’s a Confederate,” Jackson said. statement. “The Commission will also Nations on March 21 , “That’s what he stands for.” study concerns about voter suppression, 2012 for the International Jackson said that if King were alive today, as well as other voting irregularities. The Day for the Elimination of “he would understand the backlash, what I Commission will utilize all available data, Racial Discrimination. He call the ‘counter-cultural revolution.’” including state and federal databases.” highlighted the importance “He would fight to resist it,” Jackson S h o r t l y a f t e r t h e c o m m i s s i o n of freedom of expression said. “[But] he would certainly not be was announced, Jackson released in the fight for human surprised by it.” a s t a t e m e n t g i v i n g Tr u m p c r e d i t rights and to combat racial And resist is exactly what Jackson said for getting it at least half right by discrimination. U.S. he intends to do. ERIC BRIDIERS / WIKIMEDIA COMMONS considering voter suppression, “which is “There are two big elections this year in an accomplishment of sorts, considering New Jersey and in Virginia,” Jackson said. the administration’s track record,” Jackson said. “And next year the entire Congress is up for re-election.” Jackson said that if referees handled the NBA finals the The upcoming elections will give those who didn’t vote, way we handle voting, it wouldn’t be tolerated. and those who did and are suffering from voters’ remorse, “No one wants an unfair ballgame,” Jackson said. “an opportunity to redeem themselves,” Jackson said. ■ “They want good, honest referees. “We put more integrity on a basketball game than we The story originally ran in Streetwise, Chicago and do on voting,” Jackson said. “There should be integrity has been reprinted with permission, courtesy of the on both.” International Network of Street Papers.
Public, Private Groups Continue Push to Bridge D.C. Digital Divide
STREET SENSE July 12 - 25, 2017
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NEWS
By Tom Coulter tom.coulter@streetsense.org
Ribbon cutting for the opening of a new “makerspace” at The Overlook apartments in Southeast DC. | PHOTO BY TOM COULTER
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hen The Overlook at Oxon Run opened in 2010, providing affordable housing to young families and seniors like Florestine Jones, it came with an added perk: free internet. Being able to go online from home made life a lot easier for Jones, who previously traveled from her home in Congress Heights to the downtown MLK Library when she needed to use a computer. “It’s helped me broaden my horizons,” Jones said. “To have it here without paying for it and at your use every day, it’s just wonderful.” Over the past decade, public and private efforts have made the internet more accessible to residents like Jones, especially in wards 5, 7 and 8. While less than 40 percent of residents in these wards had broadband access in 2008, a 2015 report from the city’s Office of the Chief Technology Officer shows that 65 percent now have broadband connections. Despite the substantial progress, there remains a gap between those who can access the internet and those who cannot. Broadband rates in wards 5, 7 and 8 still lag behind the city’s other five wards, where roughly 85 percent of residents have connections. With technology becoming an increasingly integral part of everyday life, local government programs, nonprofits and private companies are fighting to bridge the persistent digital divide. In 2011, Connect.D.C. was created to provide technology training, collect broadband data and establish connections with District residents. Federal grants for the program expired in 2015 and it has been locally funded ever since, allowing
OCTO officials to continue their work on the project. “The ultimate goal would be for every District resident to have internet access at home,” said Delano Squires, who manages Connect.D.C.
Boosting Digital Literacy Squires said one of the main questions facing the program is how to reach people who do not use computers, which are essential for finding job applications, creating professional connections and accessing information. “In today’s technological world, most people’s first instinct in terms of sharing information is to put it online,” he said. “When you’re trying to reach people who are not online, you need other tools.” One of these tools is Connect.D.C.’s street team, which has gone to 20,000 houses in targeted neighborhoods over the last two years. The neighborhoods are mainly in wards 5, 7 and 8, where 72 percent of program participants live. The program’s mobile tech lab has allowed for more direct contact with residents of these neighborhoods. A donation from the D.C. Public Libraries, the converted bookmobile is fully equipped with computers and Wi-Fi. By providing programs such as financial literacy and small business training, the mobile tech lab exposes people to the ways technology impacts everyday life, a main goal of the program. “For low-income residents who may be thinking about food, clothing, shelter and health care, if you’re not able to demonstrate why it is relevant, access
to internet will get pushed down,” Squires said. Census data determine where the mobile tech lab can be used to its maximum potential. The program targets areas where less than 60 percent of residents have a broadband connection, according to Squires. Connect D.C. works primarily with nonprofits and government agencies, but private companies also play a role in increasing public access to technology. Through a collaboration between Capital One Bank and Community Planning and Development Corporation, a new “makerspace” opened June 28 at The Overlook, where Jones lives in the heart of Ward 8. Pamela Lyons, CPDC Senior Vice Pr e s i d e n t f o r C o m m u n i t y I m p a c t Strategies, said the technologies provided through the makerspace will help residents apply for jobs, connect with family in other cities and set up medical appointments. “Technology has come slow to Ward 8,” she said. “Having it is invaluable to being able to connect in a world that’s already filled with technology.” The area will be open to all Ward 8 residents and includes a fabric room for designing clothes, a digital lab with 3D printers, a woodshop with laser engravers and 3D carvers and additional computers.
Centralizing Computer Spaces With public and private initiatives aiming to close the disparities across D.C., libraries also play a crucial role in improving digital literacy. Connect D.C. has hosted several events at local libraries, which serve as social and academic hubs for many citizens. “As we move forward, we’re going to try to coordinate with them even more,” Squires said.
In 2013, D.C. Public Library opened the MLK Library’s Digital Commons, which included 80 public computers and a tech bar filled with tablets, iPads and other gadgets. Adam Schaeffer, who worked at the Digital Commons, said the library was
chosen as the site for this resource because of its location in the heart of the city and its proximity to several public transportation routes. The space attracted many people to the library, but the staff was often unable to accommodate the high demand, according to Schaeffer. “The space was so large,” he said. “At most you could give people like a minute of your time, and the computer literacy levels were so low that people needed basic stuff like how to use a mouse.” In addition to looking for jobs and housing, Schaeffer said people used the computers to apply for government benefits, pay speeding tickets and register children for school. In 2015, the MLK Library opened its Fabrication Lab, an advanced technology lab that included 3D printers, laser cutters and sewing machines. For those with moderate computer skills, the space provided an opportunity to use cuttingedge technology, which Schaeffer said helped many gain jobs. The MLK Library closed for a threeyear renovation in March, which drew criticism from many in the homeless community, according to previous Street Sense reporting. The closing also dispersed the equipment and staff from the Fab Lab to other library branches throughout the city. In the next few months, Schaeffer and his coworkers expect to reunite at a centralized interim space, which will be used until the MLK Library reopens in 2020. The instability of public computer spaces further emphasizes the importance of in-home broadband for older citizens. The lack of reliable transportation creates a particularly difficult barrier for them, according to Katrina Polk, the CPDC Director of Aging in Community. For example, the closest Starbucks and McDonald’s locations — both of which offer free Wi-Fi — are nearly three miles from Jones’ home at The Overlook. Such a distance is too far for many entering later stages of life. “This particular center will help to fill that void,” Polk said of the new makerspace. “Especially in this particular community.” ■
T
here are proud moments like photographing and interviewing a legendary superhero and a Giant in the Senate. But then there are PROUD moments when you get credit for having done so... like being posted at The Newseum, which is paramount public archival! On June 29, Street Sense’s cover, featuring my interview with Senator Al Franken, was featured in the “Today’s Front Pages” exhibit at The Newseum as part of our collaboration with five other newsrooms to report on solutions The NorThwesT CurreNT to homelessness, together, for the entire day.
CITYPAPE R D.C.’S HOMELES S CRISIS Was hing ton
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6, 2017 r.Com Notably, Advisory been trying opposition. Commission 3C The school has its science Neighborhood Massachusetts since 2015 to expandMacomb St. (Cleveland Park, Woodley Park) 3100 Avenue Heights, facilities at the votes last month of the historic no longer had the NW campus, part the It chose a spot on to pass a resolution opposing Tregaron estate. overlooking the wooded hillsidequickly faced proposal. reached the But when the case Macomb — but Review from nearby residents Historic Preservation new science objections construction of a Board last Thursday, board memPlans to add a who opposed the but Washington Inter- large new building on the site. bers were sympathetic building at the school’s plans design revihave been shot After numerous unequivocal: The 5 national School International leaving the See Tregaron/Page sions, Washington community down once again, various unpalatworst the pondering skirted school able options.
UKULELE LESSONS
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throughout Street hosted performances of “Make Music DC,” Tenleytown Main Wednesday as part The event the neighborhood in the nation’s capital. at a celebration of music “Ukulele Learn ’n Play” program included an afternoonLibrary presented by Middle C Music. the Tenley-Friendship
Park has reopening of Turtle week of The long-delayed the first yet again — to changbeen postponed last-minute design of General August — to accommodate the D.C. Department es, officials with week. community last NW, forServices told the and Van Ness streets closed for The park at 45th has been Friendship Park, renovation to the mally known as for an $8 million the last two years and recreation center. The work site’s outdoor areas to be finished last fall, but the locawas originally slated with the inconvenient be agency had to contend — one of which had to pipes recreation tions of multiple that forced the new relocated, and another on the site. center to be shifted agency pushed back the reopenof FriendLast Tuesday, the according to Friends 13 ing again. This time, See Friendship/Page
Shelter residents don’t share critics’ concerns By MARK LIEBERMAN
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center park and its recreation Renovations to the but are facing a last-minute are nearly complete playground floor surface. the design change to
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By MARK LIEBERMAN Georgetown. Current Staff Writer funding, the With reduced Current faces particuunexMark Lieberman/The westward expansion argued that In the weeks following General DC Streetcar’s Mendelson has lived at the D.C. hopes the pected cuts to the — which the lar peril. line — covering a 2.4Jessica Odom, 28, the current since April and Benexpansion budget earlier this of H Street and family homeless shelterwill provide more services. D.C. Council adopted2 communi- mile stretch in Northeast — isn’t facilities Ward ning Road numerous replacement month — some an extenare familiar to will feel like have begun criticizing popular enough to justify down to the worries that families of affordable ty leaders The former concerns change. generally boiling Ave. NW raises dearth sion into Ward 2. leaders development projects, building against nearby single- they’re being monitored. The Phil Mento resi- the last-minute But not all communityadvisory a tall prove alienating Council Chairman than $40 about a juxtaposition of in the area could distance more Two Northwest were also complaints said restaurants means. And the 15 delson stripped that agree. family homes. There process that critics See Streetcar/Page dents without substantial station might be inconve- million from the $160 million input. had to D.C. Council site-selection nearest Metro time for community who need easy access10 Mayor Muriel Bowser future from the allowed inadequate for the shelter’s The nient, especially for parents See Shelter/Page But neighbors concerns’ numerous, if hypothetical. INDEX residents are also to the police station at 3320 Idaho RS.COM Opinion/6 CURRENTNEWSPAPE Calendar/16 shelter’s proximity Police Report/8
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planned for homeless shelter Critics of the family Headquarters site in Ward 3 Police about how the 2nd District of concerns — some have cited a number neighborhood, and others about the its the site will affect satisfactory for shelter will prove
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NEWS
Restaurant closes
Nam Viet Cleveland Park’s 20 years as shuts down after Page 3 business slows /
SPORTS
NBA-bound
star picked Former Sidwell hoops Lakers in up by the Los Angeles / Page 9 last week’s draft
where Check out our new website, communityyou’ll find more of the and sports oriented news, features Current. you read weekly in The
Classifieds/22 District Digest/4 Getting Around/15 In Your Neighborhood/12 Tips? Contact us at
Real Estate/11 Service Directory/20 Sports/9 s.com newsdesk@currentnewspaper
By Patty Smith Artist/Vendor
On June 13, D.C. Public Library and the Downtown Business Improvement District invited Street Sense vendor and author Gerald Anderson to discuss his book, “Still Standing.” PHOTOS BY KEN MARTIN
The OPX design consultancy recently invited some of us Street Sense vendors to their Dupont Circle office to auction off clay coffee cups we designed by hand with the program District Mugs. It was a warm day when we arrived at the beautiful building right across from the Metro station. The people holding the event were very friendly and could not do enough for us. Dani, our office manager, and I worked on two coffee cups together live at the event: layer after layer of paint. I was singing some of my songs for the people in the company that were also painting mugs. Some of the people asked us about Street Sense and we shared what we knew about the company and the part we play in selling the paper. We continued to talk about various topics and finally it was time to leave. To sum up our visit, the company seemed glad we came, and we in turn had a beautiful time there.
Photographer Chris Shaw won the Street Sense Excellence in Journalism Award, alongside Dan Zak, Kavitha Cardoza and Bill O’Leary. | PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN
@tion
Migr
the
Hirshhorn
By Ken Martin, Artist/Vendor For one day only, on July 8, former Street Sense Artist-in-Residence Bardia Saeedi’s installation, A Migration Tale, was featured in the lower level of the Smithsonian Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. Street Sense Artist-in-Residence Adam Kampe assisted with the project. There were three interactive humanoid figures. Upon holding their hands, each would light up and play the recorded story of an immigrant living in the D.C. area. WPFW had a table outside of the museum where they interviewed the team. Saeedi plans to install the exhibit on the former Street Sense interactive art bus and take it to the Hermitage Museum in Norfolk VA. His team is looking for more venues.
m
STREET SENSE July 12 - 25, 2017
9
D.C. Startup Business to Bring Telemedicine Care Inside Shelters, Housing Projects COVER STORY
By Justine Coleman justine.coleman@streetsense.org
A
fter more than 20 years of working in city community clinics and noticing that the current health care system puts low-income populations at a disadvantage, a D.C. professor and family physician has developed a business to bring medical care directly to underserved communities. This startup, Urgent Wellness, will place centers in homeless shelters and housing projects where community health workers will provide direct assistance to clients and consult remotely with off-site doctors through telemedicine. A center in living spaces would meet residents where they are and provide an outlet for acute, preventative and chronic disease management care — which many do not receive, according to founder Freya Spielberg, an associate professor and the director of community-oriented primary care at George Washington University. A center would also bring telemedicine to shelters and housing projects, allowing doctors located off-site to hear a patient’s lungs and heart and see a patient’s ear and throat or skin through a remote camera. Meanwhile, community health workers in the center would help patients get prescribed medication, complete tests and reach a primary physician. Different counseling modules and group visits will also educate patients on how to take care of specific health issues, Speilberg said. “ I t ’s d i f f i c u l t t o s c h e d u l e a n
appointment and then to follow up with an appointment when you have a chaotic life and other pressing priorities that need to be addressed,” she said. She said she is trying to add vending machines that would make key health products, tests and medication available for patients at Urgent Wellness sites after they swipe a barcode. Urgent Wellness would not replace the need for a primary physician, Speilberg said, but would connect individuals to the necessary doctor for their medical needs. “We can have a community health worker there that will provide them with acute care telemedicine immediately to get that acute care need met but at the same time will enroll them into the Urgent Wellness program,” she said. At first, Urgent Wellness will serve Medicaid patients as part of managed care organizations. Places without Medicaid would need government funding to support the center, she said. Speilberg added that similar projects have existed in the past but had to end after funding disappeared, which is why Urgent Wellness functions as a business. Urgent Wellness has won $25,000 from the New Venture Competition at George Washington University and $5,000 from the AARP Foundation’s Older-Adult Focused Innovation Prize in April. Providing services at one center would cost about $150,000 without the management costs.
N
Deborah Nix, a local minister, speaks to Benning Terrace resident Pearl Speaks, who says her community needs Urgent Wellness. | PHOTO BY RODNEY CHOICE
Freya Speilberg, founder of Urgent Wellness, and her team setting out to survey Benning Terrace residents about their health care needs. | PHOTO BY RODNEY CHOICE Speilberg said the money from these two projects and other funders will allow Urgent Wellness to open its first center in the Benning Terrace housing project in Northeast, D.C. in October after conducting surveys with residents to determine the project is needed and wanted. Deborah Nix, a minister at First Rock Baptist Church in Benning Terrace, began working with the project in May after participating in a webinar with the Wesley Theological Seminary where Speilberg spoke about Urgent Wellness’ plans. N o w, N i x l e a d s t h e o u t r e a c h effort to assess resident’s needs at Benning Terrace. She manages a team that completes the surveys in the neighborhood that will identify the health needs of community members. “For the most part we have found that people are extremely receptive to completing the survey, and they seem extremely receptive to having an Urgent Wellness program in the community,” she said. Previously, Nix said that she has past experience creating family unifying programs to help people find employment, and some individuals said they couldn’t participate or get a job because of their health issues. “If you do not have your health you cannot do anything,” she said. “You can’t
get a job. You can’t exercise. You can’t go to school. That made me know we had to work on the health of our community before we could work on other the issues.” She added that bringing the services within the community will prevent many from making excuses for missing appointments and ultimately not taking care of themselves. Alvin Kelly, a team lead who helps direct how to conduct surveys, became a part of Urgent Wellness after hearing about the project from Nix. Kelly thought everyone in the neighborhood could benefit from it. He added that many people he has surveyed have said they need a system like Urgent Wellness in Benning Terrace. “I can see when I’m talking to them how happy they are that the thought of maybe not having to go three miles away, when you don’t have money, to see about your health,” Kelly said. Pearl Speaks, a Benning Terrace resident, said neighborhood residents, including herself, need Urgent Wellness because many struggle to transport themselves to a doctor and sometimes use ambulances to go get minor treatment. “If they bring it here, it’s even better for the rest of us and the elderly and the young and the old,” she said. “I think it’s very good that they’re trying to do that.” ■
OPINION
Have an opinion about homelessness is our community? Street Sense maintains an open submission policy and prides itself as a newspaper that elevates community voices and fosters healthy debate. Send your thoughts to opinion@streetsense.org.
PERCEPTION OR REALITY: Dying on the Streets By Robert Williams, USMC
People are literally dying on the streets of Washington D.C., our nation’s capital. Take a look around you, really take a look. It’s not getting any better, regardless of what the system says it’s doing. The government seems to want to convince you that they are accomplishing their goals. But, if they don’t care about the humans on the street, then they don’t care about you either. And it’s only going to get worse if budget cuts are made to housing assistance or health care. You too will then begin to feel and see the effect cuts. Some of the people you see struggling, ambling and shuffling are the walking dead. Each step they take they are laboring, with pain-stricken faces. To a certain degree, this seems to be by design. Chronic homelessness puts people at an average lifespan of 48, according to Healthcare for the Homeless. It’s a travesty to allow any human to live in this manner. Would
you like to see one of your loved ones, not living, but existing in such a way? Do you like for your intelligence to be played upon? That’s what’s happening if you allow pundits or officials to feed you any lines about “doing the best we can” or “meeting our goals.” I’ll say it again: look up, look down, look across town and do not continue to allow the system to play you like a clown. When the narrative says our community is improving, but we don’t feel that improvement on the street, it destroys self-esteem and ambition. We really need those of you who actually care about homeless people to get involved. Stand up and speak out. For real changes to begin we must all show concern and compassion for the less fortunate and discontentment with the status quo. Though it is said that one’s best advocate is one’s self, remember that
the homeless community is a voiceless, forgotten and ignored society of people. So we need those of you not yet affected by this homeless epidemic. Join me and the advocacy groups I’m involved with when we go to the Wilson Building and Capitol Hill. Keep abreast of the Street Sense website for upcoming community events. If things stay the course, if our city continues to return millions of federal dollars we failed to invest in housing, if our president follows through in slashing the HUD budget — then you might find yourself not just affected, but infected, as you are catapulted into the ever increasing ranks of the homeless. It’s not a fun or fair place to be, you would see.
Health Care for the Homeless By Damon Smith
Health care for the homeless is imperative. Not having housing gives you many health issues. Food stamps and Medicaid saved me. I had to wait in long lines at 5 a.m. to get it when I had a broken wrist. I have also had a host of other issues. The new administration's efforts to cut health care is angering a lot of Americans. Health care is a human right. Preventing the homeless and poor from securing this basic right is a tragedy in the making. America is an industrialized nation and health care should be available to all. This is shameful. Damon Smith is a Street Sense vendor and contributor.
Robert Williams is a vendor for Street Sense.
Barriers to Exiting Homelessness
PHOTO BY ANGIE WHITEHURST
Metro Needs to Find Its Humanity
The church can be a barrier to overcoming homelessness because the person going through it may believe that it is the will of God that they suffer. Or they may believe that the church will solve the dilemma and not be proactive enough. PHOTO BY GWYNETTE SMITH
By Angie Whitehurst
On June 29, citizens and a coalition of organizations held a rally at the Columbia Heights Metro Station to protest the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority fare hikes and cuts of bus routes and services. Nearly 100 senior citizens, retired Metro employees, people with disabilities, students, and passersby gathered at the station. Speakers from One DC, Amalgamated Transit Union 689 and others encouraged the crowd to contact their council members and call for affordable transit and to bring back the recently-cut bus routes. While service and ridership has suffered through “SafeTrack” for a year, WMATA chose to raise non-rush-hour rates on bus and rail by 25 cents, raise rushhour rail rates by 10 cents, and reduce bus service.
Improving people’s lives in a democracy requires affordable, reliable and sensible transportation. And what Metro says they are saving out of the Metro budget by doing this is miniscule. T h e r e t i r e d , e l d e r l y, d i s a b l e d , financially challenged and families using the Metro for childcare dropoff and pickup are being marginalized. To be selfsufficient, people must be mobile. To get to work and back is important. Anything which can lead to more poverty and dislocation and subsequent homelessness needs to be changed. Metro needs to find its humanity. This decision has no heart and we as a city are not fodder to be shredded by political budget snippers! Angie Whitehurst is an artist and vendor for Street Sense.
The cost of transportation can stand between a homeless person and doctor's appointments, job interviews, classes, showers — virtually any service. Especially, if the person is elderly or physically disabled. It is difficult to advance yourself when you may need to choose between mobility and food, prescriptions or other necessities. | PHOTO BY GWYNETTE SMITH Gwynette Smith is a Street Sense vendor and contributor.
My Birthday
My Role Model life’s chosen path. With that in mind, I stayed in the school system for many years, learning everything I could. I would teach other children and learned I had made the right decision. I returned to school in 2005 and got my high school diploma. Dr. Rutherford’s wisdom opened doors for many students as well as their parents, not just me. He would always tell these parents they were welcome at any time because this is their children’s school. As my boss and as a leader, he gave me the opportunity to express my ideas and implement my plan for further education. I had the honor of getting an award from the mayor and many others while working at the Fletcher Johnson Educational Center. This is how I got started in the Parent-Partnership Program. Consequently, more doors opened for me. In the 1990’s I started taking care of children besides my own. My husband would say to me ‘Whose child are you bringing home now?” We took in any children that need help. I became a foster parent to children in need. Once my children got older, I started pursuing my own career. I went back to school at Wider Opportunity for Women in Washington, DC. My next adventure will be at the University of the District of Columbia, studying communication. I am 55 years old and when I graduate from UDC I will be 57. I would tell anybody who asks me that you are never too old to learn, so go back to school. And don’t forget – we learn new things everyday of our lives we just don’t realize it. When I walk across a stage at graduation, I will be tilting my cap to a great man: Dr. George Rutherford.
I know what it is to be a Street Sense vendor. It has saved me in many ways. I just turned 65 years of age and enjoyed my birthday and Father's Day by taking my grandchildren to breakfast at their favorite McDonalds for pancakes, eggs, milk and orange juice. Afterwards we had a wonderful time attending church for morning worship. I firmly believe that the family that prays together has a better chance of staying together. Children need God in their life so they can learn how to love and respect themselves and others, to treat others the way they want to be treated. After church, we went to a park for play time. We played softball, kick ball and cards. By that time, I was getting tired. Age has a way of catching up with you! We decided that if we went to a movie, I could sit down for a while, but I fell asleep and missed most of the movie! Before we left the movie theater my 10-year-old granddaughter wanted to read us a story, and when she was done, it was time to eat again! We went back to the house to eat and have sodas and ice cream and a cake my wife bought for my birthday. At the end of the day, they all expressed how much fun we had and decided to meet again real soon, as being a family is important and we should never take it for granted. Enjoy your family now, because when they are gone it's too late. Peace, love and happiness to each and every one of you. PS — Thanks for your support!
1#1
ART
By Carl Turner, Artist/Vendor
By Sheila White, Artist/Vendor
I first met Dr. George Rutherford in 1993 when he was the principal of Fletcher Johnson Educat i o n a l C e n t e r. In the 1990s he had high blood pressure and started to meditate at the suggestion of his heart doctor. The experience changed him in such a positive way that teachers at his school asked him, “What is going on?” “TM,” he would reply. The teachers told him right then that they wanted to learn more and Dr. Rutherford arranged for his teachers to learn about transcendental meditation. I worked under Dr. Rutherford’s leadership from 1993 to 1999 as an educational aide at Fletcher Johnson Education Center in Washington, D.C. Dr. Rutherford retired from Fletcher Johnson years later, then came out of retirement to help start a school in Baltimore. There, he fell in love with teaching children. And once the school was on solid footing, he stepped down from his position and came back to Washington D.C. in 2010 to run Ideal Academy School. At this point, quiet time had been written into the curriculum of charter schools in Washington, D.C. and Dr. Rutherford was instrumental in arranging for his teachers and students at Ideal Academy to incorporate quiet time. He is a man of great integrity. He would always say to me, “Keep on learning, Ms. White.” I wanted to make a difference with my
STREET SENSE July 12 - 25, 2017
Medicaid Saves Lives By Aida Basnight Artist/Vendor My brother David recently came to a convention in D.C. about housing and the expansion of Medicaid. I got to hear him speak in front of the White House about how Medicaid is crucial for people who cannot otherwise afford health care. His story was about a man he knew as a friend. The man is homeless and hadn’t seen a doctor in years because he didn’t have any money to pay for a visit. David told his friend that he should be eligible for Medicaid since he is homeless. So, my brother helped his friend sign up for Medicaid at the clinic where he works. His friend received a thorough checkup and learned that he had diabetes. Luckily, it is at a stage that medication can control it. If David’s friend had waited a little bit longer to see a doctor, he would have had full-blown, out-of-control diabetes. He could have lost a leg or a foot because of it. I’m proud of my brother. And his speech reaffirmed what I already knew: Medicaid saves lives.
Money Will Never Be More Valuable Than Life, PT 3 By Marcellus Phillips, Artist/Vendor
Taking care of myself is something my mother taught me well. Life is about hard work because no one is going to give you what you want. After I was diagnosed with my seizure disorder, I became depressed. Then I started getting high and drinking to cope with depression. Many incidents that I don’t even remember occurred because of my alcohol abuse. But I got through it — I haven’t had a drink in over 10 years. One day, during that spiral, Mother opened the door to my room. It was the middle of the day, the middle of the week, and there she saw four Black men sitting around. The oldest of us was 22. And she couldn’t stand it. Mother told everyone to get up and get out — no one was allowed back in her home until everyone got a job. And we did, within about a week. My issue became where could I work that my condition wouldn’t get in the way. Remember, I tried KFC and the results
weren’t good. But I had also recently been put on medication that was supposed to help control my episodes. But I soon learned the cost of my medicine would be $500 per month. I couldn’t afford it, so I lived life med free. At that point I was in Maryland where my mother lived. My first job was selling The Washington Post newspaper Monday through Sunday. But when I got paid I messed the money up by not being responsible. Years went by as I traveled in the same cycle: get a job, get a girlfriend, fail and do it all over again. That was my story, every two years or so. Luckily, I didn’t get anyone pregnant. I love kids, but my health is borderline and no stable home or income makes it difficult just looking out for myself. People see me in the streets or on the bus and don’t realize the pain and difficulty I’m facing. I’m proud of myself for making it this far in life despite the barriers in front of
me, past, present and future. I had to stop working last year when my seizures became more frequent.This increase can only be caused by two things: medication not working properly or an excessive amount of stress in my life. When I’m stress-free and stable, I don’t have any issues. But right now It’s a combination of both. Stress is still the main cause of my seizures. With epilepsy, the rules are different. I have limits others don’t. So now I sleep on the floor at my sister’s place. Doctors have told me not to work anywhere until I’m 100 percent sure the new medication works. So far it doesn’t. I have at least three episodes per day. I’m experienced in maintenance and electrical work. I’ve also worked in sales, contracting, security and a few other areas. It’s frustrating not being able to accept job opportunities and use my skills fully. The reason for any termination has
been actions during one of my episodes or my choice to miss work for extremely important appointments with my neurologist. Most jobs don’t let you take off or don’t provide sick leave — which can mess your money up when you’ve got bills to pay. Everyone tells me they take my seizures and epilepsy seriously, but most seem to forget about my condition five minutes later. But I live with this 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. My current goal is to become stressfree, listen to my doctors and make it to all my appointments. And Street Sense is helping me do that. A couple of years ago, I met a friend who told me I should try selling the newspaper. I never took the opportunity seriously. Now that has changed, and they are providing me with much-needed knowledge and income to help me live a normal life. And from that I shall build an empire…
The Street Sense Writers’ Group is led by writing professionals and meets every Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. The group’s goal is to develop ideas and collaborate on the next great issue of Street Sense.
The Coolest Caps Fan (Go Mayor) By Ronald Dudley, a.k.a. “Pookanu,” Artist/Vendor
I'm a D.C. Capital Land of the Nationals Number one fan in the world This is factual I'm a Washingtonian We don't let no phonies in All we know is loyalty Even if we loose or win Can't Can't Can't Can't
no no no no
city city city city
take our pride take our faith hold us back take our place
I just met the mayor She said she's a Caps fan Said she had a plan To bring the city back, man Said she saw a vision I think I saw the same one Red, white and blue Teams can hide, but can't run My city full of winners Eat other teams for dinner
Rest in peace Sean Taylor My city still remembers We the Washington Redskins We the Washington Wizards We D.C. United United forever in scripture I know you get the picture I hope you got the message GO CAPITALS HOME OF THE NATIONALS!
Ovechkinz for real Who just hit a home run? Who get it done? Just knocked it out the park Who number one?
I'm a Georgetown Hoya I'm a bison from Howard I'm a GW Colonial with the power I'm American U My city so patriotic We red, white and blue
We Ben's Chili Bowl We Florida Ave Grill We underestimated But survivin' it still We're monumental Strong, adapted to pain Got my city lookin' pretty Architects in the rain
Politicians on my line calling my phone They say my city in a zone Time to bring it back home Who got the rock? (John Wall!) Go Bradley Beale Who broke the ice? (A-O!)
We're Banneker, Duke Ellington We are Cardoza We're Anna Balou Math, Science — it's ova
Street Sense, The Express The Washington Post Street Sense, Street Sense Who doin' the most? Street Sense, Street Sense, Time for the victory lap
Out There on my Own, PT 1 Misconceptions of Marriage By Reginald Denny, Artist/Vendor
By Chon Gotti, Artist/Vendor
As I look back over my life and think things over, I can truly say that I am blessed. I am a living testimony. My name is Reginald C. Denny. I am a native Washingtonian, born on April 29, 1964 to two wonderful parents, Amelia and Joseph Edward Denny. Both are originally from Bristol, Virginia and both are recently deceased. I am the eighth child of my parents, with four brothers and four sisters. I grew up in Northeast Washington on 5th and M Streets, now considered the Capitol Hill district of the city. I attended D.C. public schools from elementary through high school and was a very athletic individual. I was on the boxing and basketball teams and belonged to the Police Boys and Girls Clubs during my early teens. I also sang in several talent shows and participated in performing arts. And my grades were above average. In the Chevy Chase neighborhood, we were considered to be poor. Yet we had everything we needed. The only thing missing to me, in those adolescent years, was my parents. Mom was a dedicated and proud domesticated worker who was highly respected by two prominent lawyers. And Dad was a decorated soldier of the United States Army — a recipient of the Silver Star and the Purple Heart. But they had separated. I lived with my mom and she worked two jobs, constantly and vigorously, to provide for me and my siblings. I was pretty much left to myself to figure out how to be a man. Ultimately, the Boys Club and the streets became my father. (to be continued)
Engagement and marriage are not what everyone thinks they are. It’s not about waking up early every morning to make breakfast and eat together. It’s not about cuddling in bed together until both of you peacefully fall asleep. And it’s not about maintaining a clean home or preparing homemade meals every day. I learned the hard way that romantic partnership — engagement, marriage, whatever you want to call it — means that someone is going to steal the covers and elbow you in the face while you try to sleep. It means that you will eventually exchange harsh words, and harsher silence. Honestly, you might wonder if you’ve made the right decision. Despite all those things, marriage is the one thing you look forward to every day. It’s coming home to the same person that you know loves and cares about you, every day. It’s laughing together about the one time you accidentally did something stupid. Marriage is sitting down together at 10 p.m. to eat the cheapest and easiest meal you can make because you both had a crazy day. It’s when you have an emotional breakdown and your partner holds you and tells you everything is going to be okay. And you believe them. Engagement is about still loving someone even though they make you insane. Living with the person you love leads to fights about absolutely nothing. But it also means having a love that people spend their whole life looking for. Marriage is never perfect. It’s a difficult give and
take. But it’s amazing and comforting and the best thing you’ll ever experience. At the end of a long, hard day, true love is simply saying “Honey, my life partner, I will always love you.” I would like to thank all of my faithful customers for supporting me and reading my articles. I hope you find true love too.
STREET SENSE July 12 - 25, 2017
One Step Closer Family Ties By Angie Whitehurst, Artist/Vendor
By Beverly Sutton, Artist/Vendor
On July 6, the city broke ground on the first of seven small family shelters being built to replace the converted hospital, D.C. General, where too many District families reside. A star of appreciation goes to my Ward 4 representative, Brandon Todd, for backing, assisting and making housing available to D.C. residents. We need a lot more, and do appreciate actions over words!
I’ve been through some difficult times with family, foster homes and backto-back institutions, such as Forest Haven, Mable Glenn and D.C. Receiving Home. My mother didn’t tell me where my daddy was when she came to my foster homes. And I didn’t get a chance to ask her either. At 9 years old, you don’t have a mind like that to ask your mother questions. My foster mother was abusive. She hit me with an iron cord and would put me in the basement after she hit me. I wonder why someone would take in another child and abuse them. My mother was still living at the time, and she didn’t know about it. But my mother died when I was 9 years old, and my foster mother wouldn’t take me to the wake after the funeral.
Street Papers Should be Used by All Churches By Tanya Bibbs Artist/Vendor Street Sense can be used as a tool to help homeless people in every state. The paper can help the public to see us as people. People who want to work, not to beg. There 40 such street papers in cities across the U.S. and more than 100 around the world. But this model could help so many more people. The paper can remove the pressure from employers to hire homeless people because you can find your own way as a self-employed contractor for Street Sense (or another street paper). The money made by paper sales encourages greater self-esteem alongside financial independence — a stepping stone to rent living space, buy other necessities and cope with the homeless lifestyle. Street Sense gives homeless people the space to develop your voice and repressed abilities. It truly feels wonderful to connect with this community and again be a part of something meaningful. Street Sense can spark the motivation to find gainful employment. Best of all, Street Sense rebuilds relationships between homeless people and the community at large, which can lead to major opportunities. You never know who you might meet while selling this paper.
ART
Fourteen years ago, they put me into St. John’s Community Services, a place that takes care of people with disabilities. I appreciate that I’m living a good life now — off the streets and in an apartment. But I’d like to share this life with my family. I had a recent meeting with St. John’s about this. My case manager and I talked about how my brother always makes excuses to keep from seeing me. Two years ago, he asked to see me. But when my case manager went to pick him up, he wasn’t there. He’s always with his friends and doesn’t have time for his sister. I have problems trying to figure that out. The last time I saw him I was 18. From 18 to 59 is a long time. If he really wanted to see me, he would have made arrangements with my case manager by now. St. John’s also said they will help try to find my father. I hope someday that he will come forward and find me, if he’s still alive.
By Robert Warren Artist/Vendor Seventeen is the time to get serious about Heaven, Hell and life after death Or are those days just to wander about asking who are we and why are we here It’s all the same when you are around those golden years of youth now lost to times of war How was I to hate the enemy at thirteen I began to realize that people are people and some do what they do If Hell awaits, it must be hard to get there it might not take long But who has time to think of Hell and Sin when life’s test is coming to make your testimony
Try to remember the first time you forgave me is living better at nineteen before you learn people tell so many lies
By Michael Craig Artist/Vendor
HAAHHH!
Seventeen
You thought you had seen Heaven and the wealth of others But what if you could trade it all to purify your thoughts and be one who knows
Mr. Love and Peace
The monkey and the little girl used to play in the jungle outside of their village in the tropics. One day they heard a loud sound, with a growl on it: “ARRRGGGHH ” The monkey was scared. But not the little girl wasn’t. She was very assertive and decided to have a conversation with the monster. The little girl was more ferocious at heart. The monster was confused. No one had ever approached it before. “What is your problem?” the little girl asked. “We’re singing, dancing, cooking — getting along peacefully and happily in our village. Why do you have to ruin it? What do you think you are doing?” The monster began to cry. It realized how unnecessary its behavior was. It cried, cried and cried. The little girl grabbed it by the hand and led the
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monster back to the village. The monster was speechless — no words or growls. It had never known love. Some people can’t handle it — others don’t recognize it. But the monster embraced love. It cried even more. The little girl had taught the monster what life could be like in harmony with others and the village welcomed it to join them for the dancing, the singing and even the cooking. The monster didn’t have to be a monster any more. It was broken down. It took a little girl to do it. Soon enough, the monster broke out in song. No one had ever heard a singing monster before. And it was goooood! The sun came out as the monster sang. And they partied the day away. We h a v e t o b e kind to each other. The world is cold enough.
When doing something makes you feel good there is peace in Heaven to get out of Hell until that second wind when the angel of Death rips out your soul Who knew it? Heaven or Hell.
Freedom By Derian Hickman Artist/Vendor Is the pen really mightier than the sword? It can be in the penitentiary. There, writing can set you free. I'm so glad to be free. Even locked down I was free. Wherever you are — find your freedom.
sudoku!
COUTESY OF KRAYDAD.COM
Rumble Over the Mound By Frederic John Artist/Vendor
Strickland plumked, and Bryce lunged. What gravitas have we— Not to take the plunge?
GETTY IMAGES
last edition’s solutions
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—Franklin —Franklin Sterling, Sterling, Artist/Vendor Artist/Vendor PHOTO COURTESY OF LINDSAY HOLMWOOD / FLICKR
STREET SENSE July 12 - 25, 2017
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COMMUNITY SERVICES Housing/Shelter
Food
Clothing
Showers
Case Management
Health Care
Transportation
Laundry
Education
Employment Assistance
Legal Assistance
Vivienda/alojamiento
Comida
Coordinación de Servicios
Seguro
Educación
Assitencia con Empleo
Academy of Hope Public Charter School: 269-6623 | 601 Edgewood St, NE aohdc.org Bread for the City: 265-2400 (NW) | 561-8587 (SE) 1525 7th St, NW | 1640 Good Hope Rd, SE breadforthecity.org Calvary Women’s Services: 678-2341 1217 Good Hope Road, SE calvaryservices.org
Ropa
Lavandería
D.C. Coalition for the Homeless: 347-8870 1234 Massachusetts Ave, NW dccfh.org
Línea de juventud
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE HOTLINE: (202) 749-8000 Línea directa de Violencia doméstica
BEHAVIORAL HEALTH HOTLINE: 1-888-793-4357
Assistencia Legal
Covenant House Washington: 610-9600 2001 Mississippi Avenue, SE covenanthousedc.org
Línea directa de alojamiento YOUTH HOTLINE: (202) 547-7777
Duchas
Transportación
Community of Hope: 232-7356 communityofhopedc.org
SHELTER HOTLINE: (202) 399-7093
Línea de Salud del Comportamiento Jubilee Jobs: 667-8970 2712 Ontario Rd NW | 2419 Minnesota Ave SE jubileejobs.org
Samaritan Ministry: 1516 Hamilton Street NW | 722-2280 1345 U Street SE | 889-7702 samaritanministry.org
Loaves & Fishes: 232-0900 1525 Newton St. NW loavesandfishesdc.org
Sasha Bruce Youthwork: 675-9340 741 8th St, SE sashabruce.org
Martha’s Table: 328-6608 2114 14th St, NW marthastable.org
So Others Might Eat (SOME) 71 O St, NW | 797-8806 some.org
Catholic Charities: 772-4300 catholiccharitiesdc.org/gethelp
Central Union Mission: 745-7118 65 Massachusetts Avenue, 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 Family Life Services: 347-0511 | 305 E St, NW cflsdc.org
Vagrancy Comics #8: It’s The Thought That Counts By Justin Benedict Former Vendor
Father McKenna Center: 842-1112 19 Eye St, NW fathermckennacenter.org
Miriam’s Kitchen: 452-8926 2401 Virginia Ave, NW miriamskitchen.org
St. Luke’s Mission Center: 333-4949 3655 Calvert St. NW stlukesmissioncenter.org
Food and Friends: 269-2277 219 Riggs Rd, NE foodandfriends.org
My Sister’s Place: 529-5991 (24-hour hotline) mysistersplacedc.org
Thrive DC: 737-9311 1525 Newton St, NW thrivedc.org
Foundry Methodist Church: 332-4010 1500 16th St, NW foundryumc.org/ministry-opportunities
N Street Village: 939-2060 1333 N Street, NW nstreetvillage.org
Unity Health Care: 745-4300 3020 14th St, NW unityhealthcare.org
Friendship Place: 364-1419 4713 Wisconsin Ave, NW friendshipplace.org
New York Ave Shelter: 832-2359 1355-57 New York Ave, NE
Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless 1200 U St NW | 328-5500 legalclinic.org
Georgetown Ministry Center: 338-8301 1041 Wisconsin Ave, NW georgetownministrycenter.org Jobs Have Priority: 544-9128 425 Snd St, NW jobshavepriority.org
Patricia Handy Place for Women: 810 5th Street, NW, NW | 733-5378 Samaritan Inns: 667-8831 2523 14th St, NW samaritaninns.org
The Welcome Table: 347-2635 1317 G St, NW epiphanydc.org/thewelcometable Whitman-Walker Health 1701 14th St, NW | 745-7000 2301 MLK Jr. Ave, SE | 797-3567 whitman-walker.org
2017 ANNUAL AUDIENCE SURVEY! As a reader and customer, you are a crucial part of the Street Sense family. It is you who empowers our vendors economically, you who reads, watches and listens to their creative work and you who improves our local culture by being better-informed about homelessness and poverty. Needless to say, we value your feedback. Please complete this survey online at StreetSense.org/survey or postmark your response by August 31, 2017, to 1317 G Street NW, Washington, DC 20005 1) If a Street Sense vendor referred you to this survey, please enter their name and/or vendor number so they can receive free newspapers. _____________________________________________________________________ 2) How long have you been supporting Street Sense? ___ ___ ___ ___
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4) Where do you usually buy a Street Sense newspaper? (Use a landmark, neighborhood, or cross-streets) _______________________________ _______________________________ 5) Why do you purchase the newspaper? Select all that apply. ___ To support the vendor financially ___ To support Street Sense as an organization ___ To read content by a specific vendor ___ For art and opinions from the homeless community ___ For news on homelessness and poverty ___ Other: _____________________ _____________________ 6) How do you interact with Street Sense online? Select all that apply. ___ ___ ___ ___
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8) Have you ever donated to Street Sense outside of purchasing a newspaper? ___ Yes ___ No ___ I didn’t know Street Sense needs donations 9) Street Sense holds events such as film screenings, theatre productions and community forums about 12 times per year. How many do you attend? ___ ___ ___ ___
All Most Some I’ve never attended a Street Sense event ___ I didn’t know Street Sense holds events 10) In your opinion, which of the following best describes Street Sense? Select all that apply. ___ A newspaper ___ A multimedia center ___ An economic empowerment program ___ An advocacy organization ___ A news outlet ___ An art center ___ A platform that elevates voices of homeless people __ Other: _____________________
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_______________________________ 16) How often do you observe profane language, inappropriate comments or other harassing behavior from a Street Sense vendor? ___ Frequently ___ Rarely ___ I’ve never observed this behavior 18) How can we improve our organization? _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________
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July 12 - 25, 2017 • Volume 14 • Issue 18
Street Sense 1317 G Street, NW
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