VOL. 14 ISSUE 23
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SEPT. 20 - OCT. 3, 2017
Real Stories
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BUSINESS MODEL
© STREET SENSE MEDIA 2017 1317 G Street NW, Washington, DC 20005 (202) 347–2006 streetsensemedia.org info@streetsense.org
How It Works Each vendor functions as an independent contractor for Street Sense Media, managing their own business to earn an income and increase stability in their life.
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VENDOR CODE OF CONDUCT
As self-employed contractors, our vendors follow a code of conduct. 1. Street Sense will be distributed for a voluntary donation of $2.00, I agree not to ask for more than $2.00 or solicit donations for Street Sense by any other means. 2. I will only purchase the paper from Street Sense staff and volunteers and will not sell papers to other vendors. 3. I agree to treat all others, including customers, staff, volunteers, and other vendors, respectfully at all times. I will refrain from threatening others, pressuring customers into making a donation, or in engaging in behavior that condones racism, sexism, classism, or other prejudices. 4. I agree not to distribute copies of Street Sense on metro trains and buses or on private property. 5. I agree to abide by the Street Sense vendor territorial policy at all times and will resolve any related disputes I have with other vendors in a professional manner.
6. I understand that I am not an employee of Street Sense, Inc. but an independent contractor. 7. I agree to sell no additional goods or products when distributing Street Sense. 8. I will not distribute Street Sense under the influence of drugs or alcohol. 9. I understand that my badge and (if applicable) vest are property of Street Sense, Inc. and will not deface them. I will present my badge when purchasing Street Sense. I will always display my badge when distributing Street Sense. 10. I agree to support Street Sense’s mission statement. In doing so I will work to support the Street Sense community and uphold its values of honesty, respect, support, and opportunity.
VENDORS Shuhratjon Ahamadjonov, Wanda Alexander, Ollie Alston, Gerald Anderson, Charles Armstrong, Katrina Arninge, Lawrence Autry, Marie Bangura, Aida Basnight, Ken Belkosky, Lester Benjamin, Tonya Bibbs, Phillip Black, Reginald Black, Maryann Blackmon, Emily Bowe, Emily Bowe, Clarence Branch, Debora Brantley, Deborah Brantley, Andre Brinson, Donald Brown, Donald Brown, Kanon Brown, Kanon Brown, Lawrence Brown, Elizabeth Bryant, Joan Bryant, Luther Bullock, Brianna Butler, Dwayne Butler, Lashawn Butler, Melody Byrd, Antoinette Callaway, Antoinette Calloway, Eugene Carter, Floyd Carter, Conrad Cheek, Emily Cohen, Aaron Colbert, Michael Craig, Anthony Crawford, Kwayera Dakari, Louise Davenport, Clifton Davis, James Davis, David Denny, Reginald C. Denny, Ricardo Dickerson, Dennis Diggs, Alvin Dixon-El, Ronald Dudley, Betty Everett, Jemel Fleming, Johnnie Ford, Duane Foster, Samuel Fullwood, Anthony Gist-El, Chon Gotti, Latishia Graham, Levester Green, Marcus Green, Barron Hall, Denise Hall, Mildred M Hall, Tyrone Hall, Veana Hanes, Dwight Harris, Lorrie Hayes, Kunle Henderson, Patricia Henry, Derian Hickman, Ray Hicks, Vennie Hill, Shana Holmes, James Hughes, Leonard Hyater, Chad Jackson, Joseph Jackson, David James, Linda Jones, Morgan Jones, Darlesha Joyner, Larry Kelley, Juliene Kengnie, Jewell Lean, Keith Lewis, Keith Lewis, John Littlejohn, Scott Lovell, Michael Lyons, William Mack, Ken Martin, Kina Mathis, Michael Lee Matthew, Geneva McDaniel, Jermale McKnight, Jennifer McLaughlin, Jeffery McNeil, Ricardo Meriedy, Cynthia Mewborn, Kenneth Middleton, Kenneth Middleton, Amy Modica, Veronica Morris, L. Morrow, Collins Mukasa, Evelyn Nnam, Moyo Onibuje, Earl Parker, Marcellus Phillips, Marcellus Phillips, Jacquelyn Porter, Angela Pounds, Abel Putu, Jeanette Richardson, Henrieese Roberts, Doris Robinson, Rita Sauls, Chris Shaw, Damon Smith, Gwynette Smith, Patty Smith, David Snyder, Franklin Sterling, Warren Stevens, James Stewart, Beverly Sutton, Sybil Taylor, Sybil Taylor, Archie Thomas, Shernell Thomas, Eric Thompson-Bey, Carl Turner, Jacqueline Turner, Ronald Turner, Joseph Walker, Michael Warner, Robert Warren, Sheila White, Angie Whitehurst, Clarence Williams, Robert Williams, Sasha Williams, Wendell Williams, Ivory Wilson, Clifton Wommack, Charles Woods, Timothy Yates BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Jeremy Bratt, Max Gaujean, Margaret Jenny, Robyn Kerr, Jennifer Park, Reed Sandridge, Dan Schwartz, Jeremy Scott, John Senn, Kate Sheppard, Anne Willis
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Brian Carome
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Eric Falquero
COMMUNICATIONS & SALES MANAGER
Jeff Gray
VENDOR MANAGER
Mysa Elsarag
EVENTS & ADMINISTRATION MANAGER
Dani Gilmour
INTERESTED IN BEING A VENDOR? New vendor training: every Tuesday and Thursday // 2 p.m. // 1317 G St., NW
CASE MANAGER
Colleen Cosgriff
WRITERS GROUP ARTIST IN RESIDENCE
The Cover Wendell Williams and Market Manager Pat Miller at the Del Ray farmers market on Sept. 16. Williams has been selling just outside the market since he they met eachother in 2011. PHOTOGRAPHY BY
RODNEY CHOICE // choicephotography.com
Since 2003, The Street Sense Story Street Sense Media began in August 2003 after Laura Thompson Osuri and Ted Henson approached the National Coalition for the Homeless on separate occasions with the idea to start a street paper in Washington, D.C. Through the work of dedicated volunteers, Street Sense published its first issue in November 2003. In 2005, Street Sense achieved 501( c )3 status as a nonprofit organization, formed a board of directors and hired a full-time executive director. Today, Street Sense is published every two weeks through the efforts of four salaried employees, more than 100 active vendors, and dozens of volunteers. Nearly 20,000 copies are in circulation each month.
Willie Schatz
OPINION EDITORS (VOLUNTEER)
Rachel Brody, Arthur Delaney, Britt Peterson
EDITORIAL INTERNS
Lila Burke, James Marhall, Emma Rizk, Nick Shedd, Bethany Tuel
EDITORIAL VOLUNTEERS
Jane Cave, Roberta Haber, Andrew Siddons, Marian Wiseman, Jason Lee Bakke
OFFICE SALES VOLUNTEERS
Miya Abdul, Ann Herzog, Leonie Peterkin, Roberta Haber, Maria Esposito, Bill Butz, Eugene Versluysen, Jane Cave, Emma Cronenwethe, Pete Clark, Alec Merkle, Nick Nowlan, Sarah O’Connell, Natalia Warburton, Orion Donovan-Smith
STREETSENSEMEDIA.ORG
EVENTS
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NEWS IN BRIEF RUBRIK TEEK AY
Barry Farm residents sue DC Housing Authority alleging “discriminatory practices” in public housing redevelopment
Typical Barry Farm apartment.
MATAILONG DU // MATAILONGDU.COM
HSRA 2017 amendment mark-up Wilson Building // Sept 20, 10 am // 1350 Pennsylvania Ave NW // Room 123
The Committee on Human Services will hold a meeting on the “Homeless Services Reform Amendment Act of 2017” at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 20, in Room 123 at 1350 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20004. The amendment, intended to improve housing services, has faced controversy because it may limit access to shelters and housing.
SUNDAY, APRIL 9
THURSDAY, MAY 4
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 14
Jobs training opportunities and educational fair
D.C. Interacency Council on Homelessness meetings
100,000 Opportunities Hiring Fair
Sept. 28 // 10 am - 1:30 pm 1901 Mississippi Ave. SE
Medicaid Work Group Sept 20, 2 pm // 64 NY Ave NE Veterans NOW! WG // Sept 21, 10 am // 1500 Franklin St NE Strategic Planning Committee Sept 26, 2:30 pm // 64 NY Ave NE Tenant Barriers Work Group Sept 27, 12 pm // 1200 U St NW Shelter Capacity Monitoring WG Sept 27, 12 pm // 64 NY Ave NE Emergency & Shelters Committee Sept 27, 1 pm // 64 NY Ave NE Youth Work Group Sept 28, 10 am // 64 NY Ave NE Singles Coordinated Assessment Oct. 3, 1 pm // 64 NY Ave NE Housing Solutions Comm. // Oct. 4, 1:30 pm // 1800 MLK Jr Ave SE
Sept 20, 9 am - 3 pm 801 Mount Vernon Place NW
The 9th Annual Jobs Training Opportunities and Educational Fair will be held at THEARC Boys and Girls Club on Thursday, Sept. 28. Previously, employers from fields such as healthcare, construction, and retail have participated.
There will be a 100,000 Opportunities Hiring Fair Wednesday, Sept. 20, at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. The event is open to 16-24 year olds who are not working or in school.
For more information and events, visit StreetSenseMedia.org/calendar
THE EXCHANGE
“Volunteering w/ @streetsensedc has been so awesome the last few weeks. Great to do something meaningful while looking for a job.” Miriam Urquhart / @miriamegu1
Residents of the Barry Farm public housing community have filed a class action lawsuit against the D.C. Housing Authority (DCHA) for discriminatory practices. The suit was filed by the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights. Barry Farm has been slated for redevelopment since 2006, and was awaiting funding for the project until 2016. Planners intend to create more attractive and functional facilities, while making the community mixed-income. They have promised that the new development will contain the same number of public housing units, in addition to some higher-priced options. Current residents must be moved before construction can begin. The lawsuit alleges that although DCHA has promised a right of return for all residents, the replacement units will not be suitable for all current families. Residents suggest that the new development will have fewer multi-bedroom apartments and therefore families with children will have to look elsewhere for housing. Just under 200 households currently live in the 444 total apartments at Barry Farm, according to Brook Hill, a lawyer on the case. Many tenants have been moved to prepare for construction. // lilah.burke@streetsensemedia.org
Lawsuit alleges widespread problems in District food stamp implementation Citing “systemic failures” in the implementation and administration of the food stamp program, the Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia recently joined Hogan Lovells and the National Center for Law and Economic Justice in filing suit against the D.C. Department of Human Services. The lawsuit alleges that DHS is failing its residents and violating the law mandating provision of SNAP benefits. The most serious flaws in the operations of the Economic Security Administration date to the arrival of a new SNAP management program, in October 2016. In the three months after the transition in computer programs, the Economic Security Administration missed the federally mandated 30-day processing deadline on 70 percent of new applications for aid. The costs of these failures have been immediate and human: Bread for the City, a D.C. social services agency, saw 52 percent more requests for emergency food in October 2016 than in October 2015. // nick.shedd@streetsensemedia.org
For in-depth coverage, read StreetSenseMedia.org/news
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HURRICANE RELIEF D.C. area provides assistance to Southeast U.S.
The Hurricane Sees I grew up with Katrina for she made me see The eye of the storm and people in need That the poor get poorer and move away Losing what they never really had, all in a day. While the rich use my brother José to rebuild better homes Looking forward to better days Never giving second thought to the family that had to move away Some men of little faith say they were sinners Poor sinners who brought the Lord’s wrath their way Are not blessed the poor believer who lives their lives in His faith? I met a couple of those so-called sinners from New Orleans Yes, Katrina sent them my way The hood they left was much better than my hood That’s what they would say With names on lease and keys to doors Yes, we prayed for many of days For those whose lives are a storm lived day by day For home is home for the rich and the poor After the storm happiness if found With loved ones and family and friends around Is there a home for both to be found In the hereafter, a home of peace For the poor and forgiveness to be found. The camel going through the eye of the needle A rich man’s fate No one thinks about the Gate Is it a curse on the man that denied that the climate is changing Along with people’s lives Maybe it’s the luck of the draw Trump with bad luck for three years more Who made the choice to vote to hate The Lord’s Spirit in America will always be great History was made and Harvey dropped fifty inches of rain Irma came blowing one hundred and eighty-five mph winds our way Along with a nightmare for the dreamers a storm that was man-made And what will they have to say about José and his brothers and sisters Who may be on the way? Is the Lord mad at mankind? Are these the end of days? Natural disasters or man made Wars and rumors of wars to come Fathers killing fathers Sons killing sons Mothers and children leaving their homes on the run I grew up with Katrina And now I know This life is a test With tears and strife And helping someone You never even met The eye of Katrina made me see That people in power don’t really care about their fellow human beings There is forgiveness in the eye of the storm And hurricane winds blow many leaves The Lord knows every leaf that has fallen from every tree If we believe For the hero is just an everyday thing Katrina, one of many hurricanes For she made me see Robert Warren // Artist/Vendor // Composed Sept 9 Hurricane Irma.
COURTESY OF THE U.S. NAVY
By Lilah Burke // lilah.burke@streetsense.org
Several organizations in the D.C. area have been sending food, supplies and volunteer assistance to help those affected by natural disasters in the southeast U.S. Hurricanes Harvey and Irma have caused major destruction across the region as the flooding has damaged homes, vehicles, and forced many towns to evacuate. The American Red Cross in the National Capital Region has been deploying volunteers and vehicles to the region to assist with aid and relief. The branch sent 97 volunteers and six emergency response vehicles so far, some deployed as early as August. The teams are usually gone for two weeks at a time. "These teams will help with mass care and sheltering, health services, mental health services and coordinating response agencies," said Nathan DeVault, director of communications for the organization, in an email to Street Sense.
The Washington Nationals are also running a food and item drive at Nationals Park, collecting nonperishable foods as well as cleaning and hygiene items. The collection was 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily until Sept 17. Donations will be accepted at the Center Field and Home Plate entrances during game times. On other days, donations will be accepted on the First Street side of Nationals Park. Walmart is also contributing to efforts by matching customer donations at double. Customers can contribute by donating at Walmart registers or by texting SUPPORT to 90999, which triggers a 10 dollar donation. The company will match donations up to $30 million in cash or donated needed product value. Donations will benefit the American Red Cross.
Evacuated homeless campers return to Houston overpass after Hurricane Harvey By Adam Sennot // Volunteer
Residents living in the homeless encampment under House’s U.S. 59 overpass got some good news recently when they received a temporary restraining order preventing the city from enforcing its anti-camping ban. The Aug. 22 reprieve did not last long. Within 48 hours, the residents were forced to leave anyway, as Hurricane Harvey slammed into the region. The hurricane killed 70 people and left a path of destruction in its wake, which included at least 13,500 homes. “The water was up to five to six feet high in that area,” said Dwight Boykins, city councilor of District D in Houston. Despite the destruction, those living in the encampment are slowly making their way back, Boykins said. The water has since receded and Boykins estimated that about 30 of the original 70 tents that were in the area have returned. The residents living there are currently being represented by the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty in a suit challenging an amendment the city made to its Code of Ordinances banning the use of tents in public spaces, the center said in a statement. About a week prior to the hurricane, police visited
the encampment to issue citations and order those living there to remove their tents. Maria Foscarinis, executive director at the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty, said in a statement that those living in the encampment are “simply trying to survive.” “When shelters are full, people experiencing homelessness have nowhere else to go,” Foscarinis said. “It’s an added cruelty to arrest them for life-sustaining activities such as sleeping.” Boykins said that he is committed to helping those living in the encampment regardless of how many return. “We have beds available for people to transition,” Boykins said. “This is not an anti-homeless environment.” Boykins said that the “ultimate goal” of the camping ban is not to make homeless people leave the area but to try and get them help, such as housing solutions and mental health treatment, while acknowledging the situation is complicated. The city councilor categorized people on the street in Houston as either those who have fallen on hard times, people with mental illnesses, or con artists. “We want to help as many homeless people that want help,” Boykins said. “But these con artists, I don’t have time for [them].”
Facebook page connects Florida evacuees to TN Homes By Amelia Ferrell Knisely // The Contributor, Nashville TN // via International Network of Street Papers
A Facebook page launched by a Nashville woman is connecting Floridian evacuees with open homes in the middle of Tennessee. Brittany Baugh started the Facebook page “Florida to Nashville Hurricane Evacuees” to help place families forced out of Florida during Hurricane Irma. “I came up with the idea when I saw my friends in Orlando considering evacuating, and my friends in Nashville offering rooms to their respective networks,” Baugh, a Florida native, said. “The people who joined have really made it a success.” The cover photo for the page features the sign found
as you enter the state: “Tennessee Welcomes You.” Baugh estimates 10 placements have been facilitated through the page. One poster on the page, Danielle Fleming, offered the services of her cleaning company to families that had taken in evacuees. “You guys are awesome, and I feel I can give back in some type of way,” she wrote. Tennesseans have also posted offering to make food, tow vehicles, and donate clothing. “I am very proud of all of Tennessee and my Nashville neighbors,” Baugh said. People are also using the page to connect abandoned animals with homes.
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More than a newspaper: Street Sense Media BY BRIAN CAROME // Executive Director // brian@streetsensemedia.org
Street Sense is now Street Sense Media. Our new name reflects an evolution in our programming that began in 2013. And our new name more accurately describes the organization as it exists today. Along with the name, we have a new logo, newspaper cover page, vendor vests, and website design (streetsensemedia.org). For some time now, in addition to our flagship newspaper, we have been creating content in film, theater and spoken word, photography, audio and illustration. These media channels elevate the voices of people experiencing homelessness and bring them to an ever widening audience. Our content aims to challenge perceptions of homelessness and those it affects. It also aims to create common ground upon which we can build a stronger community. Since 2013, we’ve produced five films (four of which were recently screened at the DC Shorts
Film Festival), more than a half dozen theater productions (including Timone of DC that was staged at the Folger Shakespeare Theater), and several exhibits of original photography. No other organization does more to ensure that people experiencing homelessness are heard. We have long known that while housing and economic opportunity are distributed unevenly, talent and creativity are distributed equally, without regard to income or housing status. To nurture that talent and create our content we have assembled an incredibly talented group of artists in residence – all professionals in their craft – who run weekly workshops for vendorartists who are looking for opportunities for self-expression. The creative process is dynamic and inspiring. Self-expression builds confidence and esteem. It can help with grieving. It can help to heal. The process builds a strong sense of
John Littlejohn, Street Sense Media vendor and minister, moves out of homelessness BY DOROTHY HASTINGS // Editorial Intern
Despite addiction, depression and arrests, John Littlejohn has found hope and a new way of life through his faith and ministry. One of his duties as a minister is redemption services, where he shares his experience with others that are struggling with addiction. He shows them that he has been in their position and that there is a way out of the darkness. “Some things come fast and some things come slow,” LittleJohn said about these journeys. “What is being delayed in our lives is not being denied, it’s just being delayed.” LittleJohn has been working for Street Sense since 2010. He has been standing in selling the paper in front of a restaurant in Chinatown for six years and has been able to build a good relationship with the management there. They allow him to use their facilities if he needs the restroom, water, or shelter in extreme weather conditions. His depression made it hard for him to work eight hours, but Littlejohn said he is appreciative of Street Sense, which gave him the support he needed and was a second chance for him. LittleJohn was arrested in 1995 for a charge that was later dropped because he was acting in selfdefense. He completed a 60-day treatment center program through D.C. General Hospital and then was placed in Second Genesis Treatment Center. He was then transferred to St. Elizabeths Hospital for psychiatric treatment, saw a psychologist back at D.C. General and was released back to the streets after he had been sober for a few months. He has remained sober since then. He then enrolled in the Washington Saturday Bible College, where he was involved in choirs and youth groups, and attended until 2003. He received his
community amongst participants. And when audiences gather to experience what has been created, that community building becomes even more powerful. Our overall mission remains the same – providing opportunities to escape homelessness. Our commitment to this end led us to add case management services to programming that helps the men and women we work with navigate the often complex bureaucracies toward permanent housing, physical and mental health care, employment and other critical social services. The name change and new programming at Street Sense Media in no way reflects a lessening commitment to our newspaper. The paper turns fourteen in November and is stronger than ever. It will continue to be a vehicle for vendor writing and news about homelessness and poverty. It will continue
GED through community school Washington Highland Adult School. In 1995, he rented his own apartment, which he kept for 10 years. In 1999, LittleJohn was licensed and ordained as a minister in New Fountain Baptist Church in Northwest D.C. In 2009, four years into homelessness, he received an honorary doctoral degree in religious education from Mutual Baptist Missionary Association of Washington, D.C. “When I lost that apartment, I lost my motivation, my enthusiasm, my will to want to be on my own,” LittleJohn said. He lived for eight years in 801 East Men’s Homeless Shelter in Southeast D.C., where he volunteered as a minister and cleaned up the shelter. Working as a vendor for Street Sense and a construction worker for Trojan Labor allowed LittleJohn to pay off his debt and move out of homelessness. His boss at Trojan Labor worked with him to help get an apartment in Southeast D.C., close to where Littlejohn grew up LittleJohn grew up the youngest of five children. Through Bread for the City, Littlejohn was approved for the apartment in June 2015, despite other property management companies deeming his employment unstable and denying him housing. Despite the many blessings he has been given since overcoming homelessness, Littlejohn says mental health services have failed him. He has been denied financial assistance to help cope with his conditions six times since 2010 despite being under psychotherapy and medication for a year and being diagnosed with multiple disorders including anxiety, depression, suicidal ideations, and paranoid schizophrenia. “They have denied me every time,” Littlejohn said. “The government told me I was alright despite my diagnosis.” LittleJohn is grateful for his life today, and for the confidence and strength his faith has given him and the spiritual growth he experiences daily as a minister. “I am thankful for joy and I am thankful for gladness,” LittleJohn said. “At one time, sadness and hatred was my only friend.” He explained how easy it is to be overcome with anger and jealousy when you are homeless or unemployed, but the most important thing is finding the strength to persevere. “We still have honest living and honest earning and true, honest and hardworking people,” said Littlejohn. “We have to be grateful and do the right thing.”
to provide employment to men and women who are homeless. We are very excited to be launching a cashless payment app for smartphones that customers will be able to use to purchase the paper. That will be available later this month. Our new media builds upon the success of the newspaper, creates new and exciting ways for our vendors to express themselves and engage with a wider audience. If you have not already, I encourage you to experience some of this new content for yourself. All of it will be on display at our annual celebration, “Storytellers for Change,” Thursday, September 28th at the Josephine Butler Parks Center in Columbia Heights. Tickets for that event are selling fast and available on our website. Find out more about that event and other opportunities on our website or by following us on Facebook and Twitter. Street Sense is now Street Sense Media. Come and experience all we have to offer.
All we have is time I’ve been a Street Sense customer for several years and have always thought providing the opportunity for people to help themselves is the most effective form of assistance. I gladly supported it. Discovering street papers in other cities both in the U.S. and abroad, I come to appreciate them as an important agent for social good. I had the urge to be a part of that by lending my creative experience in some way. But I was nervous and unsure how to approach Street Sense (Media). Then on Nov. 9, I found the motivation to contribute to something positive. I realized how to help beyond just buying the paper or donating money: donating my time. Right away it was clear that I shouldn’t have been nervous. This organization is the most welcoming and open — not to mention dedicated and hardworking — group that I’ve ever collaborated with. They shared their processes, resources and vision for the future with a perfect stranger. I’m eternally grateful for the opportunity to continue developing this relationship beyond working on the newspaper redesign, social media graphics and rebranding consultation. It’s uplifting to see vendors working hard to improve their life situations and I'm very proud of the work that we're doing together. JOHN MCGLASSON Volunteer // jmcglasson.com
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NEWS
Hospice for homeless people celebrates life with #DragBrunch BY JAMES MARSHALL
Health Care Reporter // james.marshall@streetsensemedia.org
A
dozen vibrantly dressed partygoers and performers stood around a long communal table at Joseph’s House in Adams Morgan. Joseph’s House, a home for formerly homeless people suffering from advanced HIV/AIDS or terminal cancer, was hosting a “Drag Brunch.” The executive director of Joseph’s House, Patty Wudel, explained that a couple of current residents mentioned wanting to see a drag show—they had never been to one. Through her connections with the Imperial Court, a charity supporting the LGBT community, Patty brought one to their front doorstep featuring entertainment from the Imperial Court’s own resident drag queen, Empress Muffy. To enhance the brunch’s ambiance, the esteemed Empress Muffy generously shared her wardrobe as well as her time with the extended community of Joseph’s House, many of whom took part in the show. Iisha, one of the show’s stars, was dressed in a red, carnivalesque dress,. She sat in the living room-turned-dressing room next to a resident who was snoozing on the couch. On the walls surrounding her hung numerous photographs of Joseph’s House community members: residents, staff, and visitors. Iisha is a mother of two daughters and a former resident of Joseph’s House. “I’m performing a couple of numbers,” she said of the upcoming show. “We’ve been practicing all week.” Joseph’s House was founded as a hospice in 1990 in response to Washington DC’s HIV/AIDS epidemic. However, as treatment options for HIV/AIDS have improved, residential respite care is increasingly offered in addition to end-oflife care. Deputy Director Scott Sanders, who went by his drag-name “Delicious” at the event, said, “About half of our residents are able to recover enough to move out of Joseph’s
Joseph’s House deputy director, Scott Sanders. KEN MARTIN // ARTIST/VENDOR
House and live independently. A lot of people here today are Iisha performs in a drag show outside of Joseph’s house in Adams Morgan former residents.” JAMES MARSHALL // EDITORIAL INTERN Contracting HIV is both a cause and effect of homelessness. At least half of the people living with HIV/ name, my club name,” he said. Lang was beaming after his AIDS experience homelessness or housing instability, and those homage to Smokey Robinson gained him many admirers in the experiencing homelessness are as much as 16 times more likely crowd. “I used to live at Joseph’s House, but now I live down to contract the virus, according to the National AIDS Housing the block at Jubilee.” Joseph’s House partners with Jubilee Coalition. For many of those referred to Joseph’s House, living Housing. Together they help transition former respite-care on the streets with HIV/AIDS is complicated by other problems residents like Iisha and Lang back to independent living. like mental illness, stigma, and substance abuse. At Joseph’s Iisha also now lives with her two daughters at Jubilee, House, the first step to treating any combination of problems is and said she comes “to Joseph’s House almost every day.” ending homelessness by providing a welcoming home. The emphasis put on community and relationships as a part When Iisha moved from the hospital into Joseph’s House, of their model of care is fundamental. “We eat together, we she weighed 88 pounds and had just battled a nasty staph sing together…everything here is based out of love,” Iisha infection, which cost her an eye. She was in bad shape, but continued. “We’re family here. Family is not blood necessarily.” never lost her determination. “There’s a cat named Gracie that After the finale of the drag show had morphed into a dance lives at Joseph’s House,” Iisha said. “She’s known for sensing party, Iisha and Lang sat on the front porch with a woman when people are close to dying. One day I was watching an visiting Joseph’s House for the first time. “My granddaughter episode of 227 [an 80’s sitcom] when Gracie came in my room just moved in here,” the woman said with a troubled look on and curled up next to me,” she continued. “‘Get out of here, her face. To reassure her, Iisha vouched for the character of Gracie!’ is what I told her.” On this occasion, Gracie’s sixth the staff, and invited her into the community: “My daughters sense had proved inaccurate. coming to see me really kept my spirit up. I don’t think I would The drag show took place on the front porch on a sunny have made it without them.” Saturday afternoon. Empress Muffy, in a light blue floral gown and a big blonde updo, expertly kicked off the show and it quickly became a block party. The audience scarfed For more than 100 colorful photos by Vendor/Artist Ken down pulled pork and greens from their chairs while neighbors Martin, visit StreetSenseMedia.org/news strolling by stopped and spectated from the sidewalk. Kurtis Lang is another former resident at Joseph’s House, and Iisha’s friend. “It’s Kurtis with a K. That’s my weekend
Kurtis Lang and Iisha, center, catch up with guests on the front porch of Joseph’s House JAMES MARSHALL // EDITORIAL INTERN
Empress Muffy.
KEN MARTIN // ARTIST/VENDOR
STREETSENSEMEDIA.ORG
CELEBRATING SUCCESS
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AT A GLANCE
Literacy helped Jeffery McNeil pull himself out of homelessness BY SYDNEY COVITZ // Audience Development Intern
B
est known for his scathing op-eds breaking down the Washington, D.C. political scene, Street Sense Vendor Jeffery McNeil has never been one to keep his opinions to himself. A self-reliant individual and regular writer for the paper, Jeff pours himself into his pieces, working tirelessly on each one and expounding his beliefs, even if they may be unpopular with his peers. But Jeff was not always so disciplined, and he was not always a writer. At the age of 40, Jeff left New Jersey and came to D.C. with $30 in his pocket. Jobless, alone, barely literate, and plagued by addictions to drugs, alcohol, and gambling, Jeff found himself attracted to sheltered locations that gave him a place to go during the day; the district’s seemingly ubiquitous supply of libraries fit that description perfectly. “When I was sleeping near Franklin Square, the MLK library was down the street, and the GW library is right by Miriam’s Kitchen,” Jeff explains. “I also went to the Library of Congress where you can get any book you want.” Surrounding himself each day with more literature than he could ever hope to read, Jeff took advantage of this unlimited access to periodicals, reference texts, novels, and works of political theory to give himself the education he never got in high school. Ironically, although he had just moved to a city full of liberals, it was the conservative works that peaked his interest. “When I first came down here, I was this bleeding heart, far left progressive, but then I started reading up on economics— Milton Friedman, the Wall Street Journal. I started reading a lot of the Black conservatives like Thomas Sowell and Walter E.
Williams, but I think the book that really changed me the most was the biography of Malcolm X. “I had always thought of Malcolm as a liberal, but he’s really a conservative. And it was the same type of philosophy about pulling yourself up by your bootstraps—like not wanting to be on welfare or on food stamps—that had a great influence on me.” This philosophy is one Jeff has been forced to practice for most of his life. Suffering from manic depression and alcohol abuse, Jeff found himself incapable of keeping a job. In his late thirties, he became homeless and his addictions more severe. “I was self medicating and my behavior got worse and worse,” Jeff remembers. While homeless, he split his time between a series of roachinfested shelters, highway tunnels, and casinos. He stayed at the now closed Franklin Shelter on 13th and K Street at Franklin Square but quickly realized he would rather sleep outside. “To me, anybody who ever designed a shelter should rot in hell. They’re like prisons without walls. I’ve seen people get raped in them, and I saw this one guy in a wheelchair get beat up over the head for $100,” Jeff recalls. After seeing what he has seen, clawing his way back from poverty, fighting addictions, battling depression, and singlehandedly educating himself, Jeff has become a strong proponent of organizations like Street Sense that allow the homeless to help themselves. “Either you give a man a fish, or you teach the man how to fish,” Jeff asserts. “I want to get people out of poverty instead of them being dependent on the government.” This belief is one Jeff frequently incorporates into his biweekly column. Upon becoming a vendor in 2007, his newfound literacy granted him the opportunity to contribute to the paper, where his love for reading q u i c k l y transformed into a voracious appetite for writing. Building upon the theories of Freeman, Sowell, Williams, and X to tear fearlessly into various aspects of Washington politics, writing a regular column granted Jeff the discipline his life was missing; two years later, he was able to quit drinking for good. During his 10-year tenure at Street Sense Jeff has become an important voice not only for our publication but also for other news outlets. He has been featured in The Washingtonian, and his work frequently appears in The Daily Independent Reader. Currently residing in his own apartment on Franklin Square, Jeff continues to write for and sell Street Sense, is promoting himself as a freelance author, and has just started working on his second book. He has been sober for eight years.
Onyx and Eboni Williams PHOTO CREDIT: SASHA WILLIAMS
“Onyx Devida Williams was born September 17, 2017 at 7:03 p.m.” SASHA WILLIAMS
ACCOMPLISHMENTS Michael Warner
Accepted into training for potential field directors of the DCC Artist/Vendor
BIRTHDAYS Franklin Sterling SEPT 14 Sheila White SEPT 21 Chad Jackson SEPT 26 Darlesha Joyner SEPT 27 Melody Byrd SEPT 29
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The agony and the ecstasy of Wendell Williams:
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the radio broadcaster who became a lifetime champion of street papers
he first time Wendell Williams became technically homeless, he had stopped paying his rent. He fell behind by several months because he started choosing to use that money for drugs. “But I was maintaining,” Williams said. “I was still driving a BMW and still wearing a suit everyday.” He gave up having a place in his own name to move in with someone he had just met. When he started struggling financially, Williams, a radio executive, first thought he wasn’t earning enough money and started working part-time at a grocery store. However, money was not the problem. It was substance abuse, built upon trauma and misunderstanding, that put Williams on a long and winding road to sleeping on the streets of Washington, D.C. But it would take a few years. His life began to unravel as he took advantage of his new acquaintance’s hospitality. She never asked for help with the rent, which allowed Williams to use his own money to run in the streets. “I can’t blame where I ended up on no safety net, no education, or no family,” said Williams, citing the support of his parents and the Catholic elementary and high schools that he was sent to. “The only thing I can blame it on is that undiagnosed mental illness played a part in it.” That long journey, darkest in the mid-80s, landed Williams in Alexandria, Va., where he is a staple in the community and can be found at the Del Ray Farmers’ Market every weekend. Still in recovery, he is living proof that mental health can be managed and chronic homelessness — which was found to affect more than 1,400 Washingtonians in January — can be beaten.
Climbing Williams has always been ambitious and competitive. He grew up in Washington with five brothers and one sister and attended the District of Columbia Teacher’s College, now University of the District of Columbia, where he developed an interest in student radio. Springboarding off of a selective internship at Howard University’s station, WHUR, Williams completed trainings with the National Association of Broadcasters and shadowed Willis Crenshaw, a retired NFL running back for the St. Lewis Cardinals, who worked for WMAL Television in the sales and marketing department. It all paid off when he was hired by the award winning WTUE FM in Dayton, Ohio, right after school. Cash flow and success led Williams to dabble in substance use at parties or in other social situations, which allowed him to develop a foundation of habits that he described as “purely hedonistic.” He wasn’t alone. While they did not expressly condone it, Williams said top executives in the industry knew that it was all about drugs, sex, and rock ‘n’ roll. No one said anything as long as you met your deadlines. One of his bosses would invite employees to golf with him every Thursday, at his expense, on company time and usually smoking marijuana throughout the round. Both of William’s grandparents suffered from and ultimately died of alcoholism, which is whyhe and his siblings always said theywould notd rink, they would do drugs. ”We were talking sh** like ‘drugs are organic, they come from the Earth.’ or ‘God made it.’” Williams said. “Because we were misinformed. We were the first generation to wholly experiment with these kind of things.”
Culture and skin color shaped his outlook and pushed him to work hard. As a young man, Williams threw himself into athletics to prove his masculinity. In sixth or seventh grade, the archdiocese family services at his school suggested that he might need to talk to somebody. But his mother was vehemently opposed this because, in those times, when something was said about your child having a mental illness, it reflected on you as a parent, according to Williams. “Today we know it’s more chemical than moral. I was never a bad child, but I was a different drummer kind of child,” he said. He kept learning and challenging himself. As the only Black staff member at the radio station in Dayton, Williams worried that his colleagues didn’t hold him to the same standards they expected of themselves — until some of them began to show frustration when he consistently won intra-office competitions. He also believed that, to his peers, his performance would be representative of the Black community and must be impeccable. This effort seemed to be rewarded when entrepreneur and station owner Cathy Hughes reached out to Williams in Dayton and asked him to “come on back and help us do something” in D.C. at WOL 1450. Hughes had just purchased the station and remembered Williams from his WHUR internship at Howard. Once back in the District, Williams jumped quickly when an opening came up with WHUR itself. He had arrived professionally at what bestselling author Ta Nahesi Coates called “The Mecca” of Black America in his book “Between the World and Me.” Williams soon regretted it. “Everything there was run backwards, poorly,” he said. “When you’re a student at Howard
STORY BY ERIC FALQUERO ART RODNEY CHOICE
University, it is so glamorous and so big. As a worker, you come back with different eyes.” He felt that the station was more concerned with marketing itself as an “urban” outlet than with running a business. And he said as much to his superiors, who, according to Williams, did not appreciate hearing someone in his 20’s tell them how to do their jobs. Others accused him of “acting white.” On the other side of homelessness, Williams still described this as the most disappointing situation of his life.
Falling The separation from WHUR was messy. Lawyers were consulted and, ultimately, Williams left with six months of severance pay. Now he had a casual attitude toward drug use, a pain that was more deep-rooted than he realized, and a bank balance that didn’t require him to go to work everyday. For the first time, Williams began using drugs addictively. “In retrospect, that time that I wasn’t working really fuelled up the rocket before its launch,” Williams said. “I was getting high full-time.” The difference between an addict and a person who recreationally uses or abuses drugs, according to Williams, is that the addict tends to have some kind of internal trauma that the drug suppresses. Recreational users don’t. So when the stakes get too high, the recreational user can walk away. But the addict uses to stop the pain. And pain never stops — so they go further and further into addiction. Williams eventually secured a job through his former boss from the Dayton station, who called asking for help with a new station in Hampton, Va.
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Williams wanted to go back to business as usual and do the work. But he brought the baggage of addiction him. “Y’know, you’re kind of of the mindset that when other things manifest or come up, that you’ll be able to put this stuff down. Because that’s the way you’ve been taught — that it’s all about willpower and a strong mind,” Williams said. “But when it comes to this thing we face, mental illness and addiction, one and one don’t equal two. There’s no rhyme or reason to it. Your intelligence becomes your worst enemy. You think you’re going to think your way through it — that you’re going to figure it out. But it’s chemical. it’s electrical. Not to mention, you’re thinking with a diseased brain.” He quickly realized that he had created a consumption pattern. Whereas he could always point to impeccable performance at work to show that things were okay, now Williams started to underperform. His life was being influenced even when he wasn’t technically under the influence. He never used on the job, but he was using before and after the job, resulting in fatigue and less impulse control. Then he became a no-call, no-show for the first time. It wouldn’t be the last and he decided to come clean to his boss. “I went in to see him one morning and I could tell that he was displeased,” Williams described. “I said, ‘I think I have a drug problem.’ And he said, ‘Thank God, I’ve been waiting for you to say that.’” What Williams didn’t expect was that his boss would reach into a desk drawer and pull out an Alcoholics Anonymous book for him. It turned out that hIs boss had been a member for almost 20 years. “Like any good member of AA, we don’t proselytize. Unless a person asks, we don’t feel a need to break our anonymity. But at that point he did. And I continued to struggle and that’s when I went to treatment for the first time.” It was a costly move. Gossip spread throughout the industry, which Williams saw as a nail in the coffin of his radio career. And treatment is not a one-off solution. Williams hadn’t committed to abstinence. Nor had he joined a community support group such as AA. The way he saw it, he went to the hospital and he was going to come out well. “Total abstinence was a minority opinion back then. The way the disease works, is it likes to split hairs,” Williams said. “It likes to tell you that your problem is with bourbon and whiskey, that your problem’s with brown liquor, not vodka or gin. Or that your problem is with cocaine but it’s okay for you to smoke marijuana.” Today, he won’t even touch sugar, cigarettes, or fast food. But in the 80’s, it was all Williams could do to keep up appearances: jumping from job to job, concealing his habits, and moving back home if things got serious. When his family would no longer abide drug use while living at his father’s house, Williams became literally homeless for the first time. He spent the night in Blair Shelter, which is now a transitional program, on I St. NE. He arrived at the shelter too late to get a bed on the second night and counted himself fortunate to find a hotel parking garage on New Jersey Avenue with the door stuck open.
Getting up again Now that homelessness had really set in, Williams embarked on what he called his “reunion tour.” He travelled from city to city in reverse order of all the places he used to work, aiming to find support from the friends he knew he could count on and hoping to reconnect with the positive direction his life had been going in those places. Most of the people he had started
his career with were now senior executives. The couldn’t give him a job necessarily, nor did he ask for one. But most didn’t blink when he asked for a few hundred dollars and some put him up in hotels for weeks at a time. “I even had a guy try and send me down to run a new station in [The Virgin Islands],” Williams said. “But I was so afraid of going down there on my own, of giving up the life that I was living and of failing. Fifteen years earlier, I would have taken that job and smoked it.” Most of his friends didn’t know how he had been living. While they were happy to help, Williams eventually started to wear out his welcome. No one seemed to understand why he couldn’t get his act together. They remembered a focused individual who could work his way through any obstacle. At this point, the mental illness was really bad. Williams was arrested in Cincinnati and forcefully put on medication for the first time, which led to a series of hospitalizations where a mental health agency had to manage his life. “The way they deal with you if you’re homeless and you have mental health issues is they medicate you and overmedicate you,” Williams said. “Every symptom you manifest means some more medication, upping your dosage or giving you something in addition to your medication.” Williams had been treated for manic depression and seen no progress.He attempted suicide multiple times before ever being diagnosed and counts himself lucky for being committed in Cincinnati and being assigned a doctor there who he compares to Patch Adams: young and open to new ideas. “‘I think you’ve been misdiagnosed,’ the doctor told me,” Williams recalled. “‘You’re going to be here for a while, so why don’t we just take you off everything., let you sit here and let you bounce of the walls. You’re not going anywhere anytime soon and the walls ain’t gonna come down.” The doctor put Williams through a battery of tests and determined that he had a mood disorder. He prescribed mood stabilizers, which helped. After his release from hospitalization, Williams ended up in a Cincinnati shelter, where he found an unlikely introduction back into broadcast. Donald Whitehead, who worked for the local coalition for the homeless, stopped by the shelter and offered a McDonald’s meal to anyone who would go on a TV show and help fill the audience. “I bought the free meal,” Williams said. He and 14 other shelter residents piled into a passenger van and rode down to the local cable access studio. Whitehead was the host of Streetvibes Television and wanted the audience to look full when they panned the room while taping. During the show they asked for audience participation and Williams chimed in. Whitehead liked what he had to say and asked Williams to return as a guest the next week — eventually becoming his mentor. “Williams was in crisis mode at the time,” Whitehead said. “He was down, bitter, and devoid of hope, having ended up back in a shelter after being evicted.” Streetvibes was the Cincinnati street newspaper, a concept unfamiliar to Williams. The paper was produced by the coalition for the homeless and sold by people experiencing homelessness as a source of income. They also had a book, a radio show, and the cable show, which Williams began to host regularly whenever Whitehead was out of town. The coalition staff kept pressing him to sell the newspaper, saying he’d be good at it and could make some money. Williams finally relented when Whitehead told him they needed someone to man a flagship table in Fountain Square at the
center of downtown Cincinnati. He made $200 in a matter of hours and never looked back, soon selling the paper regularly outside of the YMCA.. People on their way to work out would say, “‘You’re out here again? What the hell is in that paper, man, that you stand out here with this kind of dedication, in the cold?’ or whatever,” Williams described. “That’s when you’ve got to tell people about the movement. If you’re selling a $2 donation, that’s what you’re going to get. But if you’re selling the movement, even if they don’t buy a paper right then and there, the next you see that person is when they’re going to invest in you.” As his income stabilized, so did his self-worth. Whitehead pushed Williams to become a public speaker, sharing his struggles with homelessness, mental health, and addiction with conferences and business such as General Electric and the United Way. Dr. Bill Daily of Xavier University also paid Williams to lecture in his cultural diversity class, which left some students wide-eyed. Whitehead convinced him to start depositing his earnings in a credit union daily and soon enough Wendell was able to rent a room at the same YMCA where he worked. He was still battling addiction and couldn’t hold on to the place forever, eventually ending up back close to home in D.C. When Whitehead moved to the nation’s capital to work with the National Coalition for the Homeless, they reconnected. Whitehead told Williams about the D.C. street paper being founded and recommended Williams try selling papers once more. “I called Street Sense one day and said I am done working a job that only leaves me to want to get high at the end of the day because of how bad I feel about myself after that job,” Williams said. “I had just got out of jail and they trained me and gave me a stack of papers.” Williams continued to struggle with mental illness and addiction, which sooner or later meant struggling with housing instability too. He still only took medication when it was required for staying in a transitional housing program. A series of small, random acts of kindness — coupled with the enduring support of the Del Ray community — changed that. Williams “hustled” regularly at the Del Ray Farmers’ Market, helping people to set up and take down vending stations or to transport purchases to their cars. But he always sold the paper elsewhere. As he got to know the people at the market, “And a funny thing happens in Del Ray,” Williams said. “It’s such a hippy, anti-nuclear environment, that when one family sees someone else buy a paper, they buy a paper or at least investigate it for themselves because it looks like the thing to do. And then they wrote an article about me in the Del Ray Patch. And word spread. It just kind of snowballed. People were excited. I started hearing “Oh, I didn’t know they sold this here!’” For a while, Williams rented an apartment one block from the market. And every week he’d go to 7-11 to get a money order and pay his rent with Street Sense. “I stayed in that apartment almost two years and then I started using and was on the verge of losing that apartment. I lost my place. And so many people at that market helped me get another place.” One woman from the market brought Williams a small fund that a bunch of people had contributed to. When he asked her to at least tell him their names so he could thank them, she said they would be offended if he did. They all saw Wendell, knew what kind of person he was, and just wanted to help him. The care and personal interest is what matters
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to Williams. Whether he failed or stumbled, his friends stuck by him. “They might say, ‘Wendell, you look kind of dishevelled today. Are you alright? Y’know what I mean?’” Williams described. “Everything was always followed by, ‘Are you okay?’” And today he is. In 2011, on the Metro back to Virginia after a late night bender, a small woman boarded the train at L’Enfant plaza and sat right next to Williams, despite the otherwise empty car around them. She was heading to Reagan National Airport, but seemed determined to speak with Williams until she got there. He was annoyed, especially when she started telling him how to improve his life and make better choices. But before Williams could start arguing with her, she transitioned to telling him about a series of videos she was producing about addiction and recovery — and about how he should use his experience to his advantage. She gave him her card before departing and told him to think about it. He was in no state to apply for a job. But he called her the next week and was surprised to be greeted by a receptionist. The woman’s name was Jerri Davis, and he’d just reached her international consulting and recruitment firm in the behavioral health field. That planted the seed that Williams could leverage his personal trials for a meaningful career helping people. He got sober a year later, partially thanks to the Arlington Community Service Board that he’d been seeing on and off since the 90’s requiring that he take medication. And in 2013, while waiting for an appointment with his therapist, Williams saw a flyer for an “addiction coach academy.” He asked his therapist about it and was encouraged to apply, as soon as he reached the minimum 2 years sobriety qualification. His therapist also connected him with a case manager who found funds for the training when Williams was ready. Since completing it, Williams went on to become a Certified Peer Recovery Specialist, which is recognized by 32 state health boards in the U.S. and he’s saving to pursue an international certification while he works on the clinical Jude House in Southern Maryland. Williams starts there on Sept. 5 and finds significance in the name of where he ended up: St. Jude, in the Catholic faith, is the patron saint of lost causes. Williams has been sober and housed since 2012 and he worked with his therapist and psychologist to make a plan, under their supervision, to move off of medication. When reviewing a list of goals with his therapist during his final session, Williams realized he had accomplished everything he set out to do five years prior. Now when people ask him what he needs, he says that his brothers and sisters at the shelter need plenty. People at the market and people in his recovery group regularly donate clothes and other items, which Williams, who says he’s working on his epitaph, ferries to shelters and other service programs. “People need to know what kind of difference they can make in a person’s life, like that short conversation [with Davis] — that’s very important,” Williams said. “Every other week, drop 2 dollars and get a paper. And if you won’t read it, give it to someone that will. If you’ve got children, let your child read it. Teach them about homelessness so that when they see a homeless person, they don’t recoil out of fear. It’s important to teach children that homelessness is a state of your housing condition, not a state of who you are. That’s what I want my story to portray.” Zachariah Tollison contributed to this report. “Thank You” by Wendell Williams on StreetSenseMedia.org
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OPINION Why I’m Not a Snowflake Anymore By Jeffrey McNeil
The majority of people I interact with are Never Trumpers, Hate Trumpers, Resist Trumpers or those suffering from Trump Derangement Syndrome. The rage and hysteria toward President Donald Trump and those that support him are unprecedented. While liberals claim they are tolerant, they can’t tolerate an opposing point of view. In tears, I’ve been browbeaten, bullied, and harassed because I support Trump. Their negativity and nastiness only makes me more determined to wear my “Make America Great Again” cap. African-Americans having a different opinion brings out the worst in white liberals. I lived in the Deep South, but I had never experienced the hate and vitriol I’ve encountered from white liberals and black progressives in Washington, D.C. Here, I’ve been called a nut and a coon. Although shocked that these loving progressives could be so cruel, I will not let them discourage me. I feel sad about what losing has done to Democrats. I relate because I was one of them once: a whiny, sensitive snowflake. I lived in “safe spaces” and was easily triggered. I blamed others and made excuses. Then I realized nobody owes you a damn thing! Doing what’s right guaranteed you nothing but a clear conscience. Maybe you’ll be blessed, maybe you’ll suffer a setback. Welcome to reality. I don’t need white liberals who live in the confines of Capitol Hill, Georgetown, or Dupont Circle telling me about racism. I know racism: I was born in Ohio, right in the heart of coal country. I grew up in an all-white suburb in New Jersey. I lived among people that flew Confederate flags on their rafters. No one made this an issue until white liberals started angering people that knew nothing about American history or the Civil War. The Confederate flag is a distraction to deflect the fact that white liberals have done nothing to improve the lives of minorities that continue to support them. Sure, my ancestors were enslaved, but I don’t have time for living in the past and getting angry about past wrongs and injustices. I love my ancestors just as much as you love yours – but they’re dead! I’m not African any more than white people are German, Scottish or British. I was born in America, and it’s insulting to be called anything other than an American citizen. I can’t do anything for my enslaved ancestors, but I can expand the blessings of democracy to future generations. Jeffrey McNeil is a frequent contributor to Street Sense.
Getting Ready for Recovery By Constance Ray
Choosing to seek treatment for addiction is the first step in the long journey to reclaim a life that has been damaged by substance abuse. But for some people, that journey can be more roundabout than for others. While some who seek treatment are able to conquer their addictions right away, the majority of people with addictions find themselves in treatment multiple times. Often, these people are seeking treatment to pacify someone else or because they think it’s something they’re just supposed to do. But recovery seems to be most effective for people who are fully ready and committed -- which may require a few tries to get it right. Professional musician Tony abused both drugs and alcohol for years. Then he finally reached a point when he decided that he’d had enough. “Have you had enough yet?” he questioned.
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Moving Up: The Minimum Wage Battle Faces a Hurdle By Arthur Johnson
Many cities and states have passed laws increasing their minimum wage well above the federal level of $7.25 an hour. But now, some state legislatures have started fighting back against cities that vote for higher minimum wages than the state wants. This recently occurred in Missouri, where according to the “Washington Post,” the Republican-controlled state legislature not only kept the minimum wage at $7.70 per hour for the state, but reversed a months-old increase that had put the minimum wage at $10. This move directly affected around 35,000 St. Louis workers, whose yearly wages will take an annual hit of almost $4,800 if they work 40 hours a week. Now, other states may try to impose similar laws, making it difficult for efforts to raise the minimum wage. States that have Democratic-controlled legislatures will likely uphold city efforts to raise the minimum wage (especially in larger cities where a higher cost of living will require it), but in states
“If not, you’re going to have another. You have to truly have enough of it all — you have to reach that desperation. When you get to that point, it’s time to go.” Through commitment, support and hard work, he fought off his demons and is now 31 years sober. It’s a battle Tony will continue to fight for the rest of his life, but the skills and awareness he found in treatment have given him an upper hand over addiction. He said, “In order to make a change, I had to receive the gift of desperation. There was no other choice. When you get there — whatever your problem — just know there is hope.” Sally, a young mother of two who suffered from an addiction to opiates, also reached rock bottom before finding a new commitment to her recovery process. “You have to be ready to make this change,” she said. “If you’re not, you’re wasting your time. You have to be ready to get your life back.” When Sally finally came to the realization that she was hurting her children and family, she decided it was time to make a change. Six months later, she’s grateful.
where Republicans hold control, and cities are controlled by Democrats, this trend is worrisome. (Residents of Washington, D.C., though, should be especially happy; without statehood, the District is less susceptible to have its recently passed minimum wage increase overturned.) By requiring the state to have one minimum wage, Missouri makes it difficult for local governments to grow their economies, since a lower minimum wage will hurt spending and hold back workers who make the minimum wage from progressing financially. The largest concern, though, is that many St. Louis residents who so recently received the wage bump will now have it taken away. It is one thing for an increase to be denied or voted down, which has happened quite often. But to have an already imposed minimum wage increase reversed, and have people see their paychecks shrink, with little chance to see it increased again, is quite depressing. Sadly, it seems that if a state legislature really wants to set up a statewide minimum wage, cities are not in a position to fight it. Arthur Johnson is a Street Sense contributor and author of the column “Moving Up.” You can email ideas or questions to him at AJohnson@ streetsense.org and follow him on Twitter @ArthurMovinup.
“It’s the scariest thing that I’ve ever done — and I’ve had babies and cancer,” she said. “But it does get better. Sharing your feelings releases the pain that you have been hiding for so long; you are able to come out of the dark tunnel you have dug for yourself. Even though you are with a group of strangers at first in rehab, you will find it easier to express feelings because they have been there, done that, like you have.” Tony and Sally are but two examples among millions of people who have made the decision to reclaim their lives. Both had to reach a level of desperation, and try multiple times, before they found a way through to recovery. And while it’s no easy undertaking, it’s worth every bit of effort. The payoff is a life of clarity and hope. Constance Ray started Recoverywell.org with the goal of creating a safe place for people to share how addiction has affected them, whether they are combating it themselves or watching someone they care about work to overcome it.
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ART OPINION: On Colin Kaepernick
Our Customers:
It's not about the song. Which it could be. Its not about the taking a knee. Not making a big to-do about a man’s right to speak his peace and then being blackballed... Or even about dishonoring Vets. This, to me, is about the children, nieces, nephews, brothers, sisters and cousins of Veterans and NFL players being murdered without appropriate repercussions /corrections, by officials in blue, the country that permits it, the NFL and NFLPA endorsing it by silence.
BY DAMON SMITH // Artist/Vendor
BY KEN MARTIN // Artist/Vendor
And as much as I love football. A Redskins fan since the Otto Graham days. I will not watch until Colin K. has a job and the NFL admits it was wrong. This may be my Fantasy of football. Ken Martin is a vendor and contributor at Street Sense.
Life Experiences BY GWYNETTE SMITH // Artist/Vendor
There were experiences in my life that changed me. When I was a child, my mother and I lived here in Washington, while my father was away at school. The city was an exciting place to live. After my father completed his studies, we moved to South Carolina. It was more rural and quiet than D.C. I played with my sister and watched TV, as well as attended school and made friends. TV became important during that period of my life. My ideas and dreams became strongly influenced by that medium. Later, as I got older, I had to realize that much of what I had seen was wrong, and the value I should have espoused had been damaged by that make-believe world. I really should have become more familiar with the real world and how people were solving real problems and adjusting to actual situations. Later, being one of the first to go to an integrated high school in the North, I think I became further removed from many situations that black people often have to confront. There is not a lot of time to set priorities in life and looking back is not always helpful. I made the decision to live my life the best way I knew how. I may have done some things differently, but I would have made worse mistakes too. We can look at the illusions and think we're going to meet the perfect man, live in a beautiful home, with all the money we'll ever need and children will be marvelous and jobs will be enjoyable. Of course, real life is not like these perceptions. I should have understood that my perceptions of what life was really like would have been more like the life I was living.
PERCEPTION OR REALITY: Building Trust BY ROBERT WILLIAMS, USMC // Artist/Vendor
Wake up!!! Who is up there and who is down where? Though all are quite near why do some fear? If we all are together here, how absurd the usage of words they create fear, and in an effort to make them think they are free while paying an unfair wage. What it was again, is what it is. Is it fair? How do they dare, because you accept the lie without even an attempt to try a recipe to ensure you fry?
You might even die. Without you around, it will be quite a different town. Will you stand or will you lay down. It's up to you, it's up to me. It's up to all of us to build trust. Perception or reality. WAKE UP! WAKE UP! WAKE UP!
Tom Rindflesch
Street Sense: Well, good afternoon, sir, and your name is? Rindflesch: My name is Tom Rindflesch. And Mr. Rindflesch, where do you work, sir? Rindflesch: I work at the National Library of Medicine, on the NIH campus in Bethesda. Okay, so you’re a medical professional of sorts. Rindflesch: No, no, I’m a researcher in medical information technology—you can access information, medical information, on the web. Okay, great! And where do you live, sir? Rindflesch: I live here in D.C., around 16th and U. Oh okay, Mr. Rindflesch. And sir, are you familiar with Street Sense at all? Rindflesch: Yes, yes I am. I’ve been getting it for many years. Alright, that’s great! If you don’t mind me asking, Mr. Rindflesch, what do you find most interesting about Street Sense? Rindflesch: I’d probably find most interesting the contributions by the vendors. I find a lot of them to be very creative—some of them really…some of the poetry, some of the stories, personal experiences, that’s my favorite part of the paper. Oh, that’s great! So you got a broad interest in Street Sense. We appreciate you, Mr. Rindflesch. And if you don’t mind me asking, sir, what do you find most interesting about your vendor? Rindflesch: *laughs* Well, this particular vendor, he’s definitely overflowing with personality, there’s no question about that, and he doesn’t take the back street to anybody. I appreciate that. Rindflesch: And, well, I guess I would like his, well, we call it back in the Midwest, gumption. He’s always out there, always fighting, well, he has a, he’s got a lot of class. I appreciate it, sir. So that means your vendor must have some stuff to him. We appreciate you, we appreciate you! And over time, Mr. Rindflesch, I know you just started out as a customer, but how has your relationship with your vendor evolved? Rindflesch: Well, I guess because I’m open to, y’know, taking a little bit of time to talk to people, especially the Street Sense vendors, over time I have interacted with several of them, and I find them to be interesting and engaging characters, so it’s mainly just through a matter of a—almost a couple, three times a week—interaction, you get to know a person. Great, great! And see, that’s what the Street Sense vendors and the readers need to know, because a lot of people have preconceived notions about vendors and vending and homelessness, so we’re just trying to get a reader’s perspective about it. But Mr. Rindflesch, do you have any specific thoughts about homelessness? Rindflesch: Well, yeah, I do *chuckles*. I could go on…
Speak free, no, speak free! Rindflesch: I could go on and on, yeah. I mean, I consider homelessness—especially in a city like Washington—to be a national scandal, and there should be a lot more done about it. And granted, there could be a lot more money from the federal government, the district government needs to put more resources into addressing homelessness. And they need to have a more creative program, really, in addressing homelessness. I mean, not all homeless individuals are the same. Some require one type of assistance, some require another. I think there could be more creativity in finding homes for the homeless, and the more creativity in sort of helping those who are sort of on the verge of moving from homelessness into a more standard lifestyle. And I also do not at all agree with destroying homeless camps, I mean, in my opinion, at least the government should accommodate them rather than kick them out. That’s great, Mr. Rindflesch! Coming from a person who’s a professional, a government worker, and a local resident, we greatly appreciate your view, sir. Coming from you, that means a lot. That’s a voice of the community. And we have another reader here, coming along, who’s going to do an interview also. And Mr. Rindflesch, is there anything you’d like to add? Anything on your mind? Rindflesch: I would just voice my appreciation for the Street Sense organization. I mean, I’ve seen over the years quite a number of, quite a number of vendors, and I think Street Sense is a pretty good organization. We greatly appreciate you, Mr. Rindflesch. We’d like to have your portrait, if you don’t mind, because you represent the city of D.C. and me and myself, sir, I represent the voice of the unheard, the homeless. We appreciate you, sir, thank you so much, so much! Rindflesch: I’m happy to give it, and I’m very happy to voice my opinion and I hope it will contribute both to the continued success of Street Sense and to the development of my particular vendor right here. Thank you, sir, and I appreciate you, Mr. Rindflesch, and you will definitely be featured in our upcoming issue. Thank you, sir! Transcribed by Bethany Tuel
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ART
Three Women I Respect
The most successful people are the very ones who fail, a lot
By Patty Smith // Artist/Vendor Church of the Epiphany has welcomed the new Rev. Glenna. She’s sweet, kind, and willing to be of service. With open arms, she came. A bright smile like no other. Now, I said to myself, “This is the kind of preacher we need.” She will take care of the poor and impoverished, and do it with so much dedication—oh, to be like her. Well, the Rev. Catriona is like her, too. She’s really done an outstanding job. Two women. And let us not forget the Rev. Patricia, who is right alongside them, doing excellent work. So those are three women giving a lot of service to our community. And I know I’m not the only one who thinks so.
By Chon Gotti .// Artist/Vendor
I know what it feels like to have made mistakes in the past. At times, I still make mistakes. I know what it’s like to be looked at like the bad guy and have people that were once in your corner now turn their back and treat you like nothing. I know what it feels like to always be there to help people in anyway, shape or form, and then have them disappear like it never happened. I know what it feels like to have money and just spend like no there's no tomorrow, and also to have to stretch $1 just to get by. I know how it feels to be happy and on Cloud 9, and also to be as low as the ground we walk on. Nobody is perfect and everybody is different. Some see the error of their ways and try to change once they notice they are in the wrong. Then you have those that just don't care and still want to be that person. Know the difference in these people. It takes a lot to recognize, accept and change the error of their ways. Don't bring up their past and treat them different. What's done is done, and neither you nor that person can change it. You can only accept it and move forward to a better tomorrow. Take your time and have patience with these people because we all require help. It's just a matter of knowing who wants the help and resources that's right for them to get where they need to be in life. If nobody told you today, I'm going to tell you. I LOVE YOU AND HAVE A BLESSED DAY! Thank you for reading my beautiful customers. Illustration by Ghon Gotti // Artist/Vendor
Attacking poverty through me People walk around to complete various tasks, but very rarely do they stop to say hello, let alone to a person in need. They’re in a hurry to get “it” done. They have that “thing” as you would say. These things we all are up to are formed by our knowledge of the world and the people we encounter. Before we encounter a person, we are taught words. Words form mental images, images to help us grasp what the other person is trying to communicate. “Homelessness” is a word that does not come with good mental pictures. To change these pictures, places like Street Sense have people who can be a picture-changer to these seemingly negative words. That is why I take it upon myself to be involved in the efforts to end namelessness. An advocate is a voice. I feel there are many places to get the picture changed. The word may already have pictures that come from it, but those pictures are not the majority of the population. On both sides of the aisle, poverty is an issue. It is a world problem. The United Nations declared in 1948 that housing is a human right. We as humans deserve a home, a residence, even a temporary one. We don't lack resources — we misuse and exclude. Poverty can end, by breaking the excuses for misuse and include everyone. Earth is precious and we should treat each other as earthlings who have a lovely planet. REGINALD BLACK
Artist/Vendor // Street Reporter
60 minutes to live... By Ronald Dudley, a.k.a. “Pookanu” // Artist/Vendor
If you had an hour to live what would you do? Would you call all of your loved ones to tell them you love them? Would you make peace with yourself and forgive those that did you wrong? Would you pray for the whole 60 minutes? Would you ask God to forgive you for all of your sins? Would you spend time with family and friends? Would you go bungee-jumping because you never did? Would you spend the whole hour with your wife and your kids? Would you buy a motorcycle? You always wanted a Harley. Would you puff-puff-pass? Rest in peace, Bob Marley. Would you listen to a CD, or watch a DVD? Would you read the Bible for an hour, or would you watch TV? Would you eat everything the doctor told you not to
eat? Drink a lot of soda, eat a lot of sweets? Would you go to the bar and get drunk? Would you roll up some weed and smoke a blunt? Would you get on a bike and just ride? Would you get in your car and just drive? Would you go to the mall and just shop? Would you shop until your heartbeat stops? Would you go work out at the gym? Would you go to the beach and take a swim? Would you teach the world how to sing? Would you buy your wife a new wedding ring? Would you get on a plane just to fly? You got a minute to live before you die. Would you teach your only son how to talk? Would you take your dog for a long walk? Dear God, I got a second to live. This my last breath, God, hope you forgive.
A Homeless Opera is Coming to Washington, D.C. By Cynthia Mewborn // Artist/Vendor
Although I’ve faced numerous challenges over the last five years of being homeless, I’ve continued to be a vendor at Street Sense. The organization’s encouragement through the arts has taken root in me and helped me to maintain a positive attitude despite my current circumstances. As a result, a new journey to write a homeless opera has emerged. I remember the first time I told someone about my idea. They looked at me in a strange way and just laughed. I thought to myself, “Have I finally lost my mind?” Then I realized, no, this could be possible. I contacted both Roy Barber, a composer, and Leslie Jacobson, a professor at the George Washington University. They direct the performance and music of Staging Hope, the Street Sense adult theater group. Both immediately agreed to take part in creating a homeless opera, produced by me, a woman who has lived on the street more times than she’d like. As an original participant of Staging Hope, I have learned a lot about myself over the last few challenging years. The most important lesson I can take from all the mountains I’ve had to climb while being a homeless vendor for Street Sense is to never give up and keep on climbing. It is a privilege to work with a talented co-producer and music director to tell an unfamiliar story of the ins and outs of living
on the streets in Washington, D.C. This will be done through the eyes of the main character, Blank Stare, who had a sheltered life and now must face unfamiliar and difficult circumstances. I knew someday I would create symphonies but I never dreamed that I would create an opera. I’ve already composed 17 arias. Most of them are traditional while several are avant-garde and mix sound effects that reflect the environment and the supernatural. I’ve also started on the script. Some of my colleagues from Staging Hope have consented to participate in this opera, as have some vendors who have never before engaged with the group. The working title is “Came Out the Wiser,” because you can only get the lessons I have learned by living on the streets. There are many things that can transform you when you face homelessness, but the most important transformation I’ve undergone is developing positive coping skills when faced with extreme challenges. I look forward to seeing both Street Sense supporters and new faces at the opera when it debuts. I will publish more updates as we progress. Thanks to everyone for your past and current support!
S TSR ED TE RE ETESTE SN ES NE SM EM E IDAI.AO. R OG R G // //1 3x iv
School Days
BY SHEILA WHITE // Artist/Vendor
The school that I am attending is the University of the District of Columbia (UDC). I am in my mid-fifties and decided to go back to school to learn something new. It's been 3 weeks since I started, and I am enjoying the new "me." I always wanted to go to college and now I am here. I know there will be challenging moments while I am on the journey to higher education. I am looking forward to being challenged as education has always been a big part of my life. Starting late or not starting at all was never an option. I was accepted to college by mail and it was the happiest day of my life so far. Now that I am in school, I know it won't be easy — especially with the new technology that's out there. But I know I can do this and working towards my degree is in my hands. Learning and keeping a good and positive attitude will help me to succeed in all my endeavors. I am looking forward to pursuing a degree in communication and photojournalism. Getting additional education is my key to opening that door. Find what you are good at, because it's never too late. ART BY KEN MARTIN
1 4 // S T R E E T S E N S E M E D I A // S E P T. 2 0 - O C T. 3, 2017
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Authors Gene Weingarten is a college dropout and the nationally syndicated humor columnist for The Washington Post. Author Dan Weingarten is a former college dropout and a current college student majoring in information technology. Many thanks to Gene Weingarten and The Washington Post Writers Group for allowing Street Sense to run Barney & Clyde.
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JOB BOARD Residential Monitor in Washington The Community Partnership for the Prevention of Homelessness Main office: 801 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE, Suite 360, Washington, DC 20003 202-543-5298 Director of Volunteers Christ House Washington, DC 1717 Columbia Rd NW Washington, DC 20009 (202) 328-1100 Service Coordinator So Others Might Eat (SOME) 60 O St NW Washington, DC 20001. (202) 797-8806 Shower Attendant / Kitchen Aid
St. Luke’s Mission Center // 333-4949 3655 Calvert St., NW stlukesmissioncenter.org
So Others Might Eat (SOME) 60 O St NW Washington, DC 20001. (202) 797-8806
Thrive DC // 737-9311 1525 Newton St., NW thrivedc.org
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Unity Health Care // 745-4300 3020 14th St., NW unityhealthcare.org
Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless 1200 U St., NW // 328-5500 legalclinic.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
For information and further listings: StreetSenseMedia.org/service-guide
// 1 5
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