StreetSense_forWeb_10.26.11 by Street Sense Media

Volume 8: Issue 25 October 26 - November 8, 2011

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(for homeless families?) Tasting a trip t nature on farm o the pgs 8-9

Street Sense aims to serve as a vehicle for elevating voices and public debate on issues relating to poverty while also creating economic opportunities for people who are experiencing homelessness in our community.

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APOLOGIES In our previous issue... • The cover photograph was captioned as featuring a former military officer. This information actually belongs to another gentleman, seen with a red shirt in our online photo gallery of the Occupy DC event. The gentleman we did feature identified himself only as Luke Skywalker of China. • Affordable housing development consultant Chapman Todd was misidentified.

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BOARD OF DIRECTORS Lisa Estrada, Ted Henson, Brad Scriber, Michael Stoops, Manas Mohapatra, Sommer Mathis, Kristal Dekleer, Robin Heller, Jeffery McNeil, Yebegashet Alemayehn EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Laura Thompson Osuri EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Mary Otto MANAGING EDITOR Eric Falquero VENDOR/VOLUNTEER MANAGER Allen Hoorn INTERNS Mary Clare Fischer, Sarah Fleishman, Jill Frey, Sarah Hogue, Nicole M. Jones, Case Keltner, Randy Meza, Hannah Morgan, Anna Katharine Thomas, Hannah Traverse

COVER ART

With the economy in a long slump, homeless families’ need for shelter grows.

VOLUNTEERS/WRITERS Rhonda Brown, Jane Cave, Margaret Chapman, Tracie Ching, James Clarke, Nikki Conyers, Bobby Corrigan, Irene Costigan, Sara Dimmitt, Joe Duffy, Lilly Dymond, Ashley Edwards, Garrett Epps, Rachel Estabrook, Sarah Ficenec, Grace Flaherty, Andrew Gena, Steve Gilberg, Jane Goforth, Jonah Goodman, Roberta Haber, Cherilyn Hansen, Elia Herman, Melissa Hough, Adam Kampe, Maurice King, Trisha Knisely, Vicki Ann Lancaster, Elle Leech-Black, Lisa Leona, Sean Lishansky, Elsie Oldaker, Katinka Podmaniczky, Mike Plunkett, Willie Schatz, Kate Sheppard, Jesse Smith, Lilly Smith, Kelly Stellrecht, Mandy Toomey, Brett Topping, Marian Wiseman

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY ERIC FALQUERO

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@streetsensedc /streetsensedc OUR STORY Street Sense began in August 2003 after Laura Thompson Osuri and Ted Henson, approached the National Coalition for the Homeless on separate occasions with the idea to start a street paper in Washington, D.C. Through the work of dedicated volunteers, Street Sense published its first issue in November 2003. In 2005, Street Sense achieved 501 ( c ) 3 status as a nonprofit organization, formed a board of directors and hired a full time executive director. Today, Street Sense is published every two weeks, through the efforts of four salaried employees, more than 100 active vendors, dozens of volunteers. Nearly 30,000 copies are in circulation each month.

1. Street Sense will be distributed for a voluntary donation of $1. I agree not to ask for more than a dollar or solicit donations for Street Sense by any other means. 2) I will only purchase the paper from Street Sense staff and will not sell papers to other vendors (outside of the office volunteers). 3) I agree to treat all others – customers, staff, other vendors – respectfully, and I will not “hard sell.” (threaten or pressure customers) 4. I agree to stay off private property when selling Street Sense. 5. I understand that I am not a legal employee of Street Sense but a contracted worker responsible for my own well–being and income.

6. I agree not to sell any additional goods or products when selling the paper. 7. I will not sell Street Sense under the influence of drugs or alcohol. 8. I agree to stay a block away from another vendor and respect the space of all vendors. 9. I understand that my badge is the property of Street Sense and will not deface it. I will present my badge when purchasing the papers and display my badge and wear my vest when selling papers. 10. I understand that Street Sense strives to produce a paper that covers homelessness and poverty issues while providing a source of income for the homeless. I will try to help in this effort and spread the word.

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STREET SENSE October 26 - November 8, 2011

NEWS IN BRIEF Big paychecks, but no homes Every day, dozens of people looking for jobs show up in Williston, N.D., America’s newest oil boomtown. The jobs are plentiful, but oil companies and developers have built only about 2,000 housing units in the past year, not nearly enough for the 6,000 job seekers and their families who have descended on the town. Most of the town’s hotel rooms are filled, forcing new arrivals, some making more than $100,000 annually, to live in their cars or in sleeping bags along the highway. Luckier job seekers live in one of the dormitory-style “man camps” run by the oil companies, where each unit is usually fewer than 200 square feet. The living conditions for new arrivals are not ideal, but spirits are high: even people who have transferred to work in Williston’s only Wal-mart make more than double what they made at stores elsewhere in the country. Some of these new employees live in the store’s parking lot. Former NFL player Jarvis Green, one of the developers in Williston, has put millions of dollars toward constructing a 500-person dormitory. He expects to make a 200 percent to 300 percent return on his investment. -Taken from CNNMoney

Denver considers a ban on sleeping on the streets On a given night, some 200 people can be found settling down to sleep on Denver’s 16th Street Mall. Denver only prohibits people from sleeping overnight in parks, but now members of the city council want to crack down on those sleeping in other public places. The Mall is well-lit at night, making homeless people feel safe to set up camp when they cannot find a bed at one of the city’s shelters. However, the large homeless population on the Mall has many council members concerned about the safety of the city’s main business sector. “We have to stand up for our businesses downtown and our women and children who are afraid to go downtown. Are we supposed to just give in?” said Councilman Charlie Brown. Denver has a history of passing laws to control its homeless population. In 2005, the city tried to curtail panhandling by forbidding beggars from sitting or lying down on sidewalks between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. -Taken from The Denver Post COMPILED BY HANNAH TRAVERSE FROM PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED REPORTS

By Randy Meza Editorial Intern Gathered in a crowded classroom in a Northwest Washington Church was an unlikely group. College students, homeless people, and volunteers and employees from nonprofits were all there for a lesson: It’s not a crime to be homeless. The class was hosted by the Community Council for the Homeless at Friendship Place. Throughout the evening at St. Columba’s Episcopal Church, participants explored topics including the criminalization and victimization of homeless people, and also examined why homeless people become the targets of arrest and aggressive acts. The training session was intended to be part of a larger effort to educate the community about the challenges facing homeless people. “There is a lack of knowledge of homeless criminalization and hate crimes,” said Michael Stoops, a speaker at the event and director of community

Blocking Passage ---------§ 22-1307. Blocking passage. “It is unlawful for a person, alone or in concert with others, to crowd, obstruct, or incommode the use of any street, avenue, alley, road, highway, or sidewalk, or the entrance of any public or private building or enclosure or the use of or passage through any public conveyance, and to continue or resume the crowding, obstructing, or incommoding after being instructed by a law enforcement officer to cease the crowding, obstructing, or incommoding. A person who violates any provision of this section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, shall be fined not more than $500, imprisoned for not more than 90 days, or both.”

organizing for the National Coalition for the Homeless (NCH). “This is an opportunity to help educate those who deal directly with the homeless.” State laws regarding homelessness vary, so one goal of the training session was to clarify Washington, D.C.’s laws. According to District statutes, people can legally panhandle in public spaces as long as they are not aggressive and are not in close proximity to an automated teller machine or a Metro station. Vagrancy and loitering are also legal in public spaces, and sleeping in public is lawful outside of federal parkland. However, police don’t always interpret the laws the same way homeless advocates do. At the event, Ann Marie Staudenmaier, staff attorney for the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless, urged for understanding from the police. “The police should look to alterna-

tives instead of arresting the homeless for essential day-to-day activities,” Staudenmaier said. The training session also covered the state of homeless hate crimes in the United States. According to the NCH, 1,074 acts of violence were committed against homeless people between 1999 and 2009, resulting in 291 deaths. The attacks occurred in 47 states, Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C., according to the coalition. In the District, there has been only one recorded death and four non-lethal attacks since 2008, the coalition found. In 2009, crimes against homeless people were listed as hate crimes in D.C. However, the NCH advocates legislation to include homeless hate crimes in the federal Hate Crimes Statistics Act. The NCH is believed to be the only entity recording homeless hate crimes in the nation. David Pirtle, a formerly homeless

man who now advocates for homeless people, said most of the violence he experienced was at the hands of young people who were bored or drunk. “They wouldn’t do this if people thought the homeless were human beings,” Pirtle said. A larger goal of the training session held by the Community Council for the Homeless at Friendship Place was to reduce violence against homeless people by emphasizing their humanity, and worthiness of respect. “The only real difference between the homeless and everyone else is that they don’t have a home,” Pirtle said. “They should be treated like everyone else.” Inspired by the training session, Timothy Jerome Macintosh, a homeless man, expressed a desire to help fellow homeless people learn that their situation isn’t illegal. “It made me feel good for what I heard today,” Macintosh said.

Panhandling ---------------

-------------------------------

Bias-Related/Hate Crime

§ 22-2303: Permitted activity

(d) No person may ask, beg, or solicit alms from any operator or occupant of a motor vehicle that is in traffic on a public street. (e) No person may ask, beg, or solicit alms from any operator or occupant of a motor vehicle on a public street in exchange for blocking, occupying, or reserving a public parking space, or directing the operator or occupant to a public parking space. (f) No person may ask, beg, or solicit alms in exchange for cleaning motor vehicle windows while the vehicle is in traffic on a public street. (g) No person may ask, beg, or solicit alms in exchange for protecting, watching, washing, cleaning, repairing, or painting a motor vehicle or bicycle while it is parked on a public street. (h) No person may ask, beg, or solicit alms on private property or residential property, without permission from the owner or occupant”

§ 22-3701. Definitions.

“Acts authorized as an exercise of a person’s constitutional right to picket, protest, or speak, and acts authorized by a permit issued by the District of Columbia government shall not constitute unlawful activity under this chapter.”

§ 22-2302. Prohibited acts. “(a) No person may ask, beg, or solicit alms, including money and other things of value, in an aggressive manner in any place open to the general public, including sidewalks, streets, alleys, driveways, parking lots, parks, plazas, buildings, doorways and entrances to buildings, and gasoline service stations, and the grounds enclosing buildings. (b) No person may ask, beg, or solicit alms in any public transportation vehicle; or at any bus, train, or subway station or stop. (c) No person may ask, beg, or solicit alms within 10 feet of any automatic teller machine (ATM).

“‘Bias-related crime’ means a designated act that demonstrates an accused’s prejudice based on the actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status, personal appearance, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, family responsibility, homelessness, physical disability, matriculation, or political affiliation of a victim of the subject designated act.”

STREET SENSE October 26 - November 8, 2011

LOCAL

By: Nicole M. Jones Editorial Intern

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Turn the microphone on and the young artists gather. They bring their poetry, their heartfelt stories and their songs. That is how it is at Busboys and Poets, a café located on 5th and K streets near Mount Vernon Triangle. Every third Saturday of the month, the youth open mic draws artists as young as 11. On Oct. 5, a group of versatile individuals packed the small performance room located at the back of the restaurant. Then they put on a show that featured everything from deep spoken word to metaphoric rap lyrics, from beautiful acoustic sounds to fun rock songs. Nichita Mason, 17, a high school senior from Washington Math Science Technology High School started co-hosting this youth open mic show about two years ago. She was randomly picked to help host when Jonathan Tucker saw how energetic and spontaneous she was. She has found the role rewarding and has enjoyed watching the event and the artists evolve. “I’ve seen more people come and more talent over time, there has definitely been progress,” Mason said. She shares the hosting role with Tucker, a University of Maryland alumnus who also hosts an open mic every Monday at Bloombars, another venue located in Washington, D.C. He also coaches a DC Slam team. The October Busboys and Poets show featured singers including Zeni Saife-Selassi, from Annandale, Va., who performed her own acoustic guitar melodies. She also sang an original piece called “Away” as well as the MGMT song, “Kids.” “I like the open mic for the youth because everyone appreciates your talent at these shows,” said Saife-Selassi, “Especially when the youth all come together to celebrate such great talent as a whole, it’s a beautiful thing.” An immaculate spoken word performance by a poet named Neyo also inspired gasps of admiration. Neyo described the hardship of life with an absentee father, growing emotional as he described a scene where he observed a little girl being taught to fly a kite. It was the kind of small moment that he himself missed out on as a child without a father. Tucker, who has been writing poetry and spoken word since the age of 14 and performing live since age 19, says that spoken word is a way to build the community and help people, even very young people, to find themselves. “It’s a sense of self-expression to build liberty and find out who you are, even in high school,” Tucker said. Busboys and Poets at 5th and K holds its Youth Open Mic event every third Saturday of the month from 5‒7 p.m. Young people under 20 are encouraged to share their poetry, music, rap, acting and other appropriate skills. For more information, e-mail Jonathan B. Tucker at jtucker@teachingforchange.org.

Everyone appreciates your talent at these shows, especially when

the youth all come together to celebrate such

great talent as a whole, it’s a beautiful thing.

From Rags to Cashmere: Homeless Man Becomes Clothing Designer

“I r the emembe beau r ty o being f clo insp thes ...” ired by

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As a high school student, Nary Manivong slept many nights in a donut shop. Now he is a clothing designer. “The worst part was not having a family,” said Manivong in a documentary, while holding back tears. The documentary, “DRESSED”, tells the story of Manivong’s first fashion show, an independent, off-site show during New York Fashion Week. The stress of having a fashion show without an investor prompted Manivong to visit the city where he spent years as a homeless teenager: Columbus, Ohio. To conclude Bethesda Row Boutique Week, Manivong and David Swajeski, the director of the documentary, answered questions following a screening of the film and mingled at an after party. “Not only is it a story about over-

NIV ON

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By Sarah Fleischman Editorial Intern coming homelessness, but he picked a profession that is one of the most competitive businesses in the United States, where the odds are so high for failure,” said Swajeski in an interview with Street Sense. But Manivong was never a stranger to challenges. One day, Manivong and his younger siblings came home from school to find all of the family’s belongings on the street. Their parents were nowhere to be found. During high school, Manivong spent many nights in a donut shop. The siblings lost contact with each other, and Manivong never learned what happened to his parents. When he entered his senior year of high school, Manivong was severely behind. Manivong says that as a homeless

teenager, school was the last thing on his mind. A counselor advised him to get his GED. Manivong insisted that he would graduate with his class. With the support of teachers and counselors, Manivong went to night school in order to graduate on time and spoke at his graduation ceremony. “That was a defining moment for me,” said Manivong. He found an issue of Vogue on the street one day and decided he wanted to go into fashion. After his graduation, he moved to New York City with $200 in his pocket, and got a job at a fabric store. Manivong had no investor for his first fashion show—he relied on money donated from friends and from working at odd jobs. He lived in his best friend’s apart-

ment and used it as an office while she was at work. Manivong is a fully self-taught designer. The odds against even trained designers are grim: two thousand fashion brands come out every year, and 80 percent are out of business after two years, according to the documentary. “I don’t know how to give up,” said Manivong. While preparing for the show, Manivong kept a folded yellow sticky note with him at all times. It read, “Nary, you can do it. BELIEVE.” He did do it. He found a new venue after his first one fell through, showed at New York Fashion Week several years in a row, and recently partnered with Ally Hilfiger to create a new clothing line called NAHM.

STREET SENSE October 26 - November 8, 2011

NEWS

With Winter on the Way, Where Will the Homeless Families Go? By Hannah Morgan Editorial Intern

With cold weather quickly approaching, the District of Columbia has yet to identify enough overnight shelters to house the number of homeless families who are expected to need beds. Each year the city’s Interagency Council on Homelessness prepares an official Winter Plan which lays out how local human services agencies and organizations will meet their obligations under district law to protect homeless men, women and children from lifethreatening conditions. During the official cold weather season, which stretches from Nov. 1 until March 31, a hypothermia hotline is set up and when freezing conditions hit, outreach workers distribute blankets and vans are deployed to get people to safety. Hundreds of additional cold weather beds are set up in churches, shelters and other facilities around the city. In the wake of the nation’s long recession and housing crisis, the rising number of homeless families is stretching the city’s shelter system to the breaking point. “New information from just the last few days may require the District to rethink both its Winter Plan and the allocation of resources within the shelter progam,” city human services director David A. Berns testified at an October 20 roundtable hearing held by the council’s Committee on Human Services. Officials and advocates who develop the Winter Plan each year calculate the number of beds that will be needed using data on shelter use during previous years and changes in the city’s homeless population. This year’s count identified 6,546 homeless men, women and children living in the city. The total was roughly the same as in 2010, but it also reflected a four percent decrease in homeless single people and a seven percent increase in families over the previous year. A total of 858 families, including more than 1,600 children were included

in this year’s count. who presided over the session, spoke The Winter Plan has estimated the of the enormity of the problem, and of city will need emergency shelter for the emotional turmoil homeless families 366 families, but only 309 emergency experience, particularly in the winter, spaces have been identified, 57 short uprooted and desperate, sometimes of the spaces needed. struggling to take care of children in Last winter, motels and hotels were stairwells and in bus stops. used to provide overnight winter shelter “Stability is necessary. If we are during nights of overflow at the city’s not raising families well, we are just family shelter at the former D.C. Genbartering for problems in the future,” era Hospital. Some of those families Graham said. have since been moved to D.C. General, As it exists currently, the city’s inadethough the city has tried to refrain from quate system cannot promise that stabilplacing new families at the shelter in ity to many desperate homeless families, recent months order to free up the necsaid Amber W. Harding, of the Washingessary beds for the new winter season ton Legal Clinic for the Homeless. beginning Nov. 1. “Families that seek shelter are often The demand for family shelter has continued to grow. Since April 1, a total of 1,007 families have applied to the city for beds, according to the Interagency Council on Homelessness. With some families classified as priority one because of their critical needs, officials relented in Jim Graham, mid-October and Human Services Committee Chairman began moving some of them into D.C. General ahead of the official beginning of hypothermia season. “By the end of today, we expect to discouraged from applying and enterhave placed 37 priority one families ing shelter at every step of the way,” into shelter,” Berns told the commitshe said. “This occurs despite the fact tee, “While we are not surprised that that families are staying in many inapthere is some pent-up demand for propriate or life-threatening environshelter, if these same large numbers ments - in their cars, at bus stops, in continue into the winter, the capacity hospital waiting rooms, and in unheated determined under the Winter Plan will hallways or vacant buildings.” not be sufficient.” Sue Marshall, of the Community PartCommittee Chairman Jim Graham, nership for the Prevention of Home-

Stability is necessary. If we are not raising families well, we are just bartering for problems in the future.” -

lessness, told the roundtable that the number of families leaving shelters for permanent and stable housing was extremely low, and advocated for more housing placements, in order to open up more family shelter beds this winter. While the average fair market monthly rent for a two-bedroom apartment in the District is $1,506, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Marshall told the committee the average homeless adult living in a family has an income of about $600 per month. Many members of the district’s homeless community came in from the streets to share their stories from last winter with the committee and their fears for the one that is coming. One woman said she was worried about losing her bed at her shelter because she has been sleeping outside with the Occupy D.C. protesters to advocate for homeless issues and the needs for homeless people who cannot speak for themselves “like my friend, she is 61 years old, she doesn’t speak any English, she can’t call the hotline and understand about shelters.” Then a disabled father , the sole caretaker of his daughter, spoke. “I’m scared for my daughter,” he said, worrying they might be split up and placed in separate shelters and that she would not know how to get to school. Another woman said she was living in the streets, in anticipation of shelters opening their winter beds. “We can’t wait till it’s freezing,” she said, “We need shelter all year round!” Graham listened to all of the witnesses, providing each time to voice their opinions and stories. He vowed that this year, “We are not going to be caught in the middle of this without the answers.” As the meeting proceeded, no easy answers emerged.

STREET SENSE October 26 - November 8, 2011

HARVEST SEASON

Farm Trip Offers City Kids Fresh Perspective on Food By Hannah Morgan Editorial Intern On a recent crisp fall morning, a group of pre-kindergarten and kindergarten students left their school, John W. Ross Elementary, near bustling Dupont Circle, to spend a day in the country. They dug in the dirt, planted seeds, and trampled through grass as tall as they were, wearing sun hats and buzzing like bees. tainable farm near Mount Vernon, Va., as part of a third annual Washington, D.C. Farm to School Week. This year’s effort involved children from 45 local schools in activities designed to instill an appreciation of fresh school lunches and sustainable, healthy eating through a hands-on approach. “If the kids see it and harvest it, they will be more likely to eat it,” said Andrea Northup, the D.C. Farm to School Network Manager.

Autumn By Sybil Taylor Vendor Summer is over Autumn has arrived, everything is long over with.

Mosquitoes, squirrels, birds, sun tanning, Swimming pools, eating ice cream cones, Hotdogs, corn on the cob, ice tea or lemonade, eating watermelon, blowing bubbles, Getting thunderstorms, high winds, keeping cool from a long hot summer, we all enjoyed. Autumn has arrived before us with nice weather, beautiful color leaves falling from the trees, crisp clean air, morning sunshine, a beautiful full moon at night. Squirrels searching for nuts for the fall and winter. Birds singing all day long. Sitting in Parks, or just taking a walk, enjoying the cool breeze of the day. Walking dogs and cats. Enjoying Indian summer once again, we can enjoy a few more weeks of summer, until we return to very cold weather again.

Enjoy Fall, it’s beautiful.

She works for the Arcadia Center for Sustainable Food and Agriculture, which hosted the children from Ross Elementary. The center, which seeks to demonstrate an environmentally and economically sustainable model of agriculture and livestock production has set a goal of becoming the “closest working farm to the nation’s capital. It is funded through a grant by Kaiser Permanente and a mix of corporations and individual donors. The DC Farm to School program was mandated in the 2010 Healthy Schools Act, which set new standards for school lunch and breakfast nutrition, and provides public and charter schools in the ing healthy, local and sustainable foods in school meals. Along with requiring free breakfasts be available at every school, the act also requires the school system to implement a farm-to-school

program to teach students about sustainable and healthy eating. Hence the day on the farm. The children from John W. Ross helped themselves to treats from an organic salad bar, featuring produce from Whole Foods (which has a partnership with the farm) and watched and tasted as Alison Reed, the pastry chef at the District’s Café Saint Ex prepared an apple, carrot and onion fall coleslaw. There are challenges in keeping local and organic produce in school kitchens, Reed noted, especially when moving into the fall and winter months. “The kitchen staff are often unequipped and don’t know how to cook from scratch,” especially when transitioning between seasons, she said. “Schools have to get creative at either preserving, or using squash, sweet potatoes,” which take the longest time to prep, she added. Lined up along

wooden picnic table benches, the students, swinging their feet, munched on carrots and beets , and answered questions from the local volunteers about their favorite vegetables, and where they come from. Surrounded by local pumpkins and gourds, which doubled as drums for some students, volunteer Laurel Johnson asked a table, “can a chocolate chip cookie come from a farm?” The kids screamed back, “No!,” and were then led through a story on how wheat beAt least for some children, the message seems to be getting through. Ross Elementary School teacher, Lisa Juriga, said that over the past decade she has noticed a growing appreciation of food among her students. More are packing lunches now and even choosing carrot sticks over cheese puffs.

STREET SENSE October 26 - November 8, 2011

HARVEST SEASON

Autumn By Sybil Taylor Vendor Summer is over Autumn has arrived, everything is long over with.

Enjoy Fall, it’s beautiful.

COMICS & GAMES

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STREET SENSE October 26 - November 8, 2011

EDITORIALS

The Evolution of Me (continued)

By Jeffery McNeil Vendor I slowly became perplexed. I didn’t want handouts, and I didn’t care for causes like saving the endangered snail darter, attacking corporate greed, or being a Good Samaritan. By the time I had become disillusioned with high society, I had come to perceive most of the rich as out of touch, snobbish and arrogant. What turned me into a leftist (which I define as a person who has been left out of the American process) was my introduction into corporate America, my mom’s death and my mental illness. I got a job at a prominent grocery store working my way from lowly stock boy to assistant manager with a group working under me. I was in charge of ordering supplies, doing payroll and managing the bookkeeping. I was paid to cut costs and make money for the owners. If business was down and labor costs were high, I sent people home. If people didn’t perform, I had to fire them. The owners would try to fire the highly paid workers before they could receive any benefits. They would hire undocumented immigrants and pay them under the table. The company would force others to work long hours without overtime. I felt bad firing people. Some had families, paid rent, and gave their heart and soul to the company. I felt blackmailed because I had to do the dirty work and fire them. If I did not, I would eventually be fired too. I wasn’t liked. I felt isolated. Many of the bosses were Republicans. Most were heavy drinkers. They never hung around their employees unless it was a woman they wanted to have sex

with. It disturbed me that the people who worked hard and were loyal were taken advantage of. I wanted to cuss out the boss, but I couldn’t risk getting fired because I had to pay my rent. It wore on my conscience. The immorality of corporate America caused my nervous breakdown. I entered a mental hospital and I couldn’t work for almost two years. Corporate America left a bad taste in my mouth. My full contempt for conservatism came around 1990 after the first Gulf War. Bush, Sr. was president and the economy was in tatters. My dad worked for a company that laid off all its American workers and moved overseas. While all this was happening, my mom began having heart problems. Her limited insurance coverage didn’t pay for all the medications and treatments she needed. Her deteriorating condition introduced me to the health care system. I began to wonder how a country can pick and choose who lives and dies based on that person’s income. It is unfathomable. I was even more disgusted when special interest groups vehemently opposed Hillary Clinton’s proposed health care plan for the poor, elderly and military veterans. Since then I have become more aware of how government policies affect me and my country. I continue to educate myself about the differences between political parties and between the rich and the poor. I no longer feel judgmental about welfare. I support all of its related programs. I believe what the rich are doing to us is unfair and bad for our nation’s well-being. The only way to restore fairness to our lives is for the government to guarantee that all citizens are equal.

Where is the Justice? ___ By Veda Simpson Vendor Yo u a r e Tr o y Davis. As a human being you were convicted of the 1989 death of Officer Mark Mac Phail. You said, to those about to take your life, “May God have mercy on your souls. May God bless your souls.” Key witnesses against you recanted their testimony after saying they were threatened by the police to testify against you. However, State and Federal judges repeatedly ruled against granting you a new trial as court costs piled up. You asked to take a polygraph test but your request was denied. The pardons board turned down your request for one more hearing. You were at the scene of the crime but no weapon was found. The other man who was also there was nowhere to be found. Mark Mac Phail’s family didn’t care who paid, just as long as someone paid before the case went “cold”. You were there, so you got the blame. Mark Mac Phail’s mother said you had all the chances in the world and it had to come to an end. What end? An end to your life because there will never be any closure and his family never have any peace because they know, deep down, they put an innocent

man to death; a person who will never know how it feels to live out his life on God’s terms; to get married, to work and take care of his family; to see his children grow up. Suppose everyone who was at the scene of any murder, guilty or not, was given the blame and put to death? There would only be a few people left on earth. The South will never change. If you are white, you are right. If you are black, stay back. Back in time, the whites would put pillow cases over the heads of blacks, then hang and kill them. Now, even without “pillow case justice”, whites are still killing blacks; but now it’s legal. Blacks that killed whites are more likely to get the death penalty. Let’s dig deeper. Let’s imagine President Obama in Troy Davis’ shoes and Republicans in the shoes of the justice system. The Republicans have not come to terms with anything Obama says or does. It’s like putting him on death row. With the blood of all the Americans who have died because of him, it is Bush who belongs on death row. Obama has cleaned up a lot, in the little time he has had, but with no credit given him from the Republicans. So, now I ask you…Where is the justice?

STREET SENSE October 26 - November 8, 2011

VENDOR WRITING Why am I Homeless?

By Vennie Hill Vendor

I was working one day and ran into a young man, about 20 years old or so. I pitched my Street Sense line to him to sell him a paper. He looked at me and said, “No. I don’t like the homeless. He proceeded inside the store to purchase something. When he came out, he said, “I’m sorry, but the reason I said that is because most homeless have done something to make themselves homeless.” He gave me a dollar and walked away. I continually ask myself: Could I have done something to have made myself homeless? So, I begin to think of my road that I have traveled to get here. At age 16, I quit school and got my first job as an office cleaner. At 18, I took my first drink. I also lost my virginity, not because I wanted to but because of a stupid pact my cousin and I made. At age 21, I tried my first drug, trying to follow behind others instead of being myself and using my mind. We called ourselves “Celebrating my 21st Birthday.” After the second puff, I passed out and woke in a tub filled with cold water. My dreams growing up were to be a teacher, a preacher, to sing, to type, to be a writer and be a Marine. After four years of trying, I finally got typing down pat. You see, I have really big hands and fat fingers. But I was determined not to give up so I didn’t. I became quite good at it. Then one day I was drinking in the sleet and the rain while wearing some very cheap shoes. I slipped, fell and broke my left wrist. So what? Why is that relevant to your journey? I have realized the rest of my dreams in different ways. My teaching came into play from helping my nieces and nephews with homework and school assignments. I preach every day. My singing? Yeah, I still enjoy it, but it is no longer a passion. As you can read in this story, I’m working on my writing. The marine thing died when I came out of Job Corps weighing 210 pounds and in no kind of physical shape. I’ve always considered myself to be a good person. I grew up going to church,

In the Clay Vessal

loving and praising God. I returned to school in 1994, received my GED, got my data entry certificate and graduated at the top of my class. So, I ask myself again: Why am I homeless? My answer is that I believe that God has us all on a path to follow, good times and bad. I’ve had more bad times than good, but I am blessed. I love me, I love the Lord and I love people. Not a day passes in which I don’t thank God for the food I receive, for the air that I breathe, my family, my friends and my life. I picture myself as a trainee. I’m training for God! I believe to fight a war, you have to be strong. I was very weak and quiet growing up. But to fight this battle and battles to come, you have to be mentally strong. And I don’t think that I was. I’m not saying that I’m the strongest now, but I know that I’m not weak anymore. Yes, I still cry over the certain television shows and movies with sad endings. But I wipe my tears today and I move on with my life. Do I think that I am ready yet? No, but I’m getting there. I wake up every day and go to work to keep a roof over my head and my husband’s head. We don’t have children. Yeah, we have our ups and downs, but I do my best to make it work, and it’s not easy. We go out every day and try to find employment. They say that there really aren’t any jobs, but you know that if my God is like your God, you know that isn’t true. I know that my time is coming; we just have to keep the faith. I’ve made a lot of wrong choices in my life. But realizing that I have has helped me make better ones. So, if you happen to see me walking and talking to myself, remember that I’m not crazy; I’m just talking to God. So why am I homeless? It just might be that I’ve made some wrong choices in my life, or it could be that God has chosen this path for me. But I know that by leaving this up to him, I will not be homeless for long. So, remember that everyone makes mistakes. We may not be able to change them or correct them, but we surely can learn from them. Now, until next time, may God be with you and may he bless us all.

Ballad of Honeyboy By Chris Shaw Vendor

I haf enfoormed thee angels and deofles, thez things wuch fixt ye, or tima dooms ana. I grw scenery that I mak em, too, only for fund: shells made universes not eld, horned divinitees, ornament deeper than comments I can good as a fissh. Wer I ana the gods and strangenis; or sum won fram wear ther hae byn an accydent pear emplaystred o such goods uor distansis, Ig wud the doom is to good thy a fish. An othur doom is non oothere to bide. Gods elide the othre kinds realize her curiouss lakes ar the world heyng on lift, and decorat. By Franklin Sterling If anyone would like to contact Mr. Sterling about his poetry, please do so through the Street Sense office.

A sepia print betrays a Blues Man’s woes: Chicago, night a one room South Side flat Man’s arm across his face No peace was found in this crummy place That came later, did that. With much more acclaim That David “Honeyboy” Edwards, deserved to claim. Like Lockwood, he ‘ran’ with Robert Johnson, though not a near stepson, They swam close, In the deep muddy

River of the Delta Blues. What is news, is Mister Edwards earned Ninety-six Great years, and he and his producers Along with his compatriots Mule, Robert Junior and Top, Garnered a Grammy, Live Shows, And Royalties, we hope! Many a shouter’s voice (in the Bad Old Days) Was silenced By rope.

OUR PAGE

By Kenneth Belkosky

A Place of my Own

Vendor #225 On Jan. 17, 1966, I was born at Washington Hospital Center to Margerie Ann Carr and Michael Belkosky. After about three years, my parents separated after a big fight. My mom said, “Go ahead and leave, and take the kids with you.” So, after moving around for a while, my dad, my brother and I ended up in a small town called Cuyahoga Falls in Ohio. I spent all of my adult years living in the Akron area, including the Falls. When I was 26, my dad died around Thanksgiving. Due to many hospitalizations after suicide attempts and being put on Social Security, I was forced to live in group homes. To me, that made matters worse. A lot of times, especially in Ohio, I was seeing my dad’s ghost on the bus route we rode together to go to the malls. So I left Ohio and went to New York and later Michigan. After Michigan, I ended up back in my birth city, Washington, D.C. Here, I found out that the group homes I had been forced to live in were not in my best interest. In my experience in the District the owners of group homes charge residents over $1,000 a month and make the residents live on spare change. Thanks to my old psychiatrist, I finally accepted that I had a mental illness and was able to stay out of the hospital. I’ve been out for about four years. My psychiatrist told me that I can finally live on my own in supportive housing. Here in D.C., the Department of Mental Health told me that I had to stay in group homes. Basically, they feel that because I am mentally ill, with three mental illnesses, I cannot maintain myself. I know I can and I am proving it. In order to move into my own apartment, I had to voluntarily check out of my last group home, which in D.C. is known as a community residence facility (CRF). I have a good job selling this paper, so when I checked out, I moved to Arlington, Va., where I could be near D.C. and the Street Sense office. For nearly three months I was homeless, but I soon moved to a shelter run by the Volunteers of America. Thanks to Volunteers of America, the Arlington Department of Human Services and the Arlington Street People’s Assistance Network (A-SPAN),after a month and a half I was able to get out of the shelter and into my own place not far away.

Belkosky relaxes on one of the couches ASPAN obtained for him with his 6-year-old tabby Cappy. He lives in Arlington, Va., with Cappy and Monty, his other tabby cat. PHOTO COURTESY OF A-SPAN

Ken displays a medal he earned at the Street Soccer USA Summer 2011 tournament. Street Soccer USA is an organization devoted to getting homeless men, women, and kids off the streets, “scoring goals on the field, and achieving their goals in life” according to streetsoccerusa.org. PHOTO COURTESY OF A-SPAN

The apartment is a huge one-bedroom, which normally would cost around $1,300 a month, but I’m paying $192.60 and A-SPAN is paying the rest of the rent with a grant. They also paid my security deposit and got me furniture, which I like. Since I wanted a roommate, I decided to get a pet from the Animal Welfare League of Arlington. He is a 6-yearold tabby named Cappy. Sometimes he can be a handful, especially when I’m not feeling well, but I enjoy Cappy and he enjoys me. Seven months after I started rooming with Cappy, Monty,a 4-year-old tabby, joined the family. I got him from AWLA as well. I am nearer to my friends in Ashburn, Va., and I can still sell Street Sense, because I am close to two Metro stations. Even though I still like to walk to D.C. when a new issue comes out every two weeks, now I don’t have to do that because the paper comes later instead of 4:30 in the morning. Having my own apartment makes me feel a lot better with my three mental illnesses. Because I have pets that need me, when I feel that my illnesses want to get the best of me, I don’t have to let them. Unfortunately I can’t stay in this apartment because the rent is increasing. ASPAN is looking for a new place for me, Cappy and Monty. We have a couple of good prospects. One of them is on South Four Mile Run Drive, which is near the Arlington Food Bank and A-SPAN’s Opportunity Place. I will still sell Street Sense at my corner so that my customers do not worry and bother the paper about where I am. I would like to thank all our readers from Dupont North for their support.

Service Spotlight: The Welcome Table By Case Keltner Editorial Intern If you walk past the Church of the Epiphany on a Sunday morning, the aroma of a warm, home-cooked meal will fill your nostrils. This is the fragrance of the Welcome Table, a program that for 15 years has welcomed Washington’s homeless people to Sunday breakfast. Beginning at 6:00 a.m., individuals begin to sign up to enjoy bacon and eggs, grits, fruit cocktails, juice and coffee. An outreach counselor is on hand with support, and Bible studies and a creative Gospel art program

are also offered. Perhaps most importantly, the guests at the Welcome Table discover a familiar yet diverse community that embraces new visitors with open arms. A spokeswoman for the Welcome Table summarized the program’s simplicity and approach saying it is “an a la carte program; you take what you want.” With costs of operation surpassing $500 per week, the Welcome Table gratefully accepts any donations to help the program. For more information about The Welcome table, visit http://www. epiphanydc.org/thewelcometable.

STREET SENSE October 26 - November 8, 2011

COMMUNITY SERVICES St. Stephens Parish Church 1525 Newton St, NW (202) 737–9311, www.thrivedc.org

Martha’s Table 2114 14th Street, NW (202) 328–6608, www.marthastable.org

Food and Friends 219 Riggs Road, NE (202) 269–2277, www.foodandfriends.org

Rachel’s Women’s Center 1222 11th Street, NW (202) 682–1005, www.ccdsd.org/howorwc.php

Miriam’s Kitchen 2401 Virginia Avenue, NW (202) 452–8089, www.miriamskitchen.org

Sasha Bruce Youthwork 741 8th Street, SE (202) 675–9340, www.sashabruce.org

The Welcome Table Church of the Epiphany 1317 G Street, NW (202) 347–2635, http://www.epiphanydc. org/ministry/welcometbl.htm

So Others Might Eat (SOME) 71 “O” Street, NW (202) 797–8806; www.some.org

MEDICAL RESOURCES

Academy of Hope GED Center 601 Edgewood Street, NE (202) 269-6623, www.aohdc.org

Christ House 1717 Columbia Road, NW (202) 328–1100, www.christhouse.org Unity Health Care, Inc. 3020 14th Street, NW (202) 745–4300,www.unityhealthcare.org

DEPARTMENT OF MENTAL HEALTH ACCESS HOTLINE 1-888-7WE HELP (1-888-793-4357)

SHELTER Calvary Women’s Services 110 Maryland Avenue, NE (202) 289-0596 (office) (202) 289-2111 (shelter) www.calvaryservices.org Central Union Mission (Men) 1350 R Street, NW (202) 745–7118, www.missiondc.org Open Door Shelter (Women) 425 2nd Street, NW (202) 393–1909 www.newhopeministriesdc.org/id3.html Community of Hope (Family) 1413 Girard Street, NW (202) 232–7356,www.communityofhopedc.org Covenant House Washington (Youth) 2001 Mississippi Avenue, SE (202) 610–9600, www.covenanthousedc.org John Young Center (Women) 119 D Street, NW (202) 639–8469, www.catholiccharitiesdc.org

My Sister’s Place PO Box 29596, Washington, DC 20017 (202) 529-5261 (office) (202) 529-5991 (24-hour hotline)

Whitman–Walker Clinic 1407 S Street, NW (202) 797–3500, www.wwc.org

OUTREACH CENTERS N Street Village (Women) 1333 N Street, NW (202) 939–2060, www.nstreetvillage.org Samaritan Inns 2523 14th St., NW (202) 667 - 8831 http://www.samaritaninns.org/home/ New York Ave Shelter (Men 18+) 1355–57 New York Avenue, NE (202) 832–2359

FOOD

Bread for the City 1525 Seventh Street, NW (202) 265–2400 1640 Good Hope Road, SE (202) 561–8587, www.breadforthecity.org Community Council for the Homeless at Friendship Place 4713 Wisconsin Avenue NW (202) 364–1419, www.cchfp.org Bethany Women’s Center 1333 N Street, NW (202) 939–2060, www.nstreetvillage.org

Charlie’s Place 1830 Connecticut Avenue, NW (202) 232–3066 www.stmargaretsdc.org/charliesplac

Father McKenna Center 19 Eye Street, NW (202) 842–1112

Church of the Pilgrims (Sundays only) 2201 P Street, NW (202) 387–6612, www.churchofthepilgrims.org

Friendship House 619 D Street, SE (202) 675–9050, www.friendshiphouse.net

Thrive DC Breakfast served Mon.-Fri., 9:30-11 a.m. Dinner for women and children, Mon.-Fri., 3-6 p.m.

Georgetown Ministry Center 1041 Wisconsin Avenue, NW (202) 338–8301 www.georgetownministrycenter.org

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Catholic Community Services 924 G Street, NW (202) 772–4300, www.ccs–dc.org D.C. Coalition for the Homeless 1234 Massachusetts Ave., NW (202) 347–8870, www.dccfh.org Community Family Life Services 305 E Street, NW (202) 347–0511, www.cflsdc.org Foundry Methodist Church 1500 16th Street, NW (202) 332–4010, www.foundryumc.org Gospel Rescue Ministries (Men) 810 5th Street, NW (202) 842–1731, www.grm.org Hermano Pedro Day Center 3211 Sacred Heart Way, NW (202) 332–2874 www.ccs–dc.org/find/services/ JHP, Inc. 425 2nd Street, NW (202) 544–9126, www.jobshavepriority.org Samaritan Ministry 1345 U Street, SE 1516 Hamilton Street, NW (202) 889–7702, www.samaritanministry.org

SHELTER HOTLINE: 1–800–535–7252

VENDOR PROFILE: FROSTY BIBBEE

THE LAST WORD: FACING REJECTION

Working near the McPherson Square Metro station, Frosty Bibbee delivers his message, “Street Sense, helps homeless veterans help themselves.” Bibbee, a Vietnam-era veteran, is homeless. After he finished training as a medic in the Army, the Vietnam War was over. Bibbee went home to Shelton, Wash. to apply for a job in a hospital, but was unsuccessful. Hospital staff found Bibbee overqualified for a position as an orderly and unqualified to be a doctor. So Bibbee joined the carnival. Ride Hopper Shows hired Bibbee as a jack-of-all-trades worker. He cooked, operated lines, but didn’t run his own show. “The military taught me how to kill people and got out of the military and joined the carnival and they taught me how to hide the bodies. It was a well rounded education.” After working for the carnival for 36 years, Bibbee grew tired of the work and asked for his brother’s assistance to go home. However, his brother could not provide and Bibbee was stuck in Wheaton, Md. with only $50. In early July, Bibbee arrived in Washington, D.C. He lived in a shelter for three weeks but found it inhospitable. “There’s too many strange people,” Bibbee said. Bibbee spent his days in the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library reading the “Wheel of Time” series by Robert

There are many things a Street Sense vendor must go through when selling papers. There are going to be good days and bad days. Some days, a vendor could sell fifty or maybe even a hundred papers. Other times, you might sell five or ten. One of the most hurtful things a vendor will go through, and must overcome, is being rejected. The word rejected seems kind of scary. It was to me. When I was a young vendor selling Street Sense at Tenleytown:

Jordan. “I prefer fantasy because that’s reality to me,” Bibbee said. When Bibbee met Susan Wilshusen, a Street Sense vendor, at a Church of the Epiphany homeless dinner, he found an opportunity to support himself. “I wish I would have found out about this months ago,” Bibbee said. Working from Monday to Friday, Bibbee experiences the cool weather and the cold-hearted. However, working in the carnival prepared him. “Working in the carnival you pick people. You know who’s going to buy and who’s not,” Bibbee said, “I get a kick out of these people I talk to that put their hands in their pockets because they are afraid I am going to put my hand in their pocket.” Bibbee plans to leave the District in February to go back to the carnival. He wants his customers to know that he is an “easy person to get along with and doesn’t put people down.” Favorite Food: Prime Rib Favorite Book: The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown Favorite Hobby: Playing pool and watching Seattle sports teams

October 26 - November 8 2011 • Volume 8 • Issue 25

Street Sense 1317 G Street, NW

Nonprofit Org US Postage Paid Washington, DC

Washington, DC 20005

Mail To:

Permit #568

Remember, only buy from badged vendors and do not give to those panhandling with one paper. Interested in a subscription? Go to page 3 for more information.

“…excuse me, but would you like to buy a Street Sense paper?” “Get a real job!” “Are you selling papers to buy alcohol or cigarettes?” Some people would say yes, and some no, but things like that could make you feel…rejected. I call it the Art of Rejection. Being homeless, cold in the winter and boiling hot in the summer, selling papers: it’s no easy job. So here are a few tips for vendors to deal with rejection:

1. Try very hard to feel good about yourself before you start to sell papers. A cup of coffee, maybe a Danish could help. Being uncomfortable is an easy was of setting yourself up for being rejected. 2. Always make sure you’re clean and polite. You don’t need to dress like you’re going to the office, but whatever you do wear, make sure it is clean. No matter what people say or do, always say “thank you” and “have a nice day.” Those simple words could help you avoid being rejected, especially in contrast with someone saying cruel and nasty things. 3. If you’re not feeling it-don’t sell: If you’re hungry - don’t sell. If you’re tired - don’t sell. If you’re sick - don’t sell. This way, you won’t be setting yourself up for being rejected.