11 27 2019

VOl. 17 Issue 2

NOV. 27 - Dec. 10

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EVENTS

// 3

News In brief Notorious Sanford Capital to pay $1.1 million to former tenants

Community Conversation: NoMa Homeless Encampments Thursday, Dec. 5 // Doors open 5:45 p.m. // Discussion 6:15 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. // Networking until 8 p.m.

The Father McKenna Center // 900 North Capitol Street NW (St. Aloysius Church on the Gonzaga College High School campus) Do you live or work in the NoMa area? Join Street Sense Media for a town-hall-style moderated discussion about city and community responses to tent encampments and the people who rely on them. A panel of experts and officials will be on hand to participate, including housed and unhoused residents. Space is limited. Please RSVP at tinyurl.com/noma-forum.

On Nov. 13, the Office of the Attorney General gave a press release that stated that the notorious slumlord, Sanford Capital, will return over $1.1 million dollars to the 155 tenants that were subject to unsafe and unhealthy living conditions. This payout is also apart of the 2018 settlement regarding the Terrace Manor complex where Sanford and its president, Aubrey Carter Nowell, had to pay restitution to tenants in the building that totaled $325,000. This settlement also forced Sanford out of D.C. and banned them to do business within the district as well.

All of this comes after years of lawsuits against Sanford Capital by the tenants that lived in their properties across D.C. that include the Congress Heights Apartments and the Terrace Manor apartment complex. These lawsuits found that Sanford was failing to provide habitable living conditions, violating the District’s house and fire codes, as well as misrepresenting their apartments as safe and habitable.

“The Office of the Attorney General fought Sanford Capital’s shocking abuses for years alongside tenants and their advocates,” said AG Racine in the press release. “I am pleased that this settlement will provide long-overdue monetary relief to vulnerable residents who were forced to endure inhumane living conditions. Today’s settlement sends a message to slumlords that business practices that put profit ahead of the safety and wellbeing of their tenants will not be tolerated in the District.”

The entire settlement includes the over $1.1 million payout to former tenants and the District will also receive $755,000 from Sanford with up to $738,000 to be also returned to former residents as restitution. The big $1.1 million payout is one of the biggest settlements that the District has ever won.

—sam.krizek@streetsensemedia.org

Death of 2 men, presumed-to-behomeless, attributed to cold According to NBC 4, two men, identified as homeless were found in downtown D.C. on Nov. 13, leaving officials speculating if the frigid temperatures, which was in the 20s, was to blame. The bodies of the two men were found two blocks away from each other, with one man, a 79-year-old, found on 13th St and Pennsylvania Ave and the other man found under the overhang of an office building at 13th and F Street. A Hypothermia Alert from the Department of Human Services was issued in response to inclement weather. “We urge the community to help us protect neighbors experiencing homelessnes during the cold winter months by calling 311 or 202-399-7093 to request transport to shelter, wellness checks, or warming items when someone asks for or appears in need of assistance,” DHS said in a statement.

—clifford.samuels@streetsensemedia.org

CLARIFICATION The article titled “Housing Authority and former Barry Farm tenants receive second chance to resolve historic preservation debate” that ran in our last edition has been updated online to reflect that while the Historic Preservation Review Board suggested the tenants association and the developer come to an agreement among themselves, this was not an explicit requirement of the actions adopted by the HPRB. It also now specifies that Ward 8 Councilmember Trayon White and two other community members accompanied the Barry Farm tenants the developer flew to Chicago to view another of its projects.

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NEWs

DC attorney general focusing more on environmental issues

By Reginald Black, “Da Street Reportin’ ARtist” Artist/Vendor

D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine participated in an event with The Sierra Club earlier this fall to tout his offices work with the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act and lead hazard enforcement. “[The OAG] should play a more active role,” Racine said. The Sierra Club, which has been operating for 125 years, claims that they are the largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization in U.S. “We worked real hard to get full-time employees,” Racine said of two staff members now focused on environmental issues in D.C. “Please know that our legislative team is pleased to work with you,” he told the gathered Sierra Club supporters.

Racine pointed out that in communities of color, “racial environmental justice is very important.” He said his office is cracking down on landlords that do not correct lead issues in their units and said more enforcement is needed across the city.

“Lead is a big deal,” Racine emphasized. He said his office is also focused on issues with asthma as it relates to zoning, land use, and new development.

When asked how his office engages with environmental issues in new developments, Racine said, “you’re speaking about social environmental justice” and that environmental conditions are “terrible” in underserved communities.

Environmental justice is at the forefront of conversations of racial equity and development in the District of Columbia. “The housing work that we do is we go after slumlords,” Racine said, adding that when a District government agency is sued, the Office of the Attorney General is also the law firm of the District of Columbia.

Racine admitted that the government is involved in a lot of the new developments in the city and said “My goal is to play a more neutral role in development.”

“Racial environmental justice is very important.”

Karl racine at the Sierra Club.

Photo by Reginald Black

The curret 801 East men’s shelter.

Photo courtesy of Reginald Black

801 East men’s shelter redevelopment on schedule for Summer 2021

By Clifford Samuels cliff.samuels@streetsensemedia.org

T

he redesign of 801 East Men’s Shelter is currently on schedule to be completed

by Summer 2021, according to Keith Anderson, the director of the D.C. Department of General Services.

Construction was originally set for April 23, but was pushed back due to a wait for potential contractors. In July 2019, the designbuild contract was awarded to Blue-Skye Construction and Coakley Williams Constructions. The project is in the design phase and excavation, the first construction activity, is anticipated to begin in Winter of 2020, according to Anderson Located on the site of St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Southeast D.C., 801 East Shelter provides a “lowbarrier” program that includes 380 beds every night for anyone who identifies as a male, 18 years and older, from 5 p.m. to 9 a.m. In preparation for the new site, the Department of Health hosted multiple town halls at 801 East to discuss healthy living in the shelter and to address issues with a main focus on lice, bed bugs, and scabies. During these meetings, shelter residents shared their experiences and feedback.

At an Advisory Neighborhood Commission meeting, shelter residents expressed displeasure with the District’s

proposed new shelter facility. One ward 8 resident questioned the legitimacy of a new shelter, saying the Malcolm X Opportunity Center, another District-run facility on the opposite side of the St. Elizabeths campus, had been overlooked and poorly maintained. “We are not equally aware of what our rights are, where the opportunities are, where all these people are getting money in our community to facilitate shelters,” she said.

The new shelter is envisioned as a 375-bed facility that will offer five discrete programs divided between floors: working/employment, seniors/medically frail/medical respite, Health Clinic, Low Barrier, and a Daytime Service Center. According to the DGS project overview, the dorms in the shelter will be arranged as modular pods based on the specific needs of the designated population. Each pod will contain clusters of beds,as well as access to nearby shared lounges and toilets/shower facilities.

“We’ll have more capacity than the current shelter, but fewer people per floor and fewer people per dorm,’ said D.C. Interagency Council on Homelessness Director Kristy Greenwalt. “Hopefully that will feel more controlled: people will have more privacy and more space for their belongings.”

Reginald Black contributed reporting.

D.C. Department of Health officials facilitate a town Hall meeting at 801 East. Photo by Clifford Samuels

streetsensemedia.org

// 5

Eleanor Holmes Norton hosts discussion on local housing issues

By Angie Whitehurst Artist/Vendor

O

n Nov. 19, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton hosted an event at the 19th Street Baptist Church on housing in the District of Columbia. The name of the event was “The affordable housing crisis: the search for answers.”

Washington, D.C. faces a shortage of over 30,000 affordable and available rental homes for people who earn 30 percent or less of the Area Median Income, according to Kyle Arbuckle of the National Low Income Housing Coalition.. “Put another way, the District only has 40 affordable and available homes for every 100 [Extremely Low Income] renter household,” he said.

Arbuckle presented advocacy as a solution.

He said 58% of D.C. Residents are renters. If they organized into a voting block, their feet on the ground could perhaps have the power to enable change now.

Doni Crawford of the DC Fiscal Policy Institute said that when low-income families spend most of their income on housing, they are not only at risk of eviction and homelessness. They also are more likely to have an empty fridge, experience depression, and have trouble getting to medical appointments. Their kids often face deep stress that affects their ability to succeed in school. When these families get affordable housing, their lives stabilize greatly.

“Housing is just 3% of D.C.’s budget, yet it clearly is way more than 3% of the city’s problems,” Crawford said. “We need to invest in housing like we invest in schools – and engage both in building new housing and expanding rental subsidy programs.”

She added that an overwhelming majority of extremely low income households in the District are Black and that DC was found by two recent studies to have the highest rate of gentrification. The city lost more than half of its affordable housing during the early 2000s.

Scott Kratz of the local nonprofit Building Bridges Across the River lifted up the 11th Street Bridge Park project he directs as an example of “equitable development” to prevent gentrification and preserve affordable housing.

The designer park promises hammock groves, waterfalls, cafes, and more. It will be elevated, spanning the Anacostia River and supported by old bridge piers left behind when the new 11th Street Bridge was replaced in 2013. Despite the high-end amenities, the project “seeks to become an anchor for equitable development in our nation’s capital,” Kratz said. BBAR has worked to

funnel investment into housing; workforce development; small businesses; and “cultural equity.” He said 78 renters in Ward 8 have purchased homes as part of the project’s Ward 8 Home Buyers Club. And as Street Sense Media reported in June, the Douglass Community Land Trust created by the group made its first purchase: a 65-unit apartment building in Congress Heights.

The Bridge Park’s design strategies will increase connectivity between those living on both sides of the Anacostia River, but more must be done to ensure that residents and small businesses nearby will continually benefit from the success of this signature new civic space.

Through partnerships with a number of local nonprofits, the Bridge Park is now implementing these equitable development strategies with over $56 million of direct investments going into the community; these dollars nearly match the capital costs of building the Bridge Park.

“D.C. has the right set of tools to address the affordable housing crisis,” Crawford said.

“But it needs to fully invest in its affordable housing production and preservation programs, and expand access to rental assistance, to meet the needs of these families."

Sabiyha Prince, an Assistant Professor of Anthropology at American University, said housing policy improvements are necessary to address present economic and political realities.

She plainly blamed the housing crisis on “bad policy and the legacies of inequality,” saying the many effects of institutional racism could not be underestimated.

“Communities have to be made whole by having their overarching vulnerabilities addressed and this goes beyond housing policy,” Prince said. “These challenges have to be met by a whole different set of policies that target wealth and income disparities,

health and education, and the range of impacts caused by the stress of living in the most gentrified city in the United States.”

Like the physical infrastructure provided by housing, Prince highlighted the role of social infrastructure: personal networks that become safety nets in times of need. Whether made up of family or friends, these networks play a large role in preventing people from being pushed out of their homes. She said that while doing field research she witnessing neighbors coming in to check on fellow neighbors and offering to get items from the store.

But the social networks of low-income and working-class people in D.C. are thinning out, Prince warned. She attributed this to more people in those income ranges find themselves unable to afford the rent.

Prince stressed the need to hold elected officials accountable for their decisions and any potential conflicts of interest that may influence those decisions.

“I hope everyone who attended continues to raise their voices and compel the city council and Congress to act to address housing affordability issues in the District,” Arbuckle wrote in an email after the event.

After the mostly prepared remarks, Norton listened to what audience members had to say.

Recommendations were wide ranging.

A resident recommended bringing back the Tenant Assistance Program and lamented that the Area Median Income for D.C. is high, at about $70,000 per year. A concerned gentlemen questioned the rising costs of real estate, banking fees and taxes and advocated that something be done to make home ownership affordable. A woman pointed out that even professionals are struggling, noting that a college professor came to her and said, "I cannot afford to be here." She pointed out that

it’s getting worse and said the next generation will find it ever harder to purchase a home. The audience agreed with loud applause.

Most people brought up commonly proposed solutions. However, one resident recommended we something new: looking at a program in Pittsburgh that involves reducing property tax.“It sounds weird,” he said, “but that actually made costs go down.”

A woman said programs supporting affordable housing in her neighborhood could have a ripple effect. She thought the city made a mistake when it bought two buildings and gave them to the University of the District of Columbia. In her opinion, the city missed a golden opportunity to fulfill a commitment to build affordable housing.

Several audience members recommended solutions from more than 20 years ago.

Earlier in the event, the National Low Income Housing Coalition representative had looked back as far as 40 years ago.

“The upside to all of this is that we know what will solve this crisis,” Arbuckle said during the forum. “Historically speaking, we saw a dramatic rise in homelessness and housing poverty following President Richard Nixon’s moratorium on federal housing programs in 1973, and then another rise during the Reagan administration as he slashed federal housing program budgets as well.”

He compared those increases to a 14 percent decrease in homelessness from 2010 to 2016 that was attributed in large part to federal Housing First policies under the Obama administration.

Congresswoman Norton seemed most interested in the Pittsburgh solution. She said she’ll have her office look into it and will request that the D.C. government do the same.

Audience members lined up at a microphone to present their housing questions, concerns, and solutions at the Nov. 19 forum. Photo by Angie Whitehurst.

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NEWs

Urban Institute: Helping families to weather financial crises helps the cities where they live

By Steve Lilienthal Volunteer

A

t a recent Urban Institute (UI) symposium examining “inclusive growth” by promoting “resident financial health,” attendees was reminded how far our society has come and how far it still

has to go.

In the 1960s, when the Great Society federal anti-poverty programs were launched, a hallmark was the call for “maximum feasible participation” of individuals from poor and minority communities who were previously excluded from decision-making. . But in the next decade a retrenchment occurred, with issues of poverty and racial inequality frequently remaining in the background. Now, more than half a century later, those issues have come to the forefront once more, given statistical evidence of widening inequality and punitive measures foisted upon the poor.

Alleviating income inequality and the racial wealth gap depends in large part on better policies crafted in the chambers of Congress and city councils but also in the households of individual families. As one speaker told the symposium, the “fiscal resiliency of cities starts with household resiliency.”

Achieving that resiliency at the family level is not easy, given the high costs of housing, medical care, and transportation.

Policymakers intent on reducing racial wealth gaps have a two-fold task. The first is acknowledging the obstacles lower-income Americans face.

Introducing a panel discussion on “The Connection Between Financial Health and Inclusive Growth,” the Urban Institute’s Diana Elliott referred to results from a set of just released studies examining the impact of eviction and unpaid bills on city budgets.

In Chicago, Urban Institute calculations show that evictions and unpaid utility bills cost the city government an estimated minimum $68 million annually. Sixty-two percent of Chicago families have less than $2,000 in savings and thus are considered “financially insecure.” Thirty-four percent of Chicago residents have no credit score and 13% are only near “prime credit,” the rating that shows them to be a good risk.

New York and Los Angeles have similar percentages of families that are “financially insecure.”

Similarly, Columbus, Ohio, a city that is generally considered middle-class because it benefits from the twin economic drivers of Ohio’s state government and the Ohio State University, suffers from economic woes.

In Columbus, 57% of the city’s 355,000

families are considered ‘financially insecure,” according to the Urban Institute.

Because eviction is identified by UI’s research as a leading cause of homelessness, financial health of residents is indeed cause for concern. Compared to financially healthy families, insecure families facing an income disruption are 14 times more likely to be evicted. This ends up costing local governments thousands of dollars for providing homeless services. But even if the worst case scenario fails to occur, families facing such economic disruptions are more likely to miss utility bill payments or housing payments. The latter can reduce property tax revenue for city governments, inhibiting their ability to provide useful, even essential services for residents.

Takeaway lessons from UI’s research indicate cities should provide strong financial literacy and coaching programs to bolster the financial resiliency of families. Cities should offer financial interventions to help families reduce their debt without losing their homes or essential services such as water or electricity.

Increased financial literacy instruction and coaching specifically tailored to meet the needs of low-income families is essential to improving their financial security. That often involves acquainting people with better options than the predatory payday loan industry.

Greater emphasis is placed on meeting people where they normally congregate, often schools and community centers.

A March 2017 brief by the Center for Financial Security at the University of Wisconsin-Madison examined several programs seeking to better reach their clientele. For instance, WiNGS Dallas, a financial literacy and coaching program in Texas, deemphasized the Internet and placed greater emphasis on personal meetings and phone calls to reach its largely Spanishspeaking clientele. This approach ran contrary to the conventional wisdom. At one time, staff members even took their clients to banks with Spanish-speaking personnel to open bank accounts.

In Fort Worth, Texas, the Pathfinders’ program uses matched savings or savings rewards program to encourage clients to save money. Pathfinders also will help clients to obtain a small loan to start building up their credit.

Frequently, cities and their elected leaders exhibit the can do spirit that seems to by-pass elected leaders in the Congress.

St. Petersburg, Florida, mayor Rick Kriseman, first elected to his office in 2013, explained how his interest in promoting

greater equity and inclusivity in his city was piqued when a resident invited him in for a bottle of water and described how difficult it was to get hired. Kriseman was moved to insist the city vision include the statement that St. Petersburg is “a city of opportunity where the sun shines on all who come to live, work and play.”

One way St. Petersburg helps lower-income residents is through its participation in the National League of Cities’ LIFT-UP program.

Rather than use aggressive collection tactics with residents who default on utility bills, financially insecure families receive financial coaching to show them how to realistically handle their debt. This benefits both the city and its residents. A 2016 NLC story showed that St. Petersburg residents who were in the

program saved, on average, $140 in avoidable fees during the year of their enrollment in LIFT-UP while being 53% less likely to have their services suspended.

Kriseman said that though some of the “old guard” and other defenders of the status quo in his city might not appreciate reorienting the direction of St. Petersburg, for the most part, “getting the community on board” increased the likelihood programs promoting greater family financial resiliency and inclusive growth will continue.

Kriseman admitted that his city is not counting on great support from the federal government. To some, that is a very big missing piece of the puzzle to promoting greater equity and inclusivity financially and in closely related areas such as housing.

Graphs courtesy of the Urban Institute

streetsensemedia.org

// 7

celebrating success

Rocketship school officials cite new security and communication protocol after attempted kidnapping

By Victoria Ebner // victoria.ebner@streetsensemedia.org

S

Rocketship Rise is delivering for students in one of the most chool officials at Rocketship Rise Academy underserved communities in the District.”

Public Charter School presented security and A parent at Rocketship Rise Academy with children in the communication changes to protect their students Springboard Education aftercare program who had spoken in light of an attempted kidnapping last month. during the public comment session said that while she was upset On Oct. 11, Antonio Burnside, 30, walked with the initial lack of communication, she believed the meetings into the Southeast D.C. school and interacted with parents showed that the board was taking ownership. with a 9-year old student. He led the boy and Additionally, she said she was pleased with the school’s text his 6-year old brother outside before being stopped by a school and email notifications that updated everyone on the incident, employee, according to D.C. Superior Court records. as well as their enhanced protocol for signing in parents.

Burnside, a registered sex offender, was arrested that day “There have been really long lines in the lobby to sign in on a separate arrest warrant and then charged on Oct. 22 with every morning and evening,” Dogadu said. “But I would rather kidnapping, according to The Washington Post. have that than any future situations and problems with my School officials did not alert their school community about the two children.” incident until the day after the mother of the two boys testified However, some D.C. PCSB members expressed dissatisfaction before the D.C. Public Charter School Board on Oct. 28, sparking with the school officials’ explanation and said the school should community outrage at the school for the lack of communication. not be diverting blame onto other organizations like MPD. School officials say they are now collaborating with city D.C. PCSB member Naomi Shelton asked why the professionals and police and retraining their staff to ensure school didn’t terminate their contract with incidents like this will never happen again.

Springboard Education sooner. The D.C. public “I know that we all think about what school system terminated its relationship with could have happened here, had the Springboard after finding that the company did unthinkable happened,” said Joyanna not conduct proper background checks on its Smith, regional director of Rocketship employees, according to an August article for Public Schools, at the D.C. PCSB’s monthly The Washington Post. meeting on Nov. 18. “Our relationships Josh Pacos, Rocketship’s Director of with our families are built on trust, and our Schools, said they wanted to create their failure to communicate in a timely manner own in-house aftercare program before the represented a breach in that trust.” school year began but they did not have the Smith said that the school did not share Joyanna Smith licensing or ability at the time, so they made the details of the incident before the mother the decision to keep Springboard Education. testified because they were advised by Other D.C. PCSB members criticized school officials for their General Council not to disclose information about the the time it took them to notify families, which did not happen investigation to the public. until after the mother came to speak, 17 days after the incident.

But as soon as the mother testified, she said, the school saw “I just have to tell you I am astonished it took as long as it the need to take action –– first holding a meeting to hear the did for you to report this to families,” D.C. PCSB member Jim concerns of parents and then coming up with multiple security Sandman said. “You don’t need to have a complete investigation measures to be put into place moving forward.

–– what you can say is, ‘we are investigating, a safety incident These measures included terminating their contract with occurred’...that’s what’s so outrageous about this.” aftercare provider Springboard Education, hiring additional Saba Bireda, vice chair of DC PCSB, echoed Sandman, campus security, and enforcing mandatory identification checks. noting that she “can’t believe the level of disrespect” the school School officials also met with Ward 8 community leaders, retrained maintained by not notifying families. all Rocketship school’s principals in security protocol, and met Bireda also took issue with claims from the officials that no with two security consultants to undergo security assessments –– children were harmed, speaking of the trauma that could result which will include audits on Dec. 2 and 3, Smith said. from an attempted kidnapping. She, along with DC PCSB chair However, she emphasized that the school has always had Rick Cruz and treasurer Steve Bumbaugh raised concerns about comprehensive security and their offense in this situation was Rocketship opening a third campus in D.C., a plan that DC lack of timely communication. Smith said it was not the school PCSB has already approved. but the aftercare provider, Springboard Education, that released “Please do not refer to this being some incident where children the children to a stranger –– ignoring dismissal protocol and weren’t harmed because I have no doubt that those children were neglecting to provide an immediate incident report. harmed and that children who were there that day were harmed She also said that the off-duty MPD officer did not follow and that families that heard about this were harmed,” Bireda said. security protocol, and that the circumstances of school not “My confidence is shaken in your organization.” being in session and parents coming in and out for parent Rina Samara Johnson, the senior director on the regional teacher conferences meant that incident did not occur under board for the school, responded that she understands their normal circumstances. feelings about Rocketship’s wrongdoings.

“What our team did do wrong in this situation –– the people “When you know your families and you know your folks, sitting before you here –– is that we did not provide timely you get comfortable,” she said, “you think that someone else communication to our families,” Smith said. “But this moment is going to pick up the ball, and the ball was dropped.” of failure does not negate the transformational outcomes that

“We did not provide timely communication to our families.”

Photo Courtesy of Angie Whitehurst

Street Sense Media artists Angie Whitehurst, Reginald Black, and Bryan Bello gave a presentation at the 2019 D.C. History Conference about gentrification in downtown D.C. that dates backs to 1840.

Birthdays Shernell Thomas Dec. 1 Artist/Vendor

Laticia Brock Dec. 5 Artist/Vendor

Our stories, straight to your inbox Street Sense Media provides a vehicle through which all of us can learn about homelessness from those who have experienced it. Sign up for our newsletter to get our vendors' stories in your inbox.

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streetsensemedia.org

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NEWs

Brookland Manor residents keep battling possible displacement By sam Krizek sam.krizek@streetsensemedia.org

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he planned redevelopment of Brookland Manor apartment complex has been controversial since MidCity Financial, the owners of the property, released details of their most recent plan. Many current residents of Brookland Manor fear displacement will come with the redevelopment.

These residents will not go down without a fight and they are doing what they can to have a voice in the redevelopment process. A rally was held outside of the D.C. appeals court on Sept. 28, when organizers from ONE DC, a group focused on equity in D.C. neighborhoods, and LinkUp, a community organizing collective that aims to bring about serious change, came together with supporters and current residents of Brookland Manor to draw attention to what the residents may be facing.

At the rally, Yasmina Mrabet, co-founder and housing organizer of LinkUp, told the supporters that one block of the complex had already been emptied and residents who once lived on that block had been either relocated elsewhere in Brookland Manor or evicted. She mentioned armed security guards who were hired by MidCity and said the guards patrol the complex and have been known to cite residents for petty offenses that may be used as a basis for eviction.

When MidCity initially announced its redevelopment plan in 2014, they planned to build 2,235 units with 436 of those units being affordable housing. What stopped them from moving forward with their announced plan was the Comp Plan, which is essentially a 600-page guide for how D.C. real estate should be developed, with guidelines and boundaries on zoning, density, and height of buildings.

The Comp Plan allows for the Zoning Commission and the Office of Planning to make decisions on what may be legally built and where it is allowed. This first plan proposed

by MidCity was far outside the boundaries established at the time in the Comp Plan. Instead of trying to change the Comp Plan, MidCity changed their plan to fit the stated regulations.

MidCity’s new proposal lowered the total number of units to 1,760 and reduced the number of affordable units to 373.

Brookland Manor Apartment complex. Photo courtesy of Sam Krizek

A major source of consternation among residents of the apartment complex is uncertainty about how MidCity will design those 373 affordable units. The new proposal eliminates all of Brookland Manor’s 5-bedroom units and almost all its 4-bedroom units while setting aside 200 affordable units for seniors. The argument that the residents have brought against this is that there is risk for displacement of families and longtime residents.

According to a report by Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless, which represents the Brookland Manor/ Brentwood Village Residents Association in their appeals, the residents are demanding three things from MidCity during this fight. Residents demand: 1. 535 units of affordable housing must be preserved at the current bedroom sizes and current subsidy levels.

2. Residents must be able to remain on the property during redevelopment (i.e., build first so that redevelopment occurs in phases and displacement is prevented).

3. Residents must have the ability to access employment opportunities through the rebuilding of their own community, of which they have a fundamental right to be a part.

Residents and organizers who are appealing the redevelopment seem to agree that in MidCity’s plan, the number of affordable units and how those units are distributed does not meet the needs of the residents.

A September court filing contains a demographic analysis of Brookland Manor that described what the current MidCity plan means for families in the apartment complex.

“In all cases, the number of families that require three-

Rally held outside of the D.C. Appeals court on Sept. 28 Photo By Sam Krizek

bedroom apartments or larger significantly exceeds the number of such apartments likely to be available at Brookland Manor if the current redevelopment plan proceeds as submitted to the D.C. Zoning Commission,” stated Andrew A. Beveridge, PhD, in an expert report to the court.

“Based on relevant United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, and D.C. Housing Authority occupancy standards, 130 of the 193 families currently residing at Brookland Manor Apartments require a three-bedroom apartment or larger, and 68 such families require a four-bedroom apartment or larger,” Beveridge stated to the court. “Even if one considers just the minor children, household head (and partner) and live-in aides, 104 of 193 of such families require a three bedroom apartment or larger, and 41 require at least a four-bedroom apartment.”

Beveridge’s findings bring to light that many of the families in Brookland Manor are intergenerational and with the separation of the “seniors only” units, which are mainly 1-bedroom units with very few 2-bedroom units, this means that those family members would be separated and from each other.

“Our whole aim in this process is to insist that the developer engage and negotiate with changes that are made that affect the whole neighborhood,” said Yasmina Mrabet, in an interview with Street Sense. “We [the residents] want to have a say in the process.”

Mrabet and LinkUp have been side by side with Brookland Manor residents during most of this process, as they have been able to organize numerous public displays and rallies throughout the District during this time.

“These public displays are to bring awareness to the housing displacement around D.C. and the effects of gentrification, while also exposing the bad faith of the developers and their priority of profits,” Mrabet said. “It’s important that these displays altar the public image that these developers put on.”

Public displays are only part of the ongoing fight; where residents hold true power over developers is in the appeals process. Since MidCity is a for-profit company, a motive for redevelopment is revenue generation through the planned new units and retail. Regarding tactics, Mrabet said, “We can affect their money by essentially blocking the progress of the process they need to go through in order to start building.”

For MidCity to complete the redevelopment they must apply for Planned Unit Development, which is handled by the Zoning Commission. PUD is used when a developer wants to build more than what the current zoning laws allow; in return for permission to go forward, the developer provides public benefits for the community.

Legally, MidCity does not have to provide as many affordable units as it is offering to build in the new project. Inclusionary zoning requires that only 8-10% of newly developed units to be deemed as moderately affordable, but MidCity’s plan offers to make 22% of the units affordable. Though units may be smaller than the residents want, in the eyes of the Zoning Commission, the higher than required percentage of affordable units could be seen as a public benefit, since recent amendments to the Comp Plan emphasize affordable housing as a priority public benefit in the PUD process.

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The fate of United Medical Center remains unsettling to many residents of wards 7 and 8

By BonniBelle BiShop bonnie.bishop@streetsensemedia.org

The D.C. Health Justice Coalition held a rally outside of the John A. Wilson Building. PHoto By BonniBelle

p

assionate and upset D.C. residents packed shoulder-to-shoulder into room 412 of the Wilson Building for a six-hour hearing on Oct. 25; the subject that brought them there was the future of the only hospital east of the Anacostia River. Thirty minutes prior to the hearing advocates with the D.C. Health Justice Coalition held a rally and there was not an empty seat in the hearing room.

Currently, wards 7 and 8 face a health crisis. United Medical Center, the only hospital that is easily accessible to ward 7 and 8 residents is not able to consistently provide quality care and will be shut down. Councilmember Gray has been working to ensure that a new hospital will be an improvement over United Medical Center. More than 20 nurses and residents from wards 7 and 8 had signed up to testify.

Gray opened the hearing saying he has seen the “highs and lows of UMC,’’ emphasizing that he understands what the hospital has been through.

He discussed his actions to ensure the quality of the new hospital and mentioned the $336 million that was allocated for the new hospital when he served as mayor of D.C., as well as advancement of the opening to 2022 instead of 2023.

Gray confirmed that the current United Medical Center will stay open until the opening of the new hospital, responding to a concern that was troubling many attendees at the hearings.

The new hospital is expected to provide trauma services at either a 3 or 4 level.

Trauma levels range from 1 to 5. The definitions of the different levels regarding the current issue are as follows, according to the American Trauma Society.

A level 3 trauma center has “an ability to provide prompt assessment, resuscitation, surgery, intensive care and stabilization of injured patients and emergency operations.”

A level 4 trauma center has “an ability to provide advanced trauma life support prior to transfer of patients to a higher level trauma center. It provides evaluation, stabilization, and diagnostic capabilities for injured patients.”

In contrast to levels 3 and 4, a level 1 trauma center is “capable of providing total care for every aspect of injury – from prevention through rehabilitation.”

Gray said his goal is to build the healthcare system in wards 7 and 8. Since wards 7 and 8 have never really had a durable healthcare system, Gray will be working from the ground up, with the new hospital serving as the initial response to this goal.

In a recent interview, Gray expressed the concern that many residents are not being provided with the medical services they are insured for.

“We have 97% of our people who have health insurance,’’ said Gray.

His provision to this concern is the opening of a new urgent care center with MBI Health Services at the intersection of Nannie Helen Burroughs and Division Avenue in April of 2020. This will be the first urgent care center east of the Anacostia River.

Many testimonials were emotional. Testifiers were seen

BisHoP

holding back tears, raising their voices, and expressing utter disappointment with their government officials.

Minette Blandon, a nurse of 35 years and current resident of Ward 5, was one of the first to testify. “I’m here today as grandma,’’ said Blandon, holding back tears. Her grandchildren live in ward 8, and she asked why “residents in ward 7 and 8 [were] being treated like second-class citizens?”

Blandon told Gray that “lives east of the river are in [his] hand.”

Emma Holland, a nurse currently at UMC, also fought tears during her testimony. “We cannot wait until 2022 to fix it,’’ stated Holland. “Lives are at stake.”

Gray noted several misconceptions regarding the state of the hospital, including the status of the new hospital’s opening, UMC’s trauma-level status, and the previous implementation of urgent cares in wards 7 and 8.

Several individuals, including Manon Manchett, a 23-year resident of ward 8, described the positive treatment that they received at UMC and said the city budget should provide more funding for both medical services and its workers. After experiencing a difficult labor and delivery that resulted in the death of her infant, Manchett said there was no other hospital she would rather go to.

“UMC saved my life,’’ said Manchett, describing high quality care that she received from UMC physicians. Like Holland, Manchett emphasized the need for change in the interim before new hospital is open. To these residents, it is important to ensure that medical care currently being provided at UMC remains available while a new hospital is being built.

Manchett described her experience at UMC as “a cocktail made of love, empathy, sympathy, quality, care and service”.

“It is inhumane and criminal not to fund UMC,’’ said Manchett. The ward 8 resident requested that more funding from the council go into improving the quality of care at United Medical Center.

Person after person voiced concerns with the quality of care, leading to the consensus that an increase in funding for these services is the only solution to this problem.

Although both Gray and the community members agree that United Medical Center is not providing adequate services, there is not agreement on how to address the issue.

The majority of testifiers supported UMC being salvaged, while Gray was more focused on how to improve the situation issue in the future. With new urgent care centers and a hospital being built, Gray appears not to be looking to fix what is in the past.

He addressed a misconception about the UMC budget being cut by explaining that the subsidy was what was actually decreased. The subsidy was cut from 40 million to 25 million dollars.

“It looked as though the hospital was on a pathway to overrun the budget by as much as $70 million on top of that $125 million,” said Gray, explaining the reason for its cut.

“Every dollar invested in UMC is being invested effectively,’’ said Gray.

Nathan Luecking, a social worker at Anacostia High School,

highlighted the need to increase accessibility with a new hospital. Luecking has dealt with severe issues while working as a social worker, including events that have ended fatally.

Luecking’s student, Jared Watson, was shot 17 times and was pronounced dead at the hospital.

Referring to the amount of time it took to get to the hospital, Luecking asked, “Did that make the difference in life or death?”

Luecking shared this story to advocate for health services that citizens in Anacostia can easily access. “We need a level 1 trauma center in Ward 8,’’ he said.

In a recent interview, Gray evaluated the necessity for a level 1 trauma center, stating that it was “not likely to happen.”

However, he said there are minimal differences between the levels of trauma services. Essentially, not every hospital needs to be a level 1 trauma center in order to treat incoming trauma cases efficiently, he said.

“Let me make that perfectly clear,’’ said Gray during the hearing, referring to his repeated statement that there is no intention to shut down United Medical Center before opening the new hospital.

“I’ve spent so many waking hours on THIS,’’ continued Gray, referring to the healthcare crisis in D.C. Responding to multiple concerns voiced by the testimonial speakers, Gray reminded attendees of his plan to open urgent care centers in wards 7 and 8, which will greatly reduce unnecessary emergency room visits. Although Gray sees this reform as beneficial, his response did not sit well with his listeners.

Yvonne Sloarski, communications director for the D.C. Health Justice Coalition, expressed concerns with Councilmen Gray’s responses to testimony from the public. Sloarski said she disapproved of “Councilmember Gray’s consistent saying that we need urgent care centers as opposed to sort of a full service, fully funded hospital.”

In the interview, Gray also shared plans for a new medical building to be implemented in the Skyland Town Center in ward 7. The building will include several services, including obstetrics, primary care, cardiology, and neurology. These service lines are expected to grow in the next five to ten years.

The Councilmember continued to reshare his provisions by discussing Whitman Walker Health’s plan to provide health services at St. Elizabeth’s campus in a new building that is to be built for them.

“I think we are excited about the fact that many people care enough to come down here and testify,” said Gray He noted that this situation really does show the “tale of two cities,” The councilmember will continue to host oversight hearings every few weeks as he monitors D.C.’s health crisis. At these meetings, civilians are given the opportunity to voice concerns directly to councilmen Gray. Although the next oversight hearing is yet to be scheduled, the next Health Public Hearing is set for Dec. 18 in room 500 of the Wilson Building at 11:00 a.m.

“I know we’re going to get there. I’m convinced of it,” Gray said.

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opinion

For the holidays, learn to listen

By Jeffery McNeil

As we approach the holidays, the last thing I want to do is write another column bashing Democrats.

This time of year, some families get into it about politics. I know from experience. I ruined many family gatherings because I refused to turn the other cheek when one of my Trump-hating relatives took a political argument into personally smearing me.

While I still attempt to share holidays with relatives, it's becoming more burdensome because they can‘t refrain from discussing politics.

I understand why they hate Donald Trump but I resent being told how to vote or being lectured about my life choices. Trump wasn’t my ideal pick but the Democrats are not the alternative. I’m not interested in surrendering my rights in exchange for free stuff. I want to work, not depend on someone else for food, clothing and shelter I’m not interested in being regulated, managed or impeached.

I see real-world problems that Democrats have abandoned in their zeal to remove Trump.

I love America. I was born here, I love the flag, and I love the people regardless of our history.

Trump talked about the America I grew up in. Hillary Clinton talked about identity politics and unfortunately, Democrat has not learned anything because they are doubling down on identity politics for 2020.

I used to be a Democrat. I was an activist involved with many left-wing causes.

My odyssey began way before Trump ran for president. I believe I drifted right during the Occupy protests when I discovered I’m not for radical change or revolution. I’m not against capitalism.

I saw who the Occupy protesters were. They weren’t like me.

I was liberal but I served in the military. These kids came from wealthy suburbs and had everything. They weren’t for the poor and oppressed — they wanted to clash with the cops. When the dust settled the homeless, many of whom were vets, were pushed from sleeping in parks while these white kids went back home living with their parents.

During this period I began meeting conservatives. We had conversations and they would tell me how they come to their views and I would explain mine. It never descended into incivility.

I didn’t want to vote Republican, or for Donald Trump, but I didn't recognize the left anymore. They no longer talk about the New Deal or the Great Society. They seem shy about their ideals.

At least with Trump he tells you what he’s going to do.

We live in a nation where you need consensus. You need sixty Senate votes to pass any legislation so both Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren are deceiving people when they promise free college and health care.

If you want things you have to work with people you dislike and make deals that are unsavory.

It’s not selling out — it's understanding how to live in a nation of 350 million.

Happy holidays. I hope for once we can listen instead of fighting.

As we approach the holidays, the last thing I want to do is write another column bashing Democrats.

Jeffery McNeil is an artist and vendor with Street Sense Media.

Diagram of a human brain, featured on a scanned pg 377 of the 1939 book "Chordate Anatomy."

Photo courtesy of Internet Archive Book / Flickr

Is conservatism a birth defect?

By Jeff Taylor

Since the founding of our country, we have viewed competing political ideologies as part of the very fabric from which our democracy was woven. But somewhere along the way, the whole notion of truthfulness and integrity has been torn asunder. All parties wish to be viewed as equally legitimate regardless of whether that legitimacy is merited.

The GOP has become the party of lying and fear-mongering. That's all they got.

Their actual policies don't sell well in the free marketplace of ideas, so they have no choice but to lie out of desperation to hold onto power. Fortunately their tactics have limited reach: lying and fear-mongering alone won't win them elections. (That's where the voter suppression comes in.) But why is the GOP base of conservative voters so easily manipulated into believing the lies? Because they are hard-wired to do so.

Studies have shown that there is a physiological difference in the way the conservative brain works. Conservatives have an exaggerated fear response, which explains a great deal, not the least of which is how we end up with so many people who vote against their own interests. Their fear responses have been manipulated into fearing the wrong things. It's truly despicable. People who are not able to react rationally to fear pose a danger to themselves and the rest of us.

We should help them rather than exploit them.

The word "socialism" is thrown around to scare voters as if it's some foreign concept, something we don't practice here in America.

Except we do. Big time. Social Security and Medicare are forms of socialism that the GOP base loves -- as long as you don't admit that they are socialism. Yet somehow the base doesn't seem to see that the GOP leadership wants to gut those programs because they hate socialism. (Unless we're talking about corporate socialism, of which the GOP leadership is wholeheartedly supportive.)

My writing is not aimed at wooing conservatives over to my point of view.

In most cases that's a futile effort. My tact rather is to shame them, make it socially unacceptable to hold certain conservative views. Make racism wrong again. Make lying wrong again. Make greed wrong again. If we do that then we actually would make America great again.

No matter how hard they fight, conservatives are ultimately, eventually going to be selected by nature for extinction.

They will be ridiculed by most of society as not very bright nor very moral.

Jeff Taylor is an artist and vendor with Street Sense Media.

Join the conversation, share your views - Have an opinion about how homelessness is being addressed in our community?

- Want to share firsthand experience?

- Interested in responding to what someone else has written?

Street Sense Media has maintained an open submission policy since our founding.

We aim to elevate voices from across the housing spectrum and foster healthy debate.

Please send submissions to opinion@streetsensemedia.org.

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ArT

We need a halfway house for men in DC By eriC thompSon-Bey

Hope Village, the District’s only men's halfway house, was scheduled to close on October 31st, following a contract dispute with the Bureau of Prisons (BOP). At the last minute, however, BOP gave Hope Village an extension until April 2020. From my understanding, all returning citizens will be sent to halfway houses in other cities if D.C. does not get a new halfway house.

I have two problems with that. First, halfway houses outside of D.C. are too far away for local residents to re-establish relationships with family, especially for returning citizens that have been incarcerated for multiple years. And number two, D.C. inmates have many rivals in the Federal judiciary system and sending returning citizens to halfway houses in other states could cause those tensions to spill over into the communities they are returning to.

After being incarcerated for years, a person can lose touch with society. I know because I have been in that situation myself. Even out of prison, a person may continue to do things like sleep with a shank, call dinner time “chow time,” or cover the windows when using the bathroom. That's when family comes into play. Returning citizens needs to be around people

Moving Up:

What we can learn from the Nationals By arthur JohnSon

Many people in the District were very excited when the Washington Nationals won this year’s World Series. Now that the excitement has worn off, this might be a good time to look at the lessons that you can learn from the champions and how to use them to improve your life. There are several things that you can apply to help you succeed.

First, teamwork is what matters most. This was proved not just by the current players on the team, but also by a former player, Bryce Harper. If you remember, he tested free agency and signed a 13-year, $330 million contract with the Philadelphia Phillies. While he will make a very large sum of money, he missed out on the ultimate goal of every athlete, to win a championship. Washington was not going to pay him that much and felt they could do well without him and they proved to be right. The lesson here is even when you are trying to get a raise; you need to keep the discussion focused on how you can help the company achieve its goals, not how much money you want. If you focus on money and ask for too much, they will part ways with you and find someone more team-oriented. If you can get the company what it wants, you will be in a stronger position to get what you want fi nancially when it comes time to seek a raise.

Second, if you want a promotion, step up your game when it matters the most. Max Scherzer was battling neck spasms but came back to pitch game seven and help win the title. He was already known as one of the best pitchers in the game. But when

that make them feel safe. But it would be hard to establish a good relationship from a different city.

As to the second point, inmates in federal institutions often separate themselves, through gangs, race, or geographic location. Due to beefs and other things that go on in the institution, D.C. residents have enemies. New York and D.C. were rivals when I was in federal prison eight years ago. I don't think it has changed. I'm pretty sure that the BOP knows about these rivalries. If they are still beefing, sending an inmate to an unfriendly city would be like throwing the sheep to the wolves.

Returning citizens go to the halfway house to transition back into society successfully, not to return to the horrors of prison.

After doing your time, you should be able to come home and be safe without the fights.

When I was released, I just wanted to be with family and feel free and safe of the prison life. Our returning citizens deserve the same. Give them a safe and family-friendly halfway house in D.C. Lives could be on the line for real.

Give our returning citizens a chance!

Eric Thompson-Bey is an artist and vendor with Street Sense Media.

his team needed him the most, he rose to the occasion and showed why he is an elite pitcher. In any job, there will be times when everything will be more challenging. The way to stand out is to excel during those times. That will be something that will be easy for your managers to remember when you are discussing the possibility of advancement. This can be accomplished by knowing when your company is in crunch time and doing whatever is necessary to help pick up the slack. These steps will set you apart from your coworkers and make you a more attractive candidate when seeking advancement.

And finally, remember to focus on endurance. In May, the Nationals were 12 games under .500. At that point, most teams are not thinking about the World Series, but the Nationals understood that it is a long season and they did not throw in the towel. They looked at the situation and what was going wrong (one big problem was that shortstop Trea Turner had been out for six weeks with a broken finger). This is something you can focus on and practice in about a month.

As we head into 2020, it is a perfect time to remember that a year is 12 months and just because you have a struggle or two early on does not mean it will ruin your whole year.

You might encounter losing a job, some major unexpected expenses, a health crisis, or major personal problems like divorce. But you can still step back, evaluate your options, and focus on making the changes needed to get back on the path to your goals.

Whether you are a huge baseball fan or not, there was a lot that you can learn from the Nationals. Hopefully you will see the results in your life that you will consider equivalent to the success the Nationals enjoyed.

Arthur Johnson has a Bachelor’s degrees in economics and has long volunteered as a financial mentor with The Salvation Army shelter in Minneapolis. Minnesota. He writes about financial advice and upward mobility in his column “Housing Up.” If you have questions about an article or suggestions or questions for future columns, he can be reached at AJohnson@streetsense.org

Thankful for Chris Frye making history

By Chon gotti // Artist/Vendor

Our nephew, Chris Frye, just became one of the youngest mayors, and the first Black Republican mayor of New Castle, Pennsylvania. Talk about something to be thankful for. Congratulations, young man! Your Auntie Kizzy and family is proud of your accomplishments.

We rise together By anthony Carney // Artist/Vendor

We rise together as brothers and sisters fighting to end the suffering of poverty. The Church of the Epiphany, on 1325 G Street, NW, is a good example of brothers and sisters working together to end homelessness.

The church feeds homeless people breakfast on Sunday morning after the service, which feeds people spiritually and mentally. The church also rents space to Youth Service Opportunity Project (YSOP), which enables students to help their communities.

I say, it’s about the best church in town. The church also houses rents to Street Sense Media, which has saved my life and others.

God bless our brothers at Epiphany.

We are rising together!

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Art

Random Acts of Kindness:

Home for the holidays by planes, trains and automobiles, Part 1

By Wendell Williams // Artist/Vendor

M

y mission is to share the good news about people's kindness towards one another, even to strangers. It has engulfed my every moment. It's my way of showing how grateful I am for angels stepping in and performing miracles in my life. This endeavor is important to me during these times of insensitivity, meanness, and incivility in the name of partisan objectives and political expediency. I can only hope that what I write takes away some of the sting or nastiness that seems to have become the new "norm."

One of my favorite comedies of all time is the John Candy/Steve Martin classic "Planes, Trains and Automobiles," where in a snowstorm two strangers decide to pool their resources and collaborate to get home for the holidays, in spite of obstacles and the madness that ensues. This was my inspiration for writing this installment of Random Acts, one of the first I've been able to complete in the 10 months since "Valentine for Valerie" and the crippling grief that followed. So this piece is dedicated to the many readers of that installment who've kindly inquired how I was doing and encouraged me to write my way out of sadness.

Homeless or financially challenged from time to time, situations will arise where transportation is a major barrier to employment, goals, full participation in life, or just access to goods and services that are essentially needed to live what most consider a "normal" life. Many things we take for granted, like knowing where we'll sleep tonight or how we'll get somewhere we need to be.

One situation took place in 1969. I had just barely graduated from high school and had no idea what to do next. My last year in high school came to a close and many of my friends began to talk about where they were going to college. For most of us, all college meant was a chance to keep playing the sports we'd been involved in since we were toddlers. A playground was directly across the street from my boyhood home and it was the center of positive activity in our community. My dad bought our house in 1956 for $8K (worth over $700K today) and I had spent part of everyday on that playground, a common baby boom experience shared by my friends and teammates. There were no safety issues, video games, hand-held devices, or cable television, only channels 4, 5, 7, and 9. We didn't even own a color TV and we used to head up the block to grandmother's house to watch Batman on the family’s first color TV. A Random Act of Kindness gave me my first trip out of D.C. alone and plane ride. In late May, after hearing many of my friends talk about where they'd play next, I quietly went to a guidance counselor whom I’d never met. They instantly blew me off as not college material and suggested I fill out 171 forms to pursue entry-level employment in the government. This was the classic “Track System” at its worst, someone telling a young person what they could or couldn’t do or aspire to be based on how they tested as a grade school student. This part of our racist past is never talked about in conversations about school desegregation but It had limited so many

dreams in D.C. without them even knowing it. It was finally struck down by the federal courts with the final ruling issued by Judge John Sirica, the same judge who presided over the Watergate trials.

I got a job in the Postal Service's parcel post division working the 3 p.m. to midnight shift in hopes of going to school during the day, if given a chance. It was back breaking work. I had never picked cotton but I could imagine this atmosphere ruled by fear, threats, and disrespect was a lot like a plantation. After a year I fell in with a disgruntled bunch and for punishment was banished to the belt, where we unloaded tractor trailers and box cars and occasionally were asked to accompany a driver as labor when dropping off packages at substations later at night. Eventually I was set up, charged with misconduct and terminated. I look at these incidents differently today. They actually freed me from what would have been a miserable career going to work everyday at a job I hated and was unfulfilling.

The next fall I started college at the new Federal City College where I heard from fellow students that several recruiters from northeastern and midwestern liberal arts colleges were mining the inner cities for minority students to help bring them into compliance with the new goal of achieving diversity on campus. I signed up for every opportunity to hear about possibilities in the vast world of smaller schools.

It’s because of this fluke of timing I took my first plane ride at almost 20 years old. For many students who weren't outstanding in the classroom, HBCUs were pretty much our only options. And in ‘69, having grown up not outwardly facing racism and discrimination on a daily basis, none of us loved the thought of “going South" where most were located.

One school recruiter happened to be from Oberlin College in Ohio where, fate would have it, my family spent time staying at the family home of a neighbor, Dr. D. I. Miller, who lived across the street when we moved in and was the principal of Margaret Murray Washington Vocational High School. She always kept me busy doing household chores for her and would teach me how to negotiate the pay on each job. When I got older I tried to refuse charging her but she insisted, while allowing my friends and me to raid her apple tree as long as we remembered to shut the gate so her blind dog Billie wouldn't get out.

She was a longtime high school principal in DCPS who was childless and took an interest in my academic development. She talked about the balance between sports and books in hopes of getting me in but I never believed it could happen. I basically chalked it up to the whims of a sweet old lady, an Oberlin graduate who grew up there, who told me stories about the college and the tiny town.

And then a serendipitous thing happened. The recruiter from Oberlin was an African American male who had lived in D.C. and understood the limitations of its school system and lack of preparation for entry into an academically rigorous school like Oberlin. But because

My high school sweetheart who I visited on my first flight.

We remain friends today. Photo courtesy of Wendell Williams.

of Dr. Miller and my interest in Oberlin he decided to try to recruit me anyway, with the extra added value of me being an athlete.

But part of my motivation for considering this wild and crazy move was that my high school sweetheart, who had broken up with me, was already in Ohio at Defiance College, a couple hours away by Greyhound.

So after many collect calls (remember those?), a plane ticket arrived. I still catch myself thinking about that first plane ride and the fear at take off as the jet roared down the runway into the sky. I remember thinking that I'm either going to throw up or crap my pants, shaken as I looked down and saw cars and houses getting smaller looking like ants on the ground. I was scared to death. Finally the bell rang and the flight attendants began to take orders for food and drinks in the days of a full meal. And since I had never flown before and didn't want anyone on the plane to know I simply ordered what the guy next to me ordered, including the scotch on the rocks. I still remember that drink even though I don't recall the meal. When we touched down in Cleveland I was all shook up as we headed to Oberlin, which was only an hour away but in a different world.

The town was the college and it was like Andy Taylor's Mayberry. After spending that first day on campus talking with everyone from the registrar's office to the athletic department it was decided that I would need some remedial work to gain entry and it still would be a challenge since I had forgotten a small detail. I hadn't taken the SATs yet, I had taken the PSATs. The suggestion was a private prep school, then return the next year and reapply. But my family rejected the idea flat out and it took me years to get over the resentment, considering one of the guys who accompanied me on that trip, a graduate from a DC vocational high school, decided to take that same route, entered the next year, and became a proud successful Oberlin graduate.

I had found out from Miss Miller her home there was well over 100 years old. We had stayed there on the family trips to Ohio before and the town was always a socially progressive community, being a hotbed of activity in the Abolitionist Movement prior to the Civil War and a sometimes base for John Brown and his followers who Miss Miller claimed to be descendants of.

The four days ended on a good note as my friend took the Greyhound in from Defiance. An Act of Kindness

by Miss Miller and a Random Act by a recruiter named Lloyd Mayfield who sensed something in me allowed me to experience my first flight, first real visit to a college outside of D.C. and a chance to see someone special after 2 years apart, all at the same time. Our friendship continues today as we’re still in contact with one another.

(To be continued)

streetsensemedia.org

// 13

Where do we go from here?

Treading The Waters, Part 23

By JameS gartrell // Artist/Vendor

By gerald anderSon // Artist/Vendor

When we were last with Gerald in his hometown of New Orleans, he was kickin’ it on the streets with his friend Minew who was telling him about an opportunity with a big player, Sam Clayton, also known as Skully....

We used to go to Houston’s. Houston’s is a restaurant in the Garden District of New Orleans where they sell all soul food.

We over there at lunch time, we go sit up in that joint. All the dope boys, the killers, the whatever, they pop up in there.

And Skully had a girl called Muscles.

Minew used to always tell me about her. I used to see her and damn she fine. I see why they call her Muscles.

Minew say, “Man, Gerald, man... I’m telling you, man, she trying to holler at me.”

I say, “Man, stop fakin.”

He say, “S***… You think I’m fakin? Boy, watch this…”

So Minew says, “Man, come on, we got a 5.0. Come on, you drive. Push.”

I push the car. We drive.

We get to the restaurant. He say, “Look, there she go right there.”

I was like, “Man, you messing with a heavyweight champ girl. That’s money.”

He told me, he say, “What, you scared?”

He say to her, “Where you going?”

She say, “I’m gong to eat.”

He say, “How about when I get in there, I need to talk to my man for a minute.”

She say, “You know you got that, baby.”

When I heard that, I say, “Oh my gawd” So I say to myself, “Man… .”

After a while we stood up in the joint. We ate. I got a well-done steak and potato.

I looked at Minew, I say, “What the next move?”

He say, “I might chill with her for a minute.

Lay back, kick back.”

So I’m sitting in the restaurant, kicking the bobo. I’m telling Minew, I say, “Man, s***, you got a problem you got her.”

See, at the same time I had another big homie called Glen Metz. Glen was a big family dude in New Orleans. He was a big man. He like Sam Skully but he bigger than Sam. So Glen was my man. I liked Glen. Glen was a pretty cool cat with me.

But I never knew Glen and Sam had a word, from what the street say. to be continued. Buy Anderson’s first book, “Still Standing: How an Ex-Con Found Salvation in the Floodwaters of Katrina,” on Amazon.com.

All Mixed Up

By aliCe Carter, A.K.A. “BaBy aliCe” Artist/Vendor

What's right What's wrong I'm trying to figure that out and I'm all mixed up.

Trying to keep this together while sometimes passed out on the sidewalk and getting so drunk.

I confuse myself; my decisions don't make sense.

I'm trying to stay out of trouble But too often wake up feeling horrible.

Hello Street Sense Media readers and fans that acknowledge the circumstances that lead me to write and express my opinions on the poverties and struggles of homelessness in the nation’s capital.

I know times are hard and will end hard at some point. As a U.S. citizen, you will always look out for number one. And that is only fair. I understand the motivation to feel that way.

But ask yourself, “What would I do if faced with homelessness?”

When a time came that poverty has enveloped your life, what would happen to you? How would you get out of it? Would you stick it out and suffer and try to handle it and get over it?

Then go on to ask yourself, “When it doesn’t work out at certain times, what can I do or who do I go to?”

Would you ask for help, support and assistance from friends and family? I go first to my creator by praying! I ask for mercy, blessings, and guidance — with protection against the evil that is directed at me and my surroundings every day.

I hope for the best while expecting the worst to continue.

And that’s because my observance in this area of the DMV is that citizens are still judgmental toward the homeless. As if it couldn't happen to them at any time! Like they’re a creator of self and can produce their own fate. And whenever tough times hits them, those that pass judgment usually try to hide their own struggle and pretend they’re in a better lifestyle then the next person.

I don’t care how some people think of me as I go out in the street. I do not beg for money or expect a handout from negative individuals that think less of me. I sell Street Sense Media newspapers, I shine shoes, I sometimes sell fragrant oils, and I do odd jobs for friends that support my struggles in poverty.

I work hard to earn my living.

So heed what I’m saying: Be a positive person, and please support people struggling with homelessness. That includes how you interact with people, how you approach people. And how you help people before they’re on the street. And keep checking in on how our community is progressing to end homelessness.

Step up, or step aside.

Have a blessed holiday. May God bless you in your life.

Dignity & Understanding

By Beverly Sutton // Artist/Vendor

My social worker from Bread for the City helped me get housing at St. John's. She was 22 years old at the time, strong and kind. She also has her own challenges, like me and all of us. One of them was apparent: being a dwarf. But she managed my issues very well. She changed my life and I think about her every day.

She took me to eat several times and did so many other things for me I can't remember them all. She drove me to the apartment from St. Elizabeths.

I've been in that apartment for 19 years.

While selling my papers recently, I got into an argument with a woman.

As I was happily dancing in my chair, a stranger, whom I've seen but whose name I don't know interrupted me by asking "What did you say?”

I told her firmly to leave me alone. She then called a security person from the nearby Giant Food store. He came out, determined she was the aggressor, and said she should leave me alone.

I don't know why some people look at me in a humiliating way all the time. I try to be friendly and happy when I sell papers. I try not to pay attention to the negative people because I don't want to lash out. I've been abused in my life and I don't want to be that way with anyone.

Trying times like this make me remember my social worker all the more. I am grateful for her help and the respect and kindness she always showed to me.

Life in review By patty Smith // Artist/Vendor

Looking back, I blundered many times. I had to pick up the pieces after each one. Believe me, the road has not been easy.

When my mother, Catherine Clay, and my uncle, Willie Allen, died, my friends at the complex where I lived where there for me.

They provided the companionship I needed.

They listened to my plans about how I would live my life without those two very important people who meant so much. They helped me understand the meaning of death and how life must come to on after it.

1 4 // st reet sen s e me di a / / no V. 2 7 - de c . 10, 2019

Answers

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Sudoku #6

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© 2013 KrazyDad.com

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LAST EDITION’S PUZZLE SOLUTION >>

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

"The one thing we can never get enough of is love. And the one thing we never give enough is love."

-- Henry Miller

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

Challenging Sudoku by KrazyDad, Volume 1, Book 2

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

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

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Traffic Control

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For five years I've lived in one of the city's most dangerous intersections: 11thSudoku Street, L Street, #6 and Massachusetts Ave. NW. No matter what time of day, a car accident happens daily.

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6 5 4 8 7 3 1 9 2 I am writing because many panhandlers in wheelchairs sit 4 3of time 2 1 5It's6just8a matter right in the middle of7 the9intersection. before a driver kills8one.1 3 2 4 9 7 5 6 Is that what it will takes for the city to make these streets 2 3 6 7 1 5 9 8 4 safer? Must either a homeless person or a driver be killed 5 the 7 authority 8 3 9to change 1 4 6 this 2 situation before someone with does so?

1 4 9 6 8 2 5 3 7 I truly, fervently, hope not.

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Marijuana Dreams evre high sum slæp iss nigh

Loflice Don’t tu feel al one uor versis I made, who mayest lade.

Wudufugol Boughs of the wold bow-in t’ mist!

Schuters opeyne on bluw briddas and thr sownd is heard non eidyl long agon. poemS By franklin Sterling // Artist/Vendor

“Fountain” by Marcel Duchamp, 1917.

Photograph by Alfred Stieglitz at the 291 (Art Gallery) following the 1917 Society of Independent Artists exhibit, with entry tag visible. The backdrop is The Warriors by Marsden Hartley.

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.

streetsensemedia.org

cOMMuNITY serVIces

SHELTER HOTLINE Línea directa de alojamiento

(202) 399-7093

YOUTH HOTLINE Línea de juventud

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE HOTLINE Línea directa de violencia doméstica

(202) 547-7777

Education Educación

Health Care Seguro

Clothing Ropa

Legal Assistance Assistencia Legal

Case Management Coordinación de Servicios

Food Comida

Employment Assistance Assitencia con Empleo

Transportation Transportación

Showers Duchas

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

Bread for the City 202-265-2400 (nW) // 561-8587 (se) 1525 7th st., nW // 1640 good Hope rd., se breadforthecity.org

Calvary Women’s Services // 202-678-2341 1217 good Hope rd., se calvaryservices.org

Catholic Charities // 202-772-4300 catholiccharitiesdc.org/gethelp

Central Union Mission // 202-745-7118 65 massachusetts ave., nW missiondc.org

Charlie’s Place // 202-232-3066 1830 connecticut ave., nW charliesplacedc.org

Christ House // 202-328-1100 1717 columbia rd., nW christhouse.org

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

Community Family Life Services 202-347-0511 // 305 e st., nW cflsdc.org

Community of Hope // 202-232-7356 communityofhopedc.org

Covenant House Washington 202-610-9600 // 2001 mississippi ave., se covenanthousedc.org

D.C. Coalition for the Homeless 202-347-8870 // 1234 massachusetts ave., nW dccfh.org

Father McKenna Center // 202-842-1112 19 eye st., nW fathermckennacenter.org

Food and Friends // 202-269-2277 (home delivery for those suffering from HIV, cancer, etc) 219 riggs rd., ne foodandfriends.org

Foundry Methodist Church // 202-332-4010 1500 16th st., nW id (Friday 9am–12pm only) foundryumc.org/ministry-opportunities

Friendship Place // 202-364-1419 4713 Wisconsin ave., nW friendshipplace.org

Georgetown Ministry Center // 202-338-8301 1041 Wisconsin ave., nW georgetownministrycenter.org

Jobs Have Priority // 202-544-9128 425 2nd st., nW jobshavepriority.org

Loaves & Fishes // 202-232-0900 1525 newton st., nW loavesandfishesdc.org

Martha’s Table // 202-328-6608 marthastable.org 2375 elvans road se 2204 martin luther king ave. se

Miriam’s Kitchen // 202-452-8926 2401 Virginia ave., nW miriamskitchen.org

BEHAVIORAL HEALTH HOTLINE Línea de salud del comportamiento

1-800-799-7233

Housing/Shelter Vivienda/alojamiento

// 15

1-888-793-4357 Laundry Lavandería

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

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

Thrive DC // 202-737-9311 1525 newton st., nW thrivedc.org

Unity Health Care // 202-745-4300 3020 14th st., nW unityhealthcare.org

Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless 1200 u st., nW // 202-328-5500 legalclinic.org

The Welcome Table // 202-347-2635 1317 g st., nW epiphanydc.org/thewelcometable

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

Whitman-Walker Health 1701 14th st., nW // 202-745-7000 2301 mlk Jr. ave., se // 202-797-3567 whitman-walker.org

N Street Village // 202-939-2060 1333 n st., nW nstreetvillage.org

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

JOb bOArD

Help! we’re lOOKINg fOr

volunteers Become a street sense media volunteer and help further our mission to empower people experiencing homelessness. get to know the vendors and make a difference in their lives and yours! you’ll support hard-working newspaper vendors by volunteering your time, four hours a week, distributing newspapers at the street sense media office. if interested, please contact gladys robert gladys@streetsensemedia.org 202-347-2006 (x10)

Gratitude

By evelyn nnam // Artist/Vendor

Thanksgiving, Oh Thanksgiving We love the time that you have come Bringing us together as one With great joy and everyone warm Giving thanks for all that we have Giving praise to Jesus Christ Enjoying the great fall weather and delicious foods With everyone in great spirits and moods.

We give thanks for another day We give thanks for another day of life We give thanks for another moment to breathe We give thanks for all that we have because others Do not have as much as one think Being appreciative because we are still living Being grateful because there are ones that give Because of having a compassionate heart We give thanks, oh we give thanks because We are here with something to live for Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

Enjoy yourselves and be safe!

Thanksgiving Memories

By SyBil taylor Artist/Vendor

Happy Thanksgiving to Everyone and a joyful holiday. To all those in need, who are lonely, who are sad, who are happy and proud and giving thanks to our “Father who art in Heaven,” the biggest blessing.

My father, an Army soldier and vet, was honored with a flag by the U.S. Army at his grave site. He is missed but always with us in spirit.

Thanksgiving will never be the same. My father would help my mother cook Thanksgiving dinner, starting early in the morning with stuffing and seasoning the turkey. They would cook fresh collard greens, mac and cheese, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, corn bread, sweet potato pie or spicy pumpkin pie along with cranberry sauce. Eggnog and soda were the available drinks.

We had a big feast. My father loved his pumpkin pie with whipped cream and he loved his games. We blessed the table and gave our thanks and grace.

He became ill in 2014 and made it through to November 2015.

We spent his last Thanksgiving making certain that he had the love and care he needed from us.

Dad, once again, you are missed this Thanksgiving, but never forgotten. We love you Dad, Always and forever.

I hope all of you who read this will be enjoying your Thanksgiving dinner and beautiful heavenly songs in heaven with many of the family members who are with you now and have gone ahead of you.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO EVERYONE!

Thank you for reading Street Sense!

Missing you on this special day

From your vendor

By patriCia donaldSon // Artist/Vendor

This is my first Thanksgiving without my mother. She died in March.

I'm very sorry she won’t be with us. But, I'm very thankful to be surrounded by the rest of my family. We’re planning to have many foods for dinner: sweet corn, green beans, potato salad, hot rolls, chicken breasts, turkey with stuffing, and sweet potato pie. We’re going to my sister's for this feast.

I miss you being here, mom. I love you very much.

NOV. 27 - DEC. 10 | Volume 17 issue 2

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