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Bridging Gaps Between Communities

pg 8 multimillion dollar park aims to unite Wards 6, 7 and 8

Eradicating Homelessness

one person at a time pg 4

District Displaced: food, blankets and cameras pg 6-7

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OUR STORY Street Sense began in August 2003 after Laura Thompson Osuri and Ted Henson approached the National Coalition for the Homeless on separate occasions with the idea to start a street paper in Washington, D.C. Through the work of dedicated volunteers, Street Sense published its first issue in November 2003. In 2005, Street Sense achieved 501 ( c ) 3 status as a nonprofit organization, formed a board of directors and hired a full-time executive director.

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BOARD OF DIRECTORS Margaret Chapman, Margaret Jenny, Elizabeth Canizares, Reed Sandridge, Max Gaujean, Heidi Keller, Robyn Kerr, Jeremy Scott, Jennifer Park, Martin Totaro, John Senn, Anne Willis EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Brian Carome EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Eric Falquero SALES & COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER Jeffrey Gray VENDOR & SALES MANAGER Josh Maxey COORDINATOR OF EVENTS & AUDIENCE ENGATEMENT Shira Hereld INTERNS Olivia Aldridge, Alexandra Pamias, Jonas Schau EDITORIAL BOARD Rachel Brody, Arthur Delaney, Britt Peterson EDITORIAL & PAPER SALES VOLUNTEERS Jane Cave, Cheryl Chevalier, Nathalia Cibotti, Pat Geiger, Roberta Haber, Mary Henkin, Karen Houston, Erum Jilani, Leone, Hannah Northey, Jesselyn Radack, Andrew Siddons, Jackie Thompson, Marian Wiseman, Eugene Versluysen, Alex Zielinski VENDORS Shuhratjon Ahamadjonov, Gerald Anderson, Charles Armstrong, Lawrence Autry, Daniel Ball, Aida Basnight, Roberta Bear, Phillip Black, Reginald Black, Melanie Black, Phillip Black Jr., Maryann Blackmon, Viktor Blokhine, Debora Brantley, Andre Brinson, Donald Brown, Joan Bryant, Elizabeth Bryant, Brianna Butler, Melody Byrd, Conrad Cheek, Aaron Colbert, Anthony Crawford, Walter Crawley, Kwayera Dakari, James Davis, Clifton Davis, Charles Davis, David Denny, James DeVaughn, Ricardo Dickerson, Dennis Diggs, Alvin Dixon-El, Ronald Dudley, Charles Eatmon, Deana Elder, Julie Ellis, Jemel Fleming, Chon Gotti, Marcus Green, Barron Hall, Tyrone Hall, Richard Hart Lorrie Hayes, Patricia Henry, Jerry Hickerson, Ray Hicks, Rachel Higdon, Ibn Hipps, Phillip Howard, Leonard Hyater, Joseph Jackson, Carlton Johnson, Donald Johnson, Harold Johnson, Allen Jones, Mark Jones, Morgan Jones, Linda Jones, Darlesha Joyner, Juliene Kengnie, Kathlene Kilpatrick, Hope Lassiter, John Littlejohn, James Lott, Scott Lovell, Michael Lyons, Jimmy M. Ken Martin, Joseph Martin, Kina Mathis, Michael Lee Matthew, Authertimer Matthews, Charlie Mayfield, Jermale McKnight, Jeffery McNeil, Ricardo Meriedy, Cynthia Mewborn, Kenneth Middleton, Cecil More, L. Morrow, Evelyn Nnam, Moyo Onibuje, Earl Parkin, Lucifer Potter, Ash-Shaheed Rabil, Henrieese Roberts, Anthony Robinson, Doris Robinson, Raquel Rodriquez, Lawrence Rogers, Joseph Sam, Chris Shaw, Patty Smith, Smith Smith, Gwynette Smith, Ronald Smoot, Franklin Sterling, Warren Stevens James Stewart, Beverly Sutton, Sybil Taylor, Archie Thomas, Shernell Thomas, Craig Thompson, Eric Thompson-Bey, Sarah TurleyColin, Carl Turner, Jacqueline Turner, Leon Valentine, Grayla Vereen, Ron Verquer, Martin Walker, Michael Warner, Robert Warren, Angelyn Whitehurst, William Whitsett, Wendell Williams, Sasha Williams, Judson Williams III, Ivory Wilson, Denise Wilson, Charles Woods

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STREET SENSE January 13 - 26, 2016

3

NEWS IN BRIEF Affordable Housing Units Threatened by Deliberate Neglect The Office of the D.C. Attorney General has filed a lawsuit against the owners of a rent-controlled apartment complex in Congress Heights for multiple violations of the housing code. Filed on January 8, the complaint alleges that the owners have deliberately allowed the four buildings to deteriorate to such an extent that they are now unsafe, unsanitary and thus unfit for habitation.

The lawsuit comes after the owners failed to respond to numerous citations for housing code violations and to residents’ complaints about conditions in the properties. For two years, residents aided by the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless had complained about broken pipes leading to lack of heat and hot water, persistent flooding, rodents, and mold. Conditions were so bad that many residents vacated their apartments, which have been left uninhabited and neglected. Those tenants who remain argue that they are being pushed out to make way for new development, but that they have few, if any, options available. Most of them are elderly, handicapped, and on fixed incomes.

The Office of the Attorney General has asked the court to appoint a receiver for the four buildings, located at Alabama Avenue and 13th Street SE, and to compel the owners—Bethesda-based Sanford Capital and its subsidiaries—to provide the funds needed to fix the problems.

Whatever the outcome of the lawsuit, it should be noted that in 2015 Sanford Capital received approval from the city’s Zoning Commission to raze the four buildings and construct a 285,000-squarefoot-mixed-use development above the Congress Heights Metro.

-Jane Cave

Arlington County Adds Additional Affordable Housing The Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing (APAH) celebrated the progressing construction of The Springs Apartments in downtown Arlington with a public “Topping Out” event at the site on January 6.

Topping Out refers to a ceremony in which the highest horizontal beam is placed on a structure. Several Arlington County and construction officials involved in the project signed the beam before it was placed on The Springs.

This will be APAH’s latest completed apartment complex for homeless low and moderate-income Arlington County residents. The 5-story building is located less than half a mile from Ballston Metro at 555 North Thomas Street, near major retail stores and employment opportunities.

It is renovated from what used to be the Carlyn Springs Apartments.

One hundred and four low and moderate-income families are expected to move in during the fall of 2016.

“I’m pretty pleased with this project,” said Arlington County Board Chairman Libby Garvey, in a phone interview. “It’s a step in the right direction.” Arlington

County still has 17,000 homeless families, but the government continues to work on it, according to Garvey.

The Springs Apartments will provide 37 two-bedroom apartments for families making 60 percent of the area median income in Arlington County, and 21 for families making 50 percent of the median income, according to APAH materials. It will offer 12 three-bedroom units for families making 60 percent of the median rate, and eight three-bedroom apartments for those making 50 percent of the median rate.

Additionally there will be eight efficiency apartments for people making 40 percent of median income, and six market-rate units, the materials say.

Eighty-one percent of The Springs’ apartments will be family-sized.

APAH will move in to new office headquarters on the first floor of the building.

There will also be a fitness center in the building and a playground.

Total cost for the project is just over $40 million, according to APAH materials.

-Mark Rose

District Youth Have a Fairy Godmother After reading a May, 2016, Street Sense article that mentioned assistance provided to LGBTQ youth by the Wanda Alston Foundation, D.C. resident Sharon Lockwood contacted Street Sense for more information about two recent high school graduates who were mentioned in the article. The two youth, both young women,

had been accepted to college, and Lockwood wanted to provide emotional and financial support. Lockwood has 46 unofficial godchildren to whom she gives financial guidance and support to help them through school. “I want a one-on-one relationship,” Lockwood said. Why? Because she loves the thrill of watching a student walk across the stage at graduation. She told Street Sense that her “kids” are aged 8-50; one of her younger godchildren became the recipient of a scholarship fund in Baltimore, which her oldest godson created. Lockwood is not government funded. She pays for her godchildren out of pocket. Maya Parker, presently a freshman at Morgan State University (MSU), became one of Lockwood’s godchildren in July. She majors in Social Work at MSU and has a grade point average of 4.0, which translates into straight As. Parker is a dedicated student and it was clear from the beginning that she would not need a lot of help. Lockwood said that she and Parker catch up with each other about once a month.

Ken Pettigrew, Executive Director of the Wanda Alston Foundation, echos Lockwood’s sentiments about Parker. “There wasn’t a big difference in her personality [after starting college]; she has always been mature and focused,” Pettigrew said. Pettigrew says that more people like Sharon Lockwood are needed, and that people who have gone to college and can share some wisdom and encourage-

ment should contact The Wanda Alston Foundation, regardless of whether they can financially support another person.

He does not want to encourage homeless youth to go to college without giving them resources to succeed. Parker is staying at the Wanda Alston House during her break and Lockwood is hopeful this is the last time she will stay there. MSU advisors told Parker that they are considering creating a program for homeless students that is similar to an international student program, which provides year-round housing. At dinner earlier this month, Parker discussed a PhD program in Social Work at MSU that excited both her and Lockwood. Parker loves being part of MSU; she hopes to become a tutor in English and stay there for the summer term. She said she may pick up a summer class. Parker believes she learns the most from reading.

She feels that she and Lockwood have a great relationship and that Lockwood is very in-spirational and possess a lot of vital information.

So far, Parker’s favorite class has been “group dynamics,” which teaches students how to lead a group where sensitive issues are discussed and participants have many different opinions. Maya Parker’s ultimate goal is to open a group home for abused and neglected youth.

-Dottie Kramer

Community Launches “Homelessness Eradication” Movement

By Reginald Black “The Street Reportin’ Artist” As it enters a new year, Washington may be on the right track when it comes to helping homeless families. On December 23, Integrated Community Solutions in Partnership with Angels and Associates began to launch what the group is calling “the homeless eradication movement.”

Angels and Associates is a Department of Behavioral Health contractor through the Addictions Prevention and Recovery Administration that provides financial assistance to the most vulnerable people in the city struggling with skyrocketing rents. People like Monique Staley, who has been homeless since losing her job at a home health agency. Staley had been homeless with her three children, ages 12, 9 and 2, for two years. They lived at the Quality Inn on New York Avenue.

“I stayed with my cousin for a few months,” Staley said. “You’re really, like, kinda unsure of what's going to happen.”

She felt their stay at the motel was a pleasant experience. “It hasn’t been as bad as other people’s experience has been.”

Staley was placed in Quality Inn on January 23, 2014.

“I had to make sure i went on the coldest night,” she said. “If you don’t go on a hypothermia day you might get turned away. It was a little frustrating.”

Working with Virginia Williams Family Resource Center to achieve placement was not a smooth experience. But overall, Staley said she couldn’t complain about having a clean place to go.

“I feel like the case managers are not doing a good job of communicating with you,” Staley said. “I made the best of it.”

She moved to Washington from her hometown of New York City in 2001, following the September 11 attacks.

“New York is very fast and if you can’t

Troy Bishop, Robert Williams, Monique Staley, LaRuby May and Al Grant.

PHOTO BY REGINALD BLACK.

keep up, if you not doing the right thing, you could get into a lot of trouble,” Staley said.

After being placed, she found Federal City Recovery Services’ job readiness program.

“It helped me realize that so many people are going through the same thing I’m going through,” Staley said. “I’m so pleased words cannot describe how pleased I am. This has been a hard jouney with my faith, but everything happens for a reason.”

People like Monique Staley can now find housing within the city. On December 23, Staley moved into a condominium through the rapid rehousing program.

Ward 8 Councilmember LaRuby May was present to award Staley the keys to her new dwelling.

“I'm eager to learn about the program and celebrate Ms. Staley's homeownership,” said May. She also had a few things to say about where she wants to lead the ward in dealing with housing instability.

“I’m very focused on 801 [East men’s shelter],” said May, who claimed to be working with the Department of General Services to improve the grounds on the shelter’s campus.

May also criticized the organization contracted by the city to run the 801 East shelter, Catholic Charities.

“I saw them doing the floors and the bathrooms, but I didn’t see anyone that looked like my brothers. I had an issue with that,” said May in reference to a lack of diversity in the Catholic Charities employees she observed staffing the shelter.

“You need to be thinking about more than just making money off housing them.” she said. “We can’t forget our brothers in 801.”

May also said the unsheltered in her ward could benefit from a daytime service center and indicated that a neighborhood in Ward 8 has accepted one of the small family shelters that will be built in all wards to replace DC General family shelter. Ward 8 also does not have an urgent care clinic, she pointed out.

Some of May’s legislation in 2016 will create “social equity zones,” she announced, or areas where anyone can afford to live and thrive, regardless of skin color.

“The best way for anyone, white or black, to leave a legacy is property,” said May. “We would be able to protect our long-term residents.”

May claims social equity zoning would protect existing public housing units, such as Barry Farm.

“I believe that some of the residents that live in Barry Farm will be able to come back as homeowners,” she said.

“People in Barry Farm need to be able to trust this government. The fight isn’t about ‘I don’t want to leave,’ but about having a decent place to live.”

May also expressed that she is committed to eradicating homelessness. She said that people with money do not always treat people without money well unless they are forced to.

Integrated Community Solutions is a behavioral group service provider founded

by Managing Partner Robert Williams.

“What good is a job if you don’t have a safe place to go back home to?” said Williams. “Homelessness is a moral issue on every level. This is a homelessness eradication movement.”

Integrated Community Solutions in Partnership with Angels and Associates is looking to eradicate homelessness everywhere, according to Williams, starting right in Ward 8. His vision includes safe affordable housing, access to medical services and more.

To wrap-up the movement’s first housing placement, landlord Troy Bishop, Robert Williams, Councilwoman May and real estate agent Al Grant presented Monique Staley with keys to her new dwelling.

“I’m just a conduit, I try to mix and match all your needs.” Grant said. “That’s what this is about: you pour into other people’s lives and it comes back.”

Quick Shots: As her police chief and several council members witnesses, Mayor Muriel Bowser confidently unfolds the strategic multi-pronged plan of action to thwart repeat offenders that are victimizing local homeowners and metro patrons.

PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN

Attorney General Karl Racine makes it very clear that his office will work diligently to end these attacks on DC Metropolitan Area citizens and guests. | PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN

STREET SENSE January 13 - 26, 2016

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NEWS

Fighting for Homeless Rights, No Matter What

People for Fairness Coalition (PFC) co-founder Albert Towsend excitedly shakes hands with long-time advocate for people experiencing homelessness Michael Stoops at PFC’s 2015 Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day demonstration. | PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN

Michael Stoops wall is full of well wishes, support, and thanks for his work.

PHOTO BY COLLEEN COSGRIFF

By Coleen Cosgriff Volunteer When Michael Stoops arrived at D.C’s 2015 Homeless Person’s Memorial Day, the 25th anniversary of an event he helped found and coordinate, it was the first time many of his friends and fellow advocates had seen him in months. Stoops suffered a severe stroke in the summer of 2015.

“We would not be remembering these people who died on the streets if it was not for your decision to honor those who passed on without a home,” Robert Warren said at D.C’s Homeless Person’s Memorial Day service. “You helped us to raise our voices, we are all grateful to you, Michael.”

Stoops has been working directly with unhoused and formerly unhoused people and homeless advocacy groups since 1972.

He is a founding board member of both the National Coalition for the Homeless (NCH) and Street Sense. Stoops joined the NCH staff in 1988. Prior to his stroke, he was the Director of Community Organizing there. In addition to coordinating National Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day, he served as an advisor to NCH’s Faces of Homelessness Speakers’ Bureau and coordinated events such as National Homeless Voter Registration Week and National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week.

Stoops was involved in the first major federal legislative response to homelessness, during the Reagan administration, when he helped research and write the McKinney-Vento Act. After McKinney-Vento's original passing, he helped create many of the Act’s amendments as well.

Right now, Stoops is in Maryland recovering from his stroke. He is unable to speak,

but was able to conduct an interview with Street Sense via yes or no questions and by pointing to printed lists of answers.

He was most eager to answer questions about D.C’s recent encampment sweeps and the criminalization of homelessness.

Stoops sees encampment sweeps as discrimination against those experiencing homelessness. He believes the laws that support encampment sweeps are unjust.

The criminalization of homelessness has increased, according to Stoops, who held up two fingers to indicate it’s become worse in the past two years. He thinks the Metropolitan Police Department has recently begun to focus on the campsites they once ignored.

Stoops believes encampment sweeps are the result of gentrification. He expressed concern that certain affluent neighborhoods often do not want visible encampments near their homes or businesses. As a result, he believes the District often houses the most visible people and not always the most vulnerable.

Stoops talked about this “not in my backyard" mentality in an online Q&A published by the Washington Post in 2005.

He communicated to Street Sense that he wants his Q&A quotes used in this article.

“We also know that communities rarely 'want' affordable housing units built in their neighborhoods. This ‘Not in my backyard’ mentality creates a situation where there is no real drive for affordable housing to be created except from advocates and low-income people who rarely control resources,” Stoops said in the Q&A.

In 2005, Stoops spoke about that mentality in terms of affordable housing, but the “not in my backyard” mentality was also present during discussions about encampment sweeps in 2015.

“There are a huge range of opinions

The Criminalization of homelessness has increased in the past two years, according to Stoops about homelessness in our community,” Foggy Bottom Association (FBA) President Marina Streznewski told Street Sense in November 2015, “I had one person say ‘I pay too much in taxes to have to look at this.” On the other hand, people have said ‘they are our neighbors too.’”

During a meeting with activists on December 18, the local Homeless Person’s Memorial Day, Ward 2 Councilmember Jack Evans said that people who walk by homeless encampments are often “scared.”

“There have been complaints from the neighborhood about this [encampment] site for many years,” Jenna Cevasco, spokeswoman for Deputy Mayor Donald said in an email to Street Sense in November 2015.

Stoops believes many government officials are well intentioned, but ineffective.

He does not think the Bowser Administration has been more effective in ending homelessness in the Districtthan any other mayoral administration.

Stoops was able to write some of his answers down during the interview and one question in particular stood out to him: “Is HUD effectively helping to stop the criminalization of the homeless?” Though much of his handwriting is illegible, next to that question about Hud's effectiveness, Stoops printed, legibly, “No.” More than a decade earlier, in the Q&A, Stoops echoed many of the same opinions he has today.

“Many cities, including Washington D.C., have been developing ten year plans or plans in general to end homelessness.

Talking about ending homelessness is one thing, doing it is another. Unless we have additional substantial public and private resources aimed at the root causes of homelessness, we will continue to see homelessness increase,” Stoops said.

He is currently awaiting transfer to another facility, which is Metro accessible. He is excited to move closer to his many friends in the District and eager to return to work as soon as possible to help end homelessness.

BELOW: Photos by Robin, a participant in the new photography project “District Displaced,” founded by Mark Thomas. Robin often photographs the Dupont Circle underpass, which he prefers to call “The Grand Canyon.” | PHOTO BY COLLEEN COSGRIFF

Photographers Document

By Colleen Cosgriff Volunteer

In Dupont Circle, the roots of a large tree are pushing the sidewalk in front of it up.

People walk by, often in a hurry, and trip over the raised cement. But if they look down in time “Step Up” has been painted directly in front of the sidewalk’s split.

Robin, a currently unhoused veteran, painted the warning a few months ago after watching numerous people trip and fall onto the sidewalk.

“That tree has no more room to grow, so its roots are pushing up the sidewalk...

Starbucks doesn’t do anything and the city doesn’t do anything [about the sidewalk],” Robin said in an interview with Street Sense. “I kept seeing people trip and I got mad. So I painted.”

Sidewalks aren’t Robin’s only artistic medium, he is an avid painter and plays both the guitar and harmonica. He started his own company, Potomac Rock Art, named after the rocks he found by the Potomac River. Robin hand-paints each rock and sells them outside in the Dupont area.

“When people buy the ‘underdog rock’ or the one I didn’t think anyone would buy, it gives me courage,” Robin said.

Robin was born in Paris, France. His father worked for the State Department and he grew up traveling the world and

moving frequently with his family. Robin speaks multiple languages, including: Arabic, English, French, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish. As an adult, he joined the army and was in the 82nd Airborne Division. He remained in the 82nd Airborne for four years and then served active duty in the reserves for seven years. Robin’s first deployment was to Panama. He later went to Bosnia and Iraq. He said his art is only inspired by his travels before and after joining the military. Everything during his deployments “was too intense.”

Between deployments, Robin relocated to California and studied computer programming. He later moved to France, where his efficiency in multiple languages helped land him a job with EuroDisney managing the parades. He then continued to travel throughout Europe and eventually experienced homelessness in Spain.

Robin said experiencing homeless in Spain was “rough, but not like being urban homeless.” He has been in the District for the last three years, first in Georgetown and now in Dupont.

Robin met Mark Thomas, a recent graduate of Catholic University, about a year and a half ago. Thomas majored in Studio Art and was required to complete a final senior project. He chose to photograph the hands of people who experience homelessness to show the physical ramifications of homelessness.

Thomas spent the next four months offering the people he met on the streets warm clothing and food before asking if he could photograph their hands. Over time, Thomas decided to offer disposable cameras to the people he met. He would then

collect the film and have it developed.

Thomas brought each photographer his or her photos to title them and approve which ones would be for public view. He called his work “District Displaced.”

“I was trying to think of a unique way, because so many people through photography have engaged [the homeless] population,” Thomas said in an interview with Street Sense.

When they met last spring, Robin decided to accept Thomas’ offer to take photos. Robin and Thomas have remained in contact ever since, even though Thomas’ project initially ended after the exhibition of his work.

“I mounted the exhibition [In April] and then I kind of left it alone because I had just graduated. I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do,” Thomas said. “I was looking in other places for what I should maybe try to do, but then I kind of realized: ‘why not just invest in something I already thought of doing?’”

Thomas, now a freelance photographer, decided to revitalize his project about two months ago. He still focuses first on outreach, trying to engage with those experiencing homelessness in a way that respects their needs and well. He packs his car with warm clothing, food, and cameras and drives throughout D.C to distribute it.

“I drive around and the back of my car is filled with these tubs of cold weather clothing donations. Before they even think about taking pictures or being engaged in any way creatively, they’re left tangibly in a better way,” Thomas said.

He originally self-funded District Dis-

placed, paying out of pocket to buy cameras and develop film. A.J Glover, who manages District Camera, became “more and more interested” in the project as he developed increasing amounts of the contributors’ film.

“I work here, I can get a discount, so I can help [District Displaced] go further. I work with a lot of artists, especially artists our age, and we try to support each other,” Glover said in an interview with Street Sense.

“I look up to [Thomas], I really respect what he’s doing. We’re coming together to try and do things.”

Thomas’ friend Jabari Johnson also got involved when Thomas revitalized his project. He frequently accompanies Thomas on outreach trips.

“You know we’re in D.C., we’re in the most powerful city in the world. Right now if you look at the state of the city and the transition that it's going through, it is lovely and it’s nice to see nice new things around here. But I also think that we need to take time to not only focus on the haves and make sure they have amenities, but focus on making sure the have-nots have their necessities,” Johnson said in an interview with Street Sense during D.C.’s Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day vigil.

Johnson said his father exposed him to poverty in the District starting at the age of five. The conversations he and his father shared shaped his life and inspired him to continue to volunteer and participate in outreach.

“A big part of why I like District Displaced is it allows us to bring a narrative about

Pathways to Housing DC may be contacted at (202) 529-2972 to refer someone for help.

STREET SENSE January 13 - 26, 2016

7

NEWS

Life During Displacement

Robin stands with the tree he has observed causing many passerby to trip on because it’s roots have raised part of the sidewalk outside of the Dupont Circle Starbucks.

Mark Thomas presenting District Displaced when it began as his college thesis.

homelessness told by the homeless. I know the mission of District Displaced is to spark the conversation, humanize the conversation, and make people talk, and to shine a new light on this epidemic,” Johnson said.

Having individuals who experience homelessness take control of their narrative is extremely important to Thomas.

He still makes sure any photos he makes public have been chosen and titled by the photographer. Once approved and titled, Thomas posts the photos to the District Displaced website, DistrictDisplaced.com.

“I’ve found that so many individuals who are homeless create creatively under different umbrella organizations and then don’t tangibly get anything for what they create. I think that that is not appropriate,” Thomas said. “So everything we do, we try to be very transparent in a way not to manipulate people that are already, unfortunately, being manipulated by the system or other people. They don’t need any more people taking advantage of them, if anything they need a lot less.”

Robin remains District Displaced’s longest contributor and he is also Thomas’ closest friend. Thomas is a consistent presence in Robin’s weekly life, although the two have no other form of communication besides their near-daily meetings. Robin does have a phone that was gifted to him by a GW student, but he cannot text or make phone calls. He instead uses it to listen to Pandora via Wi-Fi. Lately, he’s been listening to the Gaelic folk music station.

Robin enjoys photographing sunrises, sunsets, gardens, Victorian houses, and the ocean. He also frequently photographs the Dupont circle underpass, which he calls the

dates in his housing status. Robin said he didn’t have any news.

Robin has tried to receive housing before, but says he’s fallen through the cracks from various services over the past two years.

He’s completed rehabilitation programs for substance abuse in the past, but doesn’t want to return to another center. He says he just wants a safe place to live.

A few months ago, Robin and Thomas said they were approached by a woman who identified herself as a Pathways employee. She offered to take Robin to visit local service provider Veterans on the Rise. Robin did not want to leave his belongings on short notice and asked to reschedule their meeting to the following afternoon at 12:30pm. The next day, Thomas arrived to watch over Robin’s belongings, but both men said the woman never came back.

Due to the organization’s confidentiality policies, Pathways could not confirm to Street Sense whether or not Robin is their client. Christine Elwell, Outreach Director at Pathways, explained in an email to Street Sense that Pathways outreach members “walk the neighborhood several times a day” to familiarize themselves with those in the area and their needs, but it can be difficult to arrange appointments.

“People who experience homelessness often have difficulty keeping track of information and appointments, in part because they are very focused on meeting basic needs (food, shelter, clothing)...Individuals often lack access to transportation as well as the flexibility to take care of things around times that are most convenient for them (such as in between meal programs

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF AMERICA

PHOTO BY COLLEEN COSGRIFF

“Grand Canyon.” Robin works at his own pace, filling up a roll of film whenever he is inspired. If he has filled up a roll of film by the time Thomas sees him next, he has a new camera ready for Robin to use. “[District Displaced is] all about showing that the homeless are talented,” Robin said.

For a while, Robin did a photo series using his bike that he called “Huffy.” Each photo was a different backdrop, but Huffy was the consistent center of the frame.

Unfortunately, those photos and Huffy were stolen on the streets. Robin says that happens frequently. He has lost more photos and cameras from Mark, eleven phones, six guitars, and numerous harmonicas.

Because Robin stays on the same block in Dupont most days, local business people and residents often check in with him or bring him food. Almost two months ago, a man passing by saw Robin playing a broken guitar. A few days later, the same man came back with a new guitar for Robin.

Robin says he now keeps his guitar with Pathways to Housing DC (Pathways) to prevent it from being stolen. An artist who recently saw Robin painting gave him one of his canvases to use as an easel. During his interview with Street Sense, a taxi driver delivered a box of Krispy Kreme donuts to Robin and Mark.

“Good things are happening to me, but it’s intermingled with so much bad,” Robin said, throwing a bag of crackers out for the pigeons, “Everywhere I grew up there were pigeons, in Morocco, in Spain...”

During his interview with Street Sense, John, a Dupont local, stopped to check in with Robin and inquired about any up-

or shower times.)” Elwell said.

Individuals experiencing homelessness can ask a Business Improvement District Ambassador or SAM (Safety/Hospitality and Maintenance), or another service provider, to contact Pathways on their behalf.

Pathways receives referrals “every day” from concerned citizens, according to Elwell. Referrals can result in being able to locate someone new who is in need, or in team members checking in on a client already in their system.

For Thomas, Robin’s continued lack of housing is frustrating, especially as the District had aimed to end veteran homelessness by the New Year. But Thomas tries to channel frustration he feels into District Displaced.

“You can take those bad emotions and utilize them to do something positive instead of just ignoring the problem. Because it’s not going to go away if people don’t do anything.” Thomas said.

When asked what he needs and wants out of life, Robin replied: “You know, no one really ever asks me that. They come up and say ‘Do you want this hat? Or this food?’ I would want a workshop, a place to work. I’d open up a coffee shop where people could bring their animals, with some bird houses and a Japanese garden. I’d still do rocks. I’d still make sidewalk art.”

District Displaced will host an exhibition of each contributor’s hand selected work on January 29 at White Room DC (1240 9th Street NW) from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. The event is free and open to the public, but Thomas encourages cold weather clothing donations or monetary donations towards the project.

A Surgical Procedure: The 11th Street

By Daniel Roche Volunteer

Teen artists from Cesar Chavez Public Charter High School and ArtReach at THEARC collaborated to paint a 55' mural "exploring what makes a Reagan Building and International Trade Center during October 2015. PHOTOS BY MATAILONG DU

Surgery is performed within the human body to mend a chronic condition. Knee replacement, for instance, is deemed necessary when the connection between the femur and the fibula can no longer withstand the stressors that occur within the joint. The patient suffering from this condition is faced with two choices; to ignore the problem until the tissue deteriorates and gives out or undergo replacement surgery which usually involves some form of prosthetic article.

A surgical procedure is taking place in Southeast Washington D.C. to mend the tissue on either side of the Anacostia River and connect the communities between Capitol Hill, Navy Yard, and historic Anacostia. The 11th Street Bridge Park, a public-private venture to repurpose existing infrastructure into pedestrian space, proposes a progressive model of community engagement. The park will be built atop existing piers that supported the old 11th Street Bridge before it was replaced in 2013.

Projects of a similar nature such as Chicago’s Millennium Park, New York City’s Highline, or Atlanta’s Belt Line have had fantastic effects on resident’s and tourist’s experiences of their respected cities. Despite the wonderful commodity that urban parks can provide, inserting desirable amenities into neighborhoods can also cause the displacement of existing residents.

However, the 11th Street Bridge Project seeks to create a new model of development for the reuse of aging infrastructure

that would overcome the potential for gentrification.

Scott Kratz, Director of The 11th Street Bridge Park and resident of Barrack’s Row in Capitol Hill, coordinates community members, architects, planners, and city officials to move the project forward. Kratz is not your typical planner of multi-million dollar, city-wide urban initiatives. He believes his professional background provides him with an intuitive ability to incorporate the community into his work, which is what makes this project different from others like it. Kratz was previously an educator as well as Vice President for Education at The National Building Museum.

“Historically speaking, planning has happened to that community, not really with it” Kratz said in an interview with Street Sense. “It really became an exercise of rebuilding trust with people that had been promised things in the past and never saw those promises come to fruition.”

He described how the group tried to anticipate and plan around unintended consequences of the 11th Street Bridge Park.

“After working with the consulting firm HR&A to build an economic impact study, we learned that urban parks inserted into communities can raise property values surrounding the site anywhere between 5 and 45 percent,” Kratz said. The first question we had asked ourselves was, ‘How do we get ahead of this?’ Some people remarked that this is simply a product of the free market, and there was nothing that could be done, but we refused to accept that answer.”

The value of engaging the community early cannot be emphasized enough, according to Kratz.

“A typical development project a decade ago would create their own project in a bubble and go through the standard review process and get it done without ever seeing the community.” Kratz said.

“This is finally changing.”

What separates this new model of development from the process Kratz says would have been used a decade ago is an Equitable Development Plan compiled by representatives from nonprofits, government agencies, local businesses, and community stakeholders to ensure that the park will continually benefit nearby residents. The strategies to be implemented from the Equitable Development Plan are specifically catered to the economic needs of the community. Perhaps the most reassuring aspect to come from this plan is the attention dedicated to permanent affordable home ownership within a one mile radius of the site. It was deemed critical to accomplish these aspects of the plan well before design began.

Reinforcing this value, on January 5 The 11th Street Bridge Project announced a partnership with affordable housing provider Manna, Inc to provide a free monthly Ward 8 Homebuyer’s Club. The club is designed to help residents currently renting in Ward 8 transition to owning property in their neighborhoods. The first club meeting is slated to be held on February 23.

Creating a community-driven starts with gaining quantifiable data that has

Plans for the Bridge Park include play space, boat GRAPHIC COURTESY OF OMA AND OLIN

a direct impact on community members.

Kratz stated that the nonprofit leading the Bridge Park project, Building Bridges Across The River (BBAR), and Local Initiatives Support Corporation gathered critical data about nearby residents interests to inform their decisions.

“We were looking at all sorts of things” Kratz said. “We were looking at affordable housing, home ownership rates, poverty rates, obesity rates, the need for workforce development, and small business enterprises…”

STREET SENSE January 13 - 26, 2016

Bridge Park Project

9

FEATURES A Picture of Dr. King!

By Henriessee Roberts Vendor/Artist When I was in Baltimore taking pictures of Freddie Gray's mural, I wanted to find other murals in the community. I went to the store with the "Heal Our Screams" mural, for which Terrence helped me see the words. Then he told me that we needed leaders like Dr. King.

"Why? What is it about him you need? Tell me the specific attributes and traits you seek." I told him to think about it and get back to me when he is ready. Then I said I had many pictures of Dr. King's memorial on The Mall and I would give him two framed ones.

We two vowed to improve our communities.

a healthy city, community and neighborhood." As pictured above, the mural hung in the Ronald

t launch, a hammock grove and more.

By working with the community to decide and design the park’s features, use and programming, Kratz hopes the Bridge Park can help the community improve in some of these areas. Every single programming idea came from the community, including urban agriculture complete with an environmental education center, play space for children, performance space, boats and more.

The transparency that has become so prevalent within the project’s execution can be exemplified with the selection

of its designers as part of a nationwide design competition. World-renowned architecture practice OMA and equally illustrious landscape architecture practice OLIN, became the unanimous choices for the project’s execution by both the formal jury and community representatives because of tsteps they took in the initial stages of their design process.

“We saw remarkable designs from all four final design teams.” stated Kratz.

“What made OMA/OLIN stand out to us was the first portion of their presentation when they showed a photograph dating back to three years ago. The image was a design of the Park created by local teens that the architects used to help inform the design intentions. The relationship between the designer and the community is what we were really looking for.”

BBAR, OMA, and OLIN are taking further steps to increase the potential of their design by exploring the creation of a temporary installation titled, ‘Anacostia Beach’ which will serve as an urban laboratory for the city to experiment with ideas such as a hammock garden to go onto the future Bridge. The Anacostia Beach is currently in the planning and fundraising phase and is expected to open in July of 2016.

“If one of the legacies of this project can be that by participating in an Equitable Development Plan then the community can build a muscle to shape their neighborhoods, rather than just this fantastic Bridge Park, that can be the biggest legacy. Not the Bridge,” Kratz said.

A mural remembering Freddie Gray, who died at the age of 25 while in police custody.

PHOTO BY HENRIEESE ROBERTS

MLK Jr.? Hmm...

By Ken Martin Vendor/Artist I had the honor of living in his era, visiting the March on Washington (as a child, of course) and working at the District's MILK Jr. Memorial Center for the Near Northeast Community Im-provement Corporation. I never met Dr. King, his wife Coretta, or any of their children. I did march with their daughter Yolanda at either Farm Aid or For the Missing Children of Atlanta. Memory fails...

What remains foremost in mind is their inspiration. I learned much about Dr. King through Idus Holmes, a civil rights fighter and community leader. In our many talks he shared things I liked and others I did not. Nonetheless, Dr. King and his family were the faces of love, dignity, re-spectability, faith, justice, nobility, integrity, strength, intelligence and the Afro-American Dream.

Like others, I was inspired to be more and do more to "reach my mountaintop."

To climb, to excel and to persevere in that process. To enable my fellow humans, no matter what color, to do likewise. To never stop until the ones with the least are among the ones with the most.

Those, I have also learned, are daily jobs for all of us. I am still inspired. And recently my edi-tor said, responding to my being quoted in The Washington Post, that I am inspiring.

Are you?

OPINION We Have Not Arrived

In Memory of Great Icons

By Ken Martin

WE HAVE ARRIVED!!!

WHAT A MYTH! What we have done is accepted our plight. No, not all of us, but the vast majority, educated or not, have become apathetic and complacent. Even some like me, dedicated community organizers that were active participants in "The Dream."

I was a child at the March on Washington; a violator in the riots; a militant in the aftermath; an activist/organizer and marshal in many later marches; and a grassroots community service worker for years.

I burned out, but I didn't sell out! I allowed myself to "opt out" with a (shouldershrugging) plea of "Where'd everybody go?"

That was a cop-out. Many of the unsung leaders of the civil rights movement have gone. Certainly the ones that inspired me have died, aged or mellowed. They paid their dues, received little or no recognition, more or less faded into oblivion. My own (albeit righteous, spelled r-i-o-t-o-us) indignation lacked the fire to go on. I guess I deluded myself into believing my opinions no longer mattered.

By Angie Whitehurst Why? Civil Rights Enactment?

Equality for All? Younger, Stronger, More Intelligent Leadership?

Nope!

Appeasement (a policy of acceding to hostile demands in order to gain peace). I speak only FOR myself but TO those of you that have questions about your standing in the "ongoing" Civil Rights Movement.

We have not arrived and no, "this ain't no lecture!"

“The Movement” cannot cease because we have staggering statistics in poverty, homelessness/fair rental/housing, mental and physical illness, child abuse, spousal abuse, hunger, unemployment, mortalitygenocide and more. And we forgot that resolving these issues was the purpose of the movement.

We have not arrived. We have fallen backwards, because now that we have all these better educated citizens, we have all those worsened issues and another one: The empowered don't care.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service indeed!

I did not stay up at night getting tendonitis, hand-drawing flyers, spending days knocking on doors till my feet were so sore I might not be able to march, talking till I was hoarse trying to get people to turn out for their own good, so people could remember Martin Luther King, Jr. one month a year doing what you should be doing anyway. I want to see the problems solved. Not to watch a society full of financially satisfied (appeased) social workers, politicians and "ethnically recognized professionals" bury their heads in the sand while the ones that made things possible for their higher living suffer in dismay, disbelief and disappointment.

REMEMBER THE DREAM!!!

Ken Martin is a Vendor/Artist for Street Sense. He has a background in community organizing as well as real estate. Ken operates a pop-up hat shop in the District. Learn more at www. brims4you.com.

Resolve to Combat Homelessness in 2016 cessfully exit homelessness into a home of their own! In 2015, DHS helped more households exit homelessness into housing than ever before. Last year, 1014 families, 621 unaccompanied adults and more than 681 veterans exited homelessness into permanent housing with the support of DHS. That’s almost a 30 percent increase over 2014! And with the new investments Bowser made in 2016 and the improvements we are making to our programs, my resolution is to help even more families and individuals achieve permanent housing this year.

3. Continue to implement Homeward DC, the District’s strategic plan to end long-term homelessness! Last March, Bowser, with the Interagency Council on Homelessness, released Homeward DC, a comprehensive five-year plan to make homelessness in D.C. rare, brief and nonrecurring. In her first budget, Bowser made historic investments in the solutions we know work to end homelessness: more affordable housing, permanent supportive housing and rapid re-housing.

We launched new prevention initiatives to help families avoid homelessness; created year-round access to emergency family housing (instead of just during hypothermia season); expanded homeless outreach services; and opened a daytime center where people experiencing homelessness can go to meet their basic needs and engage in supportive services.

Bowser has also set a clear path to close D.C. General Family Shelter and replace

Angie Whitehurst, a native Washingtonian, has been a Street Sense vendor and an advocate for the homeless for the last three years.

Gun Violence Is My Story

By Laura Zeilinger

I have high hopes for the District of Columbia in 2016. I have high hopes for the Department of Human Services and for the residents we serve. Thanks to Mayor Muriel Bowser and the historic investments and commitments she has made, D.C. has an opportunity this year to achieve amazing progress on our goals to make homelessness rare, brief and non-recurring, and to connect all residents with greater economic opportunity. We know that when people have a safe place that is home, the entire community benefits – there is a broader and deeper understanding of this fact than ever before. This is why I believe that 2016 is the year for us to seize the moment and advance historic change.

At DHS, our dedicated staff proudly serves and supports more than 250,000 D.C. residents. Through the provision of income, nutrition and emergency housing assistance from a range of programs and services, DHS plays an essential part in empowering D.C. households to strengthen their economic security, improve their well-being and create a foundation on which to thrive. My New Year’s Resolutions reflect these high hopes, and I call on all Washingtonians to join me in working to achieve these goals.

1. End Veteran Homelessness! We have made significant progress in our goal to end homelessness among veterans in D.C. No one who has served our country should have to sleep on the streets – especially in our nation’s capital.

2. Support more households to suc-

None of us are perfect.

Martin Luther King, Jr., Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), Malcolm X, Abraham Lincoln, Indira Gandhi, Golda Meir and Shirley Chisholm are remembered--revered, even--as great men and women.

We continually ignore their frailties as human beings. We know and remember their higher achievements, striven for on behalf of humanity with extraordinary courage, determination and ceaseless fortitude. They led by example, and symbolize forever what can be done if we try and never give up.

In gratitude and remembrance and out of respect for those and the countless others like them, let us make an unyielding effort to keep our eyes on the good we do and the positive deeds we can accomplish and achieve on behalf of humanity.

By Damon Smith it with smaller, more dignified emergency housing facilities across the city.

4. Get started on developing smaller, community-based emergency family housing facilities to replace D.C. General!

D.C. General is not an ideal place to raise a family – not even for a short time.

It is an old, large building that’s use as a family shelter must come to an end as soon as possible. The mayor’s commitment on this issue is clear: We will close D.C. General and replace it with smaller, community-based facilities that more effectively support our families and reflect our values as a community. We made significant progress toward this goal in 2015, including investing nearly $45 million to get the job done. In 2016, look for progress to get into high gear.

5. Enlist everyone who cares about ending homelessness in the effort! My final resolution this year is to enlist everyone who cares about ending homelessness in the effort and to sign the mayor’s pledge to end homelessness in D.C. We know that homelessness is not an intractable problem. We know how to solve it, and we all have a part to play to make this resolution a reality. Please visit www.dc.gov/homewarddc, and sign the pledge today.

I wish everyone a happy, healthy and hopeful New Year. Remember, if you or someone you know needs shelter please call the Shelter Hotline at 1-800-535-7252.

Laura Zeilinger is the director for the D.C. Department of Human Services.

Gun violence affects a lot of people; it’s not just a story on TV or radio or the Internet. To me, it’s more personal. I’ve lost a lot of friends to gun violence. I was having a conversation with a friend on 17th and East Capitol streets, and no sooner did we shake hands and I turned the corner, I heard gunshots and I knew it was him, getting shot. An SUV pulls up and guns him down; a minute more of conversation, and it would have been both of us.

That wasn’t the first time. I’ve had bad experiences with guns, but this was an eye-opener and a message from God. The friend was a brother, father and son, so gun violence affects more than the victim – it has a ripple effect on many.

People kill people, not guns.

Gun violence affects more than the victim.

Guns save lives as well as take them.

But the negative effect has more impact and sells more guns. Guns are a great hobby, too; shooting for sport can be a great mental exercise and skill-builder.

Hunting can feed your family or protect you. Also, a right to bear arms is a constitutional right.

But seeing someone you know dead in your face is a powerful experience.

Damon Smith is a writer and vendor for Street Sense.

Have an opinion about how homelessness is being handled in our community? Street Sense maintains an open submission policy and prides itself as a newspaper that elevates community voices and fosters healthy debate. Send your thoughts to opinion@streetsense.org.

Lift the Lamp of Hope for D.C.’s Homeless

By Vincent Keane

For 30 years, Unity Health Care, Inc. has been providing health care to over 100,000 residents of the District of Columbia.

Unity first began as Health Care for the Homeless Project, with an exclusive focus on serving the needs of homeless families and adults. Through the efforts of visionary leaders such as the late Mayor Marion Barry, the late Dr. Jesse Barber and Dr. Janelle Goetcheus, the District created an innovative program to provide health care to its neediest residents. One of the first commitments made by the project was to go where the people were: in shelters, park benches or on the street. Medical teams were established in the shelters, and a mobile outreach van did street outreach.

Thirty years later, the challenges of 1985 are still with us in many major cities in our country including D.C. Homeless persons die much too early. Rates of chronic diseases such as hypertension and cardiovascular disease, as well as HIV infection, continue to increase, and most recently, there has been a rise in Hepatitis C. Many of our homeless brothers and sisters experience high rates of mental illness and end up on the streets with little or no support. A horrifying phenomenon today is that our prisons and jails have become de facto our largest mental health care facilities.

The homeless and the poor are swimming in a challenging environment of indifference and hostility. Is our society becoming less generous, more selfish and

abandoning our moral and social obligation to one another? What happened to the words on our great symbol of freedom, the Statue of Liberty? “Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses, yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore, Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door,” wrote Emma Lazarus. As a society we are not putting out the welcome mat for our huddled masses or homeless.

Social safety net programs such as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, food stamps, housing vouchers and Medicaid, as well as the Civil Rights and Voting Act, are unraveling. Poverty appears to be a necessary and inevitable product of economic growth. From the New Deal of President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933 to the Great Society of President Lyndon Johnson in 1964, our nation has consistently supported social programs that are critical to reducing poverty and homelessness.

However, hostility towards these programs has grown.

Nowhere is this hostility more evident than the current efforts in Congress to repeal the Affordable Care Act passed in 2010. As a result of the act, insurance coverage has been provided to 15 million people nationwide. Medicaid expansion by the District government and other states is just one example of the positive impact of the act on lives of the poor, many of whom are homeless. Those who are com-

mitted to social justice must not allow the act to be repealed.

While the District has done much over the years to provide services to people experiencing homelessness, much more needs to be done. Medical respite care remains a high priority for individuals who are discharged from hospitals with no place to go. There are not enough mental health services. Affordable and supportive housing is not adequate to meet the needs. The ongoing gentrification of the District, while good for the economy, causes displacement for those who are unstably housed.

The Bowser administration has made a strong commitment to ending homelessness, and it remains a high priority for the City Council; for this, all homeless advocates and providers are grateful. It is my hope that future plans for the closure of the Community for Creative Non-Violence Shelter will involve significant community input, and that the provision of health care for those experiencing homelessness will be an essential component of any relocation plans as new shelter sites are developed.

I hope that in 2016 all of us will live out the words on the Statue of Liberty and through our efforts may we “lift a lamp of hope” for our brothers and sisters.

Vincent Keane is the president and CEO of Unity Health Care, Inc.

STREET SENSE January 13 - 26, 2016

1#1

OP-ED

Homeless Persons Memorial Day

By Henrieese Roberts

Last month we had our third annual vigil for those of us that died while homeless.

The woeful total: 11 in Northern Virginia, 18 in Anne Arundel County and 41 in the District. We hearken all to care for those of us who need shelter. As Anne Arundel County's Homeless Persons' Memorial Day Program said, "Advocates, friends, community leaders and service providers hope to bring attention to the need for more resources to provide affordable housing, emergency shelter and medical care for our most vulnerable citizens."

At the D.C. vigil on Dec. 18 at Freedom Plaza, I met Jamie Greer, originally from Las Vegas. This young man is homeless because his part-time employment does not provide enough to pay for housing. He hopes that homeless people will be considered more like a family.

"We are all family and should all work to help our vulnerable family members," he told me. He would like to live in a cooperative housing unit with like-minded people who can share rent and other living costs. Michael Stoops, the director of community organizing for the National Coalition for the Homeless, was with us, which made the D.C. Vigil more joyous because he is ill. We were so happy to see him.

Henrieese Roberts is a photographer, writer and vendor for Street Sense.

We Deserve Better Than Liberal Democrats

By Jeffery McNeil

Black folks are in an abusive relationship with African American leadership and the Democratic party. No matter what city you visit, Chicago, Baltimore, Detroit or Washington D.C., you will see high concentrations of black poverty. These cities are run by corrupt Democratic machines.

When you think of black-on-black crime, you think of one black man attacking another. However, the real crimes being committed toward African-Americans are not happening in the hood but in state capitols and city halls across this country, where you have African-American leaders betraying us and serving us up to the liberal white progressives who undermine our interests and sell us out.

Although African-Americans keep talking about injustice and oppression, they fail to see who the real oppressors are.

We are at at a critical moment. We are in a fight for our souls. Are we going to continue to let liberals continue to belittle, patronize and take our concerns for granted? Or are we going to say to the

Democratic Party, this time is different, and control our own destiny?

There are some African-Americans not pleased but embarrassed by the hypnotic grasp the Democratic Party has over African-Americans. It seems Black Lives Don't Matter, but being Black and playing the victim is what matters. It's pathetic to watch African-Americans raise hell and protest presidential candidates that don't have the power to address our concerns, but not protest a president who should be sympathetic to black needs.

I know some don't want to hear it, but it needs to be told. You have been had.

We got a bad bill of goods with President Barack Obama. He ran on hope and change but the only thing that changed was his attitude toward the people that elected him. He ran as an outsider but became an insider. He no longer talks us up, but became another elitist snob who believes he is smarter than the unwashed masses who don't agree with him.

Since elected, he hasn’t pushed an

agenda that's in the interest of Black America but instead has pandered and used his executive power to put AfricanAmericans in direct conflict with the special interests of the left. He gives amnesty to illegal immigrants and goes around the globe, implying climate change is responsible for terrorism, while the black man in America continues to get shot, handcuffed and marginalized from the American mainstream. The Black Caucus, NAACP and Urban League all are useless.

They're more concerned about access to the White House than demanding Obama provide relief to many African-Americans who have been hurt by his policies.

I used to think Republicans were racist, but they are saving Americans from themselves. The liberals have never met a dollar they didn't want to spend, and if Hillary gets elected, the capitalist system that has lifted many out of poverty will no longer exist.

Although there is a white silent majority, there are many blacks who are just

as angry and fed up with politicians that talk real sassy, then end up selling out the black community. African-Americans are no different than whites. We want better schools, safe neighborhoods and employment opportunities. What do Hillary Clinton and the Democrats offer us, but legalized marijuana, abortion on demand, amnesty for illegal immigrants and gender-neutral bathrooms?

The stakes are too high. Both parties want to push a one-world globalist agenda that undercuts religion, destroys families and steamrolls traditional institutions that were the glue holding societies together.

I never voted Republican in my life, but I will gladly pull the lever for Donald Trump, Ted Cruz or Ben Carson. The Democrats got to go!

The same thing will get us the same thing. We as black folks deserve better.

Jeffery McNeil is a frequent writer and columnist for Street Sense.

The Street Sense Writers’ Group is led by writing professionals and meets every Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. The group’s goal is to develop ideas and collaborate on the next great issue of Street Sense.

What’s Important in Life

Trying to Move Forward

By Elizabeth Bryant, Vendor/Artist

I understand the longer you live, the more you understand what is important.

What you may think is important about life often isn’t. I’d rather have peace of mind.

As long as you keep God and the Holy Spirit and Jesus Christ first, you can’t lose.

My health has really improved. I was wearing a size 18 pant, now I am down to size 12. My exercise class really helps me move my muscles.

My hair is really healthy and it has grown a lot. I don’t put a permanent or heat on my hair. I just let my hairdresser do what she needs to do. I really trust Jesus Christ to let it grow.

Right now I am anemic, but I look for that to improve too.

Finding out who you really are is worth the journey. It is important to treat yourself and others with respect. What other people say about you doesn’t matter be-

By Joe Jackson, Vendor/Artist cause they don’t really know you. Find out who God says you are.

This year I hope I will be getting my one bedroom apartment. My daughter and I are far apart, but I look forward to being in her life and my grandchildren’s. I understand that the old way didn’t work.

I am looking forward to not working so much. I hope I don’t have to work weekends. I’ll keep going to church and doing my aerobics. I also want to go back to school, but I can’t do both due to scheduling conflicts. If I go back to school it makes things so up in the air.

So, follow your dream but make sure to be realistic. Don’t allow anyone to convince you to give it up because it is your dream. Remember, it is your life and you have to choose to how to live and how to die. Happy New Year.

They Were Crying

By Michael Davies, Vendor/Artist They thought there was no way out. The sun was shining, but in their hearts were only gloom and doubt. The world as it seemed was an eternal refutation of their lives' circumstances. Their romances had seemingly dissipated.

But wait!

In an instant the rain came and the melancholy mood reminded of the ups and downs of life. They hugged each other in acceptance of the sunshine and the rain, then let go of the rain.

Have you ever felt that way? If so, march along!

My fantasy is to have some place to work steadily and a place of my own. I would like to keep people away that are no good. I’ll have smart people in my life that will guide me to success.

It is a hard feeling when people look down on you because you need help. But you will always have hope for the next day.

When I come out of this hole, I am going to try hard and stay strong. Sometimes it

seems like the harder you try, the harder you are pulled back. But that could be what happens when you wanted to change but are not able to recognize that feeling or emotion after being “down” for so long.

In a negative mind-set, it is very difficult to recognize a new change in pattern, because you have been used to that old one for so long. Thank you everyone in Tenleytown for your help with my hardship.

The Dancers

By Michael Craig, Vendor/Artist Floating and glowing through mysteries of life, The streets and stress, the pressure of life – Everyone is dancing through it.

But we have a choice.

We can analyze it on a level of equality Of social justice, appreciation and acceptance Of diversity.

We can dance with a smile on our faces On our faces.

So let’s dance!

Feeling Good about Yourself

By Ronald Turner, Vendor/Artist

It started with staying fit and keeping physically active. As I age I try to worry less and remain more open-minded, outgoing and agreeable. New research from Florida State University, Tallahassee, has found too little exercise had an even bigger impact on personality changes than chronic diseases.

Senior author Antonio Terracciano, Ph.D., stated that three or more bouts of exercise a week, for a total of at least two and a half hours, would help us physically and emotionally as we age.

AFTER KATRINA: A Ten-Year Roller Coaster, Part 12

By Gerald Anderson, Vendor/Artist

PREVIOUSLY: Now that I’m in the street hustlin’ and gettin’ money, the womens all on me. The KingPin had a Hummer truck and a Lexus. I start drivin’ his car, we start goin’ to dinner, goin’ to clubs. You dress nice to go in the club, and the bathroom had guys in there handin’ you napkins to dry your hands. The dealer introduced me to other hustlers. When I shake hands with them, the dealer let them know I’m his right-hand man. I’m startin’ to get bigheaded. I stepped my game up—getting 50 and then 100 bags to sell. And now I’m frontin’ other dudes. One day, a cop stopped me. He tell me, “We need to take a photograph of you, so we have a picture of you in case something happen to you.” Someone must have told them about me, which gets my mind to thinking this could be trouble...

With me bein’ addicted, I didn’t see

nothin’ but money and the material things. I didn’t see the consequences that could come with this.

A few weeks later I see the cop riding with three others, four-deep in one cop car.

We had a clientele so good that people call and let you know when the feds riding. So it catch me off guard when I see them come around the corner, and the hero cop hang out the window shoutin’, “Hey Orlean, can I get 4 for 35?”

I’m sayin’ to myself, “How he know I sell drugs?”

When I told my friend, he say, “Man you’re marked.”

I told him, “I’m in to win; it’s too late to back out now.”

Another day I was by myself walkin’ to the store. The cop pull up on me and say, “Orlean!”

I say, “I didn’t like how you call me.”

He say, “I’m gonna do you a favor man. Leave those guys alone. They going down. We gonna bust them and they never see the light of day again. I’ve got informers. I pay them real good.”

I say, “Me, I’m gonna see the light of day, ’cause I’m not doin’ nothin’” He say, “I’m givin’ you the benefit of the doubt. I’m your homeboy. I can get you a job at Safeway bagging groceries.”

I say, “Man, I’m telling you I don’t do nothin’.” And I tell him, “I know your game before you comin’, just like a game of chess. I been on the street since I was a teenager. I know game when I see game.”

He say, “All right man, I’ll see you later.” I was really messed up in my mind after that.

I told the big man, “I’m gonna keep it real with you. The cop said, ‘You can run, you can hide but eventually the bridge—

the whole team—gonna come down.’”

I really wanted to quit but my addiction was sayin’, Nah you ain’t gonna be able to get high like you do now.

I was in a world of my own with everything I wanted. I thought I struck gold. I should have known this was the beginning of a road that was gonna come to a end.

My book, “Still Standing: How an Ex-Con Found Salvation in the Floodwaters of Katrina,” is available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle form.

I hope you will tell your friends about it. It tells a story of poverty and life on the streets and in prison than many would not otherwise know. Thank you!

STREET SENSE January 13 - 26, 2016

VENDOR WRITING

NEW YEAR RIGHTS

"Ode to Mitch Snyder"

By Robert Warren, Vendor/Artist

Into the New Year, into the night, the word she spoke made my heart feel tight.

She told me that she loved me right, and how a New Year could make our love take flight.

Some of the things she said, when a loved one knows you from your past, the buttons she pushed made my heart run fast.

The truth she told made me almost lose control.

Still, I thought, tomorrow is another day. For surely, she will go away. Like many in my past, I could never like that ass oh! To know how to love from a distance on those lonely nights.

For a new year-to-get-it-right, I only

By Judy Joy Jones, Volunteer have one life. For this New Year, I will not speak of it, but seek to live in the Guiding Light.

For only if a New Year could make all the mistakes of yesteryear alright? Me of little faith, with war, hatred of the refugee and homelessness on the rise. With people being murdered on the streets by the police and whole communities filled with death and poverty. With the winds of global warming blowing free and genocide being inflicted on humanity.

A Happy New Year! Yaw Right! I will give Him all the praise and pray for forgiveness in the next life, you see? This New Year I wish would be that next life.

Prays Praise Prays

By Jackie Turner, Vendor/Artist

Praise to God. There was a time in my life that I was always happy. I went about my day doing what I had to do to stay alive, eat, sleep, walk, and talk.

Then I started going to church. Slowly my life began to change. I started thinking about myself and my life. What I really wanted, all the things I had done – a sort of review of myself.

Then I decided I wanted some changes

in my life. Some changes were easy, some were more difficult. So I started to pray and study the bible.

Then I thought “What does God want for me”? I am sure God wants all to be happy. That’s when my life started to change. I got the things I wanted in life.

I felt better. I am happy, thanks to God in my life.

Strictly Business

By Chon Gotti, Vendor/Artist

Happy New 2016 to all of my trusted customers, family and friends, it’s that time of the year for me to take my new found strengths to the next level. I am finally divorcing all of my negative friends, and family, especially those whom had never reached out to me during my trying times. God has really showed me who my real family and friends truly are, so step aside old traitor of Love and true family values. I’m moving on to my new found family destiny.

Sincerely and truly yours forever, The Amazing Chon Gotti

What’s Life About?

By Charles Davis Vendor/Artist Every morning when I wake, I always think about the life that God gave me, because I remember God created us and that He will always love us. Sometimes, I think about my failures and the temptations I have been through in my life. But, I see a special vision in my mind and in my heart about God’s path He has set out for us.

I will never give up on the life that God has given me, because it is a very special gift. One day, my beautiful life will end and I hope and pray I will see His beautiful kingdom in heaven.

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It's alright baby Mama has you now cuddled close to her breast where you can finally, finally rest Hadn't a moment's peace on earth did ya’ hon?

Oh Mitch Snyder chosen, driven, haunted one You shed your blood so others could live taking in by the thousands to your shelters' warm arms the poor, unwanted, neglected on earth They flocked to your door knowin’ a night's peace could be had with no questions asked In the coldest darkest nights through blizzards, rain, sleet and snow as we slept warmly in our secure little beds with dollar signs dancin’ through our empty little heads You, darlin’, were collectin’ the remains of the no names at the city morgue's door and holding ‘em tight to your breast For you were the orphans' God on earth Mitch the daddy, mother, brother all in one for the millions without anyone On this earth you walked alone and abused But your mission my friend bears fruit The homeless of this land have one less tear, one more meal, and a night's freedom from the violent who eat the weak on the streets Unconditional love you gave 24 hours a day You took in what society throws away the strays Yea child you walked in ‘dem shoes of prisoner tramp and thief So you knew, didn't ya’ hon, how it felt on ‘dem cold filthy concrete streets Humbled yourself before mankind and now your chosen soul child has gone home to god for its final rest

When I wake up and see that beautiful flock of birds and the squirrels running around, and people walking their dogs, those things show me how beautiful life is in some special way. So, as I end this article, Street Sense readers, always try to cherish what a beautiful life God has given us because one day our lives will end. But, know that God will be with you through the journey, to the end always. Always keep your faith in God the Father and the Lord Jesus. May the power and kingdom be yours always forever. Amen, God Bless!

Oh yeah sweetie pie, your time for wailing is done And for the price you paid Mitch Snyder, the whole world's gonna honor and pay homage to you through eternity Don't need to shed your tears no more child It's time for the trumpets and peace bells to ring out your name to everyone on earth and all the saints gather round and place upon your precious head the crown of the brave valiant and those that persevered In thy hands, feet and brow the stigmata do I see there We crucified thee mitch with ignorance, pride and tightly closed eyes And in your side with your own hand you placed the final wound Cause child you had given all you came to earth to give and winged your way back home to God as angels do as soon as their chosen works are thru A saint's halo shall grace thee of this I am certain And now Mr. Snyder may I this unknown poet wash your holy feet with my teardrops dotted here and there and dry them with my hair You died for love Mitch Snyder and I, no we, love you Thousands of people sleep and eat in the Federal City Shelter nightly, where Mitch founded the Community for Creative Nonviolence. They would otherwise be on the cold streets of Washington D.C. A street near the shelter Mitch Snyder Way. Six months after I met him, he died by hanging himself. I am forever grateful that Mitch gave his life for the poorest of the poor.

Thinking of Horses

By Patty Smith, Vendor/Artist

I can say I used to be afraid of horses. But that was when I was about 12 and my mom took me to visit my grandmother. On her farm she had all sorts of animals, including horses. One day I went to the outhouse and while I was inside, a horse kicked on the wall. I broke loose and ran back to the farm house for dear life. But my grandmother made me return and pet him on his forehead and ever since that experience, I was not afraid of horses.

COMICS & GAMES

oah r a h P n a ric e m A s r! e a m e na Y e h Of T e t e l h t A

MOVING UP: Financial Moves to Start Your 2016

By Arthur Johnson Volunteer

As you start off the New Year, the time is right to evaluate your finances. No matter where you are right now, there are many things you can do to make sure the financial decisions you face this year will help you move forward.

The first thing to do is get a bank account set up, if you do not already have one. Not having a bank account makes you reliant on check cashing stores and the fees they charge. If you are very distrusting of banks or don’t have enough documentation to get an account, you can purchase a prepaid debit card. There are reputable options, such as Bluebird by American Express and the Walmart Money card, which will be a much lower cost alternative to a bank and provides a safe and reliable way to cash your paycheck.

Another thing to do is look for alternative methods in spending. This can be especially important with certain expenses such as entertainment and clothing. With clothing, you can find many great bargains at thrift stores and you will save a lot of money. There are also shops in the District run by Nonprofits that will have clothing needed for a Job interview (I will cover that in a future column).

If you are renting and looking to move

into a different place, start setting aside some funds to cover a deposit and the first two months’ rent, so you can compete in the brutally competitive D.C. rental market. If you are very low on funds for sports and entertainment, there are many inexpensive ways to have fun.

Also in 2016, you can expect several stories covering starting a business, housing, and the upcoming ballot initiative fight in November. There will not be much political coverage on the Presidential election in this column, but I will write one column near November to explain how the two nominees will affect your finances if they are elected. One last bit of financial advice I have for you in this column is to always keep reading and watching the news.

Arthur Johnson is a volunteer writer focusing on finance and economic issues.

He has two Bachelor’s Degrees in Sport Management and Economics. Arthur has substantial experience working with the homeless as a Volunteer Financial mentor at The Salvation Army shelter in Minneapolis. If you have questions about a specific article or suggestions for topics you would like to know more about please email him AJohnson@streetsense.org

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STREET SENSE January 13 - 26, 2016

COMMUNITY SERVICES Housing/Shelter

Food

Clothing

Showers

Outreach

Medical/Healthcare

Transportation

Laundry

Education

Employment Assistance

Legal Assistance

Academy of Hope Public Charter School: 269-6623 | 601 Edgewood St, NE aohdc.org

Bread for the City: 265-2400 (NW) | 561-8587 (SE) 1525 7th St, NW | 1640 Good Hope Rd, SE breadforthecity.org

Community of Hope: 232-7356 communityofhopedc.org

Jobs Have Priority: 544-9128 425 Snd St, NW jobshavepriority.org

Covenant House Washington: 610-9600 2001 Mississippi Avenue, SE covenanthousedc.org

John Young Center: 639-8569 119 D Street, NW

Calvary Women’s Services: 678-2341 1217 Good Hope Road, SE calvaryservices.org

D.C. Coalition for the Homeless: 347-8870 1234 Massachusetts Ave, NW dccfh.org

Catholic Charities: 772-4300 catholiccharitiesdc.org/gethelp

Father McKenna Center: 842-1112 19 Eye St, NW fathermckennacenter.org

Charlie’s Place: 232-3066 1830 Connecticut Ave, NW charliesplacedc.org

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

Church of the Pilgrims: 387-6612 2201 P St, NW churchofthepilgrims.org/outreach food (1 - 1:30 on Sundays only)

Friendship Place: 364-1419 4713 Wisconsin Ave, NW friendshipplace.org

Community Family Life Services: 347-0511 | 305 E St, NW cflsdc.org

Food and Friends: 269-2277 219 Riggs Rd, NE foodandfriends.org (home delivery for those suffering from HIV, cancer, etc)

Foundry Methodist Church: 332-4010 1500 16th St, NW foundryumc.org/ministry-opportunities ID (FRIDAY 9-12 ONLY)

Georgetown Ministry Center: 338-8301 1041 Wisconsin Ave, NW georgetownministrycenter.org

Gospel Rescue Ministries: 842-1731 810 5th St, NW grm.org

CELEBRATING SUCCESS!

Martha’s Table: 328-6608 2114 14th St, NW marthastable.org Miriam’s Kitchen: 452-8926 2401 Virginia Ave, NW miriamskitchen.org

My Sister’s Place: 529-5991 (24-hour hotline) mysistersplacedc.org

N Street Village: 939-2060 1333 N Street, NW nstreetvillage.org

New York Ave Shelter: 832-2359 1355-57 New York Ave, NE

Open Door Shelter: 639-8093 425 2nd St, NW newhopeministriesdc.org/id3.html

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

Samaritan Ministry: 1516 Hamilton Street NW | 722-2280 1345 U Street SE | 889-7702 samaritanministry.org

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

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

St. Luke’s Mission Center: 333-4949 3655 Calvert St. NW stlukesmissioncenter.org

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

Unity Health Care: 745-4300 3020 14th St, NW unityhealthcare.org

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

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

My Kind of Holiday

By Ken Martin, Vendor/Artist

STREET SENSE SELFIES: Vendor Collins Mukasa with customer, friend and volu nte e r w r i te r Rachel Prout.

January 15th is National Hat Day! Do you have a hat? If not, why not? C'mon no lame excuses...

Today it's un-American to go hatless. Shame on you! Okay, all jokes aside, if you don't know why you should wear a hat, here are five good reasons from an "’ol skool Hatter:" 1. North American winters tend to get frigid.

2. You lose up to 80 percent of your body heat through the top of your head.

3. Hats were the first antidepressants without harmful side effects.

4. Cold winds without proper protection makes for serious bad hair days.

5. Sneezing never, ever, looks cool.

There's a hat for every personality and every King and Queen should wear a crown!

If you don't think royally of yourself, why would anyone else? With that said, go don your chapeaus and have yourselves a HAPPY HAT DAY!!!

VENDOR PROFILE: LAWRENCE ROGERS

By Dottie Kramer, Volunteer

The photo of Lawrence Rogers pictured here is a different man. Taken in 2009, it depicts Rogers a little younger, much more tired, with less hair (he now has dreads that reach his lower back) and less excited for life.

Meeting Rogers today is a much different story. He is a positive ray of light who, though his self-described “ups and downs,” keeps a smile on his face and his head on straight.

Rogers wants to set a good example for his two kids, ages 20 and 9. So he “remains on the yellow brick road,” his version of keeping his head down and nose clean.

“It’s not about me anymore,” Rogers said, citing his reasons to “focus” and “do the right thing.”

Family has always been integral to Rogers, who grew up with four sisters and two brothers.

“Coming up, I was a mama’s boy,” he said. “My dad tried to be there for me, but my mother didn’t let him.”

His mother did not accept financial help from his father because he was abusive, according to Rogers. Still, his mother worked very hard and tried to help him the best she could.

“My mother taught me to do the right

thing, but I got around the wrong crowd to do the wrong thing,” he said.

Rogers reflected on all the amazing things his mother gave him and all the good she had done for him.

“My mother tried to make me be a positive person by allowing me to be different than others. She sent me to private schools, bought me a piano and trumpet...” he lamented that he rejected his mother’s wishes and tried to be more like his inner city school friends.

Rogers’ first arrest came while he was in the tenth grade, and it caused him to drop out of school. While incarcerated, he learned many trades and got his GED. “Back then, you only needed a 225 to get your GED,” Rogers said, “I got a 275.”

Rogers had other brushes with the law, but says he has put the past behind him with the help of God. “I’ve learned God is good,” he said.

“When we are in tight situations, we tend to call on a higher power. That’s when you pray. But, if you do it every day, that’s when you have a better life.”

Through the years, Rogers has remained close to his mother. He still calls her every day.

He struggled with homelessness through drug use and sporadic temporary living situations with family. But Rogers is now in housing of his own.

“Right now, I have an apartment,” he said, “it feels good to be able to actually come and lay your head down, not on a park bench. It makes you feel better about yourself to be able to take a shower.”

Given the option, Rogers would go back to his childhood and do things differently.

However, since there is no going back, he hopes to inspire the younger generation by mentoring youth. Rogers plans to create a mentorship program he will administer on a volunteer basis to churches and schools and other community groups.

When asked what he hopes people know about him, he says he hopes people know that deep down inside, is a good person and really hopes that comes across to people.

The top of the Atlantic Building in November 1976. Chris Shaw, the Street Sense artist who is responsible for this and over 50 more images featured in a gallery exhibition at the historic Carnegie Library, wishes to remind our readers that the indigenous communities, especially Downtown, are threatened with dissolution under a push of new development. Even the Atlantic building holds no trace of the original and celebrated 9:30 Cub, which began as "The Atlantis" within those walls. Shaw’s exhibition will be on display at 801 K Street NW through February 26. There will be a talk with the artist at 12 pm on January 30.

LAST WORD: MISSING YOU, ROBERTA

By Shernell Thomas, Vendor/Artist

I am devastated by the loss of such a nice person: Roberta Bear.

I liked you Roberta. I found you to be very low-keyed in your mannerism, a carbon-copy of myself. You always appeared to be peaceful and worry-free. You shared so much of your life to me and I was always touched to be your friend.

You often wrote about your sufferings.

You were too nice and developed some

troublesome relationships as a result. I am having difficulty expressing how I thought of you. The memories are powerful, yet weak in many ways.

In the midst of words of comfort and prayer, I am extending my heartfelt sympathy to your family members. Roberta, you will be missed and remembered for a very long time.

Rest in peace.

January 13 - 26, 2015 • Volume 13 • Issue 5

Street Sense 1317 G Street, NW

Nonprofit Org US Postage Paid Washington, DC

Washington, DC 20005

Mail To:

A memorial service was held at the Church of the Epiphany on January 7 to commemorate the lives of Street Sense vendors Michael Jackson and Roberta Bear.

The Staging Hope theater group led the congregation in singing Amazing Grace, Lean on Me and This Little Light of Mine. | PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN

Permit #568

Remember, buy only from badged vendors and do not give to those panhandling with one paper.

Interested in a subscription? Go to page 15 for more information.

Happy Birthday!

Lawrence Autry - 1/13 Chris Shaw - 1/17 Ken Belkosky - 1/17