Issuu

The Afro-American, March 19, 2016 - March 25, 2016

Shooting

Affordable Housing

2015 in the District were 162, and as of March 16 there have been 21 homicides, a decrease of 5 percent compared to the same time last year. However, even though there seems to be

currently have. Many of you have been in the city for 5 days, 5 months, 5 years, while there are many more who have been here, like myself, who have been here for 5 generations,” Bowser said. “And what we need to realize is that no matter the length of time you have been here, D.C. is your home.” Bowser talked about upcoming legislation that incorporates both social services and better employment opportunities to housing production. The Coalition for Nonprofit Housing and Economic Development, who organized the event, was joined by members of Union Local 25 to support the city’s initiatives. Local 25 members and Ward 8 residents Juanita King and Patricia Samuels cheered Bowser and Bonds and said understanding how employment and housing are intertwined is the first step to ending chronic homelessness. “Mayor Bowser shadowed me for a day on my job at the Marriott Marquis – from the time I got up in the morning, she took public transportation with me, and stayed with me the entire day and on the journey home,” King told the AFRO. “It helped her understand how three things: housing, public transportation, and a livable wage, operate in tandem to keep residents safe, secure, and happy. If even one of these is functioning poorly – say the Metro is experiencing delays or my building has a rodent issue – the other areas are compromised.”

Continued from B1

“Police are trying to stop the crime, but they can’t control everything” – Jean Nana a slight drop, residents in the metropolitan area weary of the violence. “Police are trying to stop the crime, but they can’t control everything,” Jean Nana, 45, from Silver Spring, Maryland told the AFRO March 7. Nana said authorities are doing a good job of decreasing crime in comparison to last year, but it is difficult for officers to control what happens where, because Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia are so close together. “Someone who lives in D.C. could commit a crime in Maryland, and then run back to D.C.,” she said.

D.C. GOP

Continued from B1 and Bob Kabel – are likely to support Rubio because he was the top vote getter. Black delegates elected to represent the District in Cleveland are Rich Counts, Laurent Crenshaw, and Jennifer Higgins. Six percent of District voters are Republicans. The city has never supported a Republican candidate for president since 1964, when the 23rd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution granted the District the right to vote in national elections. Political experts and District historians

say the city’s Black population and the progressive bent of its Whites are why it’s a Democratic stronghold. Herbert Harris, a resident of Ward 7, waited almost 50 minutes in line to vote for Kasich and was one of the few Blacks casting a ballot. He said the former Ohio U.S. representative has the qualifications and experience to be president. “Gov. Kasich has legislative experience and he understands how Washington works” Harris said. “He has years of experience on Capitol Hill.

He is mature and understands what is expected of a president.” While Trump got no delegates from the D.C. Republican Party, he has a supporter in African American Amone Banks, a resident of Ward 5 and a former Democrat. “I like his ideas about bringing jobs back to the U.S.,” Banks said. “I also like what he says because he takes a strong stance on issues, is funding his own campaign, and [is] not beholden to special interests. My wife disagrees with me and we argue, but I’m

with Trump.” Georgetown University student Ra’Mond Hines wants Cruz to live in the White House next. “I agree with him on a number of issues such as the Constitution should be interpreted strictly and his ideas on controlling immigration,” Hines, a member of the university’s College Republican Club, said. “Blacks should consider voting for Cruz because he will support small businesses and he will dialogue with the Black Lives Matter movement.”

AP Photo

107 year old D.C. resident, Virginia McLaurin, danced and did ball tricks with Harlem Globetrotters Moose Weekes and Zeus McClurkin March 15 at Roots Public Charter School in Northwest D.C.

Subway

Continued from B1 made. Metro planned an update later in the day. Riders take more than 700,000 trips on Metro trains every day because it’s still a quick way to get downtown from Maryland, Virginia and the city’s outer neighborhoods. But the system has become less reliable and ridership has suffered. Metro’s general manager, Paul Wiedefeld, who took over in November after running the Baltimore-Washington airport, acknowledged in a public letter last month that the agency must “improve safety and security, deliver more reliable service, and continue reforms to get our financial house in order.” The system has closed for days for weather, but this was believed to be the first shutdown for mechanical reasons. “While the risk to the public is very low, I cannot rule out a potential life and safety issue here, and this is why we must take this action immediately,” Wiedefeld said. Delayed trains, closed escalators and other annoyances have become frequent, but the Metro has had deadly accidents as well, including a 2009 collision between two trains that killed nine people. Another passenger died last year, when malfunctioning electrical equipment filled a train with smoke. An electrical fire Monday was blamed on “disturbingly similar conditions,” Wiedefeld said in a statement. Michaun Jordan, 51, appreciated Metro’s caution. “At first I was a bit disappointed. Then I thought about it — it’s best to be safe,” said Jordan, who took a $15 taxi for part of her commute that is normally a far cheaper rail ride. Leander Talley, 52, who lives in Dale City and works in Alexandria, wasn’t surprised by the shutdown. “I kind of figured it would happen because of all the problems they’ve been having, but not on such short notice,” said Talley, who woke up an hour and a half early to get a head start on a grueling commute, saying he had to “catch five buses.” Federal workers were encouraged to take the day off or telecommute. District of Columbia public schools, which don’t have dedicated buses, said tardies and absences would be excused. Motorists slogged through a busy morning rush hour, and a city official said more than 500 people signed up for a free 24-hour bike-sharing membership. U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said told a Senate Committee on Wednesday that he has directed the Federal Transit Administration to identify any federal grants to WMATA with unspent money and redirect that money to improve safety. In addition to the electric cables, Foxx said he is concerned about red-light running, the use of emergency brakes, and track integrity. “The culture down there has to change and we can’t enable these safety failures any longer,” he said.

Gala

Continued from B1 special announcer and live auctioneer, respectively. Corporate sponsors such as Safeway and Giant Foods gave away thousands of dollars in college scholarships for Washington, D.C. area high school students. Bowser received the Unsung Housing Champion Award. “Our partnership with the Greater Washington Urban League helps train D.C. residents with good-paying jobs,” the mayor said. She talked about keeping the $100 million Housing Production Trust Fund as a tool to help people obtain housing and said the GWUL helps “everyone get a fair shot” in life.

“It is our social responsibility to uplift the entire community.” – Ted Leonsis Tina Frundt, founder of Courtney’s House and the Unsung Impact Award recipient, said her work in helping young people involved in human trafficking takes her throughout the city. “I live in Ward 7 but I work with youth at H.D. Woodson, Ballou, and yes, Wilson High School,” Frundt said. “The kids I serve are sometimes right next to my house and we must do all we can to help them.” Leonsis, the Unsung Philanthropist Award recipient, said giving back to the community is not an option, but a social responsibility. D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson (D) and council members Vincent Orange (D-At Large), Anita Bonds (D-At Large), Brandon Todd (D-Ward 4), Charles Allen (D-Ward 6), and Yvette Alexander (D-Ward 7) attended the event. Former D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray and Robert White were also there. Former Alexandria Mayor Bill Euille attended the event, as did Prince George’s County Council member Karen Toles (D-District 7) and former Maryland Del. Aisha Braveboy of Prince George’s County. To cap off the evening, legendary entertainer Pattie LaBelle sung renditions of her hits, “New Attitude”, “If Only You Knew” and “Somebody Loves You Baby.”