04 18 2018

VOL. 15 ISSUE 12

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APRIL 18 - MAY 1, 2018

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The Cover Archive photo of city workers cleanining up a homeless encampment site in foggy bottom. A more recent effort at the same site is documented on page six.

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EVENTS

// 3

NEWS IN BRIEF Howard students demanded major changes, starting with adequate housing

PHOTO COUTESY OF HURESIST / TWITTER

Forum with candidates for mayor and D.C. Council chair 6:30 p.m. // May 4, 2018 Church of the Epiphany, 1317 G st. NW 20005 Join Focus Attitude and Commitment to Excellence, a team of D.C. homeless and formerly homeless advocates, for their third town hall event, a forum with candidates for mayor and chairman of the council.

THURSDAY APRIL 19

UPDATES ONLINE AT ICH.DC.GOV

WEDNESDAY APRIL 25

Power to the Poor- author talk with Gordon Mantler

D.C. Interagency Council on Homelessness Meetings

The Way Home Campaign budget briefing

6:30 p.m. - 8 p.m.

The Potter’s House // 1658 Columbia Road NW

Medicaid Work Group (WG) April 18, 2pm // 441 4th Street NW Landlord Engagement WG April 20, 10:30am // 441 4th St NW Strategic Planning Committee April 24, 2:30pm // 441 4th St NW Tenant Barriers Work Group April 25, 10:00am // 441 4th St NW Shelter Capacity Monitoring WG April 25, 12pm // 441 4th St NW Emergency Response Committee April 25, 1pm // 441 4th St NW Youth Work Group April 26, 1oam // 441 4th St NW Housing Placement Work Group May 1, 1pm // 441 4th ST NW

9:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.

Wilson Building // 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue NW

Gordon K. Mantler demonstrates how King’s unfinished crusade became the era’s most high-profile attempt at multiracial collaboration and sheds light on the interdependent relationship between racial identity and political coalition among African Americans and Mexican Americans.

The Way Home Campaign is hosting a public briefing on DC’s Fiscal Year 2019 Budget. Join us, elected officials and other city leaders to learn about our budget priorities and hear first-hand from members of the homeless community, policy experts and service providers.

Submit your event for publication by e-mailing editor@streetsensemedia.org

AUDIENCE EXCHANGE Jessica Raven

@thejessicaraven

Jubilee Housing @jubileehousing

Shout out to @streetsensedc for keeping this legislation in the news! (@cmdgrosso’s bill to add housing status as a protected trait)

We’re proud to be featured in @streetsensedc this month! The article features updates on the Maycroft, and explains why #justicehousing is so important.

11:57 AM - 4 APR 2018

11:42 AM - 9 APR 2018

The Howard University student body remains entrenched in a protest movement that has persisted throughout the spring semester. Protests, pointed at the school’s administration, began after scandals involving Howard’s leaders became public this year. The school’s housing portal crashed in March, leading some students to believe they would not have housing for the 2018-19 academic year. Shortly after, it was revealed through a series of financial statements that up to $1 million of financial aid funds had gone to university employees between 2007 and 2016.

A 9-day sit-in occupying the campus administration building commenced soon after the funding scandal was publicised. However, student organizer Imani Bryant explained in an interview on The Kojo Nnamdi Show that her social justice organization, HUResist, had been planning strategic protests and demands for some time. She said the funding scandal was a powerful moment, but the students’ discontent had much deeper roots.

Students named Howard’s deteriorating dormitories as a major failure of the administration.

The start of the spring semester was delayed one week because campus buildings had no heat, leaving students who returned on time living in freezing dorms. Some classes were moved to Chinatown due to maintenance issues in academic buildings on campus. The university sent a campuswide alert in February referencing a building “crisis.”

The sit-in ended when the Howard University board of trustees made commitments toward addressing seven of the nine student demands, including an assessment of campus housing conditions, the establishment of a community food pantry in Shaw and resources to address sexual assault and harassment.

The unmet demands were for the resignation of Howard President Wayne Frederick and the disarming of campus police.

Housing will now be made available to all students under 21 and the deadline for the fall 2018 housing deposit was extended to to May 1.

—olivia.richter@streetsensemedia.org Follow more headlines at StreetSenseMedia.org/news

4 // ST REET SENSE ME DI A / / A P RI L 1 8 - MAY 1, 2018

NEWS

“Poverty is also a political question”

BY ANDREAS DÜLLICK AND AMIR ALI// Surprise

Carolin Emcke is a publicist and philosopher who thinks that the basic principles of co-existence are in danger. In an interview with Surprise, she talks about the significance of public spirit, her fears for modern citizens and the importance of acknowledging the freedom of others. She recently gave the following interview to our sister paper in Basel, Switzerland.

You wrote recently about community spirit in your column for one of the largest daily newspapers in Germany. What exactly do you mean by the term ‘community spirit’?

Community spirit [is a term that] I take to mean the knowledge that, as society, we are concerned with discovering, encouraging and protecting the things that are of interest to us all. Community spirit depends on the concept that beyond the radical differences of each and every individual and the particular interests of groups, there is also something that is universal. As an individual, I can belong to a different “we” - I can define and articulate myself by my social class, faith and sexual orientation. But in a pluralist society it is also necessary to relate to things that are common to everyone – such as what public property we have in common, what is in everyone’s public interest. It also must be thought and spoken of as a “we”: something that appeals to everyone.

You write that this type of community is fading and may well vanish. Today, debates [about this issue] are constantly taking place everywhere.

OK. The fact that these matters are being debated does not mean that the debate is really with and for each other. Many of the public, media-run debates are really stage-managed pseudodebates. They present conflicts and glorify various antagonisms, without taking into account the social, political or cultural phenomena that should be dealt with. This type of debate always suggests that common thought is not possible, that there is not the strength nor the willingness to simply discuss a problem.

How do you identify this threat to society?

I worry that the Res publica is disappearing. [By using the term Res publica] I mean two things: Firstly, things like public spaces, public property such as public libraries, swimming pools or even park benches are actually vanishing. And secondly, community spirit disappears, in terms of it being something that can be used for political appeal. So, what also gets lost are good reasons as to why paying more tax could be in the political or democratic interest, why it can be useful to defend the rights of others and even to defend liberties that are not even important to you.

What are the good reasons to pay more taxes and defend the liberties of others?

Well, a society that is just about my own freedoms would be no community at all. On the other hand, a society that allows the free development of everyone also protects me. If I am serious about religious freedom or human dignity, I must also celebrate and defend this where it does not affect my own religion or dignity.

Such a society is not only freer but also more liveable, as it is richer, more creative and diverse.

It is the same thing with willingness to pay more taxes: everyone benefits from a community with a good infrastructure, excellent schools for all, high-quality health care, an active public cultural

landscape. Look at the United States: What makes American democracy sick is not just their authoritarian, autocratic president, nor a dysfunctional Congress, but a lack of infrastructure, of community and of the Res publica. In any case, I believe that it is worthwhile investing more taxes in education and infrastructure.

One phrase that is common to politicians of all persuasions is “We have to take the concerns of our citizens seriously.”

What do you say to that?

I can’t listen to that sentence anymore because on its own it says very little! In a democracy, it is of course important to respect that people can articulate their discomfort, or even pain.

Of course, it is also important that social experiences, with regard to exclusion or disregard, poverty or helplessness, can also be expressed. And it is, of course, important to respond to these experiences. But not every feeling is worth being taken seriously in politics. Firstly, because, at the moment, feelings are very volatile. They are also very transitory. Sometimes the only things being articulated are hatred, racism and the obscene joy of belittling others. Concern is now a term that has a rhetorical calculation. Concern is happily disguised by things that have little to do with being concerned, but instead move between paranoia and outright hatred. In this sense, a calm and balanced view is always required: what is being articulated, is it a reasonable concern, what is it about, is there an empirical basis for it? And then answers must be given.

If I understand you rightly, you are saying that, in this age of Fake News, we no longer have any accepted empirical basis.

Just because there are lies, is there no more truth? If that was the case, you would not know what a lie or the truth is. There are, of course, still empirically verifiable and plausible facts. You can prove climate change using data collected over decades which is comparable, has been methodologically proven and verified. This is denied. And then you take a look at the counter arguments. No matter how big the propaganda machine of a particular warring party, they can still seek and find proof, forensic evidence, documents and audio material in order to reconstruct a war crime. Naturally, there are sometimes gaps, limits to knowledge; sometimes there are a multitude of clues, approximations of the truth, which are accepted with reservations, until more detailed descriptions can be uncovered. But just because there are conspiracy theories, superstitions and lies, it does not mean the end of the world, just as the possibility to distinguish what is true from what is false or made up will remain.

Is a perceived grievance always a grievance?

A perceived grievance is a perceived grievance. Nothing more. First of all, it is a subjective impression – a hypothesis – and its validity can be compared and checked.

Do we have a satisfactory approach to perceived grievances?

What does “perceived” mean? And whose matters are you referring to? You can only link this to something precise.

General and vague criticism of politics cannot be debated fairly or in a differentiated manner. I have the impression that there are a number of serious social and economic grievances for which either nobody feels responsible, or which are perceived to be too complex or uncomfortable, and so they are not dealt with. For example, the lack of social mobility in our society; that is, the fact that social origin still plays a vital role in opportunities for advancement. This is unacceptable.

You have spoken about hatred being disguised as concern.

What can be done about this?

Certainly nothing that uses hatred and aggression. And definitely not by demonising people. It is always about connecting criticism only to actions. That is, what someone says or does, but not to denigrate the person themselves. When hatred is combined with violence, when hatred is organised into networks of fanatics or

movements, then investigating authorities and the judiciary must respond. But this hatred, which can be seen in everyday life in the stigmatisation of people who have different views or a different outlook or sexual preference, most be countered.

Returning to community spirit: how do we get away from the struggle for interpretational sovereignty in favour of a common construction of reality?

That is a very important question, to which I do not have a good answer. At the moment, it really does look as though public debate is becoming ever more aggressive and perceptions are drifting apart more and more. Anti-science, the ideological movements that attack the enlightenment and reason, the possibility of propaganda being used to spread superstition and conspiracy theories via social media, this all makes it more difficult to understand the meaning of a common world view. It definitely requires effort to be made at a variety of levels: at the level of genuinely propagandistic manipulation of Information or entire systems, international responses are required; on the social media level, the pressure on monopolies such as Facebook must be greater, so that they are held more accountable for hatred and false reporting; the enormous importance of journalism therefore becomes clear. It is a real and proper task to research what can be proven and what cannot, what is and is not a lie, what has happened and what is merely reported to have happened. It requires craftsmanship and ethical standards to do such work - and in recent years we have really seen what happens when propaganda, lies and false reporting are spread unfiltered and unchallenged, and how they can influence people.

When asked what it means to be a society of immigrants, you speak of a pluralisation of perspective. How do you feel about those who see this as a casualty or a danger?

Well, I cannot imagine anywhere in today’s world, regardless of the country, town or family, in which different perspectives do not already exist! Each and every one of us is already living in an environment where there are social or cultural differences.

Nobody grows up in a totally homogeneous environment. The older people in Germany, who have already fled, they know this. As do the miners, who have lived through the greatest variety of historical upheavals. As do those in agriculture, who use seasonal workers to gather their crops, or who previously moved to and fro themselves. As do all those who go to the Synagogue on Fridays or to church on Sundays: they know the diversity of the people who pray there. Diversity has always been a constant in our society; it can be either urban or rural.

But it is a genuine experience for everyone. The bottom line is that the state must guarantee that everyone can have individual relationships, preferences and beliefs. Each person’s specific faith and how they want to live and love, should be guaranteed.

As long as my individuality is protected, as long as the different nature of my neighbour is just that – something different.

LGBTQ community, the poor and migrant women are all harassed from time to time because they are different. Are these minorities in the same boat?

As minorities, they are all ever more vulnerable. But of course, exclusion takes many forms. Recently there have been attempts to play these groups off against each other. It has been suggested that, on one side, there are the social questions of poverty and social inequality and, over there, is the political issue of the recognition of migrants, gay and lesbian people and others. That is politically fatal: both questions must be considered together. Social and political inequality. The exclusion of gay or black people is not just a political, but also a social question. Poverty is never purely a social issue but is also always one related to political stigmatisation and a lack of representation.

Translated from German by Edward Alaszewski. Reprinted courtesy of the International Network of Street Papers news service.

STREETSENSEMEDIA.ORG

// 5

Bowser’s budget proposal includes record funding for homeless services but neglects lowest-income residents

BY OLIVIA RICHTER AND JAKE MAHER

olivia.richter@streetsensemedia.org and jake.maher@streetsensemedia.org

M

ayor Muriel Bowser released her 14.5-billion-dollar budget proposal, entitled “A Fair Shot,” for the fiscal year 2019 on March 21. The proposed budget allocates the highest funding levels in the District’s history for homeless services as well as a modest increase in funding for affordable housing initiatives, in line with the Mayor’s mission to make homelessness “rare, brief, and nonrecurring.” This budget proposal is an increase from that of fiscal year 2018, but it has received some criticism from the D.C. Fiscal Policy Institute and the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless, among others, for not allocating enough funding for D.C.’s lowest income residents.

Critics say the proposed budget does not meet the needs of District residents who earn below 30 percent of the area median income, or $32,600 for a family of four. There are 43,000 renter households in D.C. that earn 30 percent or less of the AMI, of whom 26,000 are severely rent burdened and in need of affordable housing.

The proposal would allocate $100 million to The Housing Production Trust Fund, a fund used to build and preserve affordable housing throughout the city. However it fails to dedicate the HPTF’s statutory minimum 40 percent share of funding to the District’s lowest income residents. Since 2014, the Fund has met the minimum requirement only once.

“The budget does not make much progress

in expanding assistance to D.C.’s extremely low-income families, who face the most severe affordable housing challenges,” said Claire Zippel, a policy analyst at the D.C. Fiscal Policy Institute, in a report on the proposed budget’s allocation for affordable housing.

Laura Zeilinger, Director of the Department of Human Services, outlined the budget proposal’s five main areas of support to the DHS. The budget focuses on reforming the system of care for families experiencing homelessness by launching new short-term family housing and supporting exits from shelters with Rapid Rehousing. It aims to enhance crisis response and connections to housing for individuals experiencing homelessness by expanding daytime services, improving shelter operations, and launching new homelessness prevention services. It also focuses on expanding services for youth and their families, supporting families who receive Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, or TANF, and improving customer service at service centers by opening earlier and increasing staff.

In an 18 percent increase from last year, the proposed budget adds $2.3 million to assist formerly homeless residents. This would increase funding for Targeted Affordable Housing, which helps formerly homeless residents-- approximately 100 families and 70 individuals-- who no longer need the comprehensive services of Permanent Supportive Housing but still need help affording housing.

Marchers at last month’s Way Home campaign rally to end chronic homelessness gather in front of the Wilson Building before lobbying for more investments in housing and homeless services. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN

Funding for the Home Purchase Assistance Act and the Employer Assisted Housing Program, which help fund down-payment assistance for moderate- and low-income first-time home buyers, would increase by 50 percent after accounting for inflation.

The proposal would also add $10 million to the affordable housing perseveration fund, which adds to last year’s $10 million investment in the fund. The fund provides financing to “help acquire and rehabilitate affordable housing projects.”

Where the budget fails to help D.C.’s lowest income residents gain housing is in its lack of funding and assistance through the Local Rent Supplement Program, according to a report

by Kate Coventry of the D.C. Fiscal Policy Institute. LRSP was created in 2007 to help extremely low-income residents access decent housing that they can afford. The proposed budget for LRSP, at $29.3 million, is a 2.2 percent reduction from last year’s budget.

“Unless the LRSP is scaled up beyond the level provided in the proposed FY 2019 budget, or the District pursues new strategies to finance affordable housing, the District’s other affordable housing tools will continue to fail to reach extremely low-income residents in a meaningful way,” Zippel said.

No new funds for vouchers to help families on the D.C. Housing Authority waiting list are included in the proposed budget. These vouchers help families on the waiting list pay rent in privately owned housing throughout the city.

The position of the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless is that the budget devotes too much funding for the District’s rapid re-housing program, which has been criticized for trapping families in leases that they cannot afford, resulting in their eviction.

According to the clinic’s Twitter feed, “After all the outcry about how poorly D.C.’s Rapid Re-Housing serves families, it is incredibly disappointing, if not outright perverse, that [Bowser’s] LARGEST housing enhancement is $6.6mil for family rapid re-housing.”

The proposal also calls for a substantial restructuring of the shelter system for single people. The budget proposal includes funding to replace the 801 East Men’s Shelter with a new facility on the campus of St. Elizabeths hospital, as well as funding to close the Harriet Tubman Emergency Shelter for Women, near the D.C. General family shelter. There are also plans to renovate Blair House, the New York Avenue low-barrier men’s shelter, and the Emery Work Bed Program.

While the proposed fiscal year 2019 budget provides the highest-ever funding level for homeless services, some say it does not meet

the needs outlined in the Interagency Council on Homelessness’ Strategic Plan. The plan, a 2015 campaign promise of Mayor Bowser, vowed to make homelessness in the District rare, brief, and non-recurring by the year 2020. “[The budget] provides too little housing to end chronic homelessness, too little support to help homeless families and youth, and too little long-term affordable housing for homeless residents who need it,” said Kate Coventry in the same DCFPI report. “As a result, homelessness will continue to be a highly visible problem in the District in FY 2019.”

6 // ST REET SENSE ME DI A / / A P RI L 1 8 - MAY 1, 2018

NEWS

E Street encampment cleared out, again

BY KJ WARD Volunteer

T

he building at 2025 E St. NW is still emblazoned with the notable line from Clara Barton’s World War II telegraph, “I am with the wounded.” The building is no longer home to the American Red Cross, which Barton founded, and as of 10 a.m. on March 29, the public space across the street from it is no longer home to the residents of a homeless encampment. The District’s Department of Human Services posted notice of on March 15 and made good on its promise two weeks later.

The operation was carried out without incident, unlike the November 2017 clearout in the same location which a homeless man was arrested. There was also no police

city has a history of destroying “personal property belonging to homeless residents” and is in violation of protections under the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. A staff member of the firm was on site to observe and document the March 29 clear-out.

Of the five tent sites that were most apparent early in the day, all but one seemed to have been abandoned in advance of the scheduled clean-up. A gentleman in an ivy cap and smoking jacket occupied that last camp. He methodically went through a pile of belongings that could have filled a minivan — milk crates, Christmas wreaths, laundry baskets, boots and blankets — while the remains of the other sites were loaded into garbage trucks with pitchforks and rakes. Two outreach workers from social-services agency

Workers cleared the site with a garbage truck.

PHOTO BY KJ WARD

The city has a history of destroying “personal property belonging to homeless residents.”

SARAH WILSON Partner, Covington & Burling law firm

Many tents were abandoned before the clean-up.

PHOTO BY KJ WARD

tape this time, and there were no organized protesters. Despite the relative calm, the operation was also quite different from a clean-up that occurred earlier this year. In early February, the District government asked residents of the camp to identify what was trash. The city disposed of the garbage, but allowed structures and personal belongings to remain. Sean Barry, communications director for the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Health & Human Services, says the city may make allowances, such as then when the weather is especially cold. “The District may still engage the encampment site at the scheduled time to reduce the trash and waste on site,” Barry said. The overnight low in the District was 26 degrees Fahrenheit on February 8.

For some, however, this kind of accommodation is not sufficient. The law firm Covington & Burling has filed a classaction suit against the city on behalf of all residents living on public lands in the District.

According to firm partner Sarah Wilson, the

Miriam’s Kitchen helped the lone resident sort and relocate, racing the clock against the inevitable disposal.

A woman who described herself as homeless watched from across the street, popping white mints into her mouth as city workers loaded two bright orange garbage trucks. She said that setting up camps wasn’t how she chose to live. With three or four bags packed neatly beside her, she noted that the accumulation of waste and the accompanying stench had to be cleaned up. She said she didn’t blame the city for what was happening. “People need help,” she said. “I know that being homeless means having to live with less. Others need help understanding that.” She stressed the importance of cleanliness and said that for her “living clean” meant avoiding many shelters and taking her chances on the street. “He maketh me to lie down in green pastures,” she said, referencing Psalm 23.

“But where are the green pastures for the homeless?”

Workers from Miriam’s Kitchen helped the remaining resident.

PHOTO BY KJ WARD

STREETSENSEMEDIA.ORG

Government closes camp across the street from homeless services nonprofit

// 7

VENDOR COMMUNITY

BY ERIC FALQUERO ericf@streetsensemedia.org

I

n 2013, Central Union Mission, one of the nation’s oldest service providers for people experiencing homelessness, moved from gentrifying Columbia Heights to the renovated Gales School building near Union Station. It was a deliberate move by the mission to locate closer to people that need the A general cleanup notice posted at the nonprofit’s assistance. intersection between both park areas at 65 Mass. Ave, NW PHOTO BY ERIC FALQUERO Even before the mission moved there, unhoused individuals have sought refuge on the two grass triangles at 65 Massachusetts relieve himself and had said, “That’s not my tent,” when officers Avenue NW. ordered that he take the tent down.

On March 8 of this year, federal park police officers informed “Which is true, it wasn’t his tent,” said Pierce, who claimed Adam Pierce and 9-12 other people camping on one of the grass ownership. The National Park Service did not initially respond triangles that they had to leave. “They showed up about 6 or to a request for comment.

6:30,” Pierce told Street Sense Media. “They were kicking the Though the garbage cleanup was welcome, Pierce was worried tents and pulling out the strings to knock it down.” because a dentist had offered him pro bono work for the same Pierce took up residence in the park about a year ago, when an day the cleanup was scheduled. “I had to go get my teeth fixed, established community was already there, centered around a large because I’ve been waiting for that for a long time,” Pierce said. tent canopy that had been wrapped with tarps for extra warmth and “Tooth pain is one of the worst kind of pains you can have.” privacy. “It was kind of nasty,” Pierce said, “because there were He asked the representative from the mayor’s office if he all kinds of spiders and bugs and things in there, and garbage.” could place his possessions somewhere to separate them from Eventually, Pierce helped the others take down the large canopy. the garbage that would be picked up while he was gone.

The way Pierce tells it, over time he became a de facto “And she said, ‘Oh, just make sure that there’s somebody out property manager. Someone donated a tent to him when they here.’” Pierce recalled. He said he emphasized the importance saw him sleeping outside. He, in turn, offered to share the tent of vouching for his belongings to other campers and left for the with another homeless man. Pierce salvaged a few more broken dental work when his ride arrived. or abandoned tents and offered those to others in need.

When he returned, everything was gone. After questioning the “I wasn’t collecting rent,” he joked. “I was just concerned remaining campers, Pierce came to the conclusion that there was with people having somewhere to be, as opposed to sitting out a 25-minute window when no one was watching over his things. there on the street or making a mess everywhere.”

Right now, D.C. government is facing a class-action lawsuit He didn’t want to stay or get too comfortable, but Pierce felt that alleges homeless individuals’ Fourth Amendment rights are responsible for maintaining the area and keeping it as clean often violated during encampment cleanups because belongings as he could while he was there. He noted that the adjacent that are not claimed by someone who is present are often grass triangle was part of the fire evacuation plan for the U.S. discarded. The Fourth Amendment protects people and their Government Publishing Office next door, and had to be kept effects against unreasonable searches and seizures. The lawsuit clear. Both pieces of land are considered national parks, and was filed 20 days after the March 8 incident and was not a direct thus are under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Park Police. response to it: legal observers have been visiting encampment “I’ve tried to apply at different canvassing jobs, different sweeps in the city since at least the summer of 2016. restaurants, things like that,” Pierce said. ”I was trying not to Pierce told Street Sense Media, “One of the officers, that get [social security], trying not to get food stamps, trying not to day or the next, gave me a phone number to call. He actually be a leech on the system. But after nine months of refusal after described one of my bags. So supposedly one of my bags is in refusal, just because I don’t [currently] have a job and because a storage somewhere. My biggest annoyance is I had a hard everything’s online...I’m getting stretched pretty thin here.” drive in there that had some documents, things that I need for He described being explicitly told during job interviews that if I want to get a better job or just for myself.” a company does not hire homeless people and often being asked Signage posted at 65 Massachusetts Ave. NW indicates that a where he lives. standard city cleanup occurred on March 20. No tents or other The camp started to change when Pierce left town for a 21-day indications of camping are currently visible at the site. bipolar medication study in Maryland. He said more people moved “It’s just been one thing after another,” Pierce said, and then in while he was gone and no one was really keeping the area clean. departed for a job interview at a restaurant on U Street.

Soon after he returned, a U.S. Park Police officer told him the tents needed to come down. “I said, ‘Well, okay, but we don’t have anywhere else to put our tents.’ And they said, ‘You just have to take them down during the day, but you can but it back up at night,’” Pierce recalled.

So that became the new regimen, until March 8, when campers were told that complaints had been made, the tents had to come down and garbage crews would come by later in the day to collect all the trash. According to Pierce, one man who came out of a tent and began walking away from the site was cuffed and taken away July 2017: one of two park areas in front of the Gales School building where Central Union Mission operates. IMAGE COURTESY OF GOOGLE STREET VIEW in a van. Pierce said the man exited a tent to

Vendor Chon Gotti and his wife.

PHOTO BY CHON GOTTI

On April 22, I was born a Taurus like a bull running wild, roaming through the forest. Just a quick poem for you my beautiful customers, on my Earth Day birthday. Thanks for reading my articles! Love, always.

MORE BIRTHDAYS Warren Stevens April 18 VENDOR

Reginald Denny April 29 ARTIST/VENDOR

ACCOMPLISHMENTS Ken Martin

Narrated all of the “Jazz Moment” vignettes to recognized the National Endowment for the Arts’ 2018 Jazz Masters series.

ARTIST/VENDOR

Our stories, straight to your inbox Street Sense Media provides a vehicle through which all of us can learn about homelessness from those who have experienced it. Sign up for our newsletter to get our vendors' stories in your inbox.

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8 // ST REET SENSE ME DI A / / A P RI L 1 8 - MAY 1, 2018

NEWS

Homeless people are displaced often. One man’s solution: keep your stuff on wheels

BY KJ WARD Volunteer

B

That metaphor conjured the idea that those y 10:10 a.m. on April 5, there who get vacated from encampments might be was little evidence that a tent “sitting ducks.” community had ever stood “There are places you could set up that you near the K St overpass at 26th might could stay there for a while,” Nathaniel Street in Northwest D.C. Ten said, after talking about wooded areas in the minutes after the scheduled District, Maryland, and Virginia, “but if clear-out, there was a lone city you in the open like this, you going to have worker collecting and disposing of nondescript, problems. They say you can’t be here and you unidentifiable objects while his coworkers can’t be there. Where you supposed to be? Up controlled the traffic nearby. This relatively in the air?” he asked, in another bird allusion. hidden area not far from Rock Creek Parkway The metaphor was also is a very different setting apt, as Nathaniel seemed than the bustling business like an older, wiser owl area, where a curbside perched high above and tent removal took place observing the public just one week prior on eviction. He’s seen many E Street. Both sites, of these “sweeps” and however, are District said that they seem to be Government property happening with greater and subject to the city’s frequency. “They give you “cleanup” protocol. some warning and put up On 27th and K Street, a sign,” he said, referring an older gentleman named Nathaniel to the city’s practice of Nathaniel sat only a few posting notice two weeks hundred feet away from in advance of scheduled clear-outs. the removal operation, but the marked difference “The other day someone asked me why I in elevation and the busy exit ramp between him move around so much,” Nathaniel recounted. and the clear-out somehow gave him even more His reply: “To stay out the devil’s way.” distance. He was in the middle of reading from Despite his mobility strategy, Nathaniel hasn’t a collection of Bible stories but took a moment been entirely immune to displacement and to share his take on what had transpired. dispossession. “I’ve lost things before, and “They call them sweeps,” he explained, it hurt,” he said, “but I always bounce back.” “and they do them all the time. I like to keep There have been at least three cleanups at this my things on wheels so I can go when I have location in the last two years, not far from where to,” he said, referring to the two covered carts a multi-week standoff with campers in 2015, behind him. “It’s like a bird that can fly away.”

“They say you can’t be here and you can’t be there. Where are you supposed to be?

Up in the air?”

The overpass at K Street and 26th Street provided cover for tents underneath it.

PHOTO BY BEN BURGESS

Nathaniel, sitting a block away from the cleanup, is pictured with his Bible stories.

PHOTO BY KJ WARD

spanning the Thanksgiving holiday, signaled the mayor’s decision to be vigilant about enforcing anti-camping ordinances. The $130,000 ordeal took 25 hours of agencies’ time. Five city agencies coordinate weekly under the Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services to implement the city’s encampment protocol.

“People call and complain,” Nathaniel said. “They don’t like us around here.” “In Georgetown, the business communities think we

interfering with their business,” he said before noting with much laughter, “but if you got a good business, your business is going to stand anyway. Your business is failing and you need a scapegoat!”

In the swirl of vigilance and impermanence, Nathaniel sounded confident in his ability to make his way. “I’ve been out here a long time,” he said, “and I get what I need to get myself together.”

Workers from the District arrived to collect any items left out.

PHOTO BY KJ WARD

STREETSENSEMEDIA.ORG

// 9

PHOTO BY OLIVIA RICHTER

NoMa cleanups highlight ongoing cat-and-mouse game between D.C. government and homeless people

BY OLIIVIA RICHTER AND JAKE MAHER olivia.richter@streetsensemedia.org // jake.maher@streetsensemedia.org

S

everal homeless people were displaced by the District government after a clean-up of a tent encampment was conducted under an overpass on K Street NE between First and 2nd streets NE. The March 30 clean-up occurred after a heater being used nearby by a person living in a tent caught fire.

Caitlin, a woman living in a tent on First Street between K and H Streets NE, said that the city informed people living under the overpass late in the evening of March 29 that they would be displaced the following morning, which did not give them enough time to adequately prepare.

Melvin Simpson and his girlfriend, Caitlin, have lived in a couple NoMa encampments.

PHOTO BY OLIVIA RICHTER

The clean-up was conducted by an immediate disposition of public property, which does not require the standard two-week notice.

“I had a lot of trouble. It was terrible,” said Caitlin, who added she was living with many of her deceased mother’s belongings, making it hard for her to change location on short notice.

She lives with her boyfriend Melvin Simpson, a well-known trumpeter in the area who was recognized for his playing in the online newspaper Hill Now. The two are hoping to move into an apartment but are waiting on support from the District government. Until then, they are sharing a tent on the street.

Simpson explained that on the day of the clean-up, construction workers were throwing away people’s belongings who had not vacated. Some of his own clothing and personal belongings were thrown away.

Street Sense Media reported a similar immediate disposition at the same K Street NE underpass in early February. Caitlin and others living there at the time moved around the corner to First Street. Caitlin moved back to the K Street site about a week later and lived there until being displaced again. She said the underpass quickly became crowded with other residents after she moved back, until conditions were as bad as they were before the cleanup.

On April 10, another scheduled clean-up occurred on First Street. Two-weeks’ notice was given, and no one was moved. One worker said that his team did not touch any of the belongings of those living in tents at the site of the clean-up.

“They moved their own stuff,” he said. “All we did is collect the trash.”

Caitlin and Simpson plan to return to the K Street NE underpass soon, though the sidewalks on either side are currently fenced off as construction work occurs. Both residents expect that upon their return the underpass will again become just as crowded as it was before the disposition.

The city government posted signage announcing a clean-up on April 10.

PHOTO BY OLIVIA RICHTER

K Street NE was cleared on March 30.

PHOTO BY OLIVIA RICHTER

A heater caught fire near the tent encampment on K Street NE. PHOTO BY COLLEEN COSGRIFF

People displaced from K Street NE set up tents on First Street NE. PHOTO BY OLIVIA RICHTER

1 0 // S T REET SENSE ME DI A / / A P RI L 1 8 - MAY 1, 2018

OPINION Protecting D.C.’s disabled citizens

Perception or Reality:

A mile in their shoes

BY ROBERT WILLIAMS, USMC

BY JENNIFER MCLAUGHLIN

So many people seem to ignore the homeless community, failing to realize that they are people too. But they have the same rights as anyone else. So why is it people treat them the way that they do? Surely they don’t deserve to be treated as such.

Homelessness could happen to you.

Imagine for a moment that you have a house fire one week after you lose your job and miss two mortgage payments. Family you thought would surely be there for you are not, for one reason or another. Then you are audited by the IRS and your bank account is frozen indefinitely. You are suddenly catapulted into the ever increasing ranks of the homeless.

What do you do? Where do you go?

Do you think you could endure, as many of those looked down upon have had to do, sometimes for decades? Where will you sleep? What will you eat? How will you pay for it?

If you go to a shelter, how will you prevent the things you’ve begun to acquire to rebuild your life from being stolen? Will you allow the bedbugs and lice to have the bed that is assigned to you? Or will you give in to sleep deprivation and share it with them? If you didn’t get to the shelter in time or the staff dislikes

Trump’s insulting food stamp plan

BY LEONARD HYATER, JR.

Dear Mr. President: Do you have any idea what you’re doing with your plan to issue boxes of food, instead of letting people choose their meals with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Plan benefits? This plan will affect tens of million people who are on food stamps. I myself have Type 2 diabetes, and there are certain foods I can and cannot eat. This plan will not give the choice to shop for the foods that my doctor has told me I can eat. Sir, with all due respect, I think you should think about millions like myself who are diabetic before enforcing this plan.

Leonard Hyater, Jr., is a vendor with Street Sense.

you, you’re out on the street anyway.

Let’s say today you’ve actually been able to get enough to eat and drink. Oh no! Nature is calling. With no money to make a purchase, how and where do you take care of your natural body functions? You’ve been denied four times already and don’t know if you can hold it much longer.

There’s a bush across the street you could hide behind, but there’s too much traffic and you can’t cross. How do you think you will feel when you get half-way through and are seen?

Hurry, there’s a cop — you know that will be a fine or imprisonment!

I have been there, done that, wore the t-shirt.

In 2008, Washington, D.C., became the first Human Rights City in the United States. With that declaration comes recognition of a universal right to housing. Housing would solve all of these basic, basic needs. Housing brings stability. It allows people to thrive in the society we have built.

I want so much to see change within my lifetime. No matter how far we’ve come, how far yet we have to go.

Robert Williams is a Marine Corps veteran and a vendor with Street Sense Media.

A book release party I attended. PHOTO BY ANGIE WHITEHURST

Quite a life, indeed

BY ANGIE WHITEHURST

Carol Schwartz's biography, “Quite a Life!: From Defeat to Defeat … And Back,” is not just her story, it is the story of our city, its people and its struggles to solidify a territory without statehood. For me, personally, it is a review of her struggles and political battles, plus the city’s resilience and determination to be free, successful and strong, after years of Jim Crow discrimination. For those new to D.C. and wanting to learn more about the homeless problem, poverty, the housing struggle, statehood, and the fight for home rule control, Schwartz’s book is a must-read, especially right now, before the June 26 primary.

Schwartz last ran for mayor against in 2014, competing against David Catania in the Republican primary. If she’d won, she would have faced Muriel Bowser in her first winning bid to be mayor of Washington, DC. When asked, she sincerely stated that she believes she has grown into the role and responsibility of being mayor!

While there are many other books and movies on Washington, D.C.’s elected officials, this is one of my favorites for its readability, as well as the candor and authenticity of the author, who lived it and shared it with our city.

Angie Whitehurst is a vendor with Street Sense.

On March 20, Mayor Muriel Bowser signed Disability Services Reform Amendment Act 2018. Thanks to this legislation, there will be a new formal complaint process for disability programs, and those who complain will be protected from losing their services.

This law was a big victory for the disabled community, which includes me. I was diagnosed with an intellectual disability in 2009. This legislation would help the community to have more independence. The mayor has also introduced legislation to protect the civil rights of D.C. residents with intellectual disabilities. Previously, the District was one of the only places in the country where a resident with intellectual disabilities needed to be committed before they could receive certain services from the city, including Medicaid and housing. The Citizens with Intellectual Disabilities Civil Rights Restoration Act, however, would change this, giving greater control to individuals and their families. The bill is now in the hands of D.C.’s Committee on Human Services, and I hope they will pass it soon.

Jennifer McLaughlin is a vendor with Street Sense Media.

Transit riders, rise up!

BY SIGUTE MEILUS

In March, my organization, Americans for Transit, held a Transit Rider Organizing Bootcamp that brought together groups from 20 cities working to improve our public transit systems by organizing the most important stakeholder — riders — to build political power and advocate in their own self-interest.

Americans for Transit believes that all riders have a right to safe, reliable and affordable public transportation. Public transportation is a civil right. It can be a great equalizer, creating mobility and access to opportunity. Organizing riders is about community building, self-actualization, civic engagement and equality. Everyone should be able to access good jobs, health care and grocery stores, and get everywhere else they need or want to go. Because what good is a job if you can’t get there?

Communities of color, recent immigrants, students, youth, LGBTQ people, seniors and persons with disabilities are the most impacted by the lack of access to safe, reliable and affordable public transportation. We work to develop leadership among riders and mobilize

riders to take direct action, build advocacy skills and break down barriers that prevent marginalized communities from participating in decision-making processes. Race, gender identity, age, sexuality, socioeconomic status, housing status, employment status, disability and immigration status are all deeply intertwined with which transit modes people use, where they go, and what their experience is like. This intersects with access to housing and employment, participation in social and economic justice movements, and movements for liberation.

I’m a public transit rider and I believe that by organizing for solutions that build power for riders and the most impacted communities, we will bring about system change and undo decades of inadequate funding and unfair policy decisions that have shifted control of our public transportation services away from the public.

In what seems like a never-ending battle to get adequate funding or to stop rounds of fare hikes and service cuts, it’s easy to get discouraged.

It’s easy to think there’s nothing we can do to

change the opinion of decision-makers who, for the most part, have never waited in the rain for a bus that only comes every 45 minutes, at a bus stop without shelter. Or had to choose between bus fare and other basic necessities. But riders and allies are organizing because they know it doesn’t have to be this way. Public transit riders deserve better, and as people who rely on the transit systems, we have unique insight on how to make transit work for people. Riders are organizing to have their voices heard and their demands met. Organized riders across the country bring their needs and concerns to the forefront of the discussion on transportation funding, service, accessibility, equity and policy decisions. As a result, riders are winning at the ballot box, in state houses and city councils.

But we still have a lot of work to do. We must continue to organize and advocate for fully funded transit systems that meet the needs of our communities.

Sigute Meilus is the executive director of Americans for Transit.

STREETSENSEMEDIA.ORG

ART

/ / 11

A building is being torn down across from where I sell the newspaper at 17th and L streets NW. Some of the people who used to sleep there have moved their stuff.

One day I made a point of watching that many differnt looks people gave this collection of one person’s worldly posessions: quite the range of shock, awe, disgust and curiosity. PHOTO BY JAMES DAVIS

Everything must change

BY PATTY SMITH Artist/vendor

Everything must change, Nothing stays the same, The young become the old.

You see me through the same eyes, I hold you tight, And I kiss you goodnight.

y m , f f u t s My e f i l y m , e c spa

And I hope that we get to see A brighter day.

IS ES DAV

BY JAM or d n e V t/ is Art

end you?

TUFF off does my S e it should well mayb arts ec a bed, som wood s of k and piece ke you loo TUFF ma S y m s e o d way the other of seeing u get tired o y w I kno y a F everyd my STUF l ke you fee PACE ma S y m s e d e o d unn table or st uncomfor ity’s c r u o with ust fund especially million tr d re d om you n u one-h e away fr k ta E C A P int of view does my S om my po fr s g in th by seeing feel guilty make you E IF L y g filthy does m air , me livin ll e w g ss and desp ere in v You li opelessne h h h ew c m u so m so e middle th in my LIFE e m t can mee maybe you ll I have as such ch? a are as mu is my LIFE ould you c w E IF L your if it were city gainst the a lawsuit a on is e ty er er p th ro t, *At presen moval of personal p re g in rn conce the streets.

A break from the negativity

BY DERIAN D. HICKMAN Artist/vendor

While riding Metro, I viewed a very interesting art decoration on the H street wall near the parking garage at Union Station. It was a collage of children, and other people playing hopscotch. It runs along what is appropriately named the “Hopscotch Bridge.”

With all the negative news in the press, it was refreshing to see someone’s attempt at beautifying the city. So, from time to time, I think I'll go around the city to view more of these sites and monuments.

Not to forget other important issues, but to take a break from all the negativity. I am hoping you will do the same or spend some time to make a permanent stand on your issues with a monument or painting.

1 2 // S T REET SENSE ME DI A / / A P RI L 1 8 - MAY 1, 2018

ART Finding your place in life

The streets breed hate and envy

BY MARCUS GREEN Artist/Vendor

BY JOE JACKSON Artist/Vendor

First things first, is finding God. Your mother and father teach you from there. God speaks through people. My good deeds should outweigh my bad deeds.

Staying spiritual for me is taking care of the babies, the elderly, the mentally challenged, and animals. So, my job would be in one of these areas.

Animals are a form of therapy for me and one that I need. That's my purpose and those are my strengths.

I appreciate my customers for their support.

God bless.

I’ve been holding on, waiting for my apartment, for too long.

I haven’t been getting as much sleep because I am worried someone is trying to attack me.

I’ve been in so much drama in the street. I have bad dreams and wake up mad. I need to control my anger and my ways of thinking. I need some serious rest to help me check my actions.

I am not perfect. I am a man who didn't grow up in a good household. And mental health issues make it difficult to know how to communicate what you feel to another person, family or friend.

I don’t even know who to trust because I’ve been lied to by people that get a paycheck to help me find housing.

Just when you think some people are in your corner, you find out they aren't. It's a lot of mind games. You get hurt and lied too. But I am staying strong and staying away from people that don't have my best interests in mind.

Some folks will just use you to break you apart, like if they want to say at your place but don’t care what happens to you. It hurts deeply when you realize their true intentions.

Recently I even had to get away from family. I’ve been helping my mother with her health. It hurts

me to see my mother struggle with sugar diabetes and know she can't lose weight because it's too hard for her to follow the directions. But I can't be there anymore. She is playing a lot of mind games to cater to her needs and has shown me she does not appreciate anything. And just last year, my uncle tried to shoot me and kill me. So, no more.

I want to better myself and I just don’t want to be judged. One store says I am a thief. I did steal from them when I had no money, no food stamps and was roaming the street. But now, since, I’ve been checking my behavior, that’s not me.

A lot of people look at the homeless and have something negative to say, even if they don’t know the person. I hate to be judged or talked about like I am a bad person. More than that, I hate when some people walk past when I am selling the paper and treat me as if I am not a person.

I’m not a bad person, I just need to check my behavior and don’t worry about what people say about me. I want to thank God for waking me up this morning and giving me another chance to work with people again. And I want to thank everyone in Tenleytown for your help and assistance.

Please keep me in your prayers and have a blessed day.

The power of faith and (self) forgiveness

BY ELIZABETH BRYANT Artist/Vendor

I don't have patience and was not humble in my past. I now understand how closed-minded I was. I was spoiled and very selfish.

But it honors me when Jesus Christ is with me. I know the Holy Spirit and Jesus Christ visit other children, but I feel special when he spends time with me.

Bu I no longer feel lonely if I do one thing right. When I pray, it makes everything OK. I never knew God's love before and I refuse to give it up now.

The Father and his child told me to be bold, and so I will. For that, I feel very blessed.

Random acts of kindness:

Compassionate winter acts!

BY WENDELL WILLIAMS // Artist/Vendor

The whole premise of writing about random acts is to remind each other that we are not aware of the power that we have to change the lives of others. You can never know the full impact of one kind word, gesture thought or gift of compassion during a very crucial or difficult time for the recipient.

I may not even be alive today if were not for nameless, faceless compassionate people who, at just the right time, wondered in to my life.

With winter coming to a close, I think of the many kind things compassionate strangers have done for me, from way back with my 1980 Christmas miracle in Ohio (which we’ve shared in a previous edition), right on up to this winter in Takoma Park.

I’ll start with the late 90s in Cincinnati.

While distributing the Streetvibes paper there, I found myself having to be out in unforgiving weather to earn rent for my Single Room Occupancy. As most Midwesterners will understand, we work in conditions that would close D.C. for days.

I was working in front of Carol’s on Main Street, a gay-friendly restaurant and bar. Normally that fact wound be unimportant, but I mention it because I found the crowd who frequented this establishment to be the most kind, compassionate, sympathetic and encouraging group of people that I had ever met.

Many patrons and staff in that community helped me in my quest to move to a place. Almost everyone knew me by name, which meant a lot at this time when my self-esteem and confidence was so low.

All the great things those people did for me still come to mind. Not a day goes by, especially in the winter, that I don’t think of their many kind random acts.

One happened late on a Saturday evening. I was still trying to

distribute the paper in six or eight inches of snow that was still falling. As I stood under the canopy of Carol’s (with management’s permission), a couple stopped and asked me about the paper. I shared a little bit about Streetvibes, and a little bit about myself.

They decided to make a donation. After, they joined hands to continue walking, stopped, and turned back around to ask if I was okay. “Aren’t you cold? It’s freezing out here.”

The husband then came over, took off his warm fleece-lined hat and put it on my head. He pulled the flaps down over my ears and told me “Stay warm.”

They grabbed each other’s hands again to leave. Then the wife turned back, took the long scarf from around her neck, and wrapped it around mine, several times. This knitted scarf had to be three or four feet long. She tucked it inside the chest of my jacket, which had no lining, and told me “Stay safe, stay warm.”

That was about 20 years ago. It stays fresh in my mind, as if it happened yesterday. I have no memory of the amount they donated, or their faces. I just hold on to the look in their eyes that showed they cared deeply for my plight.

On another cold, snowy evening outside of Carol’s, a gentleman who was a regular stepped out to smoke. He asked me about the paper. I told him what it was and why I didn’t “just go home.” I told him why I had to be out in that kind of weather. He nodded and said he understood, took a drag off his cigarette, and let it drift down to the pavement. He stomped the cigarette out with his foot and asked “how many of those papers do you have left?”

The question puzzled me, but I answered. And when I told him the number, he quickly went into his back pocket, pulled out his wallet, and handed me a large bill. “Now, you go home,” he said. To this day,

The coolest pair of gloves. Great gift for a vendor. BY WENDELL WILLIAMS

I don’t remember his face, but I’ll never forget his act of kindness. One thing I do remember is that he drove a Jaguar convertible, because from then on I always referred to him as “Mr. Jaguar.”

That kindness was not unique to Ohio. Years later, selling Street Sense during winter here in D.C., a lady who had no interest in buying a paper returned 15 minutes later with a of bag coldweather gear. She passed it to me, said “Stay warm,” and just kept walking. I don’t remember her face and I never knew her name. But I remember that kindness. It was maybe two years ago.

Then this winter, on a cold bitter Sunday, I had forgotten my gloves. It was about 12 degrees and you have to have your whole body covered if you don’t want to get sick out there.

This lady came up to buy a paper and asked “Where are your gloves?” I told her how I had forgotten them. She walked away and reappeared in front of me with a bag. She gave it to me. I opened the bag to look inside, then looked back up. There was no sign of her. Like most angels, she just flew away.

Inside the bag was the coolest pair of gloves. They’ve got a hood that slides over the fingers. So they allow me to easily handle the papers and people’s change, but still stay warm.

It’s getting warmer now, but I still have those gloves on the back seat to remind me of that random act of kindness by a faceless stranger.

STREETSENSEMEDIA.ORG

Treading the Waters PART

1

BY GERALD ANDERSON Artist/Vendor

Everyone comes from a family that has house rules.

Mother’s have house rules. I’m one that don’t believe in rules. I do what I want.

I feel like I did what I want.

My mother had eight kids, three girls and five boys.

We really weren't fortunate enough to get some of the things that we wanted in life, like my other friends, and cousin, and other family members.

So every day we come home from school. Me and my sister, we talk. And I tell my sister, “Man, you seen them tennis shoes the guy had on that was in school today. I like them bad boys.” Back then it was Dr. J’s tennis shoes, Converse All Stars.

My sister say, “Boy, them shoes cost 100 and somethin’ dollars.”

“Heck, my partner and them got ‘em," I say. "They say they ain’t cost them nothin’, they just went in Footlocker and took ‘em. Didn’t cost nothing to them.”

So I went to thinking to myself, what if I go out one day and steal some shoes, or go hustle with them, whatever? Would I get caught, or would I get away?

I told my good friend that I come up with, “Man them boys, you seen them boys? Them boys must be getting some money out here somewhere. Because they be wearing some nice shoes. Man, we need to start getting our hustle on.”

He say, “Man, you ain’t gotta be gettin’ no money.

Only thing you gotta do is go in the store and ask the people for the size you wear, and soon as they walk off, you put the shoes on and walk out the store.”

It sounded sweet to me. But at the same time I was kind of nervous.

So one Saturday, we hung out by the store, and I finally pushed myself up to do it. The lady come ask us, “Can I help y’all?”

I say, “Yes ma’am, I like to see a pair of your tennis shoes.”

“What size?” she say. I told her my size.

But in the shoe store it be real crowded, on Saturday and like that. So she said, “No problem. I go get ‘em and you can try ‘em on. You like ‘em, you can go ahead and get ‘em.”

My friend was standing on the side of me. I tried the shoes on. I looked at ‘em. I say, “Man, these look nice.”

He say “Boy, you look good in ‘em tennis shoes.”

I took a deep breath.

I whistled a little bit and say, “You ain’t lyin’ I do.”

“You ready?” he say.

“Ready for what?”

“Ready to walk out.”

I say, “Yeah…” and stood up. I went for the door.

Once I got out the door and nobody looked back, no one was behind us, I say, “Damn, you ain’t lying, that sure was easy. I’m ready now, I’m ready to go any store.”

This new series chronicles Gerald Anderson's time running the streets and going in and out of prison. It will eventually become his sophomore autobiographical book. You can purchase the first book, “Still Standing: how an ex-con found salvation in the floodwaters of Katrina,” from Gerald directly or find it on Amazon.com.

// 13

A man assassinated

Our time

A man assassinated but he never died.

Is that you again? Can't you die already?

Can't you see? People believe in more money, not good causes.

The Dream was supposed to be inclusive: end war; end poverty; and end racism. Alas, on April 4th fifty years ago the world was shocked to its core. Although parts of Martin Luther King Jr.'s message frightened many people, everyone was affected by his assassination. This country has still not reconciled this atrocity.

Racial incidents and hate crimes have spiked in the last few years. Black activists continue to be harassed and persecuted for their beliefs. Racial relations have become worse five decades after MLK gave his life to make them better.

This isn't a political party thing because Malcolm Little, who was murdered only three years earlier, was a conservative. We are fighting for our rights and we won't back down. We can fish.

And, truth be told, we taught other civilizations to fish. We want what we built to be used properly.

We want to live and to be left alone. We are as bright as any stars in the universe.

It is our time to shine.

BY ROBERT WARREN // Artist/Vendor

Here you are again, marching with your signs held high, like you are going to change one person's mind.

We laugh at the tears you cry.

Black teens die every day, out there in the hood.

And White women stand up for justice in a world gone mad.

Who would have thought our babies would one day lead the way?

Well, surely not the NRA. I read one sign that said, “In 427 days, I will be able to vote.”

Is that why Dr. King had to die?

It's always the money baby, Follow it and you will see.

BY REGINALD BLACK // Artist/Vendor

The Devil's at the other end.

There's only one that's good, and Christ who walks the ancient streets of Jerusalem.

In Washington, love and peace are unholy, they only talk money in this town.

Thank the Lord for a new generation to guide the ways of man.

Who cares if you die, the angels are waiting for you.

ILLUSTRATION BY LEVESTER GREEN

About homeless people

Work

BY SASHA WILLIAMS // Artist/Vendor

I worked hard in my twenties, but I was missing family and housing support. Now the support I have is people believing in me.

I miss working in the banking industry at times, and I definitely missed being in the telecommunications business. But now I am in my 30's and I am building my life differently.

I am raising a 5-year-old and an almost sevenmonth-old baby and I am so happy for those seeds in my life. I’m learning to brand my creativity and it’s like a different level.

It wasn’t easy, but life is what you make it. I was able to build a portfolio with Street Sense Media while overcoming a lot of letdowns and journeys.

That included an engagment that didn’t work out. But I am glad I did not marry into that

BY JOHNNIE FORD Artist/Vendor

relationship.

It would have been the worst thing for me. One day I will be happy with someone else, but I’ve got a lot ahead of me and other priorities to focus on.

Now that I am housed in a better community, I have to work on my next challenge while my daughter is starting her education. I like that she is going to do Martial Arts and Gymnastics and learning Spanish.

It's been a process for me. But I am a woman and a mother and an individual.

While others “know” what I should do, I am happy that I am doing what I want to do. I no longer feel “behind.” My daughter has her outlet and I have mine.

I would like to write about homeless people. I haven't eaten any food for a week.

Nor do I have anywhere to sleep or to write a short story to bring insight to the plight of homeless people in D.C. Please help me and others.

1 4 // ST REET SEN S E ME DI A / / A P RI L 1 8 - MAY 1, 2018

FUN & GAMES

Intermediate Sudoku by KrazyDad, Volume 8, Book 2

Sudoku #4 8

6 4

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1

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© 2014 KrazyDad.com

Fill in the blank squares so that each row, each column and each 3-by-3 block contain all of the digits 1 thru 9.

Sudoku #3 in solve the puzzle without guesswork.

IfSUDOKU: you use logicFill you can 2 4 5 6 3 1 9 7 8 the blank squares Need a little help? The hints page shows a logical order to solve the puzzle. so that each the row, 1 solve.

2 5Or use 6 3page 8 the4 answers Use it to identify next square9you7should ifeach you really get stuck. column and 8 6 3 4 7 9 5 1 2 each 3-by-3 block contain all of the 6 1 4 8 2 3 7 5 9 digits 1-9.

3 5 8 7 9 6 1 2 4 7 9 2 1 4 5 8 3 6 LAST 1 3 6 5 8 4 2 9 7 EDITION’S 5 8 7 9 6 2 3 4 1 PUZZLE SOLUTION >> 4 2 9 3 1 7 6 8 5 Sudoku #5 5 1 6 8 3 8 9 5 4 7 2 9 1 9 5 3 6 4 7 2 8 2 3 6 9 6 1 4 2 5 8 7 7 3 4 1 Sudoku #7 9 4 5 7 3 6 1 2 2 8 7 6 4 1 3 8 8 7 2 9 6 5 9 3 1 9 8 4 7 2 4 5 5 3 6 1

It's not the size of the ship, it's the size of the waves.

-- Little Richard

5 Answers 9 1 5 2 1 Sudoku #1 4 6 3 1 2 3 62 1 94 8 9 5 3 4 2 6 8 9 1 6 5 3 7 7 4 6 3 1 5 1 5 9 8 7 1 2 86 4 6 1 9 4 8 7 7 4 1 9 5 2 6 7 4 53 1 5 6 8 6 7 7 4 5 2

Sudoku #2 6 7 1 3 4 8 3 9 9 2 5 8 7 6 8 4 3 9 2 7 5 1 4 6 8 5 6 2 2 4 7 1 1 3 9 5

BY FRANKLIN STERLING // Artist/Vendor

2

1 3 8 2 6 5 8 9 4 7 4 9 5 1 3 2 5 7 6 9 6 4 3 5 1 7 1 2 8 4 3 2 6 7 5 9 6 1 3 8 8 7 4 9 2

Sudoku #8 6 9 7 1 3 1 2 5 5 8 4 7 7 5 9 6 4 3 8 9 2 6 1 4 9 7 3 2 8 4 5 3 1 2 6 8

6 3 8

1 7

2 9 5

7 3 7 2 4 1 5 6 4 6 2 9 8 5 5 1 9 8 3 7 2

3 6

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1

9 8

9 1

8 7 3 4

5 6

4 2 9 5 8 6 5 1 2 7 and Spring unntil mynn ge-minde, 1The7balance 3 6of Wintre 4 a remnant to them sunns’ old myrrore arch’d o’er my soul...

3 5off9al tha 2Blowing 1 country-hal, socch paths te dusk or dead 5forr 1evening 4 8seem 6 voysces and, at whoos insistance, tears ov joye tha each percht his own run! How lyk the Spring in this.

9 8 2 7 3 3 4 7 1 9 8 9 6 3 5 7 6 8 4 2

Sudoku #4 2 1 6 4 3 7 9 5 8 9 4 2 1 5 3 7 3 5 7 8 6 9 2 4 5 2 1 7 9 3 8 6 7 3 8 6 5 4 1 9 6 4 9 1 2 8 5 3 2 6 8 1 7 3 LAST 5 4EDITION’S CROSSWORD 9 8 2 SOLUTIONS 3 7 6 4 1 4 6 5 9 8 1 7 2 Sudoku #6 7 3 2 1 6 9 5 8 8 1 4 7 9 7 3 6 5 2 8 9 1 4 6 2 2 6 7 5 3 5 1 4 4 8 9 3

4

I Do Wayte

Intermediate Sudoku by KrazyDad, Volume 8, Book 2

5 4

6 8 1 3 9 2 7

3 4

9 2 1 8 6 7 5

8 6 1

2 7

9 5

3

4 6 8 3 7 1 2 2 5 3 9 4 1 2 5 7 6 4 3 5 8 9 7 1 3 8 4 8 9 7 6 6 2 5 1 9

2 5 4 8 7 6 6 1 3 3 8 1 7 2 5 5 3 9 1 4 8 9 6 2 4 9 7

IMAGE COURTESY OF MAXPIXEL.COM

4

8 9 2 4

6 7 5 1

3

1) onomatopoeia 2) alliteration 3) idiom 4) imagery

5) assonance 6) personification 7) hyperbole

Author Gene Weingarten is a college dropout and a nationally syndicated humor columnist for The Washington Post. Author Dan Weingarten is a former college dropout and a current college student majoring in information technology. Many thanks to Gene Weingarten and The Washington Post Writers Group for allowing Street Sense to run Barney & Clyde.

STREETSENSEMEDIA.ORG

COMMUNITY SERVICES

SHELTER HOTLINE Línea directa de alojamiento

(202) 399-7093

YOUTH HOTLINE Línea de juventud

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE HOTLINE Línea directa de violencia doméstica

(202) 547-7777

Education Educación

Health Care Seguro

Clothing Ropa

Legal Assistance Assistencia Legal

Case Management Coordinación de Servicios

Food Comida

Employment Assistance Assitencia con Empleo

Transportation Transportación

Showers Duchas

All services listed are referral-free Academy of Hope Public Charter School 202-269-6623 // 2315 18th Place NE aohdc.org

Bread for the City 202-265-2400 (NW) // 561-8587 (SE) 1525 7th St., NW // 1640 Good Hope Rd., SE breadforthecity.org

Calvary Women’s Services // 202-678-2341 1217 Good Hope Rd., SE calvaryservices.org

Catholic Charities // 202-772-4300 catholiccharitiesdc.org/gethelp

Central Union Mission // 202-745-7118 65 Massachusetts Ave., NW missiondc.org

Charlie’s Place // 202-232-3066 1830 Connecticut Ave., NW charliesplacedc.org

Christ House // 202-328-1100 1717 Columbia Rd., NW christhouse.org

Father McKenna Center // 202-842-1112 19 Eye St., NW fathermckennacenter.org

Food and Friends // 202-269-2277 219 Riggs Rd., NE foodandfriends.org (home delivery for those suffering from HIV, cancer, etc)

Foundry Methodist Church // 202-332-4010 1500 16th St., NW ID (Friday 9am–12pm only) foundryumc.org/ministry-opportunities

Friendship Place // 202-364-1419 4713 Wisconsin Ave., NW friendshipplace.org

Georgetown Ministry Center // 202-338-8301 1041 Wisconsin Ave., NW georgetownministrycenter.org

Jobs Have Priority // 202-544-9128 425 2nd St., NW jobshavepriority.org

Loaves & Fishes // 202-232-0900 1525 Newton St., NW loavesandfishesdc.org

Church of the Pilgrims // 202-387-6612 2201 P St., NW food (1-1:30 on Sundays only) churchofthepilgrims.org/outreach

Martha’s Table // 202-328-6608 2114 14th St., NW marthastable.org

Community Family Life Services 202-347-0511 // 305 E St., NW cflsdc.org

Miriam’s Kitchen // 202-452-8926 2401 Virginia Ave., NW miriamskitchen.org

Community of Hope // 202-232-7356 communityofhopedc.org

Covenant House Washington 202-610-9600 // 2001 Mississippi Ave., SE covenanthousedc.org

D.C. Coalition for the Homeless 202-347-8870 // 1234 Massachusetts Ave., NW dccfh.org

BEHAVIORAL HEALTH HOTLINE Línea de salud del comportamiento

(202) 749-8000

Housing/Shelter Vivienda/alojamiento

1-888-793-4357 Laundry Lavandería

Patricia Handy Place for Women 202-733-5378 // 810 5th St., NW

Samaritan Inns // 202-667-8831 2523 14th St., NW samaritaninns.org

Samaritan Ministry 202-722-2280 // 1516 Hamilton St., NW // 202-889-7702 // 1345 U St., SE samaritanministry.org

Sasha Bruce Youthwork // 202-675-9340 741 8th St., SE sashabruce.org

So Others Might Eat (SOME) // 202-797-8806 71 O St., NW some.org

St. Luke’s Mission Center // 202-333-4949 3655 Calvert St., NW stlukesmissioncenter.org

Thrive DC // 202-737-9311 1525 Newton St., NW thrivedc.org

Unity Health Care // 202-745-4300 3020 14th St., NW unityhealthcare.org

Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless 1200 U St., NW // 202-328-5500 legalclinic.org

The Welcome Table // 202-347-2635 1317 G St., NW epiphanydc.org/thewelcometable

My Sister’s Place // 202-529-5991 (24-hr hotline) mysistersplacedc.org

N Street Village // 202-939-2060 1333 N St., NW nstreetvillage.org

New York Avenue Shelter // 202-832-2359 1355-57 New York Ave., NE

// 15

JOB BOARD Facility Manager New Endeavors by Women // 611 N Street NW Full-time This position manages and oversees

the operations and maintenance of the building, building systems and equipment; supervises and evaluates the performance of housekeeping staff, cleaning contractor, receptionists and the food service coordinator; and manages front desk reception.

REQUIRED: Bachelor’s degree preferred, minimum of three years management, and strong communication and organizational skills.

APPLY: Send resume to wsteptoe@nebw.org.

Cashier CVS Health // 2129 14th Street NW

Full or part-time This employee will provide customer service by actively identifying and resolving potential service issues; accurately operate a cash register; handle cash, checks and credit card transactions with precision; maintain the sales floor by restocking shelves, checking in vendors, updating pricing information and completing inventory management tasks; and support opening and closing activities when needed. REQUIRED: High school diploma or equivalent; ability to lift up to 35 pounds and stand for sustained periods; previous experience in a retail setting preferred.

APPLY: https://tinyurl.com/y9gx8vap

Server IHOP // 1523 Alabama Avenue SE

Full or part-time This position will deliver food and drinks to guests; greet guests, answer questions, and make suggestions regarding food, drinks, and service; relay orders to service bar and kitchen via the computerized register system; present guest check and make correct change; and participate in bussing tables.

REQUIRED: Reading, writing, basic math and verbal communication ability; mobility during entire shift.

APPLY: https://tinyurl.com/y794fokk

Whitman-Walker Health 1701 14th St., NW // 202-745-7000 2301 MLK Jr. Ave., SE // 202-797-3567 whitman-walker.org

Hiring? Send your job listings to editor@StreetSenseMedia.org For further information and listings, visit our online service guide at StreetSenseMedia.org/service-guide

I am Washington, D.C.

BY MASHIR CALDWELL D.C. SCORES Poet/Athlete

Dani Gilmour served as Events Manager August 2016 - March 2018. PHOTOS BY KEN MARTIN

PHOTO COUTESY OF D.C. SCORES

I am Northeast, Northwest, Southeast, and Southwest.

I am D.C. I am the fast running waters of the Anacostia and Potomac Rivers.

I am D.C. I am the heart of GO-GO music.

I am D.C. I am chicken wings and mambo sauce.

I am D.C. I am the home of the POTUS…… I am the White House.

Sincerely, Washington, D.C. Mashir Caldwell, is 11 years old and attends Imagine Hope Community Charter School. Through this partnership, Street Sense Media aims to bring you a poetic perspective of our city from the future generation being shaped by it. D.C. SCORES creates neighborhood teams for kids in need by giving them the skills and confidence to succeed on the playing field, in the classroom and in life. It accomplishes this for 2,500 kids at 59 D.C. elementary and middle schools by combining poetry and spoken word, soccer, and service-learning in an innovative after-school program.To learn more or support: www.DCSCORES.org.

Sakura Too

FREDERIC JOHN // Artist/Vendor

Blowing winds, mighty bluster Petals weak, in sweet cluster Too much bluster.

PHOTO BY JANE CAVE

APRIL 18 - MAY 1 VOLUME 15 ISSUE 12

Thank you, Dani!

Five minutes of fame

On March 19 and 23, at National Presbyterian School, Marcellus Phillips, Ken Martin and Dani Gilmour from Street Sense Media came to talk to us about homelessness.

Their media center provides jobs to people that are experiencing homelessness, to sell newspapers and publish about their lived experience.

Marcellus experienced homelessness two years ago, but when he became a vendor and started selling papers, he was able to get back on his feet. When he was homeless, he used music to get through it. He would rap to himself every day until he felt comfortable. He shared a rap with us too.

Ken Martin experienced homelessness for around six years. Instead of rapping like Marcellus, he wrote poetry to keep him going during this rough time. He has since moved into an apartment. He still works as a vendor right now and is trying to open a hat shop.

Dani organized the important events for Street Sense Media, like art shows and the meetups with my class.

This was a service learning project, so we split into groups and started making our own raps about homelessness. Our music teacher, Mrs. Hancock, provided us with keyboards so that we could make a beat, while Ken came around and gave us lots of positive feedback. At the end, we presented our raps to the whole grade and everyone’s rap was awesome!

A service learning project is a way for NPS students to discover and help communities other than our own.

An earlier project included Ken visiting us to share his experience as an “invisible” vendor. We also read a book called “What Do Fish Have To Do With Anything” by Avi, about homeless people who feel “invisible.” Later this year we will be going to meet a man from Friendship Place who will talk to us about homelessness while we make care packages for people experiencing it I can’t wait to see Ken, Marcellus and Dani again!

I have lived with e pilepsy since I was 17 years old and have been on several different medications to help maintain it.

The first person to notice any type of change in my behavior was my uncle. As I slept, he noticed crazy movements and sounds and asked if I was okay. I had been so focused on graduating high school, including night classes every day, that I hadn’t noticed anything strange. But after attempting to jump out of a moving car during a seizure, I realized how serious this was. From that point, I was willing to do anything to save my life and bless my future.

When people find all this out, they give me sympathy — for about 5 minutes. Then they act like I didn’t just tell them I have a seizure disorder. Like I don’t have to constantly manage it.

Like I always have control over it.

Some think I use my disorder as an excuse to get by. But it’s been 20 year and I’ve learned the hard way that this is just part of my life. I could have a seizure in front of you and you wouldn’t even know. Most of the time I keep it to myself because people often just look at me like I’m crazy. People forget until something else big happens that’s realted to it.

Over the years I’ve been asked what triggers the seizures. It’s really any type of negative situation: being stressed, angry or depressed, or drinking alcohol, which is a deppressant.The only thing on that list I have full control over is not drinking alcohol.

Five minutes of fame, of sympathy, doesn’t do anything for me.

One minute, it’s like “oh, I hope you’re alright.” The next, it’s “get up and stop acting likes something’s wrong with you.” And that, in itself, is frustrating — which could even lead to another seizure!

I don’t want pepole to feel sorry for me, I just need them to respect the fact that I’m different. I can’t do everything that everyone else does. It took me a long time to accept it.

It is now April of 2018 and it has taken me a lot to get here.

But I am blessed to be successful. Right now, I’m just looking for personal happiness, one of the few things that will keep my mind positive and on point.

BY NIKOS TER-MINASSIAN // NPS 5th Grade

BY MARCELLUS PHILLIPS // Artist/Vendor

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