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: n I t i g n i d l Ho ts’ Quest

n District Reside rooms for Public Bath pgs 4-6

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Number of homeless students increasing nationwide.

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How will you spend the MLK day of service?

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CORRECTION In the article on page 14 of the last edition, “I Could Teach the Class,” the word “autism” should have read “mutism”, “selective mutism.”

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

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STREET SENSE January 14 - 27, 2014

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NEWS IN BRIEF A Victory for DC Homeless On December 18, homeless families in the District of Columbia were handed a victory in their struggle to find safe shelter during periods of sub-freezing temperatures. The DC Court of Appeals ruled that the communal placement of homeless families in recreation centers during freezing weather was illegal and unsafe.

Under DC law, homeless families are entitled to shelter when the temperature drops below freezing. To protect families’ health and safety, the shelter must be apartment-style housing or private rooms.

Despite this explicit legal requirement, in the winter of 2013-2014, the District Government began housing homeless families in cots in recreation centers, with inadequate safety precautions and no privacy or access to bathing facilities. In response, a team of pro bono lawyers from the firm Hogan Lovells, with assistance from the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless, filed a class action lawsuit against the District, arguing that the conditions in the recreation centers were unsafe and unsanitary. After an initial hearing in DC Superior Court, Judge Robert Okun ruled in favor of the families, issuing a preliminary injunction. The District appealed that injunction to the DC Court of Appeals, and oral arguments took place in September 2014. The District did not dispute that it had a statutory obligation to place homeless families in apartmentstyle or private room shelter, arguing instead that the plaintiff families had no standing to sue the District to enforce the law. The Court of Appeals did not agree.

Its December ruling concluded that “the plaintiff families were empowered to sue in severe weather for the full measure of the statutory protections afforded them – protections which are an integral part of the Council’s continuing effort to ensure the health, safety, and welfare of homeless families in the District.”

—Jane Cave

Albuquerque Police Officers Charged with Murder Many were shocked by a video showing the shooting death last year of a homeless man, James “Abba” Boyd, 38, at the hands of Albuquerque, NM, police. The video, taken by a camera affixed to the helmet of a police officer, was made public shortly after the incident, which took place on March 16, 2014.

The L.A. Times describes the video as showing a four-hour standoff between police officers and Boyd, who had been camping illegally in the Sandia Foothills.

According to the Times, Boyd suffered from paranoid schizophrenia and the video shows him acting erratically and brandishing two small knives multiple times. When Boyd does not immediately follow police commands to leave the area, an officer

throws a flash-bang grenade at his feet and another officer releases a police dog that attacks Boyd. The officers open fire after Boyd draws something from his pockets that police later said were knives and turns away. Boyd’s last words on the recording were, “Please don’t hurt me” and “I can’t move.” A wrongful death suit filed against the city accuses the two officers of shooting three rounds each, hitting Boyd three times, in his side, back and arm.

On Monday, January 12, a New Mexico prosecutor, District Attorney Kari Brandenburg, announced she will pursue open murder charges against Officer Dominique Perez and former Det. Keith Sandy, who retired eight months after the shooting.

Brandenburg promised the process would be more transparent than recent grand juries in Missouri and New York, which failed to indict police officers, sparking protests.

With an open charge of murder, a range of counts may be considered - no charges, minor charges or first-degree murder - and a judge determines if there is probable cause. Unlike a grand jury, the accused may present evidence and witnesses.

—Staff Writer

Minimum Wage Raised in 20 States As the wealth gap between the rich and the poor has expanded, the battle over wages for some of America’s lowest-paid workers has intensified. Facing obstacles at the federal level, labor advocates last year took their campaign to the state and city level – with some success. At the beginning of January, increases in the minimum wage took effect in 20 states and the District of Columbia. A few other states will enact a wage increase later this year. As of now, 29 states exceed the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour.

The initial changes vary considerably in amount – from $1.25 an hour to just a few pennies (12 cents in Florida, 15 cents in Missouri). The federal minimum wage has not increased since 2007, and while President Obama has proposed raising it to $10.10 an hour, that effort has met opposition in Congress. “This issue is not going away until action is taken at the federal level, just because the federal minimum wage is so low compared to where it was historically and what it takes people to get by,” David Cooper, analyst at the Economic Policy Institute, told the New York Times. Adjusted for inflation, the federal minimum wage in 1968 would equal $10 today. Jeffrey Buchanan, senior advisor at Oxfam America, told the Times that last year half the people who received charitable food assistance in the US, from places like soup kitchens, came from households where at least one person worked, usually for a low or minimum wage. Business associations have traditionally opposed efforts to raise workers’ pay, arguing that employers will be forced to cut jobs and

hours. A spokesman for the National Federation of Independent Business told the Times that employers would likely find ways not to replace workers who leave.

—Jane Cave

New Orleans Declares an End to Veteran Homelessness In 2014, the mayor of New Orleans, Mitch Landrieu, pledged to end homelessness among veterans in the city by the end of the year. At the end of December he claimed victory, noting that his city was the first in the nation to achieve this goal. According to a recent report in the Times-Picayune, in March 2014 there were an estimated 193 homeless veterans in New Orleans. By the end of the year, all of them had found permanent supportive housing. To achieve this result, the Landrieu administration brought together organizations and agencies that previously didn’t collaborate or share data: Unity of Greater New Orleans, the U.S. Department of Veterans’ Affairs, the Housing Authority of New Orleans, and a network

of nonprofit groups. Once a homeless veteran is identified, Unity or one of its partner agencies contacts the VA’s Supportive Services for Veterans’ Families Program, which provides up to five months of rental assistance. During this time the city and its coalition of homeless advocacy groups looks for more permanent rental assistance that often comes in the form of housing vouchers through the VA or HANO. The Landrieu administration has also contributed $1.2 million to a project spearheaded by Unity, which is in the process of converting a vacant convent and school into housing for chronically homeless people, giving veterans priority, and for low-income families. Catholic Charities and the VA will provide supportive services, including case management, life skills, job training, and mental health care. An advisor to Mayor Landrieu, Sam Joel, noted that this doesn’t mean that there currently isn’t or never will be another homeless veteran in New Orleans, but the city now has the resources and system in place to provide them with the help they need once they are identified.

—Jane Cave

Those interested in volunteering with the People for Fairness Coalition may contact Albert Townsend: alberttownsend@ymail.com; 202 480-1602.

DC Advocates Plunge into National

By Eric Falquero Editor-in-Chief Dirty. Creepy. Hard to find when you need them.

That’s how Jennifer McLaughlin describes some of the public bathrooms she’s used over the years. McLaughlin, a member of the People For Fairness Coalition (PFFC), sits with a small band of advocates in a public cafeteria each week, discussing accomplishments and steps needed to see more clean, safe and available public toilets installed across the city.

“I used to be on the street, and I had a son,” she recalled. “It was hard to find places that would actually let me go and use the bathroom, or change him.”

Many people experiencing homelessness must rely on the generosity of business operators for use of a toilet, or come up with the money to purchase something to justify use of facilities labeled “for customers only.”

McLaughlin believes homeless folks are not the only ones in need of public toilets. For example, she notices that many people get their lunch from food trucks these days, which cannot offer restrooms for their customers like traditional brick and mortar establishments.

PFFC adopted the public toilet cause after Street Sense vendor Gary Minter brought the issue to the table at the group’s routine “call for concerns.” A four-person leadership team has been formed to head a committee to tackle the problem. The group is still looking to enlist a couple more individuals passionate about the topic of public bathrooms.

“Mine is more a women’s issue,” Janette Sharp--another committee leader-explained. “Pregnant women, homeless women during their menstrual cycle, people farther up in age--like me--when your bladder doesn’t hold like it used to, tourists...”

Destination DC, a nonprofit leading marketing Washington as a tourist destination, believes most tourists’ needs are met during the day by the facilities in the museums and around the monuments on the National Mall.

Media Relations Manager Kate Gibbs understands that some tourists may have special needs - such as families with young children. She said the group believes in “championing whatever infrastructure can help visitors find Washington and spend an enjoyable holiday here.”

Destination DC, like PFFC, believes any public toilets provided for the city would have to be exceptionally clean, in constant working order and safe.

Sharp worries about the health risks of “holding it in,” which her doctor has warned against.

Indeed, Johns Hopkins Medicine reports that if urine stays in the bladder too long,

pressure may build up and lead to infection or damage of the bladder or kidneys. Holding in urine too often may also reduce the body’s ability to determine when a person has to “go.” Holding in feces similarly disorients the body’s sense of when the colon needs relief, and may lead to constipation.

“I would not want to hear that someone died because they had to hold it in - kidney failure or anything else,” Sharp said.

PFFC launched a feasibility study late last year to determine the project’s practicality. That’s when they discovered the Portland Loo, individual private toilets located in public areas throughout downtown Portland, Oregon.

The first Portland Loo was installed December 2008 after a community campaign of more than three years.

“The Old Town/Chinatown Neighborhood Association had been working on this for years and not gotten anywhere,” said Carol McCreary, then-Portland resident and co-founder of Public Hygiene Lets Us Stay Human (PHLUSH).

McCreary believes her community was lucky to get the right people in the room together in 2006: representatives from the mayor’s office and the parks bureau, and candidates for some local offices participated in the community campaign. At that time, Portland’s mayor, Tom Potter, requested activists develop a design of renovated and new bathroom units. Urban and Public Affairs students from the local university drafted a policy recommendation for the project, which Potter and City Commissioner Randy Leonard put into action.

“We succeeded, now there are restrooms every eight blocks, open 24/7; and these are short blocks: Portland blocks are 200ft,” McCreary said.

When PHLUSH began shopping the idea around, an early design was to construct the unit from plastic material resembling playground equipment, for reasons of affordability. However, an architect recommended that it be upscaled for city streets. The resulting product, made entirely from stainless steel, goes for $90,000.

The City of Portland entered into a manufacturing agreement with Portlandbased Madden Fabrication, with a plan to sell the copyrighted design directly; however, the Loo business didn’t work well as a public entity, and Madden Fabrication ended up taking ownership mid2014, maintaining a royalty agreement with city government.

There are seven Loo modules in Portland. The first to be installed out-of-state went to Victoria, British Columbia in 2011 It was voted “Canada’s Best Restroom” the very next year. Installation has since been completed in California, Alaska and other parts of British Columbia. Seattle,

Cambridge, Salt Lake City, and Cincinnati already have their own on order.

“I’d love to see it just become a standard. It really solves a lot of problems with cities not having bathrooms. It makes the city more walkable,” said Greg Madden, president of Madden Fabrication.

McCreary takes pride in the fact that the first Loo, installed in 2008, is in nearly-new condition six years later. The stainless steel is very hard to dent and the surface is treated with anti-graffiti coating. Each Loo has a locked interior cabinet containing a hose that maintenance workers use to spray down the facility as needed; this design element was influenced by then-City Commissioner Leonard’s experience as a fireman.

“Our champions in city hall deserve the credit (Potter and Leonard),” McCreary said. “The local water bureau that takes care of our fountains was able to put resources toward the project. Department of Transportation was also very helpful in placing the Loos…”

PHLUSH will take credit for the efficiency of the design. The handwashing station is located on the outside of the facility, allowing one person to use the toilet while another washes their hands or fills a water bottle. This is beneficial not only in case there is a line to use the facility, but also because it makes handwashing available without entering the unit.

The Centers for Disease Control equates handwashing to a “do-it-yourself vaccine you can take to reduce the spread of diarrheal and respiratory illness” to avoid the spread of germs to you or others. This is especially important for area homeless people, who are three times more vulnerable to infection than their housed neighbors.

Sanitation, which is vital for community health, was recognized by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly as a human right in 2010. The UN calls upon nation states and international organizations to help provide safe, clean, accessible and affordable drinking water and sanitation for all. Three years later the UN officially recognized November 19th as World Toilet Day, an advocacy and action day observed by a variety of other organizations since 2001. According to UNwater.org, lacking a secure place to defecate openly infringes on human safety and dignity.

“People should have the right to pee for free with dignity,” Michael Stoops, Director of Community Organizing at the National Coalition for the Homeless, said.

The Portland Loo is designed to meet Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) guidelines for accessibility so as not to exclude anyone. District cyclists may be happy to learn that a full-size bicycle can fit easily within, so there is no need to find somewhere to lock up the bicycle before using the loo. Despite the space and open access, Portland has not had problems with individuals seeking shelter in the stalls for extended periods of time.

“It’s really an urban bathroom,” Madden reflected. “It’s just a toilet. You go in there and there’s nothing to do but use the toilet. And people can see your feet and know you’re in there. With the ambient noise, you don’t want to be in there very long.”

Madden Fabrication continues to tweak the design as suggestions come in from customers, but the Loo has remained mostly unchanged for the past six years.

PFFC’s third concern, next to accessibility and cleanliness, is safety. The

Ketchikan, Alaska Mayor Dave Kiffer, holding a golden plunger completes a ceremonial “first flush” of the city’s new Portland Loo. Ketchikan opened it’s Loo in June 2014, in time to serve city’s tourist season. PHOTO COURTESY OF KRBD KETCHIKAN FM

STREET SENSE January 14 - 27, 2014

Public Toilet Movement Portland Loo is designed with bars and louvres at the top and bottom of the otherwise solid walls, so that anyone approaching can see if the unit is occupied.

For nighttime use, the module is well lit on the outside. The outer lights dim and inner lights engage when someone enters. These features can be powered by a solar panel, AC power hookup to the city’s grid, or solar with AC backup.

As they complete their assessment of the need and opportunity for DC Loos, PFFC also looks for support in the community.

“The Portland Business Improvement Alliance was an incredible ally in getting restrooms for all,” McCreary said.“ One thing the Alliance’s Clean & Safe program has to do every morning is scoop poop.”

Clean & Safe is also paid by the city to clean six of Portland’s seven Loos. Project Manager Jay McIntyre, who has been overseeing this process for over 3 ½ years, said to his knowledge, and certainly since he became Project Manager, there have been no safety issues with individuals who use the Loos.

Before putting in their own Loo, Victoria, British Columbia noticed that after city bars would close at two in the morning, evening revelers would have nowhere else to go, and many relieved themselves in alleys or doorways.

“The irony is, in the 30’s and 40’s bars were where you turned to for public bathrooms,” Madden pointed out.

In Portland, McIntyre has also observed that in areas where Loos are used at night, there is a significantly lower need to scoop poop.

The Washington DC Downtown Business Improvement District (BID) has received

DIAGRAM COURTESY OF THE CITY OF PORTLAND.

no direct no direct requests for additional public bathrooms in the downtown area to date.

PFFC believes their Loo campaign is unique because while they want the facilities installed in beneficial locations for everyone, no other city has begun the process by deliberately considering where many homeless people may be in need of facilities.

Based on other cities’ experience with the Loo, PFFC envisions working alongside downtown businesses, ANCs, city council members, the DC chapter of Americans for Disabilities, organizations that support the homeless and others near proposed Loo locations.

PFFC is using a heat map generated by Downtown BID to supplement their own knowledge and find out where homeless people spend the most time during the day and night, respectively. Within those locations, they will identify areas most heavily trafficked by pedestrians to suggest sites for Loo installation.

“We have to go out and find out which area bathrooms are discriminating against the homeless and which one’s ain’t,” said John McDermont, another PFFC committee leader for the Loo. “Which bathrooms are open to the public, and which one’s aint.”

The group started by developing a checklist to audit existing bathrooms in areas of Downtown DC. The checklist looks at whether there is free entry or a lock making the bathrooms only available to customers; the cleanliness of the restrooms; what and how many hours it is open; and whether there are safety considerations.

McDermont understands that businesses are worried about people who “tear up” the bathrooms, and its not

just people experiencing homelessness. However, he claims to have seen homeless folk asked to leave even when they enter an establishment to make a purchase, under the assumption they’re seeking the bathroom.

“Homeless people should not be treated as third class citizens,” McDermont said. “They should be treated like human beings and their need to use the bathroom respected.”

Plans for the redevelopment of D.C.’s Franklin Square are moving forward (the public comment period for its environmental assessment having closed on January 9) and include the addition of public bathrooms in the park. But PFFC worries the bathrooms will not be open 24/7; McDermont is also concerned that homeless people who currently frequent the park will be displaced during construction.

The National Park Service does not expect that the entire park will be closed at any time during construction. In the long run, park officials say an important goal of this project is to encourage all visitors to enjoy and use the park. Downtown BID anticipates the public bathrooms for Franklin Park to only be open when the on-site café is in operation.

Janette Sharp argues that more public toilets with 24/7 access will go a long way to that end, saying that people won’t use the park now because the trees smell like piss.

“We just got a new mayor, we just got a bunch of new city councilmen, we’ve got to locate where we think Loos could be placed, and we’ve got to get feedback,” McDermont said. “ If we don’t have our ducks in a row, we waste our time going to City Hall.”

PFFC Director Robert Warren hopes to raise enough money to send a few members to see the Portland Loos firsthand.

“We want businesses to support us because business owners are going to close their business, and their restrooms, some time for the night,” Warren said.

“We’ll have to look out though, if we do get Portland Loos put in, and make sure businesses don’t start to make their own restrooms less available.”

The PFFC committee hopes this campaign will take less time to get off the ground than Portland’s did, but anticipates one to two years of work ahead.

They see the lack of public toilets in the nation’s capital as an embarrassment.

“We want to show just how this can benefit the downtown community, and all the folks that frequent downtown,” Warren said, “but that’s where homeless people be - and they’re going to have to use the bathroom.”

Contributing research by editorial interns Josue De Paz and Laetitia Vidor.

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COVER STORY

OPINION: People for Public Toilets Coalition

By Gary Minter, Vendor

In our nation's capital, the two public toilets that come to mind are located in the historic white stucco building on the north side of Lafayette Park and in the facility in Meridian Hill Park (also known as Malcolm X Park).

Unfortunately, the District is not the only American city without these basic amenities.

Is this a form of discrimination against poor and homeless people? Should a disabled veteran who risked his life to protect our country have to endure urine-soaked underwear all day? Are we being dumped on by businesses and our government?

This is an outrage and a serious public health problem!

Just as important as the ability to “go” is the ability to wash your hands.With a second wave of influenza hitting hard this year; with the highly contagious and dangerous new strains of norovirus intestinal illness often striking cruise ships and patrons of soup kitchens; with the easily-spread hepatitis A on fruits and salads served at your local restaurant; with incurable strains of tuberculosis infecting many people; with the new deadly coronavirus that originated in camels in Saudi Arabia and is spreading among humans; and, with the possibility of SARS making a comeback, it is unacceptable to not supply these resources to everyone.

Please contact your local health department, your local government officials, your representatives in the U.S. Senate and House, and the White House.

Tell them we want safety in our food and beverages. Tell them we want public restrooms available so people can wash their hands and we can all protect ourselves from these highly contagious, easilyspread diseases. As Bill Shatner says on those late-night TV ads, “tell them you mean business!”

Get behind this urgent issue, and please hurry: We can't hold it much longer!

TOILET TALES The Bathroom Quest

OP-ED: Congressional Leadership Lessons

The Trip to New York City started with excitement and an over supply of energy, full of unknown suspense. We, the filmmakers co-op, could not wait to get out of Washington for a day in paradise. Or so we thought, until we met up with the invisible restroom. It took us almost two hours of walking to finally find an amazing resting spot. Could you imagine being in a lost and found situation searching for a needle in a haystack, losing one another in mid-air whilst finding each other almost simultaneously? We really enjoyed our visit to New York, but let’s get real here. New York City is a tough town, but I really thought that my people were tougher. I guess I was wrong. It was home-sweet-home as I kissed the ground of the most beautiful city in the world: Washington. I will never underestimate our royal beauty again. I am a true-Washingtonian and may the restroom continue to be a place of rest and not a quest.

Given the partisan composition of the new Congress and an upcoming presidential election, many activists on poverty and housing issues might be surprised to hear themselves looking for the next Bob Taft.

Why should poverty and homeless activists hope to find a Republican legislator like Taft, son of a former president, who is remembered as exemplifying the mindset of Midwestern, small town conservatism while serving as U.S. Senator from Ohio from 1939-53?

The need for better and more public housing as America was emerging from World War II and the Great Depression provides a good reason.

Historian James T. Patterson, in his biography of the senator, Mr. Republican, notes that Taft had looked first-hand at substandard housing in Cincinnati and visiting public housing projects there and in Cleveland during the 1930s. His interest in housing would remain just that until he had the “facts and figures to corroborate what his eyes had suggested to him.” Then, in 1943, Taft, along with public housing advocates Robert F. Wagner (D-NY) and Allen J. Ellender (D-LA), became members of the Special Committee on Post-War Economic Policy and Planning.

Taft chaired its subcommittee on housing.

Under Taft’s leadership, despite Wagner’s impatience, the subcommittee conducted its research rigorously.

Ellender and Wagner submitted their own bill in 1945. Taft was frustrated they plunged ahead, but the senators eventually reconciled their differences, co-sponsoring the Wagner-Ellender-Taft (W-E-T-) housing bill. W-E-T called for 1.25 million new homes to be constructed annually for a decade, long-term, low-interest government loans for constructing public housing, and friendly loan terms for homebuyers.

Taft’s outfront support for housing provoked a backlash within his own party. His fellow Ohioan, Senator John Bricker (ROH), supposedly charged, “I hear that the Socialists have gotten to Bob Taft.”

Partisan politics in 1948 helped to ensure meaningful housing legislation was scuttled, infuriating Taft. But Roger BIles recounts in The Fate of Cities: Urban America and the Federal Government 1945-2000. that Taft’s motivation in support of public housing ran beyond partisan vote-getting.

Even Taft’s arch-rival from within the GOP, Governor Thomas Dewey (R-NY), had told Taft that he would never capitalize vote-wise by supporting public housing.

Dewey recalled backing a “big housing project” whose tenants had voted overwhelmingly against him. “You can imagine,” wrote the Senator’s wife, Martha Taft, “how pleased and impressed Bob was

By “The Amazing” Chon Gotti, Vendor

By Stephen Lilienthal,Volunteer

Portapots, Playgrounds or Places to Live: What do the homeless need most?

By The Anti-Apathetic, Vendor

Admittedly, as an older homeless citizen, I could use enhanced access to bathrooms -but is that my priority? As the parent of minor children, I'm aware "kidz" need recreation and a place to run and fun. Yet, would I choose it over a bedroom and perhaps a kitchenette?

From where I sit, as I dare not lay, I've seen a molehill evolve into a mountain.

Now concerned citizens are so conditioned to bandaging this massive social wound that is homelessness, that we are using spoons instead of a bulldozer to move it.

Advocates would like to see new public toilets kiosks installed, but Winter is here and I’m not certain unheated enclosures on city streets are appropriate for any form of partial disrobing. But adding heat to that “aroma” would just be WRONG! A small playground opened at DC General family shelter last October. Playgrounds are useful but have you ever had that sudden urge to use a slide or carousel when the wind chill factor is 18?

An apartment on the other hand: a place

to rest, heal, and keep my stuff? Now we’re cooking. Oh yeah, a place to cook too?

In the village I knew, Washington was a tourist attraction: so toilets were a given - not an issue. In the village I knew, children played wherever they were and if there was a gym set that was like gravy.

There was less GREED, and much more HUMANITY. Shelters were for emergencies, not intended as a way of life. My village’s elders would not have accepted shelters as a solution. Nor would they have built an enterprising tourist industry while concealing its ills by warehousing and avoidance.

Alas, the wise leaders are dead or moved on. But the logic remains, "What DC needs is HOUSING - ­ low rent and sustainable, not affordable. Why aren't you willing to award those budgeted funds for REALISTIC ­Cost Of Living Adjustments? Then the poor could “afford” affordable housing.

Please keep the Johns and Gyms and give us some "Bricks."

Language Barrier

By Gary Minter, Vendor

When I first went to China, I only knew a few words of chinese. One day, after a delicious, big lunch, I felt “the urge” to move my bowels. I asked people on the street to help me find “the toilet,” but I couldn’t pronounce the word correctly. As I became increasingly desperate, I finally pointed to my crotch. Someone realized my plight and pointed to the public toilet, which I entered just in the nick of time!

So, if you travel, be sure to learn how to say the word “toilet”! It’s the most important word in any language!

by that high-minded argument.

In 1949, the senators had to reconcile differences once more, W-E-T passed (changed somewhat from the 1945 version) both houses of Congress and was signed into law by President Truman, who wrote Taft to compliment him for passing legislation that would “contribute to the public welfare.” Biles notes that Taft’s advocacy for public housing continued into the Eisenhower administration.

Taft once explained, “[E]very child who is to have anything like an equal opportunity in life to make the most of his abilities must have a decent home in decent surroundings.”

The takeaway lesson is that Senator Taft was able to balance his deeply held conservative beliefs with addressing a real human need. Geoffrey Kabaservice, a historian of the 20th Century Republican Party, credits Taft for relying on his own study of problems and reliance on facts rather than adhering to “polls or conservative tabletkeepers.”

Taft’s willingness to explore and address housing sets an example that should for today, particularly given the homogenized nature of many congressional districts. Representatives should visit districts that are very different than the ones they represent and talk to the people who experience problems such as homelessness, lack of affordable housing, lack of decent paying jobs, limited access to nutritious food, or land management.

The Washington Post ran a story last year about a visit that Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT), now the chairman of the Government Operations Committee, paid to the district represented by Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD), the ranking minority member. Chaffetz’s district is overwhelmingly white and Republican. Cummings’ district has a majority African-American population and is heavily Democratic.

A constituent asked Cummings what he was doing to deal with an area’s “food desert.”

“What’s that?,” asked Chaffetz, unaware of the difficulties many people in low-income areas have in obtaining access to fresh, healthful foods.

Today’s problems of homelessness and poverty are very different than what America confronted in the post-World War II / Great Depression era. But there is certainly a need to tackle both and doing so will require legislators who are willing to conduct their own research -- placing fact above ideology -- and to work with members of differing viewpoints and partisan affiliations, to build consensus to deal with homelessness and poverty.

So, is there a Senator Taft out there?

STREET SENSE January 14 - 27, 2015

7

NATIONAL

Showly Nicholson Looks to a New Platform for Helping the Homeless

By Mia Germain www.street-papers.org / Spare Change News - USA CAMBRIDGE, Mass.—Harvard Square is, in many ways, an excellent snapshot of the unique qualities that define the greater Boston area: the same street corners and T stations that are frequented by Harvard University’s most promising students, and homeless individuals who don’t know when they will get their next meal.

These streets are also the breeding ground for innovation and optimism, and at the forefront is Showly Nicholson.

Nicholson is a pre-med student at Harvard University who balances his time between chemistry class, East Asian studies, and helping the homeless.

“I just felt I had to do more,” Nicholson says of his year volunteering at the Harvard Square Homeless Shelter, an entirely student run operation. “I was a resource advocate, helping the homeless to get back on their way through little steps, whether that be obtaining identification, mass health, or transportation.”

His experience, however, was riddled with more shortcomings than successes of the current programs in place to help the homeless community in Boston.

“I saw a lot of people with college degrees and previous job experience that were really working hard to get back on their feet, get into a home, and end their homelessness...but, they would come back every week or two weeks and not much would change,” said Nicholson.

Rather than accepting defeat, Nicholson looked to less conventional platforms for a possible solution, and it was in the early months of this year that he set into motions the plans for his Go Fund Me program, Homes for the Homeless.

Go Fund Me is a popular crowd sourcing website for personal fundraising goals. It has received attention in the media lately for some of the more outlandish campaigns; such as the 26-year old Baltimore resident who used the platform to pay for her $362 Halloween cab fare. But the site has become a highly resourceful tool for many entrepreneurs, social activists, and artists.

Homes for the Homeless raises money to support homeless individuals by covering three months’ shelter, transportation, and food, allowing the time and space to save money and focus on maintaining a steady income.

Nicholson explains, “I saw that it takes, minimum, about a year of being on a waiting list to get out of homelessness through

government aid,” a fact that actively prevents many from obtaining and maintaining jobs. “You don’t have a home address, and if you’re lucky enough to stay in a shelter the night before, you might not be well rested or have reliable transportation...all things that often contribute to preventing one from getting a job, or even losing a job.”

One individual who frequented the Harvard Square Homeless Shelter, stuck out to Nicholson as the perfect candidate for this unique program.

“He stood out to me, because even after four years of being homeless, he still feels as though he is in a transition phase...a mindset that prevents him from losing hope.” He has chosen to remain anonymous throughout this experience because he has found that transparency has consistently prevented him from being able to escape his situation.

While searching for a room to rent through sites such as Craigslist, Padmapper, and working in conjunction with the Home Start organization, Nicholson has encountered an upsetting truth. “As soon as we mention that he is homeless, there is no response. We have tried being transparent, but it is almost impossible [to find housing] that way...the only difference between him and others finding housing is his current homelessness.”

The pair has experienced successes and failure so far, but the generosities expressed by the public through his donations on the Go Fund Me page have humbled them both.

“I could tell he was skeptical at first, but at this point...we just have to get the timing right, and hope he gets the job when we get the housing.”

The homeless individual was an accountant when the economic collapse struck, and has not given up on returning to that profession. Nicholson recalls, “I was working with him job searching when he said to me, ‘I realize I am probably not going to get a job right off the bat because it has been a few years, but let me start with volunteer accounting.”

It is that same relentless drive, working for free to build his resume, that Nicholson hopes will be the key to his success.

“Just don’t lose hope”, are his closing words before Nichsolson returns to a desk covered in homework, apartment searching for his client, and plans for the future of Homes for the Homeless.

Student homelessness on the Rise in USA

By Ethan Cohen www.street-papers.org / One Step Away - USA Nearly 1.3 million public school students in the United States experienced homelessness in the 2012-2013 school year, statistics on student homelessness released by the Department of Education on September 22 revealed.

The statistics report that 75 percent of the students recorded as homeless were living doubled-up in a residence with another family. A further 16 percent were living in a homeless shelter, while six percent were living in hotels or motels and three percent, 41,635 students, did not have any shelter at night.

Karyn Tymes oversees children living at the Woodstock Family Center, a homeless shelter in North Philadelphia for single mothers and their children. Residents constantly rotate in and out, but she estimates that about a hundred children live there at any given time. When asked what her role is at Woodstock, Tymes responded, “I wear a lot of...can we say some capes? Aprons?”

One of Tymes’ “capes” is that of the School Liaison, which means she checks up on the children at their schools to see how they are managing. This involves a lot of traveling; the students are enrolled in schools all across the city, some as far away as Plymouth Meeting, around 30 miles away in Montgomery County. The reason for the children attending such a wide range of schools is the McKinneyVento Homeless Education Assistance Act, part of the No Child Left Behind Act, which stipulates, among other things, that transportation be provided so that students experiencing homelessness can stay at the same school, even if they no longer live within the school’s district. This is meant to allow for some continuity in a child’s life that may otherwise have little consistency. Even for students who are covered by McKinneyVento, the stress of homelessness is proven to have significant damaging effects on their performance in school.

As reported in 2012 by Seattle University’s Project on Family Homelessness, half of children who experience homelessness are held back for at least one grade. Twenty-two percent are held back for multiple grades. The study also found that children experiencing homelessness are twice as likely to have learning disabilities and three times as likely to have emotional disturbances as their peers who are not homeless.

“You don’t know if they’re in a shelter or in a home period, you don’t know what these kids are going through,” said Tymes.

“We have other children that are in the schools that have been sexually abused, they have mentally been abused and they have been through so many things,” said Andrea Green, a Direct Support Professional at Woodstock. “When the kids are shut in and shut down and don’t want to talk, there is something going on.”

A survey released in October by the Administration for Children and Families found that 60 percent of homeless youth have been raped or assaulted. Green provides support not only for the children, but also for the mothers. “We want to be role models towards the parents so they can know how to be role models for their children,” said Green. “They’re coming from broken homes and they are not stable so we’re here to make sure the stability comes.”

In Green’s view, though, the responsibility does not lie only on families. “We got to have the school, we got to have the neighborhood, and we got to have the parents,” she added. The level of engagement between parents and Philadelphia schools ranges widely, depending both on the parents and on the schools. “I’ve seen one [child] get all F’s,” said Green. “And I’m saying, ‘how didn’t you know that your child was failing all this time?’”

One Woodstock resident, who chose to remain anonymous, applied a year in advance to transfer her daughter from a public elementary school in West Philadelphia to a charter school. “I really do think that charter schools are totally different from public schools,” she said. “They want to get to know the parents.”

Many of the charter schools, though, admit students through a lottery system. “You’re child has got to be picked or you’ve got to know somebody,” said Green. Renaissance Schools, charters that do not admit through lottery but rather accept all students living within a boundary, frequently suffer from the same issues of overcrowding and low staff-tostudent ratio as the traditional public schools in Philadelphia.

The substantial rise in the reported number of students experiencing homelessness may partially be due to improvements in survey methodology. The total headcount, however, is still a low estimate for the actual number of students experiencing homelessness, since many homeless students choose to hide their living situation.

In addition to transportation, the McKinney-Vento grants are used for school supplies, tutoring, violence prevention

DC Proud

By Henrieese Roberts, Vendor

Year at a Glance

By Robert Warren, Vendor

First days of the year New thoughts of doing good on the horizon In the month of January the age of the Aquarius with the snow piled high as Christmas light dies and February cries for Springtime.

March into work that I said I get done April’s fools, another year at school’s May, my baby’s graduation day Falling in love with June this year Summer weddings are here and July is hot and ducking the sun August's end of summer fun, thunderstorms into September’s thoughts of going back to school Perfect day for the Lord to think things through October’s kind of scary like that in the end, pretty leaves November brings on the Food — let’s get fat

Early in the morning on New Year’s Day 2015, some of us headed to participate in Mayor-elect Muriel Bowser’s "Fresh Start 5K Run-Walk". A group of us, after departing the train, just began following a young man walking down the street hurriedly. From the ambient conversation we all seemed to be headed for the same place. Suddenly, he turned, asking, “Are you all following me?” We all made body moves to say “Yes!” “Un huh!”

Someone queried “What is the address of Oyster-Adams Bilingual School?” (where the run would begin). Turned out we were going the wrong way! We laughed, turned around, and headed to Oyster. It was fun, I mused in my mind about our walk, our progress as a race, looked at those of us struggling to keep up. The walk-run is meant to encourage District residents “to have a commitment to wellness” in 2015.

After arriving, I walked about, asking questions, trying to locate a spot to snap shots of the walkers/runners as they scooted by. Up on the hill I stood watching. I was DC Proud. The New Year’s Start was a treat. The last person trotting by squealed “Losers Suck. Winners never stop.”

On Friday, Jan. 2 a special Inauguration Interfaith Service was held at the First Con-

Twenty-Three

Councilman Graham’s Last Day on the Job

Twenty three years ago, when my kids were small, I made a New Year’s resolution: I wanted to stop blaming others for my problems and issues to the point that I tried finding useful books and going to see therapists to stop this addiction to blaming others. Sure, it feels good for a minute or a day but when waking up the next day, the problem is still in front of me and the thing or person I blamed it on has moved on. It was obvious I needed to change something in my life.

So, the first thing I did was to start talking and listening to others about how they dealt with the “blame game.” I saw many people, including some politicians, gaining more from the game than I did. All I got from it was to deny responsibility for myself and still be looking at the same problem. Sometimes problems and issues in my personal life aren’t always fixable and I got fed up with continually thinking about what I could not change.

Now, I do realize that the only person I can fix and change is myself. I even learned while raising my two children, that I can teach them my values, principles and good manners. You can only hope and pray that they represent you as the parent you tried to be. Once they become adults, it’s pretty much out of your hands.

So, my New Year’s resolution is to concentrate more on me – Aida – and ask God her next mission. Just pray for others to be safe, to enjoy lots of happiness and prosperity while I move on with God’s plan for me.

With the coming of the new year, Washington has a new mayor and a change in membership on the DC Council.

Jim Graham, whose term as a member of the DC Council ended January 2, chose to spend New Year’s Eve with advocates for the homeless.

In late November, the council declared that New Year’s Eve also would be Eric Sheptock Day. The significance of this day is that it has been ten years since the Fenty Administration proposed a 10year plan for ending homelessness in the district. Graham, who represented Ward One, served on the council for 16 years and was chair of the Human Services Committee for four years. Eric Sheptock, a resident of Community for Creative NonViolence (CCNV) and a homeless advocate, said that while Graham was on the council he “[fought] heavily for TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families)...[and] fought hard for renovations to shelters.”

Sheptock also pointed out that the councilman’s office sort of looked like a labor hall.

Jamal, a resident of CCNV said, “I had no idea anyone cared.” Michael Augustus Lee, also a long time advocate for the poor and homeless, said,”It hurts my heart that he is leaving. It was your voice that was so powerful. I don’t think anyone else has the sympathy of the homeless that you do.”

“The City Paper said I was a white Marion Barry,” Graham said, while recalling some of his early days on the city coun-

By Aida Basnight-Perry, Vendor Oh no, it’s December again Christmas time for little kids and the end of the year Goodwill to men A resolution, the Lord Willing Have a Happy New Year!

America 2015

By Barron Hall, Vendor

In the Name of God, Gracious and Merciful... America 2015. I have seen my country go from the United States of America to the New Babylonian Empire!

This country has been trying hard to keep its Native Black Americans from succeeding. Vietnam war vets have never had the chance to be the men they were before they left. We have never been classified as wounded warriors. We came home to more hostility and violence than in any war we have ever fought. Something took our neighborhoods, our families, our very being, and held us and is still holding us in some kind of slave bondage, worse than when we were brought here. The only way out is to kill, use, or steal from each other, from the cradle to the grave. We have been the pot for the melting pot. The only way for us to be free from the bondage by which this country has enslaved us is by the grace of God and his mercy. Because I am convinced that this country will never set its slaves free without bloodshed. God said in his Word, we reap what we sow.

Thank you, Happy New Year.

gressional Church of Christ, on G St. NW, right next to the Dr. ML King Library. Around 7 am I arrived. A homeless man cuddled up against the wall. I snapped a picture of him. A Black LIVES Matter poster was on the window - I snapped a picture of it too. I pecked on the window and Sid, one of the ministers there, let me in. I have attended First Church occasionally since arriving in the District in 2009.

One of my proudest possessions, as if this is a commodity that I can own, is the spirit of LOVE that Sid Fowler conveys. Sid’s love makes me DC Proud. As Sid introduced our new mayor-elect, he told of past moments of slavery: Frederick Douglass moments and moments of our history that had been experienced at First Church. Always when I attend First Church in D.C. Dr. Sidney Fowler’s expressions of love makes me DC Proud. Look for more DC Proud photos on StreetSense.org!

By Reginald Black, Vendor — “Da Street Reportin’ Artist”

cil. “I took that as a compliment. My philosophy was fortified in the WhitmanWalker Clinic.”

“If you spend day-to-day with poor people in the most trying times and rewarding times, it changes how you think.”

He said here are so many people in this city who don’t know what a dollar means.

“When I was told I would have Human Services I was happy. My time with Human Services was very rich and it was because of all of you. You're up against the odds and that’s your challenge.”

“I’m amazed we have two motels with more families than at D.C. General. The question is, are they going to have the services and security?” Graham said, “I want you to know that I'm with you.”

The former Ward One councilman vowed to do all he could to be involved. Some find it heartbreaking that after years on the city council, a long time advocate of the poor has lost his seat, and many hope this is not the last we see of Jim Graham.

STREET SENSE January 14 - 27, 2015

Martin Luther King Jr. et al.

by Angie Whitehurst, Vendor

Respect the Dream

By James Daniel Johnson, Vendor

In our struggle for civil rights There were many who did great things But the one who now comes to mind is Dr. Martin Luther King He was the leader of our cause The head spokesman indeed He led the fight with peace And for love he’d always plead His message was universal It was heard worldwide He touched the hearts of many This truth won’t be denied However, there were those Who for him had hatred and strife Eventually, he was murdered For equality he lost his life Yet, although he knew this would likely happen In the crusade he remained brave But if he could see some things we now do I believe he’d turn over in his grave Because It is quite evident The very thought is so hard to bare But there are many Black Americans Who for King’s dream don’t seem to care For the right to vote and a better education So many of us often abuse Opportunities we were once deprived Although available we won’t use Instead we make excuses And for our failures others blame But in reality we’re at fault A sad fact as well as a shame If we are to really honor King’s memory Let us progress and be redeemed And this we can do in unison If ever we learn to respect the dream

When Dr. King was around, I was young, naïve, and not as knowledgeable as I should have been in matters of discrimination. I remember going to school and sitting with three other children on the side of the classroom on a church pew for nine months.

This occurred while all the other children sat at tables. One time, we were directed to sit at the tables; everyone was one and the same. This was Parents’ Day. The next day, the three of us were all designated back to the back pew. However, the next year, we were all graduated up one grade.

By this time, we sat in the back of the room on the back row, with our own desks and chairs.

I remember the family drives in my father’s beige Ford sedan and in later years, a turquoise Ford station wagon that we called the “Green Hornet.”

We would ride up Mount Vernon, through Rock Creek Park and across two bodies of water; one at the National Zoo and the other a mile or two up the road. We also would drive out to Seneca, Maryland and Glen Echo, Maryland. From our car, my siblings would admire Glen Echo, Maryland and would beg to go there. My father would calmly state, “Not today as we

did not have time. However, we will go one day.”

Later in life, a teacher told me “he had never had a Negro student in his class, never taught a Negro student, and he wasn’t going to start now.” Years later, a teacher would refer to all Negro students as Niggers or Niggresses. He also explained that his grandfather was a slave owner and the terminology was passed down from generation to generation, and he wasn’t going to change now.

When change came, I remember being struck with awe and shocked while traveling on a train trip. My sister and I went to the lady’s room and stood in line like nice young ladies. A mother and two little girls rushed in and jumped in front of my sister and me. We said nothing. However, the young lady’s mother stood over them and said, “Get in the back of the line, and let the little nigger girls go first because they were here first.” That was an eye-opening experience, which I never forgot.

I thank Rosa Parks, whom I once met while visiting Congressman John Lewis decades ago. I also thank Martin Luther King, Jr. and the brave known and unknown heroes of all races, colors, and creeds, not to mention past Presidents who led the way, or contributed to making a way, to oversee that “all people become free.”

9

HOLIDAYS

Selma: Then and Now

By Robert Warren, Vendor

With the new movie “Selma” coming out, it’s that time of year when we remember Dr. Martin Luther King and his words to bring justice to people mistreated with so much injustice when it came to housing, jobs, public accommodations and all things we need to live the “American Dream.” Sadly, far too many of us are still fighting for the right to live that “American Dream” despite so many on the right saying we have the right to do just that with absolutely no thoughts about they can help people who have spent all their years with the deck stacked against them.

Now it is fashionable for those on the right to talk about people’s shortcomings and paint a picture that makes everything wrong in their lives their fault. But when I think about Dr. King and his work, I think about one of the last places he visited-Chicago. He said it was more racist than Alabama. So, in their way, were Boston and many other East Coast cities that instituted segregationist laws and policies from which black citizens are still trying to recover and rebuild their lives and their communities.

This country still has a lot of growing up to do before we can say we are on a level playing field for all people and the injustice for which Dr. King gave his life no longer exists.

MLK Day of Service Volunteer Opportunities Readers interested in volunteering should keep in mind that pre-registration is appropriate for most volunteer activities.

We recommend that you check the event’s website or email/call the contact person for more information.

New York Avenue Men’s Shelter Clean Up Project; contact Cassandra Kienbaum 301-270-0900, ckienbaum@ catholicvolunteernetwork.org 1355 New York Avenue NE Sat Jan 17 | 10 am - 1 pm Thursday Network Annual Blanket and Toiletries Drive: Assemble care packages at Greater Washington Urban League Headquarters and distribute blankets and care packages to the homeless across DC and MD. We need volunteers to pack materials, as well as drive to drop-off sites. You can also drop materials off at this event. thursdaynetwork.org/ 2901 14th St NW Mon Jan 19 |10 am - 1 pm So Others May Eat (SOME): Prepare and Serve Lunch to Guests at SOME; contact Cassandra Kienbaum 301-270-0900, ckienbaum@ catholicvolunteernetwork.org 71 O St. NW Mon Jan 19 |10:30 am - 1:15 pm

Join Rock Creek Conservancy and the National Park Service: Volunteer Activity: Volunteers will help remove invasives from the trees and the ground in the Eastern section of Melvin Hazen, a tributary of Rock Creek; Meet at the end of Quebec Street NW where the Melvin Hazen Trailhead begins; contact Karen Zeiter 202-237-8866, kzeiter@rockcreekconservancy.org | http://bit.ly/1xOTnBg Mon Jan 19 | 10 am - noon Grassroots Education Project will work on a number of service projects at Walker-Jones Education Campus: classroom, library and facility upgrades and community outreach; www.grassrootseducationproject.org/mlkday2015 1125 New Jersey Ave NW Mon Jan 19 | 10 am -2 pm Anacostia Riverkeeper and Pope Branch Alliance; volunteer cleanup of the Anacostia Rivershed www.anacostiariverkeeper.org Fairlawn Avenue & M Place, SE Mon Jan 19 | 9 am - 12 pm registration at 8:30 am

Manna is looking for volunteers to help clean up one of its newest properties in the Anacostia neighborhood: Volunteers are needed to pick up trash from the neighborhood streets, clean the interiors of the Manna property, and remove debris from the yard. Manna works to revitalize neighborhoods in Washington, DC, preserve diversity, and help people acquire quality housing; www.mannadc.org 2946 M St SE Mon Jan 19 | 12:00 PM - 02:00 PM We Feed Our People Annual Day of Service: Free meals and clothing will be distributed Mon Jan 19 at two locations - the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, located at 901 G Street NW between 9:00 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. and the historic Anacostia neighborhood near the Big Chair at the intersection of Martin Luther King Ave. and V Street SE between 11:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Volunteers will prepare the meals on January 17-18, 2015 at the Howard University School of Law Dining Hall. www. wefeedourpeople.org/wpsite/

COMICS & GAMES

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5 1 0 2 Ahoy

Rosie & Lady

STREET SENSE January 14 - 27, 2015

A Response to Jeffrey MacNeil’s “Black/Liberal Matters”

By Ken Martin, Vendor Jeff, I have all the due respect I can muster for you. But you, sir, may not speak for Martin Luther King, Jr. Dr. King was a champion for inclusion and unity.

You say "today people are screaming ‘injustice’ although there is no moral witness to any of these events."

To which of today’s events do you refer?

You are not specific, so, I don't know what you are talking about.

You say: "I see a new age race leader.

Martin Luther King and Malcolm X were humble, Martin Luther King would never set a stage on Capitol Hill with a VIP section for celebrity race speakers, nor would he allow protesters to sell T-shirts and memorabilia for marches in Selma and Birmingham. However, while Al Sharpton wants to invoke civil rights, he also pimps the social movement to elevate himself.

The black masses he claims to love are suffering and devoid of moral leadership.”

As a hue-man (man of color), you certainly cannot be MY spokesman and should NOT speak for my "aggressive" (not “humble,” as you put it) heroes, Malcolm and Martin.

Rev. Al Sharpton is a race leader only in the perception of the misled, such as those who qualify him in that capacity. He is celebrated, vocal and prominent. So is Yosemite Sam. But that does not qualify Sharpton as MY leader any more than you or Sam. Malcolm X, humble?

Bro., Malcolm was about as humble as a HOWITZER. Martin was nonviolent, but as outspoken as any man in world history.

Not at all humble, and not the shrinking violet that you imply. His words made J. Edgar Hoover cringe.

Both Malcolm and Martin, in their individual ways, took on the United States political establishment in an era when hanging black men was as routine a pastime as playing canasta. How would that be considered humble?

As for Dr. King setting a stage on Capitol Hill with a VIP section of speakers, what were Harry Belafonte (his benefactor), Sidney Poitier, Eartha Kitt, Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee but celebrity race speakers? I'd say James Baldwin, James Farmer, Nikki Giovanni, John Lewis and Adam Clayton Powell would qualify as race spokespeople.

I don't think you can accurately speak either to Dr. King's fundraising / marketing strategies or his entrepreneurial vision. I can recall many forms of memorabilia from the Civil Rights Movement - buttons, postcards, posters and more. All this was prior to 1968. I was there. Where were you?

“When did our country go astray?” you asked. When we began to listen to the misinterpretations of those who read about the civil rights movement because they weren't old enough to experience the need for it or participate in the required action.

You write: “By feeling sorry for African Americans they [Democrats] don't know they are hampering their full potential and fundamentally destroying them.” I doubt anyone feels sorry for anyone these days. This is a most selfish American "civilization," in which very few care about

the plight of “Blacks.” If people, liberal or conservative, were genuinely concerned, partisan politics would have died before Martin or Malcolm.

You say “Liberalism is destructive.” So is conservatism, many would argue. I say pigeonholing is destructive. As the human race, we ought to be mature enough to stop thinking we should be "thousanduplets." We should remain cognizant that we are unique with our individual gifts and tal e n ts . We n e e d to stop trying to think (and speak) for everybody and think and do for ourselves, according to the circumstances and situations given us and our children.

You stated: “Liberalism is not about helping the poor and oppressed but about a few egos who think they are the enlightened and anointed.” I say conservatives are not about helping the poor and oppressed but about a LOT of egos that feel they are superior. By the way, I’m neither liberal nor conservative. I am ME.

11

OPINION

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: McNeil’s Definition of Civil Rights I was dismayed to read an incorrect and disrespectful statement in an article by Vendor Jeffrey McNeil in the last edition. Mr. McNeil wrote, “Once upon a time Democrats fought for civil rights and social justice. Today they fight for gender neutral bathrooms and the right for men to cross dress and wear lingerie to work.”

Mr. McNeil’s scornful statement is neither based in understanding nor does it acknowledge the deep injustices that transgender people face.

A 2011 survey by the National Center for Transgender Equality and National Gay and Lesbian Task Force found that transgender individuals (trans men, trans women, and nonbinary people) experience double the rate of unemployment compared to the general population. 90 percent of respondents experienced discrimination or harassment at work. Almost half had been fired, denied a promotion, or not hired because of their gender identity. In school, 78 percent faced harassment and 35 percent physical assault.

A moment of reflection should make clear that Mr. McNeil’s inflammatory words paint a false picture of support for trans rights. Of course trans women are expected to wear appropriate work attire rather than “lingerie”, just like any women. It is cruel to paint trans rights as being the opposite of real civil rights. Mainstream media has propagated such stereotypes for so long that I am afraid people may simply accept Mr. McNeil’s words and his scorn.

One-fifth of transgender respondents have been homeless at some point. When trying to access shelters, 34 percent of transgender women and 20 percent of transgender men were turned away at the door. One-fifth of trans people report being denied medical care because of their gender identity. One-fifth of transgender people have been denied a home or apartment, and 11 percent have been evicted because of their gender identity.

I do not suggest censorship of Mr. McNeil’s opinions, but I do suggest that truthful and compassionate information about transgender identity and rights be published to counteract the harm his statement may have done.

Respectfully and with gratitude for your work, Sara Alexander

The Lesson I Learned from Charlie Hebdo

By Jeffrey McNeil, Vendor

There is a fine line between expressing a viewpoint and inciting people to anger. When I write I try to present angles that other people don't see. I understand I write for a progressive audience so I try to respectfully disagree while at the same time not saying things that infuriate. There is always a delicate balance between stating facts and inflaming passions.

There is a reason why very few writers write about issues such as race, ethnicity and religion. Even if you might be right on the substance, one must calculate the price that will be exacted for exercising your rights to free speech.

I don't buy into the opinion that people should say whatever they want to say because it's their right to do so. Although I don't believe in censorship, I do suggest you have someone proofread your material before publishing it. Printing something

without having a qualified person reading and editing your work is equivalent to driving on an icy road without first checking to see if your brakes work.

Although I don't believe that the purpose of writing is to write bland noncontroversial articles you shouldn't write something inflammatory—especially about race, ethnicity and religion—without consulting someone from that race or religion to see what kind of response you would get.

That’s the mistake they made at Charlie Hebdo, which resulted in the unfortunate massacre of twelve people and a nation on the brink of ethnic clashes. The organization decided to publish a cartoon without taking any precautions or preparing for the response they would receive.

No one condones or endorses the killing of people for doing or saying things which are inflammatory. However, criticizing

others while leaving yourself vulnerable is not courageous. It’s irresponsible, reckless and foolish.

The media is doing a great disservice by elevating the cartoonists at Charlie Hebdo as heroes or martyrs when in reality what they did wasn't courageous but jeopardized the lives of their employees and put many of their countrymen at risk by stoking the flames of something they were too ignorant to research or understand.

We all have a right to say things that are offensive but should we be shocked that some people will take what you say out of context and threaten to harm or hurt you?

The difference between free speech in America, as opposed to France, is Americans are allowed to say and do dumb things but there are few outlets that will print articles or post material that will incite violence and riots. In France, it appears there are no such filters that

prevent inflammatory material from being published.

I didn't understand the logic or urge to publish something like that. It might have been their right, but from a business perspective was there a purpose for doing so? Was it to persuade Muslims to a moderate position or was it to incite more venom and hatred in a nation already torn by ethnic tensions While the media want to portray the massacre at Charlie Hebdo as men that died for free speech, they should read the wisdom of Proverbs 15:1: a soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. If the people of Charlie Hebdo used sensitivity instead of insistence, maybe the outcome would have been different.

We all have a right to say what we will, but some things should be edited before they are posted. That is the lesson I learned from Charlie Heebo.

The Street Sense Writers’ Group is led by two 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.

Look Around

The Longest Night

By Jackie Turner, Vendor

By Ken Martin, Vendor

Please, look around and see.

That people are human, like you and me.

We all feel hurt and pain.

We live and die the same.

Don’t let our differences separate us or Make us hate enough to do horrible things Like shooting children or killing ourselves with suicide bombing.

So, sit down and think Are our differences really that great?

Salutetatem XV!

By Chris Shaw, “The Cowboy Poet” I look a storm in the eye, Either that storm moves on, Or do I! In recent cycles my sphere of care has broadened So slippage on icy planes is not an option.

Cinna proclaimed herself a poet in Caesar’s day.

The double-edged broad sword of a centurion put her away.

But now Inkflow and the City Cowboy fare better.

Why, we’re not even bowed

by Adverse Weather.

(editor’s note: On the night of December 18, 2014, People for Fairness Coalition held an overnight vigil in honor of the homeless individuals who died in DC in 2014. The organizers called for an end to life and death on the street.)

“Science may have found a cure for most evils; but it has found no remedy for the worst of them all - the apathy of human beings.” —Helen Keller It's beyond my comprehension that DC's paid homeless advocates lacked the "whatever it takes" wherewithal, commitment or compassion to face the overnight challenge. Not one of the many highly paid advocates / service providers spent the night with us in that heated tent at Freedom Plaza.

Fifty-five non-domiciled citizens died in DC and the providers of the lifesaving services that might have helped protect them did not, for whatever their reasons, feel they needed to participate overnight.

Nor did they rally their "consumers" in support of this cause. Many of these advocates earn high five- to six-figure annual salaries. Considering the state of the homeless, one might say their attitude is ludicrous, er, lucrative.

If the overpaid won't show, why would "Joe or Jane Average," citizen?

So much for inspiring the masses!

CHEERS: To Arnold Abbott, age 91, who traveled all the way from Fort Lauderdale

Florida to inspire others with his active participation!

JEERS: To the Washington spokespeople for the homeless who were apathetic enough to stay home. If you couldn't handle one night for your consumers, how would YOU handle a brutal winter in the streets of DC relying on YOUR peers?

Shame on you!

What qualifies me to speak to this?

1. I am a native Washingtonian who knew DC when it was a village.

2. I was once an underpaid homeless advocate who rose to the occasion many times, organizing and marching, working overnights, even to the extent of 72 straight hours (9 shifts without going home) at the Anacostia Men's Life Center shelter transitioning.

3. But for the grace of God I might have been number 56! Following a heart attack on a Sunday, surgery on the main artery Monday (a stent no less), and discharged to a Starbucks chair near a vent on Wednesday. On Thursday, I had another heart attack that required additional surgery on Friday morning - discharged back to the chair on Friday night.

Thank you Father!!!

I am not only still without housing, I recently lost my mailing address. So much for advocacy....

MY KATRINA: Part 25

By Gerald Anderson, Vendor

Good morning, good morning! I’m so happy to see you, my community of friends and readers, in the new year! I want to thank my customers for all they support and gifts and cards! I hope everyone enjoyed time with family and friends.

For Christmas, me and my editor went to this fancy restaurant. We ate grilled chicken, rice, French fries, and little bitty cabbages called Brussels sprouts. Wow, this meal was so great!

It was a little rough for me last year but this year I see a better outcome, because the motivation from you—my friends— gives me power and strength, whatever the situation.

I must share this with you all while it’s in my heart: If I’d had people like you all to hear me out while I was younger, I would have seen a better way out.

Remember, it’s never too late. This year

I’m clear-minded, focused, and living with good, supportive men in my household. It ain’t the biggest house, but thanks again for helping me get my own set of keys to my place where I lay my head in peace.

PREVIOUSLY: Finally it was my turn.

The guard I been talking to say, “You ready buddy?” Then the heli pulled up in the air, and my stomach dropped. My heart dropped too. Like they both still on the ground. Helicopter open, no door.

Damn! I looked down, but I didn’t look too much down. I look side-eyed down. I wanted to see what going on. You couldn’t tell which was the floodwater and which was the river. Everything in my stomach move, but not as much as when I see what I see fifteen minutes later...

Once we got to the Convention Center that’s when you really see everything that people was goin’ through.

It was just like a hospital. In fact they had some veterans who had been evacuated from hospitals with tubes in their bodies. There was Red Cross and all kind of medical. Volunteer medics too. People

in neck brace. People lyin’ on the ground, some moanin’, others screamin’ for help.

Babies cryin’.

So many families huddled together.

It looked like the world was comin’ to an end.

It smell worse than the garbage plant.

It smell worse than when an armadillo get hit. The odor was louder than a skunk.

People that know about a skunk they’ll tell you these things.

They say we’ll get better medical attention wherever they send us.

There were trailers where they ask all kind of questions. You had to go through that before you leave. They had like 50 gates where you could line up for medical help.

I told them I was a diabetic and had high blood pressure, so they gave me pills and insulin needles.

They got tents out. They ask how many in your family. I tell them, “My family been gone. I’m just with the people from the projects that I been helping.”

My homeboy KK had left the projects be-

fore me, so I didn’t see him. I spent that night outside the convention center in a tent with others that we had helped survive through this. Like 20 of us sleeping in cot beds, using little aluminum lanterns to see.

In every tent they put boxes of food, water, juices, and milk.

It was sort of like, but I wouldn’t say exactly like, bein’ in prison. Here you got babies cryin’ all through the night, people cryin’, people prayin’, people just wonderin’ where they other part of they family at.

I really didn’t sleep too well that night because I worried where my family at.

They had a old lady sleeping next to me.

She had a bleeding ulcer and she screaming all night.

She ask me to reach in her bag. All she had was a bottle of Maalox and some pain pills. I really can’t imagine the pain of her situation.

I close my eyes, thinking about all the suffering and wondering what would happen to me. (to be continued)

STREET SENSE January 14 - 27, 2015

VENDOR WRITING

The Gift

O

n the way to his paper route, Jim Townson noticed a policeman waking up a homeless man who was sleeping peacefully on the steps of a government building. The man was clean, and had only a pillow, blanket, and the ragged clothes on his back.

Two officers sat in their cruiser, the driver honked the horn as loud as he could, scaring the homeless man out of his slumber. (a beggar’s plea) “Let’s go, let’s go - now!” the policeman yelled loudly from the car.

“Okay, okay. You don’t have to talk to me like that - I am a man, I am a human being,” said the homeless man. (a beggar’s plea) The officers jumped out of their police cruiser, lighning fast. One flicked out the night stick he uses for riot control. He began to beat the poor man badly.

Jim Townson takes it all in. Sad to say - this isn’t anything new. The officers soon radioed for an ambulance to pick

By James Davis, Vendor Give me back my nights, All the wild ones you know, where the bass blast from the clubs, could chip the paint off your car and make your afro do the bump Give me back my days all the quiet ones where the sight of sunshine could blind you into shameless sight as the water from a brook invites you to jump in Give me back my life, all that I have to feel Happy and whole and loved where a soul mate awaits me with baited breath Give me back my soul and with it every angel’s dream and a shout from the heavens that says love and life is the Gift That keeps on giving.

Rain Check

Leonard C. Hyater Jr., Vendor A few days before Christmas I had plans to go to bar on Connecticut Ave. NW. As I was about to enter, I was stopped by the doorman. He said to me that I was barred from the establishment for sleeping the last time I was there.

I have a medical condition called sleep apnea and type two diabetes. I’ve informed the staff that I have these conditions and that at times the sleep apnea can get out of control. Sometimes when I go somewhere that sleep apnea hits me and my body shuts down. I sleep with a bipap machine to address this at night.

Do I have a legal ground to stand on?

The reason I asked this question is because I believe that I am being discriminated based on my medical condition. In spite of my sleep apnea, I should be able go out and have a good time.

I understand it is private businesses’ right and need to have rules and regulations, but I’m asking that businesses understand their disabled patrons.

If someone happens to be an attorney reading this, please let me know.

13

up the man - because the homeless man didn’t move from the government steps fast enough. (a beggar’s plea) Townson’s job is a newspaper for the poor and homeless people of Hopeful Washington DC who cannot get any other type of job. The organization was founded by the mayor of the city, mayor Alston.

Otherwise however - he’s left the city’s homeless issues unattended. (to be continued)

New Marketing Strategy: The Daily Life of Me and My Friends

By Patty Smith Vendor I asked my girlfriend, “What is the purpose of that pink and white shirt?”

“If I don’t dress like a kid, nobody will give me money,” she said as she was going to the club to panhandle.

That night she came home with a refrigerator’s worth of food and about $25.

I asked her how she got it. She said “I’m running around at 25 miles an hour and can’t nobody best my style. I’m running like hell acting like a kid. After doing that for two hours, I’m tired as hell. I need to lie down.”

That’s when my friends and I decided to call ourselves Baby Business and wear kids clothes.

By Chris Shaw “Cowboy Poet” Episode 24

HEY, WHAT'S ALL THIS BROUHA-HA ?

Billy crossed the ornate gilded lobby of the Willard Hotel, until Claude Jean, the haughty gold braided Bell capitaine, halted him abruptly with one gloved hand."excuse, monsieur, no blue jeans allowed uin the publique areas de la Hotel Willard!"

Billy glared at the tall Haitian and simmered back, "Uh, messieur, I am expected

by Mrs. Marsh, wife of Senator hasty Marsh of Teness--" Claude harrumphed,and motioned two hotel floorwalkers to escort Monsieur Luck to the Eagle Suite at once, "Tout-de Suite," he added.

Skipper greeted Billy at the 9th floor elevator with a warm caress. "Do you know Alice," she asked softly.

Billy shot Alice an uneasy look. True, he had displayed his wares on the "Stroll," early in his sojourn in DC, down at the Bell restaurant. As he recalled, she had paid him strictly for the conversation. he focused on his confidante Skipper. "Listen, some bad 'boojum' is going down at market Square, Skipper. A dude named Meals is already waxed, and when our dear friend Rev'rend Rand gets his tail out of Providence, there's no telling what will go down from then on--" Skipper drank in all this hot info with a series of deep soulful gasps, then put her

lacy arm around Billy and steered him to the cream-and-teal draped suite.Enjoy the caviar, oysters and champagne, honey--" Billy gave Alice a knowing wink of goodbye. "I think I'll catch up to you kids a bit later," she said.

Billy nodded appreciatively in Skipper's direction, but added significantly, "No bubbly for me if you don't mind, Skipper...I'm done with drinkin' for sure!" (to be continued)

Setbacks

Mama

By Philip Black, Vendor - “The Cat in the Hat” Everyone will have some kind of setback in their life. Some of us can overcome setbacks, and some us can’t. Many of us go through setbacks around holidays. But I’m here to tell you that setbacks are made for comebacks.

We are strong-minded and good-hearted people, and we will overcome situations in our lives.

If you fall of your horse, get back on and ride. When your train is off track, you’re the conductor who can out it back

By Marcus Green, Vendor on track. We are the captain of our own ship, and we must stay strong to overcome the setbacks we go through. I know that sometimes it’s easier said than done, so stay positive and never lose focus on who we are and what we stand for.

Right or wrong, through thick or thin times, she’s always there.

Mama, I’m sorry I’ve never reached your expectations and you still loved me unconditionally.

Mama you’re the backbone of our family’s whole being. Thank you Mama, I’ll never give up until my legacy is intact.

Dear Mama, rest in peace.

Marching On

By Robert Warren, Vendor Marion Berry, the man and the times impacting five decades of people’s lives in Washington, D.C. In the sixties, we talked about people having pride and rising themselves out of poverty, and overcoming racism, and lingering Jim Crow Law. Marion Berry and other community activities were leading the way. The Seventies, we had a city with a Mayor and its people moving forward who were also responsible for building a stronger middle class with “people of color” communities, while at the same time, still hurting from leadership lost in the struggle. To this day, some say that black communities never recovered from the loss of powerful leadership. Boat loads of heroin, new chemicals which also gave people dependencies and mental deficiencies.

“The City and the Mayor for life” came through all of that with a mission to have a day for their King. So one day, they took a holiday with Stevie Wonder singing “Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday!” I will never forget that day walking down Pennsylvania and looking up into all the windows and seeing all those “white faces” looking down on us. The feeling came down on me that we were going to pay for this day.

The Great Ronald Reagan fighting us all the way, letting the CIA in South American countries export cocaine into black communities, as long as they didn’t import communism. In the beginning, we thought cocaine was a “rich man’s high,” and then it was so plentiful, black man saw it as a way to make money. The scourge of what cocaine did to black America, is a debt that America can never pay.

Richard Pryor was reported to have set himself on fire freebasing. Freebasing, a new thing in our community, which

took people downhill in stages, along with the “Mayor for Life,” and destroying our communities of color. So people went from being called, “a free baser to a base-head, to the second-worst person in America, “a pipe-head.” Their minds and productivity, family and lives destroyed.

We came to the nineties “the murder capital of the world.” Our City’s fall from cocaine led to our City’s Mayor being “the Crack Mayor.”

The City had to go through the control board, and that was nothing compared to the loss of life, communities and places to live. A new century brought this City new hope and new challenges for the “City and Mayor for Life.” 9/11 changed everything because it gave folks and those on the right a chance to hate and advance their racisms and biased views on our communities - which led to a lot of death in communities of color. With some we tried suggesting that black men somehow are different from others, our “Mayor for life,” would always tell them another truth. So last year, we laid our “Mayor for Life” to rest. The forces of racism and unjust laws, is still a great challenge for “people of color.” Today, there is so much focus on “police and perception” when the deaths and bad laws have been with us for years. Many like Fox News try to redirect the conversation to “black on black crime.” These are the same people who never support laws and policies that would end poverty in communities of color.

When our leaders stand up against injustice, they accuse them of playing the race card, as if grace has nothing to do with the deaths of “young black men.”

Two men are dead because they won a fist fight with someone that had a gun.

Another won shot dead because he was exercising his rights to bear a “toy gun.”

Another jumped by a mob of men choked out and left for dead. But rest in peace “Mayor for Life,” as we march on.

Farewell my Street Sense Friend

By Chon Gotti, Vendor

Since January 2014 I have become a big part of the Street Sense dream team: doing poetry, writing articles, drawing illustrations, acting in the theatre group, and making movies. From the very beginning I knew I had to turn my life around, and turn it around quick.

Just before that first vendor training session, I was introduced to a soft spoken powerhouse of a manager inside of the orientation room. I didn’t know what to think about the manager of Street Sense. His calm and patient ways kept every vendor happy. He always had good intentions and really tried to understand vendors when he listened to them.

Brandon was an outstanding guy. To me he was the greatest example of what a manager should be, and I think we need more leaders like him. So I salute my Street Sense friend, wishing you all the best, because you are the very best at what you do. May your 2015 quest be an outstanding success. Farewell.

To the Vendors of Street Sense:

I

n my time with your organization, I’ve come to live by a mantra “share your community.” I started saying this after I saw the great benefit many of you gained from the exceptional volunteers that have shared their passions, for writing, art, film--all forms of expression--with you. However, as I leave Street Sense I can’t help but think about the great impact all of you had on me, all because you’ve been kind enough to share your community with me.

Your congeniality can also be felt in the District. Despite all of the programs Street Sense offers, the newspaper, “Staging Hope” performances, “Lessons of Hope” forums, “Teaching Hope” workshops, and the short film series, I strongly believe the

best way your organization educates the public about homelessness is through you, the vendors, sharing your life with your customers. You’ve made Washington, D.C. a better place for it. I hope I will have a similar impact on my new home.

Since I’m not nearly as talented a writer as many of you, I’ll leave you with the words of someone more eloquent than I: “If you’re in trouble, or hurt or need - go to the poor people. They’re the only ones that’ll help - the only ones” John Steinbeck, The Grapes Of Wrath.

May you all continue to enrich the lives of those around you.

Thank you for everything, Brandon Caudill

Street Sense Pride: Causes for Celebration

Jeffery McNeil applied for a position with Roll Call Magazine.

15

STREET SENSE January 14 - 27, 2015

COMMUNITY SERVICES

I Love Jesus

By Jackie Turner Vendor

Ivory Wilson launched an Indiegogo campaign to fund a film project.

He will never let you down.

He will stand by you Walk with you, talk with you.

He is a comforter, Provider and healer.

He can make it right.

Whatever the problem!

Housing/Shelter

Clothing

Outreach

Transportation

Education

Legal Assistance

Food

Showers

Medical/Healthcare

Laundry

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

SHELTER HOTLINE: 1–800–535–7252 Academy of Hope: 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

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

Catholic Charities: 772-4300 catholiccharitiesdc.org/gethelp

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)

Community Council for the Homeless at Friendship Place: 364-1419 4713 Wisconsin Ave, NW cchfp.org

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

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

Miriam’s Kitchen: 452-8926 2401 Virginia Ave, NW miriamskitchen.org

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Community of Hope: 232-7356 communityofhopedc.org

Martha’s Table: 328-6608 2114 14th St, NW marthastable.org

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

Rachel’s Women’s Center: 682-1005 1222 11th St, NW rachaels.org

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

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

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

Subscribe to Street Sense 1 Year: $40 2 Years: $80 3 Years: $120 I want half of my purchase to benefit a vendor directly Vendor Name

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

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

Vendor Badge # Name

Address Phone

VENDOR PROFILE: THROUGH THE EYES OF A CHILD

By Yves Carel, Volunteer

Eboni is the sweetest and the toughest, all at the same time. You can hear her coming by the sounds of her steps along the corridor of our the Street Sense offices. Always running around, jumping on everybody’s arms, it seems that she doesn’t even care to be in the streets. It’s been about three years now, but she has to stay positive - for her mom.

Mom,vendor Sasha Williams, has been homeless since she finished high school in 2003. After a traumatic experience in her neighborhood, Sasha decided to leave the area. Because she had nowhere to go, with student and medical debts to pay, she ended up in a shelter at only eighteen years old. Since then she has been wandering from shelter to searching tirelessly for housing.

Eboni and her mother are always together. Until recent months they were both staying at DC General family shelter, where Eboni’s mom was born; at that time it was still a hospital.

Eboni takes good care of Mom. She wakes up at 5am every morning because Mom has to go to class; she’s getting a

certificate at a Residential Specialist Training in Social Assistance and Residential Counselling. Meanwhile Eboni stays with her Aunt until Mom finishes class around noon. Afterward, they come together to Street Sense.

They participate to every workshop they can: filmmaking, illustration, or even theatre. And Eboni does the best she can.

Even if she doesn’t know how to read, or write, or even speak. But that’s because she’s only three years old.

Mom’s specialty is illustration. She can draw a picture of a homeless person out in the cold as well as a map of the District wards. Ebony is always next to her doing more modern and contemporary art, as most children do.

Mom has a dream: she wants to become a successful real estate agent. She believes it is a way to help families find affordable housing.

“But before, I need a home with my girl,” Sasha explains. Finding a place to live is not an easy thing, there is little help, even for a single mother. Housing is expensive and the waitlists are long.

However, Eboni’s never sees Mom lose faith. She takes full advantage of the facilities Street Sense has to offer.

“I love Street Sense. I learn a lot here.

It’s good emotionally. It gives me motivation.”

And luckily for her, Eboni is always close.

“She’s a blessing. She keeps me warm,” says Mom. And that little girl sure gives everybody a lesson: no matter what you are going through, happiness is always inside of you.

Ken Belkosky - 1/17 Chris Shaw - 1/17 January 14 - 27, 2014 • Volume 12 • Issue 5

Street Sense 1317 G Street, NW

Nonprofit Org US Postage Paid Washington, DC

Washington, DC 20005

Mail To:

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.

Rest in Peace PIEUS

ENNELS

Services Thursday, January 15th

On New Years Day 2015, Pieus Ennels passed away at age 60.

For the past several months, he benefited from having his own apartment — acheived after six years vending for Street Sense and others spent homeless prior to finding our organization. Pieus was ever-patient when it came to his own housing situation, sternly maintaing that he would not become upon a burden upon what family he had left. For Pieus’ kind demeanor and gentle spirit, passerby might never figure he had fought to survive on the streets for so many years or felled his own personal demons in the process. He will be sorely missed by our staff, his customers and his kin.

Spirit of Faith Christian Center 14107 Gibbons Church Road Brandywine, MD 20613 (in the Chapel) Wake at 10 am; Memorial Service at 11:00 am; Repast immediately after service.

LAST WORD: HOMELESSNESS AROUND THE WORLD

By Manuela Mejia, Ediotrial Intern

The job my kitchen supervisor gave me DC Central Kitchen was born on a rainy was to cut onion slices, which eventually night in 1989 in Washington, DC. On any triggered tears coming down my cheeks. given day, the DC Central Kitchen produces Honestly, I wasn’t content with the task I 5,000 meals that are delivered to city shelgot; I wanted something more enjoyable ters, after-school programs, public clinics, to do other than peeling onions. Upon reetc. The president of the organization, beflection I see my watery eyes and tears as lieves that the program not only provides a metaphor - as motivation: I am deterpeople with healthy nourishment, but also mined to change the living circumstances develops a sense of liberation within them. of homeless people in Ecuador. It was proMy own visit to volunteer with DC Cenfoundly rewarding to observe the exprestral Kitchen was a culture shock. Coming sions on the faces of people who received from an undeveloped nation, Ecuador, the warm and abundant meals we preI grew up surrounded by deprived and pared. Their hunger was one less problem homeless citizens. Back home, however, they had to contend with, that day. homeless citizens are ignored. In the United States on the other hand, at least within the organizations I’ve met by interning with Street Sense, these people seem to be acknowledged and recognized as human beings who deserve the same amount of rights as any other inhabitant, which I believe thiis the DC Central Kitchen provides intense on-the-job training in tn culinary w a y i t s h o u l d arts for unemployed women and men, many of who battle homebe nation and lessness or addiction, or have recently returned from incarceration.

PHOTO COURTESY OF DC CENTRAL KITCHEN worldwide.