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D.C. DELEGATION AIM TO TACKLE PROBLEM VACANT PROPERTIES 11
It’s finally here! D.C. launches its northeast streetcar line to much fanfare Page 12 March 3 - March 9, 2016
Foreclosure still a big crisis for Blacks Page 3 www.districtchronicles.com
Volume 15 Issue 27
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We all know someone in our neighborhood that talks a good talk but seldom delivers. It’s that guy who says he is the one to solve all your problems if you’ll just trust him. So, you enthusiastically welcome him into your home or your circle of friends and you wait for the miracles to happen. But it turns out the guy can’t even work with the African-American leadership in his own home state of Vermont. And you end up stuck, waiting four more years looking for another miracle worker. Then there’s the person whose work record shows she can get things done. For 40 years the issues that concern the African-American community concern her, too. Some people like to label her as being part of the “elite� or “big party government� to make her seem less caring. But her resume shows a long list of accomplishments for children, women and families. She’s not going to promise you the world because she knows she can only deliver through hard work and making sure every community is part of her agenda. I endorse Hillary Clinton because I have worked with her for 30 years and looked her in the eye when she talks about her commitment to Black Americans. I know she is the right candidate for the job. Yet, I also understand how years of political gridlock and growing racial discord has many flocking to Bernie Sanders, the miracle worker. While I applaud anyone involved in the political process, my 50 years in the political arena allows me to understand why it is critical Clinton win this nomination. If she is not the Democratic candidate in November, this country could have a new Republican president who will have no qualms about shutting out minority communities. If you think we’ve taken a step back racially in the last decade, wait until you have someone like President Trump or President Rubio or President Cruz. After all the partisan debates are over and we have the two
Electing a proven leader with experience is what America needs for a President.
nominees the American people are going to want a leader who can lead everyone – not just the far left or the far right. Why do you think a growing number of voters register as Independents? Before I was elected as Denver’s first African-American mayor in 1991, my opponents pointed to my previous elected experience as a negative: that I was part of the system so how can I be part of the solution? Well, guess what? My previous experience showed me how to work with the Republicans and build coalitions to get things done. My previous experience taught me to push for change without empty promises. The presidential election has three parts: winning the primary, the general election and demonstrating the ability to govern. As we work through this primary process let’s look at the differences between the two Democratic candidates. Forty-seven of 48 members of the Congressional Black Caucus have endorsed Hillary; only one for Sanders. Other Black mayors and former mayors also support Hillary. Sanders fails to acknowledge he voted for the 1994 Crime Bill, which has helped incarcerate a disproportion of minorities. Hillary acknowledges the mistakes of that bill and she vows to restore
balance and fairness. Before it was “Obamacare,� it was Hillary who fought for universal health care. Sanders wants to throw out what Obama accomplished. Hillary has consistently called for stricter gun control laws, while Sanders voted against the “Brady Bill,� that requires expanded background checks before gun sales. She didn’t always agree with President Obama but Hillary not only served him well as U.S. Secretary of State but she has shown him the earned respect during this campaign. Sanders has called Obama a disappointment. Hillary has shown a leader’s temperament and judgment on many national security issues, including backing the killing of Osama Bin Laden, while Sanders has lacked leadership on Senate Veterans Affairs Committee. Hillary will protect the legacy of the country’s first Black president while building her own as the first female president. We need to leave the miracles to God and elect a proven leader. Wellington Webb served as Denver’s first African-American mayor from 1991-2003. He is the only mayor to be elected president to the U.S. Conference of Mayors, the National Conference of Black Mayors and the National Conference of Democratic Mayors.
Foreclosure crisis continues to hammer African Americans
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illie Ann Lytle faced foreclosure on her home two days before Halloween. So she filed for bankruptcy to save it. Lytle’s parents bought the cheerful house on Addison Road in Capitol Heights, Maryland, for $10,500 in 1948. She was only 1. Her mother, Margaret, taught her to cook in the same kitchen where she now prepares her own meals. Lytle and her brother, William Jr., played in the same room where she now watches “Scandal.” She tends the yard with the same care that her father, William, once did. And after her parents and brother each took ill with cancer, she nursed them, and later mourned their deaths there. So, when creditors foreclosed in 2009, she resisted by filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection to erase some of her debts. When the house was scheduled for public auction, she filed for Chapter 13 on Oct. 27. She hoped to arrange a debt repayment plan and keep her home. “My whole life is in this house,” said Lytle, 68, a retired teacher’s aide. “I am not going to let anybody take it from me.” Foreclosures reached crisis proportions among Blacks years before devastating the general population starting in 2007. About 8 percent of African-American and Hispanic homeowners lost their residences to foreclosure from 2005 to 2008, compared with 4.5 percent of Whites, according to the Center for Responsible Lending in Washington, D.C. “Blacks started losing homes from about 2004. So we saw a wealth loss even before the recession,” said Algernon Austin, a senior research fellow at Global Policy Solutions in D.C. “Gains in home ownership that Blacks had made since the 1960s have been lost.” Charles R. Lowery Jr., director of Fair Lending and Inclusion for the NAACP, said the home ownership rate for African Americans has hovered near 40 percent for many years, while the rate for Whites
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With rising housing foreclosure rates in Black communities, homeowners like Willie Ann Lytle face the horror of losing it all.
exceeds 70 percent. He said programs that helped many Whites realize the American dream of home ownership decades ago, such as the GI Bill, often excluded Blacks. Many Black first-time buyers also lacked the money to cover down payments and closing costs. Also, Blacks rarely inherited homes – an avenue to wealth that many Whites walked for generations. The Center for Responsible Lending estimates that 2.5 million homes fell to foreclosure from 2007 through 2009, the first three years of the crisis and the period when the most losses occurred. Most of these mortgages had originated between 2005 and 2008. George Mason University law professor Todd Zywicki believes that federal policy played a role in the foreclosure crisis. “Federal policy, starting with the FHA and then spreading to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, promoted home ownership by new borrowers … by weakening home loan standards,” he said. “ … Nothing-down mortgages combined with low interest rates prompted a lot of people to buy homes and to essentially treat them as investments that later went sour.”
Lytle said she was making her payments until her loan was sold. She had initiated four loans over the years for home repairs. Each time, her monthly payments increased, and her loan repayment period was extended. She said she applied for a loan modification to reduce the payments from $1,695 to $1,315. Then she retired, her income fell, and problems started. Eventually the lender began foreclosure proceedings. “For many of the Black home buyers who got caught up in the foreclosure crisis, there was a lack of understanding about the process, how it works,” said Bob Ross, president of the NAACP chapter in Prince George’s County, a wealthy, majority-Black jurisdiction that was the epicenter of Maryland’s housing crisis. “Remember, we are only 50 years from the civil rights movement. We’ve only been homeowners for a short period of time.” Lytle said she has nothing beyond the walls that surround her. “For many people, the only wealth they have is tied up in their homes. If they take those away, you have nothing,” she said.
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4 | Mar. 3 - Mar. 9, 2016 | District Chronicles
By Kandace Brown Howard University News Service
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t a cost city officials said of $130 million and almost a decade overdue, the long-awaited D.C. Streetcar is finally in operation on a two-mile stretch in northeast Washington along the once riot-ravaged H Street corridor. Hundreds of excited and skeptical Washington residents gathered on the corner of 13th and H streets to participate in Saturday’s launch of the newest addition to the District’s transportation system. Mayor Muriel Bowser and other city officials were there for the first ride of the controversial project and offered an upbeat assessment of the train’s future. In her remarks, Bowser addressed critics who complain the train is more problem than promise and the money could have been better spent on other needs, including the city’s Metro system. “This is the start of something big for our transportation mobility system in the District of Columbia,” Bowser said to a crowd of cheering and applauding residents waiting to be the first to ride the streetcar. “We are going to see now that it is well worth it.” At 10:32 a.m., the streetcar took off down H Street towards Union Station with nearly 100 passengers excitedly waving from inside the car to spectators along the route, who cheered and waved their flags to passengers aboard.
Rene’ Simpson, a real estate agent, was one of the excited riders. “It’s awesome to bring back the streetcar,” said Simpson. “It brings this area up, and it is going to do great things for real estate here. I am very excited about this. I will definitely be using it often.” For Harvey Berlin, a northwest D.C. resident, the streetcar was nostalgic. The last Washington streetcar ran 54 years ago. Berlin remembers riding one as a child when they serviced 143rd Street and Wisconsin Avenue in northwest D.C. “It’s interesting to see the return of the streetcar,” he said. “I think that this is something that will be helpful as a long-time measure to spur the development.” Just how valuable the streetcar will be has been a subject of debate since it was first proposed under Mayor Anthony Williams’ administration. The first tracks were laid under Mayor Adrian Fenty’s appointment. Critics argue that it will contribute to traffic congestion because it has reduced the number of car lanes along its route. Additionally, they say, the street already has bus system that is sufficient for local traffic. Meanwhile, some business owners have complained the years of construction and ripped up street have lost them business. The streetcar’s transportation efficacy is questionable. According to one reporter’s survey Saturday, the streetcar, which will be
free to passengers for the first six months, takes 26 minutes to make its way end-to-end. It took 27 minutes to walk the same route, 19 minutes on the regular city bus,10 minutes by bike and just seven minutes by car. Still, some restaurants on H Street believe that while the streetcar presents challenges, it will help increase customers. Will Perrman at restaurant Granville Moore said the transportation system does present problems. “The size of the streetcar and the streets being narrow might be a problem,” said Perrman. “It will also add to parking problems.” Still, he said, he thinks it will be good for business. “I think it will really help us on the weekends,” said Perrman. “Minus the expense and the wait, I do think it will help.” Arthur Ringle, the chef and owner of DC Harvest, said the streetcar has already brought more people into his restaurant, as reflected by a line out of the door on Saturday. “The streetcar will help as far as tourists coming into the restaurant,” said Ringle. “However, real world people who live here, not so much, because it starts nowhere and goes nowhere.” Despite the criticism, Bowser said that the streetcar will be a great addition and a great part of how people get around in D.C. as residents can use the streetcar to get to work, go grocery shopping and for any other errands.
Divine Intervention
Needed in Scalia replacement: devotion to religious freedom By Oliver Thomas USA Today
Whitehouse
My church friends are starting to scare me. (Disclaimer: I am both a Baptist minister and a constitutional lawyer with 15 years of experience representing evangelical and mainline Protestant churches.) Some Christians are starting to clamor for President Obama to refrain from appointing a replacement for Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. Evangelical Ted Cruz has gone so far as to suggest that not only should the next Supreme Court justice be nominated by the next president (who he hopes will be (a) himself, or (b) at least a Republican), the senator has extolled Justice Scalia as a champion of religious freedom and a model for the type of justice the Senate should confirm. That’s what scares me. They have it backwards, President Obama should act now and nominate someone with a deeper appreciation of religious freedom than Scalia showed in important cases. Here’s a quick primer in constitutional law for all of the faithful who believe that the road to the Kingdom of God is paved with Republican justices. Scalia had the distinction of penning the most infamous religious freedom case of the last century: Employment Division v. Smith. The constitution’s Free Exercise (of religion) Clause had been interpreted by the Supreme Court for more than 35 years as protecting citizens’ religiously motivated conduct from government interference absent (1) a “compelling” interest such as health or safety, and (2) no less restrictive means of pursuing that interest. So even if the government had a compelling interest in teaching school children to read, schools might not be able to force a child to read a particular book. That was the law until Scalia (and his Republican-appointed colleague Anthony Kennedy) finished with it. Describing the accommodation of religious exercise under the “compelling” interest test as a “luxury” the nation could not afford, Scalia’s opinion moved
President Obama should nominate a judge deeply dedicated to protecting religious freedom than Scalia.
the nation’s first liberty to the back of the constitutional bus. Maybe off it altogether. The results were immediate and profound. States were permitted to prohibit Native Americans from using peyote in their ancient religious rituals. Sikhs were forced to doff their turbans for hard hats at construction sites. The Supreme Court vacated a Minnesota decision extending First Amendment protection to Amish farmers forced off the highways for refusing to affix large warning signs (“worldly symbols” to the Amish) to their buggies despite evidence that that their more modest silver reflector tape was equally effective. It was, in short, open season on religious freedom in America. If Obamacare’s contraceptive mandate had been in effect, neither Hobby Lobby – nor anyone else – would have stood a chance challenging it in court. But government “by the people and for the people” still works, or at least it did in the 1990s. A coalition of more than 60 national organizations rose up to rescue the nation’s first liberty. From the ACLU to Pat Robertson’s ACLJ. From Norman Lear’s People for the American Way to Beverly LaHaye’s Concerned Women for America. Jews and evangelicals, Buddhists and Baha’is put aside their religious and political differ-
ences to unite around a fundamental American principle: religious freedom for all. Corrective legislation, championed by Democratic Sen. Ted Kennedy and Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch, passed both chambers of Congress with only three dissenting votes and was signed into law by President Bill Clinton. Republican Newt Gingrich and Democrat Barney Frank were co-sponsors of the House bill. But even that isn’t the end of the story. Four years later when the new legislation was used by an archbishop in Boerne, Texas, to challenge the local government’s refusal to let one of his churches expand the size of its worship space to accommodate their burgeoning congregation, Scalia joined Kennedy in denying the bishop relief. Worse still, Scalia and Kennedy decided that the new law did not even apply to state and local governments. There’s a certain irony here. We tend to assume that Republican judges will be friendlier to religious freedom than their Democratic counterparts. The lessons of the last 26 years suggest otherwise. Oliver Thomas is a Baptist minister, author, educator and lawyer. This commentary first appeared in USA Today.
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District Chronicles | Mar. 3 - Mar. 9, 2016 | 5
Cover Why Blacks are voting for Hillary Clinton By George E. Curry George Curry Media Columnist
M
ings on civil rights. Each would appoint Supreme Court justices in the mold of Thurgood Marshall rather than Clarence Thomas. And each is attuned to the many issues facing Black Americans, including income inequality, unemployment, and a deeply flawed criminal justice system. The difference is that Clinton has a long relationship with Blacks, doing civil rights work in the South and going to work for the Children’s Defense Fund after graduating from law school. Sanders claim to fame is that he joined Dr. King and other civil rights leaders in the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. That was nearly 53 years ago. More than half of all African Americans were born after the March on Washington. To them, the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s is as remote as the Civil War of the 1860s. Vermont is less than 2 percent Black. It hasn’t helped that major Black leaders there say they have been invisible to Sanders. Salon.com noted, “There are nearly 10 times more [B]lack people locked up in Vermont’s jails and prisons on a given day than there
facebook.com/hillaryclinton
ost racial, ethnic, religious, and political groups in the United States vote for people who appear to represent their best interests. Yet, when African Americans do the same thing, many people seem surprised – including some Blacks. Blacks realize what is at stake in this election and have ignored the naysayers who thought just because Barack Obama’s name is not on the ballot this year, Blacks would stay home. Not only are they not staying home, we’re seeing in the Southern states – where more than half of all African Americans live – that Blacks are voting in record numbers. African Americans in South Carolina got the Clinton juggernaut rolling. As the New York Times observed, “She has won South Carolina in a rout, 73.5 percent to 26 percent, exceeding Obama’s own 29-point victory in 2008. She did it the same way that Obama did: with overwhelming support from Black voters, who favored Hillary Clinton over Bernie Sanders by a stunning margin of
87 to 13, according to updated exit polls – a tally that would be larger than Obama’s victory among Black voters eight years earlier. Black voters represented 62 percent of the electorate, according to exit polls, even higher than in 2008.” No, they weren’t “feeling the Bern” in South Carolina. Nor were they feeling it on Super Tuesday in the six states where Blacks have an above-average share of the Democratic vote – Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Virginia, Arkansas and Texas. Sanders chose to campaign in five states with a higher proportion of White voters: Colorado, Minnesota, Massachusetts, Oklahoma and Vermont, his home state. Clinton holds a commanding lead in delegates and after the voting on Super Tuesday, Louisiana on March 5, and March 15, contests in Florida, Missouri, North Carolina, and Ohio, she could amass so many delegates that Sanders will be left with no viable option except to end his long-shot candidacy. Being for Hillary Clinton did not mean Blacks were against Sanders. As I have noted in this space, both Democratic candidates have A-rat-
Clinton’s path to the Democratic nomination lies in part in the Black vote.
are free in its streets. Black Vermonters make up just 1.2 percent of the state’s general population, but 10.7 percent of its incarcerated population.” If Sanders was that concerned about the criminal injustice system, he could have been more outspoken about the issue at home. One of Hillary’s problems is that she gets blamed for the actions of her husband when he was president. He and Vice President Al Gore were instrumental in moving the Democratic Party more to the right prior to his election and his policies on mandatory sentencing and so-
called welfare reform were harmful to many African Americans. She gets the blame for his failures as well as the esteem in which many Blacks still hold Bill Clinton. But this race is not about the past – it’s primarily about the future. And there is no more important issue awaiting the new president than appointing at least two, possibly three, Supreme Court justices. But to do that, one must first get elected. Again, Black voters feel that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has a better chance of getting elected than Sanders, a self-described democratic socialist.
Politics Black political power not wisely realized
By Jennifer L. Patin
(TriceEdneyWire.com) - Some will reflect on 2015 as a year of renewed civil rights mobilization. Whether catalyzed by the loss of Black lives, restrictive state voting laws challenged in court by black voters and their advocates, or the golden anniversaries of Bloody Sunday and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, many of this nation’s Black communities demonstrated deep dissatisfaction with how poorly institutions and elected leaders are representing their interests. This is not new. Black Americans share a history of organizing to advocate for their rights. Yet more than 50 years have passed since Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. famously declared that “we can never be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote,” and too many African-Americans continue to question whether or not they should vote.
Here is the blunt truth: a voter who sits on the sideline of any election—whether a local school board race or a major presidential race— forfeits their single best opportunity to put a candidate who represents their interests in a position to make key decisions. Diversity among state-level officials—not just diversity of race, but of experience, background, interests, and priorities—is critically important. A more diverse body of elected officials is likely to expand the pool of perspectives influencing state-level decisions, even if it does not guarantee immediate societal changes. Local elected officials directly impact the everyday lives of those in the Black communities they serve, yet minorities are underrepresented in state-level offices. For example, the majority of states have an attorney general who influences law enforcement priorities and a secretary of state who is the primary official in charge of elections. Data from
6 | Mar. 3 - Mar. 9, 2016 | District Chronicles
the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies show there were only three Black attorneys general and three Black secretaries of state elected between 1995 and 2013. In states where the elected governor appoints those officials, there were none. However, the lone Black governor elected during the same eightyear period—Massachusetts’ Deval Patrick—appointed more than 200 Black officials to various state-level positions, bringing unprecedented diversity to the Massachusetts government, in a state where just 7.8 percent of the population is Black according to the 2010 U.S. Census. Meanwhile, in Florida, a state where 17 percent of the population is Black, more than 20 percent of the Black voting-age population disenfranchised because of policy changes supported by Attorney General Pam Bondi that make it harder for Floridians with previous felony convictions to restore their voting rights. Ohio Secretary of State Jon
Husted cut the state’s early voting schedule in 2014, even after census data showed Black voters in Ohio voted early at significantly higher rates than White voters during the past two presidential elections. Still Blacks overall do not vote at the same rate as the White majority. Many factors contribute to this disparity: strict photo identification laws, cuts to early voting, and felony disenfranchisement, among others. These barriers undoubtedly make it harder to vote, but they only tell part of the story. Census data analyzed by Dr. Megan A. Gall of the Lawyers’ Committee found that in the 2014 election, only 21 percent of the Black population reported voting. Of those who did not vote, more than 20 percent said that their vote would not make a difference, and another 37 percent said they were too busy to vote. To honor the legacy and sacrifices of Dr. King, and of so many other heroes who gave their lives to secure the franchise for African-
Americans, voters today should take every opportunity to exercise their fundamental right to the ballot. Just imagine the impact if voters mobilized for every election the way they did in 2008 and 2012, when Black voters elected and re-elected their overwhelming candidate of choice to the nation’s highest office. Through increased turnout, Black voters specifically can prove that one’s vote, from a small municipal election to a major presidential race, matters. Jennifer L. Patin is a researcher/writer for the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law works to address restrictions on voters’ access to the polls—burdens that have increased since the Supreme Court’s 2013 decision in Shelby County v. Holder. In addition to litigation, the Lawyers’ Committee operates the nationwide nonpartisan Election Protection 866-OUR-VOTE hotline, which helps voters cast ballots that count.
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District Chronicles | Mar. 3 - Mar. 9, 2016 | 7
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8 | Mar. 3 - Mar. 9, 2016 | District Chronicles
s we all know, most people see a commercial, and are quickly convinced that they must need the advertised medication for their “condition.” Unfortunately, this is, in many cases, the result of us having no understanding of what happens when the body ages. Normal signs of aging are generally the same for everyone, though they don’t necessarily develop at a particular age. You can expect noticing and adjusting to many gradual changes as you age. Certain physical changes are fairly predictable. Most people start needing reading glasses between ages 40 and 50, and many have some hearing loss later in life. Ligaments, which bind joints together, tend to become less elastic as people age, making joints feel tight or stiff. This change results from chemical changes in the proteins that make up the ligaments. Consequently, most people become less flexible as they age. Ligaments also will tend to tear more easily, and when they tear, they heal more slowly. As people age, the kidneys tend to become smaller, and less blood flows through them. Beginning at about age 30, the kidneys begin to filter blood less well. As years pass, they may remove waste products
from the blood less well. They may also excrete too much water, making dehydration more likely. As women age, the urethra (which carries urine out of the body) shortens and its lining becomes thinner. The muscle that controls the passage of urine through the urethra (urinary sphincter) is less able to close tightly and prevent leakage. These changes may result from the decrease in the estrogen level that occurs with menopause. As men age, the prostate gland tends to enlarge. In many men, it enlarges enough to partly block the passage of urine. As people age, the heart and blood vessels change in many ways. The walls of the heart become stiffer, and the heart fills with blood more slowly. In aging men, owing to the decreasing testosterone levels, there is reduces interest for intimacy and diminished drive for any form of sexual activities. Similarly, in aging women, owing to the reduced estrogen levels, there is a phenomenal change in their behavior, needs, and desires for intimacy after menopause. Despite these changes, a normal older heart functions well. At rest, the differences between young and old hearts are small. The differences become apparent only when more work is required of the heart, as occurs when a person exercises vigorously or becomes sick. An older heart cannot increase how
fast it beats as quickly or as much as a younger heart. Regular exercise can reduce many of the effects of aging on the heart and blood vessels. The muscles used in breathing, such as the diaphragm, tend to weaken. Also, slightly less oxygen is absorbed from air that is breathed in. In people who do not smoke or have a lung disorder, the muscles of breathing and the lungs continue to function well enough to meet the needs of the body during ordinary daily activities. But these changes may make exercising vigorously more difficult. The lungs become less able to fight infection, in part because the cells that sweep debris out of the airways are less able to do so. Cough, which also helps clear the lungs, tends to be weaker. Remember, I’m not a doctor. I just sound like one. Disclaimer: The information included in this column is for educational purposes only. It is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. The reader should always consult his or her health care provider to determine the appropriateness of the information for their own situation or if they have any questions regarding a medical condition or treatment plan. Glenn Ellis, is a regular media contributor on Health Equity and Medical Ethics. He is the author of “Which Doctor?” and “Information is the Best Medicine.”
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In the Neighborhood
Metro Briefs: Notable news in and around Washington District of Columbia
W
ashington is one of nine U.S. cities that have been selected to attend the 2016 Community Progress Leadership Institute, a program that equips practitioners with the leadership and technical skills to address significant blight and vacancy challenges. The Leadership Institute, a program of the national Center for Community Progress, will be held on the campus of Harvard Law School on March 15-18. “The Bowser Administration is committed to making Washington, D.C., a great place to live for all District residents. Getting there requires us to address the challenges of vacant and blighted properties in our communities,” said D.C. Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development Brian T. Kenner. “I look forward to working with the Community Progress Leadership Institute to identify solutions that turn these properties into vibrant and productive development opportunities that benefit all District residents.” Delegations of up to six people from each of the following cities will participate: Richmond, California; Fresno, California; Oakland, California; Erie, Pennsylvania; Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; York, Pennsylvania; Danville, Virginia; and Richmond, Virginia. The delegation the District is sending to the Leadership Institute includes members from the Executive Office of the Mayor, D.C. Council, Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs, Department of Housing and Community Development, Office of the Attorney General, as well as a community stakeholder. Each of the entities represented play a role in addressing vacant and blighted properties in the District, and will continue
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District of Columbia selected to tackle vacant and problem properties at Leadership Institute
The D.C. delegation hopes to gain more solutions for blighted, vacant properties.
working together after the institute to improve the city’s process for addressing such properties. The cities selected range in population from just over 40,000 to nearly 700,000 and have citywide housing vacancy rates ranging between 8 percent and 19 percent. The District was selected for the Leadership Institute because it has demonstrated the leadership and commitment necessary to develop new solutions for vacant, abandoned, and other problem properties. Sessions will explore the following topics: understanding markets, legal barriers to revitalization, strategic code enforcement, land banking, rental regulation and licensing, access to capital to fund revitalization efforts, community engagement to support innovation reuse, and adaptive leadership. “The diversity of the cities chosen for this year’s Leadership Institute reflect the fact that communities across the country continue to feel the fallout from the mortgage foreclosure crisis,” said Tamar Shapiro, president and CEO of the Center for Community Progress. “By attending the Leadership Institute, however, these delegations commit to tackling the challenges of vacancy and abandonment head on, to help ensure that the housing recovery reaches every neighborhood.” This year marks the fifth time a Community Progress Leadership Institute class has convened since 2010. Past graduates of the Leadership Institute have worked with legislators and other stakeholders to draft, advocate for, and pass state and local laws; streamlined systems to acquire and dispose of proper-
ties; improved data collection and use; deployed strategic local code enforcement operations; convened statewide leadership summits; and developed new systems that enable cross-agency and multi-stakeholder coordination on blight remediation. The Washington, D.C. Delegation Members Delegation Leader: Polly Donaldson, Director, Department of Housing and Community Development Courtney Snowden, Deputy Mayor of Greater Economic Opportunity Betsy Cavendish, General Counsel, Executive Office of the Mayor Tim White, Interagency Director, Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development Melinda Bolling, Director, Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs William Burk, Chief of Land Acquisition and Bankruptcy, Office of the Attorney General Anita Bonds, Chair of Committee on Housing and Community Development, D.C. Council Susanne Slater, President and C.E.O., D.C. Habitat for Humanity
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In the Neighborhood
Metro Briefs: Notable news in and around Washington Montgomery County
High school juniors, seniors sought for paid primary election judges
T
he Montgomery County Board of Elections “Future Vote� Program is seeking high school juniors/seniors to serve as paid election judges at polling places for the Presidential Primary Election on April 26. In accordance with the Maryland Election Code, individuals serving as election judges must be
registered to vote in the State of Maryland. Students who will be 18 years old by or on November 8, 2016, are eligible to register and vote. The Maryland Election law also allows minors who are 17 years old to register and be appointed to serve as an election judge if the minor demonstrates that he or she meets all qualifications for registration in Maryland. Because of the population diversity within Montgomery County, students with bilingual language skills, particularly in Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Amharic and French, are encouraged to par-
ticipate. The application process requires both an online quiz and completion of hands-on training. All applicants who are selected for these positions will be compensated at rates that vary based on the position, as advertised at www.777vote.org. Students may earn 25 Student Service Learning (SSL) credits in lieu of a stipend, if they prefer. For more information please visit our website, www.777vote. org, and select Election Judges to complete an on-line application. You may also contact Gilberto Zelaya at gilberto.zelaya@montgomerycountymd.gov or 240.777.8532.
District residents, city officials rejoice at the launch of the new StreetCar line in Northeast
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Robert Eubanks/District Chronicles
Robert Eubanks/DistrictChronicles
Cheriss May/Howard University News Service
Cheriss May/Howard University News Service
Cheriss May/Howard University News Service
12 | Mar. 3 - Mar. 9, 2016 | District Chronicles
Top-left clockwise: Eastern High School Band, District residents and city officials launched the H Street/ Benning Road Streetcar line on February 27. Residents board the long awaited 2.4 mile line that will service 8 stops between Union Station and Benning road near the RFK stadium. Muriel Bowser, DDOT director Leif Dormsjo, Eleanor Holmes Norton and Council members were present at the launch. Residents can ride the service free for an introductory period.