05 19 2021

VOL. 18 ISSUE 18

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MAY 19 - 25, 2021

Real Stories

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EVENTS

// 3

NEWS IN BRIEF 12 residents sue DC over the Comprehensive Plan the same day it is passed

BY ATHIYAH AZEEM Editorial Intern

DC Council hearing on how best to end COVID-19 safety net protections Friday, May 21, 9:00 a.m. // Online The D.C. Council Special Committee on COVID-19 Pandemic Recovery will accept comment from the public on how D.C. can recover from the pandemic in a way that ensures the health and safety of Black and brown residents who have been disproportionately affected by it.

HOW TO TESTIFY: People who want to testify orally at the May 21 hearing should contact Malcolm Cameron, legislative analyst for the Committee on Health, by email at mcameron@dccouncil.us or by phone at 202-341-4425 by 6 p.m. on Wednesday, May 19.

• Provide your first and last name; the name of your organization, if applicable; your title within the organization; your email address; and your phone number. Cameron will be in contact with instructions on providing testimony.

• To submit written testimony, email Cameron by 6:00 p.m. on Friday, June 4 and specify that you are submitting testimony for this hearing in the subject line.

D.C. Council hearings can be viewed live and from the archives at: tinyurl.com/dc-council-live-hearing

TUESDAY, MAY 25

UPDATES ONLINE AT ICH.DC.GOV

SATURDAY, MAY 22

Learn from communities how to equitably provide emergency rental assistance

D.C. Interagency Council on Homelessness Meetings

Anacostia and Sheridan community cleanup

3-4:30 p.m.

Online In this webinar the Urban Institute will provide information about its Emergency Rental Assistance Prioritization tool as well as share other resources states and localities can leverage when designing and implementing equitable rental assistance programs

Strategic Planning Committee May 25, 2:30 pm Online via Webex ***For call-in information, as well as meeting info for unlisted working groups, contact: ich.info@dc.gov.

Register: tinyurl.com/urban-erap-event

10 a.m. - 11 a.m.

Multiple, depends on district ANC 8A will host this cleanup event. Volunteers will gather in different areas depending on which district they live in or want to work in. More details can be found at: tinyurl.com/anc-8a-cleanup This event will be followed by a “get-out-the-vax” campaign from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.

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8:55 AM · MAY 11, 2021

1:37 PM · MAY 9, 2021

After 5 years of intense public input and massive revisions, the D.C. Council unanimously approved the Comprehensive Plan Amendment Act of 2021 on May 18. The decision was made only hours after a lawsuit was filed by 12 District residents in D.C. Superior Court against passing the amendment, saying that while the amendment is less racist than it was when first introduced, it “is still a racist plan.”

The amendment approved is a 1,500 page tome that plans for how the government wants to develop buildings and housing in the District. While the Comprehensive Plan is not law, the Office of Planning is guided to approve construction that is “not-inconsistent” with the plan.

Tuesday’s vote considered three additional amendments to the main Comprehensive Plan amendment: one from Council Chair Phil Mendelson, another from Ward 8 Councilmember Trayon White, and the last from At-large Councilmember Robert White. The amendments update the definition of “deeply affordable housing” to housing affordable to people making 40% of the median family income.

This is a definition that critics of the plan, like the D.C. Grassroots Planning Coalition, have been asking for throughout the amendment process. Deeply affordable housing marked at 40% MFI would also be priced near or equal to the median income for Black households in the District.

“I will be voting yes on the Comp Plan because of these changes,” said Ward 4 Councilmember Janeese Lewis George. She and At-large Councilmember Elissa Silverman both abstained during the amendment’s first reading over concerns of the plan exacerbating racial inequity in the District. “This is a tremendous opportunity to marshal our resources...for more housing that is actually attainable for Black families in D.C.” A section that asks the Office of Planning to consider building “social housing,” or housing owned by the D.C. government or non-profits that will be permanently affordable, was also added to the plan. The concept was a focal point of Will Merrifield, a Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless attorney, when he ran for D.C. Council last year. This year’s effort was spearheaded by the D.C. Tenants’ Advocacy Coalition and the Dupont East Civic Action Association.

However, the lawsuit filed the same day as the plan was passed raised longstanding concerns about ongoing displacement of residents of color from D.C. One of the plaintiffs is Chris Otten, known as a “champion disrupter” of luxury developments in the District. He is engaged in multiple lawsuits against developers, including McMillan Park.

“We will be directly affected by the Comprehensive Plan up-zoning via the streetcar extension on Benning Road NE ... [which] will displace the long-time African-American residents in this residential zoned community,” said David Belt, a Ward 7 resident and plaintiff. The council has yet to address the lawsuit.

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NEWS

Protesters marching for George Floyd on June 6, 2020.

PHOTO BY CODY BAHN // WWW.CODYBAHN.COM

Mothers rally for George Floyd, and to pass police reform bill

BY ATHIYAH AZEEM Editorial intern

T

he Center for Racial Equity and Justice held a “Hear the Cry Rally” on May 6, days before Mother’s Day, at Freedom Plaza, asking mothers to gather in support of passing the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. “No justice, no peace, no racist police.

That’s why we’re here today,” said Reverend George C. Gilbert, Jr. at the rally, referencing a Black Lives Matter protest chant.

The rally was held amid a resurgence of Black Lives Matter protests, and marchers were heard chanting nearby, “We need systematic change.” The federal legislation was passed by the House on March 3 but has not been taken up by the Senate. It authorizes Congress to hold law enforcement more accountable for misconduct, improves transparency and reforms police training and policies.

As advocacy groups are trying to build momentum at a national scale for police reform, they’re finding a common cause with other groups pushing for change at the local level.

Several Black mothers spoke at the rally whose sons were killed in acts of police brutality. One of them, Marion Gray-Hopkins, is the president of the Coalition of Concerned Mothers, a group advocating against police brutality. She shared how her son, Gary Hopkins, was shot and killed by Prince George’s County police on Nov. 27, 1999.

“My journey for justice, my journey for transparency, my journey for accountability started on that day,” Gray-

Hopkins said. “Here I stand 21 years later still crying out for justice.”

Another mother, Greta Carter-Willis detailed how her 14-year-old son, Kevin Cooper, was killed by Baltimore police officers who were initially called to help settle a mental health-related dispute in 2006. She spoke about how in privileged neighborhoods, people going through mental breakdowns can ask for and receive help.

“Unfortunately for me, because of my son being an African American young man, his life was taken, unjustly. In my home.”

Greta Carter-Willis “But unfortunately for me, because of my son being an African American young man, his life was taken, unjustly.

In my home,” Carter- Willis said.

The George Floyd Act was first introduced on June 8, 2020 within the first two weeks of the George Floydrelated protests that year. It was approved by the House on June 25, but was not voted on by the Senate within

that Congress period. It was reintroduced to Congress on Feb. 24. In a speech from the White House, President Joe Biden called for the Senate to pass the bill by the anniversary of Floyd’s death, May 25.

“We’re coming up on the year that George Floyd has been murdered,” Rev. Gilbert told Street Sense Media.

“We’re not seeing the urgency in this matter from the federal government and from the local government.”

With a lack of federal action some local governments — including the District — have been pursuing their own reforms.

Through emergency legislation, the D.C. Council established a Police Reform Commission in June 2020 to rethink the District’s policing practices following George Floyd’s murder in Minneapolis and subsequent civil rights protests across the country.

Last month, following an extension passed in February, the commission published 90 recommendations for the D.C. Council to change the culture of policing in the District in their final report, “Decentering Police to Improve Public Safety.”

The recommendations include alternatives to policing such as sending behavioral health specialists in applicable situations, moving towards community-based services, reforming the Metropolitan Police Department’s (MPD) policing practices, and requiring the department to improve data transparency.

The 20-person commission also recommended removing police and immigration officials from schools.

Research has shown that police presence in schools

STREETSENSEMEDIA.ORG

// 5

A man marches during the “Fund Care, Not Cops” rally on June 12, 2020, at Freedom Plaza. PHOTO BY RODNEY CHOICE // CHOICEPHOTOGRAPHY.COM

A sign at a Black Lives Matter protest outside of the MPD station at 1620 V St NW, calling attention to Breonna Taylor. PHOTO BY ERIC FALQUERO

increases the likelihood of students being reported to law enforcement for low-level offenses and can be a gateway into the justice system. The commission wants to provide more mental health resources and invest in support by adding more guidance counselors and school psychologists.

“When it comes to young people especially, we found that we rely more on police to address normal childhood or adolescent behavior or responses to trauma instead of care-based professionals,” said Samantha Davis, founder and director of the Black Swan Academy and one of the 20 comissoners.

Another recommended policy would eliminate the statutory requirement for at least 3,000 officers in the District's police department. The commission says the mandate is outdated and needs to be reconsidered as the population in the District has decreased since the provision was enacted. Instead the department needs to assess what the number of officers actually needed is, whether that is higher or lower.

In 2016, the D.C. Council passed the NEAR Act, which shared many goals with the Police Reform Commission’s report. Like the report, the NEAR Act aimed to promote police transparency, provide additional training for law enforcement, and use a public health strategy. This strategy includes using risk assessment tools, counseling and service coordination to prevent violence.

The mayor’s administration says the 20 provisions listed in the NEAR Act have been fully implemented and funded. Ward 5 Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie countered the Mayor’s office in a statement responding to the report, claiming that the NEAR Act has not been fully implemented and that “only $10 million dollars were allocated to the Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement (ONSE) in FY21 - a small amount compared to the $500 million allocated to MPD.” Despite the intent of the NEAR Act, MPD was sued by ACLU-DC last year for their annual stop data and was criticized by the ACLU and other organizations for being slow to respond and using an inadequate data collection system. The department has also yet to form a behavioral health co-response model that would be used in mental health situations. The commission said its recommendations, taken as a whole, are more comprehensive and detailed than the NEAR Act. “There are things in there that the D.C. Council could do immediately, there are recommendations that the mayor could take action on without delay, there are many things the police chief could do without needing anyone else's permission to do so,” said Patrice Sulton, the executive director of D.C. Justice Lab and a member of the commission.

In a statement, the D.C. Police Union objected to the commission’s report. “The commission is clearly on a mission to defund police in the District, the dozens and dozens of extreme reforms they suggest are in line with all of the policies that many other cities have adopted this year to their own detriment,” it said.

As of now, D.C. Council is holding a public hearing on May 20, inviting the public to testify for or against the Police Reform Commission report.

A budget oversight hearing for the MPD is scheduled for June 10 and the D.C. Council is holding public hearings to discuss some of the recommendations proposed later this month.

Two young women wear masks with a Black Lives Matter rallying cry based on some of George Floyd’s last words: “I can’t breathe.” PHOTO BY ERIC FALQUERO

Some of the commission’s recommendations are already being implemented. MPD will start a pilot program in June in which behavioral health experts will be sent to the scene for 911 calls relating to mental health instead of armed police officers — an idea the commission’s report suggested.

Both the George Floyd Act and the D.C. recommendations are similar in their intent to increase accountability for the police force. As a national bill, the George Floyd Act calls to create a National Police Misconduct Registry, where federal, state and local police agencies would be required to submit all complaints, discipline and termination records filed against police officers every 6 months to the attorney general.

Similarly, D.C. reform recommendations suggest the mayor create a deputy auditor for public safety, who would survey MPD’s and Office of Police Complaints’s handling of police misconduct complaints and disciplinary processes. The deputy auditor would have the right to subpoena records if necessary.

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NEWS

DHS using the Patricia Handy Place for Women as an active men’s shelter after closing it for repairs

BY COLLEEN GRABLICK DCist

“it was falling on people’s heads,” she said it had built up an accumulation of problems — and attempting to remedy Earlier this year, one of the only short-term shelters in Ward 2 them with residents in the building could create unhealthy closed temporarily to repair long-standing plumbing, power, air quality. and air system issues in the building, located near Mount When Stribling spoke with DCist last fall, she said that many Vernon Triangle. of the building’s problems pre-dated the shelter’s opening in The residents of Patricia Handy Place for Women, 2016, and recurred during N Street Village’s four years in the women-only shelter run by a Department of Human the space. Piecemeal repairs often compounded; as soon as Services’ non-profit partner, N Street Village, were moved one issue was resolved, like an elevator on the fritz, another into a swing space so the would arise. If the shelter city could finally address the continued housing residents building’s myriad problems. without a full-scale renovation, “[The building’s condition] Stribling worried the space doesn’t speak to the kind of could become uninhabitable, environment of dignity and she said last fall. reliability that we would According to DHS, there is be offering our residents,” no active construction on the Schroeder Stribling, the CEO building while it houses dozens of N Street Village, told of men. They are connected DCist last fall regarding the with case management with upcoming renovations. the goal of finding permanent Schroeder Stribling But since March, about 100 housing options, and medical men have been living in the care is provided in coordination space, according to the Department of Human Services, due with DHS’ partner, Unity Health. (As of Monday, May 10, 2,636 to the capacity restrictions placed on emergency shelters during unhoused residents have received a coronavirus vaccine.) the pandemic.

The city acquired the Patricia Handy building in 2016, the The women living at Patricia Handy moved out in February, same year D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser announced her plan as DHS and the Department of General Services prepared to to shutter D.C. General, a dilapidated family shelter that was begin what would likely be at least a year-long construction plagued by poor conditions and allegations of abuse. Two years project. Planned repairs included the installation of a new prior to Bowser’s announcement, 8-year-old Relisha Rudd dedicated outside air system and dehumidifiers, an elevator disappeared from the shelter, prompting heightened scrutiny of upgrade, window modifications, exhaust and supply ductwork, the city’s homeless services. Bowser replaced D.C. General with a power upgrade, and bathroom and shower room renovations, smaller shelters in each ward, the last of which was completed among others.

Meanwhile, as the city shut down the recreation centers it The Patricia Handy Place for Women, scheduled to close for renovation, now houses about 100 men. IMAGE FROM GOOGLE MAPS used for hypothermia season and returned their operations to the Department of Parks and Recreation, DHS said they needed a space to house men that could also accommodate for social distancing. The end of the hypothermia season and the ongoing pandemic put the city’s shelter system in a position that required pivoting into different spaces that would still allow for pandemic precautions, according to DHS. In the interim between women moving out and men moving in, the city conducted repairs to make the building livable for temporary use, according to DHS. The Department of General Services, which partners with DHS to manage city-owned buildings like shelters, did not immediately return DCist’s request for comment on the nature of the repairs, or a timeline for future construction.

“The District is committed to ensuring shelter is available and operates in accordance with recommendations from DC Health and CDC,” said DHS Director Laura Zeilinger. “Low barrier shelters are operating at reduced capacity to allow for appropriate social distancing, and so DHS is temporarily offering shelter at this location until we are able to return to full capacity in our low barrier shelter system.”

Stribling, the CEO of N Street Village, said that the organization now has little connection to the Patricia Handy building since moving into the swing space earlier this year.

While the building wasn’t in such a state of disrepair that DCist first published this story on May 13.

“[The building condition] doesn’t speak to the kind of environment of dignity and reliability that we would be offering our residents.”

in February. But in Ward 2, there’s no plan to erect another shelter, leaving Patricia Handy and the nearby Calvary Women’s Services as the only two short-term shelters in the area.

According to the most recent point-in-time count, homelessness in D.C. fell by almost 20% since 2020, but the pandemic has created numerous hurdles for providers, and for the residents that rely on their services. Stribling said many smaller and faithbased providers, which often operate on a volunteer basis, could not provide their normal services during the colder months this year due to coronavirus constraints. (N Street Village, which housed roughly 120 women last fall, opened a second location last year off Bladensburg Road in Ward 5 to accommodate for the need for socially distanced shelter.)

“There was a lot of creativity and quick thinking that had to go into figuring out what spaces could be used for what,” Stribling said. “I don’t know if you’d call it musical chairs, but you know, trying to make sure that we have enough space during this time that everybody’s accommodated, but in the safest possible way so that we can avoid big contagion concerns.”

Stribling said that while the city’s earlier decision to close Patricia Handy for full-scale repairs was much needed, she understands the latest decision to use the building on a temporary basis, if the only other alternative would be no shelter access at all for the men. She’s also anticipating that her organization’s clients will return to Patricia Handy eventually.

But she worries that this need for additional space may only increase when coronavirus rent relief measures are cut off, and the eviction moratorium ends.

“If there was an overflowing need for men who would be otherwise unsheltered during the coldest months of this winter, I’d rather see them use that space before construction is going on,” Stribling said. “I’d rather see people in shelter than on the street.”

STREETSENSEMEDIA.ORG

// 7

AT A GLANCE

Services with a personal touch ended chronic homelessness in Bakersfield

BY JARED BREY Next City

S

ometimes all it takes is a microwave.

When homeless service providers in Bakersfield, California, were working their way down the list of people experiencing chronic homelessness in the area, trying to find housing units for each one, the groups had to solve for a variety of challenges, said Anna Laven, executive director of the Bakersfield Kern Regional Homeless Collaborative. The groups began meeting regularly after joining the Built for Zero campaign to end homelessness in 2015. The cornerstone of the Built for Zero approach is a by-name list of every person experiencing homelessness in different categories — chronically homeless, veterans, youth, families, and so on.

The collaborative worked to find housing for every person on the list through case conferencing, regularly meeting to discuss individual cases and figure out what it would take to get that person into an apartment.

In some cases, the challenge had to do with landlords. One of the individuals on the area’s by-name list had two dogs, for example, and it took extra work to find a landlord who would lease a unit to someone with pets. Another person didn’t want to move into a certain apartment because there was no microwave. So the collaborative bought them one.

“The whole idea of a by-name list and case conferencing is that you’re trying to take a group that has similar enough needs that you can kind of create an efficiency there,” Laven said.

“But within that you still very much have to treat everybody as an individual.”

Bakersfield, California, seat of Kern County, is a city of some 350,000 people. The collaborative first established in 2017 a by-name list of chronically homeless people, those who have experienced homelessness repeatedly or for more than a year while struggling with a disabling condition such as a serious mental illness, substance use disorder, or physical disability.

Between that time and the beginning of 2020, it reduced the number of chronically homeless people from 72 to 2, achieving “functional zero” for chronic homelessness, according to the definition provided by Community Solutions, the group that coordinates the Built for Zero campaign. As the pandemic began, the number of chronically homeless people began to creep back up, Laven said. But thanks to an established collaboration between service providers and housing providers in the area, and a well-timed investment from California’s Project Homekey, the community was able to reduce the number again. In January of 2021, Bakersfield announced that it was the first city in California to end chronic homelessness.

It’s one of five cities to have functionally ended chronic homelessness so far, according to the Built for Zero campaign.

Others include Abilene, Texas, and Rockford, Illinois. But organizers are hoping there will soon be many more. In April, Community Solutions announced that it had received a $100 million grant from the MacArthur Foundation to help 75 cities end chronic or veterans homelessness. Jake Maguire, a principal at Community Solutions and co-director of the Built for Zero campaign, said the organization is hoping to work with a diverse enough group of cities to prove that any type of community can end homelessness with good data and sustained effort. Maguire said that communities in the Built for Zero campaign typically either start with veterans, because it’s one of the more achievable subcategories of homelessness, with

dedicated resources and often strong political support, or they start with chronic homelessness, which is often the toughest subcategory, and hope that finding strategies to reduce those numbers will help them in other subcategories as well.

Bakersfield is the first city in California to achieve functional zero for any category, and Maguire said that’s an important milestone in a state with an infamously tough housing crisis. “[Bakersfield] is not LA, but it’s a decent-sized city combined with a huge rural county,” Maguire said. “It’s a large, complex geography in one of the highest-cost states in America, with conservative politicians and lots of things that would make people say, ‘That’s not the place to go solve homelessness.’

But actually, Bakersfield did it.”

One reason why Bakersfield has had success in reducing its chronically homeless population is because the Housing Authority of the County of Kern has committed time and resources to helping. Heather Kimmel was leading Built for Zero work at the California Veterans Assistance Foundation before joining the housing authority, where she now works as assistant executive director. The Housing Authority of the County of Kern has been uniquely committed to serving people experiencing homelessness for years, Kimmel said, but more housing authorities are starting to focus explicitly on the issue.

“The link between the housing authority’s resources and ending homelessness is becoming more and more clear,” Kimmel said. “A community can’t effectively address homelessness without a strong partnership with the housing authority.”

In Kern County, one strategy the housing authority used was taking on a “master lease” with private landlords who were hesitant to rent directly to people experiencing homelessness.

That allowed the housing authority to sublet units to unhoused people, while taking on the liability for any damages that might be incurred, and agreeing to carry out an eviction if they needed to. It was a small program, Kimmel said, including just eight units. But at the end of the first year, all but one of the people housed through the program either took over the lease and stayed in the same unit or used their housing voucher to move to a different unit.

Another reason why the master lease concept works, said Laven, who leads the collaborative, is that a lot of people who’ve been chronically homeless have experienced a lot of rejection and denial, and can be averse to filling out paperwork for something that might be denied to them. With the housing authority technically as the leaseholder, the tenants don’t have to go through an application process like they would with a normal apartment.

The funding to do the master lease program came through a grant from Kaiser Permanente, Kimmel said, and the authority is planning to keep the option to do master leases in future grant requests as well. Not every strategy works every time, Kimmel said, but it’s beneficial to have grant funds that are flexible to do things like partner with landlords, help people find documents like birth certificates, and buy bus passes or appliances.

“When you start to tackle homelessness one person at a time and know who the homeless individuals are by name and personalize it, this overwhelming problem starts to be solvable,” she said.

This article was originally published by Next City.

Reggie Black

BIRTHDAYS Reggie Black May 23 ARTIST/VENDOR

VENDOR PROGRAM ANNOUNCEMENTS • Vaccinated vendors can receive 15 free papers for showing their CDC card • There will be a vaccine Q&A with George Washington University medical students on Wendesday, May 19 at 2 p.m.

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8 // ST REET SENSE ME DI A / / MAY 1 9 - 2 5 , 2 0 21

MEMORIAL

David Denny back stage at the Howard Theater in 2018, just before performing his poetry. He always planned to write about what the experience meant to him, being invited to the historic stage of a venue he could not afford to attend in his youth (though he said you could still meet many of the performers in the community if you hung around U Street).

PHOTO BY LEILA DRICI

David Denny photographed wearing an Edgar Allan Poe PHOTO BY NANDO ALVAREZ

DAVID’S LEGACY David E. Denny, a Street Sense Media poet and vendor since 2008, died in his home on May 1. He was 65.

It is impossible to show all of the ways that he contributed to our community here. He trained hundreds of new Street Sense vendors, working in that role longer than any other staff member has served with the organization. He was a prolific writer and a powerful speaker, performing at countless events with other SSM artists and reviewing the National Museum of African American History and Culture when it first opened. He spoke to the media and to school groups about homelessness. He helped present our journalism awards. But more than anything, as you’ll see and read here, he was a part of the family. David was kind and would go out of his way to help anyone. He could also light up any room with his larger-than-life personality. He cared deeply about this organization and its members.

Ultimately, this was only a small portion of his legacy. David is survived by a daughter, two sons, grandchildren, six siblings and many more family and friends. We miss him dearly.

Love for Denny

Dedication: Dear, DD

BY FREDERIC JOHN // Artist/Vendor

BY ANTHONY CARNEY Artist/Vendor

To my poet brother, an Iambic salute: Here’s to “Baba” David Denny, Feared by none / Loved by many.

His exultant presence filled a room— Big bones shook rafters, (A rockin’ raver— Tho never a bird of gloom!)

Sharing the rostrum, He’n’me bumped heads in the aisle [At the Poets’ Corner]; Yet any small conflict ultimately Quashed in a mutual, Fraternal Embrace and smile…

No verse rang from DD’s delivery That had no consequence.

A sainted leader caught sight Of David’s universal plaint And reached out to that most profound Jeremiad / teller To affirm his words — were a real Ring-beller!

Heaven above, I miss your face And your wisdom: A true credit to the Race, But wait, behind my shuttered eyes Your mighty presence again I see — An eternal love materialize.

ABOVE: Vendor/Artist James Davis with David Denny at a Street Sense Media holiday party. BELOW: Vendor Phillip Black with David at another year’s holiday party. ARCHIVE PHOTOS

I can’t believe he passed away. Denny trained me to sell the Street Sense paper. I don’t know how to express my love for him. We all got to go some time. I’m writing because I have to have strength. Bless my brother, Denny. Spread love.

A beacon for others

BY CARLTON JOHNSON Artist/Vendor

The future has lost out, another soldier has fallen. All our hearts are moved for David Denny, a.k.a. “Denny,” as we called him. The way he advocated for years to bring attention to the lives of brothers and sisters living on the streets, he was a light of our community.

STREETSENSEMEDIA.ORG

FOREGROUND: A copy of David’s poem “Commentary to a Black Man” that a reader submitted to the White House in 2014, next to then-President Barrack Obama’s reply. David often photographed this page to share with his customers.

reciting his poetry while sweatshirt in 2017.

RIP David Denny, you will be missed

BY JEFFERY MCNEIL Artist/Vendor

When I first heard about the death of longtime Street Sense vendor, poet, and contributor David Denny, the news hit me like a ton of bricks.

I remember first meeting David in Glover Park where we both stayed at a hypothermia shelter. He seemed to be different, even in dire circumstances he had a smile and positive energy. I never heard him complain about his situation or blame others for being homeless. He was a natural salesman and hustled for everything he received.

I told him that Street Sense was a better way than panhandling and I trained him when he joined the team.

But he was a salesman and found his home in Eastern Market.

You couldn’t tell the story of Street Sense without David, for he may be the most influential in our growth and popularity. David volunteered, led, and mentored others. He was often the work supervisor for unloading the truck when the new issue was delivered and he trained new vendors every week — all while writing and performing poetry and sharing his story as a speaker.

David was a favorite of customers and readers. You could hear his booming voice, yelling “Street Sense” blocks away.

He was proud of his poetry and made customers smile doing

street poetry. He used Street Sense Media resources and social services. He had a good relationship with volunteers and staff.

He wasn’t arrogant and proud and allowed people to help him find housing.

David was everything I wasn’t: patient and cordial. He loved reading my columns even though he disagreed with them. He even received a response to one of his poems from Barack Obama. My best memory of David was the year Street Sense Media did a documentary about his poetry and finding an apartment and screened it at our annual gala. I remember how happy he was living in his new apartment.

Even when I saw him walking with a cane, he would smile when reading my fishing articles, encouraging me to write more positive stories. I’m getting emotional because David was a significant part of Street Sense.

His death — following on the heels of the loss of my longtime partner, Antoinette Wollack — has made me put life in perspective.

While everyone talks about risks and vaccines, what people forget is that tomorrow isn’t guaranteed for anyone. Nobody knows the time or hour when you get called up to reach the other side.

I’m sure wherever David goes, he will keep them laughing with his sharp wit, poetry, and radiant smile. Rest in peace, my friend. You will be missed.

You couldn’t tell the story of Street Sense without David

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BACKGROUND: A collage of David’s printed poetry that he assembled to display during a housewarming party in 2017.

PHOTO BY COLLEEN COSGRIFF

Tears for David Denny

BY SYBIL TAYLOR Artist/Vendor

You will be greatly missed and treasured always. I really enjoyed working with you: the good times and laughter we had at Street Sense; the tough times, together through pain; and just the joy of your smile. You were a great vendor to work with.

I count these tears of joy. You will be missed but you are in a better place where you are no longer hurting or suffering. You were the best at what you did. Love you always, David. You are missed.

One song to listen to as we remember David is, "It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday” by G.C. Cameron.

1 0 // S T REET SENSE ME DI A / / MAY 1 9 - 2 5 , 2 021

OPINION

How to look forward post-Covid

BY DONALD WHITEHEAD

“This is no time … to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism” —Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. In the long, shameful history of homelessness in the United States, we have never looked over the precipice into such a deep chasm while at the same time having the critical ingredients for bold thinking on housing justice to climb out of this hole. The new administration, a new Congress, and a sense of collective rebuilding after a disaster should provide the raw material to spur development, collective action, and, yes, real solutions.

There is a potential tidal wave of evictions after we just lived through the most significant health disaster in a century, along with the unprecedented job losses. Many of those jobs are not coming back, and people will have to look for work in other industries. We all experienced such a shock to the system that we have to come together to right the ship.

Since this touched us all, we do not need to rehash the number of people who died because of COVID-19 or the trauma we all experienced with shuttered businesses and offices, or the dramatic changes in the social service safety net. The whole world changed in March of 2020, and for fragile populations, it was often a daily struggle to stay safe, get food, and find a place out of the weather.

Many cities stepped forward and de-concentrated the shelters. They had a detailed plan with placing people into hotels and avoided outbreaks among the population.

Then there were those already overwhelmed cities having neglected the population for decades that there was no way to dig themselves out during a pandemic. We saw outbreaks in several shelters, and then those who were infected spread the virus to others in their family or among friends living outside.

Social service providers could not provide direct contact, and the mental health outreach system virtually collapsed across the United States. We will need to rebuild many social service systems, and hopefully, we will learn from past mistakes.

We will need to confront the inequity in the homeless

system caused by structural racism. We have learned that Black people, Latinx, and Native American individuals continue to be overrepresented in the homeless system and have borne the brunt of the negative effects of the pandemic. We found through studies that government redlining and government-sponsored segregation have had longstanding and crippling effects on minority communities and persist to this day. We applaud the efforts going on in many communities and the administrations to take steps to focus on racial equity in our homeless response. We found that we must do a better job of placing people in healthy communities or the homeless system becomes just another vehicle for redlining.

The National Coalition for the Homeless lost family and friends over the last year; despite all the hardships, there are so many reasons to see hope for the future concerning homelessness. We have a new administration in Washington that is committed to reducing poverty in America. Many of the Biden cabinet members have a background in fighting to preserve and expand antipoverty programs. We have a Secretary for Housing and Urban Development who hails from the continental United States’ poorest city; she has a clear understanding of homelessness and poverty.

However, more importantly, the administration seems to understand the urgency of the problem and wants to take us back to a time when homelessness received a federal response on a scale with other emergencies, not a bureaucracy to manage. Faith in government has taken a real hit over the last decade, but please give them a chance before passing judgment. Everything changed in January 2017, and we all need a little time to repair and replace the integrity of the government broken after the metaphorical hurricane we lived through.

We have a new Congress that should be more willing to embrace new ideas and fund new strategies. There should no longer be opposition to spending money since our government’s last four years embraced reckless spending and tax cuts for the wealthy. We must end the filibuster in its current form in order to move forward with good ideas.

We also cannot go back to the way things were in the past. We cannot develop huge shelters in gymnasiums or

The U.S. Capitol Building is seen in the reflecting pool at the Lincoln Memorial on Jan. 19 after President Joe Biden hosted a memorial to honor those who died from COVID-19. PHOTO COURTESY OF REUTERS/CALLAGHAN O’HARE

abandoned schools. They did not serve the needs of most of the population and indeed stripped people of their dignity.

Over the last year, we learned the value of hotel/ motel spaces and the privacy and empowerment they provide. If shelters are a small part of the solution, they need to be better managed. We cannot allow zoning restrictions and the not-in-my-backyard mentality to slow or halt affordable housing production. Research has demonstrated that outreach to those living outside is critical to overcoming barriers. We need to have a menu of possible paths available to people struggling with housing, and not one facility in which a family who shows up with their dog is not allowed. The pet then becomes homeless or orphaned, or the family stays outside with the pet and battles the elements. We must build on these lessons learned during the last year and be honest about our mistakes over the last 40 years.

The reality is that we saw what the bottom looked like, and we need to kick off the dirt and start climbing. The crisis touched white, Black, Native American, elderly, disabled, poor, and yes, even the rich. It was a trauma that we collectively overcame, and much like the victory over the Axis powers in 1945, together, we can prosper.

We hope to put aside the hostility and division to rebuild the infrastructure (which includes housing) of the United States. We trust that we will put aside the resentment and fear of the “welfare queen” days to experiment with guaranteed incomes.

We look forward to a Justice Department and law enforcement community that will respect the rights of even the poorest among us to restore meaning to the phrase “protect and serve.” If nothing else, we have to realize the value of providing accessible health care to everyone living in the United States to keep us from ever going through a national health crisis again. The National Coalition for the Homeless is poised to push our elected officials to reduce poverty and help “Bring America Home.”

Donald Whitehead is executive director of the National Coalition for the Homeless. Article courtesy of the International Network of Street Papers, www.INSP.ngo.

STREETSENSEMEDIA.ORG

/ / 11

ART

Miracles

BY AYUB ABDUL Artist/Vendor

New growth. PHOTO COURTESY OF FRANCESCO GALLAROTTI / UNSPLASH.COM

ME AND MY RECOVERY:

Learning to live with my mistakes

The dust circulates as the wind blows the sand long and short days.

When I look back in the mirror I see your reflection, reflecting back at me.

Yet, you are not there.

My thoughts are like a conversation between us, but no one is in the empty chair.

I would call your number if I had it.

If I could put a message in a bottle, I would send it today.

But, the birds are going on strike.

So I write in hopes of a miracle.

The day I see you, that would be a miracle.

After writing, what sense does it make if a lifetime wait is no good.

I’ll be glad when the wait is over.

BY VENNIE HILL Artist/Vendor

H

ave you ever set back and thought to yourself about the things you did wrong, and cry about them because you can’t change them? I do. Every day.

It’s part of my therapy to forgive myself, but also to never forget.

I don’t want to forget because I wouldn’t want to accidentally make the same mistake twice.

I like to choose my friends wisely; no drinkers and no users. No, I don’t think that I am better than anyone else. I just know I deserve better for myself.

Never let in nobody who could damage your health or your life.

Cigarettes, for instance. I used them when I was hanging out with the older crowd and wanting to be grown up. Now I can’t stop, even after seeing those terrible, very scary COPD commercials. Boy, do I regret smoking.

I have chronic bronchitis. I cough all the time. I’m miserable at nighttime., But, thank God, I’m still living.

I regret calling my mother out of her name because I asked her to hold my money one time so that I would not get high. I started geeking and wanting it, when all she was doing was following my orders and trying to help me stay clean.

I regret dropping out of school in the eleventh grade because the students teased me about my name sounding like Benny Hill, the comedian. I got good grades in school and would have graduated. Instead, I went to Baltimore to get my GED. I wish I would have graduated with everyone else.

I regret not listening to the doctor who told me to stay on bed rest when I was two and a half months pregnant. Instead, I got myself

around the wrong person. We got to arguing, which got me all upset, and I miscarried.

I regret stealing out of the Safeway so my boyfriend and I could get high. Never got caught... but I still regret being that kind of person.

I regret missing my oldest niece’s graduation and hearing her read her poem because I was out getting high. I also missed her wedding. Two of the most important events of a child’s life. Terrible.

I regret not listening to my mom when she warned me about going outside half dressed in the winter because today I have arthritis in my knees and legs.

I regret getting a student loan for a business school where I didn’t complete the course. I wasn’t able to get into community college. I still owe on the loan.

I regret using drugs for so many years and never realizing I was compromising my future. Now, I can’t get a job because of my record and my background check. And I can’t get a house to take care of my mother.

I regret not treating my older sister nice because I heard voices and was not taking my meds for that problem. I was too busy drinking.

I really regret following the wrong crowd when growing up and turning to drugs and alcohol thinking it was just having fun because doing that has ruined my life.

These thoughts cross my mind every once in a while but I’m learning to live with my mistakes. I’m sure we all have made them. I try not to forget them because they have made me who I am: strong, kind-hearted, and honest.

Another reason is because if you forget, turn around, and do the same things you’ve done before — you’ll always get the same results.

So, until next time: Stay safe. Stay clean.

I am: strong, kindhearted, and honest.

MOTHER’S DAY: Remember all mommas

BY ROCHELLE WALKER Artist/Vendor

I remember Momma in a joyful way Happy Mother’s Day to all Street Sense fans, moms I remember my momma in a joyful way Although my mother gone, She still right here in our hearts My brothers and sisters are going to stay together, Although they are living so far apart Mom kept the family together.

We went to church with holes in our shoes She fixed our dinner And you can believe my mom put all her love in the pot A special Happy Happy Mother’s Day to everyone whose mom is not here this Mother’s Day See, we learn that God said “Honor thy mother, and your days on this Earth will be longer.”

We will see her again.

We didn’t have much But the Lord saw us through Mom might been sick But we love her always standing around She had lots of children And she counted for something She got life Momma brought us here into this world That’s why I always will remember my momma.

She is at peace and smiling right now That’s a joyful thing.

1 2 // S T REET SENSE ME DI A / / MAY 1 9 - 2 5 , 2 021

ART

Blessed Assurance

BY FAITH PEACE // Artist/Vendor

We are going to make a recipe — I just cannot wait ot start!

This recipe is not the kind you serve at mealtime for dinner We make this recipe in the bottom of our warm hearts!

You probably have not tasted this recipe before - or maybe it is one of your favorites.

Either way, let us get started so it will be ready soon.

You really should have a taste. The kitchen is open. Come Inside Now A loaf of praise:

BY SHEILA WHITE Artist/Vendor

My biggest challenge

Being homeless for seven years was a sad time in my life. Living on the street for three years and not knowing where to find a safe place to sleep, eat, or even shower was challenging. Stores would not let me use the restroom without purchasing something first.. Eating a well-balanced meal was hard to come by. Martha’s Table would bring food to us once a day, but by nightfall I was hungry again. There were places you might be able to take a shower, but those places could not meet the demand. Food lines and shower lines were very long. I might have to wait a week or so for my name to come up to take a shower.

This made me go into the shelter, where I lived for the next four years. Living in the shelter also had its challenges. We had to leave at 7 a.m. and return at 4 p.m. If I did not return, I lost my bed. I had to carry my belongings all the time.

It was diffi cult to sleep. The food was awful.

We ate the same things day after day. I finally received my housing voucher. What a relief! I now can study in a quiet place, feed myself healthy meals, and just relax. But, many more people live on the streets or in shelters. Most people who are homeless suffer from addiction and depression. Many also have eviction notices on their records; others are plagued with felony charges, which prevent them from being housed.

The laws need to change so people can obtain housing. Landlords are not trying to give second chances to people with these kinds of problems.

I was given a chance because my record was clean. But what about people who lost their homes due to fire, flood or just lost their jobs?

Homelessness will probably grow when pandemic-related eviction prohibitions expire.

Based on the Point-in-Time count this January, the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments estimates there are 8,300 homelessness people in the D.C. metropolitan area on “any given night.”

Archive photo by Ken Martin

1 cup of Faith 2 tbsp. Joy 2 tbsp. Laughter 1 quart Agape Love

Mix in a large bowl Warm up to 100 degrees F. Wait for a bubbly sound Knead the dough all throughout

Season with a dash of peace, favor, and goodwill Let the dough rise for two hours with plenty of kindness until double in size Punch down the dough with patience and form three loaves In Good Orderly Direction — place the loaves in oiled and floured pans Bake in the oven with Gentleness — set timer for 30 minutes at 350 degrees F. Ring Ring Ring!

You can smell our loaf of praise is ready I see that it is golden brown, delicious, and ready for some butter However, wait a movement with a measure of Self-Control and Think First…

It is mine, but you can have some to share, Let’s serve some slices to you and me.

Let’s serve some slices to our family.

Let’s serve some slices to friends all around.

Let’s serve some slices to the poor and needy… ...And serve the rest of the Loaf of Praise to the King and the Queen!

PHOTO COUTESY OF REBECCA MATTHEWS ON UNSPLASH.COM

Health update

BY GERALD ANDERSON Artist/Vendor

I’d like to say hello to all my friends and all my supporters.

It’s a nice Saturday afternoon, May the 1st. Me and Thomas out and about in Silver Spring. I’m enjoying myself out here.

It’s a beautiful spring day, it’s beautiful weather.

I’m feeling this air out here right now. It feels so beautiful to be outside and out of the nursing home. I wish I could stay out but I really can’t walk the way I want to walk.

But my left leg is getting better. I can get in and out the car.

I’m looking to be better pretty soon. I can’t say how long.

Should not be too much longer and I’ll be back out, you know.

I’ll be more than happy to be back out.

Wish I could see y’all, let y’all see how I’m doing. Let y’all see I’m doing way better. I would say about 70% better.

Y’all can still call me at (202) 706-9898.

Hope soon we all can get back together and I can do some more writing and put my next book together.

I miss Street Sense. Street Sense was my home. It’s gonna be my home for a while.

I thank all the staff for supporting me and talking to me.

Keeping me updated with what’s going on.

Hope and love to all the other vendors. Hope to see y’all soon. Y’all take care. God bless y’all.

STREETSENSEMEDIA.ORG

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Moon was living in a tent near Dupont Circle during the racial justice protests that followed the murder of George Floyd. PHOTO BY BEN BURGESS, WWW.KSTREETPHOTOGRAPHYDC.COM

The Verdict!

Change gotta come soon

BY ANGIE WHITEHURST Artist/Vendor

The verdict is not correction, change,or a rectifying methodology when systemic deadly actions harm and kill without justification.

And yes, it’s about the police!

This is what has occurred with “qualified immunity,” a.k.a “the powerful invisible blue wall,” and a system founded to protect the rights of people with the least amount of melanin.

The following has occurred and is still occurring... over and over.

The jury sat and listened.

Or were they already biased from the six o’clock, threeminute, top-of-the-hour prime-time, no-time-to-lose news.

The media pressed ears, pens, and lenses, like noses to a line of doubled tracked snowflakes of powdered coke waiting for the fizz.

The deadline jazz of racing to the scoop of a good story, the horror story, guaranteed to raise the advertising dollars and eyeball viewing ratings; aiming at the dart-board bullseye of a Pulitzer Prize. Not the belief, passion, empathy, or the story; rather, the words of ego, emotion, and recognition.

The judge of literal conservative law oversaw the courtroom.

The prosecution pled its case and dug a big 6-foot graveyard via TV, assuring the maximum punishment or sentence against one of its own. An appeal is guaranteed.

Caught mooning but bare for what was accepted and never questioned: the switch from the tree hanging to a choke hold knee lynching with no reprieve, only death.

The defense spoke for the accused, alleged defendant knowing there was no escape. The ordeal was caught on tape and traveled round the world faster than an orbiting star.

The victim’s family cried, grieved, and begged for justice.

What was going to be fixed?

Nothing!

Transformative change? “No. Not at this time.”

Not the right time.

Maybe the next time.

Hope says, “You will see.”

Increased awareness, fear, anger, tears, anxiety, depression.

Four hundred years, unchained and still beaten to the ground under the dirt of the unholy soiled souls of an inhumane man.

Or was it a grab of revenge, retaliation, primal hateful response?

The court of public global opinion would sentence only one sacrificial lamb to save the face of the past, present, and future offending maintainers trained by legacy to carry on traditions and customs that barred and restricted blacks, women, immigrants, the disabled, the elderly, and LGBTQ from equity to just plain be and live.

The jury sat, pondered, followed the instructions of the court and rendered its verdict. One person, one price; the rest of the oppressive trained to do “that” go free.

That is change, nor transformation, nor justice. Everything stays the same and as the last year has shown it is a repeat of many repeats of authorized legalized practices of systemic oppressive abusive treatment and criminalization. The verdict that makes a change evolve; that is the people’s prerogative. It’s time we relieve, change, and guarantee the end of such inhumanity.

We should listen to the NAACP’s discussion on accountability.

Eighteen thousand police forces training officers generically in the same curriculum, needs to change.

Let your elected officials hear from you. Pass the legislation to rewrite and reform the responsibility and the accountability of the police, including holding police chiefs and government officials responsible for misguided leadership and ineffective oversight.

Get busy. Start calling. Now.

BY ABEL PUTU Artist/Vendor

It changed my life for the first time. I’d seen it on TV. Now I’ve seen it live.

We gotta make changes on both sides. The system — courts, law enforcement, police departments — all need to be changed. Not only for us here, but for everyone around the world.

I’m glad I was able to join the first protest of my lifetime.

My cousin, Munah Evangeline Pelham-Youngblood, was a legislator in Liberia. She passed away last year after being poisoned for her political beliefs.

She and her legislative colleagues wanted to root out corruption; for that stance, she was poisoned.

Her story is available on the internet.

She wanted changes for everyone without enough food or adequate medicine. She said things were tough and the country had to look to other countries for help.

That’s how I can remember her, for all the good things she did. I protested for the first time on April 20. People were glad I was there. They took pictures of me! I pray things will get better on both sides, like the way it used to be during Bill Clinton’s time and Barack Obama’s time.

I’m glad to see the guilty verdict in the trial of the murder of George Floyd. Not only for George Floyd, but for Breonna Taylor, Trayvon Martin, and everyone else.

I’m glad change is gonna come.

I’m glad I was able to join the first protest of my lifetime.

1 4 // ST REET SEN S E ME DI A / / MAY 1 9 - 2 5 , 2021

FUN & GAMES

Intermediate Sudoku by KrazyDad, Volume 10, Book 6

Sudoku #5

Patty’s Sketchbook:

Me and My Community 4 6 3 1 8 3 2 7 7 2 4 Intermediate Sudoku by KrazyDad, Volume 10, Book 6 6 5Sudoku #2 4 8 4 1 3 7 9 39 6 2 5 3 7 7 3 6 9 4 1 2 8 39 6 5 7 18 1 1 3 5 4 2 8 2 6 7 4 9 7 6 3 5 9 6 1 7 8 2 3 7 6 8 1 5 5 7 9 6 8 4 1 4 2 3 53 1 7 9

BY PATTY SMITH // Artist Vendor "A baby is born with a need to be loved - and never outgrows it."

-- Frank Howard Clark

Self portraits, including relaxing in the Street Sense Media lounge and joy at Church of the Epiphany (where SSM rents office space).

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

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

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© 2015 KrazyDad.com

Fill in the blank squares so that each row, each column and each Sudoku 3-by-3 block contain all of the digits 1 thru 9.#4

SUDOKU: Fill in

3 without 2 8 4 9If you use logic you can solve the5 puzzle 6 7 guesswork. the blank squares

9

1

so that 1 shows 8 the 3 puzzle.

6 3Need 2 a7 logical 4 order 5 9 a littleeach help? row, The hints page to solve Use it to column identify theand next square you should solve. Or use the answers page each 8if you really get stuck.

9 8 4 1 3 6 7 5 2

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

each 3-by-3 block contain all of the digits 1-9.

LAST EDITION’S PUZZLE SOLUTION >>

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

5 2 8 9 6

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

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

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

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

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

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

4

3 7

1 4

3 4 7 8

9

6

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

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

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

BEHAVIORAL HEALTH HOTLINE Línea de salud del comportamiento

1-800-799-7233

Housing/Shelter Vivienda/alojamiento

// 15

1-888-793-4357 Laundry Lavandería

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

JOB BOARD Server Hot N Juicy Crawfish // Woodley Park, DC Full-Time, Part-Time // $25/hr Urgently hiring.

REQUIRED: Must be at least 18 years old.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Martha’s Table // 202-328-6608 marthastable.org

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

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

2375 Elvans Road SE 2204 Martin Luther King Ave. SE

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

My Sister’s Place // 202-529-5991 (24-hr hotline) mysistersplacedc.org Community of Hope // 202-232-7356 communityofhopedc.org

Covenant House Washington 202-610-9600 // 2001 Mississippi Ave., SE covenanthousedc.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 D.C. Coalition for the Homeless 202-347-8870 // 1234 Massachusetts Ave., NW dccfh.org

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

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

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

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

APPLY: tinyurl.com/crawfish-server

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

Silver Diner // Cathedral Commons, DC

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

REQUIRED: N/A

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

Server

Unity Health Care 3020 14th St., NW // unityhealthcare.org - Healthcare for the Homeless Health Center: 202-508-0500 - Community Health Centers: 202-469-4699 1500 Galen Street SE, 1500 Galen Street SE, 1251-B Saratoga Ave NE, 1660 Columbia Road NW, 4414 Benning Road NE, 3924 Minnesota Avenue NE, 765 Kenilworth Terrace NE, 555 L Street SE, 3240 Stanton Road SE, 3020 14th Street NW, 2700 Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SE, 1717 Columbia Road NW, 1313 New York Avenue, NW BSMT Suite, 425 2nd Street NW, 4713 Wisconsin Avenue NW, 2100 New York Avenue NE, 2100 New York Avenue NE, 1333 N Street NW, 1355 New York Avenue NE, 828 Evarts Place, NE, 810 5th Street NW

Full-Time, Part-Time The host will greet and guide customers to their table, manage the wait list, answer phones, and inspect tables.

APPLY: tinyurl.com/silver-diner-cathedral

Tortilla Coast // Capitol South, DC Full-Tme The server will need to utilize their skills, judgement, and knowledge to make guests happy.

REQUIRED: N/A APPLY: tortillacoast.com/jobs

Restaurant Team Member Chipotle // Nationals Park, DC Full-Time, Part-Time The team member will be expected to help and serve customers.

REQUIRED: Be at least 16 years old.

APPLY: tinyurl.com/jobs-chipotle

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

Ice Cream Ambassador Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams // 14th Street NW, DC Part-time

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

The ambassador will serve ice cream and greet customers.

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

APPLY: tinyurl.com/jenis-icecream-work

For further information and listings, visit our online service guide at StreetSenseMedia.org/service-guide

REQUIRED: Be able to work weekends and late nights (past 11 p.m.).

Hiring? Send your job postings to editor@StreetSenseMedia.org

Navy Yard fire STORY AND PHOTOS

BY JENNIFER MCLAUGHLIN Artist/Vendor

I was leaving the Navy Yard Harris Teeter on April 30 when I saw the emergency vehicles showing up and followed to see what was going on.

There was lots of smoke coming from the western entrance of the “Walking Museum of Transportation” next to the U.S. Department of Transportation headquarters. I was glad to see no one was hurt, because a lot of homeless people stay in that area, including a nearby encampment.

I got there just after it happened, and it was put out quickly. D.C. Fire and EMS records show someone called to report the fire at 4:14 p.m. “Now start to spread … The fire is getting big now,” they said, according to the call log. At 4:17 p.m., the fire engine arrived and I took these photos just four minutes after that. Everything was resolved by 4:55 p.m.

I overheard a fire department employee say they thought a cigarette that had not been properly put out was the cause. There was a high wind advisory at the time, so it may not have been originally dropped into the brush.

This incident was one of 566 calls FEMS responded to that day, according to a tweet from the department.

“We’re now creeping up to pre-COVID numbers [of calls], including in the downtown sector,” said Douglas Buchanan, Chief Communications Officer for FEMS. “It’s been very slow for the last year, just because of the small amount of residents and no one coming into work.”

There has been a noticeable uptick in calls as of two or three weeks ago, Buchanan said.

It’s OK

BY SASHA WILLIAMS // Artist/Vendor

I know I can make it I can make it through a lot I don’t want to find out some experiences But I found out from my experiences: I can make it, it’s going to be alright Most of the time it ain’t even right But it’s OK...

It has been some hard falls It’s OK...

Thank you for reading Street Sense!

From your vendor MAY 19 - 25, 2021 | VOLUME 18 ISSUE 18

It will be hard at times to stand up and rise It’s OK...

You can feel like you don’t care But really you ain’t giving up It’s OK...

That is the fight within you You may seem stuck with no way out Don’t forget your blessings are yours It’s OK...

Nobody can take what is truly yours away Such as your destiny, purpose and talents It’s OK.

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