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Breaking Ground & Building Up in Ward 8 pgs 4- 5

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homeless community evicted, pg 6

DC General replacement plan receives close scrutiny from DC Council, pg 7

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

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STREET SENSE March 23 - April 5, 2016

3

NEWS IN BRIEF

Bill Aims to Jumpstart Employment

By Abby Hershberger, Editorial Intern

D.C. recently ended the public revision period concerning DC Works, a part of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). WIOA is a federal law that strives to restructure workforce programs nationwide. If passed, DC Works would provide several local strategies to improve the D.C. employment system.

In the introduction letter to the WIOA Unified State Plan, Mayor Muriel Bowser signed off on a commitment to improve the District workforce. “We will create a workforce ecosystem that is coordinated, easily accessible, customer-focused and efficient,” the letter stated. “We will better leverage the District’s significant investment in workforce training so that our taxpayer dollars are put to good use strengthening our city and keeping us on our pathway to success.”

The DC Works plan was finalized in February and posted for a 30-day public comment period, which ended on March 14. On March 8, the D.C. Interagency Council on Homelessness (ICH) and the Workforce Investment Council (WIC) held a public engagement session to discuss DC Works. According to WIC Director Odie Donald, there were no definite plans made between the ICH and WIC, although the organizations do plan to collaborate on the issue of homelessness and unemployment in the future.

Eric Sheptock, a local advocate who lives in the Community for Creative Non-Violence Shelter, attended the session. “There was a pretty good turnout,” he said. “There were about 40 or 50 people there. Most of them were government folks or from nonprofits. There were maybe about 10 homeless people.” Sheptock believes that although the District does need a plan to help homeless people keep jobs, the DC Works plan might leave out one key group of people.

“There are a lot of homeless people who are between 25 and 60 years old. They’re not parents, they’re not in any legal trouble.

They’re able-bodied and ready to work,” Sheptock said. He feels that D.C. employment aid leaves out this large group, while developing outreach plans to meet more chronic needs of smaller segments of people, such as those with physical or mental disabilities.

To do his part to bridge this gap, Sheptock is planning to form several small coalitions between local homeless people and government organizations to try and ensure that no homeless subpopulation is left out of legislation. “I don’t just go out and complain,” he said. “I take action.”

The final DC Works plan will be submitted to the U.S. Secretary of Labor and the U.S. Secretary of Education by April 1, 2016.

Housing Authority Passes “Right to Return” Resolution

By Leah DiBianco, Volunteer

On March 9, 2016, the DC Housing Authority (DCHA) Board of Commissioners unanimously passed a resolution advocates are calling the “Right to Return.” The resolution spells out the rights and establishes preferences for current residents of D.C. public housing properties and communities that are undergoing or slated to undergo a redevelopment.

The resolution reinforces the expectation that after redevelopment, former residents who qualify for the right to return will be able to move back into the newly developed mixed income community and receive the benefits of the community redevelopment. The resolution hopes to address residents’ greatest concern: displacement. “I am not willing to be moved off this property and be displaced,” said Tiphanie Williams, a resident living in public housing that will be redeveloped through New Communities. The new resolution attempts to minimize disruption of residents’ lives.

“It’s not the complete ‘win’ we are looking for yet.

It’s definitely a step towards that,” said Sam Jewler, an advocate at Bread for the City who works closely with public housing residents. “The resolution says that, for people currently living in public housing communities, when those communities are redeveloped there will be no new screening requirements including criminal background checks or credit history.”

The resolution establishes guidelines for the D.C. Housing Authority to follow. However, there is no explicit enforcement mechanism or provisions or legal penalties if the resolution is not followed. “We still need to get regulations written and get it a

little more codified, but it’s definitely a good step forward,” Jewler said. “We won’t feel like we have totally [succeeded] until the redevelopment is done, and everyone is back in their homes and it’s been a stable, respectful, and transparent process.”

DCHA’s plan is a formal adoption of part of the DC New Communities Initiative’s (NCI)’s principles for redevelopment. NCI began in 2005 as the city’s response to neighborhood redevelopment in the wake of federal budget cuts to housing revitalization. The NCI is a District government program designed to revitalize distressed subsidized housing and redevelop communities plagued with concentrated poverty, high crime, and economic segregation and replace these units with mixed-income housing. From 2005 to 2008, NCI selected four neighborhoods for participation in its redevelopment plan: Northwest One, Barry Farm, Park Morton, and Lincoln Heights.

NCI has published four principles for redevelopment that are summarized as: “One For One Replacement, Build First, Return and Stay, and Mixed Income.”

“One for One Replacement” means that the existing number of bedrooms per unit will be replicated in the new developments and that replacement units will be built within the footprint of the existing neighborhood. “Build First” calls for development of new housing to begin before demolition of existing distressed housing. “Return and Stay” says that current residents will have priority for returning to replacement housing when it is developed. Mixed Income” indicates that the city prioritizes creating housing that does not concentrate poverty.

While the principles adopted by NCI were intended to minimize the disruptions and hardships generated in previous redevelopment efforts, they have been difficult to implement in practice. The Build First principle requires control of off-site locations and requires the off-site housing to be fully completed prior to the demolition of the on-site housing. This has not happened. While the District’s plans call for replacing affordable housing units “one for one” when housing is redeveloped as mixed income, only 20 percent of the target replacement units have been achieved to date, or 305 replacement units out of 1542 slated for demolition in the current plans.

“Bringing families back is certainly a most important goal, but families have choices and I think you have to be careful about looking at a return rate as a singular sign of success as to whether a redevelopment was done well.” said Adrianne Todman, Executive Director of DCHA. When asked if it is a priority to keep children in their neighborhood schools and families in their community during relocation, Christy Goodman of the DC Housing Authority said, “I don’t think the resolution actually addresses that.”

Tiphanie Williams doesn’t want to move anywhere else. “I want a home, I want a place for my kids to call home.”

Ward 8 Investments Met with Wary Optimism

By Zachary Caplette Editorial Intern As D.C. undergoes a physical and economic transformation to become a city where millennials and young entrepreneurs utilize new and repurposed urban resources, the revival of the 180-acre former psychiatric hospital on St. Elizabeth’s east campus in Southeast has become emblematic of the effort and discussion surrounding that transformation. Cutting-edge proposals for design and technology at St. Elizabeth’s have flooded in, but so have questions about how the changes will impact the site’s surrounding community.

This was illustrated in real-time at the project’s ceremonial demolition in midFebruary, kicking off Phase One development of the site.

Mayor Muriel Bowser addressed the gathered crowd of city officials, community members and press. “It has been a hallmark of this administration to—” “—Gentrify all eight wards!” interjected Schyla Poindexter-Moore over the mayor’s speech.

“—invest in all eight wards,” Bowser finished.

Members of the audience murmured as the mayor continued to talk about jobs and progress. Some mocked or dismissed the protestors. Others could be heard explaining how property taxes and landlord’s income expectations tend to rise when an area is invested in and becomes more desirable.

Poindexter-Moore, an activist with local organization Empower DC, and one fellow protestor stood defiantly holding a banner that read “Stop Displacement, Don’t Move!!”

There have been efforts to engage the Congress Heights community in design workshops to better understand residents’ needs and address their concerns since the St. Elizabeth’s master planning process began years ago. Yet, to many, the computer generated renderings paint a futuristic picture that resembles gentrification that has occurred elsewhere throughout the District.

At a recent community meeting hosted by development partner Events DC, neighbors voiced concerns that the revitalization of St. Elizabeth's might lead to a familiar feeling of being left behind. One Ward 8 neighbor said that many District residents have been feeling "misplaced, displaced, and replaced" by the city's recent multimillion dollar developments.

The St. Elizabeth’s East plans aim to restore and rejuvenate the aesthetic identity of the campus, which has contributed to a distinct character in Southeast. The old psychiatric facility has begun to show signs of life throughout its revival. Since the opening of a modern hospital facility at the edge of

Construction workers, Ward 8 residents and city officials participate in a ceremonial demoltion to kick off Phase One development of St. Elizabeth’s East. | PHOTO BY ERIC FALQUERO

Rendered image of the new sports arena.

Part of the historic St. E’s campus.

the east campus in 2010, the D.C. Council has approved further redevelopment of the historic facilities. Because the campus is a National Historic Landmark, future development there must attempt to preserve 16 existing buildings on the site.

The east campus is expected to be transformed into a commercial and residential district, including 60 townhomes, 250 mixed-income apartments; a 171,000-square-foot office building with 47,000 square feet of integrated retail; a retail courtyard; and 100 underground parking spaces, according to a press release. Many community members have found it hard to believe that this proposal will complement the culturally historic and diverse Southeast neighborhood.

"We want Congress Heights to be a destination, not just St. E's," said another neighbor at the Events DC community meeting. A proposed 5000-seat arena and practice facility for the Wizards and Mystics was symbolic of that concern. While Randy Boe, the executive vice president for Monumental Sports, asserted that the arena would “bring a lot of value to the neighborhood,” not all of the community members were immediately convinced.

The primary fear was that such a major development might risk leaving the rest of the neighborhood behind.

While Phase One development will stretch on for the next two years, a much more tangible benefit for Congress Heights residents to latch onto is jobs. The development will result in approximately 9,000 new jobs. Training opportunities and workshop demonstration events will give neighbors access to these opportunities.

Joaquin McPeek, the Director of Communications at the Office for Planning and Economic Development, said in an e-mail that the partnership with Events DC and Monumental Sports will “produce more than 600 construction jobs and 300 permanent jobs for both the arena and Phase One infrastructure of St. Elizabeth’s East, with priority given to Ward 8 residents.”

For all the talk and promises of community interaction, the road to revitalization has been bumpy. While McPeek said that construction jobs will give precedence to local community members, it appears that this has not always been the case.

In 2011, during the beginning stages of the St. Elizabeth redevelopment, a protest group called DC Jobs or Else rallied

COUTESY OF STELIZABETHESEAST.COM

COUTESY OF STELIZABETHESEAST.COM

throughout the Congress Heights neighborhood to shed light upon workforce injustice. Clark Construction Company, who is a leading player in this development, was accused of hiring more than half of its workers from outside of D.C. for the reconstruction of St. Elizabeth’s hospital campus. Five years later, people still seem to be wary of these promises, which are deemed a priority.

One construction worker and Ward 8 resident of 25 years stood at the February demolition ceremony to prove otherwise. “Prior to this I had to go outside of the District of Columbia to find work,” he said. “I had to travel to Baltimore or deep into Virginia. But now that I am working in D.C., it’s been a blessing.”

He described being trained in various new skills, including receiving a license to properly handle asbestos. To this man, Ward 8 has always had trouble with “dream sellers,” but this opportunity has kept him grounded and moving forward.

“You know, my mom lost her job last year. I’ve been able to take over the household so my mother won’t lose her house in Ward 8,” he said of his new job with pride, before introducing the mayor. “The house I grew up in.”

While St. Elizabeth’s appears to be a far cry from a project done purely in the public’s interest, developers are keenly pointing out how the revitalization will improve the quality of life in neighborhoods that have often languished while others in D.C. thrive.

“The St. Elizabeth’s East Master Plan and Design Guidelines is the result of a decade of assessment, outreach, analysis, and planning to address an historic campus that is one of the District’s largest underdeveloped sites and the future setting for wise land use, brand new infrastructure, sustainable development, historic revitalization, and open space,” McPeek said. “It is also the product of multiple contributions from community advisors whose invaluable guidance helped to crystallize this vision.”

The ongoing project at St. Elizabeth’s is unique in its scope and historical stature.

As buildings continue to break ground, many in the neighborhood and elsewhere will be monitoring the process closely.

With other plans like the 11th Street bridge project and a new child development center also in the works, the future of Ward 8 looks promising. But these efforts do little to diminish the uncertainty for many longtime residents of Southeast.

“You was on our side until you got a paycheck,” Poindexter-Moore shouted at those that tried to prevent her from disrupting the demolition ceremony.

Abby Hershberger contributed to this report.

STREET SENSE March 23 - April 5, 2016

5

COVER STORIES

Construction of Children’s Center Promises Bright Beginnings for Ward 8

By Abby Hershberger Editorial Intern On a warm, overcast morning last week, Councilmember LaRuby May and a long line of community members stood across the street from a vacant lot in Ward 8.

They grinned, wearing hard hats that read “Bright Beginnings Incorporated” and on the count of three, the group plunged shiny gold shovels into the dirt. It was the start of construction of the new Bright Beginnings Child Development Center, which will eventually provide services for up to 100 homeless children in Ward 8. The facility is expected to open Spring 2017.

“Even though the future seems far away, it is actually beginning right now,” May said before the groundbreaking, quoting young poet Mattie Stepanek.

Bright Beginnings, Inc., founded in 1991, is an organization dedicated to providing for homeless families with young children. They offer free daycare to homeless children, giving them a safe play environment and preparing them to enter kindergarten. BBI also connects homeless parents to resources they need to find a job and a place to live.

Jessica Proctor, a Bright Beginnings parent, joined the program in October 2015 and is now a regular part of the BBI community at its current location on New York Ave. NW near North Capitol Street. When asked to speak about Bright Beginnings’ impact on her life, she immediately lights up. Proctor, who is currently living in a nearby Days Inn with her three children, is involved with Bright Beginnings’ homebased and center-based programs.

Proctor credits much of her family’s success in the program to Bianca Lopez, or "Ms. Bianca," who visits the Proctors at home. Lopez was selected especially for

Proctor’s family by Alissa Tombaugh, who manages BBI’s home-based programs. “Ms. Alissa looked at us and said, ‘I have the perfect person for you!’”

During their involvement with the home-based program, Lopez would come to Proctor and her family and interact with them in their own living space. “We always start with a good morning song,” Proctor said, “and then she helps me teach my children.”

Proctor can think of many reasons why these visits have benefitted her children, who are 4 years, 3 years and 1 year old.

“My youngest son is walking and talking a little bit now! And my older son, he used to count like this - ‘one, two, four, seven,’ you know? And now he’s got one to 10 down and he’s still learning.”

Proctor is extremely grateful for Bright Beginnings’ willingness to meet her and her family where they are. “It’s hard to find a program that actually helps you like this,” she said.

The family also spends time participating in outreach programs that take place at the Bright Beginnings facility. Children are divided into classrooms based on their age, and are provided with a safe and stimulating play environment. As they get older - Bright Beginnings cares for children until they are ready to start kindergarten - they are introduced to colors, letters, and speech development.

In addition to offering child care and support, Bright Beginnings’ programs and staff members help parents to grow as caregivers.“Ms. Bianca teaches me ways to interact with my children without raising my voice,” Proctor said. “And she stays on top of me. The other day

Ward 8 Councilmember LaRuby May addresses donors, board members and community members at the groundbreaking ceremony for Bright Beginnings, Inc.’s new location.

we had a dentist appointment and she called me just to remind me to take the kids to the dentist.”

Bright Beginnings is also helping Proctor with her search for employment. “They let me come here and look for a job,” she said.

Along with giving her a space to look for jobs, they help her with resume and application writing, as well as referring her to a Dress for Success program, which provides job-seekers with proper interview attire.

Proctor especially appreciates Jessica Proctor and her children have been working with Bright what Bright Be- Beginnings since October 2015. ginnings has done PHOTO COURTESY OF BRIGHT BEGINNINGS, INC. for her children.

Her daughter was previously enrolled in Although Proctor and her children will another local daycare and when being probably not interact with the new Ward dropped off would cling to her mother 8 facility nearly as much as they have at in fear. “Now my kids cry when I come the original location, Proctor is sure that pick them up! They want to stay longer.” the new building will be a huge asset to Proctor believes her children feel safe in its neighborhood. “Way more people need their surroundings because of the peoBright Beginnings,” she said, and other ple and teachers that they are around. programs “just keep you going through the “They make them feel really comfortsame cycles. Here you’re getting places. able,” she said.

It’s a one stop shop!”

The new facility will be built at 3418 Fourth Street SE. PHOTOS BY ABBY HERSHBERGER

Mayor Continues Encampment Sweeps

By Michael Brice-Saddler Editorial Intern More than a dozen people who had sought refuge next to Union Station were evicted from their encampment under the H Street overpass on March 10. The effort was coordinated by the office of Deputy Mayor of Health and Human Services (DMHHS) Brenda Donald on behalf of Mayor Muriel Bowser.

Cleanup efforts began promptly at 10 a.m., but city and nonprofit outreach workers arrived hours earlier to connect camp residents with various homeless services. They worked tirelessly to help prepare campers for the move by cleaning, packing and labeling their belongings.

Chris Parks, who works across the street, had crowdfunded and supplied most of the tents to camp residents at the start of winter, and befriended many of them. He claimed that the DMHHS office had told him weeks ago that as long as people’s belongings were organized and clearly marked, no one would be evicted from the site.

In reality, people who were present and cooperative got to label and store their belongings. Those who were not lost tents, sleeping bags and other life-saving items to Department of Public Works trash trucks.

“I walk by these people every day, they’ve become a part of the commu-

City and nonprofit outreach workers arrived at the cleanup site early to help camp residents label and pack their belongings.

PHOTO BY MICHAEL BRICE-SADDLER

nity,” said an onlooker who passed the Union Station camp daily on his commute.

“They weren’t bothering anybody.”

Pedestrian and car traffic alike were stymied while garbage trucks and other vehicles blocked the roadways. The extensive media coverage that this camp closure received from the likes of CNN, FOX News and The Washington Post served as a stark contrast to other encampment cleanups in the past month, which generally received little to no attention.

Advocates estimate there have been 30 shutdowns since October 2015.

Four under-bridge locations along Maine Ave. SW near its intersection with 14th Street were fenced off between February 25 and February 28, 2016. Belongings and remnants of the former homeless encampment remain.

The edge of the northbound 3rd Street tunnel had been home to a number of men and women. Also evicted between February 25 and 28, their belongings remain behind the fence. No dates are visible on the cleanup notice.

Conflicting cleanup notices were posted at a three-tent camp along I-395 at the corner of 4th and M St NW. One on the fence behind the camp says cleanup may begin as of 2/25/2016. Another driven into the ground on the other side of the fence says 3/8/2016. Residents moved, one way or another, between March 1 and March 3.

The number of residents and tents at the Union Station camp has fluctuated over the past few months, with as many as 19 counted in February. At the time of Thursday’s cleanup, there were approximately 14 tents and 12 residents, according to Michael Czin, Communications Director for Mayor Bowser’s office.

One of those residents was Charlie, who has been homeless in the District for 27 years and has lived under the H Street overpass for 2 years. Charlie has seen four cleanups of this camp in the past year, but this is the first one where people have been forced to move. He commends the Department of Human Services for giving him an apartment, which he credits to Pathways to Housing outreach worker Cait-

Conflicting cleanup notices at a three-tent camp along I-395 at the corner of 4th and M St NW. One on the fence behind the camp says cleanup may begin as of 2/25/2016.

Another driven into the ground on the other side of the fence says 3/8/2016. Residents moved, one way or another, between March 1 and March 3.

PHOTO BY ERIC FALQUERO

lin DiMaina. “She is the best [case manager] I’ve ever had,” Charlie said, noting that he had been trying to get housing for over a decade. DiMaina had managed it in roughly three weeks. “She’s amazing.”

Charlie is most looking forward to taking a shower and having a place to call his own. He has to wait on cleaning and inspection of his new unit before getting there, and hopes he’ll be able to move into his apartment next week. In the meantime, Charlie plans to return to the Union Station site after the cleanup, “Oh, I’m not going anywhere until I have my apartment,” he said. When asked whether or not there would be follow-up efforts to keep campers out of the area, Czin changed the subject. The largest expense for encampment cleanups to-date has been the fencing put up after some camps are emptied.

Other camp residents were less positive about the circumstances than Charlie.

“I’m a U.S. citizen!” exclaimed Henry as his tent and other belongings were dragged away by employees from the Department of Public Works. “You have no right to do this to us!”

Six of the 12 residents living at the Union Station camp were interested in outreach efforts provided by the city, and have accepted some form of housing, according to Czin. Beyond moving tents, DMHHS’ goal was to tidy up the area and remove any trash.

While there was moderate resistance by some of the campers during the cleanup, others were more resigned to what was transpiring. “I just take life as it comes,” said Rick, another camper under the H Street bridge. “I’m going to try a transition home this time, because I’ve never tried it before.”

All belongings that were not disposed of will be taken to the Adam’s Place Day Center and held for 30 days, where they can be retrieved by their owners.

Donald’s office is also keeping track of who lived in the camp to determine which services they may be eligible for, according to DMHHS Chief of Staff Rachel Joseph.

Adam’s Place Day Center is located in Ward 5 next to a low-barrier shelter. It provides laundry and shower facilities in addition to help with housing and job search.

Sleeping in a tent—or any other “temporary abode”—is illegal in the city. Despite this law from the 80s, Parks was more concerned with keeping people safe until they can get housing when he gave out the tents in December. Now he worries about the further distrust of government and outreach workers that could have been created by the city’s camp closure. “That being said, I think we’re all fighting for the same team. Let [The Department of Human Services] and Pathways do their jobs. My goal is just much more immediate.”

As encampment cleanups continue, outreach workers and advocates like Parks will keep fighting for residents’ rights.

“I’m going to help them in any way that I can,” he said in an email. “If they need tent and I can afford it, then I will get them a tent, no questions asked.”

Chris Parks said what motivated him the most to help camp residents was their inspiring positivity: smiles, kind greetings, etc.

PHOTO COURTESY OF CHRIS PARKS

STREET SENSE March 23 - April 5, 2016

7

NEWS

High Costs and Suspect Contracts Delay Closing of DC General

By Desmond Austin-Miller Editorial Intern The first D.C. Council hearing on Mayor Muriel E. Bowser’s plan to replace the family shelter at D.C. General with new facilities in each ward was a 14-hour affair with 90 witnesses who expressed concerns about the price of the plan and how the shelter locations were picked.

While all of the council members expressed support for the mayor’s proposal, which could cost the city up to $300 million, some have problems with specific details, and residents from Ward 3 and Ward 5 have raised questions about whether the locations in their wards are appropriate.

Ward 5 Councilmember Kenyan R. McDuffie (D), who has expressed concerns with the plan from its inception, opposes the location of his ward’s site, an industrial area of the Langdon neighborhood close to several industrial facilities and a bus depot. McDuffie said he was concerned “about placing homeless children and families in an industrial neighborhood,” and that the majority of his constituents were not opposed to housing another shelter within their Ward.

“My residents are not against the closure of D.C. General. Most of my constituents do not even oppose adding another shelter to Ward 5,” he said, “but we want details on how the location was selected.”

The Ward 5 site would be near a bus depot which holds anywhere from 150 to 300 buses at any given time, nightclubs and a trash waste management facility. Many are concerned about the health effects on residents of a shelter in that area. Amber Harding, an attorney at the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless, said her organization fears that the respiratory and immune systems of already vulnerable

homeless children could be compromised.

“We believe that it may be less safe for families than D.C. General,” she said, “Our biggest concern is the impact of the bus depot, because it includes a lot of stationary emissions sources. Boilers, generators, paint fumes, gasoline dispensing stations, miscellaneous equipment.”

McDuffie suggested that the D.C. government should instead pick a site in Ward 5 based on a list of suggestions given by Ward 5.

“It has long been my belief that the residents, at the end of the day, are the experts about the issues going on in their neighborhood,” he said.

While the concerns about the Ward 5 site are focused on the well-being of its future inhabitants, residents near the Ward 3 site are more concerned about a shelter’s impact on current residents. Some fear that the influx of at least 38 new families could strain neighborhood resources, including overwhelming an already-overcrowded Stoddard Elementary school.

Last Monday residents of Massachusetts Avenue Heights, Cleveland Park, and other Ward 3 neighborhoods gathered at the local police station to discuss a resolution asking the city to revise aspects of the Ward 3 site. Many attendees agreed with the resolution’s demands, which called for the council to carefully review whether the city can change the site’s zoning to allow a shelter. But the resolution also proposed that the current location be downsized or done away with altogether. A few Ward 3 residents proposed that the $56 million being spent on the Wisconsin Avenue site should instead go toward renovating D.C. General. Most residents, however, want the Ward 3 site to be split into two or three smaller sites spread around the ward, over fears that the single large site could

“change the look and feel of the neighborhood,” as one resident put it.

Ward 3 residents have also been critical about the shelter’s costs. Anita Crabtree, a Ward 3 resident speaking at the council hearing, citied some financial statistics about the Wisconsin Avenue site that were reported by The Washington Post.

“Mayor Bowser proposes spending $56 million to lease 38 units that would be built on Wisconsin Avenue NW, near Observatory Circle, in Ward 3. That amounts to an estimated $6,187.26 in monthly rent per unit over 20 years,” she said. She also noted that the original 15-year lease could be extended by five years, and increasing interest rates mean rent could increase even higher. The average cost of rent in the area is around $4000 per month.

Many are also concerned that the plan is a sweetheart deal for politically connected developers, who will own the sites after the city’s leases expire and potentially leave the District’s homeless in the same place many years from now. Still, advocates are optimistic that all of these concerns can be addressed without making the city’s homeless families wait even longer for new facilities.

“Is it more important to pass this plan fast? Or to get it right?” McDuffie asked Harding, of the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless.

“I think we can do both,” she said, “We can close D.C. General quickly and in the right way. But we don’t want to have to find new shelters when the lease is up in 15 years.”

ABOVE: Residents of Wards 3 gathered on March 14 to discuss the proposed location of a DC General replacement shelter in their neighborhood.

BELOW: The D.C. Council held a meeting addressing the specifics of the Mayor’s plan to replace DC General with smaller family-oriented shelters.

PHOTOS BY DESMOND AUSTIN-MILLER

You Raised Me Up

By L. Morrow Vendor/Artist

The Intersection of Art, Poverty, Activism

By Ken Martin, Vendor/Artist

To my mother, Ms. Alice Morrow: You showed me that I had a will.

Alice, you showed me that I had a will and I way to succeed in life.

Yes Mother! You helped me search and Discover a better way of life.

You had a positive heart, That you passed on to me.

You raised me beyond Government assistance and poverty.

Yes, you gave me the will to succeed In Life and respect others based On their deeds and not their color.

When times were dim, I heard you say, keep the faith.

Where there is a will There is a way.

I love you for all the things that You have given me in this life.

Your love most of all, Your son, Mr. Morrow.

A special event took place Monday March 21, 2016 at the McKinley Building on American University’s campus. This semester, a media marketing class had been split into teams and partnered with several local nonprofit organizations to help promote their respective work in the community.

On Monday, the team paired with Street Sense showcased the work of Street Sense vendor/artist photographers like me. This was one of several events that will lead up to our annual fundraising extravaganza.

The extravaganza will feature all multimedia components of Street Sense: such as film, illustration, theater and more.

Many thanks to our team, consisting of Assistant Professor Gemma Puglisi and student hosts Roslyn Glover, Maggie Maloney, Daniel Braxton-Marks and Erica Weinstein.

The students also engaged local eateries Angelico’s, Buffalo Wild Wings, CAVA,

Pete’s Pizza and Sugar Shack to put on an alluring spread large enough to fill the house — if not the attendees!

Street Sense was represented by a panel that included Filmmakers Co-op facilitator and AU Alumnus Bryan Bello, Vendor/Artist/Activist Robert Warren and myself, “Hat Man” Ken Martin. (Find out more about my hat business at www.brims4you.com) Each panelist spoke about their introduction to Street Sense, what we have gained from the experience and how Art, in its many forms, and AU Students can aid the impoverished.

The overall consensus from my vantage point was: by accepting that none of us is exempt from hardship; becoming involved; engaging our neighbors; and providing empowerment by acknowledgement, inclusion and encouragement to our fellow citizens —this intersection (of art and poverty) does not lead to a dead end street.

centric photo-surrealist Clarence Laughlin and his gauze-wrapped mannequins posing in heaps of antebellum rubble.

My photographs do not qualify nor quantify: they merely bring murky drams into crisp realization that all may enjoyno matter how unschooled in the arts.

So, let us sit down, meet and pore over

my visual record of all that is lovely and is now lost!

The Cowboy Poet’s photography was part of the Historical Society of Washington, D.C show “District,” on display at the historic Carnegie Library January 6 – February 27, 2016. More samples can be seen at www.ChrisEarnshaw.com.

DISTRICT: A Retropsective

By Chris Shaw, “The Cowboy Poet” I basically began trolling the inner streets of the nation's capital as a means of playing "hooky" from clerical errands for my father. Particularly around the old Courts complex, ancient, boarded and

crumbling brick hovels called out to this photographer to document them before they were to be thrown down in a flurry of masonry and lath debris.

As I roamed almost aimlessly at age 15-16, I knew nothing, at the time, of Parisian street photographer M. Atget. I was only dimly aware of the beloved ec-

This radio was attached to the Translux (news reel theater chain) building at 14th and NY Ave NW. Here you can see the sort of open skyline no longer present in D.C. PHOTO BY CHRIS SHAW

Two old school residents of Shaw lived on 8th Street NW between 11 and M. Their little house would be smack dab in the middle loading dock of the convention center today.

PHOTO BY CHRIS SHAW

A crane lifts the roof off a house at 14th and M Streets NW on Thomas Circle. The house was originally built

by Peter Lauritc, one of the pioneers for expanding the borders of the city by building his home in a previously uninhabited area. 100 years later, tearing it down was the only thing they could do. | PHOTO BY CHRIS SHAW

BELOW: a scene drawn from a National Geographic magazine; Charlton’s portrait of his grandmother; a selfportrait Charlton completed in the 90s. | PASTELS BY CHARLTON BATTLE.

STREET SENSE March 23 - April 5, 2016

9

FEATURES

An Artist Finds His Voice, Still Searches for Stability

By Charles McCain Volunteer

Charlton Battle would take any drug he could lay his hands on “to change me from being me.” Heroin, crack, acid, K-2: anything. Because of his involvement with illegal street drugs, Charlton has been in prison off and on for most of his adult life.

Now clean and several years out of prison, he is on a spiritual journey to accept himself for who he is.

The initial steps required him to uncover the wounds of his childhood. “I felt rejected as a kid by my mother and father.”

No matter what he did, Charlton said it wasn’t quite right, wasn’t good enough, didn’t measure up to the accomplishments and talents of his siblings. Somehow, there was never enough money or enough love.

In search of understanding and reconciliation, he was shocked to learn from his mother only two years ago that the man he had thought of as his father wasn’t.

This would be deeply disturbing to learn at any age. But to learn this at age 43 rocked what he had believed to have been the early foundations of his life. This knowledge required a complete adjustment to his thinking about himself and his family.

“The longest journey is the journey inward,” said Dag Hammarskjöld, the Swedish diplomat and second Secretary General of the United Nations. Charlton embarked on this painful journey several years ago.

Who was that young man born into this world with such promise, but who somehow went off the rails? “Who am I?” he asks himself. “Why did I do lots of stupid things as a youth? Why did I do things wrong?”

Unfortunately, he has discovered there isn’t one big answer. Just a series of small answers we each must discover for ourselves. Many among us spend a lifetime avoiding these questions. Yet, to become fully alive, we must answer them. Charlton has come to this wisdom. He has also come to understand that he is living in a society in which many people automatically hate him for being a black man.

This is a harsh condemnation. Yet one only need look at the vitriol directed against President Barack Obama by many whites and especially many white Republicans to accept why Charlton believes this is true. It appears that simply because the president is a black man, many of our fellow Americans refuse to acknowledge his legitimacy as the duly elected President of the United States.

Why do so many in our country seem to despise black men? Charlton hasn’t found the answer to this question. Accepting this concept required him to understand in his heart that many Americans will only look at him as a black man and never as a man who happens to be black, with his own uniqueness.

Sadly, Charlton said, in America “black men are trained to hate themselves.”

Many African-American males give up when they realize this. Why fight such an evil force? However, Charlton is not a man to give in. One of the strongest pillars in his life is the artistic talent he discovered within himself as a kid. Drawing. “I started drawing and doing water colors in elementary school.”

As a youth, no one encouraged his artistic talent and it lay dormant until, in his later adult years, he saw a man incarcerated in the same prison as him drawing a pastel. Intrigued, Charlton began to do this himself, which brought his artistic talent to the fore. Using pastel sticks to create a work of art became his passion.

This art form has also allowed Charlton to express himself.

He is still trying to get on the right track and still working on his issues of self-hatred. He has also come to the wisdom that before you can truly love others,

you must learn to love yourself. “You can spend too much time helping others to try and win their love, and then not have enough time to help yourself.”

During this intense spiritual journey, Charlton has also been struggling to work to work his way out of the city’s shelter system for the past four months. As of now, Charlton has been able to move into an apartment, but he is still waiting to learn if he was approved for benefits that will help subsidize it. He says he can handle the monthly rent, but has yet to afford the deposit. He has the keys but no lease as of yet. “I’ve got one foot in the shelter and one foot in an apartment.”

In the meantime, he began selling Street Sense six weeks ago to earn those funds another way. “Everything’s not okay yet, but I’m on the way up.”

Charlton feels good about his future.

While he has always thought of his painting

and writing as a hobbies, the encouragement of people in the last few years has helped him believe that perhaps it is more.

Perhaps he can be a creative professional.

Yet he still isn’t certain what to express.

He wants to give a message to the world, but what message should he give?

Perhaps the joyful rediscovery of his talent and his passion for simply painting and writing about what he sees around himself is the message. People in jail, at AA, NA and anger management meetings have continuously told Charlton he has a good spirit. Charlton Battle is finally starting to believe them. “I think it’s my calling to be able to see the pain and suffering around me,” he said. “To help people see their own pain and suffering, as long as they don’t misunderstand me. I don’t mean no harm.”

BELOW: A young girl with HIV/AIDS. PASTEL BY CHARLTON BATTLE.

OPINION A Humbling Taste Of Homelessness

By Katherine Plucinsky

You don’t know the utter lack of compassion for human life until you, yourself, are on the corner of 7th and D Street in Washington, D.C., watching feet walk past your non-existence.

For my spring break, as my friends were on the beach, sippin’ a pińa colada (virgin, of course), I was participating in Xavier’s Alternative Break, delving into the issue of homelessness.

The National Homeless Coalition gave us each a blanket and sent us out the door with no money, food or a phone for our 48-hour immersion experiencing homelessness so that we could better understand how to advocate for those who don’t get heard.

Little did I know, the barriers I put up between those experiencing homelessness and myself were about to shatter into a million pieces.

It isn’t until you walk miles to a soup kitchen for your only meal of the day just to get turned away because you’re a female at a men’s shelter, or until you have

to sleep on cardboard from the dumpster and are up all night because you’re so cold that you realize basic privileges have been stripped from so many. It’s not until joining the homeless community and meeting so many beautiful people with bad luck that you realize discrimination is not just between races. It’s not until you have to ask a hotel to use their bathroom or shower, only to get rejected, that you feel every ounce of pride reluctantly going down the back of your throat as you try to swallow.

It’s not until the most eye contact you make is with a dog at your eye level that you feel your selfworth slowly diminishing.

You don’t know greed until you hear conversations about who bought the most expensive shoes as you sit there hoping to hear a few coins’ rattle in your cup so you can eat. When the sun sets, the hunger sets in.

The divide in society is made apparent in my panhandling tally as I vulnerably held a cardboard sign saying “Acknowl-

Little did I know, the barriers I put up between those experiencing homelessness and myself were about to shatter into a million pieces.

edge me. Acknowledge the issue.” It totaled two smiles, one wave, one reprimand, one dinner offer, nine eye-rolls and countless instances of being ignored.

People ignore the homeless population completely because they would feel guilty if they were to make eye contact and keep walking past someone who was in need. Society does not view the minute it takes to say hi and feel compassion as being worth possibly uplifting someone’s entire day. But the few acknowledgements make a tremendous difference and gave me hope as I was beginning to lose faith in myself because I was surviving out of the kindness of others.

When the Dream Becomes a Nightmare

By Jeffery McNeil

When President Barack Obama was elected, many thought this was a dawn of the new beginning where racial tensions would heal. Today it feels as if we are on the brink of a race war.

The dream has turned into a nightmare. Reality and facts are bitter medicine for some African-Americans.

However, truth is we have gotten a bad bill of goods with Obama. African-Americans put him first. However, he put us behind abortion activists, radical terrorists and illegal immigrants.

When I see Black Lives Matter activists, I become despondent. They are not the best the black race has to offer. They are not activists. They try to bully and intimidate people into supporting their crazy ideas. These people are not victims, but thugs looking for confrontation. They need to be treated accordingly. They say Donald Trump is a racist. However, I’ve never heard him say, destroy your life by selling dope or do drive-bys that kill each other.

Are there some bad cops? Absolutely. But the majority of African-Americans getting locked up play a part in their demise.

It’s pitiful to watch African-Ameri-

cans raise hell and protest Trump instead of channeling the real source of their frustration: that the Democratic Party threw a shiny lure, a half-black president who promised hope and change, but all they got was free cell phones and eyeglass checkups.

Since being elected, he’s not been pushing an agenda that’s in the interest of black America but has pandered and used his executive power that repulses, alienates and puts African-Americans in direct conflict with special interests of the left such as amnesty for illegal immigrants. African-Americans have rights.

We were denied citizenship, illegal immigrants violated our laws and if they want citizenship, they should come here the right way: legally.

Although there is a white silent majority, many blacks will support Donald Trump. We are also tired of politicians who keep promising us free lunches, only to have our our communities wind up more run-down and decrepit. AfricanAmericans are no different than whites.

We want better schools, safe neighborhoods and employment opportunities.

However, Democrats offer us legalized marijuana, abortion on demand and gender-neutral bathrooms.

When I voted for Obama I didn’t sign up for this. I thought he was going to be in the same mold as Bill Clinton, someone that would stand up to the lunatic fringe of the left and fix what was broken. Not only did he not stand up for the working people, he fostered and encouraged this insanity.

I don’t blame the kids but these backdoor socialists like Obama and Bernie Sanders. They have a plan and these kids are being used for that plan. It’s not activism – they are provoking racial tensions that could escalate into something ugly.

It’s no longer Republican or Democrat.

Hillary Clinton has promised to continue Obama’s horrible legacy. I don’t care for Trump personally, but I believe he is the only one who will wreck the continued plans of social engineers who want to undermine morality, destroy families and steamroll traditional institutions that hold society together.

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

My trip was called a Glimpse of Homelessness because that’s exactly what it was: a glimpse. I am no expert on the issue because of this experience, but I have such a profound respect for anyone experiencing homelessness. It’s not a lot to ask to take a moment out of your day to acknowledge these people as human beings, whether it’s a smile, some extra change, a nod or simply asking them their name or how they’re doing. One day, that could be you out there craving a conversation and some human recognition.

Katherine Plucinsky is an undergraduate student at Xavier University.

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

Break BARRIERS

OP-ED

By Cynthia Mewborn

To Employment

By Tim Farrell

er’s and professional licenses to improve one’s chances of getting a job. Back child support, wage theft and other matters can also be addressed by qualified staff and volunteer attorneys manning the clinic.

NLSP has been around for over 50 years.

It has three offices in underserved areas of the District (680 Rhode Island Ave., NE; 4609 Polk St., NE; and 2811 Pennsylvania Ave., SE). It provides free civil legal services to low-income residents of the District. To get legal help, call (202) 8326577 (NLSP) Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m.

In addition to its employment assistance program, it also helps preserve safe and affordable shelter, stabilize family relationships, protect victims of domestic violence, secure access to health care and public benefits and otherwise protect fundamental necessities to those looking for a way out of poverty.

For attorneys looking to volunteer

1#1

The Elderly Deserve Better

How to

Are you having problems getting or keeping a job? Are you concerned about what effect arrests, convictions or a bad credit history may have on your ability to find a job? Do you suspect that such things have prevented you from getting a job?

These are issues that can unnecessarily keep District residents living in poverty.

The Neighborhood Legal Services Program can help. It has regular job-seeker legal clinics around the District at various libraries. The list is almost too long for this article, but the Shaw Library, the Francis Gregory Library and the MLK Library, among others, all have evening events and seminars throughout the year. A full list can be found at www. nlsp.org. The project is called Breaking Barriers to Employment.

Attorneys at the NLSP can help seal criminal records, address credit report issues and help with background checks gone bad. They can also help to restore lost driv-

STREET SENSE March 23 - April 5, 2016

their time, D.C.-barred, those with pending applications and federal employees are all needed for different projects.

(202) 269-5115 is the number to call or email a resume to hhodges@nlsp.org or sign up on their website.

Volunteers can help with family law matters (domestic violence), consumer law (predatory lenders), housing (evictions), employment (unpaid wages), public benefits (disability), veteran’s benefits, and wills and advance directives. Attorneys can also help perform intake at the offices or provide advice to those representing themselves pro se in small claims matters. Finally, for those with specialized skills and a desire to build their Avvo rating, the NLSP always welcomes attorneys who are willing to train their staff and volunteers on areas of law that may be useful to their clients.

Tim Farrell is an attorney and volunteer writer for Street Sense.

A black cloud of cruelty lingers in the air of Washington, D.C., from individuals who intentionally force the frailest to sleep on the streets. These individuals are absolutely heartless – and unfortunately those of us who live in D.C. are witnesses to one of the cruelest acts against humanity.

I remember when I was a little girl our neighborhood was a middle-class black community and every neighbor watched out for the other, and if a stranger happen to stroll through our neighborhood needing a helping hand, a phone call was made and the community came out and brought what they could to help the stranger get back on their feet. I was taught by my parents that the elderly always get top priority, and it didn’t matter who they were; they were just simply treated with the utmost respect.

We all have three things in common: We are all going to get old, we all need food and water for survival and we are all going to die, whether you’re warm-blooded or cold-blooded; we can all count on these things happening in our lives. It has been well-documented that it’s more costly to neglect and abuse people than to provide the necessary resources for survival.

When this country treats animals better than we treat people, we are definitely going in the wrong direction. To resolve decades of social injustices towards the elderly, disabled and the homeless we need to remember that ignoring a problem doesn’t make it go away, but simply creates a space where it can grow.

Cynthia Mewborn is a vendor for Street Sense.

PERCEPTION OR REALITY: A Letter to the Next Generation

By Robert Williams, USMC Dear little Lila, I want you to write an update for this article in about 14 years. You will only be 18 then, but I’m confident you will be quite capable of the task. The young activist that you have already become alongside your parents and the things you experience with them will have prepared you for this challenge.

What will The System look like when you reach adulthood?

The System is built on politics. And our one way to participate in it is through elections. But how does the rest of that system work? Does it even work at all? If it does, who does it really benefit?

I’ll tell you who: It benefits the privi-

leged few. Most likely that does not include you.

While we work like slaves – trying to make ends meet from paycheck to paycheck – beneficiaries of The System seldom introduce themselves. If the silent majority continues to sit idly by and not hold our elected officials accountable for inequality, you might one day find yourself experiencing challenges that most of the homeless community have been facing for years.

You might become a forgotten and ignored part of society.

When we ignore, look down on and misjudge anyone as lacking awareness or ability – we have become responsible for the continuation of a system we know is broken. Down to its foundation.

This broken system will continue to do what it has been doing for generations – forgetting and ignoring the downtrodden – if we let it.

Right now, The System counts on us digesting the false propaganda that our politics are working. If we continue allowing government officials to treat their most vulnerable constituents immorally, we cannot complain if we find ourselves propelled into the ever-increasing ranks of the homeless.

Do you really think The System cares about you or me? It’s nothing personal.

It’s strictly business. It is what it is. It is perception of truth, rather than realization of truth. Those that see this reality must decide what part to play in it: damage or damage control? Again,

if we sit idly by and say or do nothing, we become part of the problem and not the solution.

Modern politics can be boiled down to the use of intrigue and strategy to obtain power or control. But they are sustained by inaction. With this column, I attempt to see through that manipulation with you as we build awareness of the need to take action and eradicate this homeless epidemic before it reaches you as well.

Let’s open our minds and eyes. Let’s lift our voices in unity. For you. For me.

For Lila.

Robert Williams is a vendor and artist for Street Sense.

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

Memorable Losses

Some Things in Life are Lost

One of my most memorable losses was a job opportunity. I came upon a job ad on Craigslist for HVAC insulator. The job was a great find because I was trying to get into the field. The work was dependable and exciting. It was hard, but fulfilling. And I got the chance to work all over the Washington area. I had the chance to become affiliated with the union, which was promising. Then one day, about six months ago, my supervisor dropped a bombshell on me. I was laid off. Crushed.

I had had high hopes, this was an opportunity for a career I was very interested in. The cause of my layoff was ambiguous at best. I was never told the reason. I was very productive and always met the supervisor’s quota. This was one of the times in my adult life I was truly depressed. I’m still trying to recover from this loss.

I think I was the victim of nepotism. My supervisor’s brother-in-law was kept on, as well as other family members. This would be the perfect example of “it’s not what you know, it’s who you know.”

But the loss led me to Street Sense. I became a vendor, and in the short time I have been here, I have come into contact with many people. I met a gentleman recently who has a position with the Department of Transportation and offered to become my mentor. I greatly appreciated his offer and I will definitely follow-up with him.

Some things in life can be lost. When you say “lost,” it can mean many things.

A while ago, I lost the keys to my apartment. I called my landlord and got copies made. Now I have a new set of keys. Some people lose touch with reality and find it hard to replace lost things. Basically, some things can be lost and regained, but others must stay lost. I’ve lost a member of my family to death.

My grandmother, age 83, passed recently. I was able to go to the funeral. Even though I lost her, I will always remember her. What about sports players who lose a game? Some players suffer career-ending injuries. Speaking of injuries, health can be lost. Some people depend on medications to prevent this. What’s important to remember is that just because things are lost doesn’t mean you can’t find continuing joy or new happiness in life.

By Damon Smith, Vendor/Artist

Saying a Little Prayer

By Aida Basnight, Vendor/Artist

I say a little prayer before I sell my Street Sense newspaper. I say a little prayer to all of my customers and to the people that don’t buy the paper that I still say hello to. Sometimes I fall short in my thinking, but that is when I ask the higher power to forgive me.

I praise the Lord for giving us all another day. Because tomorrow isn’t promised to me or anyone else. I praise the Lord for putting wonderful people into my life since I’ve been sell-

The Jacket

By Catarina Chen, Volunteer He told me I was beautiful. It was the first time I had been called that for as long as I could remember. Feelings of warmth, joy, and attachment overwhelmed me and I started to believe him, as he walked with me.

I was vulnerable – those were the words I had needed to hear for so long.

So I trusted in him, as he offered me his jacket because he knew I was cold. Even

though I kept saying I wasn’t, he gave it to me anyway.

Two months later, we walked along the same path that we did that first night. He didn’t offer his jacket this time. But my arms were cold, as was his voice when he flatly stated he didn’t want this--or me--anymore. And this time, he didn’t walk me to my door. He didn’t leave me feeling special, or hap-

ing Street Sense. It has made me more humble. (Notice I didn’t say “more patient,” I’m still working on that!) I am able to forgive others easily today, when I pray. In the past I struggled to move past those who had hurt me.

I am much happier today than I have been in these past 60 years. So, now I just try to stay on the path that my angels have guided me on. I hope this may help others that have both less or more than me. Amen.

By “The Amazing” Chon Gotti Vendor/Artist The most beautiful thing in the world is being able to wake up in the morning, inhaling and exhaling the beautiful morning air while the morning sun illuminates the gorgeous essence of your presence. To be, or not to be is a matter of choice.

Endurance and integrity succeeds through spiritual wealth.

True success is not the end of the journey, it’s the journey itself.

So, my brothers and dear sisters, live your life with the desired fruits of passion, the greatness of balance in your life and a commitment to maintaining the great God that resides in all of us. This in itself is a great gift.

So, if you can focus on maintaining the balancing acts of life, more than likely your loyalty will find the most beautiful things for you.

Fractured Love py, or loved. He left me feeling crushed, alone, and hollow.

On March 28, it will have been one year since that one night: the good one, not the bad one. And as I approach the one year mark, I find myself sometimes haunted by him. Yet, at the same time, I feel stronger.

Sometimes the boy who offered you his coat and made you feel special will

Mislead

let your arms go cold and break your heart two months later. I have learned that this is okay. Those nights may never leave you, but they may strengthen you and shape you every day.

As I move forward I will always remember the two versions of that one person. But more importantly, I will always remember how emotionally resilient I am for it.

Hearts Be Offered

By Gwynette Smith, Vendor/Artist All of us want love and to feel special.

People experiencing homelessness are no different, for the most part.

Yet it is possible to meet a person and think that he or she cares about you when in fact they do not.

Suppose you were homeless and met a guy who seemed so nice: a good guy to date. He could say that sometimes he does not stay in a shelter, but lives with a relative in a suburb. He could say that his relative and her neighbor basically do not like homeless people. At first he could seem so thoughtful and like he might be falling in love with you. You’d sometimes wait and wait for him when

Most Beautiful

By Jemel Fleming, Vendor/Artist

By Frederick John, Vendor/Artist he was expected to show up.

In reality, he could believe that you are inferior to him. And that assessment is the seed of physical and psychological violence toward you. Eventually you could be afraid to go to the shelter that had been your temporary home and now find that you are afraid to be found there by him. Now you must find another shelter.

Hopefully, the police would be able to help you, but you live on the street and you may not even have the man’s correct name.

Hopefully the police would not be involved if an as-yet-unidentified man is found shot or stabbed while apparently

sleeping in a park. Because what if you did it. You were tired of being harassed and afraid.

This man could have told you that during the weekday he was looking for work and you thought he was drinking and drugging a lot because his search for employment was unsuccessful.

What if the truth, though, was that he was employed and had a spacious and attractive apartment in one of the suburbs, or a nearby city? He only came to the shelter sometimes on the weekend.

His presence there was not what he may have told you. He may simply have been “going slumming.”

My love note was not offered; Distance has created a great rift Therefore, the heart’s message Is merely proffered.

I inscribed the message Thought not at all meandering, Of a miniature beating heart.

My fear remarks You will rend it into pieces even Tinier Than mine upon the sending.

Is there another, In whose breast, affections will be Held?

Ah - only the Creator’s time will tell.

STREET SENSE March 23 - April 5, 2016

VENDOR WRITING

g n i r p S ! e r e is H The Rainbow

By Michael Craig Vendor/Artist Spring officially began on the Vernal Equinox, Sunday, March 20.

Colors provoke our attention Their range of colors and shades like time and space seem infinite Colors are the seasoning and spice for our eyes It should come as no surprise that black and white are non-colors Black, the absorption of all above and white, the reflection thereof So why should the crow represent death, and the dove be a symbol of love?

When they both eat worms A swarm of uncomfortability when the sensibility of our diversity is not recognized for its range

Enjoy the Change

By Evelyn Nnam, Vendor/Artist

Spring is here y’all, are you excited?! No more thick jackets. No more knitted, woven scarves. No more gloves and big boots. No more cold, chilly air surrounding us. Warmth has come to fill the air with sweet, soft breezes. We wear comfortable clothes again!

Finally, those nice and beautiful cherry blossoms will sprout and fill the human eye with awe and wonder as we visualize the phenomenal beauty of bright and awesome colors enclosing the air.

I am so glad that a new season is come. It resembles a tree growing to the fullest it can go. Spring is a wonderful season. It balances our winter and summer. Spring is actually my favorite season. I like it, not just because of the climate, but because of the environment that it attracts: insects and different types of animals to be freed from their hiding places.

Spring attracts new and fresh ideas to be used in making a business and company successful too. It attracts calm and quiet audiences with a mixture of exotic ones as well.

Spring gives me that nourishment of fulfilling the fact that it’s a new year and we are going through another stage of life.

Remember to always enjoy the stages of change. The change of seasons is a great moment to capture for yourself: those moments of pleasure and peace that spring can deliver.

Thank you and God Bless.

A whit phantasme ‘nd horizon ov engagement, nu, presyowse music seimlily full of lyf annd deth...

We ar at owr best whann dancing an genius steals the flor, gyvyng hertte till qwikkenen sum distansid arrange, and absolue the mysterye ov ei distrest beute.

Dedicated to Julia “Butterfly” Hill.

-By Franklin Sterling, Vendor/Artist ILLUSTRAITON BY CARLTON JOHNSON

13

AFTER KATRINA: A Ten-Year Roller Coaster, Part 17

By Gerald Anderson, Vendor/Artist

e

d Episo

2 (b)

By Ivory Wilson Vendor/Artist EXT.—VERIZON CENTER—NIGHT LOWER LEVEL Pledge and his crew run down into the Gallery Place sewers and set out fresh chicken, tuna, and shrimp. The smell fills the air in the basement stacked with food along the lower track tunnel.

O’Diseases and Woo Germ are playing pool. What’s this? The boys made early dinner. Followed by their crews, they race to the basement and begin feasting.

Pledge signals his waterfront crews to begin chewing on the metro train track electrical power lines at the L’Enfant Plaza Station tunnel, causing it to short out.

A fire breaks out and thick black electrical smoke rushes through the tunnel, all the way to Gallery Place station!

Pledge and his crew steal a phone from the metro train on the upper level, looking down on the O’Diseases and Woo Germ’s rats feeding, waiting for the basement to begin to fill with smoke so he can film them as they die.

O’Diseases: Woo, we need to talk. Dean’s outfit tried to rub-out that cat, Bill, on Capitol Hill. Dean came here in 1920 from New York to rub-out that long-time Union Station mob boss, Muces, and took over his organization.

Woo Germ: Let’s get him first. Put a hit on him with the freelance gangs. They might get lucky.

O’Diseases: Them bands of country hicks from VA and MD?! They wouldn’t stand a chance!

Woo Germ: Then we should have a sit-down with Dean and discuss territory rights.

O’Diseases: That won’t work. The first sitdown meeting with that dirty rat Dean, bosses from the upper Northwest Woodley Park, Friendship Heights and Dupont Circle station crews attended and never returned.

I tell you, Woo, we got to get him now!

Woo Germ: Boys, y’all did good tonight, making this early dinner.

Their lungs being to fill with smoke.

They start coughing.

Woo Germ: What?! It’s a trap! Make a run for it, boys! I can’t see! I can’t breathe!

O’Diseases: This is it, Woo. We’re trapped, like RATS! Smoke fills the basement as they all die.

INT.—UNION STATION—DAY UNDERGROUND Dean is sitting on his throne, reading the morning edition of the Washington Post: “Gallery Place China Town Massacre.”

INT.—WHITE HOUSE LAWN NBC 4 Action News team interviews Bill. “No rat kills like that except Dean.”

Dean: Rags! I want that fed cat dead!

Dean takes a bite out of a new born baby squirrel.

Rags: Okay boss, feds are rolling all over the city, looking for a gang to pin this rap on. Boss, we can’t go down for this rap.

Let’s lay low ’til this blows over. It’s too soon for Bill.

Dean: Okay, but I want it done. Find that Willie the Squirrel. I want him!

Rags: Boss, Pee Wee the Flea could send us to Sing-Sing on racketeering charges.

That’s a 20-year stretch.

Dean: Find that flea! Kill him and that Mick the Tick! Bring them here alive and that Larry.

Dean turns on the iPhone and goes into a laughing frenzy. One by one, the outfit joins in (to be continued)

PREVIOUSLY: For three or four hours me and my co-defendents sat in the holding tank. I was asking the others how this go, because I never dealt with the FBI before.

The kingpin—my head man in command, the one I used to drive around in his fancy car—say, “Enjoy the ride, because you ain’t gonna go home no time soon. Keep your head up, stay strong, stay like the team we were on the street…”

To keep my mind off what was goin’ down, I was tellin’ my co-dees (co-defendants) how I got caught. Right in the middle of my story, the D.C. correction officer came to escort us in a van to the D.C. jail. The van pulled up, and I could see out the its little window.

I asked one of my codees, “What’s that building there?” They’d all taken this ride before, but I was new to the city.

He said, “A hospital.

And I said, “What’s behind that?”

And he said, “A cemetery.”

I said, “Damn, man, that’s crazy—a jail, a hospital, and a cemetery all like that?”

When we enter the jail building, the correction officer say, “Here come the money,” joking like we been out hustling.

First we turned over our paperwork.

They were four correction officers and put us in a line. Then they call, “One of y’all step up.”

One by one they took us into a room with benches—and with showers behind it—to strip search us. They ask questions like, Are you a gang member? Do you have any enemies that you know of in the jail?

Do you have anything on you that you know you not supposed to have on you, including cell phone, cigarette, drugs?

Then they give us towel, socks, slipon shoes, shower slippers, toothpaste,

toothbrush, cup, shampoo, and an orange jumpsuit (at DC jail, you automatically get a pumpkin suit), and they tell us to take a shower before they escort us upstairs to the receiving tier.

We all wasn’t put on the same floor.

They try to keep the nine of us separated, to keep us from communicatin’. We were seven guys and two females, and we all worked together as a team on the street.

They put me in a cell with an old guy.

We didn’t really talk other than he said, “Dang you came all the way up here from New Orleans and got into trouble?”

I don’t really talk too much when I go in prison, other than with people I know. It’s not a place to open up with just anybody. I was on a serious charge, so I had to watch who’s around me. If I open up and say the wrong thing, you never who you’re telling or who he works for. Not good to go in and talk about your case with nobody.

After a few days, though, we start talkin’. I ask him what he know about the court. He say, “Man this is crazy.

I was a little depressed because I don’t know what was gonna go on.

He told me, “Man, you might don’t go home. I don’t know too many people who walk out of federal court.

I kept thinkin’, I’m gonna get life in prison! I worried I would never see the street again, cause remember you’re dealin’ with the FBI people. I thought about how I would miss my family, miss bein’ on the street, miss bein’ free period. And I would miss eating fried chicken. (to be continued) My book,”Still Standing: How an ExCon Found Salvation in the Floodwaters of Katrina,” is available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle form.

Star Date 99995074.9 — No Rest for the Weary

By Ken Belkosky, Vendor/Artist

PREVIOUSLY: The starship Enterprise was en route to a star base where the crew expected to catch up on some much- needed rest and relaxation after restoring a massive mix-up with the universe’s timeline.

To help get everyone on the same page, I—your fearless author—parked the Enterprise in orbit around Earth 2 and called a meeting on holodeck 5…

Star Date: 999674.9—The Enterprise is still in orbit around Earth 2. Captain William T. Riker has asked that I make sure his crew gets some R&R. That’s partially why I waylaid them here. They would have been put right back to work and received no rest at Star Base 89.

Now everyone stands around where my head is projected onto the holodeck.

“Hi everyone. What’s up?” I ask, thinking about where I could send them to relax.

“What about Federation planet Delta

IV?” I wondered aloud. Everyone agreed they would give it a try, having nothing against the Deltans. Riker ordered a course be set to Delta IV. “What is going on?” Q asked, still confused since arriving onboard “Everyone is going on some leave,” I answered.

“What about the homeless camp down on Earth 2?” Q asked, worried for their fellow men and women left back home.

Striker assured Q that he had sent supplies and doctors down to help the people. Q was relieved.

Then Starfleet called the Enterprise, saying that they needed help on Planet Senika 5 because its moon is losing orbit. Q pledged to help along with Apollo and Starbuck.

Riker accepted and ordered his crew to prepare for Senik a 5’s rescue. (to be continued)

15

STREET SENSE March 23 - April 5, 2016

COMMUNITY SERVICES Housing/Shelter

Food

Clothing

Showers

Outreach

Medical/Healthcare

Transportation

Laundry

Education

Employment Assistance

Legal Assistance

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

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

Community of Hope: 232-7356 communityofhopedc.org

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

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

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

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

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

Catholic Charities: 772-4300 catholiccharitiesdc.org/gethelp

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

On March 10, vendor/artist Eric Thompson-Bey moved into his first permanent housing since 1997. He’s writing an article about it for our next edition!

PHOTO BY JEFF GRAY

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

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

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

CELEBRATING SUCCESS! Inspirational Thoughts

By Anthony Boyd, Vendor/Artist Hello. My name is Anthony Boyd. My first day as a Street Sense vendor was great. I met a Street Sense vendor by walking down the street and came up on Gerald Anderson, another vendor, who wrote a book called Still Standing. He told me about Street Sense and that I should go to the writers group. I wanted to cry, because it was a joyful epiphany when I joined Street Sense — but I held my ground. I was just so happy to meet Mr. Anderson and all the other vendors. I learned a lot, and within a few days my life couldn’t be better. Little did Gerald know I was homeless and still struggling every day to find a place I can call home. So, I thank Street Sense for opening the door for me to come in.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Street Sense Meets Hollywood!

It was a true pleasure for Scott Lovell (center) to share Street Sense with Ice Cube (right) and Cedric The Entertainer (left) at Busboys and Poets while they were promoting their new movie: Barbershop (Next Cut).

PHOTO COURTESY OF SCOTT LOVELL

LAST WORD: ADVOCATE WITH US!

By FACE Members, Vendor/Artists

VENDOR MEMORIAL: PHILLIP HOWARD

By Josh Maxey, Vendor Manager

It is never easy saying goodbye to someone that we care about. The Street Sense staff would like to offer our sincerest condolences to the many friends, colleagues, and customers of Mr. Phillip Howard.

Phillip passed away on March 9th at Providence Hospital in NE Washington, D.C. Phillip was our brother, a vendor that has been with Street Sense since its very inception. Phillip was born in 1951 right here in the District. Like so many of our vendors at Street Sense, through the years, Phillip found himself on the streets; in and out of shelters; and eventually into housing.

His status as a housed person did not stop Phillip from continuing to sell the paper or even offer his warm presence to the staff. On occasion, in the midst of a busy day, Phillip would ring in to our office to simply say “hello” and offer whoever was on the receiving end a word of encouragement.

For those of us who knew Phillip, this comes as no surprise. This was Phillip’s faith. No matter how much pain or suffering we go through in this world, life is good because, according to Phillip, “God is good.” During his final days, I had the honor to sit with Phillip at the hospital. I knew

him to be a man of faith. On numerous occasions he told me that he read the Bible daily, especially when things were tough.

Due to the fragility of Phillip’s health, he was unable to speak and unable to move. But I picked up the Bible and read to him a passage of scripture that may be familiar to many of us: Psalm 23, which has a beautiful line where the psalmist states “I shall fear no evil, for you are with me, thy rock and staff comfort me.”

In that moment, I looked at Phillip, and although he could not speak, and he was in a state of failing health, I could see peace in his eyes.

As I said goodbye to Phillip for what would be the last time, I thanked Phillip for the joy he brought to the hearts of his many friends, the staff at Street Sense and his many customers. Phillip responded with a faint wink. We will all miss Phillip.

But let us keep his spirit alive--the spirit of happiness--by surrounding ourselves with peace and a pure heart.

A funeral service for Phillip will be held at The Church of the Epiphany (1317 G St. NW) on Wednesday, April 13 at 1 p.m. All those who wish to contribute please email josh@streetsense.org.

Our vendor advocacy group, Focus Attitude and Commitment to Excellence (FACE), meets every Friday at 10:30 a.m at the Street Sense offices. We welcome new people to sit in our meetings and learn more about the faces behind the paper you read.

Unlike other workshops at Street Sense, the group is 100 percent led and run by the vendors. We set out a year and a half ago to organize a peer group that would seek out and share information on opportunities available to help raise our fellow vendors and others in the homeless community out of homelessness and joblessness. We wanted to give voice to issues that affect our fellow vendors and others.

FACE was one of five groups that united in 2014 to form DC Hope when an organizers from a Detroit grassroots organization of homeless and formerly homeless people visited our community to guide us to become better self-advocates. We still aim to promote positive solutions for better access to housing and jobs for the homeless. The other four groups that joined FACE in this effort are: • The People for Fairness Coalition, Miriam’s Kitchen • Be The Change, N Street Village • A focus group at Isaiah House, SOME (So Others Might Eat) • Shelter Housing & Respectful Change, Community for Creative Nonviolence These groups, along with FACE, are always looking for community members to volunteer their time to help end homelessness in our nation’s capital. Some of our organizational efforts have slowed

down because we are not able to bring enough people together to speak with one voice on issues that affect us all.

FACE at Street Sense remains a viable organization which meets weekly. Our members discuss many topics that could become issues to empower each other.

One of our most recent goals is to have President Obama address our community as part of a forum, prior to his leaving office.

We are hoping that our readers will help us get the word out about this initiative; build support around the $11 billion dollars President Obama has written into the federal budget to solve homelessness; and promote better accessibility to affordable housing, which the federal government defines as housing that costs no more than 1/3 of a person’s income.

FACE and our advocacy partners believe that moving people out of poverty is a must in order to eliminate this homeless epidemic once and for all. But there must first be available affordable housing based on this 1/3-of-income rule. Many minimum or low-wage workers who keep our city running can’t afford to live in it.

Providing truly affordable housing is the best strategy to allow a sizeable number of people to move their lives out of poverty and homelessness.

Please help us empower ourselves to move toward self-sufficiency so that we can have more self-respect. We at FACE urgently need your support so that we can all conquer homelessness.

Let’s work together to be a part of the solution and not the problem! We are counting on all of you for your support.

March 13 - • Volume 13 • Issue 10

Street Sense 1317 G Street, NW

Nonprofit Org US Postage Paid Washington, DC

Washington, DC 20005

Mail To:

Permit #568

FACE members meet in the Street Sense lounge every Friday morning.

PHOTO COURTESY OF CHON GOTTI

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

Interested in a subscription? Visit StreetSense.org/subscribe

Lorrie Hayes - 3/11 Patty Smith - 3/17 Joe Jackson - 3/24