04.13.2022 by Street Sense Media

VOL. 19 ISSUE 21

APRIL 13 - 19, 2022

Real Stories

Real People

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Real Change

three Mayoral candidates share their thoughts on homelessness STREETSENSEMEDIA.ORG

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AT A GLANCE VENDOR PROGRAM ANNOUNCEMENTS • Take a vendor survey starting April 15. Collect 10 papers and make $10! See Thomas, Darick or Leo.

Giant Food associates joined representatives from the Capital Area Food Bank to celebrate Giant’s donation of 400 hams to the food bank for the upcoming Easter holiday. Photo courtesy of Giant Food.

Giant Food makes annual Easter donation to Capital Arena Food Bank ALEX LAWLER Editorial Intern

Giant Food made its annual donation of 400 hams to the Capital Arena Food Bank on April 6 for the upcoming Easter holiday. This donation was one of Giant Food’s contributions to five Feeding America food banks in the area. The Maryland Food Bank, Food Bank of Delaware, Fredericksburg Regional Food Bank and Blue Ridge Area Food Bank also each received at least 200 hams from Giant Food. “The Capital Area Food Bank does a tremendous job working closely with local food pantries and charitable organizations to help our neighbors struggling with hunger. We are pleased that these hams will be donated to families to enjoy when celebrating the Easter holiday,” Daniel Wolk, the external communications and community relations manager at Giant Foods, said. The Capital Area Food Bank works to address and limit hunger for nearly 500,000 people across the region experiencing food insecurity. The food bank will supply over 45 million meals to people in need this year by supplying food to hundreds of nonprofit organizations, such as Martha’s Table, So Others Might Eat and D.C. Central Kitchen, according to Giant Food.

D.C. Circulator workers vote in favor of going on strike HAJIRA FUAD Editorial Intern

Transit workers for the D.C. Circulator bus system are entering into a prolonged contract negotiation with their employer, according to a press release issued on April 1. Negotiations between the workers and their employer which began on March 1 were initially set to expire at the end of the month. D.C. Circulator union members and the private contractor of the D.C. Circulator bus system agreed to extend negotiations by another 30 days. “Bus operators that help keep this city moving, are sick and tired of being overworked, underpaid, and disrespected,” Brain Wivell, the political and communications director of the transit union said in a press release published on March 31. Wages and benefits for D.C. Circulator workers fall behind those of transit systems in the region, Wivell said in the March 31 press release. According to the press release, the pay gap between Circulator workers and WMATA workers can be as much as $5.38 per hour for senior bus operators. After a month of bargaining, the private contractor that sets wages and benefits for D.C. Circulator workers offered a 2% raise for senior operators. But with 8% inflation, that raise is equivalent to a 6% pay cut, Wivell said. On April 5, D.C. Circulator bus operators voted 96% in favor of authorizing a strike in order to win a fair contract, Wivell said in a press release published on April 6, noting that turnout for the vote was strong and that several Circulator workers drove in on their day off in order to vote.

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NEWS

Mayoral candidates discuss homelessness at Miriam’s Kitchen forum BY KAELA ROEDER Deputy Editor

Screenshots from Miriam’s Kitchen mayoral forum. From left to right: Andre Davis, Robert White and James Butler.

Mayoral candidates gathered on April 5 for a virtual forum hosted by local nonprofit Miriam’s Kitchen to discuss homelessness in the District. Three candidates for D.C. mayor attended the forum: Robert White, James Butler and Andre Davis. Mayor Muriel Bowser and Councilmember Trayon White did not attend. The forum was moderated by Dana White, a nationally renowned speaker and Ward 5 resident. Dana White has previously experienced homelessness, as well. Organizers stressed the event was not a debate but a forum, where the candidates could have a conversation about homelessness in the District. The candidates shared their qualifications for mayor and their personal connections to homelessness during the forum. Councilmember White, a fifth-generation Washingtonian, opened up about his tumultuous childhood. At 8 years old, he lost his mother to breast cancer. A few weeks after her death, he was in a near-fatal car accident. White failed school from the third grade to the tenth, but went on to attend law school because of mentors in his life, he said. He wants to do the same for others as was done for him, he said. “I have consistently been a voice for marginalized people, for people being left behind, for the incarcerated, for LGBTQ residents, youth and seniors,” White said. Butler, a Ward 5 resident and a former civil rights lawyer who was disbarred, reminisced about his protestant minister parents and how his family would take in people experiencing

homelessness. “I will be a mayor for everyone but a champion for the underserved as mayor of this great city,” Butler said. Davis, a former D.C. Public Schools teacher and Ward 6 resident, said transparency and accountability are priorities in addressing homelessness. He added there’s a disconnect between elected officials and youth, and his experience as an educator would be vital to overcoming that. “Oftentimes, our elected officials cannot connect with our youth, which is why we have such a divergence in regard to the youth and our policies,” Davis said. During the forum, Butler criticized White for not introducing emergency legislation to maintain the federally funded STAY DC program, a service that provided rental assistance for lowincome residents. STAY DC stopped accepting applications in October of last year. “Robert White represents me on the council,” Butler said. “You can't be here and assume you don't have any power, because you have it.” The candidates agreed on several points in addressing homelessness in D.C., including addressing the root problem of homelessness rather than just managing current issues. Butler, Davis and White said including wraparound services in schools and expanding trade and vocational options in education would help address homelessness. “The first thing we have to do is catch our young people before they fall through the cracks,” White said. “We also have

to recognize that we can still help these young people even after they've slipped through the cracks, even after they’ve fallen down, because we've all fallen down. We just need to make sure that the right support exists to help them back up.” All three candidates voiced support for the “housing first” model for developing policy. A “housing first” policy provides people experiencing homelessness with permanent housing without underlying preconditions such as having a job. When it comes to encampments, White, Davis and Butler said they would not aggressively clear them, but have a goal of connecting all people with permanent and stable housing. “I will focus on housing people, not clearing encampments,” White said. “When you are clearing encampments, you show up with the police and dump trucks in a way that is going to further traumatize people that we have already failed.” Butler said the city relies too much on Area Median Income, known as AMI, to determine eligibility for various housing programs. Since D.C. has an AMI of $129,000, one of the highest in the country Butler said a “localized formula” for AMI could better address the city’s needs. Candidates repeatedly brought up the need for trust and communication with people experiencing homelessness when building policy. “My plan would be very simple: accountability, communication and trust,” Davis said.

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American University’s Metropolitan Policy Center delivers lecture on Barry Farm HAJIRA FUAD Editorial Intern

Photo by Hajira Fuad

The Metropolitan Policy Center at American University hosted a public lecture on March 30 about the Barry Farm public housing development. Titled "Black No More: Public Housing Reform and the Demise of Barry Farm," the lecture was delivered by Dr. Michael R. Fisher, an assistant professor of African American Studies at San Jose State University. “The story of Barry Farm illustrates the adverse effect of public housing reform on Black communities who live in highpoverty neighborhoods,” Fisher said. From the mid-20th century to the present, public housing reform has been a historic catalyst for the demise of low-income communities, he said. His presentation focused specifically on the adverse impacts of D.C.’s efforts to turn Barry Farm into a mixed-income neighborhood on its residents. “When I say ‘demise,’ I’m talking about the breaking up and scattering of the community members in the neighborhood and the disruption of their social networks,” Fisher said. Barry Farm residents were displaced under the New Communities Initiative (NCI), a District government program that began in 2005. The NCI is designed to replace public housing developments that have “concentrated poverty, high crime, and economic segregation” with “vibrant, mixed-income communities,” according to the Deputy Mayor’s Office for Planning and Economic Development. The relocation of Barry Farm tenants began in 2012. Since then, the city forced hundreds of families to relocate their homes in order to make way for demolition. Residents have accused the D.C. Housing Authority (DCHA) of using intimidation tactics to get them to relocate. Through the NCI, Barry Farm’s original 444 public housing

units are planned to be replaced by 1,100 mixed-income residential units. In 2006, the D.C. Council approved the Barry Farm Redevelopment Plan. Since then, progress on the redevelopment project has been glacial. “In the 17 years since the initial planned redevelopment of Barry Farm, the city has produced no new housing of any sort, and only one new building in the neighborhood, the Barry Farm recreational center which opened in 2013,” Fisher said. The four guiding principles of the NCI are ensuring zero net loss of affordable housing; giving tenants the opportunity to remain during redevelopment or returg; creating mixed-income housing; and building new housing prior to demolition in order to minimize displacement. However, the city abandoned those principles as it progressed through Barry Farm’s redevelopment, Fisher said. By the time DCHA received approval to begin demolition of Barry Farm in 2017, the city had already reneged on its core promises, he said. DCHA announced in December 2016 that the build-first approach was cost-prohibitive for Barry Farm. Furthermore, despite its claims to the contrary, DCHA also broke its promise to ensure no net loss of affordable housing, Fisher said. There were originally 444 total public housing units in Barry Farm, but the redevelopment plan only called for 344 new units. The remaining 100 units would be spread throughout other developments across the city. In April 2018, when the D.C. Court of Appeals ruled in favor of a lawsuit filed against the city by the Barry Farm Tenants and Allies Association. It agreed with the plaintiffs that there

would be a net loss of 100 units under the redevelopment plan. In addition, the city’s one-for-one housing unit replacement principle does not consider the mix of various unit sizes, which would lead to the net loss of housing units available for large families, Fisher said. Analysts projected that the redevelopment of Barry Farm would net displace over 150 families, he said. The city also violated its promise to honor tenants’ right to return after the redevelopment of Barry Farm, Fisher said. Strict screening standards often prevent the return of public housing tenants to a redeveloped property, he said. The affordability of new units is a further impediment to the ability of Barry Farms tenants to return. Of Barry Farm’s original 444 public housing units, only 380 of the newly built units are “meant for extremely low-income households.” Advocates for redeveloping high-poverty neighborhoods into communities where people with a broad range of incomes live argue that doing so can expand the social networks of lowincome earners, Fisher said. However, this has not been the experience of Barry Farm tenants, he said. He pointed to the experience of a former tenant who moved to the mixed-income community of Deanwood after being evicted from Barry Farm. Shortly after moving to this new neighborhood, the tenant reported feeling deeply isolated from her new neighbors. She did not feel like she belonged in the community. Her experience mirrors that of many other people who were forced to suddenly relocate to mixed-income neighborhoods, Fisher said.

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NEWS

What housing advocates want from the budget ANNEMARIE CUCCIA Reporter, Street Sense Media & The DC Line

Screenshot of Mayor Muriel Bowser at the Committee of the Whole budget oversight hearing on March 18.

Mayor Muriel Bowser’s proposed budget, released on March 16, includes over $1 billion to build, maintain and match D.C. residents with affordable housing. With the budget now up for D.C. Council review and debate, housing advocates — led by the Fair Budget Coalition — are pushing for increased money for several programs while also seeking guarantees that large allocations will be spent responsibly. These demands fall into the broad categories of increased funding for vouchers and subsidies, homeless services, and public housing; and improved oversight over long-term investments.

Vouchers and subsidies Local Rent Supplement Program The request: an additional $17.33 million for 800 tenantbased Local Rent Supplement Program (LRSP) vouchers. Advocates describe this as a modest request given that, according to D.C. Housing Authority (DCHA) responses to the council’s oversight questions, there are nearly 40,000 residents waiting for a tenant-based voucher. Current funding: These vouchers provide rental assistance for extremely low-income families and individuals, who can use them at any rental unit where the landlord is charging fair market rent. Currently funded at $67 million, tenant-based LRSP is one of the few voucher programs for which the mayor did not propose an increased budget. Background: Most tenant-based LRSP vouchers are obtained via a waitlist run through DCHA. This list is supposed to provide low-income residents with access to one of the only centralized government programs open to all who need help obtaining affordable housing, according to Amanda Korber, supervising attorney at the Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia. One of the most common calls to Legal Aid is

from residents who have been on the voucher waitlist for years, wondering what is taking so long. The answer, Korber says, is that the waitlist has 37,160 people on it and moves painfully slowly -- the list closed to new applicants in 2013 and is currently matching people who applied in 2004 with vouchers. “People are sitting on that list and waiting decades for affordable housing,” Korber said in an interview. “Is it even a list if it doesn’t move after all this time?” She hopes the increase, if added by the council, would be the first step toward pulling people off the list faster. Rapid Rehousing The request: enough additional funding to continue subsidies for 913 families in D.C.’s Rapid Rehousing (RRH) program whose subsidies will end by September. RRH provides a shortterm subsidy that helps people experiencing homelessness find housing, and advocates argue most families in the program will return to homelessness if their subsidy expires. Current funding: The mayor’s proposed budget increases the RRH budget by $45 million from last year’s approved budget, though due to mid-year increases in fiscal year 2022, the funding level would stay functionally the same. The proposed budget does not provide the funding necessary to extend existing subsidies for current participants. The stakes: “The rug is almost literally going to be pulled from under them if there is no funding,” Daniel del Pielago, the organizing director at Empower DC, said in an interview. Also: Rounding out the Fair Budget Coalition voucher demand is $27.7 million in Targeted Affordable Housing (TAH) vouchers to serve 1,040 families. TAH — a long-term voucher for families in the homeless service system that combines housing support with a case manager — sees no new money in Bowser’s proposed budget, with $21 million in funding.

Homeless services The request: enough money to ensure D.C.-funded shelters can remain open 24/7, limiting the stress people experiencing homelessness face about where to go during the day; money to ensure the D.C. Department of Human Services (DHS) can continue providing portable restrooms and handwashing stations at encampments; and $300,000 more for Project Reconnect, a diversion program that helps people who are newly experiencing homelessness avoid shelters and instead stay with family or move directly into housing. Current funding: Bowser’s budget includes a $727,000 increase for Project Reconnect, bringing the budget to $1.2 million, but Kate Coventry, a senior policy analyst at the D.C. Fiscal Policy Institute, testified at a March 31 oversight hearing that the number of newly homeless individuals is likely to skyrocket as people approach a benefits cliff. Implementation: Advocates say the mayor’s proposed budget fully funded their asks for Permanent Supportive Housing vouchers, which provide subsidized housing to people experiencing chronic homelessness. Jesse Rabinowitz, senior manager for policy and advocacy at Miriam’s Kitchen, said he appreciates the funding boost but remains concerned about whether these vouchers will actually get to the people who need them. “We have the Permanent Supportive Housing resources to end chronic homelessness for 3,000 individuals, which is phenomenal,” he said in an interview. But while the District has granted 1,812 vouchers this year to people in need of housing, only 120 have actually moved into housing so far. The process can take over 100 days, and voucher holders often struggle to find leases due to source-ofincome discrimination and poor housing conditions. “We’re about 10% of where we should be,” Rabinowitz said of the current pace.

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Screenshot of proposed budget slideshow.

Public housing The request: $60 million each year for public housing repairs over the next decade. This demand has two goals — first, to enable repairs as soon as possible, and second, to ensure there is money in the long term to make up for years without substantive repairs. A few advocates who testified at oversight hearings, including Dr. Janet Phoenix from the D.C. Asthma Coalition, also asked the council to include money to remediate environmental issues and help inspectors spot health risks faster. Current funding: Bowser’s proposed budget funds public housing repairs at $110 million over three years, with $50 million in the first year, $41.1 million in the second, and $19.3 million in the third. Background: The funding level proposed by the mayor would be change-making, del Pielago said. But the problem is much larger. Former DCHA Director Tyrone Garrett first identified what del Pielago calls the “sky-is-falling number” needed to fully repair all public housing in D.C. — $2.2 billion. Though that estimate is from 2019, the housing authority has had little success with comprehensive repairs since then, as multiple residents testified at a March 30 budget oversight hearing. “People have lived in these terrible conditions for a very long time,” del Pielago said. Implementation: For two public housing investments included in Bowser’s budget, advocates aren’t asking for more money, but instead for more oversight. The first — the New Communities Initiative, which was supposed to redevelop Barry Farm, Park Morton, Northwest One and Lincoln Heights — received another $219 million. According to del Pielago and Park Morton resident Shonta High, who testified at the hearing,

little progress has been made so far, although many residents have been displaced. If the initiative is going to continue, High testified, residents need to know how the money will be used.

Investments in affordable housing The request: increased oversight of the Housing Production Trust Fund (HPTF), particularly given Bower’s proposed FY 2023 investment of $500 million. The HPTF is supposed to fund the creation of affordable housing in D.C. and is legally required to use half its money to produce housing for individuals and families making no more than 30% of the area median income (AMI). The problem: The fund has failed to meet this legal requirement for several years, spending just 27% on deeply affordable housing in 2021. That is nonetheless an increase from the prior two years — 13% in 2019, and 18% in 2020. The HPTF’s use of the available funding is limited by the proposals developers submit, interim Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) Director Drew Hubbard testified on April 7. Another rationale offered by developers and city officials is that deeply affordable units generally require greater public subsidies to offset the limited availability of private financing. But Brit Ruffin, senior counsel at the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless, thinks there are a few policy decisions behind this failure. In administering the fund, DHCD has made a choice to prioritize mixed-income housing and has shied away from creating buildings that are majority 0-30% AMI, she said. “Consistently, 0-30% is the most needed in the city, and it’s consistently the most underproduced,” Ruffin said.

The solution: To fix this, advocates say, the council needs to conduct more oversight of the use of the funds. Ruffin and other advocates support legislation currently before the council that would add new accountability measures by requiring DHCD to release reports on why officials chose to fund each project; explain any failures to meet the 50% goal; and detail how many units are being created for extremely low-income households. Ruffin also suggested potentially separating the HPTF into two pots of money to preserve half for 0-30% AMI. Additionally, advocates are asking that this year’s budget set aside even more for deeply affordable units. Specifically, they want $82 million of the proposed $500 million allocation added to the half that is supposed to be reserved for 0-30% AMI. This would replace the $82 million that was misspent in 2020, according to a report from D.C.’s inspector general. The report found that money spent did not guarantee affordable housing was created, and that some developers were overpaid. Next steps: Council committees will meet to mark up agency budgets on April 20 and 21 in preparation for deliberations on the overall budget at a work session tentatively scheduled for April 27 and the subsequent preparation of a draft proposal by D.C. Council Chair Phil Mendelson. The D.C. Council will hold its first formal vote on its draft budget proposal on May 10 and 24, according to the current schedule. This article is co-published with The DC Line

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NEWS

D.C. skateboarders rally to preserve their space in Freedom Plaza MARTIN AUSTERMUHLE DCist

Mikey Payne takes a short running start, propelling his skateboard quickly forward along the clay-colored granite surface on the eastern edge of Freedom Plaza. In a seamless motion, he flicks his skateboard onto a kneehigh marble ledge, balancing precariously along its worn edges. He rapidly kicks the skateboard around in a fluid 180-degree spin, briefly holding upright before a final twitch of his feet brings him back to the plaza’s floor. “It’s hard as hell,” he tells another skateboarder of the move, known as a 50-50 to 180 back into a switch 50-50. Payne, 29, has had years to perfect it. He’s been skateboarding for the better part of two decades, and almost everything he’s learned he picked up at Freedom Plaza, the block-long expanse of white and gray marble that sits just above Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the Wilson Building and National Theatre. “This is the first place I had ever seen people skateboard,” he says. “And this was the first place I started skating.” But Payne and other skaters are now concerned that a place they refer to as the “mecca” of D.C.’s skateboarding scene may have its days numbered. A recently unveiled plan from the National Capital Planning Commission proposes significant changes to the plaza, largely to make it welcoming to more people. Some of the skateboarders worry that in trying to appeal to everyone, planners may destroy the unloved space they have adopted as their own. “It would totally disrupt the street skateboarding culture,” says Payne of possible changes to Freedom Plaza. “It would have a very heavy impact.”

‘A desolate island’ Originally conceptualized as a grand gathering place and physical commemoration of Pierre L’Enfant’s design of Washington (a map of the city’s monumental streets are inlayed in the marble), the 42-year-old Freedom Plaza has more often been derided as a good idea that was poorly executed. Denise Scott Brown, the plaza’s designer, said as much in a 2020 interview with Greater Greater Washington, calling the space a “failure.” While it often hosts protests, 5K runs, and the occasional festival, Freedom Plaza doesn’t often draw tourists or office workers out on their lunch breaks. There’s virtually no shade to escape D.C.’s summer heat, a fountain on the western edge isn’t often working, and people walking across the plaza rarely realize they are treading on a map of the monumental city. “It’s a desolate island in a way, with very few amenities, very little shade, and it doesn’t really engage its adjacencies very well, i.e. the commercial uses to the north or even the more civic institutional uses to the south,” says Elizabeth Miller, the director of physical planning at NCPC, the federal planning commission for the capital region. That’s not an outlier opinion. The plaza’s shortcomings were even evident to a group of 13-year-old D.C. students interviewed by the Washington City Paper in 2016; they declared the space “too gray,” “boring [and] cold,” and lacking in its own identity. “It looks like it doesn’t know what it wants to be,” said one student. Elizabeth Emerson, an architect with D.C.-based EL Studio who studies the areas where local and federal spaces intersect, is similarly critical. “As a comfortable, commodious space, a

Mikey Payne, a skateboarder at Freedom Plaza. Photo by Martin Austermuhle. Courtesy of DCist/WAMU

place to to stop and linger, it’s not great,” she says. For years there have been murmurs of changes to come, and last month they were made public. As part of a broader plan to liven up the stretch of Pennsylvania Avenue running from the White House to the U.S. Capitol, NCPC is similarly contemplating redoing Freedom Plaza — which it says “is surrounded by streets and lacks the human scale and comfort elements that sustain consistent daily activity.” NCPC’s three proposals would focus on bringing Freedom Plaza down to street level, adding more trees and shading features, and breaking up the plaza into smaller and less-imposing segments. In one vision, a slimmed-down Pennsylvania Avenue would diagonally bisect the plaza, creating two separate spaces — one aligned to the Wilson Building to the south, the other to the National Theatre to the north. The goal, as with the broader plan to change Pennsylvania Avenue, is to bring more life to a part of the nation’s capital that feels left behind and stale. “It’s kind of lost its zest and its vitality,” says Miller.

‘The skateboarding mecca of D.C.’ For Darren Harper, though, Freedom Plaza is as vital today as it was when he first discovered it more than three decades ago. Now 40, Harper can remember how in his younger years the plaza attracted legions of skaters, a medley of locals drawn to the plaza’s open spaces and hardscape obstacles. (It was also a draw for U.S. Park Police who chased away skaters; skateboarding on the plaza is technically illegal.) “When I came down here in the 90s, I would catch the 32 bus coming up Pennsylvania Avenue and I could see people skating from [National] Archives coming all the way down the street, and it used to give me the chills,” he says. “This is the

skateboarding mecca of D.C.” Now a star in the world of skateboarding, Harper was then just a kid looking for a way to escape a difficult childhood — and he says skateboarding at Freedom Plaza was exactly where he escaped to. (He now brings his own daughters to the plaza; they’ve become viral sensations in their own right.) “When I was growing up in Southeast D.C. I had all the drugs, the violence, I was surrounded by all of that, living in poverty, mom on welfare,” he says. “Through all those trials and tribulations I was able to come down here and all that negativity would go in the back of my mind. Skateboarding saved my life.” And what makes Freedom Plaza so good for skateboarding, says Harper, is exactly the things that some of the plans for changing it would get rid of. “What attracts the skaters is the marble, the flat ground, the big area,” he says. “Skaters are big on stone, marble plazas, and this is almost one of the last ones left. This is the dying breed of places.” Skaters forlornly remember the plazas that once were: LOVE Park in Philadelphia, redone in 2016; Lincoln Square in Melbourne, Australia, demolished the same year; Brooklyn Banks in New York City, shuttered during the pandemic; and more. “It’s really unique,” says Payne of Freedom Plaza. “You have a downtown-sized block that’s full of really nice marble. I do get it how people get bummed on it getting skated, but there are people who travel literally all across the world just to skate this one block.” It’s a block so central to skateboarding’s identity in D.C. that skaters long ago gave it a new name known the world across: Pulaski Park, a reference to the statue of General Casimir Pulaski, the Polish nobleman who fought in the Revolutionary War, on the plaza’s eastern-most end. Many skaters also take pride in the fact that in a town with an outsized federal presence, they reclaimed an underused federal

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Darren Harper, has been a skateboard regular at Freedom Plaza for years. Photo by Martin Austermuhle. Courtesy of DCist/WAMU.

space for a local subculture. “We took use of a space that no one was really even using that much. We adapted like human beings do, like we’re on top of the food chain and put it on our plate to eat,” says Payne. Miller of NCPC appreciates that skateboarders have taken to Freedom Plaza over the years, but she also says that the space needs to work for more people, and that some users may be put off by the skateboarding — much of which takes what few places there are to sit. “I’ve been out there many a weekend, very much entertained and watching the activities that take place and grateful that there’s some activation in the space,” she says. “But on the other hand, it belongs to the city, it belongs to the region, and it belongs to the nation. So there is a lot of different users that we need to think about, and there’s the everyday users. We hope that we’ll get some people back downtown working and they’ll go out there for lunch and that they can have a comfortable place.”

A call to action By his own admission, Brian Aguilar never much stirred the pot, politically at least. But when the 30-year-old Silver Spring native and owner of Crushed Skate Shop — the last remaining skate shop in D.C. — heard of the possible changes to Freedom Plaza, he dashed off an online petition urging supporters to let federal planners know “that this monument needs more love, support, and care… instead of ‘eliminating & replacing’ such

an important piece of history!” Within two days, more than 5,000 people had signed the petition; as of this week it’s at more than 10,100. “Skaters and a lot of the folks like protesters… a lot of these fights that are brought up get overlooked,” he says. “This petition means so much just to make sure we have their attention.” It did just that: NCPC took notice, and got in touch with Aguilar to organize a meeting with the community. “We’re really happy to have this conversation and hear about their feedback, and also just fill in some of the gaps, maybe as to the timeline and kind of calm some of those immediate fears, possibly that that this might be happening faster than it actually is,” says Karin Schierhold, a community planner with NCPC. Schierhold says the goal is to stress that NCPC’s first proposals are just that — ideas — and the current 120-day public comment period will inform future designs. (There are three planned public sessions on the designs: April 13, April 26, and May 21.) Even after those are done, there’s plenty of process left to play out; Freedom Plaza isn’t likely to change anytime soon. And many skaters themselves admit that while they hold tight to what Freedom Plaza is, they recognize that improvements could be made. “I like it as it is, but I believe that it could use some love. There are lights that don’t turn on, outlets that don’t work, there’s the beautiful fountain they never turn on. I think Freedom Plaza deserves more love. I would like it to be as is and get a nice renovation,” says Aguilar. Emerson, the architect, says Freedom Plaza should be made smaller and more intimate, and also be brought down to street grade. But she thinks that doesn’t have to forsake the skaters

who have adopted the plaza as their own. “They’re actually not sitting across the big open space. They like the edges, right? They’re filming each other doing these long trailing shots. So I would think about, how do you make these inside edges accommodate the way they use the park, but deal with the other stuff separately,” she says. Gerren Price also has his own interest in Freedom Plaza. He’s the acting president of the Downtown D.C. Business Improvement District, which includes the plaza. He says the BID wants to make the space more lively and vibrant, but adds that skateboarders can be a part of that. “Anything that is meeting the needs of the community that’s responsive to as many people as possible and that’s helping to make like a more vibrant and just engaging space we’re all for,” he says. Harper hasn’t yet made up his mind about possible changes to Freedom Plaza. But he says losing even a part of it would be hard; beyond the design and legacy of the space, he says it’s centrally located and simply bigger than the few dedicated skate parks that D.C. has built, one in Shaw and the other next to RFK Stadium (which, ironically, was designed with elements modeled on Freedom Plaza). “This place is kinda like my neighborhood. It’s a breath of fresh air. This is my heart, my home. I wouldn’t want to skate anywhere else,” he says. “The thought of losing this place, I don’t even want to think about it.” This story was originally published by DCist and WAMU.

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OPINION

Inclusionary zoning isn’t enough to meet Maryland’s affordable housing needs BY TOM COALE

Like many places across the country, Maryland residents are navigating a housing crisis. A 2020 report commissioned by the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development (MDHCD) reported a shortage of 85,000 affordable apartments in Maryland for families and individuals earning less than 30% of median income. Meanwhile, an additional 97,200 families and individuals earning less than 50% of median income are expected to move to the state by 2030, the study also noted, which will require a dramatic increase in affordable housing supply over the next 10 years. In the midst of the housing crisis, and a general consensus that Maryland needs more affordable housing, some lawmakers have referenced inclusionary zoning policies interchangeably with their support for affordable housing. Inclusionary zoning, however, was not created for the purposes of meeting affordable housing needs. Instead, IZ helps ensure that new development, in which units are commonly the most expensive on the market and draw high-income purchasers, is not made up of exclusively wealthy families. But when efforts to integrate such communities take the place of meaningful efforts to create affordable housing, we all lose.

What is inclusionary zoning, anyway?

The term “inclusionary zoning” describes a regulatory requirement whereby a certain percentage of new units in a development must be sold at below-market rates. Most commonly, these units are targeted toward “Moderate Income” families with an annual income at or below 80% of the “area median income” as determined by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (“HUD”). Inclusionary zoning is a tool for socioeconomic integration. Due to the fact that new development often comes with the highest price tags, policy-makers who support inclusionary zoning policies do so with an eye toward ensuring there are not pockets of extreme wealth situated amongst relative poverty. This is particularly important in areas that are experiencing gentrification or the conversion of older, more affordable, housing stock to new “luxury” units. The wealthy suburbs of Maryland, Baltimore, Howard and Montgomery counties in particular, have expended significant political attention on “fee-in-lieu” provisions that allow developers to pay the local housing department a fee rather than build large subsidized Moderate Income Housing Units (MIHU’s). Inclusionary zoning requirements are increased under the auspices of “creating affordable housing” while projects for low-income families go unfunded or face administrative delays. With this practice, inclusionary zoning has become a useful replacement for those who want to create the appearance of supporting affordable housing while doing very little to address the greatest needs of the housing crisis, which are units for low-income families. (This piece is focused on IZ for units that are sold, and the dynamics for IZ rentals are similar but not identical.) But inclusionary zoning is challenging in other ways too. First, it’s inefficient. Even the most ambitious inclusionary zoning requirement of 20% will only provide two subsidized units for every eight market-rate units. As the cost of marketrate units increase, the disparity between those who can afford new housing and those who are selected to receive an MIHU

Screenshot of Maryland’s Department of Housing and Community Development website.

will increase resulting in a lopsided barbell income distribution whereby 80% of the housing is for the “very rich” and 20% of the housing goes to the “relatively poor”. Second, inclusionary zoning policies offload a societal obligation of providing affordable housing from the body politic to private interests. In order to tackle the gaping deficit of units for low-income families, state and federal governments will need to dedicate resources to build housing and subsidize rents. Inclusionary zoning allows the fiction that our affordable housing needs can be met by developer mandates. This crisis will not be solved by a for-profit industry with a relative intolerance for profit-losing requirements. Governments can and should do more. Third, inclusionary zoning fails to meet the housing needs of low-income families, which have the greatest need for new subsidized units. Most families making 80% of the area median income can afford homes within the existing housing stock. In central Maryland, families with six-figure incomes would qualify for many MIHU programs. While housing insecurity touches every part of the income spectrum, the greatest needs for new affordable housing are found for those making 60% of the area median income or less. Inclusionary zoning provides huge benefits to a small percentage of moderate-income households, while making it more difficult for the rest to pay market rate. Finally, and most importantly, inclusionary zoning requirements raise housing prices on the whole. All regulatory burdens, whether they be forest conservation or design requirements, operate like a tax that is passed through to the home-buyer. The costs of inclusionary zoning compliance will be borne by the market rate purchaser, not the developer.

And as the price of market-rate units increase, so too do the costs of surrounding housing stock. A 2019 study of Maryland’s inclusionary zoning policies conducted by Emily Hamilton at George Mason University’s Mercatus Center demonstrated that in the absence of “density bonuses” to ameliorate the cost of selling units at below-market rates, inclusionary zoning increases home prices an additional 1% over what they would be in the absence of such policies. In effect, this means everyone not buying a subsidized unit, including those who may be eligible for an MIHU, is spending more on housing just so a select few will pay less. There are caveats to all of this. Inclusionary zoning serves an important purpose in the redevelopment of existing housing stock. When “naturally occurring” affordable housing (i.e., older homes) is replaced by new homes with higher price tags, inclusionary zoning reduces displacement and integrates the new development with the surrounding community. Similarly, high density multifamily housing can more easily distribute the cost burden of inclusionary zoning and creates substantially more affordable units than when applied to single-family developments. But in all circumstances, inclusionary zoning should be viewed for what it is — a mechanism for integrating new development, not a tool to generate enough affordable housing to meet our communities’ needs. Tom Coale is an attorney focusing on affordable housing, land use, and zoning. He lives in Ellicott CIty, Maryland. This piece was originally published in Greater Greater Washington.

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Peace within DON GARDNER Artist/Vendor

My journey to independence GERALD ANDERSON Artist/Vendor

When I first came to D.C., it was in 2005 — right after Hurricane Katrina. I never seemed to have enough money, and my drug addiction prohibited me from living how I wanted. I longed to be the way I was before I left New Orleans. Eventually, I started dealing drugs in order to make some “fast money.” I was scared–what if I got caught? What if I got busted? I thought to myself, is this worth it? Eventually I got arrested and sent to prison. I sat back and did my time. Once I was discharged, I had the opportunity to either come back to D.C. or go to New Orleans. I chose D.C., but looking for a job was hard because I knew I couldn’t go back to drugs. Then, one day, my friend and I ran into a woman who told us we could make money by selling papers. I was skeptical, but my friend woke me up one morning and told me he had made a ton of money selling papers. So, I put myself in a spot and started selling the paper. The people buying from me started to like me more, and my family grew to such a size that I chose to write a book about my journey to independence.

Brewster the rooster

Nothing in all creation Is so like “God” as silence Quiet time requires discipline Cultivating a peaceful heart Setting aside the notion That we make things happen Or make them come out right Return to the sacred self Which lies buried or hidden Under all our self hyper-activities The paradox is that we must Stop, feel and grow In order to receive The gift of ourselves Even when we think things are up to us And we still hang on to the belief That we are in control So as I sit in the unknown In silence

I honor and invite The peace within The unwanted–uncivilized–the wild, The visioner–shy–and the wonder That rarely has a chance To speak Within us

JEFFERY MCNEIL Artist/Vendor

Henry is a businessman, who runs a successful restaurant in Washington, D.C. He loves serving his customers high-quality food, so he came up with the brilliant idea that instead of buying chickens imported from foreign countries, he decided to buy a farm to raise his own poultry. Henry is a novice who knows nothing about raising chickens, so Henry decided he would teach himself how to raise chickens. Because he never asked what the difference was between breeding chickens versus roasting chickens, he purchased 50 of the cutest yellow breeding chickens. Hearing the chickens chirp, a wave of guilt overcame Henry and he treated them like his kids. He built this wonderful coop, complete with a birdbath, brooders and nests. Over time, these cute little chicks began changing colors and he noticed two stood out. One, who became bright and orange, was boastful and loud. He decided to name him Brewster. The other one turned black with red gobblers; he named him Dmitri. As with racehorses, Brewster was a different kind of rooster. He strutted like a peacock with his orange tail feathers flapping to let the hens know he was the Alpha Male. Dmitri was a serious rooster, never strutting or displaying grandeur; he sat in his nest in the highest coop, overseeing everything that happened. Henry didn’t want to leave his roosters alone and added hens to his coop. Little did he know, he had too many roosters and not enough hens. Every day, he would open up the coop and see his roosters killed, not by wolves, but by Brewster and Dmitri, for they were insanely jealous of any rooster honing in on their turf.

Male Dominance Chickens have a pecking order, but what if your coop has two dominant roosters? When a hen was involved, Brewster and Dmitri needed to show who ruled the coop. These two

roosters would circle each other clawing, stretching, and ready to kill each other over hens. Roosters are hierarchal birds. Brewster and Dmitri were conquistadors. Early one morning, Brester heard a hen crowing, instead of his appointed rooster. Being overworked, the rooster was too tired to crow, so he sent his hen out to crow. Brewster flapped his orange wings and flipped that rooster’s nest. He rammed into the chicken and chased him around the barn. If he’d caught him, he would have killed him. Luckily, Henry saw feathers flying and saved the rooster’s life. Brewster told the rooster, “this isn’t America; we don’t do that gender role reversal here. Females stay at home and lay eggs, while men get up and crow. If he ever sees a hen doing the cock-a-doodle do again, you will be someone’s dinner.

Dmitri: one mean rooster Dmitri may have been bred with chicken hawks. He was so ornery, even wolves and foxes steered clear of him. He was a conquistador and eliminated all rival roosters with his signature eye pluck to deter anyone from looking at his hens. Unlike Brewster who had zero tolerance for weak roosters, Dmitri was a narcissist and kept many roosters around, as long as they didn’t touch the hens. As the roosters got older and fathered a lot of hens, Henry felt that the two would become less virile and more peaceful.

Tatiana All seemed well, until one day during a morning strut, they saw this golden hen taking a birdbath. Her name was Tatiana. As she got out of the birdbath, they noticed her cleavage and her strong thighs.

Only one can survive.

Roosters being roosters, this was for all the eggs. Everyone grabbed popcorn to watch the feathers start flying like something from a ninja film. When Dmitri started pecking the ground, he was ready to attack. When Brewster formed a circle and did the “rooster strut,” you knew not to be in the coop with him. With her “golden eyes” Tatiana said, “Who will have my eggs?” Dmitri rammed his beak into Brewster and injured his leg. As Brewster was hopping on one leg, Dmitri jumped on top of his head with his claw over Brewster’s eye. With wings flapping and feathers flying, these two roosters went claw to claw wing slapping each other into the fence. As Tatiana looked on as a spectator, Henry saw these two fools pecking at each other over a golden hen. Henry tried to pull them apart when a wolf growled and said, “if you break this up, we’ll eat the hens ourselves.” Dmitri was giving it to Brewster, blinding him by kicking seed in his face. Dmitri’s wing slapped Brewster so hard, his head hit a feeder blade and almost decapitated him. His beautiful orange gobble now had bald spots; he was blinded in one eye, and his wings and legs were injured. Everyone thought Brewster was dead. Dmitri strutted like a matador slaying a bull. Out of the corner of his eye, Brewster saw an electric light. He knew if he had enough strength, he could push him to the switch box and electrocute him. As the whole farm watched this cock fight, Brewster laid lifeless and Dmitri went for the signature eye gouge. As Dmitri honed in to kill Brewster, he lifted his great orange wing and “Twack” into the switched box. Dmitri felt the electrocution and, just like that, he was dead. The farmer told the wolves, “dinner’s on me,” and they feasted on Dmitri’s carcass. Bruised but not defeated, Brewster corralled all the hens from both farms and fathered over 100,000 Grade A chickens. Henry decided to sell the farm and wanted nothing with chickens again.

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ART

They had me in hell, in the cell, too LEVESTER GREEN Artist/Vendor

It was my first time ever in D.C. Jail. I had often heard the lyric D.C. P.O.P. repeated that it was “a living hell”! I had lost my mind at the fact that it was underneath the building. Remember, I said I was heavy into the church around this time, so when they asked me if I was ready to see the judge, I panicked, thinking God was judging. They drugged me in the cell, since I had a panic attack. They disregarded that they were smacking my shoulders on the cell gates entry points when they drug me by the shackles I was bound by. I could barely register the pain as I tried to grasp my situation. Once, they sent me back after a failed appearance. I got into it with one of the guards, when they tried to do a cavity check. I was offended, which caused him to react in a forceful manner since I continued to deny this request. I felt like I was being molested by the system. So, as he went to forcefully remove my clothing, I bucked him up off of me, and we went on to exchange body blows. When I was suddenly caught with one good shot to the ribs, that took all of the fight right up out of me. Then, I succumbed to the mental energy that went to work up in that area, as I felt like I was being tested by disappearing towels to finally not even wanting to wear my black all-star shirt anymore, as I could feel the heat from it in the room. I laid down, trying to recover. It was at ease from there, as I recall being restrained and escorted on a gurney, and I couldn’t see or tell who was who. I also recall being loaded in with some other loonies, and we all busted out laughing as one’s giggles infected another, before we were all separated.

The babysitter PATRICIA DONALDSON Artist/Vendor

I am taking her home; she is afraid to step back. “Can I help you?” “May I come in? You must be Mr. Derek Smith Mitchell. I’ve been arranging with your wife for a babysitting job.” “You got any ID? I’m asking if you have an ID because you will be babysitting my child. I want to know about you; I want to know everything about you. What’s so strange?” “Yes, of course.” “What’s wrong? Are you going to relax? I just want to have a closer look. What is the problem? But, if you say anything to my wife about this you’re going to be very sorry. Do I make myself clear, darling?” “Oh, I see you’ve already met my husband. Hello, nice to meet you. I really hope you’re going to stay with us much longer than the other nannies.” “I hope so, too. Is there a problem? “Not at all. When I’m with David, he’s just an angel. But, each time I leave, no babysitter can stand him for more than a week. It’s very strange. He is such a kind kid and has never caused any problems.” “Yeah, uh baby, you’re going to be late for the plane; I mean, you have to hurry up. Don’t worry about anything.”

Palm Sunday

Happy Easter!

ROCHELLE WALKER Artist/Vendor

EVELYN NNAM Artist/Vendor

Palm Sunday is April 10 this year, which begins the Holy week. It’s the day that we remember and celebrate the day Jesus entered Jerusalem as our savior and King. Palm Sunday is when Jesus rode a donkey into the town of Jerusalem. That is when a large crowd gathered and laid palm branches across the road, giving Jesus royal treatment. Hundreds of people shouted hosannas to the song of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the lord. That is one reason why we celebrate Palm Sunday. Let us sing hymns toward his death; it is true the Matthew (21.4): Jesus Christ is here — once gone and now back again

Easter, the love that God sent his Son to take it all! For everything we do, good or bad, Jesus still sacrificed his life because of the great love he has for us. The love of Jesus is sweet, kind and without measure. The crucifixion, death and resurrection of our Savior Jesus is a guarantee that he is our Lord. He died for our sins, so we could be rewarded in heaven. That is why we celebrate Easter, because of the grace we are given to live a fulfi lling, aspiring life, to make changes in this world. I wish everyone a Happy Easter! An Easter full of great moments. An Easter full of delicious treats! But, not just enjoying the treats and having fun; also, remembering the true reason of Easter — the debt that was paid for all our unrighteousness, from just one man that paid it all for every soul — an amazing gift. We thank him, the one and only, who went through the pains and burdens of what we didn’t have to go through. We thank him again. Jesus Christ, the Savior of all. Happy Easter, everyone!

My dog Milo AMINA WASHINGTON Artist/Vendor

Once, there was a dog; he loved me. I took him to the vet; he cried for me; I took him home and named him Milo. Milo was supportive, calm, and very cute; my dog Milo brings me my slippers and paper Every morning. How cute is Milo? Supportive animals are fun. I hope you have an animal hopefully a dog like Milo, maybe a fish or a cat, whatever makes you happy. I am lucky with Milo, he does not mind me, no matter what I go through. I can never be mad at a dog, just like a fish or a cat, you can say anything, and he will still run back to you with love and happiness.

“You’re right.” “Honey, please watch the time; it’s very important for everything to be on time. You have nothing to worry about.” “You’re obsessed with time.” “Okay.” “Good luck, let me help you.” “Thank you. Bye! I love you...I guess it’s the two of you now.” “Listen to me, I like it when my babysitters look attractive and presentable. Just do as I say, and everything will be okay. Do you understand? She nods. “Good. Let me show you around.” After some time, Mr. Derek and the babysitter meet again. “Well, well, well, I see you took my advice– you look attractive. I like the lipstick.” She looks down at the ground. “Hey, when somebody gives you a compliment, you’re supposed to thank them.” “Thank you.” “Good.” “Mr. Derek, I wanted to ask you for an advance.” “You’re already talking about money?” “My family is in a very difficult situation. My mother—she is in the hospital. And, I’m spending all my savings on her. I’ve taken multiple jobs, but I still barely make it. The advance would really help out my family a lot.” “Why didn’t you tell me earlier? You can talk to me. I’m an understanding person. I’ll be right back, just wait here. If you need the money, here, go ahead and take it. You don’t have to take it. I’m not making you. How’s David doing?”

“He’s such a nice kid, calm and quiet.” “So, I guess you’re free now, huh? Come on, don’t act dumb. You know perfectly well what it means.” “That’s not why I took the money! Derek, you’re married! You have a beautiful wife.” “Oh, forget about my marriage. My wife is busy making money. So, what do you say? That stupid kid is whiny, just like his mother. We’re not done yet! Where are you going?” “Stop this! If you continue, I’ll just leave!” “You’ll just leave? Where to, huh? You stole my money! Fiftygrand! That’s how it is going to be, if you resist. I’ll go to the police and report that a large sum of money is missing. Who do you think they are going to suspect? Huh?” “You can’t do this!” “Oh, I think I can. You know what this is? These are your papers. Tomorrow night, come to me and be ready. And, if you tell anyone about this, there’s going to be some serious consequences. Look at me, remember that.” The baby starts to cry. “I need to go, David is crying. I need to go to him!” “He’ll be just fine. It’s alright for kids to cry. We’ve got more important things to do here.” “You are the most incredible, amazing, most unique and rarest creep I’ve ever seen! You heard me! You heard me, creep!” “Now, wait a minute! What is this?” These women used to work for her as a babysitter. They quit because her husband was flirting. The wife came home and saw the videotape. She couldn’t believe it. The tape, that’s how she caught him. With the tape, she had him arrested and put in jail, after she called the cops.

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Spring goals

Spring time SYBIL TAYLOR Artist/Vendor

As the seasons and time change, the days are lighter, the mornings are still dark. Sunrise is around 7 a.m. The grass grows and turns green and flowers bloom. Cherry Blossom trees, birds chirping and singing, squirrels climbing trees, more people walking their dogs; people are taking walks and jogging or just sitting in the park eating a snack, reading books. More tourists are here traveling through parks; zoos are open, a breath of fresh air! Spring colors are so beautiful and vibrant. Everybody enjoys spring. Spring Playlist Songs: “Cranes in the Sky” by Solange “Walking into Sunshine” by Central Line “Lovely Day” by Bill Withers “Here Comes the Sun” by the Beatles “I Can See Clearly Now” by Jimmy Cliff

This is me JACQUELINE TURNER Artist/Vendor

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MICHELE ROCHON Artist/Vendor

As we are ushered into spring, let’s focus on having a grateful spirit in spite of COVID-19 or anything else that may be precluding you from forward-thinking and positive thoughts. Make a list today of 10 things that you are thankful for such as: I woke up in my right mind, I have food on the table, clothes on my back, etc. Recite this list at least once a day. If your budget permits, go to the local Five-and-Dime store to purchase a tagboard of your favorite color. Make a vision board for 2022. These are suggested categories:

1. Health goals 2. Career goals 3. Family goals

4. Physical goals 5. Spiritual goals 6. Financial goals

Now, give yourself a target date to reach each goal. For example, I will walk 30 minutes, four times a week starting on April 5. Forward-thinking thoughts propel the mind to focus on what’s in front of you, not what’s behind you. Place your vision board in a room that you frequent in your home. Our minds have a magnetic field that goes into the universe, searching for the people, the resources, or the tools that will propel you, or “set-up,” what you may need for that next step. From my vantage point, your future looks bright! Go and win in 2022!

Reﬂection Food for thought grove MARCUS MCCALL Artist/Vendor

If I could walk with Jesus, I could bathe in the brightness of his goodness. I could sit and admire his righteous wisdom; watch and think and try to imitate all his ways. Reflect on the might of his help and love for the people of the world, make sure to listen more than I talk, walk behind, beside. Always be faithful and thank him for being my savior. Reflect on how he changed me and the world. Love God for eternity.

FREDERIC JOHN Artist/Vendor

Eternity is mystery I’d rather not worry, Not bother

“Buffalo”

Right now, if you were honest and someone asked you what’s going on in your life today — would you have a list of stressful, worrisome things? Or, would a list of hopes and blessings of gratitude come to mind? Life is full of both. The quality of everyone’s life depends on what we give focus to. For every situation that feels horrible, frustrating, overwhelming, there is some light. We may just have to look harder. And, surely, we don’t have to … being optimistic, finding the positive, is a choice. Staying stressed out, continuing to dwell on the negative, is also a choice. We all choose how we look at situations, at life; it’s not the circumstances, it’s our choice of viewpoint. Let’s use the power that we have! Look for the good, search out the silver lining. Allow good to overcome. Peace!

O Buffalo, just a pup You shall never wind up For me a juicy steak

Better late than never VENNIE HILL Artist/Vendor

I had a friend who had cirrhosis of the liver. She used to always tell me about the pain that she was in. She always would let me know what episode she had to endure that day. I used to talk to her every night when I got in, but she stayed in pain. One time, I called the ambulance for her. She used to live in Baltimore. I live in Suitland, Md, but I called 911 and they connected me to Baltimore. I told them the situation, and they went to pick her up. She discharged herself the next day. I’ve been an alcoholic for 20 years; I’ve been drinking since I was 18; I’m 51 now. I’ve been in five inpatient programs and one outpatient program twice. I’ve been fighting this fight for a long time. I had a short time clean, and I’ve been clean a good amount of time, but eventually, I always go back

to drinking. The cycle gets worse and worse. I’ve tried nonalcoholic beers, because I drank beer. But, I never liked the taste of it. So, I would go back to drinking my regular brand. My friend was found in her apartment unresponsive, after trying to call her for three days. Her daughter called me and told me that her mother’s life was gone and all of her organs were failing. She even started to hallucinate. I called her every day and tried to let her know that I was there, but I never really got to have a good conversation with her. She knew my name, but that was all she knew. I remember talking on the phone to her every night, while she had her half of pints and her beers, while I had my beer. We would laugh all night long on the phone. We had some great conversations. She always made me laugh. She passed away last month. I couldn’t make it to the funeral, but I wanted to so badly, just to see her and let her know just how much she was loved by me and how much she would be missed.

Well, on Friday, April 1, 2022, I was diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver. The doctor tells me that my whole liver is scarred and cannot be reversed. I put up a good fight, I just wish I would have fought harder. She also told me that my liver was stiff, yet still functioning like a normal liver, though that would only last for a few years. Yes, of course, I’m scared. My friend used to say all the time, “Vennie, I don’t want to die.” She knew it was coming, though, because she tried to get some life insurance for her kids. It was too late. My doctor also said that she thinks I got Hepatitis B, which comes from sex and drug needles. I don’t use drugs, and I haven’t had sex in a very long time. No, I don’t want to. I have menopause, and it’s very painful. But, Hepatitis B can cause liver cancer. So, I can’t win from losing. I say that to say this: if you have a problem with any addiction, never give up, keep trying and give it your all, because in the long run, it will take you down eventually.

OnlineCrosswords.net

1 4 // ST REET SEN S E ME DI A / / A P RI L 1 3 - 1 9 , 2022

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

Find the solution at https://onlinecrosswords.net/6039

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Answers

This is the Daily Crossword Puzzle #1 for Jan 28, 2022

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

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3. “Ransom” actress Taylor

30. “This instant!”

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

Bread for the City - 1525 7th St., NW // 202-265-2400 - 1640 Good Hope Rd., SE // 202-561-8587 breadforthecity.org

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

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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

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

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

BEHAVIORAL HEALTH HOTLINE Línea de salud del comportamiento

1-800-799-7233

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

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

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

JOB BOARD Wearhouse Worker Aramark // 1401 T St NE

Full-time // Flexible hours, including evenings and weekends

The warehouse worker is responsible for receiving and processing incoming product, preparing and completing orders for delivery or pickup, and performing inventory and quality control. REQUIRED: Requires frequent lifting, carrying, pushing, pulling up to 50 lbs. APPLY: https://tinyurl.com/WearhouseWorker

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

Deckhand City Experiences // 600 Water St SW,

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

The deckhand is responsible for maintaining the appearance and cleanliness of the vessel, ensuring guest comfort and safety while underway, and assisting with docking and undocking.

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

Part-time // 8 hour shifts // $16-$20 per hour

REQUIRED: Must be at least 18 years old and be able to lift up to 50 lbs. APPLY: https://tinyurl.com/ CityExperiencesDeckhand

Housekeeper/Room Attendant Park Hyatt // 1201 24th St NW

Full-time // 8 hour shifts The room attendant is responsible for maintaining the cleanliness of guest rooms. REQUIRED: Requires an ability to lift, pull, and push a moderate weight. APPLY: https://tinyurl.com/ HyattRoomAttendant

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

Greeter Doozydog! Club // 2301 14th St NW

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

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

Full-time/Part-time // $15.20 per hour plus tipsl

Greeters work at the reception desk and lounge; greet members, sell, manage appointments, clean and promote an irresistible experience for each member. REQUIRED: N/A APPLY: https://tinyurl.com/ DoozydogClubGreeter

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

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

// 15

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The weight of character?

Blessings are coming

Far more than how one projects themself, more than how one is perceived.. Character...in all things is built and established throughout lengths of time. The defining of one of a kind, or from out of the dozen - just one of the dimes? To be normal is completely fine, but to shoot and kill uniqueness is surely a crime! In search of a wife with a peaceful life and sound mind — is there such a light being to find? How great a man's character if he works and grinds, but has not a home amongst his People — none are his kind? A supreme bearer of light is only worth honor when being robbed of his shine! A light price to pay, for having such a heavy mind. The war with darkness is only for those who value the enlightened times... only the strongest of us will strive to refine... When cowards hear their name, they rush to recline, but warriors jump to answer the shouts of Goliath when it's time! Righteous bravery within modern men — such a rare treasure to find... respect these days comes much easier with grime. A rich bag of lies and a poor box of truths is all man has to rely on…every journey reaches its destination, but remember — in time. Will the weighing of character wake up and raise up our giants, or will the contentment of failures reward the cowardly lions? To reject your full potential is such miserable defiance...

The other day, I saw one of my friends, a Street Sense vendor, selling papers. When a lady bought a paper, she gave him 2 dollars. Then, she went across the street and gave a guy who was panhandling $20. The vendor was kind of upset. I always say to my fellow vendors, “don’t worry, your blessings are coming. Always believe in yourself and keep at it.” I see it all the time, you're working your tail off, and someone gives you $5, then gives a panhandler a $50 bill. But, a week later one of my customers gave me $200. Most times, you lose faith. Being out there, selling, and sometimes getting nothing.

JUSTIN BLAKEY Artist/Vendor

Thank you for reading Street Sense!

PHILLIP BLACK Artist/Vendor

From your vendor, APR. 13 - 19, 2022 | VOLUME 19 ISSUE 21 NO CASH? NO PROBLEM. WE HAVE AN APP! SEARCH “STREET SENSE” IN THE APP STORE

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