08 12 2020 by Street Sense Media

VOL. 17 ISSUE 21

AUG. 12 - 25, 2020

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The Cover Raymond Pyle sitting at Moten Elementary, where he is a teacher. PHOTO BY RODNEY CHOICE

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NEWS IN BRIEF Elderly woman hit and killed by MPD vehicle

Night In For Safety and Liberation Saturday, Aug. 22 // 3 p.m. - 5:45 p.m. Location: Online only, register at TinyURL.com/night-in-for-safety-liberation Black Lives Matter D.C. will engage community members from the safety of indoors by oﬀering a virtual Zoom session where they will explore the ways #WeKeepUsSafe, along the axis of personal, communal and system safety. “We know and have learned from organizing that communities targeted by racist and classist systems are denied access to safety and security across all levels, personal, communal and systemic. We invite you to re-imagine, dream and create with us.” SATURDAY, AUG. 22

UPDATES ONLINE AT ICH.DC.GOV

Tiny House Workshop Time: 1 p.m. - 3 p.m. Location: Online at TinyURL.com/tiny-house-workshop Join Lee Pera, co-founder of the nation’s ﬁrst tiny house community, and Jewel Pearson (Ms Gypsy Soul), co-founder of Tiny House Trailblazers, to learn about the decisions that go into tiny house building, placement, and lifestyle.

D.C. Interagency Council on Homelessness Meetings

Housing Solutions Committee Aug. 17, 3 p.m. ***For call-in information, as well as meeting info for unlisted working groups, contact: ich.info@dc.gov.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 28

New March on Washington Time: 7 a.m. - 3 p.m. Location: Lincoln Memorial A modern continuation of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s 1963 March on Washington, as announced by the Rev. Al Sharpton during his eulogy for George Floyd.

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Devonne Harris, who often went by Evon, was struck and killed by a Metropolitan Police Department officer while crossing the street late at night on July 24. The officer was “operating a marked police vehicle with lights and sirens activated, while responding to assist another officer,” according to an MPD news release. She was hit in the 2800 block of Minnesota Ave. SE at approximately 9:37 p.m. Harris, approximately five and half feet tall and 62 years old, was likely experiencing homelessness. She had no fixed address, according to the release. Court records show she lived in the area for at least 35 years. Her first case in D.C. Superior Court dates back to 1985. There are 30 cases, with a couple more in neighboring Prince George’s County, documenting moments in her life here. Her record mirrors that of other low-income individuals denied adequate health care or housing. One third of her cases were “no-papered,” where the government chose not to press charges after her arrest. In seven others, her competency to stand trial was questioned. In her last three, in 2014 and 15, the government moved to consider civil commitment but instead chose to dismiss each case. The Sixth District officer who struck Harris has been placed on “non-contact” status, according to Officer Sean HIckman. MPD’s Internal Affairs Division and Major Crash Investigations Unit are investigating the incident. Anyone with information about the crash should call MPD at (202) 727-9099 or text your tip to 50411. —ericf@streetsensemedia.org Street Sense Media aims to provide obituaries for anyone who dies without a home in the District of Columbia. If you knew Ms. Harris, please contact editor@streetsensemedia.org

Congress fails to compromise for new COVID-19 relief bill The House and Senate failed to agree on a new COVID-19 relief bill before a scheduled August recess, leaving many Americans wondering when and how they can receive further financial assistance. In response, President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Aug. 8, urging officials to “consider” measures to temporarily halt evictions, and three memoranda to defer payroll tax obligations, continue student loan relief, and provide unemployment benefits with contributions from each state. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) released a statement pointing out Trump’s failure to fully comprehend the seriousness and urgency of the pandemic for working families. With the clock ticking and needs increasing, several former executive directors of the United States Interagency Council on Homeslessness (USICH) sent a letter to Congress to express their desire for additional investments to help provide safe and healthy sheltering and rehousing options. Although negotiations for the next relief bill are ongoing, there is no concrete schedule for how Congress plans to move forward. White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows expressed doubts about being able to strike a deal if negotiations were to go beyond Aug. 14. —eunice.sung@streetsensemedia.org

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NEWS

Tenant rights advocates fight back against illegal eviction BY MARGARET BARTHEL // DCist / @margaretbarthel

ifu has been living in a modest brick house in Chillum, Maryland, just over the D.C. line, for almost a year. The place has been a haven for her following a series of traumatic events in her personal life. She’s been growing herbs — mint, lemongrass, lavender — in big pots by the front walkway, and inviting her neighbors to come by and take clippings. “This was a very nice healing house for me,” she said. “I’ve made this place my house, my home.” But then the coronavirus hit, and Sifu and her two other roommates fell on hard times. Sifu, who declined to provide her last name, lost her job at an after-school program. The three of them couldn’t pay everything they owed in rent. Sifu and M Lovell, one of her roommates, say their landlord started sending messages threatening them with late fees and eviction in June. “We have an email that he was going to charge late fees and he kept harassing us, saying that he needed the full rent by July 7th,” said Lovell. The tenants put together a GoFundMe page, and raised the money they needed to pay their back rent. But even though they paid what they owed, Lovell says their landlord sent them a notice via email in mid-July, requiring them to leave the house within ten days. “We said, ‘Hey, we understand that you want us to leave the property, but we’re going to need you to respect that 30 day one month notice per the Maryland code. We paid our full rent. We want you to respect that 30 days,’” said Lovell. Beyond standard legal protections, tenants in Maryland have an extra layer of protection against eviction during the pandemic: an executive order from Governor Larry Hogan prohibits eviction so long as the state remains under the state of emergency — and so long as the tenants can prove that their income has been significantly impacted by COVID-19. A second layer of protection, a pause on eviction-related hearings in Maryland courts, expired on July 25. Sifu and Lovell say their landlord, Robert Miley, ignored their explanations of their situation and references to their legal rights, and threatened to come by on Friday and change the locks to the house. But unlike many tenants facing threats of eviction, the roommates had a next move: they got in touch with advocates they knew in the D.C. housing activist community. The D.C. Tenants’ Union, Stomp Out Slumlords, and the local Democratic Socialists of America chapter organized a protest to coincide with when Lovell and Sifu said Miley planned to change the locks. On Friday afternoon, dozens of demonstrators, wearing masks and carrying signs with slogans like “Slumlords out!” and “Cancel evictions now!” gathered on the front lawn and stationed themselves at all the doors to the home while the tenants retreated inside. The quiet deadend street rang with chants of “When our homes are under attack, what do we do? Stand up, fight back!” and “Housing is a human right! Fight, fight, fight!”

Lovell and Sifu say they saw Miley come by briefly — but he left quickly, without engaging with the protesters. When the tenants called him to again request a 30-day window before they move out — which they all intend to do — he did not answer his phone. Miley did not respond to a request from WAMU/DCist for comment. While the action prevented the threatened eviction Friday, advocates said they would remain vigilant, gathering protesters’ contact information in case they needed to mobilize again. The protest in Chillum was miles away from Black Lives Matter Plaza and the heart of the summer’s protests over police brutality and racial injustice, but they had similar DNA — shared chants; a mostly-young, diverse group of protesters; abundant snacks and bottled water; and a similar sense of urgency mixed with excitement. Oluwfemi Taiwo was one of the protesters. He’s a member of Pan-African Community Action, a group of Pan-African socialists which started a few years ago to call for an end to police brutality and the beginning of community control over law enforcement. “We have a united cause against racial capitalism, against the police as an occupying force and against the forms of oppression that systematically form around that,” Taiwo said. “So housing is definitely part of that. And so we’re here in support.” He drew a clear connection between the action and other recent demonstrations. “It feels completely in line with all the other protests that are happening,” he continued. “You know, we have the coronavirus pandemic, which is essentially a warp speed version of the climate crisis. And we have this basic political problem, which is how are we going to distribute the cost of this? Who’s going to be protected? What’s going to be protected? And at every point in the crisis so far, the government’s chosen to protect rich people, chosen to protect the police system, chosen to protect landlords. And it never chooses to protect Black and brown working class people. And so we got protect ourselves.” The evening felt like a victory, but activists say there’s a long road ahead. The financial hardships of the pandemic are continuing, but the clock has run out on some coronavirus-related eviction protections, like the Maryland Court of Appeals pause on hearings. In Virginia, the courts began hearing evictions again at the end of June after the state’s moratorium ran out, and Virginia Governor Ralph Northam has not taken executive action of his own to prevent evictions from continuing, though he has called for the courts to put another ban in place. Across the region, some landlords have been ignoring the rules anyway. Some lawmakers are calling for bigger and better policy interventions to prevent evictions. Del. Julian Ivey, who represents the area in the House of Delegates in Annapolis, attended the protest. He wants to see the Maryland General Assembly convene in a special session to expand and strengthen the eviction moratorium beyond Hogan’s executive order, and also address policing reform. He’s especially concerned about what might happen when the current eviction protections run out.

“There are just so many really tough stories that I hear every single day—people who have been working so hard for so many years, who have been paying their rent on time for years,” he said. “And now they’ve had a few bad months and they have landlords who have been threatening them, telling them that they’re going to be evicted the moment that they can be legally.” In the meantime, he’d decided to take direct action to support people on a street he’s been door-knocking on for years. “We’re here to show solidarity, but also to shame this landlord who is looking to do the unspeakable in kicking people out during a global pandemic,” he said. “We have to put people over profit. This is us doing that in a very specific manner.” In the absence of policy help, housing advocates fear a mass wave of evictions and a big spike in homelessness, even as the coronavirus continues to infect local communities. Those concerns loomed large as Roger Williams, a board member with the D.C. Tenants’ Union, surveyed the scene in Chillum. He worried that the activist response on display, while heartening, wasn’t scalable compared to the coming problem. “There’s only so many fires that the firemen can run around to put out. There are not enough of us, there are not enough fire engines, not enough firemen,” he said. “And it’s going to consume the landscape. There’s going to be too many of them, and a lot of people thrown into the street.” And there are more forces besides the pandemic making housing unstable in the region. The broader context, said Williams, is D.C.’s painful experiences with gentrification and the displacement of Black residents over the last two decades, which brought in a wave of wealthier, whiter residents.That was part of a strategy from Mayor Anthony Williams and his advisers, Williams noted, to pull the District’s finances out of the red. “These people would be well-paid, and the business community that would cater to them would help to pull the city up,” he said. “All the other folks that weren’t as well off—well, I guess you had the idea of either benign neglect or malign neglect, and they would eventually be pushed out.” D.C. consistently ranks on lists of the most gentrified cities in the country. In 2019, a study that examined the city’s outlook from 2002 to 2012 found that it was the fastest-gentrifying urban area in the whole country. Displacement has disproportionately affected D.C.’s Black population. In 1970, “Chocolate City” was about 70% Black; By 2015, that number had dropped below 50%. Sifu and Lovell, who are both Black, say that gentrification is the backdrop to the dispute with Miley. Sifu said a number of homes in the neighborhood, whose residents are mostly people of color, are going up for sale. She’s been seeing a lot of prospective buyers who are white. “Definitely, definitely gentrification is happening,” she says. “We’re not far from the Metro. It’s a prime spot. We’re right on the line of D.C.” She’s starting to think about where she’ll move next— after all, she and her roommates want to move out, just with enough time to find a new living situation in the middle of a public health crisis. She’d like to stay at least sort of close to D.C., where she’s gotten involved in the activist community. But it’s expensive. “I’m thinking about moving to Baltimore because it’s super cheap to live there,” she says. “And, you know, there’s still Black people around. And I don’t want to be without my people.” This article was first published by DCist on Aug. 1.

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How one local teacher works with big dreams and small contributions

Raymond Pyle standing in front of Moten Elementary School. PHOTO COURTESY OF RODNEY CHOICE.

BY ASIA ROLLINS asia.rollins@streetsensemedia.org

he average person might say the days of elementary school children should be filled with learning, after-school activities, and time to be carefree. However, as a teacher at Lucy Ellen Moten Elementary School in Fort Stanton, Raymond Pyle sees first-hand the harsh realities that some school-age children face growing up in Southeast D.C. Two of Pyle’s students died recently. One of the deaths was caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The other was due to the epidemic of gun violence. Twenty-one percent more homicides had been committed in the District this year than last as of Aug. 11, according to the Metropolitan Police Department. At this time last year, there had been 98 homicides, while there are already 119 in 2020. “You see these kids every day and you grow bonds with them, just to watch them become a headline that is lost in time,” Pyle said. In between lessons, he gives his students words of love and encouragement: “At the end of the day, when you exit the classroom you are my beautiful Black children, and I will do what it takes to see you succeed as if you were my own brothers and sisters.” Pyle, 26, has big plans for each of his students inside and outside of the classroom. But without community support, his dreams cannot become reality. “They don’t understand that we don’t have funding,” he said. Pyle’s school spends about $5,000 more per student than some in wealthier areas. But its students also have much greater needs. The student body at Moten, located in Ward 8 east of Barry Farm and south of Anacostia, is 97% Black, according to the 2019 D.C. School Report Card. Eighty-three percent of students were considered “at risk” last year, and 8% experienced homelessness. Students receive 90 minutes of physical activity time per week. There is no before-school care, while after school care is available for a fee. There are five Metro buses that can be used to get to the school. Next year’s budget includes $4.9 million to support the school’s 403 students. The top-rated elementary school in the District for the 2018-19

school year was Janney Elementary, located in Ward 3, according to School Digger. The website ranks schools based on compiled data from the National Center for Education Statistics, the U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the D.C. Office of the State Superintendent of Education. Janney had 748 students in 2019, 72% of which were white and 1% of which were considered at risk. None experienced homelessenss. Before-school care is offered with payment on a sliding scale. The same is true for after-school care. There are 13 buses that can be used to access the school, as well as the Tenleytown Metro station. All students at Moten received free or discounted lunch in the 2018-19 school year while only 2.1% of Janney students utilized the program, according to School Digger. There were nearly 8,000 homeless students in the District and more than 46,000 at-risk students, who received Temporary Assistance for Needy Families or food stamps, experienced homelessness or were in foster care, or were at least one year older than the expected age for their grade in high school, according to the 2019 D.C. School Report Card. “A lot of what we want to do, we don’t have the money for,” Pyle said. Currently, he and a colleague are putting together a grant application to bring a community garden to a yet-to-be determined school. Other local programs, like the National Children’s Center, have found community gardens to be a strong addition to early education. Finding financial support for such a garden might seem like a straightforward task, but the idea has gotten lots of pushback. “That’s the hardest thing to get started because no one wants to give it a second thought,” Pyle said. Ultimately, his goal as an educator is to equip students with the knowledge and skills they need to thrive, so that one day they can give back to their communities. “I will volunteer my time to make sure that these kids succeed because, at the end of the day, I had teachers that did that for me, and they didn’t have to do that,” he said.

Feeling worlds apart Growing up in two different cities allowed Pyle to experience different cultures at a young age. From kindergarten to fourth grade he lived in Brooklyn, New York. He spent the rest of

his school years in New Jersey. For Pyle, Brooklyn offered more access to people from all walks of life, while educational settings in New Jersey were more racially divided. The transition between the two cities was not easy. “Imagine everyone looking like you, talking like you, sounding like you, and then you go to a completely new area where you’re kinda on your own; it’s a shock,” Pyle said. This experience is a reason he wants to ensure that students from all backgrounds are given new experiences and equal learning opportunities. “You get a whole different perspective because you’re so used to one group of people your whole life,” he said. “Seeing someone new and experiencing something new is important and that’s what I try to bring into the classroom.” Pyle believes the problems he dealt with growing up are still present in the country’s education system and that turning things around starts with addressing a disconnect between lawmakers and those working directly in schools. He said lawmakers should be held accountable for how their decisions affect students. He wants more local leaders to visit classrooms. “Is it the community itself or is it the people outside of the community consistently not providing the resources and listening to our voices?” he said. The D.C. Office of the State Superintendent of Education wanted 65% of low-performing schools to show growth in academic achievement during fiscal year 2019, according to information submitted to the D.C. Council during the last budget cycle. The school system surpassed that goal and 80% of low-performing schools improved their rankings; the goal set for fiscal year 2020 is another year of 80% improvement.

A foundation for education Pyle is part of the Urban Teachers program, which places teachers in urban schools in Baltimore, D.C., and Dallas, and keeps them there, as a means of addressing structural racism. D.C. has a 25% rate of attrition for its public school teachers, 10% higher than the national average. A report published in March by the D.C. State Board of Education found that most teachers who left voluntarily did so during the first three years, even though they had planned to stay for a decade or more. While in the Urban Teachers program, educators go through three years of intensive training. They leave the program with a master’s degree from Johns Hopkins University and dual certification in special education and elementary education, secondary math or secondary English, according to the program’s website. Urban Teachers placed Pyle at Moten in the fall of 2019. He started teaching fourth grade but moved to first grade when the first grade teacher left. “We have a lot of young, passionate teachers who just want the opportunity and the space to do this,” he said of the program. In the upcoming school year, Pyle will teach pre-kindergarten. He hopes to give students the tools and space they need to grow while also helping them find their purpose in life. Pyle wants people to recognize that teachers reach into their own pockets to help students, but their money can only go far. He wants elected officials to accept that educational environments must change and grow; the environment must empower teachers to address every student’s needs. “You know the societies that lasted the longest survived because they put back into their school systems, and those people become educated, passed on their knowledge, created something new, and then you have a cycle,” Pyle said.

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NEWS

DC Council reauthorizes existing rent control, but advocates continue push for broader protections BY MARIA TROVATO maria.trovato@streetsensemedia.org

ike other tenants of the Park View Apartments complex, David Bonilla had to move out of his apartment in January while the building was renovated. When the residents return Bonilla predicts they will likely have to pay a much higher rent, and as vice president of his tenant association, he worries that many families will

be displaced. “I’m worried not just for myself but for other tenants who are my neighbors, those who are living on fixed income, those who are living off of retirement benefits,” Bonilla said. “When we move back, some of them will be paying a much higher price and if people can’t pay it, they have to move somewhere else.” Situations like the one at the Park View Apartments, rent control activists say, are representative of the ways D.C.’s rent control laws fail to stop displacement. The D.C. Council reauthorized those laws in the Fiscal Year 2021 budget, but advocates say that reauthorizing rent control without closing loopholes and adding protections for tenants will lead to even more evictions and displacement, especially during the current pandemic. D.C.’s rent control law was last reauthorized in 2010 and without legislative action this year was set to expire Dec. 31. D.C. Council Chair Phil Mendelson added a reauthorization of the existing rent control legislation to the Budget Support Act, extending rent control for 10 years. The council unanimously passed Mayor Bowser’s Fiscal Year 2021 budget and passed the Budget Support Act on July 23. Ward 1 Councilmember Brianne Nadeau called for the removal of rent control’s reauthorization from the Budget Support Act to protest what she saw as an inadequate measure, but did not receive support from her fellow councilmembers. D.C.’s rent control laws restrict annual rent increases to 2% above inflation for any building built before 1975, but due to loopholes in the Rental Housing Act of 1985, many rental units are exempt from this restriction. There are also several petitions that landlords can file in order to increase their rent more each year. Reclaim Rent Control, a grassroots campaign composed of D.C. residents, housing advocates, local nonprofits and unions, is now calling the Council to expand rent control to include more buildings, close certain loopholes, and ensure rent-controlled housing stays affordable. “When the moratorium on evictions ends, we could be experiencing historic numbers of evictions and increasing in folks experiencing homelessness,” said Stephanie Sneed, the executive director of the Fair Budget Coalition, who supports the campaign to change rent control legislation. “To see [the council] not proactively trying to address that through rent control is really troubling.” Evictions are banned in D.C. until 60 days after the COVID19 state of emergency ends. A main priority for the campaign is eliminating voluntary agreements between landlords and tenants. These agreements usually involve a large rent increase which landlords get tenants to agree to by telling them it is necessary for repairs and will only apply to future tenants. However, usually landlords only conduct repairs for new tenants and try to push out current tenants. “The way that we’ve seen this play out for decades at this point, especially in the last 10 years, is that the landlords get the tenants to sign this and the average increase is over $1,000

per unit, so now that landlord has a $1,000 incentive to evict the existing tenants,” said Victoria Goncalves, a senior organizer for the Latino Economic Development Center and organizing member of the Reclaim Rent Control campaign. “Buildings where native Washingtonians, where Black people, where lowincome people were living will quickly turn into market rate, almost luxury housing, and it’s because tenants were desperate for better conditions so they signed voluntary agreements.” As the legislation stands now, rent control only applies to buildings built before 1975, which is the date set when the law was ﬁrst passed in 1985. The campaign wants to change this to include buildings built before 2005, and have this date increase every year so that at any point, buildings that are 15 years old are subject to rent control. “The real estate lobby has been really aggressive, and almost all councilmembers take money from developers and from the real estate lobby,” Goncalves said. “I think that has something to do with the fact that the date hasn’t been changed.” Another way that current rent control legislation encourages displacement and high turnover rates is through vacancy increases. When tenants move out, landlords are allowed to increase their rent by 10-20%, so there is a large incentive for landlords to evict tenants and encourage high turnover in their buildings, Goncalves said. Reclaim Rent Control is also calling for increased oversight

and change to some of the petitions that landlords can apply for in D.C., including hardship petitions. Landlords can file a hardship petition to be allowed to raise rent more than the legal limit in circumstances when they stand to make a profit of less than 12% on their property in a year— Reclaim Rent Control seeks to lower this number. “A 12% rate of return is ridiculous; Walmart doesn’t get that amount back every year,” Goncalves said. “Landlords can basically just say ‘I’m not making enough profit therefore I need to increase the rent, because the law entitles me to make 12%.’” Goncalves argues that D.C. could implement these changes right away. “It doesn’t cost the city anything right now to do these things, they would just need to plan to get less money from that specific source of revenue,” Goncalves said. The campaign’s recommended changes to rent control are not just to ensure affordable housing, but to ensure stability and predictability for tenants and families, according to Goncalves. “Right now, there are so many aspects about the law that incentivize really quick turnover which is bad for building long-term community and stability in people’s neighborhoods and homes,” Goncalves said. “You could argue that if more people have stable housing and have stability in their housing then we would need to spend less of [Department of Human Services] funds on homeless services.”

Street view of the Park View Apartments. PHOTO COURTESY OF GOOGLE MAPS.

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STREET SENSE MEDIA FAMILY UPDATES

Solar For All creates jobs and can reduce expenses for low-income households BY MARK ROSE Volunteer

ndre Roberson has been working through the summer to install solar panels on Howard University rooftops. He gets paid $18/hour, and he was promoted in March from a team lead to a solar installer. He now manages seven or eight other workers. The job has raised Roberson’s standard of living. “I absolutely love it,” he said. “This is the first job I’ve been in where I haven’t had any issues with management.” Before this success, Roberson was living at the 801 East homeless shelter in Southeast D.C. and was unemployed. He had worked in information technology for 20 years as a network administrator but said “I just got burned out.” With no prior solar experience, Roberson grew into his new career with the help of Solar Works D.C., a low-income solar installation and job training program led by the Department of Energy & Environment (DOEE), the Department of Employment Services (DOES), and the mayor’s office. It prepares District residents to enter careers in solar and related industries and is implemented by the nonprofit GRID Alternatives, through a grant from DOEE’s Solar for All program. [Disclosure: DDOE is a frequent advertiser with Street Sense Media.] “I learned something every day,” Roberson said of being trained to install solar panels. “I didn’t think at [age] 53 I could do that.” The job increased his self-esteem and confidence. He has recommended the opportunity to many of his friends who are unemployed where he lives in Ward 8. In Dec. 2019, the unemployment rate in Ward 8 was 11.4%, more than double the District-wide rate of 5.3%. The only criteria is to be 18 years or older, be willing to get up on a roof, and have the strong desire to give back to the community through the program, according to Elija Perry, Grid Alternative’s Mid-Atlantic’s development director. Approximately three in 20 trainees from each cohort are homeless, though they’re not required to provide that information when applying as the program is not targeted at people experiencing homelessness, Perry said. Grid Alternatives provides each participant with education on solar installation basics, CPR and OSHA certification, and access to wrap-around services. Everyone who comes through the program meets with a case manager 1-1 who can help connect them, if needed, with food stamps, shelters, temporary housing, and other resources. It’s during these private conversations that most workers may disclose their lack of stable housing. “How many of these trainees wouldn’t have asked for help had it not been for the program. It’s a resource within itself,” Perry said. “We want them to have these collective resources … we try to meet people where they are.” The 12-weeks pipeline program aims to produce a qualified workforce for entry-level green jobs in solar and related industries. It also provided free solar installation to low-income residents in the District. The program has trained over 200 people so far, who combined have created 9,600 kW of solar capacity. Under the mayor’s Solar for All Program implementation plan, DOEE aims to provide 100,000 low- and moderateincome homeowners access to solar power from rooftop solar panels by 2032, which is estimated to cut participants’ energy bills by 50%. If it sticks to the plan, the District is projected to reduce its “carbon footprint” to zero by 2050. Participants could save up to $500 per year on their electricity

Artist/Vendor Sybil Taylor. VIDEO BY MATTHEW GANNON

In case you missed it: Grid Alternatives staﬀ install panels on a brownﬁeld in Ward 8 on July 6, for the Community Solar at Oxon Run project, the largest renewable energy project to serve neighborhood residents in the District. PHOTO COURTESY OF GRID ALTERNATIVES

bills, according to DOEE’s website. District residents are eligible for community solar if their household income is below 80% of the Area Median Income—$100,800 for a family of four and $70,550 for a single person. If the roofs of homes are not in good condition Solar for All contracts with a roofer, who fixes the roof, and they install the solar panels on the fixed roof, Roberson said. By the end of this fiscal year, Sept. 30, DOEE expects to have installed solar panels on 10,000 households in D.C., according to Cecile Brown, a public affairs specialist for the department, resulting in 17 megawatts of solar capacity. The program anticipates installing panels on another 3,400 houses by the end of 2020. The program is within budget, and demand has progressed somewhat ahead of capacity. They have plenty of room to grow, Brown said. The solar development rate continues to rise within the District. The number of permits issued doubled last year from the year before. Solar Works D.C. enrolls new trainees every spring, summer and fall. Before the coronavirus pandemic, the training program included two days of hands-on solar installation experience per week, filling the other days with a mix of classes and workshops. The program is still operating and recruiting applicants for its fall cohort. However, due to the health crisis, no installation training is taking place in the field. DOEE and DOES are making sure each trainee has a laptop and internet access, while Grid Alternatives has been implementing a 3D simulation platform for students to learn and practice installation techniques. The nonprofit’s COVID-19 task force is still developing its guidelines to safely allow trainees back in the field. For now, the full curriculum is implemented virtually. Perry of Grid Alternatives said COVID allowed the nonprofit to think more outside of the box about how to engage people who aren’t able to make it into a physical classroom and to build out a more hybrid program. “A lot of homelessnes is tied to economics and opportunity,” Perry said. “We try to create a pathway forward for people to build the life that they want and that they see themselves in.”

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August 20

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NEWS

Two homeless residents claim Dupont Circle neighbors secretly cleared their belongings after word spread of them staying in an Airbnb for one night BY LANA GREEN lana.green@streetsensemedia.org

wo homeless residents living in front of the Safeway at 17th and Corcoran streets NW lost all their belongings to vigilantes overnight. Stevie and Savon have been living outside in the Dupont Circle area for nearly a year and a half after moving from an underpass on K Street NE that had been frequently targeted by city encampment cleanups and was later permanently closed to tents in January. A close friend offered them a shower and room for the night on Saturday, July 25, according to Stevie. They accepted this charitable reprieve from life on the street but returned the next day to find that all of their belongings— including medicine, birth certificates, and their home—had been removed without their knowledge. According to the police report, Savon and Stevie left their encampment in front of the Safeway at 10 p.m. for a night stay at the nearby Airbnb and all of their belongings were removed between 3 a.m. and 5 a.m. The investigation is ongoing. “They tricked them,” alleged Dan Casey, a homeless resident and the friend who texted Savon’s brother about their missing belongings.“They had somebody befriend them and offer them a couple of nights in an Airbnb. While they were in the Airbnb, they rolled up with a truck or somethin’ and took everything.” Stevie is adamant, however, that the person who rented the Airbnb is trustworthy and not involved. She told the police she believes the manager of Cairo Wine & Liquor, across Corcoran Street from Safeway, hired a private contractor to remove their belongings. The vice president of Cairo Wine & Liquor denied any involvement of his business in the clearing. The investigation is ongoing and a spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police Department said they could not comment further until the case was closed. The woman who rented the Airbnb, a housed neighbor, said she rented a weekend stay for Stevie and Savon to take showers and do laundry at the end of June. She asked to remain anonymous to avoid hurting the feelings of other homeless friends she has not helped in the same way. Everything went smoothly in June and she wanted to help them again. She told Street Sense Media no one knew about the rental except for Savon, Stevie, and Savon’s brother, but conceded that word of the Airbnb could have spread. Stevie said it is likely that people in the neighborhood overheard them talking about it or saw them coming and going to access their belongings. Alonzo, who is unhoused and lives on the other side of 17th Street NW in front of the McDonald’s, told Stevie an employee from the liquor store described the plot to him late Sunday morning. Stevie said the employee told Alonzo that after he overheard from local customers that Stevie and Savon would be staying in an Airbnb that night, he and other Cairo employees plotted to remove their belongings while they were gone. Stevie said she and Savon were approached by a different employee of Cairo after their belongings were removed, who she later identified as the store’s vice president. She said he called the incident a miscommunication and explained that a private contractor was supposed to clear trash from the side of the store. When asked about the miscommunication, Mitch Aarons, Cairo’s vice president, told Street Sense Media that a tenant who lived upstairs had moved out and the store requested that

the D.C. Department of Public Works remove the tenant’s leftover belongings on Monday morning, which would have been the day after Stevie and Savon’s things were taken. The department provides bulk trash pick-up by appointment. DPW did not respond to requests for comment. Neither did the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Operations and Infrastructure, which oversees the department. Stevie said she was shown clips of security footage from the morning their home was cleared and is hoping to see more complete footage from Safeway and McDonald’s. “We may get lucky in being able to zoom in on the tag number since it’s a perfect visual,” Stevie said, referring to the vehicle in the video. She did not share any details about the vehicle’s appearance to avoid any damage to the police investigation. “I guess the miscommunication was that a private contractor instead took all the belongings next door and another person’s belongings down the street from us, but what kind of miscommunication is that?” Stevie said. “Because that was a huge miscommunication, especially when we walk around the corner and our things are gone, but the trash on the side of Cairo is still there.” She felt betrayed by the alleged plot described by Alonzo because when looters tried to enter the store during the George Floyd protests, Stevie called the police to ensure that the store didn’t lose its inventory. “Nobody at Cairo Wine and Liquor had anything to do with

Stevie and Savon in the tent that used to live in before all of their things were taken, holding up a piece of Savon’s artwork. PHOTO COURTESY OF STEVIE.

the removal of their stuff. I’m not sure why they believe that we had something to do with it,” said Aaronson. “I tried to speak with them to explain that we had nothing to do with it, but it seemed that their minds were made up. They told me that the police were involved and looking at cameras in the neighborhood.”

Growing neighborhood tensions The demolition of their home—all their clothes and jewelry, including heirlooms from Stevie’s mother, money kept in a “savings corner,” tarps, blankets, flashlights and chargers, pictures of Stevie’s children, and manuscripts Stevie had been working on—is not the first time the couple has received pushback from neighbors. Nick DelleDonne, president of the Dupont East Civic Action Association and former ANC commissioner of the area, said Dupont Circle neighbors have used the platform Nextdoor to shame a number of homeless members of their community. The company’s “community guidelines” advise against public shaming. One neighbor, Lawrence Sprowls, posted a list of crimes and run-ins with the police attributed to homeless people in the area, including Stevie and Savon’s personal history. Doing so is also against the Nextdoor guidelines, “unless there is a compelling public interest served by doing so.” The site has been criticized for elevating racial profiling but claims to

A Nextdoor discussion thread in response to a post by the Director of the Department of Public Works, Christopher Geldart, titled “Keeping D.C. PPE Litter Free.” SCREENSHOT TAKEN JULY 30

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The intersection at 17th and Corcoran streets NW on Aug. 3, after Stevie and Savon’s belongings were taken. Cairo Wine & Liquor is the blue building on the left. PHOTO COURTESY OF ERIC FALQUERO.

have reduced such instances by 75% since 2015. Last month, it removed the ability to forward suspicions to local police departments, including MPD. [Editor’s note: The Nextdoor community guidelines also advise against quoting, screenshotting, or otherwise sharing neighbors’ posts outside of the neighborhood forum. Due to the mostly public nature of the forum, visible by all neighbors in the area, and the relevant sentiments illustrated by this dialogue, we chose to screenshot the post and reached out by email to notify the author and provide the opportunity to comment.] Stevie said Sprowls took photos of them for several weeks in 2020 and videotaped them from across the street. In March, Washington City Paper reported that Sprowls has called the mayor’s office multiple times to complain about encampments and has even offered Stevie money to leave the neighborhood. “They’re there because that’s where they can panhandle,” wrote another housed neighbor in an April 24 email obtained by Street Sense Media. “And all options that involve getting them into safe and sane housing means their losing their panhandling grounds. Since the law (during non emergency times) says they have to agree to leave the sidewalk, the only solution is to quit enabling them. Quit making life on that sidewalk easier for them. Most of us understand that if we want to solve the rat problem here we have to cut off their easy access to the food scraps they find in our neighborhood. The rats come here instinctually. The same applies to human beings. We are pre-programmed to instinctively seek out places where our basic needs are met. These individuals’ basic needs are pretty simple… drugs for the most part. They’re not going to leave our sidewalks for safer and saner places until we stop giving them drug money.” The email was written in response to a message on the HearUsNow! listserv, founded by DelleDonne. The author is not named here because their comments were not posted in a public forum. Other neighbors on the listserv and on Nextdoor have responded to such comments with disappointment and support for people experiencing homelessness in the area. “We have never done anything to hurt anybody,” Stevie said. “However, people on the Nextdoor app have gone as far as to say that Savon, my other half, has chased women into Safeway and harassed them. They say that I got approached by a woman giving me some personal female products and that I spit on her. Never in my life would I ever show such disrespect like that.” ABC 7 reported rising tensions surrounding homelessness in the neighborhood as early as 2017, before Savon and Stevie arrived. Neighbors complained about public drug use and public urination and called for more law enforcement in the area. According to Stevie, she has been banned from using the bathroom at the McDonald’s on 17th Street NW, even when she buys food at the restaurant. There are no public restrooms in the immediate area. As part of Mayor Muriel Bowser’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, nine portable toilets and 32 handwashing stations were deployed in early April near locations where people experiencing homelessness were known to live or frequent. A handwashing station was placed outside of the Safeway on 17th Street, but the closest portable toilet

was placed at the Dupont Circle Metro Station, roughly five blocks away.

The city’s response Local advocates for people experiencing homelessness say they have never seen a similar instance where neighbors have taken clearing encampments into their own hands. Kelvin Lassiter of Save Us Now D.C. worries it could become a popular trend as homelessness is projected to increase by more than 40% due to the health crisis and encampments are already contentious in many of the neighborhoods where they exist. “These vigilantes have empowered those who feel unhoused citizens are an eyesore in their neighborhood,” Lassiter said. “This is just the beginning of this practice as an enormous amount of evictions proceed across the country.” The data collection software company Urban Footprint projects that as many as 7 million households nationwide are at risk of eviction if they do not receive government assistance. Since the start of the pandemic, the D.C. Council has passed multiple measures related to rent relief in an attempt to prevent these outcomes. Stevie and advocates for the larger homeless community argue that continuing city-led encampment clearings during the pandemic are also concerning. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released guidance in March that recommended pausing encampment sweeps during the health crisis.

Stevie holding one of her paintings, posing with the man she says bought it. Before everything was taken, Stevie and Savon would display used books and original art for sale. PHOTO COURTESY OF STEVIE

Since then, Ann Marie Staudenmaier, an attorney for the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless, has been pushing for the halt of all D.C. encampment sweeps. The CDC recommended that “if individual housing options are not available, allow people who are living unsheltered or in encampments to live where they are.” Moving people during the pandemic, Staudenmaier argues, puts people experiencing homelessness at risk and increases the chances of spreading the virus. Halted for the first three months of the pandemic, Staudenmaier said the District has “ramped up the number of clearings.” A Street Sense Media vendor witnessed an encampment cleanup at the park at New Jersey Avenue and O Street NW in April where people were forced to move, going against the “trash-

only” cleanup policy Staudenmaier was referring to, which was adopted in March to adhere to CDC guidelines. Stevie tweeted in July that a cleanup had occurred, but said the usual two-weeks notice had not been given—that a notice was only posted after their belongings were rifled through by city workers. According to the most recent iteration of the city’s encampment protocol, “immediate disposition notices,” one of which can be seen in Stevie’s tweets, are posted after an area has been cleaned. The city had conducted two cleanups of the area in the weeks before her and Savon’s home was discarded in the middle of the night. “What they claim is that they are still following the CDC guidance, but that they are only doing clearings of places where they feel like it’s a hazard safety emergency and have to force people to move,” Staudenmaier said. “We believe that that’s not the real reason. We think that it’s more about neighborhood opposition.” The Office of the Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services, which coordinates interagency encampment sweeps carried about by the city, did not respond to questions about encampment sweeps during the pandemic or the July “trash only” cleanup. The department did confirm it was not involved in the overnight cleanup the morning of July 26 and follows a “strict encampment engagement protocol” that involved outreach to residents and official sign postings prior to any cleanup. In a letter responding to an email from D.C. Council Chair Phil Mendelson, the deputy mayor’s office explained that while some neighbors want the homeless residents to be left alone, the office has had multiple “people reach out to [their] team asking [them] to do more and permanently remove the encampments” in Dupont Circle. Casey, the man who texted Savon’s brother about the overnight cleanup, said that as the Dupont Circle neighborhood changes, people experiencing homelessness face increasing pushback. He has been homeless there for more than three years. “You’ve had homeless in Dupont for so long, but the city is changing now, and the people coming in don’t want to see it,” Casey said. The latest D.C. Point in Time count shows that while families experiencing homelessness have decreased by 48%, the number of unsheltered single adults grew slightly. The National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty also documented a 1,342% increase in encampments nationwide over the past decade. The average rent for a one-bedroom apartment in Dupont Circle is $2,375, according to the software company RentCafe. The average person needs to make a minimum of $60,000 a year to afford a one-bedroom apartment in D.C., according to a report the National Low-Income Housing Coalition released last month. “I think much attention needs to be had to what has been done to multiple homeless in this area,” Stevie said. Police are trying to obtain video footage from the Safeway and McDonald’s on 17th Street NW, according to Staudenmaier. If someone is identified as having removed the belongings maliciously, she said Stevie and Savon could press charges for theft and property destruction. However, Staudenmaier also said that one officer that spoke to the Legal Clinic said there may be no charges if the missing property could have reasonably been considered abandoned. Stevie and Savon are accepting donations via Cash App: $saistevie33.

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OPINION

Not your father’s GOP BY STEVE LILENTHAL

few decades ago, hoping to breathe new life into a faltering brand, some smart advertising creatives came up with the slogan “Not Your Father’s Oldsmobile” to lose the automobile’s stodgy image. A few decades ago, hoping to breathe new life into a faltering brand, some smart advertising creatives came up with the slogan “Not Your Father’s Oldsmobile” to lose the automobile’s stodgy image. Yet, when I hear Joe Biden and others using the line, “Not your father’s Republican Party,” what I hear is not that the brand was stodgy and needed to be replaced. It’s that the GOP needs to be recaptured from those who shelve the most important aspects of its past. Of course, both major political parties have had plenty of failings over the years. Many critics of the Democratic Party call out its long-held support for segregation in the 1900s through the 1930s. Similarly, many members of the GOP, despite its reputation as the “Party of Lincoln,” proved as remiss as the southern Democratic Party segregationists in challenging lynching. But as the nation now sees the GOP more and more disintegrating into a vehicle for President Donald Trump, it’s worth recalling the moments and elected officials that exemplified the GOP at its best. They should set the standard for actions taken by the party in years to come. For instance, Donald Trump regularly denigrates immigrants. The GOP descended in part from the antiimmigrant Know Nothing Party, but Abraham Lincoln made clear his dislike of that faction even before ascending to the presidency. He wrote in 1855, “Our progress in degeneracy appears to me to be pretty rapid. As a nation, we began by declaring that ‘all men are created equal.’ We now practically read it ‘all men are created equal, except negroes.’ When the Know-Nothings get control, it will read ‘all men are created equal, except negroes, and foreigners, and Catholics.’” A few years ago, in the midst of Trump’s clamp-down on immigration, I was thrilled to discover this headline in the Nov.1, 1960, Philadelphia Evening Bulletin:

“Nixon Would Admit More Immigrants.” It was the GOP that promoted homesteading, the Transcontinental Railroad, and land-grant universities in the 1800s; and the Interstate Highway System, the Environmental Protection Agency, and desegregation of southern schools in the mid-late 20th century. Admittedly, there are differences between then and today, but President Dwight Eisenhower and his then-vice president, Richard Nixon, saw the need for immigration. Nor are Nixon (probably a surprising choice to many) or Lincoln the only Republicans worth remembering as exemplifying positive aspects of the GOP. Take “Mr. Republican” Robert Taft of Ohio, the son of former president William Howard Taft, whom many viewed as the personification of conservative Republicanism in the late 1930s through the early 1950s. Soon after assuming his duties as a U.S. Senator, the younger Taft addressed Howard University in March 1939, acknowledging the important contributions made by the university’s graduates while worrying about too much reliance on government assistance. Yet, Taft demonstrated more flexibility and a respect for facts than even some of his strong supporters acknowledged. Originally an opponent of federal aid to education, the Ohio senator shifted his stance after examining statistics that showed the shortcomings on educational spending in poorer states, often impacting African Americans, according to his biographer Clarence Wunderlin. Taft explained that “no child can have an equal opportunity unless he has a basic minimum education.” Similarly, Taft realized the important role that housing played in promoting a stable environment for families, particularly for children. Without decent housing, obtaining equal opportunity became more difficult. That’s worth remembering by today’s Senate Republicans,

Beat the heat BY COLLY DENNIS

D.C. should open up recreation facilities to take in the homeless or the less fortunate during the heat wave, while encouraging people to practice social distancing. More libraries should be highly considered for opening, too, since they offer basic human rights like public restrooms. It would also be easier for the city to meet and offer basic essentials like food and ice-cold water in this heat this way. With many days in the 90s, we have to be careful. The heat kills a certain percentage of people every year, it’s more dangerous than the cold becuase it complicates existing health issue. Add in the coronavirus and now we are talking about a major epidemic. How do homeless people deal with the heat after being shunned away from many restaurants that have adequate AC? Here is the strange and real answer for you: They huddle on church steps where there is shade. They go around parks downtown (those that are not closed down, like Franklin Square now is), and they look for tree shade to stay out of the burning heat. Colly Dennis is an artist and vendor with Street Sense Media.

particularly with the current expiration of the moratorium on evictions from federally financed properties. Or take when Republican Senator Margaret Chase Smith stood in the US Senate on June 1, 1950 to rebuke the onset of McCarthyism as defined by her fellow Republican, Senator Joseph McCarthy. Smith reminded her colleagues and the country that Inherent in rights guaranteed to Americans were the right to protest, criticize, and hold beliefs that were “unpopular.” Joined by six of her GOP colleagues, Smith denounced “certain elements” within their own party that sought “selfish exploitation of fear, bigotry, ignorance, and intolerance.” Every one of these Republicans possessed shortcomings, certainly judged by contemporary standards. They often balanced political ambitions against their most idealistic beliefs, too often in favor of the former. Their failings certainly cannot be ignored and often were shared by those in the Democratic party, including FDR. But their best thinking can also serve as a compass for what the Republican Party should exemplify, albeit modified for contemporary times. Each leader saw America as great but also acknowledged the need for it to be better. Now the GOP rushes headlong into a crisis of its own making as it finds itself the party of Trump, a president with a string of slogans masquerading as policies, as it drives deviancy right into the Oval Office. The future of the party is rather dim, not only measured by the demographics of the emerging, more diverse America but the willing embrace of conspiracy theories and the cult of personality by its rank-and-file and even elected and appointed officials. Whether it survives in its current form or goes the way of Oldsmobile is anyone’s guess.

Each leader saw America as great but also acknowledged the need for it to be better.

Stephen Lilienthal is a freelance writer who lives in Washington, D.C.

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Montgomery County shows us how to develop more housing, faster, without overtaxing our schools BY JANE LYONS

This colum was first published by Greater Greater Washington on Aug. 7. (GGWash.org)

n July 30, the Montgomery Planning Board voted on a new growth policy known as the Subdivision Staging Policy. If approved by the County Council, the county would — with one exception — no longer ban new housing in areas with overcrowded schools. This shift would pave the way for more housing, especially near transit. Back in June, the Montgomery Planning staff published its recommendations for the growth policy’s quadrennial update, and I wrote a post explaining the top five recommendations. All of the recommendations were embraced, but slightly altered.

So long, moratorium (basically) The Planning Board’s recommendations acknowledge that banning new development does not stop school overcrowding — in fact, over 70% of school enrollment growth can be attributed to “neighborhood turnover,” or single-family homes without school-aged children being sold to young families. However, there are still parts of the county (see: Clarksburg) where new development is the driving force behind enrollment growth. These areas would be classified as “Greenfield Impact Areas.” The new approach would apply an automatic housing moratorium to greenfield areas and raise the moratorium threshold from 120% to 125% projected school utilization. The Planning Board recommended an exception to the moratorium if a nearby school is significantly less utilized. Although the Planning Board cannot change school boundaries, this exemption puts pressure on the Board of Education to alter boundaries in order to better balance capacity in greenfield areas.

In all other areas of the county, developers would be required to pay a Utilization Premium Payment — an extra charge on top of the regular tax that developers must pay for school impacts — to move forward with a project in an overcrowded area that would otherwise have been under moratorium. The new Utilization Premium Payments would be counterbalanced by lowering the school impact taxes from 120% to 100% of the cost of a school seat in Infill and Turnover areas, and to 60% for townhouses and multifamily developments in desired growth and investment areas. Desired growth and investment areas are defined as: 1. All activity centers located within Infill and Turnover Impact Areas — except those that are overly large, already experiencing high levels of growth, and/or not projects for large amounts of growth 2. Land located within 500 feet of an existing bus rapid transit (BRT) line or a BRT line with appropriated construction funding This means school impact taxes would be lowered by as much as 88% for multifamily construction in desired growth areas. In addition, any development located in an Opportunity Zone would be exempt from both school and transportation impact taxes — this includes: downtown Silver Spring, Wheaton, Long Branch, White Oak, Gaithersburg, Montgomery Village, Germantown, and part of Rockville Pike.

Building homes and funding schools Lower taxes and fees will potentially translate to lower rents needed to cover development costs. Without the moratorium stalling projects for a year or more, the development process will also be more reliable. These changes could go a long way toward delivering more housing faster and at slightly cheaper rates in a county that desperately needs more housing at all

income levels, especially in desirable neighborhoods. But the county still needs to fund additional school capacity projects. Utilization Premium Payments and increased recordation taxes — a fee on the sale of a property, paid by the buyer — would make up for the potential decrease in school impact taxes. Recordation taxes already fund nearly 25% of the schools capital budget, making them a more effective source of revenue, as compared with impact taxes, which only fund approximately 8% of school capital projects. The increased fees will largely be levied on homes over $1 million.

One more hurdle to go The County Council will review the Planning Board’s proposal after its August recess. The process will include a public hearing on September 15, and several work sessions to review the full document before the final vote, which is required by November 15, 2020. Multiple councilmembers, notably Hans Riemer and Andrew Friedson, have publicly questioned the merits of the housing moratoria policy. The council has also expressed a desire for more housing, in general — including through a unanimously signed resolution based on the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments’ new regional housing targets. Meeting the county’s housing targets will be an even greater challenge if intermittent development moratoria continue to block much needed housing in key transit and job centers. The Planning Board has offered a different way forward. Jane Lyons is the Maryland Advocacy Manager at the Coalition for Smarter Growth, where she works to build coalitions that support smart growth policies in Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties. This article is reprinted from Greater Greater Washington.

LEFT: Map showing where Greenﬁeld development is driving enrollment growth. ABOVE: Map of desired growth and investment areas where school impact taxes would be reduced. COURTESY OF MONTGOMERY PLANNING.

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Treading The Waters:

Looking Ahead (A special message) BY GERALD ANDERSON Artist/Vendor

Prior to the events of the past ﬁve months, we had been following the story of young Gerald as he ran the streets of New Orleans in the 1980s. Gerald plans to return to the concluding chapters in this series in upcoming issues, and it will become his second book. But before returning to the New Orleans of his youth, however, Gerald has a special message he wants to convey to his readers about the passion he has for his work as an author and as a Street Sense vendor at his longstanding Metro stop at 9th and G NW.

he game is cut low down and dirty. You ain’t gonna last forever. You can only make so much. I don’t care how much you think you made, it still gonna be the same. Today I’m still the same. And I can’t turn back the hand of time, what I did. I did what I did. I don’t regret it. But I look at life now and it’s totally different. It’s totally different. The best part about it — I can sit here and look at it like, “I’m 50, I’m still living, and I’m still moving on with life.” Life carry a lot of weight with me. I never thought I’d see 50. The day I made 50, I kissed the ground because it was a blessing. As a boy, my friend’s mother told me I wasn’t gonna be here for 15, 16, 18 years old. But look at me now, I’m still here. That’s why I put it the way I put it in the title of my first book: “Still Standing.” I’m gonna stand as I be. Be as I be. And try to help as many people as much as I can. When I talk, I’m not trying to preach to you. I just want you to understand. Like what they try to do to me when I was a young boy. But with me it was going in one, and out the other. I had to jump the rope to know that the rope can be jumped. That’s why I like talking with the young generation. I meet a lot of kids at my Metro. I tell ‘em. “Hey ... Let me tell you something. Pull up your phone.” They pull up their phone. I say, “Put this name in your phone.” They put in my name. They say, “Dang, he’s a writer.” I say, “But you know what about this writer, I stopped at the 7th grade. And if you finish school, you can be a better writer.” I talk to all of ‘em. They daddy or mama tell me, “Thanks, Gerald, thanks for talking to them.” That’s how God work with me with people, man. I don’t try to be preachin’ nobody. But I call myself gifted, so I gotta give back. Now I’m makin’ plans for my next series, Inside D.C. Corona, including the protests. It’s amazing how I was right here in the midst of this stuff. When I write this book, I promise you gonna enjoy readin’ and you gonna know this ain’t nothing I just put together. I’m a gifted writer. This is something I do and I like doing it. Sorry about the passing of John Lewis. Hope his family stay strong and everybody else stay strong. Rest in peace. Just stay with me and follow me, and everyone have a blessed and safe day. And God bless y’all.

As a boy, my friend’s mother told me I wasn’t gonna be here for 15, 16, 18 years old. But look at me now, I’m still here.

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

Standing on the shoulders of ancestry On July 17, Rep. John Lewis died at age 80. He announced a pancreatic cancer diagnosis in December. The civil rights leader and “conscience of Congress’s” body laid in state at the U.S. Capitol building July 27 and 28.

Mr. Lewis was a man of great strength. Back in segregation times, it was very hard for Black people to get around in the city. Just because of their skin color. Mr. Lewis made a great speech at the March on Washington. “We are tired of being beaten by policemen,” Lewis said that day in 1963. “We’re tired of seeing our people locked up in jail over and over again. And then you holler ‘be patient.’ How long can we be patient? We want our freedom, and we want it now!” Less than two years later he was abused and beaten by police, cracking his skull with a billy club for seeking full voting representation. For the cause, for freedom. We still have lots of things to do for justice for Black people. We need our reparations. Spread Love. — ANTHONY CARNEY // Artist/Vendor

History in the making, they just don’t make people like John Lewis anymore. Rubbing elbows with Jesse Jackson, Rosa Parks, Malcolm X, Ralph Abernathy, Coretta Scott King and Martin Luther King Jr. sure is a reason to have a purpose. These brothers’ and sisters’ blood, sweat and tears are evident that we are all created equal. Justice for one is Justice for all. Injustice anywhere is injustice everywhere. Keep up the work, family. God Bless. — MARCUS GREEN // Artist/Vendor

Congressman John Lewis should be remembered as a man who did things for everyday people, equal opportunity, brotherhood, and true peace. He was arrested at least 45 times for standing up for what he knew was right. He led protestors to march and demonstrate in the streets, and after MLK was killed, he took his work to Congress, where he served for more than 30 years. I wish blessings to his family on the mourning of his loss. — JEMEL FLEMMING // Artist/Vendor

PHOTO COURTESY OF SARAH HAGER

ART

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I’ve got to get myself together BY REGINALD DENNY Artist/Vendor

irst, I thank God for all He has rooted in my life and how he has enabled me to go through to get me where I am. To God be the glory for the great things he has done. Hello Street Sense Media family and readers. Let me introduce to some and present to others. I am the “original” Reginald Denny and there is no other like me, for God created me in his image and in his likeness. I am unique by God’s grace. It wasn’t too long ago that I was homeless, living from pillar to post. My mom died seven years ago. I was her son and her primary caregiver; she was my all in all. When she left this Earth, it seemed like my entire world cracked into little pieces that I have not put back together. Life as I knew it had totally changed. I lost everything I had, my life plunged into a downward spiral, and everything was topsy turvey and all out of sync. I had totally given up and was mad at God for taking the only thing that kept me from falling off the deep end. I found myself going from shelter to shelter, seeking a place to sleep for the night. It got to the point where I would even ride the bus all night instead of staying in shelters because most of them were unsafe and unclean, and my false sense of pride would not allow me to let my church family know what I was going through. I did not want them to know either my plight or my business. So, I continued to live a lie, convincing myself I could do it on my own. I began to use mood and mind altering substances to get through these treacherous nights. This was my coping mechanism so I did not have to face the pain of my situation. Eventually the substances were no longer effective at taking my mind off my homelessness. I had always known of homelessness, seen homeless people pushing carts or carrying several bags everywhere they went, with their tattered and torn clothing. But only when I became homeless did I realize what it was to live an underprivileged lifestyle. There were times when I did not know which way to turn because I did not want people to know my conditions. So, at first I did not ask for help for fear of embarrassment. For me, homelessness meant that you had to be dirty and downtrodden and destitute. I was living a lie. My scorecard read zero and I was in denial about it. I was so on edge I wanted to just give up and die. Shelters were not working anymore. Riding the buses all night got old. Hanging out in places I had no business being and putting myself in harm’s way were not worth it anymore. Psych wards and rehabilitation centers were my new way of living. But at least I was inside, free of the street life and its dangers. I had lost everything dear to me. All gone due to my irresponsibility and unconcern for true change. Still, I thought as long as I kept a halfway decent job I’d be alright. I was wrong; I had a job but was still homeless. My choices and decisions made me end up unemployed.

My Therapist, pt 2: Now I had nowhere else to go but back to the streets. I became calloused to any real emotions and wondered why everybody and God had forsaken me and left me out here to just kill myself and die. But, I had not totally given up, so I figured I’d pull myself up by my own bootstraps and give myself a chance regardless of the unfavorable odds. I thought I’d get some real help, now that I was sick and tired of being sick and tired! During my journey through homelessness I sought self-help groups, psychiatric rehabilitation, etc. They helped while in the midst of these sessions. But when the sessions ended, it was back to life as usual: homelessness without a designated place to rest my tired and weary soul. I said to myself, “I’ve got to get myself together.”

I had always known homelessness or seen homeless people ... but it wasn’t until I became homeless that I knew for myself just what it was to live an underprivileged lifestyle.

I did not have to live like this anymore. I was realizing I can be whatever my heart, mind, and soul desire and that I am the master of my destiny. Through dangers seen and unseen, I’m still here!!! That’s God’s grace. Despite my homelessness at the time, I decided to become an artist/vendor for Street Sense Media, which filled some of the void I was experiencing by being unhoused and gave me my life back. I began to distribute the Street Sense newspaper. I strayed in the beginning but as time went on I began to see the light at the end of the tunnel. This organization aided in gradually giving me my independence back and I began to build my self-esteem. The distribution of the paper gave me a source of income that helped me care for myself. I also became a member of the writer’s group, the illustration group, and the theatrical group. These groups gave me back a sense of belonging and being a part of a whole. I am truly grateful!!!

I’m in love with my therapist BY RON DUDLEY, A.K.A. “POOKANU” Artist/Vendor

I’m in love with my therapist I think I need some help for this I’m in love with my therapist She got me feeling helpless I’m in love with my therapist I can’t get her out my head I’m in love with my therapist I think about her when I go to bed I’m in love with my therapist She gave me a sleeping pill I’m in love with my therapist That really made me sleep for real I’m in love with my therapist I wonder if she even know I’m in love with my therapist If she did, would it even show? I’m in love with my therapist Would it be against her job description I’m in love with my therapist If me and her just started kissing I’m in love with my therapist I had a day dream that we had a dance I’m in love with my therapist. She got me stuck, she got me in a trance I’m in love with my therapist. She always give me great advice I’m in love with my therapist She said Black fathers matter— And so does Black life I’m in love with my therapist She sprinkled me with some holy water. I’m in love with my therapist. Then she said a prayer till I was sober. I’m in love with my therapist. I asked my therapist this: If a demon tried to kiss you Would you give it a kiss I’m in love.

// 1 3

7 2 9 4

6 8 14 1 3 7 5 5 1 2 4 3

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

Sudoku #4 5 3 7 6 8 9 1 2 4 Challenging Sudoku by KrazyDad, Volume 20, Book 45 1 4 9 2 7 5 6 8 3 2 8 6 4 3 1 7 5 9 4 7 5 8 2 6 3 9 1 6 1 3 5 9 7 8 4 2 8 9 2 1 4 3 5 6 7 3 6 4 7 5 2 9 1 8 9 2 1 3 6 8 4 7 5 7 5 8 9 1 4 2 3 6

Sudoku #1

2 5 3 5 1

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

// S T R E E T S E N S E

FUN & 6GAMES 7

4 2 3 6 8 9 7 5 3 6 9 1 5 8 4 2 2 5 8 4 7 6 3 9 1 M E D I A // A U G U S T 1 2 - 25 6 1 3 5 9 2 4 8 7 4 9 7 1 8 3 2 5 6 7

5 6 4 6 7

8 6 7 Sudoku #6

4 1

5 8 2 7 1 6 4

2 7 9 5 3 4 7 8 1

37 7 4

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

8 9

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

5 8 6 4 7 3 9

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

1 8

1 3 6

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

4 3 2 9 8 5 6 1 7

2 5 4 8 7 9 3 2 1

Sudoku #8

If you use logicFill you in can solve the puzzle without guesswork. SUDOKU: 1 the blank squares 6 1 3 2 7 4 8 9 5 Need a little help? The hints page shows a logical order to solve the puzzle. each the row, Usethat it to identify next square you 4 5 solve. 1 9 Or 8use the 3 answers 6 7 page 6 so 2 should if you really get stuck. each column and 3 each 3-by-3 block 8 9 7 6 5 3 1 4 2 contain all of the 5 2 3 9 7 4 6 5 1 8 digits 1-9.

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

LAST EDITION’S PUZZLE SOLUTION >>

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

The greatest SIN in our community

Froud's Law: A transistor protected by a fast-acting fuse will protect the fuse by blowing first.

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

BY PIERRE JOHNSON Artist/Vnedor

It is easier said than done for young pupils to stay focused, and reach their full potential in environments where they don’t sense love, protection, and security. Unfortunately, that’s exactly the kind of social zone our children are being indoctrinated into for most of their young lives. Many learn the opposite of what we’d hope for them: don’t stand out in school, applying yourself won’t help take you anywhere in life, you can make more friends and money doing other things outside of the classroom. But this school insecurity is causing psychological death in the minds of our youth, which spreads farther into our communities as they grow, and infects our nation. If we continue to neglect it, we will all be doomed. Yeah, Frankenstein, encounter your monster. Our children are the new hope of the future. They have literally inherited the blood stained banner of this world, and it is incumbent upon us to show and prove to them that we sincerely love, and respect, and WILL protect them, by any means necessary! We must end this School Insecurity Negligence (SIN). The problem with inspiring many children to go to school, do well in school, and stay focused on their education has a lot to do with the earlier aspects of their lives. There are plenty of distractions and negative influences in our communities. Left unchecked, they will

stymie many children’s development, causing personal and social self-esteem problems. Trying to discover your rightful place on this planet is challenging for a child. Trying to go to work and put a child through school, (and maybe even off to college), is easier said than done for most parents. It is time to wake up and realize that the mission of elevating humanity is not a game. It is a moral movement! The solution to our youth to be mentally resurrected from this somnambulatory condition of mental darkness and ignorance that plagues our minds and getting a proper education so that they can realize their fullest potential is a (moral) unyielding decision you and I must make. As parents in our community, everyone has a part to do. It is up to us to enforce our rights to protect our youth. It is up to you, me, and the community to attend and lead meetings. We need to develop systems that will ensure our children that they WILL be out of harm’s way if they attend (and stay in) school. We must show them that we understand them, and that we truly care about their future. We must show and prove to them (and the world) that we truly have their backs. Please people; ask not what our youth and our community can do for you! Ask what you can get up off your davenport and do for our youth and our community.

Our children are the new hope of the future.

Author Gene Weingarten is a college dropout and a nationally syndicated humor columnist for The Washington Post. Author Dan Weingarten is a former college dropout and a current college student majoring in information technology. Many thanks to Gene Weingarten and The Washington Post Writers Group for allowing Street Sense to run Barney & Clyde.

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

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

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

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

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2375 Elvans Road SE 2204 Martin Luther King Ave. SE

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

My Sister’s Place // 202-529-5991 (24-hr hotline) mysistersplacedc.org

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

New York Avenue Shelter // 202-832-2359 1355-57 New York Ave., NE

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

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

// 1 5

BEHAVIORAL HEALTH HOTLINE Línea de salud del comportamiento

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

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

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

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

JOB BOARD Peer specialist Pathways to Housing // D.C. Full-time Peer specialists have the unique role of providing recovery services and health and wellness self management education. From a perspective based on his or her personal experience with mental illness and/or substance abuse, the peer specialist provides and coordinates a broad range of services for clients who have histories of homelessness, psychiatric disability, substance abuse, criminal justice, and other trauma. REQUIRED: High school diploma or equivalent required. Must be a self-identified person currently or previously receiving mental health or co-occurring behavioral health services. Peer Specialist Certification or training in the use of personal recovery stories in a professional setting required. APPLY: tinyurl.com/peer-specialist

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

Custodial worker MedStar Health // Georgetown

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

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

The custodial worker performs various housekeeping and heavy-duty cleaning throughout all hospital buildings and surrounding areas and inventories and distributes linen supplies and equipment to user units. REQUIRED: Completion of 10th grade. APPLY: tinyurl.com/MedStar-job

Pharmacy material handler MedStar Health // Georgetown Responsible for the receipt, control/inventory, and issue/disbursement of pharmaceuticals, supplies and materials REQUIRED: High school diploma or equivalent. APPLY: tinyurl.com/Georgetown-pharmacy

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

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

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

Whole Foods Market // South Capitol Hil Part-time // Seasonal This position will gather food and household items for customers’ Prime Now delivery or pickup orders. REQUIRED: High school diploma or equivalent. APPLY: tinyurl.com/Whole-Foods-job

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

The Handled BY LATICIA BROCK // Artist/Vendor

D.C. agencies conduct an encampment protocol engagement in the NoMa area on Sept. 18, 2019. PHOTO BY SEAN MCBRIDE

The mask won’t save me BY DARLESHA JOYNER Artist/Vendor

F*** wearing a mask. Me having HIV is worse than the coronavirus. I cannot have a normal life. Some people are dying from it and some people are still alive from it. People that survive through having coronavirus do not have to tell people they had it. But when I meet someone that I want to pursue a dating situation with, I’m, “Hi, I am Darlesha. I have HIV.” And some people with coronavirus can just go into quarantine, and as long as they don’t have any other complicating issues, they should come out of it a few weeks later and live normal lives. I cannot just quarantine. I can’t just wait it out. When you have HIV, you can’t go back to living your normal life. Everyday, people do not want you as a girlfriend because they feel you are going to infect them. You cannot breastfeed your child. People making six ﬁgures a year or non-minimum wage jobs — doctors, lawyers, etc — will not put life on the line for you. They analyze the whole situation like, “I went to school to become a [insert profession here]. Why should I put myself in jeopardy for you?” So, Corona is worse than what I got? F*** no. I am not wearing a mask. With or without the mask, if God wants you to have the virus, you’re going to have that sh**. God knows your life before you are even born. So like I said, corona’s worse than what I got? Fuck no. I am not wearing a mask. With the mask or without the mask, if God want to have the fucking coronavirus you going have that shit. People are not God. God knows your life before you even born.

A Mess & A Blessing BY QUEENIE FEATHERSTONE Artist/Vendor

This COVID-19 is still a mess. No not for me, I got blessed.

What really happened to our Tent City? Do I blame them or do I blame the City? Who can you count on when no one is really there? Is it your own feces you lie in, or is it really the mayor? What happens to your promises, Trump and Muriel Bowser? I love my babies. It’s Pweezy shoulder they cry on. How many years you had to clean my D.C. streets up? Why blame Corona when it really y’all mess up? Come on, let’s be realistic, who really make Y’all executive decisions? Is it Trump or is it the mayor? I know I’m not pleased with D.C. streets. Come on y’all, play fair! Why did y’all throw back a budget? I can’t believe my tent ain’t vanished. All I see is death and lock ups. Do we gotta pay for y’all f-ups? Why is our city all at war? What are y’all in office for? I bet y’all clothes are the highest in the store. Why my homeless shelter don’t have a fan? I work for 12 cents an hour in the Feds, my uniform was tan. Come on, y’all, don’t let Corona make y’all fidgety. God is coming soon to Help my Tent City.

Thank you for reading Street Sense! From your vendor AUGUST 12 - 25 | VOLUME 17 ISSUE 21

Being shut in, shut up, I took naps and now I’m fat.

WWW.INSP.NGO

However, I kept guessing what to do next, not to allow COVID-19 to make a mess. I had to get out, I did not pout And still kept working I did not cough or sneeze. COVID-19 did not mess with me. It just blessed me.

4 million

Want to know how??!!! 1. College loan paid off. 2. New clothes for big sizes for my homeless clothes closet. 3. Still at work at my job.

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