07 13 2016

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Volume 13: Issue 18 July 13 - 26, 2016

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What Does Freedom Mean to You? pg 5 online exclusive

Beat the Heat:

high temperatures test city heat emergency plan

Baton Rouge, a vendor reflection pg 11

D.C. Leads Nation in youth suicide prevention pg 6

Street Sense is the street media center of our nation’s capital. We aim to serve as a vehicle for elevating voices and public debate on issues relating to poverty while also creating economic opportunities for people who are facing homelessness in our community.

ONLINE EXCLUSIVES www.StreetSense.org •

HOW TO BEAT THE HEAT: High temperatures have led to several activations o f t h e c i t y ’s H e at Emergency Plan. What help is available to you?

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Recap of our July 12 Vendor Photography exhibition at Hillyer Art Space!

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Henrieese Roberts reports back on the Kaiser Family Foundation AIDS panel.

COVER ART Boe Bailey, 66-year-old retired senior Navy chief, rode 335 miles with other Western Pennsylvania veterans to arrive in Washington, D.C. on July 4, 2016.

PHOTO BY RODNEY CHOICE

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

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

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STREET SENSE July 13 - 26, 2016

District Homeless Services Law Reform Begins

By Jacqueline Groskaufmanis, jacqueline.groskaufmanis@streetsense.org Eighteen public and private members of the D.C. community met at N Street Village on July 7 to assess the District’s Homeless Services Reform Act (HSRA).

A footnote in the city’s five-year plan to end homelessness—adopted in 2015—acknowledged that this decade-old law will need to be updated to support a transition from the old “low-barrier shelter” model to the new “emergency shelter” model called for in the plan. The HSRA created the Interagency Council on Homelessness (ICH) and requires that the group prepare and publish a plan to end homelessness every five years.

Attendees at the July 7 meeting were encouraged to report information back to their respective groups, review the current legislation and reconvene with new ideas. Representatives from the homeless community, the Department of Human Services (DHS), ICH, Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless, D.C. Fiscal Policy Institute, So Others Might Eat and The Community Partnership for the Prevention of Homelessness were in attendance.

Four public feedback meetings have been outlined by the ICH to ultimately produce practical revisions that can be brought to D.C. Council for consideration in the fall. The dates of these meetings are tentatively July 21, July 26, August 11 and August 25. Details and times to be posted online at http://ich.dc.gov/events.

The full HSRA has also been made available for public comment online through Friday, July 22, at http://drafts.dc.gov.

Conversation at the initial meeting included topics such as the ratio of case workers to clients, conditions in shelters, what exactly homeless people are entitled to under HSRA and when they are entitled to those resources and services.

As it currently stands, Subchapter 5 of HSRA dictates that the only time homeless people are technically entitled to any of these services is during “severe weather conditions,” which are strictly defined as hyperthermia and hypothermia conditions under 4-754.11(5). Hypothermia conditions include temperatures that are below 32 degrees Fahrenheit.

This somewhat narrow definition can leave people outside and unassisted when there is still snow on the ground, according to members from the homeless community present at the meeting.

This divergence between what is needed and what is provided, particularly in times of severe weather, is ongoing.

According to the five-year plan, “an effective emergency response system must respond to families when they are in crisis, not just when the weather meets certain criteria.”

However, activists at the forum stressed that funding has been, and will continue to be, one of the main constraints limiting the capabilities of such legislation. “We have a lot of need and a limited pot of funding,” stated Emily Richard, a lawyer with DHS. The next public meeting will take place at 1:30 p.m. on July 21 at N Street Village, 1333 N St NW.

3

NEWS

Author Reveals Corrupt “Poverty Industry” at Busboys & Poets Event

By Kim Szarmach kim.szarmach@streetsense.org Law professor Daniel Hatcher’s new book, “The Poverty Industry,” makes the case that agencies and governments profit off denying services to America’s most vulnerable citizens. On June 29 at Busboys and Poets, Hatcher talked about state governments’ misuse of funds meant for foster children, disabled people and people living in poverty.

“It’s all about the money, unfortunately,” Hatcher said. “It’s not about helping [people].”

He told the story of a social worker in Westchester, NY, who took $16,000 in survivor benefits from a child whose adoptive mother had just died. However, he said that most abuses of funds meant for the disadvantaged are by people in leadership positions, not those working with foster children or impoverished adults.

Hatcher said that because states are unwilling to raise taxes to pay for necessary programs and services, they take revenue meant for people who don’t necessarily have the power to put up a fight.

“Funds are being diverted from those of us who need it most,” Hatcher said, noting that the solution

to the problem is not to cut the aid, but to stop the misuse by the agencies that are taking from those who should receive the aid. According to Hatcher, these practices are not only immoral, but irrational too.

When agencies increase their budgets by taking money meant for clients, they don’t get more funding from the government, because it looks like they don’t need it.

In 2013, Hatcher wrote in the Baltimore Sun that the state of Maryland had hired a contractor, Maximus, to identify disabled or parentless foster children. Maximus would then file for federal benefits on behalf of the children and divert the money to the state budget’s general fund. After examining public records, Hatcher wrote that Maryland may have used foster children’s assets and other funds to reimburse the state more than once for the same costs. The State of New York and the Department of Justice later awarded Maximus contracts.

Hatcher said that denying funds to the people they’re meant for is a breach of fiduciary duty, which many state laws forbid. He hopes that people will pressure their states to stop misusing these funds.

“I think with awareness, we have the potential to bring change,” he said.

Another speaking engagement with Hatcher is scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday, July 14 at Potter’s House cafe, 1658 Columbia Rd. NW.

District Commits to $15 Minimum Wage

Domestic Violence Victims Faced with an Impossible Choice

By Kim Szarmach kim.szarmach@streetsense.org

By Rokia Hassanein rokia.hassanein@streetsense.org

Mayor Muriel Bowser signed legislation on June 27 that had been unanimously approved by D.C. Council to raise D.C.’s minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2020. The minimum wage was increased to $11.50 on July 1 in accordance with a 2013 D.C. amendment, but the wage will rise faster from year to year because of the new Fair Shot Minimum Wage Amendment Act of 2016.

The legislation also increases basepay for tipped workers, though many advocates have argued in favor of one minimum wage for all. “We believe that D.C. should follow the model of more and more jurisdictions around the country,” testified DC Fiscal Policy Institute Senior Analyst Ilana Boivie at a May hearing about the bill, “to eliminate the subminimum wage for tipped workers altogether, to address the severe income stability and other challenges these workers face.” District employers are responsible for making up the difference if their employees’ tips do not add up to at least minimum wage.

D.C.’s minimum wage increase is part of a nationwide effort. “Since my first call to raise the wage in 2013, 18 states and D.C. have taken action, action that will help over 7 million American workers,” President Barack Obama said in a statement to the press.

While a $15 minimum wage is a win for D.C. workers, groups advocating for employment justice in the District feel the fight isn’t over. Hannah Kane, a member of the D.C. Just Pay Coalition, said the organization will push to see better enforcement of recent worker’s rights legislation.

According to Kane, some D.C. businesses have not been complying with the Wage Amendment Act, the Accrued Sick and Safe Leave Amendment Act of 2013 or the Wage Theft Prevention Act of 2014, causing workers to lose out on the wages and benefits they deserve.

“A law that isn’t enforced is a hollow victory,” Kane said in an interview.

In addition to advocating for better enforcement of labor laws, the coalition is currently focusing on reaching out to workers to make sure they know their rights.

When Betty Wright left her abusive husband in 1985, she remained homeless for the three years and 10 months that followed.

“I left him and my children, but I had been through the abuse for 30 years. So that’s how long it took me to get strong enough to not be afraid that it didn’t matter what was happening just because I had a roof over my head,” Wright said. “I didn’t feel safe.”

At the time, Wright sought out the Bethany House of Northern Virginia, a transitional housing program for female domestic violence victims and their children. To stay longer than the ‘transitional period’ of three months, Wright said she helped manage the house.

“I had been through too many years of abuse that I would not go back unless he changed,” she said.

With the limited resources available in 1985, Wright found another way to get back on her feet: by educating herself. She started taking classes at Northern Virginia Community College.

“One of the classes that I took was a co-op, so I got a three-credit class for going to work,” Wright recalled. She said her instructors even came to her job and interviewed her employer to see how she was doing. “That was like taking me by the hand and saying ‘I’ll help you through,’ because I had been in the home with children [and] didn’t know if I had any skills.”

Today, while more resources are available to victims, the challenge of becoming homeless after leaving an abusive relationship remains high, especially locally.

Twenty-seven percent of D.C.’s homeless community has experienced domestic violence. For 15 percent of the District’s homeless community, domestic violence was the primary cause of homelessness, according to Carol Loftur-Thun, Interim Executive Director of My Sister’s Place.

The nonprofit serves the D.C. area with a free domestic violence hotline, a shelter, referrals to other shelters and a transitional housing program.

“It’s a major change in homelessness here in D.C.,” Loftur-Thun said. “I think

Anyone who has experienced wage theft can contact the D.C. Just Pay Coalition by visiting their website http://www.knowyourrightsdc.org/.

it’s very important for our city to understand and start putting the funding and services to align with what has already been identified as a community need.”

While domestic violence has been cited in Mayor Bowser’s five-year plan to solve homelessness, Loftur-Thun said that only about 2 percent of the funding to address homelessness goes towards helping victims of domestic violence. According to the Metropolitan Police Department in 2014, 32,940 domestic violence-related calls were made to them, with 1 call ev-

ery 16 minutes. That same year, 5,048 petitions were initiated for Civil Protection Orders, and the two Domestic Violence Intake Center served 5,698 people.

“That’s a pretty big differential: 27 percent versus 2 percent,” she said. “I’d really like to see our city have greater understanding of how domestic violence contributes to homelessness throughout the region.”

Shelters often spark anxiety for women choosing between escaping the danger they know and facing the unknown.

Tenickia Polk knew she had to get out of her abusive relationship but struggled with the housing reality.

“I didn’t really realize that I had become homeless with this decision and I wasn’t familiar with the housing options,” said Polk, another domestic violence survivor. “A shelter sounded pretty scary to me, So what I ended up doing was staying with friends for a very long time, moving from place to place.”

For Polk, financial abuse had taken a toll on her credit. Her husband refused to work for the majority of their marriage and the house and bills were in Tenickia’s name. By the time she left, her bad credit limited her housing options.

After going from house to house and staying with her family, she eventually got help from Good Shepherd Housing, a program that helped people with bad credit find housing. “Before the marriage, I had pretty good credit. Good Shepherd Housing was very key. All I needed was an opportunity to build up that credit.”

A big barrier Polk highlighted is that many domestic violence shelters will only house victims for a set period of time.

“And that’s unfortunate. I don’t think most people are ready to get off on their own within that time frame,” she said.

Currently, Polk is assisting domestic violence survivors with small emergency housing needs by giving them $200 towards a bill. She gave the first award this weekend to a survivor. She plans to continue soliciting donations for this emergency fund online.

Despite the housing obstacles, Polk still strongly recommends that abuse victims get out.

“It’s not worth it.

Even when I was homeless, I had more peace of mind. I lost everything - all of my possessions, furniture, all of that, even my car, but those things are replaceable.”

Wright echoed this sentiment and stressed that housing and other forms of material assistance are not the only ways people can help abuse victims. “Encouragement is a powerful tool,” she said.

Victims need someone they can trust to tell them that they can make it, that they have value and that there can be change. Abusers often make victims feel like they have no value and deserve the punishment, according to Wright. “It’s so complicated how you feel about yourself,” she said. “Encouraging survivors to get educated and build their skills lets them know they’re capable.”

Both Wright and Polk agree — it’s hard to build up the courage to get out. Even when you do get out, recovering is always a work in progress.

“Now, I can hold my head up and say that wasn’t me, and that was just my fear holding me captive,” Wright said.

“An abuser can do that to people. Somebody that hasn’t been through it couldn’t believe that you could be that fearful of another person.”

STREET SENSE July 13 - 26, 2016

5

NEWS

PERCEPTION OR REALITY:

PITTSBURGH TO WASHINGTON: 21 Veterans Ride 335 Miles for Independence

By Rodney Choice and Anna Riley Staff

Independence

By Robert Williams—USMC Vendor/Artist

Young adults from D.C. nonprofit Gearin’ Up Bicycles welcomed veterans riding to Washington from Western Pennsylvania for Independence Day. PHOTO COURTESY OF VETERANS LEADERSHIP PROGRAM OF WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA

Despite heavy storms in the forecast, military veterans and supporters celebrated this Independence Day by completing a 335-mile bike ride from Pittsburgh to Washington in honor of veterans. Stopping in Pennsylvania, Maryland and West Virginia along the way, the group aimed to raise awareness of veterans’ struggles on the home front and collect funds to support them.

The ride, 335 Miles for Veterans, raised more than $25,000 for the Veterans Leadership Program of Western Pennsylvania (VLP), which helps 2-3,000 veterans each year through housing, employment and supportive services.

Jack Kudrav, a case manager at LVP who served in the United States Army for 23 years, came up with the idea for the ride to raise awareness about the veterans that need more support in the community.

“There’s a significant percentage [of veterans] who seem to experience a falling out of society when they join the mil-

itary,” he said. “Then, when they come back, they’re struggling to get back into society... And typically that means they need help within the community.”

Kudrav said he was impressed with the ride turnout, which not only included veterans, but veteran supporters, friends and family. Young adults from D.C.’s own Gearin’ Up Bicycles, a nonprofit used bicycle store that trains and employs young adults from underserved communities, joined the riders for the last leg of their journey into the District.

When asked about the ride, Kudrav said, “It’s just a whole bunch of people that came together. I call them ‘servant leaders,’ because the main component there is caring for others; that’s what it’s all about. We say, ‘let us challenge others to become servant leaders.’”

One of the riders, Daniel Blevins—who fought in Iraq, Afghanistan and South Korea—runs the Project Journey program through the VLP. The program helps vet-

erans and their families experiencing homelessness get back on their feet and find housing, without upsetting the family’s routine. “I would’ve been out on the streets had it not been for my girlfriend.

I’m real lucky, and not everyone’s that lucky,” Blevins said of returning from war.

According to riders, the toughest part about the ride was having to go very fast on the last leg into Georgetown, because storms were approaching. “We had to hustle on the C&O Canal trail to beat the rain. So that was pretty challenging,” said Boe Bailey, 66, the oldest rider and a retired senior navy chief.

According to Kudrav, there needs to be more awareness about veterans and their needs. “We’re not something that you can just take off the shelf during a patriotic holiday once or twice a year, this is happening all the time.”

Additional photos and audio interviews available on StreetSense.org!

Have you smiled at and/or said hello to someone you don’t know today?

Do you include a person with unstable housing as being a “someone?” We all should be saddened, witnessing so much unnecessary strife.

The Fourth of July just passed. Stars and Stripes were displayed everywhere.

Yet, when I introduced myself as a veteran, most people still didn’t seem to care. Life for all sometimes isn’t fair.

But it is what it is. Together we all can make it what it should be: equal and fair to all, regardless of race, sex, religion or economic status.

The United States of America’s Red, White and Blue. What does that mean to you? What is it all about — is it for all, or just those with clout? Do you have any doubt?

On the backs of my forefathers was this country built. To seek the truth is always a tilt. Who is free: you or me, me or you — or is it for a selected few? Give me some feedback, what does it really mean to you?

Life is love and love is life. You are my sister, I’m glad, even if from another dad. You are my brother even if you are from another mother. I will end with this quote from an unknown author who I heard reciting it on the radio nearly 30 years ago: “Let us not be pacified being classified as satisfied with the justices of a non-justice America.”

Perception, or reality?

Independence Day

By Evelyn Nnam, Vendor/Artist

Dave Primm, a Marine Corps veteran, served Family and supporters rode with the Jack Kudrav, an Army veteran, serves as a on the ride’s support team. veterans or met them at the finish line. case manager with VLP and founded the ride.

PHOTO BY RODNEY CHOICE

PHOTO BY RODNEY CHOICE

PHOTO BY RODNEY CHOICE

When we saw those fireworks sparkling and the beautiful colors they gave off in the night sky, it really felt like Independence Day! Many enjoyed cook-outs, parties, concerts and their Monday off from work and school. They laughed and played together, spent time with loved ones and just enjoyed remembering how America became an independent nation.

So, wherever you are, make sure to enjoy this freedom so many have fought for. America does a great deal for many people and every day it is improving for the future.

Local Professionals Talk Job Skills With Sasha Bruce Youth

40 Sasha Bruce youth discuss job skills with panelists at Shinola store in Logan Circle.

Charmia Carolina, Jacques Panis and Sasha Bruce founder Debby Shore.

By Anna Riley Anna.Riley@streetsense.org

Smoot said. “I was afraid of becoming my ‘cool uncle,’ ya know? The one who still slept on my grandma’s couch.”

Sunni Puric grew up in Bosnia during wartime and spent most of her childhood moving in and out of different refugee camps. She moved to America and was placed in 7th grade, speaking no English.

She overcame countless setbacks, including getting rid of her accent and scrubbing bathrooms on the midnight shift at Walgreens. She kept fighting until she achieved her dream job as a radio host.

“It’s going to be okay. As long as you’re 100 percent passionate, then nothing can really get in your way,” Puric said. “I’ll put anyone’s degree up against my hustle.”

More than ten SBY youth raised their hands when asked if they had a dream job. When one of them asked the panel how they were to achieve their dream job, Smoot had a quick answer.

“Ask yourself one question: Would I do it for free? I would play football for free!”

PHOTO COURTESY OF JOHN ROBINSON

More than 40 Sasha Bruce Youthwork (SBY) staff and youth, many of whom have or are currently experiencing homelessness, had the opportunity to discuss job skills, getting through tough times and motivation with a panel of four professionals on June 27.

The panel included Jacques Panis, president of luxury goods retailer Shinola; Fred Smoot, a former Washington Redskins player; Vildana “Sunni” Puric, a WPGC 95.5 FM radio host; and Charmia Carolina, a formerly homeless single mother of three and SBY alumna.

The panelists discussed their backgrounds and turned the discussion into a talk about overcoming adversity and achieving dreams.

Panis, the president of Shinola, a Detroit-based designer retail company which recently held a hiring event for its new

D.C. store, discussed his life struggles and how he found the drive to succeed.

“Life isn’t fair. I wasn’t afforded the same opportunities some of my buddies were,” he said. “Once I learned that, I wanted to make life more fair for the people around me and make a positive change in the world.”

Carolina discussed the obstacles of drugs, being a single mother and being homeless for six years. She now has an apartment and her GED, and is working toward entering the field of social psychology.

“By the age of 20, I had 3 kids. That wasn’t fair, but that was my choice, and now I want to change myself to be a better role model for my kid,” she said. “So life isn’t fair, but it’s what you do with it that matters.”

Smoot’s mother had him at 15, and she had to drop out of high school. He was raised by his grandmother for the most part, he said.

“What kept me motivated was fear,”

PHOTO COURTESY OF JOHN ROBINSON

Smoot said.

Sunni had additional advice, “You have to want it. If you want something to happen, you’re going to do everything you can to get it done,” she said, adding, “It’s not about failure. It’s about how you get back up.”

Panis emphasized that experiencing adversity does not equal failure. When emphasizing what skills Shinola looks for while hiring, he said, “It’s not about what’s on paper, it’s about what’s in your heart and soul.”

Moderator Brian T. Kenner, D.C. Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development, agreed. “Sometimes it’s not about having the perfect background, it’s about your attitude, drive and passion,” he said.

In his final word of advice to the SBY youth, Panis said, “Keep your head up.

The world is not fair, but you can each make a change in your own lives and the lives around you.”

Suicide Prevention Law Addresses Homeless and At-Risk Youth

By Anna Riley, Anna.Riley@streetsense.org The Youth Suicide Prevention and School Climate Survey Act of 2016 lists specific “at-risk” subgroups, including homeless youth, to focus special attention on during teacher and staff trainings, making it the first law of its kind nationwide.

The act officially took effect in late June. It states that starting this October, teachers and principals must complete a two-hour youth behavioral health training every two years. The written guidance shall, “model policies for suicide prevention, suicide intervention, and suicide postvention, especially for at-risk youth sub-groups,” according to the act.

Councilmember At-Large David Grosso and the D.C. Committee on Education drafted the legislation based on community members’ testimonies given last year.

“We had a hearing last summer, midJune, on trauma-informed approaches to schools and schoolwork,” Grosso said.

“We had a couple of panels of witnesses that brought these issues at the forefront in their testimonies. They talked about the struggles that a lot of marginalized youth go through in schools. It was deeper than bullying, and a subset of the broader hearing was just on youth suicide.”

The act specifies seven different categories of at-risk youth subgroups, including, youth experiencing homelessness, youth in out-of-home settings and youth who identify as LGBTQ. Grosso said that requiring training tailored to these groups is what makes the legislation unique.

“The groups are defined in the bill. Very specific, very delineated. There was pushback to not do that, because the more general approach is preferred by schools.

But once we saw the data, we were able to recognize the need for special attention to some groups.”

Part of the bill also outlines a three-

year grant from the National Institute of Justice to implement climate surveys in 36 D.C. public and charter schools starting this fall. The Citywide Youth Bullying Prevention Program at the D.C. Office of Human Rights will play a key role in administering these surveys and providing supports to figure out what each individual school needs. The surveys are analyzing the sense of safety, environment, and engagement at each school.

“We’re measuring not only in students, but in teachers and staff and parents,” said Suzanne Greenfield, Director of the Citywide Youth Bullying Prevention Program. “Because the more positive the climate, the more people feel a sense of safety, a connection to their school, the engagement, the higher they do on pretty much every indicator whether it’s attendance, academic success, as well as social and emotional things”

Greenfield said that youth who have underlying issues of depression or anxiety and are bullied may be at a higher risk for suicide. Her organization aims to figure out why people bully and how people react when bullying occurs. “The whole focus is on how do we change the behavior of kids who are targeting other kids?”

Greenfield said. “We need to know why they do it, the underlying reason, and we need to change the behavior so we can support kids who are being targeted, rather than punish kids, which really does nothing for anybody.”

The training and surveys aim to address school needs in a holistic and comprehensive way. “I hope… that we move to a better culture in our communities so that people don’t get to the point where they want to attempt or think about suicide,” Grosso said. “But the reality is that if we can just save one life, this is huge.”

STREET SENSE July 13 - 26, 2016

7

FEATURES DOWN ON THE FARM: Part 3

By Eric Thompson-Bey, Vendor/Artist I know you all are probably wondering what a typical day is like here at Quaker Valley Orchards. So let me tell you about it.

Our work day starts at 6 a.m. We all meet at the shop and punch the time clock. Every day is not the same. Patrick would let me know what our duties are for that morning. If our boss and his wife need something for the farmers markets, that would be our first assignment for that day.

That calls for picking, cleaning, and storing the fruit and vegetables for the farmers markets.

We usually work in pairs when picking. Most of the time I’m working with Presley; it’s one of the easier jobs for me except when picking the gooseberries. I say that because they have many thorns on the vines that we have to pick through to get to the berries. The guys usually joke with me when we pick them, because they know it’s not one of my favorite duties. One of the other guys usually does the cleaning. We have to be careful not to bruise them so they can stay looking nice for the markets. The cleaning looks easy, but the fruit and vegetables have to be handled with care, because we don’t want to drop or puncture them.

Apple picking season is right around the corner. There are more apple trees on the farm than any other fruit, and many different kinds. So before the apples start to peak we have to thin the trees. We also have to thin peach trees. Thinning the trees is a major duty. It can take hours and days to do, maybe weeks, because there are so many trees.

Thinning consists of taking some of the fruit off of the trees. The purpose of thinning the trees is that it helps the fruit grow bigger. Without thinning the fruit won’t grow as they are supposed to. This is one of the duties that I struggle with, because all the trees are not done the same. The guys usually watch me when we are thinning, so that I don’t take too many fruit off or leave too many on. We usually end the day thinning the trees.

When the work day ends we all go our separate ways.

REVIEW: Patti Labelle

By William Mack, Volunteer

Hundreds of West Virginians Lose Homes to Flooding

By Rokia Hassanein rokia.hassanein@streetsense.org

I shower, eat, and do some writing, which helps me from being bored. I’m still the only one in the house until the other workers arrive on the 20th. One day after work I was invited to go fishing with my boss and his nine year old son J.C. I had never been fishing before. It was a chance to do something different. We went down to the pond. My boss set my fishing rod and bait for me. After about an hour I caught me a catfish. I was so happy. I took it back to the house and showed it off. My boss said I was like a big kid and I felt like one. He told me how to clean it and I had catfish for dinner that night. That was one of my most joyous days down on the farm. Can’t wait to do it again.

On Fridays after work Patrick takes Presley and me to the bank, grocery shopping, and to run other errands. That’s the only other time that I get to see the town and leave the farm.

That’s my typical day down on the farm.

ICYMI: Read Down on the Farm Part 2 on StreetSense.org

Councilwoman Nadeau Hosts Ward 1 Neighborhood Meetup Photo Essay by Ken Martin, Vendor/Artist

PHOTO BY WILLIAM MACK

American singer, author and actress Patti Labelle played the illustrious Strathmore music center on Friday, July 1.

Ms. Patti, as she is affectionately known, wore a Flapperinspired black dress. She captivated the audience with her rendition of songs such as “If Only You Knew,” “On My Own,” “You Are My Friend,” and my all time favorite, “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” as the closing act.

She kept the energy high and the audience engaged for the entire 90 minute show. Her band is an awesome accoutrement to Ms. Labelle. This was a great performance!

More photos and a playlist available on StreetSense.org!

July 5 at Girard Park. More photos available on StreetSense.org!

Historic flash-flooding and subsequent landslides in central West Virginia left 23 people dead and 1,500 homes destroyed last month. Washed-out roadways left many residents stranded, and in some areas floodwaters reached rooftops. One house was seen floating away while burning.

An additional 4,000 homes were damaged and approximately 125 businesses were destroyed, according to West Virginia officials. After a major disaster declaration from President Obama, The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) began accepting applications for financial assistance from both private citizens and public agencies in 12 of the state’s counties. “This federal support will provide much needed assistance to severely-impacted regions,” said West Virginia Governor Earl Ray Tomblin in a press release.

The third-deadliest flooding event on record for the state is an ongoing crisis for many West Virginians because of their unexpected homelessness.

“I don’t have anything,” Cathy Light told the Associated Press after losing her home in Clendenin.

“Where do we go now?”

As regions in West Virginia continue to rebuild, WSAZ-TV reported that rescue groups and animal shelters are assisting victims with pets to locate their animals. Additionally, the American Red Cross and National Guard sent hundreds of workers to the state to assist with flood relief.

A 2011 climate change report by the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources predicted severe storms and flooding will continue to increase statewide. And according to the third U.S. National Climate Assessment released in 2014, West Virginia is especially vulnerable to flooding because more intense precipitation events will mean greater flood risk, particularly in valleys, where people, infrastructure, and agriculture tend to be concentrated.” The Northeast has experienced a greater recent increase in extreme precipitation than any other region in the United States.

Federal aid isn’t the only thing helping West Virginians rebuild their community. Residents are playing a big role — even those who recently became homeless. Volunteers joined relief workers to search for missing persons and begin rebuilding. Becca Cole, a West Virginia native, has been collecting donations of necessities for those who lost everything. That includes water, feminine and hygiene products, canned food, gas for generators, cleaning supplies, first aid kits, medical gloves, clothes and more.

West Virginia businesses are playing a big role, too. After suffering damages to its golf courses because of the floods, the Greenbrier luxury resort sheltered and fed more than 200 displaced persons. Others are hosting charity events and donating goods. Fundraisers and donation collections have been organized in the District and in surrounding states as well.

“You get up and rebuild with the help of everyone around,” McKenzie Moya, a White Sulphur Springs resident who lost her home, told WVVA.com.

OPINION

These Elephants Must Be Tackled

By James McGinley

Elephants already in the room will trample the goal of ending homelessness in D.C. by 2020 unless our region names and faces them now.

I’m James McGinley, a near-65-year-old human rights catalyst focused on the issues of housing and employment for the poor and/or homeless in D.C., stopping the genocide of our sisters and brothers of color in Palestine, and trying to get Bernie Sanders elected in the hopes of getting some of America back for the non-wealthy 80 percent of us. Maybe you’ve seen me in D.C. in the large green solar bike-car.

Residing in D.C. these last 10 years my time has been spent trying to stop the bombing of Iran, to stop global warming, and to stop my stage 4 cancer, numerous times on near-death hunger strikes. Most of my D.C. years I’ve been homeless so that every waking breath, every resource, could be devoted to my causes, and for the last three years starting with my cancer treatment I lived at the CCNV shelter.

The 30 years prior to D.C. my life was quite different. With an MBA at Syracuse University in 1977, I leapt into the burgeoning computer industry specializing in enterprise-wide Information Systems, and leading business turnarounds and startups. Much of my work was designing and implementing comprehensive Information Systems involving many disparate part-

ners, organizations, suppliers, and complex components.

With this background I now attend meeting after meeting in D.C. with folks working to get the region’s homeless people housed and employed. Week after week I am amazed at and deeply grateful for the passion, competence, excellence, cooperation and collaboration that I see among the folks in practically all of these

These are not just D.C. problems. They are nationwide, decades in the making. meetings. With almost no exceptions can I think of a diverse team more likely to succeed at their part of making homelessness in D.C. brief, rare, and non-recurring as called for in the excellent Homeward DC plan. This is an effort we can all be very very very proud of, and very grateful for.

But there are elephants hovering around the perimeter of all of these meetings, efforts, and committed folks, that unless we name them and face them citywide and region-wide we will find ourselves in 2020, 2025... far from solving the homeless problem. If these elephants are mere figments of my imagination I have not yet found anyone to tell me so. Like the elephants, I’m all ears.

These elephants are not just D.C. prob-

Standing With Baton Rouge

By Angie Whitehurst

Breaking news: Barack Obama holds a press conference on Afghanistan to announce he will keep 8,400 troops on the ground through the end of his administration. Scary times and many questions to be answered. I wonder, are we really ready for this? My generation explicitly demonstrated for no more wars that are not in defense of the United States. Maybe times have changed and I am out of sync?

Well, the breaking news was supposed to be the president’s press conference.

Wow, was I confused. Turns out the real breaking news is the revelation of another black man shot by white cops in the Louisiana city of Baton Rouge. A father of five shot dead during an arrest. A bystander recorded a part of the altercation. The police involved stated that their body cams were lost in the scuffle. The police confiscated the store owner’s video security system. The mayor said he was not going to be a part of any cover up, and asked the District Attorney’s office to intercede.

The family of the victim, the local NAACP leadership, attorneys and community stood firm, tall, tearful and strong in call-

lems. They are nationwide, decades in the making. None of them are the fault of anyone currently serving in the private or public sector. And they can’t be solved by any one entity or individual.

1. Massive shortfall in affordable housing. The Washington Post reported in May that our region has 250,000 households spending 50 percent or more on their housing, and another hundred thousand

ing for transparency. They want to know the facts. The people call for justice.

What is amazing to me is the fierce resistance to violence. There would be no Ferguson or repeat of the 1968 riots. The people of Baton Rouge were not going to react violently, emotionally, impulsively or illegally. Their forefathers had borne the chains, withstood the whips, lynching, geographic restrictions, Jim Crow and other demeaning, derogatory, despicable travesties. I have the greatest respect for them. They are demonstrating the strength and inclusiveness of the Constitution of the United States. The Constitution always included all human beings and as we all now know, there were some people, who just out of ignorance or greed, just did not know that.

We stand with you Baton Rouge. Hold on to civility. Stand tall and in peace. We will stand with you.

Angie Whitehurst is a vendor and artist for Street Sense.

households will be in that position in the near future.

2. Massive shortfall in jobs for those with less than a college degree.

3. Housing wage in D.C. that is way out of reach for all but few of the homeless and or poor. Thank goodness the City Council with great courage and decency just voted a $15 minimum wage by 2020.

But the housing wage in DC is $28.50 today, and climbing.

4. Lack of a regional, funded commission, with a vision and plan, responsible to solve 1, 2 and 3, or at least keep a comprehensive, integrated, up-to- date spotlight on this vast system’s challenge.

It is near impossible for D.C., or Virginia, or Maryland to tackle these elephants

alone. It is a regional challenge and needs a regional approach. I mean, imagine a vast commercial corporation. Imagine that there is no integrated vision, plan, that each department, each division, each group works independently without the benefit of an integrated information system, let alone strategic forecasting looking at short, medium and long-term risks and opportunities. It is absolutely certain to fail, after wasting untold resources and mangling untold lives, right?

I could not be more pleased with what I see going on in the meetings. I dearly wish I could leave it there. But my ultimate loyalty is to the homeless and/or poor in D.C. and the region. Unless we name, face and deal with these elephants now, the homeless and needy will still be trampled.

I will be devoting what little abilities and resources I have to try and be a catalyst for this to be avoided. I’m praying to find others way ahead of me in managing these four issues, alongside of whom I can learn and work. It is not that I prefer trying to tackle these elephants alone. But as the biggest threats to our neediest I will have to try and herd these elephants until they are under control. Yes, I’ll probably be trampled, too.

James McGinley is a volunteer writer for Street Sense

MOVING UP: Saving Money, Getting in Shape

By Arthur Johnson

As summer hits the District, this seems like a really good time to talk about getting into shape and saving some money doing it. While working out does have some costs, there are many free or affordable options to get some exercise.

Jogging is one free option, and in the District, there are many trails that offer great scenery, allowing you to enjoy your run. You can run along trails at Embassy Row, Beach Drive, the C&O Canal, Rock Creek Park, and of course, the National Mall. Trails will be more packed on summer weekends (especially the National Mall) but running during the morning should make it less crowded. Another option is to see about joining a fitness club. There are many options in the District. Many DMV employees have facilities available to them through work, and many employers who don’t offer a gym have some sort of subsidized membership with a fitness chain.

Companies benefit from subsidizing the cost for their employees because it helps them by keeping their employees healthy, meaning fewer sick days used and more productive employees. It can also help reduce health-care costs.

Another option, if your employer won’t

be able to help you, is to join the YMCA. There are several locations in the Washington, D.C., area, including the YMCA Anthony Bowen at 1325 W Street NW. You can call them at (202) 232-6936. They are affordable, with family memberships, and they offer financial assistance if costs are an issue. Another fitness club that is very affordable if money is a major issue is Fitness Evolution in Fort Washington, Md. Their basic memberships start at $9.99 a month. Of course, you may wish to spend your exercise time outdoors, and there are many options to choose from: biking (many of the running trails mentioned earlier allow biking), or tennis and golf at many public facilities. Go to tennisdc.com, which operates public tennis courts all over.

You should definitely take the opportunity to exercise. It is fun, keeps you healthy and reduces stress, and you can also have lots of fun. I hope that you have found options here that will allow you, regardless of your financial situation, to get in shape.

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.

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OP-ED

New Shelter Plan, Same Old Promises?

By Marie-Louise Murville

July 4, 1776 was just one day in a long process of gaining independence. The first draft of the Constitution wasn’t published until 1787, after 11 more years of revolution and debate. The Declaration of Independence laid out the vision of our founding fathers. The Preamble of our current Constitution summarized the fundamental purposes and guiding principles: “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”

On March 17th , 2016, I testified before D.C. City Council, along with four score other witnesses. The council listened.

The citizens in our eight wards decided it would be wise to hold the council and the mayor accountable for their plan to end homelessness, to close DC General, and to create smaller shelters throughout the city. As a result, an improved plan was unanimously approved on May 17, 2016.

The new plan is better, but in many ways it is the same as the old plan. The old plan and the new plan both promised safety and dignity. They both promised “wrap-around services.” The old plan did not guarantee private bathrooms. Without private bathrooms there is no safety and no dignity. Homeless advocates have long

insisted that every family should have a private bathroom. The new plan changes the locations and the buy/lease terms of two of the proposed shelters. The locations are better and the terms are better.

There are plenty of “wrap-around services” in both plans.

The new plan does not, however, guarantee that the new shelters will have private bathrooms for 100 percent of the family units. The new plan does not immediately solve the problems of unsafe and undignified living conditions faced daily by the 1,000 residents of DC General: 250 families with minor children.

Inside DC General’s gloomy corridors, at 3 o’clock in the morning, does a mom with three young children want “wraparound services” or a private, clean, safe bathroom? At 9 p.m., after three hours commuting back and forth in the heat and humidity of a summer day to a minimum wage, part-time job, do you want “wraparound services” or a clean safe shower and a quiet place to sleep? At 4 o’clock in the afternoon, does a five-year-old girl want “wrap-around services” or a green, cheerful playground with slides and swings and little playmates?

The Community Partnership for the Prevention of Homelessness is responsible for administering more than $80 million of services for DC Department of Human Services, including DC General. In March, the DC Audit report made 35 recommen-

dations for improvement, alleging DHS did not conduct adequate oversight of TCP’s Continuum of Care management contract.

The May 17th “Homeless Shelter Replacement Act of 2016” does not mention new plans and processes for holding TCP accountable for the day-to-day operation of DC General before it is closed. The mayor’s new online DMPED Economic Intelligence Dashboard has many impressive statistics. This would be a great place to see evidence of improvements in the quality of life for D.C.’s homeless population.

Planning is hard work. Implementing plans is even harder. Results are better if all of the major stakeholders are involved and respected at the beginning AND throughout the design of the plan, the planning process and the implementation process. Throughout each phase, there needs to be feedback and accountability with the multiple stakeholders – including prospective residents, architects, public health and community leaders, experts reviewing impacts and requirements for the environment, transportation and education. Stakeholders need to make sure those in charge are doing their job on schedule, on budget and on time, with integrity and respect for taxpayers and neighbors. This is hard work. But it’s important work. Citizens need to pay attention and stay involved, for life. If we don’t, we will suffer the consequences.

Construction on the 67-acre DC General

site, referred to as Hill East Phase I in the DC.gov DMPD database begins October 1, 2016. That is a tight timeline. The Hill East plans for the design of the apartments and retail on the 67 acres are unchanged. The Martin Luther King Jr. Library is scheduled to close for renovation soon. Many details remain unclear. The mayor has introduced a new Request for Proposals process for citizens to get more involved. Check it out: http://dmped.dc.gov/page/our-rfp.

If you have specific recommendations for improved safety and dignity, please speak up and share your thoughts.

It took years of struggle both before and after 1776 to create our Constitution and system of government. Over the past 240 years, amendments to the Constitution have outlined revisions to processes and procedures. Every year, the Congress and president introduce new plans and new budgets for approval. While our elected and non-elected government officials and contractors need to hold each other accountable, we need to hold them accountable, too. As just one example, D.C. citizens have expressed our urgent unmet need for the dignity and safety of private bathrooms for all families experiencing homelessness. We must ask and keep asking until we get them. Together, we can do better and better.

our lives. It’s the condescending attitudes and behaviors of Regressives that steered people toward Donald Trump. Our elected officials in both parties need to get their heads out of their asses or Donald Trump may win every state in the union. These people have no clue what globalization —and its offspring, multiculturalism—has done to America. They need to visit Appalachia, Baltimore and Chicago. Quit being arrogant and start doing something!!!

Regressives are stoking the fires of hate. They think they can keep provoking people, believing laws will save them.

That’s the same smugness and arrogance that led to the British exiting the European Union. When people are starving, jobless and unemployed, there are not enough armies to stop them from coming into your communities and burning everything to the ground. People are beyond hating Regressives. They are radicalized and ready for someone that says “Enough!!!”

I have faith Donald Trump will do the

right thing and look out for the interest of all Americans. He won’t sign disastrous trade deals that would leave workers devastated. He will protect the homeland by only letting in immigrants who share our values. I have no problems with foreigners coming into this country, but they should not remain foreign in America. We are a nation of immigrants, however, we are also a nation of laws that you should only enter legally. Trump also will respect the Constitution and uphold the Second Amendment, which protects us from those that want to harm us.

Hillary is offering more of Obama. I’ll take my chances with Trump. I’m voting for him because I’m tired of people assuming that because I’m Black, the only issue I should be concerned about is racism. African Americans need to know the truth: Regressives aren’t your friends.

They believe African Americans are noble savages that can be reformed by white saviors. Liberals have destroyed race relations in America.

I’m proud to be an American, not an African American. I was born in this country and I don’t know a damn thing about Africa. Who decided I’m African? Identity politics is dividing this country and creating racial tensions far worse than Jim Crow. If others want to consider themselves African, there are plenty of boats leaving for Africa.

If others want to criticize my support for Trump, go ahead: throw your tantrum, hold your breath, unfriend me. I don’t care. I’m going to try something different and vote for Donald Trump. I want something better than food stamps, public housing and a minimum wage job. Trump is real, he tells it like it is — unlike patronizing, guilty white liberals that condescendingly assume you are not intelligent enough to make decisions for yourself.

African Americans, it’s time to go back to the party of Abe Lincoln.

Marie-Louise Murville is a DC native and Founder & CEO of Delight Me, Inc.

Regressivism.

By Jeffery McNeil

I think I lost a few friends this election. I can’t be around people that are tribal and partisan. I think objectively and try to get both sides of the story before I come to a conclusion. Although many liberals support me, many are naive and don’t have a clue about the human condition. They live in a bubble and are unsophisticated about the ways of the street.

They’re a sucker for the misfit and the underdog, but sometimes the underdog has rabies.

These liberals’ affinity for the dispossessed doesn’t come from love or compassion. They believe people of color are noble savages that can be reformed, molded and manipulated by their distorted worldview. In their zest to make society conform to their own narcissism, they should not be called Progressives but Regressives.

Our nation is morally and culturally sick and we are in a fight for its soul. As with the British, people no longer want Regressives telling us how we should live

Jeffery McNeil is a regular contributor to Street Sense.

Bus Ride

By Sheila White, Vendor/Artist Here I am on the 31 bus Here I am on the metro bus again, Talking and meditating to myself.

What a rainy day.

Raining so hard in Georgetown That I can’t see out the window.

Waiting for my stop to arrive.

Mind you, I am riding the Friendship Heights line To the Naylor road station, From one end of the bus line to the other end.

Between stops I am looking at how many stores there are.

Sometimes I try counting the stores on the left And on the way back I try counting the stores on the right.

Working my puzzle book when I don’t feel like it Looking out the window.

Counting people who get off or on.

Sleeping on the bus.

Waiting for my long stop to arrive.

Sight-seeing on the 32 bus route.

Traffic so jammed up, morning commute.

Evenings no better. But still I ride.

By James Davis, Vendor/Artist My oh my! Look at that clock, And not one word written.

I think I got that writer’s block.

So much material, so much time to kill, I may not write anything, or maybe I will.

I could write about Trump or maybe ISIS, Maybe I’ll write about the homeless crisis.

People ask me why it is taking so long, And I keep singing the same old song.

My oh my! Look at the time!

Writer’s block should be a crime, Walking around with my face in a frown.

Just gotta learn to write stuff down.

I think I just found a cure-all, As soon as I can get my hands on a wrecking ball!

The Monkey and the Clown

By Michael Craig Vendor/Artist

By Monsoor Ali, Volunteer The scurrying and pounding of rubber and plastic soles carrying the empty and needy souls of the city to and fro in an unsophisticated symphony of conformity and organized chaos An old bearded black man sits alongside the quietly decaying walls of a government welfare building over thinking and laughing at irony as his cup slowly fills with singing coins A clumsy child looks on with confused awe, being inconsiderately pulled away by an anxious, worried mother, fearful that the site of poverty is contagious and deadly

T

here were two of them. They were working in a circus and only getting peanuts for all of their hard labor and effort. They were a monkey and a clown.

One day the clown said “I feel like they are laughing at me, not with me. I don’t feel appreciated sometimes. I feel like a monkey in the circus.”

The monkey replied, “Well I feel like a clown. They’ve got me riding around on a tricycle, wearing a clown’s hat— amusing everybody and payin’ us peanuts and throwing bananas.”

The clown said “wait a minute, you mean to tell me you feel like a clown and I feel like a monkey?”

They agreed that they felt the same.

“But how do you feel when you see the

children laughing and carrying on?” asked the clown. “Or when you see someone come in with a frown but leave smiling?”

“Oh I love that!” said the monkey.

“And I especially like watching the elderly enjoying their time with the youth, too.”

They thought patiently to themselves for a minute and slowly started laughing together. They had both realized that they had the greatest occupations in the world, to make people happy and share their love and affection.

“C’mon baby let’s get back to work,” said the clown, offering a high-five.

After all, we’re all clowns and monkeys in a circus, whether we realize it or not. But we have every opportunity to spread joy and love to all.

A block away, scantily-dressed, truant teens practice smoking stolen cigarettes, curse, and laugh, making fun of the diminishing abilities of the elderly as they helplessly listen and remember their own careless youths I, in the center, stare deeply into the overwhelmed soul of society pondering where it all went wrong, wondering if this diseased cycle is in vain or is there a greater purpose I am distracted by a honking horn and a screaming pedestrian, waking me from eternity. I remember my direction. Looking at my watch, I continue on in haste, unaware that I am still a slave

Common Fascination Write

By Sasha Williams, Vendor/Artist Can I write as I think of ways to express myself and reflect.

I never know how some things end.

Or where to begin.

What to say for strength and courage, I can only do.

But what do I do, It's only a blue sky. With white clouds My mood is nice, as I hear bold sounds.

A Memorable Summer

By Patty Smith, Vendor/Artist

When I was about 12 years old, I used to go up on Jefferson Avenue in the North Side of Pittsburgh to the playground, which was surrounded by apple trees. I would climb the trees and pick a coupla apples. Once back on the ground, I would just sit and eat them.

Soon after, I would get on the swing for a little while. And before I had to go home, I would make sure to get on the sliding board. I must have spent all summer doing these things.

I loved my childhood. But I especially loved THAT summer.

Still a Slave

Cares Liik as acid cuts, the sarp tear I sad on the, dearys, t’ wear.

Thos images left us ov gladnes reft; warp ond weft, in aa blear.

-By Franklin Sterling, Vendor/Artist

By Frederic John, Vendor/Artist

We live in perplexing, yea, multicultural times. In my imaginings, the Poet searches for a common source of fascination out of a diverse cosmos suspended in the ionosphere above Gaea, that entity we popularly know as "Mother Earth."

Out with grumps, chumps, and Trump-kins!

I beheld one morn, a 'Labbit' munching in the Liriope; Oh, Woo, What should we do?!

An Ibex, in the Ilex, Is that cool, or how to, Too? The Cushy, cushioning Palanquin of Kush, Is that whence arose the provenance of a "Cush" Job, [Which-by the way, I cannot seem to obtain] Oh, the Pain, the pain.

So begin all over again, my beloved Raider-What, you say, there are Cicadas afoot?

Only one solution-- tear it out at the root, Grab your iron skillet and FRY— Eat the crustacean, enjoy— and so to bed, Good- BYE!

STREET SENSE July 13 - 26, 2016

13

VENDOR WRITING CLAUDE AND GUSSIE: Part Two

By Deborah Brantley Vendor/Artist 1978 —“Fine. I’m through here.

Let’s walk toward the car together.

You can follow me about two paces back,” said Claude Jefferson.

“Yes sir, and your name please? I am Miss Gussie Thomas, a maid for the Winthrop family in Pleasantville, New York,” she said, offering both her hand and her left foot.

“My name is Claude Jefferson. I am a doctor in Greenville,” he said.

The two shook hands and then made off toward the car together. The car was a 1976 BMW sedan with all of the features. She said to herself, “This must be my lucky day.” She knew he wanted more than just cleaning; he probably wanted to “play around” two or three times. She figured she could make $2400 or so just for lying on her back.

They started going toward her home and finalizing the plan when suddenly he pulled a small .22 caliber handgun and threatened to kill if she did not go home with him.

“Help! Rape!” Gussie screamed emphatically out of the window of the car.

She kept screaming “Help! Rape! Thief!” until he slowed down beneath an underpass devoid of cars.

As he raised the gun, Gussie jumped out of the car and ran toward the lone telephone. He fired the gun. A bullet hit her leg. He fired again, three times, hitting her in the leg, back, and head. Then he heard a siren wailing. He looked behind him and saw that, down the road, two police cars were closing in.

The man jumped back into the car and hauled out of there at about 100 mph.

Claude Jefferson eluded the police and

went back to his home. He gathered all of his money, IDs, credit cards and passport.

He pulled out an old toupee, fake mustache and beard, put all of this on, and hurriedly left the house.

“I must get out of the country, and fast,” he told his manservant, the one with the old wrinkled head,.

Claude planned to flee to Malaysia in the South China Sea and set up a practice again.

“In 6 years, I’ll be a free man,” he thought to himself. (to be continued)

AFTER KATRINA: A Ten-Year Roller Coaster, Part 24

By Gerald Anderson, Vendor/Artist

PREVIOUSLY: At the jail they gave job assignments. So I start working from seven am to seven p.m. in receiving: passing out jumpsuits, deodorant, soap, towels, and toothpaste to new rollins. That give me more chance to keep my mind off what I’m facin’. One day they brought a guy from up in the jail; he was hollerin’ and screamin’, “My eyes burnin’!

I can’t see!” The guard was telling us, “Go up front and close the door.” I don’t know what happen but it wasn’t nothin’ good. This kinda thing happen a lot.

Guys getting maced and brought down to clean ’em up and then they brought them to the hole, a small steel cage underground—right beside the morgue—and inhabited by big rats. I started to get talkin’ with some guards and correction officers that work in the prison. Some of them I trust, some I didn’t. I started to feel like whatever happen, I just gotta face the truth. That’s when I also start minglin‘ with some other inmates; I open up. Some of them been in the feds doin‘ time for the same case like I had...

Some of the other inmates said to me, “You might get ten years. Or they might come at you with a rehab program.”

When I was in the cell one morning me and my cellmate woke up and come out to go to work and we see a whole lotta guards. And then we see a guard knocked out near the booth. An inmate was runnin’ around, shouting, “Get your ass up!”

I hear “Code blue, code blue.” I ain’t never heard that, so I asked my cellie what they sayin’. He told me it means a guard need help, like he stabbed up or somethin’.

Guards were yelling, “Get down! Everybody get down!”

To me it was like a drug bust, the way

the guards was runnin’ around. There were white shirt guards too; that mean they higher rank.

So we stayed in the cell—could still see a little bit, but not much as I wanted to see. That’s the kinda thing go on in jail.

One evening at 6:30, they told me I had a lawyer visit. You don’t come in contact with nobody, so I sit behind a glass and he on the other side and me and my lawyer talk to each other on the phone.

He say, “Sometime this week, we should be back in court. They might offer you a deal” I say, “What type of deal?”

He say, “A rehab program or something like that.” He say the only thing is to pay attention and he hope the best for me. He say just stay out of trouble here and I’ll see you in court.

So I leave to go back to my cell and I’m sayin’ to myself, What really gonna happen this week?

A few days later, it was like 3:30 in the morning. A guard came to my cell. He say, “Anderson.”

I say, “What?”

He say, “You have court in the morning.”

So I got up, say my little morning prayer, brush my teeth, and wash my face.

I think, Damn I wish I could go home today. You know it not gonna happen, but you still have that feelin’.

The guards go to each floor and pick up the inmates who have court for that morning. My co-defendants were in the group.

I was askin’, “What do you think is gonna happen?”

They say, “We know one thing, we ain’t goin’ home.” (to be continued ) I hope you’ll check out my book, Still Standing: How an Ex-Con Found Salvation in the Floodwaters of Katrina. It’s available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle form.

de Episo 7a

By Ivory Wilson Vendor/Artist

EXT. CAPITAL HILL - DAY Bill is hurt in pain and is getting sick.

Willie and others of his crew are sicker.

Bill is checking his wound.

BILL: Willie! Larry! Help!

LARRY: Oh no, Bill! They didn’t stick you, did they?

BILL: They knew I was coming. Where is Willie?

MICK: He’s in his nest, very very ill. He needs medicine. I told Willie I could get my crews together and try to suck the blood out of all of you. But then you will die from loss of blood.

LARRY: Treatment! That’s it! There are new medicine for AIDS. MICK: One of my guys got a tip that purple

crew are going to throw a celebratory party in honor of Bacterial’s birthday.

BILL: Where? What time?

MICK: At Herrington Hotel. Don’t know the time. Come on, Bill!

BILL: Larry, aren’t the mice serving food at the party?

LARRY: Yes, Bill.

BILL: Think you can get some of your guys in there tonight?

LARRY: Yeah. No problem.

BILL: I want all of them dressed in white waiter uniforms so that they don’t get mixed up with bacterial’s crew. I want to serve their first cat meal on a silver platter. Before I die from this illness, I want to kill as many of them as I can.

LARRY: This is suicide, Bill! You can’t beat them all! Who knows how many will be there, Bill. (to be continued)

BRAVE NEW FUTURE: Part 1

By Ken Belkosky, Vendor/Artist

January 17, 2018—I was just getting ready for bed, after celebrating my birthday, when two men dressed like they were in an army appeared out of nowhere.

"Where are you from? Am I in trouble with the U.S. Army??" I asked, hurriedly. They said that they were from the year 4242; that I am their leader; and that they needed met to go into cryogenic sleep to be unfrozen on January 17, 4242.

"Why?" I asked. But they could not tell me. The soldiers said only that I had to go to the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) for my cryogenic nap. In the next story I will be in the year 4242. I think there is a war, and I might need to help Earth win it. I might be Earth’s leader... (to be continued) Dear Readers—I am sorry that my Star Trek stories had to come to an end. I hope you like my new sci-fi.

Sol’s Puzzle Corner: Logic & Sudoku tropical fruit

spearmint

peppermint

cinnamon

bubblegum

Chewing Gum

The Fall Guy

Dallas

Cheers

Taryn

Ian

Corey

Ciara

>> Solutions on page 15.

Brianna

Curated by Sol Hicks Vendor/Artist

Seinfeld

Tv Shows

Falcon Crest

First Names

$135,000 Salaries

$156,000 $193,000 $221,000

Chewing Gum

$224,000 bubblegum

Logic Puzzles

cinnamon peppermint spearmint

Tv Shows

tropical fruit Cheers

Salaries

Dallas

$135,000

Falcon Crest Seinfeld The Fall Guy

1. The person who chewed the tropical fruit gum is Brianna.

2. Corey earns more than the person who chewed the spearmint gum.

3. The person who chewed the cinnamon gum is not Corey.

4. Ian earns less than Brianna.

5. Either the employee with the $135,000 salary or the employee with the $224,000 salary watched The Fall Guy. Presented by the Puzzle 6.

Of Taryn and personBaron who watched Cheers, one earns $224,000 per year and the other chewed the tropical fruit gum.

Puzzle ID:who R350UN 7.

The person chewed the spearmint gum didn’t watch Falcon Crest.

8. person who chewed the spearmint For The hints, solutions and more puzzles,gum go earns to less than the person who chewed the cinnamon www.Printable-Puzzles.com! gum.

9. The person who watched Seinfeld is not Ian. 10. The person who watched First Names Tv Shows Chewing Gum Dallas is Taryn.

11. The 5 people were the person who watched Seinfeld, the employee with the $193,000 s a l a r y, t h e p e r s o n w h o chewed the peppermint gum, Taryn, and the person who watched Falcon Crest.

$156,000 $193,000 $221,000 $224,000

STREET SENSE July 13 - 26, 2016

15

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

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

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

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

Miriam’s Kitchen: 452-8926 2401 Virginia Ave, NW miriamskitchen.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) 71 O St, NW | 797-8806 some.org

Catholic Charities: 772-4300 catholiccharitiesdc.org/gethelp

Central Union Mission: 745-7118 65 Massachusetts Avenue, NW missiondc.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) Community Family Life Services: 347-0511 | 305 E St, NW cflsdc.org

Sol’s Solutions

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Patricia Handy Place for Women: 810 5th Street, NW, NW

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

Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless 1200 U St NW | 328-5500 legalclinic.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

Who’s Will Take the Blame?

By Kanell Washington, Vendor/Artist

It is not what happens to you or me, but how we react to it, that matters. For every action there will be a reaction. Doing what you like is freedom, but liking what you do is happiness.

Be it! Speak it into existence and make it real! Make it happen!

Perhaps the butterfly is proof that you can go through a great deal of darkness, yet become something beautiful.

COMMUNITY CONNECTION: ALIVE

LAST WORD: ONE NIGHT

By Robert Warren, Vendor/Artist

By Kathryn Schauska, Volunteer

Look at your life. Just really look at it.

What do you see?

Family? Regret? Love or the unreciprocated? Success? Joy? The past? The future?

It really is beautiful, mysterious, and yet at the same time beautifully overwhelming in its mystery.

Or maybe the perspective is a little less existential. Maybe it’s easier to go with the mathematical sequential viewpoint: we’re born, we grow, we become adults, then die. That’s depressing. Then again, the truth often is in many cases.

It is truly a bit of both. While our earthly beings are bound by the restrictions of time, they are made stronger by the moments with people we encounter. While these too will have an end, the emotions connected to these moments are timeless.

The power of these moments is proven in the evidence of basic psychology: in the fleeting simplicities we routinely encounter—a scent, a brush of skin, a sound—the rest trigger a memory that transports us to the past so vividly. We can even be led to extremes of trauma or euphoria. It is from the vivid nature of our memories that often causes two reactions: flight or fight.

Here is the true human interest story as we stand in the present life’s impossible circumstances, “in a road diverged,” looking at our past, present, and future.

Fight or flight - the choice happens in a moment, but time causes us to move forward in its catalystic impact without a redo.

Many will flight on this road, flee and decay with fear, losing all hope for tomorrow, and allowing the emotions of yesterday’s moments to paralyze the possibilities of tomorrow.

But maybe, just maybe, we’ll go

against the commodity of our flight natures. In a split second choice, we choose to fight, choosing to allow the vivid nature of our memories’ emotions to propel us to look beyond the most probable outcomes of our impossible present and fight to change these outcomes for the betterment of our future.

To fight, when on the rare occasion we choose to not be paralyzed by the emotions of our past. To fight , when we choose to learn from the vivid reels of before to create a better reel in our future.

To fight,to really test your humanity, to not be bound by the limits of what time has labeled our lives because the existential being within all of us believes we are not to simply live, but fight to be alive.

So again: look at your life. Really look at it. What do you see? Did you live? Did you fight to be alive? Choose wisely - the diverged road will not be there forever.

Kathryn Schauska is a friend and customer of Vendor/Artist Michael Warner, who recently obtained housing and says he could not have done it without the support of community members like her. “I am grateful for those who have been there to mentor, love, listen, and give me a much needed kick in the butt from a place of tough love,” Schauska said. “To you—you know who you are—I am forever grateful.” Michael is gearing up for law school applications and applying to the Public Interest program at Georgetown.

Michael Warner - 7/18 Anthony Crawford - 7/29 July - 13 - 26 2016 • Volume 13 • Issue 18

Street Sense 1317 G Street, NW

Nonprofit Org US Postage Paid Washington, DC

Washington, DC 20005

Mail To:

Permit #568

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

Interested in a subscription? Go to page 15 for more information.

On my way to my job at night I need more things in my life Ya Lord bless me right I see this old lady outside this night My heart weeps at her sight Of all the nights Sitting in a ball on top of many bags A sight so sad Wet as can be A tear falling from me I thought to myself how do she carry them all? she so small No rolling cart in sight To top it all off, it had been raining heavily all night I look left, I look right The U.S. Capitol in my sight On that avenue to the Leader of the free world The free world I know Free not to care about an old lady sleeping outside on a rainy night I went to work that night With the sight of her still in my mind Trying to make sense of the time Two days later I see her I try to say “Hi” Her head to the sky She walked past me as if I wasn’t there Talking to the angels in the air I notice some of her bags were not there Do anyone even care?

Someone’s sister, mother, or child An aunt, so nice, all the while Left all alone Old, old without a home just a place to grow old I walk up the street I see another man Laid out on the street With no things at all The funny thing is he smiled at me and waved, I say “Hi” I thought, ‘where are his things?”

Still all alone someone’s brother, a son, a father who might an uncle so nice Who knew he served his country, too with honors Now old with no home to call his own who really cares?

The whole world see them there Walk by as if they’re not there my Lord is always there His grace is everywhere Why I shed a tear And think to give of my substance To find the time to care Yes Lord please make me one who cares