StreetSense_forWeb_11.23.11 by Street Sense Media

Volume 9: Issue 1 November 23 - December 6, 2011

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Could y a food ou live on $31.50 budget of /week ? pg 5

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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, and dozens of volunteers. Nearly 30,000 copies are in circulation each month.

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Local women’s drummer group Batala lent some energy to the start of the last Fannie Mae Homeless Walkathon.

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STREET SENSE November 23 - December 6, 2011

NEWS IN BRIEF Nurses Join Protest Across the world it seems that almost every civilized nation is able to take care of those who cannot take care of themselves. But the United States will not, according to Minnesota nurse Linda Hamilton. Hamilton, along with the rest of the National Nurses United, joined Occupy DC to protest the unfair treatment of the 99 percent. “What we really wanted to say is that as nurses, we are seeing devastation of families and devastation of our society based on the fact that people don’t have jobs,” Hamilton said. “They don’t have money. Their houses are being foreclosed on—they surely don’t have health care.” Part of their protest called for a tax that would, as Hamilton put it, “secure our country economically and certainly socially through the loss of human dignity.” On Nov. 3, the group met at Lafayette Square, where they heard from many different speakers on the need for financial transaction tax to pay for services that everyone needs. They then marched through Occupy DC at McPherson Square, and finally left from Franklin Park on buses to talk to legisla-

tors about passing the tax, according to nurse Nellie Munn. “We all agree on the outcome. We want fairness.” Hamilton said. “We want every human to be valued. Some aren’t worth more than others. We are all important to society and we all need to get the benefits of society.” While protesting for health care for all, the nurses have also been working to provide health care for all. Most of the Occupy locations have a first aid tent that provides necessary services.

and even joined by some members of the public. “What we are advocating for is getting the revenue to pay for health care for everybody, good housing, good paying jobs for everybody, education, and clean environment,” Munn said. “What we keep hearing when we talk to people is everybody has a story. We feel that if we tackle that from the root, we can eliminate some of those problems of homelessness and hunger.” -By Anna Katharine Thomas, Editorial Intern

Rhode Island Food Access Project

“We have tents for first aid, and sometimes these people that are coming to our first aid tent haven’t been to a doctor in years,” Hamilton said. “We have nurse practitioners and nurses manning--well, ‘womaning’-- those tents, doing a lot of teaching and a lot of health care that is just human care.” As the group moved through the city during the day, it was well-received

Through the Rhode Island Food Access Project, more than 30,000 food stamp recipients in Rhode Island can now use their benefits at participating Subway restaurants. The goal of the program is to provide healthy food options for the homeless, the elderly and the disabled. Participants either cannot cook or do not have access to a kitchen or a way to store food. The program allows them to purchase prepared meals. Though some people question the use of food stamps at fast food establishments, advocates of the program recognize that any meal is better than no meal, and point out that Subway offers low fat, reduced so-

dium meals that can include fresh vegetables, yogurt and milk. Rhode Island is the sixth state to start such a program, following California, Arizona, Michigan, Florida and Kentucky. -Taken from Spare Change News of Boston

Three Ohio Cities Rank in Top Ten for Increased Poverty Rates According to a report released by the Brookings Institution on Nov. 10, three Ohio cities rank in the top 10 metro areas with the “greatest increases in concentrated poverty” in the last decade. Toledo tops the list, with a 15 percent increase in the poverty rate; Youngstown ranks third, with a 14 percent increase; and Dayton ranks ninth, with a 10 percent increase. The report found that povertystricken areas in the top 10 cities trailed behind the general population in terms of educational attainment, and had higher dropout rates and more single mothers. Population decreases have hurt the labor market in a number of Ohio cities in recent years, pushing up poverty rates across a more demographically diverse set of neighborhoods. -Taken from Reuters

By Mary Otto Editor-in-Chief On the cold morning of Oct 30, a homeless man was found dead, slumped in his wheelchair in the doorway of the old Hecht’s warehouse, the city report said. A blanket lay at his feet. Staff from the nearby men’s shelter at 1355 New York Avenue NE called 911. They told the emergency personnel and police who came to the scene the man’s name was Luther Hill. Some in the neighborhood called him Mr. Luke. One neighbor regularly offered him food and clothing. Others called him Sarge. He was a Vietnam veteran. Police who came to the scene found no evidence of foul play. “There was no crime,” said a police spokesman. Some wonder if the cold might have killed Hill. Others wonder if he might have been saved. A hypothermia alert had been declared in the city on the night of Oct 29. An official from the city office of the chief medical examiner said the cause of Hill’s death has not yet been determined. “That case is still pending,” she said.“The cause or manner of death is still under investigation.” From the time his body was first found, Hill’s death prompted rumors and raised questions. Since the city’s official hypothermia season did not officially begin until Nov. 1, the city’s

system of winter shelters had not yet opened. Demand was high for beds that night and the two men’s emergency shelters that remain open year-round, one of them the shelter at New York Avenue, both exceeded capacity, according to Robert Swart, who monitors shelter use for the Coalition of Housing and Homeless Organizations or COHHO, a group that advocates for improved homeless services in the city. Eric Sheptock, a homeless blogger said he heard that Hill was turned away from the shelter because he was drinking. “A homeless man in a wheelchair tried to enter the shelter with a beer,” Sheptock wrote in his blog soon after Hill’s death, relating the version of the story he said he was told by a fellow homeless advocate. “He was told by the staff he could not come in with the beer. So he stayed outside. Another homeless man who is also an advocate came out to try to talk the man in the wheelchair into coming in. After that, everyone went in. When we came out the next morning he was frozen.” But another homeless advocate, Skip Watkins, co-convener of COHHO had another version of the story of Luther Hill’s death, which he described at the organization’s November meeting. Though Hill was well-known and wellloved at the New York Avenue shelter, Watkins said, Hill had not stayed there

for days and had chosen to stay outside that night. “He did not want to come in,” said Watkins. “He just chose to do what he wanted to do.” A newly-released report on Hill’s death by the city Department of Human Services concluded that Hill had not been turned away from the New York Avenue shelter on the night he died. And the report found that the city’s Homeless Services Reform Act of 2005, which grants homeless people the right to shelter in severe weather had not been broken. “This ID (investigations division) investigation has determined that the allegation that the death of a homeless man who used a wheelchair, found deceased in the parking lot outside of the District of Columbia New York Avenue Homeless Shelter was the result of being denied shelter at the New York Avenue shelter location on Oct 30, 2011 during a period of below freezing temperatures is unsubstantiated because ID found no evidence to support the allegation,” the report concluded. Investigators determined, through reviews of shelter records and interviews with shelter staff that Hill had last stayed at the shelter on the night of Oct. 5 and that he had not come to ask for services on the night of Oct. 29. They also spoke with Sheptock and

his source for the story. The investigators reported that the source told them he had not witnessed the incident himself but had heard about it from two other shelter residents who he could not identify by name. And they spoke with a neighborhood resident who told them she saw Hill on the night of Oct 29 outside her Capitol Avenue home. Hill, according to their report “was soaking wet and wrapped in a blanket.” Homeless advocates are still asking if there was something someone could have done to save Luther Hill, and if there are lessons to be learned from his death. “Every year we have folks who die on the street in the winter,” said Marta Beresin, a staff attorney at the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless. City officials need to ask deeper questions about such deaths. In the case of Luther Hill, she said she would like the city to go beyond the question of whether or not a shelter “illegally kicked him out” and to ask “why was this person on the street?” “We have permanent supportive housing for people like Mr. Hill,” said Beresin. “We have veteran’s housing for people like Mr Hill. Why was Mr. Hill on the street? How could we have better served this person?”

Additional Permanent Supportive Housing Will Help Homeless Women A newly renovated apartment building near Logan Circle will soon provide a haven for some of the city’s most vulnerable homeless women. The once-dilapidated building, located at 1107 11th Street NW, has been transformed into a permanent supportive housing complex with 31 efficiency and one-bedroom apartments, many of them handicapped accessible, as well as two offices for staff. “I’m thrilled today to open this wonderful apartment complex that will pro-

vide a permanent home for some very deserving women,” said District Mayor Vincent C. Gray at a Nov 15 ribbon-cutting ceremony. “Projects like this one are a huge win for our city.” The District’s plan to end homelessness includes the goal of placing fragile and chronically homeless individuals into permanent housing that provides supportive services to address the disabilities and other underlying conditions that have contributed to their homelessness. Since 2008, more than

1,100 formerly homeless individuals and families have been housed through the Mayor’s Permanent Supportive Housing Program. Local developer Bruce Finland purchased the vacant building for $1.95 million last year and entered into a master lease agreement with the District that called for its renovation and development at no cost to local taxpayers. Now the district will rent the building back for use as permanent supportive housing, officials said.

The women who will be living at the apartment building are now living on the streets and in shelters said Dallas Williams of the city Department of Human Services. They will be moving in as soon as the building passes final inspections, possibly by the end of the year, he said. “We are trying to get folks in as soon as we can.” -Mary Otto, Editor-in-Chief

STREET SENSE November 23 - December 6 , 2011

FOOD STAMPS

$31.50: the family food budget that

By Hannah Morgan Editorial Intern

16 million children & 32 million adults relied on in 2010

By Hannah Morgan Editorial Intern

Delegate Eleanor Holmes and Rabbi Steve Gutow race through the Capitol Hill Safeway looking to fill their cart on a slim $31.50 budget for the week. PHOTO BY HANNAH MORGAN

A 17-ounce box of Frosted Flakes cereal costs around $3 in many local stores. Add a gallon of milk, another $4, and four bananas, $1.56, and the total comes to around $9, not including tax. That’s almost a third of what many American families can afford to spend on food in a week, and that barely covers breakfast. In response to the National Food Stamp Challenge, at least eight members of Congress, joined by community and religious leaders, decided to live on $31.50 for one week, the average weekly allotment received by millions of Americans living on food stamps. They met outside the Capitol Hill Safeway store on a recent rainy morning. Huddled among umbrellas and empty shopping carts, they spoke to a crowd of food stamp participants and members of the media about the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the official name for the food stamp program since 2008. The event was sponsored by a coalition of four major faith-based organizations: Catholic Charities USA, the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA and the Islamic Society of North America. The groups all united under the banner to “Fight Poverty with Faith”. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Nor-

ton said,“we need to fight poverty with faith because we are not doing so well fighting poverty with policy.” Then she, along with other participants, teamed up for a low-budget race through the store, scanning for items on sale and comparing the prices of breakfast cereals and oatmeal packets. Rabbi Steve Gutow, president of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, had to forgo organic peanut butter. Dr. Sayyid Syeed, executive director of the Islamic Society of North America, could only afford to purchase one onion for the week. The teams picked through the produce department and grabbed gallons of milk while the clock dwindled down to zero. The Rev. Peg Chemberlin, the president of the National Council of Churches in Christ USA, said she lived on food stamps while completing her seminary work in rural Minnesota. She said the experience drove home to her the importance of maintaining federal spending for such programs. “ We have to ask ourselves what kind of nation we want to be, a nation of compassion or a nation of greed,” she added. The Food Stamp Challenge is designed to give ordinary citizens and leaders the chance to understand what an estimated 49 million Americans lived like in 2010, on a daily food budget of $4.50.

Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Calif.) reminded a crowd of onlookers that, while they might be able to suffer through the challenge for a week, there are millions of Americans that won’t be able to stop using SNAP. Sixteen million children and thirtytwo million adults, eight percent of whom are senior citizens, relied on SNAP in 2010, according to Kathleen A. Merrigan, a deputy secretary at the United States Department of Agriculture, which administers the program. She said she was especially concerned about the increasing number of working-class families using SNAP. With the winter months approaching, food prices rising and too many homeless families for the District’s shelters to hold, food assistance and other such programs will be crucial for many families to survive through the winter, speakers stressed. Once all of the teams reached the cash registers and checked out, they met outside the supermarket for an interfaith prayer and offered each other encouragement to get through the week. As members of Congress rushed off to vote, faith leaders went home to make lunch - peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and canned soup.

With the cold weather rapidly approaching and farms slowing their production of fresh fruits and vegetables, programs that provide for the poor are anxiously stockpiling food to freeze. Recently, DC Central Kitchen, located within walking distance of Union Station, was filled with volunteers who were busy chopping onions, dressing salads and loading up vans to transport their meals to local schools and shelters. According to Karli Hurlebaus, the kitchen’s nutrition outreach coordinator, the work of helping the city’s hungriest residents make it through the winter is just the beginning. The goal of her organization, along with Miriam’s Kitchen and many others, is to offer hot and healthy meals to people who really need them. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), also known as the food stamp program, helps provide an average of $134 per month in food assistance to qualifying individuals. “Homeless families and individuals without a physical address, or place to store food, often face challenges maximizing their food stamps”, Hurlebaus said. Thus, DC Central Kitchen has begun freezing produce for the months ahead. This is made possible with help from local farms and through restaurants’ donations of excess produce. Still, with another long winter ahead, Hurlebaus worries about making supplies stretch. Ultimately, she sees supplying food as just part of a larger goal: empowering people to live better, healthier lives. She says, “I want people to have more control to make the right decisions for themselves”.

DC Central Kitchen will be partnering with DCJCC to provide Thanksgiving dinners to 4000 individuals in the community. Organizers will welcome 30 volunteers to the Kitchen on Thanksgiving morning.

STREET SENSE November 23 - December 6 , 2011

VOLUNTEERISM

Nonprofit SHAREs Affordable Thanksgiving Meals

Volunteers Make Thanksgiving Possible for All

By Sarah Hogue Photojournalism Intern

By Randy Meza Editorial Intern

“If you eat, you qualify.” That’s the motto of the Self Help And Resource Exchange Food Network (SHARE), as stated by Director Scott Lewis. Unlike many other charities, SHARE does not cater solely to lowerincome residents of the Greater D.C. area. SHARE is a nonprofit organization that works year-round to provide affordable and healthy meals to anyone who wishes to buy them. The holiday season is especially busy at SHARE. This month alone, the organization, which depends upon an army of volunteers ranging from school and scout groups, to retirees and union members, is distributing over 11,000 turkeys and about 8,000 packages of food across Washington, D.C., Virginia and Maryland. The packages, which range in price from $20 to $38, contain everything needed to prepare a traditional holiday meal. SHARE was formed in 1983 in San Diego, Calif. by the local Catholic diocese and the efforts of Deacon Carl Shelton, who believed it was possible to implement a self-help approach to meeting the food needs in interested communities. The local branch, SHARE-DC,

which serves the District, Maryland and Virginia, was launched in April, 1990 by Associated Catholic Charities and the Knights of Malta. Some of the food, shipped to as far away as Newport News, Va., Fredericksburg, Va., Hagerstown, Md., and Baltimore, M.D. starts at a warehouse in Hyattsville, Md. There, volunteers from local churches, schools and organizations like the U.S. Public Health Service put together these meals from the food that SHARE provides them. The food is all pre-bought wholesale, put together into a meal by volunteers and then sold at prices that is hoped can fit into the budget of anyone who wants to feed a family. With the exception of foods such as potatoes and stuffing mix, almost all the food is collected in a huge 1,000 square foot freezer in the warehouse until it is time to be donated. Foods such as turkeys, hams, chickens, fish and even chocolate cake sits in the freezer until the volunteers empty it out into cars and trucks that pick up and deliver the packages.

Washington, D.C.

Northern Virginia

All over the Washington metropolitan area, residents are opening their homes to friends and relatives for Thanksgiving meals. Meanwhile local charities, assisted by volunteers from church and civic organizations, are gearing up to make sure needy strangers will also have a delicious plate of turkey, served up with a generous helping of human kindness. Over the years So Others Might Eat (SOME) on Capitol Hill has become a mecca of such Thanksgiving volunteerism. This year, the organization’s director of volunteer and food services, Don Dixon is mustering a crew of more than two dozen volunteers to serve full Thanksgiving dinners to between 400 and 500 homeless guests. Asked why he enjoys watching the volunteers make the whole event unfold each year: “There’s a wide cross section of people rich and poor, college students and the elderly, and all kinds of races working together.” In addition to the meals served in the dining room, SOME volunteers will help prepare and deliver 300 dinner baskets to the doors of the poor. A decade ago, SOME found itself with more volunteers than it could accommodate in its old kitchen. The organization then began

Northern Virginia

sponsoring an event called the Thanksgiving Day Trot for Hunger. Now in its tenth year, the 5K trot raises funds for SOME’s wide range of services, which go beyond feeding the hungry. They also provide housing, senior services, counseling, and medical and dental care to the poor. According to 5K Trot coordinator Ellen Hatherill, an estimated 6,000 walkers and runners will take part in the Thanksgiving Day event and 150 volunteers will help oversee it. The event has been moved to Freedom Plaza this year to support the growing number of participants. Even with so much going on Hatherill said the meals served in SOME’s dining room, which has been open year round and has operated for over 40 years, remain at the heart of the holiday and the organization’s mission. “People come off the streets in a fragile state and they are wanting food,” Hatherill said. “The dining room staff tries to make the people feel comfortable.” In regards to the volunteers Hatherill said, “They have it down in the dining room.”

Maryland

Thanksgiving Day Trot for Hunger

Alexandria Turkey Trot

Arlington Turkey Trot – 5K Fun Run/Walk

Turkey Chase Bethesda— Chevy Chase

When: November 24, 8 a.m. Where: Beginning at Freedom Plaza (between 13th Street, NW and 12th Street, NW, Washington, D.C.) What: Sponsored by SOME (So Others Might Eat), a 5K fun run and family walk benefits programs for the homeless, and helps SOME to serve more than 800 meals to the hungry every day of the year.

When: November 24, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Where: George Washington Middle School—1005 Mt. Vernon Avenue, Alexandria, Virginia. What: DC Road Runners Club, a local group affiliated with USA Track & Field, sponsors an annual race on Thanksgiving Day. Food donations support ALIVE!— a nonprofit organization serving Alexandria’s needy and hungry every day of the year.

When: November 24, 8 a.m. Where: Christ Church of Arlington—3020 North Pershing Drive Arlington, Virginia What: The run goes through Lyon Park and Ashton Heights and raises money for three local Arlington charities: Arlington-Alexandria Coalition for the Homeless, Doorways for Women and Families, and Arlington Food Assistance Center.

When: November 24, 8:30 a.m. Where: 9401 Old Georgetown Road, Bethesda, Maryland What: Race and two-mile Fun Run. For the past 25 years, thousands of runners have gathered in Bethesda to run in the Turkey Chase in support of the YMCA’s Youth and Family Services, YMCA Bethesda-Chevy Chase and the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Rotary Club Foundation. Contact: 301-440-1854.

STREET SENSE November 23 - December 6, 2011

Walkathon

By Hannah Morgan Editorial Intern A large Teddy Roosevelt walked across the National Mall Saturday morning in a shirt promoting helping the homeless. He was joined by Abraham Lincoln, George Washington and hundreds of other Washingtonians. Saturday, November 19, 2011 was the last annual Walk for the Homeless sponsored by Fannie Mae. After 24 years of raising funds for homelessness in the district and around the nation, the mortgage giant, placed in conservatorship in 2008 as the result of the subprime mortgage crisis, announced it would stop sponsoring the large annual walk. From now on, Fannie Mae has announced it will focus on fundraising through smaller, community-based walks around the country. These mini-walks have emerged as an important source of funding, annually drawing tens of thousands of participants and raising millions. Still, local homeless organizations, struggling to help rising numbers of needy people, say they will be sorry to lose the Walk for the Homeless on the National Mall. Spirits were high, though, as marchers arrived from throughout the region for the last big Fannie Mae event. Gathered by the Smithsonian Metro stop on the mall, sipping coffee and making walking plans, a group of St. Matthews Cathedral spoke of the importance of being there. “As young adults with our Catholic faith, we are called to care for those people who don’t have homes in our community,” said Sarah Yaklic, one of the young adult organizers. “We are called to use our faith to change the world.” A few yards away, gathered at meeting place under signs bearing the letters D through F, a man held a sign that advertised Friendship Place, a homeless outreach center in Northwest Washington. Between small community walks and the big walk on Saturday, Friendship Place claimed over 3,000 volunteers walked for them this fall, said Executive Director Jean-Michel Giraud. The money raised truly helps the homeless, added Friendship Place spokeswoman Emily Fagerholm.

“The fundraising helps us expand our programs, create more jobs, place more people into housing and get veterans off the street. [The walk] brings our whole community together in a great way,” she said. Approximately 50 people from outside of the District registered to do virtual walks in home communities as far away as Hawaii, said Geoffrey Millard, who directs the Homeless Veterans Initiative at Friendship Place. Contingents of students, families, volunteers from organizations such as Thrive DC and N Street Village, walked together, singing, chatting, chanting and tweeting along the way. Currently

homeless and formerly homeless people lent their support and their stories along the way. Alan Bankas, who used to be homeless in D.C., joined in the walk for the first time. His goal was to finish the walk, he said, but also promote Friendhousing within two weeks almost two years ago. “I’m happy, blessed to be here,” he said, “I’m a speaker for the homeless. People don’t understand that just because you have a lot of money, you can become homeless for any number of reasons,” he said. The walk looped around the Tidal Basin and up the mall, and walkers were cheered on by local D.C. school cheerleading squads and Street Sense vendors. David Denny was one of them. “Everybody’s here and everybody’s down for the cause, to eradicate homelessness in our communities,” said Denny. “Everybody’s just lively, and I think they are serious about what they are doing.”

By Anna Katharine Thomas Editorial Intern

PHOTO BY ANNA KATHARINE THOMAS

In preparation for Fanny Mae’s Help the Homeless Walk-a-thon, organizations of all kinds hosted mini-walks around the city. Community of Hope held one such mini-walk at the AppleTree Institute, a public charter school for three and four year olds, on the Columbia Heights campus. “It’s really the whole city that tries to get involved with the mini-walk program so that it kind of builds up and when the Walk-a-thon on the National Mall happens it’s like, ‘Wow we have raised all this money, we have raised all this awareness’,” said Alyson Stawicki, development and finance assistant at Community of Hope. In the past, these community

based mini-walks have helped build up excitement leading up to the Walk-a-thon on the NaWalk-a-thon, these small walks will become even more important as sources of funding for local homeless programs. The mini-walk began with Stawicki reading to the students “Saily’s Journey,” a book about a snail who loses his shell, becomes homeless and searches for a new home. After that, they walked up and down the block chanting, “Help the Homeless.” “Such an energetic and really cooperative group of children,” said Leah Garrett, director of communications at Community of Hope. “I think [they] really

understood what it was. They really understood what it meant to have a home and to not have a home.” Though the students did not always say the right words—for example, shouts of “Help the Thomas” and other variations of the mini-walk catchphrase could be heard—all of the students were eager to participate and spread the word. “There was a really cute little girl that approached me and said, ‘Thank you so much for I think Leah is right that the kids really do have a sense of what homelessness is and, at least on a small level, how it impacts daily life,” said Stawicki.

STREET SENSE November 23 - December 6, 2011

Walkathon

By Anna Katharine Thomas Editorial Intern

PHOTO BY ANNA KATHARINE THOMAS

Cover Story

Courtesy of Krazydad.com

SOLUTION:

SUDOKU

SHAW ON SPORTS: DROSSELMEYER DRAMA A POEM OF HOPE By Chris Shaw Vendor, Cowboy Poet The mane flew. Wouldn’t you, if they always Tagged you for second best? Right from the start, A certain rail bird Declared, He has lots and lots of Heart, does that steed With the ridiculous handle of Drosselmeyer! He can do it again this time, my friends For the Cup, this scribe Exclaimed. Don’t make light of his rides, Surely nothing In racing, is A “sure thing!” What of the Marian Bender ‘bridge jumpers,’ Why that’s old Pimlico history,

Who can recall anymore. Yet in the year of two-ought and ten, Drosselmeyer splashed his way thru darkling mud With a resounding THUD, To take the Belmont, and he’d Do it again at Churchill. Maybe the the whitish silks the rider Smith wore on his back Gave the champ some hidden track To the frenzied finish, Anyway his victory run And my screed, Are done. A final warning to the wise guy, “They laughed when I sat down at the piano, But WHEN I BEGAN TO PLAY…” Be careful when you chuckle at a foolish name, Such as DROSSELMEYER!!

STREET SENSE November 23 - December 6, 2011

EDITORIALS

By Jeffery McNeil Vendor President Obama’s poll numbers are in the mid 40s. Discontent with government is high, and we have nine percent unemployment. Under any other circumstances, there would be no reason to re-elect the incumbent. However, the 2012 presidential race is unprecedented. Despite Citizens United, the rise of the Tea Party and overall apathy toward the president, Obama has found an ace in the hole. The Republican primary has turned into America’s newest sit-com. It’s like two hours of live stand-up comedy every week, featuring people pretending to run for president. While this may be the greatest television programming since “American Idol,” one of these clowns can be sleeping in the Lincoln bedroom. That person will also be in charge of our nukes, which is no laughing matter. Republican operatives like the Koch Brothers and their well-financed PACs have tried very hard to oust Obama, only to turn their party into an alternative to Comedy Central. The lineup of challengers to face Obama in the general election has turned the president into a formidable candidate. This is sort of reminiscent of Muhammad Ali and his Bum-of-the-Month Club, where he squared off with such superstars as the Quarry brothers, Chuck “the Bayonne Bleeder” Wepner, Randall “Tex” Cobb and George Chuvalo. This strategy worked for Ali until he ran into a lucky haymaker from Ken Norton. While Ali’s career was extended by fighting tomato cans and stiffs, the president may win a second term fighting against the lineup of, shall we say, unimpressive Republicans. Say hello to

Bum-of-the-Month Club II: Herman (Big Daddy) Cain, Rick (Bush Lite) Perry, Newt (Breakfast at Tiffany’s) Gingrich and Mitt (Flipper) Romney. Obama’s strategy to win is simple: lay on the ropes while the Republican candidates make dopes of themselves, each taking wide swings at the president only to leave bruised, bloodied and battered. If the debates got any sloppier, the highlights would be shown on ESPN. Despite all the hype for the ObamaRomney showdown, the undercard is far more entertaining. Whether it’s Rick Perry and Social Security, Herman Cain and foreign policy or Jack Abramoff alleging that Newt Gingrich is corrupt, America can’t change the channel. We can’t wait to see who is going to bite off someone’s ear next. These debates might soon end up on Pay-Per-View. This verbal jousting has been exciting, with numerous knockdowns and low-blows being delivered. Remember, though, that this is only the preliminary. We have to stay tuned for the main event. We don’t really know which Bumof-the-Month member will be tapped to enter the big ring. Romney could yet emerge victorious. However, even after saying no, no, a thousand times no, Sarah Palin just might come out of hiding and jump in at the last minute. For all we know, Michele Bachmann could be training for a return to the big time. Or maybe, just maybe, Dan Quayle will rejoin the fray and compete with Donald Trump to see who becomes the Great Right Hope. Get your popcorn ready and don’t walk away from the TV. You might miss something you won’t forget.

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Vendor Writing

By Ibn Hipps Vendor Vanish died in sin life forgiveness struggles and bad remembrance would God honor your Repentance Deafth to da unforgiven Hard Knock Livin Gins Living umong the Living seein is da New Blind so it’s da Blind leadin da Blind no love for us just Hard Mugs an conslant Bullet slugs da earth cryis 6 feet da sky’s weep lost belief Satan jealously seeds concede out of wedlock da Satic’s dreadlack’s five shot call’um tupac overweight Biggie face women killin women lululemon food dat’s forbitten earplug so da truth you can’t hear it Been running in da Race 4 years but can’t win it Kill all dats unfinish can’t “c” Blurry vision missguided to da Road were da soulz been ripped off da flesh & bones you hear da cries

The seats are all worn and the interior is sloppy. Man, the miles that have been put on this old jalopy! There is frost on the windshield and the heater is broken. The radio is silent and no words are spoken. All four tires are flat and she sits on a dead-end street, As a cop car comes by patrolling the beat. Blankets are piled high. You can’t see out the rear, As I slowly crawl out into the morning air. She’s a good car, but no more will she roam ’Cause, you see, this jalopy is my home.

While selling Street Sense papers in Freedom Plaza recently, I came across a it’s too late the truth been magnified couple from San Diego, Calif. They were flooded away unsatisfied here to live in Freedom Plaza for two what was in da Beginning shall be in da End months, they told me, to live and sleep outside and see experience homelessReturn of da dark side what it is aint what it seems ness. The gentleman asked me, “Phillip, street dream’s turn men into Jail Birds & crack feens are you homeless?” “Yes,” I said. He said, “Can you deLost Angel’s clip wing’s hustle hard dat what was told 2 me scribe your day, or days, living on the Bloody concert walkin dead. man made zombie’s mis-educated teen squeeze streets? I just want to get a little insight out of pain & misery into what you go through.” At first, I did not want to explain my No longer Adam & Eve day-to-day living on the streets. But he it’s now Eve on Eve said he and his wife were very serious Adam & Steve about their cause. So I explained to da Earth flag’s a plead them that my day starts at 5:00 a.m. da Hood no longer a safe place for the kids 2 Breathe at the Starbucks at 11th and E St. NW. Being homeless, you have to be smart, street war & dope feens da lil light of mine dem it shine and coffee is very important to people from da poison dat Lies with inside the heart soul & mind early in the morning. I stay at Starbucks until 9:30 a.m. take heeve to those weeping eye dark clouds From 9:40 a.m. until 4:00 p.m., I sell no Blue Skies strayed far away papers by the CVS store on 13th St. and where da condemned play Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Even though I am homeless, I take my job very seriously, my sight. and selling Street Sense is my job. From my vision. 4:30 p.m. until 11:00 p.m., I am in EastThat’s the reason I pray. ern Market selling papers at the CVS on 12th and E St. SE.

From 11:30 p.m. until 1:00 a.m. on weekdays, I ride the 36 bus from Friendship Heights to Naylor Road. On weekends, I ride the red line on the Metro from Shady Grove to Glenmont. That is how I get my sleep. It is safer on the train or bus, and the drivers know me. As I am telling the man and his wife my story, they are looking at me like, “You gotta be kidding…” Keeping yourself safe and clean, and trying to squeeze in a good meal is very, very important when you are homeless. Also, staying healthy is a must. Even though this couple wanted to experience homelessness, you have to be homeless to really experience what it is like. I asked them where they lived in San Diego. They said they lived in a house with five bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths, and a pool in the backyard. Oh … and they have a BMW and a Mercedes. I asked them if they wanted to trade lives with me. I would take their life and they would take mine. The man gave me $50 and said, “Thank you, Phillip, for sharing your story. Have a great day, and God be with you.”

STREET SENSE November 23 - December 6, 2011

FICTION

s k r a ta Sh

the Detective:

part 2

By Ivory Wilson Vendor Summary of Part 1: Down at the docks, Nina examines three dead bodies surrounded by empty bullet casings. She finds business cards in the victims’ wallets identifying them as owners of Sharks Nightclub, an Irish gangster hangout. Their names are Ben Austin, Gillton Lucker and Charles Johnson. Nina visits Austin’s widow and learns that they had been dealing with an Irish gangster, but the widow doesn’t remember his name. Nina goes to Sharks and meets Mitchell, the bartender. Mr. Fitzpatrick, the new owner, shows her the paperwork from the sale and tells her he was at the bar at the time the men were murdered.

he next morning, Nina starts her day in Captain Newton’s office. “I met the new owner of Sharks Nightclub,” Nina tells him. “He’s an Irish gangster named Fitz.” Captain Newton nods and tells Nina that Mr. Fitzpatrick came from Ireland and has been muscling his way in on small businesses and nightclubs along the waterfront, keeping far from the Italian side of the city. Captain Newton then asks Nina if she’s ready for a new partner. Thinking about Giambi, Nina tells him, “No, sir. I’d like to do this one alone.” “Ah, Nina, the lone wolf,” Newton responds. “There’s no room for lone wolves in this department. I’ve seen too many people like you. All that hate you’re holding inside is going to kill you, Nina. But maybe you really aren’t ready for a new partner yet. So, I’m going to let you see this case through. But after this, no more.” Nina smiles and says, “Thank you, captain.” “Just get out of my office and solve these murders before I change my mind.” Nina leaves the headquarters and re-

turns to the crime scene for clues. She slowly walks through the scene she last saw with the dead bodies. If two bodies were riddled with bullet holes, she wonders, why aren’t there more bullets that missed or that passed through the victims? Why haven’t we found bullets lodged in the wall behind where the bodies were found? Confirming that the victims must have been shot elsewhere and dumped at the docks, Nina considers that Mitchell the bartender probably knows more than he’s saying. Nina’s hunch is that the men were killed at Sharks, probably in the basement. She remembers the paperwork Fitz showed her and considers that Fitz wasn’t taking any chances that the former owners would go to the police. That’s why they were murdered, Nina reasons, and their bodies dumped here at the docks with a handful of shell casings spread around to make it look like the shooting occurred far from Sharks. Needing to think through her next steps, Nina drives home to her grandparents’ house, where, as always, a glass of milk and a plate of cookies are waiting for her. As Nina is biting into a cookie, her cell phone rings. “Hi, this is Ms. Austin,” the voice on the phone says. “You said to call you if I remember something. Well, I remember Ben and Charlie talking on the phone with someone Ben called Fitz.” “Thank you so much for calling, Ms. Austin,” Nina replies. “You’ve been a very big help.” And now it’s time to rattle some cages, Nina thinks as she gets back into her car and drives to Sharks for another discussion with Mitchell. Peeking in the window, Nina doesn’t see Mitchell at the bar. Instead, there is a young woman with blond hair cleaning things up behind the bar. “Where’s Mitchell?” Nina asks. “And who are you?” The young green-eyed Irish girl

says, “Mitchell doesn’t work here anymore. I think he’s moving to Spokane. I’m Greeley.” Nina flashes her badge at Greeley and asks, “Is there a basement here?” “Yes,” Greeley says, pointing toward the back. “The steps are back and on the left.” Nina pulls out Harry, her Colt. She tells Greeley to stay behind the bar, and she goes to the basement stairs. Walking down the stairs, Nina is greeted by the smell of fresh paint. When she reaches the basement, it doesn’t take her long to see bullet holes in the walls. Meanwhile, upstairs, Greeley is talking to Fitz on her cell phone. She hangs up as soon as she hears Nina coming back up. Nina returns to the bar and asks whether Greeley has Mitchell’s home address. Greeley hands Nina a stack of business cards. “If we have his address,” she says, “it will be in this pile somewhere.” Ten minutes later, Nina finds a card for Mitchell and an address: 1700 Lexington Avenue. While Nina is going through the cards, two men enter the bar without her seeing them. They stoop behind some tables waiting for her. After finding Mitchell’s address, Nina realizes that Greeley is beginning to look a little nervous. She hears a noise behind her and realizes instantly that Greeley has set her up. The two men jump up, one wielding a knife, the other circling around. Acting on reflexes, Nina kicks the man with the knife in his head, knocking him off his feet and turning over three tables. She turns back around and slams Greeley’s head on the bar, knocking her out. Then she faces the second man, judo chops him in the neck, and knees him in the face. As the man she judo-chopped is falling to the floor and moaning in pain, the man who had the knife reaches for

his gun. Nina draws Harry, shoots, and kills the man instantly. The second man stands, puts his hands in the air, and begs Nina not to shoot. She handcuffs him to a bar stool. Returning Harry to his holster, Nina walks behind the bar, where Greeley is still passed out. Nina draws beer from the tap and pours it on Greeley’s face. As Greeley starts to stir, Nina tells her she has only one question: “Which airport is Mitchell flying out of?” Greeley looks up and says, “O’Hare.” Nina pulls out her cell phone and calls Captain Newton. She asks him to send some squad cars to Sharks. “I’m heading to O’Hare to see if I can stop Mitchell from getting on his flight to Spokane.” Peeling away from Sharks, Nina pushes her car to the limit and covers the 20 miles to O’Hare in 15 minutes. Nina parks illegally at the departures curb, meets up with the airport police, and learns that the Spokane flight is delayed and Mitchell has not yet checked in. This gives them time to set up a stakeout near the airport entrance. About two hours later, still watching from her car, Nina sees a dark blue Range Rover pull up. Fitz sits in the driver’s seat as Mitchell exits the front passenger side and retrieves two bags from the trunk. Nina uses her radio to alert the stakeout team to move in. Drawing Harry and approaching Mitchell, Nina announces, “You are under arrest. You witnessed the murders, and you dumped the bodies at the dock. Right now a police car is at your home, and they have found blood on your car’s back seat.” While the airport police escort Fitz and Mitchell away, Nina smiles and thinks about the milk and cookies waiting for her at her grandparents’ house.

The End.

Introducing Kleverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Comics, by Vendor Chino Dean

Service Spotlight: Bread for the City By Case Keltner Editorial Intern The Interfaith Conference (IFC) aims to promote dialogue, understanding and a sense of community among persons of diverse faiths and to work cooperatively for social and economic justice in metropolitan Washington, D.C.” The 11 member faiths include Catholicism, Buddhism, Islam, Judaism and Protestantism. Additionally the IFC reaches out to the Baha’i, Jain, Latter-day Saints, Sikh and Zoroastrian faith communities. The final goal of the conference? Making the District the symbol of social and economic justice the member organizations believe it should be. Individuals attending the conference have the opportunity to educate and advocate for their faith while also gaining a more complete understanding of other religions. This mutual interfaith understanding then promotes a coalition of communities.

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

The IFC expands on their vision of “advancing justice, building community,” and “nurturing understanding” through a variety of service programs throughout the city. Youth from different communities unite to clean up the environment and construct lowincome housing for needy families. Such projects make the District much more livable and establish a welcoming social landscape. By inviting religious leaders and active youth driven to improve their city, the Interfaith Conference of Metropolitan Washington hopes to promote justice and cooperation. Instead of seeing Wards 1-8 as separate communities, the IFC hopes that the nation’s capital will transform into a united, cooperative and proactive capital that becomes a symbol for religious collaboration.

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

STREET SENSE November 23 - December 6, 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 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

By Anna Katherine Thomas Editorial Intern Kenneth Belkosky was born in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 17, 1966, moved to Ohio, and returned to the District about eight years ago only to struggle with mental illness and homelessness. After some time, he noticed that he was not getting the help he needed from the District so he decided to find it himself. “I was fed up that I wasn’t getting the help I needed in the mental health system here in D.C. One person would tell me one thing and then another person was telling me something else,” said Belkosky. So when the National Alliance on Mental Illness held its annual convention in the District, Belkosky went and got help. The advocates told him to go to Arlington, Va. “I escaped from the group home and ended up homeless in Arlington for about a couple of months. With the help of Arlington Street People’s Assistance Network (ASPAN) I was able to get supportive housing through a grant that ASPAN gets,” he said. Now Belkosky is living in his own apartment and getting ready to move to a new place. Not only does selling Street Sense keep him busy, Belkosky also has two cats, Montey and Cappy, and he has started a street soccer team in Arlington called the Arlington Tigers.

“Street Soccer is part of a program that is called Sports for Change. D.C. has a team and so does Montgomery County,” said Belkosky. “Since I live in Arlington and I know what being homeless is about, I decided to start a team in Arlington with the help of ASPAN. This is going to be our first full year.” Belkosky came to Street Sense about four years ago through a program called Convoy of Hope. “I was looking for work in one group home I was at. I had a resume and gave it to the executive director at the time. She liked me so much, she said why don’t I become a vendor, and then the rest is history.” Belkosky said he likes working for Street Sense because he is getting the word out about the homeless, and the paper can provide a voice for the homeless in the metropolitan region. “No matter what the circumstances are, anyone can become homeless. Even the President himself. If he for some other reason can’t make his mortgage payments after he leaves the White House, even he can become homeless. So the stereotyping that people put on homeless people is not really accurate,” said Belkosky. But as for Belkosky, he will fight homelessness. “I am not letting my mental illnesses get the best of me anymore. I am accomplishing so much thanks to the paper, thanks to the Arlington Department of Human Services and thanks to the Arlington Street People’s Assistance Network or ASPAN.”

November 23 - December 6, 2011 • Volume 9 • Issue 1

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A day of thanks, a day of grace, and a day to share with friends, siblings and loved ones. To cherish a meal full of joy and thanks, along with gladness. To give and to receive those who are less fortunate during Thanksgiving. Showing our love to those who are homeless, Thanking the churches and the food pantries for providing food to those in need, What great joy and love is in their hearts, to share a moment So sweet and gracefully. To receive the greatest gift, a meal each year at Thanksgiving. A day of thanksgiving, with lots of turkey, ham, stuffing, sweet potatoes, greens, string beans Rolls, biscuits, cranberry sauce, favorite drinks. A day to share and remember. Remember those who have nothing, who are hungry. Now they’re able to receive a blessing. So sweet and wonderful. Let’s give thanks to all those around the world. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone around the world.

THE LAST WORD: TIME TO SAY GOODBYE By Anna Katherine Thomas Editorial Intern People always say “it seems like yesterday...” Well, this time I guess it is my turn. It does seem like yesterday that I embarked upon my first train ride to Metro Center. After walking in the wrong direction for a few blocks, I turned around and finally arrived at the back door of the Church of the Epiphany. My fellow Street Sense intern, Hannah Morgan, let me in. I walked up two flights of stairs oblivious that one day in my near future Allen Hoorn would soon force me and Randy Meza, another intern, to carry an unnatural number of old newspapers back down to the recycling bin. I had arrived at the Street Sense office. I couldn’t believe my internship was about to start. I had been waiting for this day since I interviewed with editor Mary Otto, and here I am now at the close of it all, saying goodbye. It has been a wonderful experience. I’ve enjoyed everything, from my first day when I was immediately sent out to cover a story, to writing notes at vendor meetings until my hand cramped. Do you want to know a secret? This is really a fun place to work. You have to have tough skin as an intern though, because you have been hired so that Al-

len can pick on you and give Mary and Eric a break. My favorite part of writing stories for Street Sense were the days when I was sent out to find faces and voices that represented what my story was about. Sometimes I think journalists, and even readers, can get bogged down in discussing numbers and forget that the millions of people mentioned in an article are people, and they have a voice. Making that voice heard was the best part of my job. Being an intern at Street Sense has had its ups and downs. I don’t think I am allowed in Bank of America again thanks to the enormous amount of change I brought in to deposit for the newspaper. I was however, able to build connections with people from wonderful organizations around Washington that are working to help the homeless. I know I will come back one day. As this semester has proved, no earthquake, hurricane, or terrorist threat will stop me.