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“Hiding the Homeless�

Former Shelter Residents Sue City for Housing Discrimination pgs 4-5

FY 2017 Budget:

& DC General replacement plan initially approved, pg 3

Not Allowed Allowed

Unseen Barriers: photo essay pgs 8 -9

STREE T Tales VIEW: o dange f synthetic , rous d rugs pgs 6 -7

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STREET SENSE May 18 - 31, 2016

3

NEWS

Council Passes 2017 Budget and Plan to Replace D.C. General Shelter

Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, Mayor Bowser and the full Council discuss budget autonomy after Tuesday’s FY 2017 initial vote. | PHOTO BY CJ CIARAMELLA

By CJ Ciaramella Volunteer The D.C. Council initially approved a $13.4 billion budget for Fiscal Year 2017 Tuesday, as well as a bill overhauling Mayor Muriel Bowser’s plan to replace the crumbling D.C. General homeless shelter.

The budget would allocate an additional $13 million toward homeless services, for a total of $173 million, along with a $10 million extension to the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program.

The Council voted unanimously to initially approve the “Homeless Shelter Re-

placement Act of 2016,” Bowser’s plan to close D.C. General by 2018 and replace it with seven smaller facilities throughout the District by the end of that year.

However, the Council’s approved plan departs from Bowser’s in several significant ways. It moves the proposed shelters from private to city-owned land and gives the city the authority to obtain any additional land through eminent domain.

Council members argued that their plan, by avoiding expensive leases, will reduce long-term costs of the project by $165 million and improve the locations of the shelters, which became a major concern during

Advocates: Budget Doesn’t Focus Enough on Affordability

By Reginald Black, “Da Street Reportin’ Artist” In a city with great needs, many are wondering how the mayor’s second budget will affect the struggle to end poverty.

On April 5, the District’s Department of Human Services (DHS) held a briefing on changes to its budget and the agency’s priorities for fiscal year 2017.

“There are some major highlights in the budget,” said Laura Zeilinger, the director of DHS. “The budget priorities identified by residents at budget engagement forums are very much reflected in the budget Mayor Bowser transmitted to Council.”

Several DHS priorities include developing effective systems that deal with homelessness and improving the experience when clients visit a DHS service center. Zeilinger also said that she is focused on improving the Interagency Council on Homelessness.

“We’ve created a division for youth, I’m really excited about these investments,” she said. “This year the [DHS] has asked for another extension for families who have reached the 60-month limit for [Temporary Assistance for Needy Families] recipients that is set to run out this October.”

Zeilinger invited attendees to work with DHS in the coming year and highlighted new investments in the city’s 5-year strategic plan to end homelessness. “We

invested $22.3 million last year and on top of that is a $13 million increase,” she said. “We will continue our investments into these programs.”

Even with a $13.1 million increase, the FY 2017 budget is the lowest budget growth DHS has seen in six years. Advocates like Robert Warren still have many concerns.

“I think it's fair to say that this current budget will continue to fund the status quo,” said Warren, executive director of People for Fairness Coalition. ”I truly believe that a person who earns under $30,000 dollars should qualify for that voucher and get the assistance they need across the board.”

Warren believes that is the only way to end the city’s housing crisis. “This is like our fourth plan that the city council has failed to fully fund year in and year out,” he said.

Zeilinger said that if the city is going to be effective at strategies on homelessness, it needs to create affordability. “Not just through permanent supportive housing, but a range of housing needs,” she said. “The mayor has made significant investments in affordable housing.”

Warren maintained that subsidies should have a large role in the overall strategies to solve homelessness.

public hearings on Bowser’s plan.

"This legislation will prevent kids from living next to strip clubs or spots not safe or dignified for families,” Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie said.

Frustration between the Council and Bowser was evident. Council chairman Phil Mendelson said the Council’s work to amend the plan “was hampered by obfuscation and misinformation” by Bowser’s office.

Bowser told reporters after the vote that she is worried zoning and other issues stemming from the changed plan could delay the sites from opening by 2018.

Housing advocates said they were generally pleased with the budget, but that it was not enough to achieve the D.C. government’s Strategic Plan to end chronic homelessness in the District by 2020.

"We are happy that there is an increase in funding for permanent supportive housing and targeted affordable housing,” said Kurt Runge, advocacy director for Miriam’s Kitchen and co-chair of The Way Home, a grassroots campaign to end chronic homelessness by 2017. “When it comes to permanent supportive housing, we are seeing one of the biggest increases ever

for that program, but that said, there’s still such a huge need, and D.C.’s not on track to reach its goal, so a lot more work is needed.”

The D.C. Fiscal Policy Institute estimates that the extra funding will create permanent supportive housing for up to 300 individuals, but would still leave 230 families and 780 single adults in need.

Tuesday’s vote was also the first time in the history of the District that the Council passed a local budget with no intent to submit it to Congress for approval — the result of a 2013 ballot referendum to strengthen D.C. budget autonomy. A D.C. Superior Court judge upheld the legality of the referendum in March.

Over on Capitol Hill, the GOP-led House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform approved legislation by a party-line vote that would essentially repeal the referendum.

The Council recessed Tuesday afternoon for a press conference, where Bowser, the Council and D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton condemned Republicans’ attempts to stymie D.C. budget autonomy.The budget and D.C. General plan now face a second vote before they are finally approved.

NEWS IN BRIEF Cashing In on Housing the Poor

By Jane Cave, Volunteer

A recent report published in the Chicago Sun-Times and produced in collaboration with the Bet-ter Government Association (BGA), details some of the problems bedeviling Chicago’s public housing program.

Sixteen years ago, the Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) began demolishing the notorious Cabrini-Green and other highrise projects with the stated aim of helping people find better housing options. As one of the central elements of this “Plan for Transformation” the CHA is providing housing vouchers to more than 107,000 people in nearly 45,000 households in Chica-go, most of them African-American.

As a result, the report found, “providing housing for poor people has become a growth industry for private landlords that lap up government funding by catering to the need for low-income housing.”

Since 2000, there has been a 40 percent drop in the number of people living in housing owned by the CHA and a 40 percent increase in the number of poor people living in privately owned apartments and houses leased with the help of government subsidies in the form of vouchers. Most of this housing is located in the same high-crime, poverty-riddled neighborhoods as the former high-rise projects. Many of the buildings have been cited by City Hall inspectors over the past five years for code violations such as lack of heat, rodents, and structural defects. Ac-cording to the report, the Chicago Department of Buildings does not routinely inform the CHA when code violations are discovered. According to a CHA spokeswoman, “CHA receives notifica-tion from the city when

violations are so serious that they require…tenants to be vacated.”

The sums of money involved are considerable. Private landlords take in more than $560 million a year in rental payments from households with vouchers. More than 76 percent of this—$430 million—is covered by the CHA using money provided by the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). In addition to channeling money to private landlords, the CHA has hired two private contractors to administer the voucher program and handle tenants’ com-plaints. Last year, these two firms billed the city a total of $27 million. Last fall, a third company was awarded a three-year contract, worth 2.4 million, to screen credit histories and run background checks.

The CHA has also paid some landlords extravagant rents – as high as $57,600 a year – to lease property in what the agency calls “opportunity areas,” low-poverty neighborhoods where less than five percent of the population lives in subsidized housing. After this program came under fire from HUD, the CHA said it will phase out the costliest of these deals by the spring of 2018.

The Sun-Times reporters detail the property holdings of several firms and individuals who pro-vide housing for the voucher program. The largest landlord in the program rents 1,200 apart-ments to voucher-holders for nearly $1.1 million a month, 77 percent of which is paid by the CHA. In the past five years, city building inspectors have found 3,597 code violations at 300 ad-dresses leased to voucher tenants. The owner told the Sun-Times: “We don’t buy bad buildings here and there. We buy an entire block.”

News on Homelessness to Saturate San Francisco

By Roberta Haber, Volunteer

The New York Times reports that on Wednesday, June 29, many news outlets in San Francisco will do something that is highly unusual for journalists in a competitive market; they will coordinate their resources to cover a single topic, the problem of homelessness. Furthermore, in addi-tion to reporting on homelessness, the news outlets plan to suggest solutions that might be adopted in the San Francisco Bay area, where 6,000 people live without shelter.

The cooperative endeavor is being led by the San Francisco Chronicle. So far, in addition to the Chronicle, thirty news outlets have confirmed they will participate, including The San Francisco Examiner, Mother Jones, public television and public radio station KQED, KRON-TV, San Fran-cisco magazine and various online publications.

Objectivity is a pillar of American journalism and rarely do news outlets openly assume an advo-cacy role. One reason to avoid advocacy is that it may result in biased or selective reporting. However, in this case the participating journalists do not appear concerned about expressing a viewpoint. The New York Times quotes Jon Steinberg, editor of San Francisco magazine, as saying, “We are all fed up.

We feel there is not enough movement and accountability on the is-sue. We want the full force of the Fourth Estate to bear down on this problem.”

“You will not be able to log onto Facebook, turn on the radio, watch TV, read a newspaper, [or] log onto Twitter without seeing a story about the causes and solutions to homelessness,” said Audrey Cooper, editor-in-chief of The Chronicle.

Former Shelter Lawsuit Against

By Mark Rose Volunteer A group of men experiencing homelessThe District’s defense argues that the ness, who sued the city government of closure of these two shelters is part of Washington, D.C. six years ago over housa deliberate policy for dealing with the ing discrimination, await the decision of a city’s homeless issues by converting three-judge U.S. Court of Appeals District emergency shelter space to Permanent of Columbia panel.

Supportive Housing (PSH). The alternaThe homeless men charged District tive aims to support a person experiencgovernment with discrimination in the ing homelessness to live as independently decision to close the minimum-restriction as possible with services like social workLa Casa homeless shelter in October 2010, ers, medical personnel and counselors, which was located in the rapidly-gentrifyprovided by the city. ing Columbia Heights neighborhood. The While the city did sell the La Casa suit also recognized a 2008 closing of the site—composed of several trailers and one Franklin School men’s shelter, located permanent structure—to a developer who downtown. The plaintiffs—predominantly built luxury apartments, they kept part of Latino and African American—argued that it for 40 state-of-the-art PSH units which they are part of a protected class. opened four years after the low-barrier Eighty-seven percent of Washington’s shelter closed. It is not clear where the homeless population is African American homeless men who used the La Casa and and Latino, according to the plaintiffs’ Franklin Street shelters went after the closbrief, filed in 2010. Those numbers are ings, except that most stayed in the area consistent with a 2016 regional report for whatever services they could receive. on homelessness, which found 8,350 The District says that while the 300 people to be literally homeless on any emergency beds formerly at Franklin given night in D.C. The men argued that School shelter and 90 at La Casa were this demographic breakdown makes the taken away, they were replaced with 600 homeless community a vulnerable minorPSH beds across the city, a net gain of 210 ity group, protected under the Fair Housing Act. Their complaint charges that after the shelter closings, the men had to seek accommodations in overcrowded shelters outside of their communities, which frequently turned them away.

The plaintiffs also claim disability discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities Act because many of the men have mental and physical disabilities. The La Casa and Franklin School shelters were the last minimal-restriction, or “low-barrier,” shelters in the heart of the city, convenient to transportation, job sites, government agencies and nonprofit service providers. La Casa was also the only bilingual Signs posted the day of the 2010 La Casa low-barrier shelter low-barrier shelter in closing in Columbia Heights.

PHOTO COURTESY OF NANCY SHIA the city.

STREET SENSE May 18 - 31, 2016

5

COVER STORY

Residents Advance Discrimination District Government

A typical line waiting to claim a bed for the night at the La Casa trailers, which opened at 3 p.m. Former residents said these hours were prohibitive for holding a job.

La Casa low-barrier shelter residents constructed temporary housing in the alley behind the shelter after it was closed in 2010.

beds. The defense claims that people experiencing homelessness were accommodated by the new program, and therefore, that there was no discrimination.

Jane Zara, an attorney for the homeless men and an advocate for ending homelessness in the District, is skeptical of the government’s data. She says that despite how the numbers suggest there was enough PSH to accommodate the same number of homeless people that inhabited the shelters, actual accountability in the form of tracking and caring for the specific individuals who stayed there is missing. District government relied on the testimony and evidence of one man, Fred Swan, a leader in the project.

“There are contradictions as to what the evidence of record is,” Zara said in an interview. “We never saw any report about what the accountability was; it all came from Fred Swan’s declaration, without any evidence to back it up.”

Zara said that when La Casa and Franklin Street shelters closed, the displaced homeless men were forced to go outside the Columbia Heights neighborhood in Ward 1 to far-flung shelters in Wards 5, 7 and 8. Those shelters were usually in bad repair and lacking bilingual services.

She added that almost all of the 40 PSH beds provided as part of the La Casa site redesign went to others, predominantly homeless veterans who were higher on the waitlist for assistance.

There is no credible way to track

resorted to. The plaintiffs said they do not want to move out of the Columbia Heights area, but would rather stay on the streets, and go to places in their local community.

A number of homeless men still in the neighborhood were interviewed for this story recently at a breakfast program in the basement of St. Stephen and the Incarnation Church on Newton Street in Columbia Heights.

A man who gave his name as Baltasar is happy to be living in PSH at the redeveloped La Casa site. “It’s beautiful,” he said. “I feel beautiful, sleep well. I feel good (with) what the government has given me.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF NANCY SHIA

what happened to the La Casa group of men seeking nightly shelter after their homebase closed, except that most of them have opted to stay in the Columbia Heights area and live on the streets. Zara emphasized that it is difficult to verify the large number of beds, 600, the city claims to have added as a result of the PSH program.

“It’s a constantly moving shell-game.

It became a competition to provide PSH units in these other, poorer wards so they could get city money for it; they could get on-market rates for housing the vulnerable,” she said.

PHOTO COURTESY OF NANCY SHIA

If you can’t see them, they don’t exist. And you can hide them in places like the warehouse district.

- Anonymous, formerly-homeless veteran Zara worries that the PSH policy is just the latest iteration in the District’s attempt to figure out a viable policy for dealing with homelessness and affordable housing. “What we want is a real and verifiable accounting of the money spent for this program,” she said. “We’re wanting any transparency that can be provided by this program.”

The U.S. District Court dismissed the La Casa group’s complaint before they appealed, stating they lacked expert testimony about the decrepit conditions of the alternative shelter options the men

Baltasar has a job washing dishes at the Washington Hilton and said that after the La Casa closing he was living on the street for a year and was angry. He was staying in a trailer at La Casa when they shut it down. He felt double-crossed.

Another former resident, who wished to remain anonymous, criticized the low-barrier shelter but recognized that it was better than nothing. “La Casa was pathetic, I’ve been in better foxholes,” said the man, a veteran. He feels neglected. “There’s a big lot with big apartments and one less shelter.”

One recurring major complaint among

the homeless men is that other shelters are at the outskirts of the city and difficult to get to. “Here’s the city center,” the veteran explained, using his napkin to represent Washington. “You’ve got two [shelters] as far as you can go north, any further and you’re in Maryland.” He moved his finger up and right to the napkin’s edge.

“And one as far as you can go South, before you’re in Maryland.” He moved his finger down to the napkin’s edge. “CCNV is a shelter downtown, but they’re different.

It’s hard to get into — very selective.”

“I call them The Big 3: 801, New York Avenue and Adam’s,” he said, naming shelters in Northeast and Southeast D.C. “If you can’t see them, they don’t exist. And you can hide them in places like the warehouse district. I call it hiding the homeless.”

Alex Peterkin lived in the La Casa lowbarrier shelter before it closed and said he mostly stays outside now. He tried sleeping at the 801 East shelter in Southeast immediately after La Casa’s closing, taking a bus from Columbia Heights in the evening and returning on it in the morning. But one day he missed the morning bus and had to walk across town. He stopped going to the shelter after that.

“When the weather is nice it’s no problem sleeping outside,” Peterkin said. He grew up living at 18th Street and Columbia Rd NW and considers Columbia Heights home. “I hope the [lawsuit] succeeds and I can get somewhere to stay.”

Let’s Nip this in the Bud!

OUTLOOK:

MPD Turning the Tide on Synthetic Drugs?

By Eric Falquero Editor-in-Chief Nationally, synthetic drugs have become a severe danger to youth. In the District, they are an adult problem: a homeless adult problem. Local testing data shows that usage occurs primarily among Black males ages 39 - 65.

In the summer of 2015, several mass-overdoses outside of shelters and the fatal stabbing of an American University alumnus and former congressional staffer forced these drugs into the local and national spotlight.

Mayor Muriel Bowser was quick to pass emergency legislation to impose steep penalties for business owners caught peddling the substances. By the fall, two congressional acts had been proposed to address synthetic drugs. Both are still pending further action and have been co-sponsored by Representative Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC).

At an April community meeting, shelter resident and administrator Donald Page said that “the people you see standing around outside of 2nd and D [shelter] don’t live here. They prey upon the people that do.”

Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) Lieutenant Andrew Struhar agreed in a recent interview. “We know there’s not manufacturing at homeless sites,” he said. “And most dealers we arrest are not homeless either.”

However, the low cost and availability of synthetic drugs can be a tempting and affordable escape. MPD has been collaborating with city and national agencies in an attempt to stay ahead of the drug manufacturers. Focusing enforcement efforts on suppliers can be difficult, as they are located anywhere from here to California to China. But this strategy seems to be working.

“Like crack - it’s not gone,” Struhar said. “But it no longer has the same widespread impact on local society.”

He has worked for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) and served the MPD for nearly 23 years.

Struhar started his career at the tail end of the crack epidemic and has maintained a focus on narcotics and gang enforcement.

Another summer is approaching.

Weeks after a Tenleytown homeless man died from synthetic overdose, it is impossible to be certain that drug use will not rise along with the temperature. Yet, Struhar is confident that the worst is behind Washington.

MPD has been targeting synthetic drugs since 2013. The drugs’ increase in potency and their adaptive structures were unexpected and difficult to keep up with. “In 2013, use of the drug produced a mellow high similar to marijuana,” said the Lieutenant. “Now you see the more hallucinogenic effects.

We may have engineered to that point - trying to evade tests and to provide increasingly strong products.”

The problem with synthetics has always been the chemicals with which they are laced. The compounds created with new chemicals or different mixtures result in a substance that may not be detectable with any standard test and one that is most likely not registered with the Controlled Substances Act. However, labs have come a long way. As has legislation.

D.C. Council unanimously passed the “SAFE DC” Act, which makes it easier to “outlaw, test for, and prosecute sellers of these drugs,” according to an April 5 press release. District authorities can now prosecute cases if an unknown drug is similar in composition to an already illegal substance, rather than requiring a long legislative process to outlaw each new individual substance.

From legislation to emergency care, response time is everything when dealing with synthetics.

“All of our patrol officers go through a 4-hour class on synthetic drugs, but that’s just scratching the surface,” Struhar said.”Officers must make decisions with limited information.”

Synthetic drugs can often make the user appear to be struggling with a severe mental condition: babbling, catatonia, hallucinating or lashing out. But a person’s internal reaction is physical, and needs to be addressed immediately. Overdose patients “don’t need to go to CPEP [Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Program],” Struhar said.

“They need to go to the hospital.”

“The calls I’ve gotten from the

ER are terrible,” said Shawn Millan, communications director for Representative Charlie Dent (R-PA), who introduced the Synthetic Drug Control Act of 2015. “These drugs make a wreck of the kidneys and liver.”

Poison center experts have called synthetic drug use a risk to the public’s health and a hazard to public safety, according to a fact sheet assembled by the office of Congressman Mac Thornberry (R-TX), who introduced the 2015 SALTS Act. Struhar recommended at least calling an ambulance if you suspect someone is under the influence and a danger to themselves or others. “There’s no procedure for this,” he said. “Keep a safe distance.”

Detailed and unexaggerated tips are also an asset for the MPD’s ongoing pursuit of synthetic drug suppliers.

The physical description of a person— and they’re vehicle if they use one— is most important. Knowledge of any habitual dealing locations and times is also helpful. Struhar gave the example of a particular car that the Father McKenna Center staff reported as parking suspiciously across the street from the day center at the same time every afternoon.

He also stressed that homeless people are not the only ones using these drugs in the area, simply some of the most vulnerable. He cited recent arrests of younger affluent white males in Frederick, Maryland.

Struhar’s team will continue to put forth a lot of outreach effort in the homeless community. There are too many names and forms of synthetic drugs to count: Bizarro, Scooby Snax, Trainwreck, Bath Salts, etc. But the most important part of the packaging isn’t the name, it’s the ubiquitous fine print: “not intended for human consumption.”

Five of our vendors reflect on what they’ve heard and observed about these dangerous drugs...

Tips can be provided to MPD via the 24/7 command line: 202-727-9099.

By Anonymous Vendor/Artist

D

o we, as a city and community, want to wait until harmful criminal activity is out of control?

The K2/Molly same ‘ol other drug proclivities has become creepily seepingly present around the DMV area. We see it, smell the strange odor and read about the deathly consequences in the news.

Inklings, observations, and purposeful blind eye avoidance are blended with thoughts of “innocent until proven guilty” and hopes that the police will intervene eventually. All of this is called the ultimate, out-and-out denial.

Bicyclists have been seen pedaling and smoking the funny cigs that churn out unwanted strange fumes inhaled by innocent pedestrians, including tiny tots promenading with their protective daytime care workers.

The biggest shock I heard about was when someone I know accompanied a special person to a store and they wanted to buy a bag of flavored cigarettes packaged in a gummy bear size foil with anime on the cover. Fortunately, the acquisition was successfully discouraged. The horror hit them when they visited the community meeting room at a police station. The same packaging was posted on the board with a warning poster informing the reader that these falsely advertised cigarettes sold in stores were dangerous substances that would kill you, addict you and wreck your life.

We saw on TV that persons from the shelters who bought them are suffering and dying. Insult to injury, these products are reportedly manufactured in China and were legally distributed in the USA. This is reminiscent of the 1990's, a time when youth would not consider making summer time money cutting grass, running errands and doing odd jobs. Some were reported as saying they made more money by being a watch out, money bag carrier or as a package delivery transporter.

The real concern is protecting ourselves and of particular concern our youth and our mentally disabled from the vulnerabilities, manipulations and deceptions of drug trade entrapment.

As a city, we must nip this in the bud.

Do not let the summer come with idleness, ignorance and opportunity for young people to sell misery, addiction and death.

We cannot allow a return to the epidemic of before.

Ignorance is not bliss and neither is minding your own business!

STREET SENSE May 18 - 31, 2016

7

STREET VIEW

A Real Killer:

Speaking From Experience

By Kanell Washington Vendor/Artist

By Charlton Battle Vendor/Artist

S

moking K2 will destroy parts of your mind and eat your brain cells, too. “Scooby Snax” states “not for human consumption” because you may not make it back. It’s not for us to eat, smoke or ingest into our body.Yet now, there is one stronger called the “the pack,” or “VA Pack.”

They say this one really messes up one’s self or actions. The words “take me away” should be printed on each pack. Yes, the stuff is a killer. Let’s call it “Bodies” or “187.” So many of my friends have taken themselves out, or away, by putting this stuff in their bodies. The blind in mind understand what it says on “the pack” and close their minds to the danger. What this thing really is should be put on each pack: a killer.

I

f you are not aware of K2, that’s a very good thing! But it is wise to know as much as you can.

It is a drug. And it does kill. Something very new on the block and very hard to detect, at least in urine samples. But we’ve found a way to start detecting it in the lab.

K2—also know as Spice, Scooby Snax and other names—is a mixture of shredded plants, herbs and spices that is sprayed with a compound of chemicals. The chemicals are so far advanced that it has been undetectable for years.

I’m told that kids in college invented this billion dollar killer. Yes, killer. It has been known to cause plenty of deaths.

I’m writing because of my experience with K2 back in 2012. I ran across it in the halfway house at the time. The young and older guys were smoking it without fear of the law at the time. Some guys were even openly telling people that they were getting high, even telling their probation officers and in drug meetings. They just didn’t have to worry about a violation at the time. You could get it at most gas stations and it was pretty cheap.

So yes, my curiosity got the best of me.

They made it look so good - going to work and everything. At my job is where I tried it for the first time. I didn’t take but two puffs before I got so afraid that I almost panicked and went to the hospital. The guys tried to hide me, but they couldn’t. I don’t even know how I got paid. My function was so poor that they knew immediately that something was wrong with me and that I was under the influence of something. I had worked so hard that morning

that the boss gave me a pass. He didn’t call the police, he was just very disappointed.

Before that, he’d been ready to put me in charge of the laborers.

After saying I never again would touch the stuff and swearing by Allah on it, that night I tried it again. When I was released from the halfway house, weeks later, I brought it home with me and introduced it to my family and friends.

The first high makes you so paranoid, but after that you are aware of how to control it. It’s very addictive and very foolish for anyone that uses it.

I haven’t seen or heard of anyone who enjoyed the first high. Your mind and body don’t know how to react to this foreign substance. So it puts fear first, then rejection. My theory is that there is so much going on in your life that you just don’t care about where it takes you. Who needs to get high if you’ve got good things going on?

When your future doesn’t look good to you or you have low-self esteem, it’s easy to become addicted to K2. Very cheap and very high.

We were addicted to crack at the time, and thought that K2 would steer us away from it. But we quickly realized that now, we had two addictions. So eventually we decided to see if we could stop. And only by the grace of Allah - we haven’t been on that trip of K2 since.

I have friends and family in North Carolina and I made sure to find out if they were using this terrible drug. Most of them, young and old alike, couldn’t find it. Some had heard of it, but chose to deal with weed instead.

There’s not to much more to say except to STAY AWAY FROM K2. IT’S NOT FOR YOU.

A New Epidemic Ban Synthetic Drugs

By Susan Wilshusen Vendor/Artist

T

here has been a recent influx of synthetic drugs, such as K-2 and fenta-nyl, which have the potential to cause brain-damaging effects. This is happening during a time of unprecedented budget deficits, trade deficits, unprecedented worldwide destabilization and recent shootings.

The potential for people to give in to rioting or protests is a danger exac-erbated by use of synthetic drugs, which further destabilization and suf-fering.

I ask the Department of Justice and other agencies to remove syn-thetic drugs from the social landscape

By Anonymous Vendor/Artist

A

re we seeing a repeat of the crack epidemic of the 80's and 90's? Salt and Pepper, Keisha Cole: two of the newest names of the dangerous and deadly synthetic drug K2.

The crack epidemic of the 80's and 90's was one of the darkest times for our city. The murder and crime rate skyrocketed, the city was out of control. Now there's a new drug that's taking over: K2. As I travel through the city, I see people walking around smoking this dangerous drug like it's just a cigarette — with no regard for the law.

Believe it or not, this drug does not just affect our homeless community. It affects our community as a whole. There are K2 drug strips all over the city now. But what disturbs me the most is that the users are

getting so young. While traveling past one of the shelters, I watched three young juveniles walk past and ask,” Who got that Salt?”

That was the first time that I had heard of Salt and Paper. I knew that K2 had different names, but I was dumbfounded to learn yet another one. Later I found out that it was one of the newest strains. My understanding is that when new ones like Keisha Cole and Salt and Pepper hit the market, they are the most popular because they are the most potent.

They can also cause you to “fall out,” or overdose. As I noticed firsthand that day, many of the people around the shelter looked like they were in a daze — zombielike. Those were just the effects of K2. This is a serious problem in our city as well as others. I know at least one person who has supposedly died from it. If we don't get control of this drug, we could be facing another epidemic.

Right to Rest? The Barrier Grief

By Ken Martin, Vendor/Artist

There are many barriers to personal comfort for the homeless. I shall discuss two that truly perplex me.

1. Hydration. People that have homes probably never consider the long-term impact on one’s health that results from inadequate hydration. The homeless are often denied access to rest facilities. So what happens when they’ve consumed water? They eliminate in alleys (illegal). They eliminate on themselves (ill advised). Or they eliminate consumption, denying them-selves a basic component of life (illness).

Most things on this planet are comprised of 60% - 78% water. It is essential to our survival and without it. As I ex-

perienced for two days, when subjected to excess heat and sun, one incurs unpleasant symptoms. Mine included a dramatic drop in blood pressure, dizziness and disori-entation.

And that was an isolated incident. Many homeless people – and I’m guilty of it too – skip the water to skip humiliation.

That leads to deficient organ function throughout the body, including the heart and brain. When the brain is misfiring, people point the finger of ridicule as folks misbehave; yet it is a result of the very bathroom barriers that the public at large insists upon for civilization.

2. Semantics. I’d like to see an end to “homelessness.”

Not necessarily an end to the word. In at-tending and covering rallies, meetings and other functions, I’ve heard

many advocates fuss and fight over terminology. Housing instability, non-domiciled and shattered street dwellers, unhoused and roofless, and displaced…

Valuable time is squandered rehashing the same argument and interfering with the actual pro-cess of problem solving. While the label “homeless” carries a stigma, it is likewise the designa-tion with which the general public is most familiar.

My suggestion, which always falls upon deaf ears, is solve and the problem first and give it a name afterwards.

The bottom line is we as people need to act as though we want a village in-stead of talking about being one.

9

PERCEPTION OR REALITY: When Does it Stop, Where do they Go?

By Robert Williams, USMC, Vendor/Artist

Homelessness transcends beyond cultural origins and can hit any economic level. There remains too much prejudice in this world, but from homelessness - it can hit anyone. Readers and followers, I need some information and feedback ASAP. I’ve made several trips to McPherson Square Park at 15th and I Street NW. To my surprise, there are no more people with unstable housing sleeping there. Have they been forced out of McPherson , as they generally are, and forced away from wherever they try to congregate? Except Franklin

Park that is, at 14th and K St. They are allowed to gather there: rest, sleep, eat, etc.

It’s almost like Franklin is the zoo, a cage without bars, where they can monitor what they presume to be lesser animals. Unfortunately, they must share the park with the overpopulation of rodents as the weather begins to get better, parks are being beautified to make them more appealing and comfortable for another society of people while the forgotten and ignored society of people are constantly treated as though they are an eyesore. They are pushed out and away from everywhere they go. Even the shelters with their horrific conditions turn them out in the early morning.

Where is the final resting place for the homeless, before death? (Which preferably won’t be on the street, as it was for some 43 Washingtonians last year and 53 the year before.) The home-less should not be targeted for removal from public places, like parks, eating areas or any of the other limited space they have to rest. Instead, target them for comparable health care, affordable housing and employment.

All photos by the Street Sense photograpy workshop!

OPINION

Who Am I?

PERCEPTION OR REALITY: The Ball is in Your Court

By Jackie Turner

By Robert Williams, USMC

In 1953, when I was born, I was called Negro. The Civil Rights Act had not yet been signed; that would happen later. So I was born in the colored wing of a county hospital in Virginia. When I got to my teens, I was black and it was very popular to be black. No longer did it mean you had to fight someone if they called you black; it was becoming something to be proud of. As I got older, in my 30s and 40s, I was called African American. This was all right with me because I am American and I am dark.

There is a great deal of emphasis applied to ancestry and history; now everyone wants to know what they are and where they came from.

I just want to know why it is so important. If our ancestors 1,000 or more years ago came from Africa, or Jamaica, or wherever, what does it really matter?

Does it make a person making an accusation about race feel superior and make you feel inferior? Think of it as a way of finding something to make the accuser feel superior!

Doesn’t being an American count as a place to come from?

To all my followers and supporters—especially Lila, I miss you my little angelic friend—I trust you have been well.

The issue at hand is still eradication of homelessness for all, particularly veterans, mentally chal-lenged, handicapped, ALL. I saw, as I began reading the last edition of our paper, the recent lis-tening session at CCNV—one of the largest shelters in the country—projects thee same old jar-gon.

I’m still being told—even by other veterans —that I’m “well taken care of.”

That I “get a check.”

Where is it? Have you seen it? Please forward it to me.

It’s one thing for the Veterans Affairs Administration and the system to they play upon the intelli-gence of taxpaying citizens with their false propaganda. But when they start fooling other vets… where does the mind manipulation stop?!

It stops when we collectively lift our voices and hold elected officials accountable. It’s your life. You and the generations that follow are not exempt from the horrific things people in the ignored and forgotten homeless community face. You might not agree with some things done by people with unstable housing. It might make you uncomfortable.

You might see something as an eyesore.

You might find yourself trapped in the environment of an inescapable odor.

But you probably wouldn’t be able to

Jackie Turner is a vendor and author with Street Sense.

do any different in their shoes.

Unless voting and taxpaying citizens come to the realization of how imperative it is to lift your voice to eradicate homelessness, then you might as well get used to it. Get comfortable living with and around it. Furthermore, if we don’t begin to unify and hold these elected officials ac-countable, it will undoubtedly be at your doorstep next. Just like K2 and crack cocaine: unex-pected by you, yet expected and by and of no concern to them.

As long as those in power are not affected, do you really think they care about or respect you? If they did, all the rhetoric, false propaganda and deceit would not be so prevalent.

Nothing personal, strictly business.

(Perception or reality?)

It boils down to a diet of B.S. which you continue to feast upon without question – as though you are at an all-youcan-eat buffet.

We must collectively begin to use our heads as more than ornaments. Respect yourself. Believe in yourself. Believe in the power of collective decision-making.

The best decision is an informed decision.

One is truly hindered when info given is false and your intelligence is played upon by the system, VA and/or government.

Look up, look down, look all around. Don’t continue to allow yourself to be played like a clown.

The homeless community is not fooled.

They are aware they are being used, not respected or cared for. But you, taxpaying citizens, productive members of society with employment and sta-ble housing, seem to be totally oblivious to the world around you.

Are you? Rhetorical question. Some ease their minds and consciousness by saying "I give to this or that organization."

Well in some instances, that’s who you are helping or funding: The Organization, not those with unstable housing.

To quote a phrase from one of our theatre group’s plays, which I participate in: “Our Community is in trouble. Only we can be those who make it better. How can we just sit there and let it be like this? We must change. Only together can we change. Only together can we win the day. Only us. Only us.”

That was written by Reginald Black, “Da’ Street Reportin’ Artist.”

(Perception or Reality?)

The ball is in your court, and you’re in the paint.

Robert Williams is a vendor for Street Sense. To enjoy some of his previous articles that you may have missed, access StreetSense.org and search “Perception or Reality.” He's also fea-tured in the “Sounds From the Street” podcast episodes at StreetSense.org/audio.

MOVING UP: Why getting an education helps you get ahead in life

By Arthur Johnson As we move towards the summer, hundreds of thousands of college graduates are receiving their degrees and if you are someone who is homeless, struggling financially, or having a hard time finding employment, it should give you reason to strongly consider applying for college in the fall. The economy is producing jobs, but in recent years, the service and retail sectors have been where the majority of job growth has been and it has been at very low wages. With the re-cent push for a $15/hour minimum wage in many states, it will eventually result in a reduction in hiring, and when that occurs, skills and education will be absolutely essential to being successful in a job search.

One important thing to keep in mind is you will often hear that the education you have, the more likely you are to be employed, and there is truth to that. In the most recent report from the Bu-reau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment

rate for High school dropouts in April was 7.5 per-cent, high school graduates 5.4 percent, people with some college 4.1 percent and those with a college degree 2.4 percent.

Over the last several years, many workers that are employed in the fast food industry and with large employers such as Walmart have been staging one day protests, in an effort to obtain higher wages.

While it is understandable that many have been struggling, the first thing that needs to be understood is that what an employer will pay you is based on the value that your work brings to them.

Having an education demonstrates that you have the capacity to be trained and that you have potential that is of value to the employer and that puts you in a stronger position when it comes to negotiating your pay. If you are an employee of a restaurant such as McDonald’s, there is little skill required and the value to them

is minimal, so your negotiating position is pretty much non-existent.

Without a college education, even if you get hired at a company and do an outstanding job, the lack of education will weigh heavily against you when you are competing for internal promotions. This is one of the major dilemmas facing many workers in the fast food industry. Many are indi-viduals with no more than a high school diploma (and in some cases not even that). That puts them at a severe disadvantage because with no advanced education, there is little chance that they will be able to secure a higher wage with a different employer -- and the employers know it and have no problem capping the wages of lowskilled and uneducated workers.

There are several options available when you look at going back to school. If you struggled in the past or if you want to keep a lid on costs, you can attend community college. You can also look at com-

pleting your studies online (if you choose this route, make certain you have access to a dependable internet source and are not dependent on using a computer at a public library or us-ing Wi-Fi).

In the next issue, I am going to focus on different schools in the D.C. area, and also will explain how to apply for financial aid. I will also discuss options that are available to use knowledge you have gained through the years to be considered for college credit. If you are looking to improve your life and open up more opportunities to get ahead, the information I will have for you will be of interest to you.

Arthur Johnson is a volunteer writer focusing on finance and economic issues in his column Moving Up.

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.

Voice of a Liberated Negro

By Jeffery McNeil I believed Barack Obama, as our first black president, would be a net positive for the black community. However I became dismayed when I saw every grievance group, such as feminists, gays and illegal immigrants, elevated, while the president lectured African Americans to stop whining and get on their marching shoes. It’s embarrassing to see how many Negroes walk around grinning with Obama shirts and hats. They have a black president who did so little for them. In predominately black cities such as Baltimore and Washington, D.C., people grumble about gentrification.

Who do they think gentrified them? The people they keep begging to help them.

Although I’m of African descent, I don't share the same plantation mentality prevalent among Negroes. I refer to people of color as Negroes, not African Americans, because most Negroes don't know a damn thing about Africa and most Africans look down on the African American.

Although blacks have been freed generations ago, many have not adjusted to the free life. Too many still have a plantation mentality. Groups such as Black Lives Matter are not indicative of the wisdom of Booker T. Washington, Marcus Garvey and Malcolm X. These were the Alpha males of the black community, men who refused to submit to the man. Although they won't ad-mit it, Black Lives Matter activists believe in white supremacy. They are saying they’re inferior because they’re not capable of making decisions for themselves without help from whites.

Instead of shooting for the stars, they’re willing to settle for the few crumbs the white liberal slavemaster throws at them, such as low income housing, instead of demanding high quality housing, or a $15 minimum wage instead of looking for the maximum wage. They cry about their schools instead being resourceful -- learning the skills that produce higher income.

The problem with liberals is they speak

the language of helping people but rarely help them. Look at your communities, look at the people you elect. Observe the black pastors that keep serving you up to these liberal politicians who have trapped you into failing schools. White privilege is the belief that because I’m white I’m superior, and blacks cannot succeed unless we take care of them. They believe that because African Americans are inferior, they need to be protected, be-cause they are not capable of thinking for themselves. Truth is too many Negroes prove them right!

African Americans are the fish that keeps getting caught. No matter what shiny lure you throw at them, they keep biting the hook. They never learn lessons, just more abuse. These are the same people that famously called Bill Clinton our first black president -- why? Because he ate fried chicken and collard greens at black churches, while at the same time putting a third of black men in jail with his anti-black policies.

Truth is, manufactured racism is the gravy train of the race-hustling complex.

It’s what puts food on the table. They're not interested in ending racism or poverty, because if they ended it there wouldn't be Black Studies professors or the token negro. They are tools used to oversee and crack down on blacks who run off the ideological plantation, and to fool Negroes into believing that if you play ball, liberals will make you relevant. Any black that resists the idea that they need whites to lord over top of them becomes persona non grata and is excommunicated.

Message to my black brothers: You are free, you no longer have to stay on the liberal plantation. Donald Trump is the next Harriet Tubman.

All aboard! The Trump Train’s coming, but will the black man have enough sense to get on board?

STREET SENSE May 18 - 31, 2016

1#1

OP-ED

THE COURT’S OPINION:

In Italy, It Is Sometimes OK to Steal Food

By Roberta Haber Italy’s highest court, the Supreme Court of Cassation, recently ruled in favor of a homeless man who was appealing his conviction for stealing cheese and sausage valued at 4.07 euros (approximately $4.70), reported The Associated Press. The man had been sentenced to six months in jail and a fine of 100 euros and was asking for a lighter sentence.

The court ruling stated that because the man “took possession of that small amount of food in the face of the imme-

diate and essential need for nourishment, acting therefore in a state of need,” the theft was not a crime, thereby overturning the conviction completely.

The full rationale for the decision has not been released, but a former member of the court sug-gested the decision is based on the Italian legal doctrine of “Ad impossibilia nemo tenetur,” which is Latin for “No one is expected to do the impossible.”

Jeffrey McNeil is a frequent contributor to Street Sense.

Racist People

By Marcus Green Let me be clear, racists have too much time on their hands. Any race, creed, gender or sexual preference should be treated equally. My wife was Jewish and I’m Muslim and we loved each other. I still pray for her soul and my family’s souls.

Back to the topic: racism against people of African descent. This can be a barrier to em-ployment. I’ve experienced it myself. At a downtown Au Bon Pain, I’ve observed that an Asian store manager only hires Ethiopian and Latino people. I wonder why. She must think they work harder than African Americans – which is a huge misconception.

God really doesn’t like ugly, so if you are spreading ugly and hate, you’ll get that same thing back. In your travels treat everybody the same and you’re going to feel better.

Young or old, rich or poor, in God’s eyes each and every one of our souls is as precious as the next. Praise Him.

Is Metro on Fire?

By Phillip Black, “The Cat in the Hat” Two fires at the same time at Federal City Southwest. Just two days before that there was a massive food fight at Gallery Place.

One day before that six teenage girls were involved in a fight and when Metro Transit Police came you would think they would have stopped fighting. But they kept at it until police broke it up! In addition to this type of violence, more and more bus drivers are being assaulted.

In order for Metro’s new general manager to do a complete overhaul, me must first figure out how to keep riders safe! And that should be Metro’s priority.

Phillip Black is a vendor and occasional contributor for Street Sense.

Marcus Green is vendor and frequent contributor of 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.

Certainty

The Longest Night...

By Reginald Black Vendor/Artist

By Ken Martin Vendor/Artist

Nowadays, I often ask myself what’s next. It's logical that a person who has experienced the things that I have would constantly ask that question.

I am from the District of Columbia, or what others would call Washington. It is the nation's capital and currently considered one of the most expensive regions to live in. I have been a part of this growth in some ways, but I have been exposed to a different side of the District.

I attended its public schools, walked its streets and have watched as whole neighborhoods trans-form — not always for the better in some cases. There are reports that people similar to myself have been leaving in droves. I have even heard the word “displacement” in some circles.

What does that have do with anything you ask? It shows that over time that ideas—and some-times physical landmarks—change. Change is the only thing that is a constant thing in this seemingly inconstant world. How can everything just be temporary?

I'm not sure if temporary can be an effective way to combat instability. Poverty feels unstable. I have faced housing instability before. I can remember the tired but restless nights wondering if I would have a place of my own, only to have to hustle out of bed at 7 a.m. to wander the streets looking for basic necessities.

It was an experience that seems unnatural. I was surrounded by structures with open doorways, but all had locked doors.

I couldn’t pass through unless I did one thing or another. Many people must still live this way in our city.

Since becoming homeless, I have become immersed in how the city is com-

bating this social ill. From what I’ve gathered, there are never enough resources. As a native, it's sad to see that many who have called D.C. their home through some of its worst days are now treated like they don’t matter. It’s as if it were not those same people who made these landmark changes possi-ble.

Sometimes I feel like i don't matter.

It’s only when I look at constantly empty buildings that I feel this way — it makes me wonder why people can’t live here. I saw how my parents became homeowners, they worked hard and were able to make those advancements in their lives. I someday look to make the same advancements.

Today the streets seem far away. I don’t go to the same places or do the same things. I get to sleep in without someone knocking on my bed telling me to get out. It's a great feeling, but i still do not feel stable. The environment around me doesn't seem stable. And through it all, we see money being spent.

I am looking for ways that I can create more stability for myself and others.

There are still fami-lies that need homes.

Who would have thought that, as I turn 31, I would endeavor to produce a model of housing stability for people who feel the same as I do. Housing is a human right, and there are humans dying of many complications directly tied to instability.

Even though I feel strongly about the issue of homelessness, I know I have also contributed to the situation that the District is in. I could have been a landlord and participant in the city’s social programs that house the poor. The housing I secured was produced by a person of this nature, the type of person I very much would like to be.

Certainty or uncertainty, which would I choose? Certainty. Every time.

HIGH NOON FOR THE HORSEMAN Here, friends is how handicapping poet Frederic John predicts the second leg of the Triple Crown will play out!

Once upon a full moon time The Battery powered Rail bird Dreamt of a Chrome Domed Ride Which End eth in Triumph, but Not with the Triple Crown, In the Royal Sport, of Thoroughbred Racing.

But Now, in this Age of Nyquist, It's a Vision, Not a Dream!

What vision, pray tell?

Why, An E-Bay, Crowd-Funder; A Sure Gimme, Gimme: Worth its weight in Hay,

Dear Horse Man Horse Lady-- It is a Wedge of God-generated Peelings of Squash (Butternut, yet, you gasp!)

In the streamlined Shape, of Nyquist's Mane and Nape! Yea, for Flying down the sandy stretch of B-More's Preakness Lane: You shall view Anew, Trailed by an Unworthy Mount such as Cherry Wine, Aussome Won, or Lao-Bab! The showdown, just past High Noon; Would cause Andrew beyer or even Gary Cooper's Cowboy Ghost To keel over in a Wounded Swoon!

May 11, 2014, Mother's Day. I had a heart attack according to the doctors that Monday surgery to repair a ruptured main artery in-serting a stent; rested on Tuesday; Wednesday following consults with an administrator who an-nounced "Mr. Martin you didn't have a heart attack you had a cardiac episode!" and a hospital case worker on recuperation facilities - concluding that the nation's capital had none - I was released.

With no place to rest, I sat in front of a Starbucks two blocks away from the hospital and experienced a great deal of discomfort that I first attributed to anxiety.

Thursday morning I returned to the ER in pain, disillusioned and frankly afraid. The hospital staff said "Heart Attack!"

And after a barrage of tests they asked me to sign a document releasing them so that they could go in and found the problem. I signed. We went back to the table Friday morning. Performed surgery - no findings. They said "Mr. Martin it was only a cardiac episode not an attack you're discharged!"

I replied "Whatever."

"So either you lied or you're incompetent . How do I continue to trust you?"

Back to Thursday night - the longest night of my life that I spend at Starbucks alone but not alone. Oh there were the usual rodent population both fourlegged and two-legged variety. Fortunately being homeless, I'm accustomed to their presence. Thanks to God I fear no man. The rodents have higher priorities than me - survival as they know it.

My fears originated within. Fear of my body's response to my mind and vice versa.

Was it a surge in my adrenaline that triggered the "episode?"

What becomes of meis my life even worth this struggle to remain among the living?

Would another experience in vulnerability lead me back to the place I do not trust or respect?

And If I should survive what do I say to my children about the world my generation leaves to them?

Am I too late to make a difference?

I got an answer to some of it. Before it say it, please permit me to preface it with a seat in front of a heavy trafficked coffee shop is not exactly prime location for epiphanies….

But here's the Revelation "Stick to the plan." Que sera, sera. Walk the path of a world changer and if you do, you will.

So I continue.

Nearly two years to the day I almost had attack number four. Where do I go?

I live in undue (di)stress everyday dealing with people places and situations that normal domiciled people don't - and a com-munity that offers solutions like 10 housing vouchers a year to displaced disabled father's of minor aged children when there are hundreds of us trying to reconnect with their families [As cited by my worker].

Am I frustrated? Yes. Why should you care? Because what has happened to me can happen to anyone.

And if those that can, refuse to walk the path of world changers, the world still changes.

Only for the worse.

STREET SENSE May 18 - 31, 2016

13

VENDOR WRITING

5 Part

By Ivory Wilson Vendor/ Artist

INT. WASHINGTON, DC - DAY UNION STATION

Dean’s gang burst through the door with ten of Mick’s crew.

Dean’s gang controls most of the city.

Muggings, shakedowns, high- jacking mices. Dean is sending less and less profits to New York.

DEAN (taking out his baseball bat): I want to know how Bill got in!

EXT. UNION STATION - DAY UNDERGROUND

Rags and Dean’s gang dip their faces of Mick’s crew in pee.

DEAN: What do them Yankee bosses know?

This is my city. I’m making them richer.

Why haven’t they sent me to Vegas?! No, no, they send new york bosses. I’m a boss!

RAGS: Boss, we been in this city many years, running the rackets, book making, teamsters union. We have it all.

DEAN (chewing on a frog leg): No! Not until I see Bill and his friends slowly die.

New york complain about their cut. What do they know?

RAGS: Boss, bad news! The purple gangs has been wiped out!

DEAN: What?! Who did it?? What gang?

One of them Spanish gangs?? I never trusted them.

RAGS: No, it was Bill.

DEAN: Bill?? How did he get in?

RAGS: Word on the street is that Mick set them up we have 10 micks crew they bring them in now.

DEAN: Find Mick and kill him. Kill him!

RAGS: Okay boss, on it! But Bill is too weak to take us on again. He’s already dying.

DEAN: Yeah, yeah. But he’s not dying fast enough. I want that White House lawn.

Just think, Rags. We’ll meet the President!

RAGS: Yeah, all that merchandise!

DEAN: Then we can knock off them few country gangs that are running the corn mash moon shine rackets. Should bring in good profits.

RAGS: With the purple gang gone, Bill still alive, us taking on them country hicks — we’ll be in the open.

DEAN: Got to hit them at night.

RAGS: Going in them woods sure is risky: owls, snakes!

DEAN: Yeah, snakes, hawks, eagles. Rags, I want them woods!

RAGS: Okay boss.

DEAN: Think of a way around them and soon because when Bill dies, all the mices will be owned by the outfit.

MICK’S CREW (THE TICKS): We don’t know!

DEAN: This is your last chance.

MICK’S CREW: (silence) Rags ties shoestrings around their necks hanging over a pipe Dean follows, beating each one to death.

DEAN: Find Mick!! take some of the crew and put word out that I want to have a sitdown meeting with Country Boy bosses. If they crews show up with them we will take over kill the bosses stop they crew will join us. Tell them i want to make peace, have a share in their bootleg-ing rackets. Ask if they would like to have a share in the city!

This should bring them here.

RAGS: It’s a try. they may not come.

DEAN: If they don’t come, then we will go to them, snakes or not! I want them woods!

AFTER KATRINA: A Ten-Year Roller Coaster, Part 21

By Gerald Anderson, Vendor/Artist

PREVIOUSLY: There I am in the Burger King parking lot lookin’ down the barrel of a Glock 40, surrounded by cop cars, lights, sirens. One cop like, “You under arrest, don’t move, come out slowly. Don’t try nothin’.” I try somethin’—jumpin’ out the other side— but I know the jig is up, so I get out. Now I see the picture: I been set up. The cop say, “Y’know Orlean, we had to get the best shot we could get at you, cause you like mission impossible.” They searched me and didn’t find no drugs. ’Cause funny thing was, I had meant to bring the 30 bags but had forgot they were in my other hoodie. It didn’t matter, ’cause I was already wanted on conspiracy, distribution, wiretaps on my phone, and whatever else. They tried to get me to rat on other dudes in my ring by offering me a hamburger and a Newport. I wasn’t gonna sell my soul for a Tootsie Roll or nothin’ else, even though it gonna be a whole heap of time before I get back to Burger King...

At the DC jail you can sit 6 or 7 people on the benches at the iron meal table, where you can also play cards when it’s not mealtime. Over lunch I start to open up, just a little, with some other guys. It’s funny how many things you hear in prison.

They was sayin’ this and that about how they got arrested. One dude say, “Man, why you sit back so quiet?”

I say, “I’m just waitin’ to get extradited to another state.”

From right there they know I’m a standup guy. From me not talkin’ too much.

They know I wasn’t no Kool-Aid (friendly) kind of person. Friendly is not good, ’cause you don’t know who’s who.

Remember, I’m not in on a charge you can go in on and then walk out. My charge bein’ investigated.

A lot of them think I don’t know the system, so I just hear them out, all the crime they committed. Robbery, burglary, car thief, all kind of stuff, murder, drug dealing.

At night I could hear conversations about this, too. They would yell out their flap hole from cell to cell, what they did on the street, what they gonna do when they get out. A lot of it was crap. I was hearing it, but I wouldn’t indulge in it. I just play it by eyes and ears—hearin’ and seein’. Compared to me, most of it lesser stuff. I was just tryin’ to focus on my own case.

After lunch, I played a few hands of cards. A few old cats I knew from the neighborhood were there. I knew I could open up with them. I felt comfortable with them, at least a little tiny bit. They know me and my codees real good. They look at me as an idol—they watch the news, so they knew I wasn’t in there for jaywalkin’. They knew I was in there for drug trafficking, conspiracy, and all that.

Like I said, you don’t take chances talkin’ with practically nobody, cause someone could be wired. My case was open, so anything I say could be held against me.

Your lawyer tell you, watch who you share your case with. A police could be there. They put informers in jail. One guy told his cellmate he killed his girlfriend and also said he took the body out in the woods. Then the cellie went to court and testified what the guy said about how he did it. So the cellie got out and the other guy got convicted. (to be continued)

INT. UNION STATION - NIGHT UNDERGROUND DEAN: Welcome, Country Boys! Have a seat. Rags pour the boys drinks! Have food!

MASH (Country boy crew boss): you have this city on edge! All these killings we read in the papers. Me and my boys only run shine. Be warned - any gang tries to muscle in on us we’ll kill and turn them into some good shine mash within a week.

Dean jumps from the table DEAN: You come here and talk to me like that?! I was going to ask you to join us, but now . . .

Dean stabs Country Boy in the neck with his trusty nail. (to be continued)

By Ken Belkosky Vendor/Artist Star Date: 9995476.7 - The Federation is having a close meeting on Earth. Talking about me who I am and, were I am from. Then I showed up at the meeting. The President asked if I was the one that showed up on the Enterprise. I said yes I am and, I know you all have somethings you want to know.

I come from a place that is not like this Earth. My Earth is like yours but, Star Fleet and, all of you is fiction . You were the works

by Gene Roddenbury . Star Fleet is know as Star Trek. T.V. Show were I am from and, as I am talking to you. I am writing this meeting. I want use your view screen to show Star Trek. so, I played the show and, movies of Star Trek. (to be continued)

COMICS & GAMES

The Two Pandas

Little Things

By Michael Craig & Barbara Pollard, Vendor/Artists Two Pandas are having a major discussion, wondering why they’re in the zoo.

“Why are we in a zoo?” asks one. “I have nothing against anybody. Do you have anything against me? How can you love me and put me in a zoo?”

“You say you love us so much – you adore us.” says the other. “But we’re still in an economic zoo. And we’re looking at you, just like you’re looking at us. And we adore you too.”

There’s massive inequality in the distribution of wealth.

“But we love each other,” one says to the other.

“And the sky is so beautiful.”

“We’re free, inside of our souls.” The other replies. “The two of us in the zoo, still find love to share with you. So you can come visit us anytime,

if you want to.”

We’re all in the zoo, we’re all in this together.

Even though you love us behind bars, innocently – we still love you too. Open your mind and find love regardless of the bars. and you won’t be in a zoo anymore, economic, racial, religious, sexual or otherwise.

Everybody’s different, so what’s the difference?

When the pandas accepted you for not knowing that, roses popped out of their hearts. They began throwing them to everyone that came to see the baby panda that day. The zoo keepers came and let go, back to their natural environment. This was the beginning of the love world.

By Ronald Turner Vendor/Artist My childhood was good and I remember playing with my classmate(s). I remember school and I remember playing in the snow. These are just little things but I remember them well.

On Learning

By Elizabeth Bryant Vendor/Artist I hope all the mothers out there and everyone else had a happy and healthy Mother’s Day! School is going very well.

I’m learning a lot and will be graduating from my reading program in November. You would guess I know a lot, but I don’t. I’m smart, but there are certain things you’re supposed to know coming out of school that I don’t.

Last year, Academy of Hope helped me find out I have a learning disability. I never knew that before. I was pushed through each grade without learning anything.

I just learned my times tables this year and I’m 56.

Some schools don’t care what you know. It’s a money thing: they get you out of

school so someone else can come through.

I’m very grateful for the school I go to now, D.C. Literacy. The teachers work with you and really teach you. They give examples. They listen when you say you don’t understand.

I also wanted to update my regular readers that my iron levels could be better, but the I.V. treat-ment I get every week at the hospital is helping.

I’m excited to be able to go on another AA weekend retreat this year and stay in a cabin in the mountains. The peace of mind I got from last year’s retreat was great. It’s good to get away sometimes. And I even learned how to make a tie-dye shirt.

15

STREET SENSE May 18 - 31, 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 Miriam’s Kitchen: 452-8926 2401 Virginia Ave, NW miriamskitchen.org

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

CELEBRATING SUCCESS! • After 3 long years, Michael Warner moved into his new home on May 13!

• On May 16, Patty Smith celebrated 11 months in housing!

Clifton Davis - May 11 Conrad Cheek Jr. - May 15 Reginald Black - May 23

LAST CHANCE! BIG DECISIONS TO MAKE

ONLINE

streetsense.org/survey

First and foremost: thank you! As a reader and customer, you are a crucial part of Street Sense. It is you who empowers our vendors economically, you who improves our local culture by being better-informed about homelessness and poverty. Needless to say, we value your feedback. Please complete this survey online at StreetSense.org/survey or postmark your response by May 31, 2016 to 1317 G Street NW, Washington, DC 20005.

1 — Our vendors receive compensation for promoting this vital survey.

If a vendor convinced you to respond to the survey, please note their name and badge number here. ________________________________________________

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2 — If Street Sense begins publishing weekly, we could: prov ide higher, more-stable income for our current vendors; employ more new vendors; and publish more timely content.

If we made this switch, would you support these initiatives by purchasing a paper each week?

5 — When you do buy Street Sense, how much of the paper do you usually read?

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6 — Most street papers that have increased their circulation fundraised printing costs in advance. Would you donate $24 or more over 12 months to help us switch to a weekly publication?

____No 3 — How often do you purchase a Street Sense? ____Often (several copies each week) ____New Editions (every 2 weeks) ____Occasionally (every few months) ____Rarely (a few times each year) ____I just bought my first copy!

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____Read it cover to cover ____Read at least half of it ____Skim for my interests ____I don’t read the paper, but I donate to support the vendors

____Yes ____No 7 — Have you ever donated to Street Sense, outside of purchasing a newspaper? ____Yes ____No 8 — How long have you been a Street Sense customer? ____I just bought my first issue ____3 months – 1 year ____1 – 3 years ____3+ years

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14 — How would you prefer to purchase a digital download or ticket from a vendor? (check one) ____Pay cash and receive a piece of paper with a download URL ____Pay cash and enter an email address into a tablet or phone ____Purchase online via tablet or phone, download to your phone or computer 15 — How do you interact with Street Sense online? ( check all) ____View content on the website ____Follow on social media (streetsensedc) ____Subscribe to the podcast ____Subscribe to the e-newsletter ____None of these 16 — Please tell us your address if you would like to receive updates by mail, or your email if you would like to receive them electronically.

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17 — Lastly, what changes/ improvements would you like to see to the paper?

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12 — Since 2012, Street Sense has evolved into a full media center, producing films, theater, a podcast and more. Have you attended any of our events?

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