08 09 2017

Volume 14: Issue 20 August 9 - 22, 2017

Street

$2 suggested donation

sense

Read more and get involved at www.streetsense.org | The DC Metro Area Street Newspaper | Please buy from badged vendors

“I AM WELCOME HERE.�

Sense of community fuels motivation and resilience at local nonprofit pg 4

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 • S e e t h e f i r ewo r k s f r o m vendor Ken Martin’s new apar tment!

Facebook.com/streetsensedc • Have you taken our 2017 Audience Survey yet?

StreetSense.org/survey • Early Bird pricing for our 2 0 17 C e l e b r a t i o n o n l y lasts through Aug. 24! and incredible night of art and empowerment!

StreetSense.org/celebration

COVER ART Charlene Davis stands in front of a mural at New Endeavors

By Women that was painted by local artist Jordan Powell.

PHOTO BY DOROTHY HASTINGS

ADVERTISE WITH US streetsense.org/advertise

SOCIAL

A new issue comes out every two weeks, but you can stay connected to Street Sense every day!

/streetsensedc @streetsensedc /streetsensedc

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.

Today, Street Sense is published every two weeks through the efforts of four salaried employees, more than 100 active vendors, and dozens of volunteers. Nearly 30,000 copies are in circulation each month.

How It Works

- 1317 G Street NW, Washington, DC 20005

( 202.347.2006 7 StreetSense.org * info@streetsense.org

Each vendor func as an independent contractor for Street Sense. That means he or she every purchase.

Vendors purchase the paper for 50 cents/issue, which will then be sold to you for a suggested dona $2.

Street Sense publishes the newspaper.

75% 75% supports the vendors helping them overcome homelessness and poverty.

Street Sense

Vendors buy the newspaper for 50 cents each.

&

25% costs at Street Sense.

1. Street Sense will be distributed for a voluntary donation of $2.00, I agree not to ask for more than $2.00 or solicit donations for Street Sense by any other means.

2. I will only purchase the paper from Street Sense staff and volunteers and will not sell papers to other vendors.

3. I agree to treat all others, including customers, staff, volunteers, and other vendors, respectfully at all times. I will refrain from threatening others, pressuring customers into making a donation, or in engaging in behavior that condones racism, sexism, classism, or other prejudices.

4. I agree not to distribute copies of Street Sense on metro trains and buses or on private property.

5. I agree to abide by the Street Sense vendor territorial policy at all times and will resolve any related disputes I

11

The remainder of your supports the vendor.

have with other vendors in a professional manner.

6. I understand that I am not an employee of Street Sense, Inc. but an independent contractor.

7. I agree to sell no additional goods or products when distributing Street Sense.

8. I will not distribute Street Sense under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

9. I understand that my badge and (if applicable) vest are property of Street Sense, Inc. and will not deface them. I will present my badge when purchasing Street Sense. I will always display my badge when distributing Street Sense.

10. I agree to support Street Sense’s mission statement. In doing so I will work to support the Street Sense community and uphold its values of honesty, respect, support, and opportunity.

© STREET SENSE MEDIA 2017

BOARD OF DIRECTORS Jeremy Bratt, Max Gaujean, Margaret Jenny, Jennifer Park, Reed Sandridge, Dan Schwartz, Jeremy Scott, John Senn, Kate Sheppard, Annika Toenniessen, Martin Totaro EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Brian Carome EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Eric Falquero COMMUNICATIONS & SALES MANAGER Jeff Gray VENDOR PROGRAM MANAGER Mysa Elsarag EVENTS & ADMINISTRATION MANAGER Dani Gilmour CASE MANAGER Colleen Cosgriff INTERNS Maren Adler, Justine Coleman, Tom Coulter, Dorothy Hastings, Zachariah Tollison WRITERS GROUP ARTISTS IN RESIDENCE Donna Daniels, Willie Schatz OPINION EDITORS (VOLUNTEER) Rachel Brody, Arthur Delaney, Britt Peterson EDITORIAL VOLUNTEERS Justin Benedict, Lenika Cruz, Roberta Haber, Jesse Helfrich, Laura Osuri, Andrew Siddons, Jackie Thompson, Marian Wiseman 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, Reginald 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, Jacquelyn Portee, 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 ThompsonBey, Sarah Turley-Colin, Carl Turner, Jacqueline Turner, Leon Valentine, Grayla Vereen, Ron Verquer, Martin Walker, Michael Warner, Robert Warren, Angelyn Whitehurst, William Whitsett, Wendell Williams, Sasha Williams, Judson Williams III, Ivory Wilson, Denise Wilson, Charles Woods

Listen to our Sounds From the Street podcast!

StreetSense.org/audio Subscribe to our newsletter!

StreetSense.org/newsletter Be Active in the community!

StreetSense.org/calendar

STREET SENSE August 9 - 22, 2017

NEWS

PEOPLE IN THE PARK:

The Man Who Wheeled His Way to The Oval Office

D

ennis Schulze spent the month of June traveling 109 miles from Wilmington, Delaware to the White House in his wheelchair. He flew to Wilmington from his home in Beloit, Wisconsin to kick things off.

Schulze is no stranger to long travel and had previously logged more than 400 miles in his wheelchair on similar excursions.

Schulze’s journeys, as he calls them, are inspired by fallen law enforcement and military personnel. “I wouldn’t be here without them and their service,” Schulze said in an interview with Street Sense.

He crowdfunds money for five charities he believes in, all benefitting police or veterans. A good chunk of the donations are collected via cash and check while he travels, according to Schulze. Often when people spot his effort they are inspired to donate on the spot and Schulze sets aside the money for whichever of his five charities they choose. He encourages people to give directly to the organizations, but won’t turn down a heartfelt donation.

The ultimate goal of his most recent journey was to get a handshake from Donald Trump on the steps of the White

House as a symbol of the president’s support for veterans. Though President Trump ended up being out of town the day the two had arranged to meet, Schulze was invited into the White House for a tour, and given a personalized note from Trump, both of which delighted him.

According to Schulze, the end of his journey was reaching the White House, and a handshake from the president would have just been a bonus.

Since reaching the District, Schulze said he has encountered his fair s h a r e o f Wa s h i n g t o n e g o . H e w a s unpleasantly surprised to encounter people in suits ignoring him or being outright disrespectful when he asked for directions on the street. The people who Schulze could get to speak to him commonly said to avoid Franklin Park because of the “drugs and hookers.”

But curiosity eventually got the best of him and Schulze had to check out the park at 14th and K Streets NW for himself. Once he got there, Schulze said he immediately felt at home. He was welcomed warmly by the park’s homeless community, or the “people in the park”

3

By Maren Adler Editorial Intern

as he called them. He fell in love with the atmosphere and decided then to sleep in the park rather than going back to his hotel. Meeting some of the very homeless veterans he raises money for inspired Schulze to get to know how they live.

Despite all the bad things he had heard about Franklin Park, Schulze said he never felt unsafe, though he did avoid a portion of the park where there was obvious drug traffic. He wanted no part of the activity, having put his own addiction behind him.

One homeless veteran who met Schulze in the park pulled all the money he had out of his pocket, 75 cents, and gave Schulze 50 cents to support his journey. As the man handed over the donation, he started to tear up. He explained that he wished he had more to give.

“The people who have the less always want to give the most” Schulze said. That 50 cents was one of the most meaningful donations he had ever received.

This brand of sincere gratitude and love fuels Schulze’s journeys across the nation. He described narrowly evading death while working as a truck driver during a collision with another rig. First

responders had been forced to amputate his leg on the spot to save his life. Schulze was conscious during the procedure and remembers the officers speaking with him in his most vulnerable moment.

He also carries the spirit of his cousin with him, who was killed in the line of duty.

There are other ways to raise money. But Schulze said he treks hundreds of miles at a time in his wheelchair to inspire the people that he encounters. He wants to show people with disabilities that they are still able to be out in the world. He documents each of his journeys at Facebook.com/ handshakejourney and snaps photos with everyone who makes a contribution in order to recognize their kindness. ■ This is the first profile in an occasional series featuring the people that would be displaced from Franklin Park whenever its intended redevelopment begins.

Shaw Service Provider Supports New Life and New Endeavors for Homeless Women

By Dorothy Hastings Editorial Intern

N

ew Endeavors by Women (NEW), located in Northwest D.C., has helped more than 3,000 area women and 500 children since the program began in 1988. NEW manages two transitional and five permanent supportive housing programs. Originally only for single women, NEW has added services for homeless mothers and children in recent years.

Charlene Davis came to NEW in November of 2016 as a transitional resident. She is one of 29 women who have spacious single rooms in the New Endeavors building.

Since Davis arrived at NEW, staff has worked with her one-on-one to help her return to school and pursue her high school diploma. NEW helps her assess career and personal development goals and provides job training. After the 24-month transitional period she will be ready to move into her own apartment.

“New Endeavors taught me that there is a new way of life, a new way for women to learn,” Davis said. “It gave me hope that I can still do some of the things I wanted to do in life.”

Executive Director Wanda Steptoe told Street Sense that ending homelessness requires fighting generational homelessness. This is the goal of NEW’s Youth Enrichment Program, which started 6 years ago.

NEW partners with D.C. Public Schools, Early Stages, Family First, and Hillcrest Children and Family Center to offer wraparound services to children of women in the organization’s two family housing programs. Children receive tutoring and go on academic field trips during the school year, when YEP operates three times a week and every other weekend.

YEP uses a tested curriculum to teach kids skills in reading and math and skills for emotional and social development.

“Our goal is to embrace the children of the women we serve,” Steptoe said. “We want our kids to be successful in school because that is how you can make a dent in homelessness.” Steptoe’s vision is that the children become “successful, selfsustaining adults.”

The organization has two family housing programs that offer services to single mothers and their children. A transitional program serves mothers and children for 24 months while the permanent supportive housing program does not have a built-in end date.

The transitional program specifically reunites mothers and children who have been separated. The program is currently serving 15 single mothers that have been

Wanda Steptoe, executive director of New Endeavors By Women.

BY DOROTHY HASTINGS

Raquel Smith uses the computer lab at New Endeavors By Women.

BY DOROTHY HASTINGS

referred by child and family services, court agencies, doctors, schools, and nonprofits.

In some cases, caseworkers collaborated with parole and probation officers. The participating mothers have been provided with information on budgeting and financial resources. NEW has also partnered with PNC Financial Services to help residents learn to open bank accounts, write checks, and fulfill money orders, according to Naisha Price, who manages both family housing programs.

However, on October 1, the family transitional housing program will end.

Instead, the resources will be used to serve single seniors by assisting with

permanent housing. Price told Street Sense that this decision was made by NEW’s funders, the Department of Human Services and The Community Partnership.

NEW will continue to manage its other housing-centered programs, including the transitional housing program for single women that Charlene Davis is a part of. NEW’s other housing programs encompass permanent supportive housing for women 55 years or older, permanent supportive housing for homeless women living with HIV/AIDS, and specialized services for those suffering from domestic abuse, addiction, chronic homelessness, disability, and chronic illness.

In addition to housing, NEW offers educational guidance, employment counseling, life and parenting skills training, advocacy and case management.

This is made possible, in part, due to partnerships with church groups and nonprofits such as Bread for the City, Dress for Success, the Junior League, Jubilee Jobs, and Martha’s Table. The organization also refers clients to outside mental health agencies, trauma support groups, and schools. NEW staff also helps women interested in continuing education to apply for grants and loans.

For at least six months after graduation from NEW, women can continue to use NEW’s transportation assistance, access information on employment or education opportunities, and attend parenting classes.

In 2016, 93 percent of NEW’s transitional residents moved on to permanent housing, and 80 percent of those eligible secured jobs or enrolled in school.

Andrea Ried was referred to NEW by her case manager at the women’s shelter she had been staying in for seven months. After a 2-month waiting period, she moved to NEW in February of 2017.

The staff helped her get a job at Chipotle which she’ll keep while she works toward her goal of getting a job at the U.S. Post Office. The staff organized mock interviews and worked one-on-one with her to write a resume and a cover letter.

She used resources open to all residents in the computer lab to foster learning and job training. Most important, NEW provided her with three full meals a day and a place to live and shower.

Part of the goal of the program is not only to help women into housing and sustainable income, but also to help them live a healthy lifestyle so they can maintain housing, employment, and family life after graduation. In this spirit, NEW offers services for women struggling with addiction, including a relapse prevention program and AA/NA meetings twice a week.

Raquel Smith lost her apartment in 2016 and came to New Endeavors a few months later. She says she was shy when she entered the program and never thought she would be able to go back to school.

Yet with preparation and motivation from a caseworker, she now attends Washington Literacy Center in Northwest D.C. “I am welcome here,” Smith said. “[The NEW staff] care about us. They eat with us, that’s what I love. They mingle with us. We have holiday parties, fall cookouts, they have things that make us happy because this is our home.” ■

STREET SENSE August 9 - 22, 2017

5

NEWS These 2 Bills Would Help Bring Free Internet and Digital Skills Training to All DC Residents

By Tom Coulter Editorial Intern

W

hile more District residents have acquired internet access in recent years, a digital divide still exists between those who enjoy the benefits of technology and those who cannot. Two bills currently moving through the D.C. Council aim to close these disparities and boost public knowledge about the use of computers, smartphones and other devices.

“The digital economy is where most of our growth in our economy is projected to take place over the coming decades,” said Councilmember Brandon Todd during a public hearing for the legislation in July.

The Digital Literacy Council Establishment Act of 2017 would create a team of government officials, business leaders and technology experts that would search for ways to improve digital literacy in schools and workforce training programs. Todd said that technology-related knowledge and skills are becoming more important for residents to gain employment.

The Wi-Fi Task Force Act of 2017 would establish a similar group of government officials and local stakeholders to discuss the possibilities for creating free wireless internet throughout the city. “ F r e e p u b l i c Wi - F i i s a m a t t e r o f economic equality and would help to erase the digital divide that prevents so many of the District’s less fortunate residents from bettering their lives,” Todd said.

During the hearing, Kymone Freeman, a local activist and co-owner of We Act Radio, testified that the bills are necessary to close employment and poverty gaps between neighborhoods east of the Anacostia River and those west of it. Freeman said his internet often goes out during radio broadcasts, and technicians have told him the service problem is a result of a bottleneck of availability east of the river.

“Public policy has an obligation to address these digital divides, and addressing these digital divides may require public investment,” Freeman said.

After the council’s August recess, the Committee on Government Operations, which Todd chairs, will review both bills. If the committee approves the bills, they will be considered by the full council.

The Digital Literacy Council would have six nongovernmental representatives.

Elizabeth Lindsey, the executive director of Byte Back, said her organization would be a natural addition.

“We have 20 years of experience and nobody in the District has done more for digital literacy and digital inclusion than us,” Lindsey wrote in an email. “If we’re part of a future council, we would ensure that proposed digital inclusion solutions will be the right ones for D.C. residents.”

Byte Back, which provides computer training and career preparation to District residents, moved into a new location near Union Station last week that includes four computer rooms, a video studio, virtual reality technology and a staff meeting room. The organization also teaches classes at DC Public Library branches, which offer computers and internet access.

Nicholas Kerelchuk, the DCPL technology and innovation manager, said at the hearing that the library system supports the bills.

He asked that DCPL have a representative on both the Wi-Fi task force and the Digital Literacy Council.

“Not a day goes by — or probably even five minutes goes by — without somebody coming into our library and asking, ‘How do I get a basic email address? How do I apply for a job?’” Kerelchuk said. “These basic skills are entirely still needed, and that digital divide is probably larger than what most people think.”

Deb Socia, executive director of the nonprofit organization Next Century Cities, spoke on other cities’ efforts to bridge the digital divide. She said New York City, which replaced traditional phone booths with Wi-Fi hubs, and Boston, which brought public Wi-Fi to one of the its poorest neighborhoods, should be looked to as models.

The proposed Digital Literacy Council would be required to create two strategic plans.

One would be used as part of local workforce training programs, and the other would aim to ensure all D.C. Public School students are digitally literate by graduation.

During the hearing, local teacher Giana Clarkson spoke of the need for students to view technology as more than just a source of entertainment.

“As a history teacher, using websites … offers students a time machine to walk through the beaches of Normandy during World War II, watch the inauguration of Kennedy, march through the streets of Selma and analyze the effects of the civil-rights movement, even in modern-day D.C.,” he said.

Clarkson said the council’s plan must also address the underlying needs of students, adding that technology “is not a silver bullet.”

“The implementation of a digital learning program in the District is paramount for students’ success,” he said. “It will help them compete in the global economic market, close the gap of achievement between lower and higher performing students and … teach educators and students how to use the internet and software to generate projects and papers.”

If the bills become law, the Wi-Fi task force would be required to publish its recommendations on policy initiatives and funding requirements by Dec. 31, 2018.

The Digital Literacy Council would have to submit its strategic plans within 180 days of the law’s implementation. ■

Students attend the first class of an industry-recognized CompTIA IT Fundamentals certification course held in Byte Back’s new space at 899 North Capitol Street NE on Aug. 2. PHOTO COURTESY OF CHRIS MILLER / BYTE BACK

Street Sense needs the help of a web developer.

OPINION: This Is How You Raise Up a Community The Shaw Community Center is one of the best kept secrets of do-good programs in Washington, D.C. The after-school program enrolls students from pre-K to high school.

They connect with the kids early and build a support network. The parents, youth and volunteers run and operate everything.

Sudi West, its executive director, describes the center as a place for people who did not and could not run away. “They are living lives, pursuing education and entrepreneurship in their community. They are citizens of the world who can meet life’s challenges and overcome racial, socioeconomic and gender barriers.”

As Shaw has gentrified, the neighborhood’s socioeconomic makeup has changed but the community center has not. And it is needed more than ever to make the neighborhood stronger, more viable and solidly productive from generation to generation.

Earlier this summer I attended “An Evening with Shaw Stars” at the center, housed on the basement level of the historic Lincoln Temple United Church of Christ at 11th and P Streets NW. What a touching event!

The food prepared by parents, volunteers and staff was down-home delicious. Awards were given to young students ages five and up for outstanding behavior, leadership and academic excellence. They track these kids and encourage them on into junior high and high school. Even off to college, when they have a chance to be supported with a scholarship. And then the kids come back and help with the program.

This year, Sylvia Mbah, a Shaw Center scholar and recent graduate from Frostburg State, delivered a moving keynote presentation. She told students to never give up and to always pull from within yourself to reach your goals. She also thanked the Shaw Center for awarding her a scholarship for four years and for standing behind her. Twenty young people from the Shaw neighborhood were awarded $1,000 scholarships to attend colleges near and far in the coming academic year.

The center is a lifestyle that is making a difference in the community, enhancing lives, enabling and motivating academic excellence and producing world citizens who care. And this could be done by churches and organizations citywide! And nationwide!

The program is not just about recognizing success. It is about helping everyone in the community achieve success. If a student doesn’t do well, the center helps them get back on track. They work really hard to save money so they can put it into whatever a family may need.

They work with the children, their parents, the family and the community — to the point that some of the kids whose parents and grandparents have been homeless are now living in some of the Channing Phillips affordable housing units nearby.

The Shaw Center practices a very specific philosophy — and it seems to be working. —Angie Whitehurst, Vendor

One Mother on the Impossible Search for Affordable Housing

By Mark Rose Volunteer

Maintenance workers hired by the landlord painted over and boarded up water damaged ceilings. ALL PHOTOS COURTESY DAIMA LEWIS

D

aima Lewis and her three children lived for four years in a comfortable house in Frederick, Maryland, in a gated community where there was no crime and the surroundings were tranquil. “I would leave my door open,” Lewis said in an interview with Street Sense. “I will admit, I was spoiled.”

But when they moved to D.C. a few years ago so her two daughters could attend high school at the prestigious Duke Ellington School of the Arts, the dramatically higher cost of living left them stranded without options. Through the process of seeking city safety net programs, Lewis saw what she describes as the dark side of D.C.’s ballooning public housing crisis.

Lewis had a portable housing voucher she had first received in 2005 while living in Binghamton, New York, but quickly discovered that its value didn’t go as far in the nation’s capital.

“When I got to D.C. it was just horrible,” she said. “It was either really

awful places or really nice places that the voucher couldn’t cover.” Lewis and her children lived in an apartment in Southeast for three and a half years, where the steady gun violence in the neighborhood was a source of stress.

When they arrived in the District, Lewis could not believe the city where the president of the United States lives had so many homeless people. After relocating for an opportunity that was supposed to be positive for her family, Lewis said falling into homelessness was traumatizing.

Safe housing conditions are simply off limits to those without means, according to Lewis. It seemed to her that people in public agencies charged with helping the poor did not care. “They don’t advocate for you,” Lewis said.

The Promise of Education It was important to her to keep her family’s relationship strong. “We just stuck together; I tried to make it as comfortable as I could.” They had meals

Daima Lewis (center) with her daughters and grandson. PHOTO COURTESY OF DAIMA LEWIS

as a family around the table and tried to do things together.

Her daughters, Kyla and Kyera, both 19 now, were accepted into two Ellington School programs: Kyla in visual arts and Kyera, who plays saxophone, flute, piano and piccolo, in the music program.

Once they got the news in Frederick that the girls were accepted at the D.C. school, they spent nine months looking for housing in the District. “That transition interrupted everything,” Lewis complained. The family lived out of suitcases. When the city identified a unit they could help her with, officials first told Lewis the apartment would be ready in a week. Then two weeks. Then it failed inspection.

She remained optimistic, for the time being, about finding decent, affordable housing.

Lewis initially worked as a substitute teacher at Ballou High School and at a couple of elementary schools in the District. But she lost the job because the school administrators said she had been too stern with an unruly student. Her contract was not renewed.

In need of a place for the family to stay, she tried going to the Virginia Williams Family Resource Center on Rhode Island Ave. NE. Lewis was shocked by the sheer number of young mothers there. “It was sad: babies crying — they were hungry, they were hot. You endure it because you need a place to stay,” she said.

After ending up back on the street despite pursuing service at the Family Resource Center, Lewis called the office of then-Mayor Vincent Gray and threatened to bring her children and sleep in his office. The staff pleaded with her not to and gave her contact information for the Georgia Avenue Family Support Collaborative in Northwest. “Just don’t come down here with your kids and sleep,” they said, according to Lewis.

STREET SENSE August 9 - 22, 2017

7

NEWS

Corroded which often led to flooding and leaks.

Service at the Georgia Avenue Collaborative was an improvement. They told her that if she could prove who she was and where she was from, they would do their best to help her.

She explained that her Section 8 voucher had been transferred from Frederick to D.C. and that she had worked for the Federal Aviation Administration in a town called Boonesboro just north of Frederick County, Maryland. Lewis was finally placed in a shelter for one week before being moved to a Days Inn. Part of the hotel was dedicated as overflow for D.C.’s family homeless shelter but it was not maintained well. She said they all suffered bug bites while staying there.

Lewis had survived poor conditions before, growing up in New York City and going through foster care. However, her children were not ready for any of this.

“My kids were devastated when they were in the hotel; they had not experienced it,” she said. “It was an awakening moment [for them] … I grew up with roaches.”

Better Than Nothing The Lewis family was eventually able to move into an apartment in Southeast near historic Anacostia. Looking back, Lewis thinks she at least had a better experience than a lot of other homeless people, such as those stuck in the family shelter at the converted D.C. General Hospital. She said it was not hard to imagine how people confined for a long time to a hotel or hospital room could develop mental health issues.

“It’s tolerable to a degree; you get used to it,” she said of the apartment. “But it’s bad because you don’t want to be at home; you should want to be in your own home.”

Lewis loves to cook but hesitated in the apartment because it frequently had mice. That was one of the small issues.

The apartment building is at least 100

Leaks due to improper installation of a bath tub coupled with corroded pipes led to water damage in the ceiling.

years old, has a bad furnace, has severe maintenance issues and has failed several inspections, according to written testimony Lewis gave before the D.C. Council Committee on Housing and Neighborhood Revitalization during a May 5 meeting to consider the public housing crisis.

Her family had to evacuate the apartment during their first six months there because of carbon monoxide leaks. The pollution compelled the fire department to take them all to the emergency room, she testified. Then, a consistent plumbing leak in both the living room and dining room ceilings caused a large hole to form.

The D.C. Department of Consumer And Regulatory Affairs made the landlord fix the leak. Because it was shown to be deteriorated, the landlord was required to replace the unit, she said. The family went back to the apartment about three weeks later.

But instead of the landlord paying contractors to fix the plumbing, he sent somebody to patch the hole and repaint it two or three times a year. Lewis’s children were still getting headaches and becoming nauseous.

“If he can convince an inspector on a cursory inspection that the problem ‘appears’ to be fixed, he passes inspection and continues to collect state funding,” Lewis said.

The woman who lived there before the Lewis family was said to have died of an asthma attack. But Lewis suspects instead that it was a problem with the house — she has also had breathing and asthma problems since they moved in.

“I really believe there’s something going on in that house that is affecting my health,” she said.

and inside deals” that she said enable slumlords to continue to receive payment for units that are unsuitable to be occupied — because people don’t have any other options.

In early August, the Lewis family left the apartment, split up and started couch surfing with family and friends.

Their former landlord had never fixed the plumbing issues and the unit flooded with every summer rain, according to Lewis.

She argued that public agencies here need to hold landlords who provide affordable housing accountable for the safety and general good condition of these housing units. Because of this cycle of economic hardship, those with little means are “locked in” to living in certain undesirable parts of the city. They also are perceived as ignorant or not deserving of living in places that are in good condition, according to Lewis.

She thinks it is critical to provide decent housing for all people in the city, affluent or not, and to preserve and restore existing affordable housing.

“Now is the time to unite. The current political climate is hazy, which affects the people on the bottom the worst,” Lewis said. “But the people united will never be defeated. If we want to survive this, we need to come together.”

She said the best way for public agencies to show the District residents that they are not part of a deliberate effort to displace low-income families is to advocate for sufficient funding and programs to ensure those people have adequate housing and a decent standard of living.

Happily for Lewis, after graduating from the Ellington School both of her daughters received full academic and athletic scholarships to college. Kyla started Virginia State University in the fall of 2016. She’s majoring in business, minoring in music and is a long-distance runner on their track team. Kyera took a year off and is working at a Starbucks at the Navy Yard. The family continues to stay with others while they wait on a September 1 move-in date for their next affordable unit. ■

Accountability Her testimony for D.C. Council gave a sweeping indictment of the “loopholes

Daima Lewis (center-right) with her family in 2015.

PHOTO COURTESY DAIMA LEWIS

Apply for Discounts on Your Utility Bills Discounts are Subject to Income Eligibility Requirements

- Apply for Discounted Rates on Natural Gas

Residential Essential Service (RES) Program

Potential savings up to $276 during the winter heating season.

Electric

Residential Aid Discount (RAD) Program

Potential savings are between $300-$475 annually.

Water

Customer Assistance Program (CAP)

Potential discount could be over $450 annually.

Telephone

Lifeline Program (Economy II)

Annual discount on one land line service per household.

For more info call 311 or visit doee.dc.gov/udp

To apply for the telephone Lifeline Service (Economy II), call 800-253-0846.

These programs are for DC residents only.

Brookland Manor R on Planned Neighb A

s Pa s t o r Ro b e r t E d w a r d s lifeguarded in the Brookland Manor neighborhood, he watched fondly over the children splashing and swimming in the pool and praised the development plan to modernize the neighborhood.

“It’d be good. Fix it up,” Edwards said. “These are great people. These are all my kids.”

The apartment complex is being reimagined as part of a 20-acre area in Northeast D.C., hemmed in by 14th St. and Rhode Island Ave. NE, that the developer is calling RIA. This redesign

by MidCity Financial Corp. will include up to 1,760 new apartments for mixedincome residents and up to 181,000 square feet of commercial space, according to the project’s website.

More than 200 residents have signed a letter of support for the Lisa Roy, a Brookland Manor resident, redevelopment, according to MidCity. had to move out of an apartment with h But not everyone supports the changes bottom-floor apartment for health reaso like Pastor Edwards does.

Several residents have argued that the want to be accountable to the public,” installation of smaller, potentially more Mrabet said. “Why can’t he go on expensive apartments will put a strain record with what he has to say with on current residents’ wallets and split the tenants if the tenants want this to up multi-generational families that have be a transparent process for everybody lived there for decades. The Brookland to see?”

Manor Brentwood Village Residents Minnie Elliott, the president of Association has teamed up with ONE the residents association, said the D.C., a community organizing group that association tapes their meetings fights for racial and economic, according because they do not take minutes, to the group’s website. similar to the D.C. Council. She added On July 20, residents and that a lot of Brookland Manor residents representatives of ONE D.C. are ONE D.C. members and had planned to walk said it would have been through Brookland Manor impossible to separate and Brentwood Village the two. with Councilmember “My biggest concern Kenyan McDuffie, is I don’t think he who represents wanted to make any Ward 5, including kind of commitment the development to the people here at site. Their goal Brookland Manor as far was to speak with as affordable homes,” neighbors about the Elliott said. p r o j e c t ; h o w e v e r, In a letter to a t t e n d e e s s a i d Minnie Elliott, president of the r e s i d e n t s t h a t h e McDuffie stayed for Brookland Manor Brentwood released early to Street only a brief moment Village Residents Association. Sense, McDuffie wrote before running out of PHOTO BY JUSTINE COLEMAN that he had agreed to the room. meet with residents Ya s m i n a M r a b e t , a c o m m u n i t y — only with residents — which “lead organizer for ONE D.C., attended to the confusion on the morning of the meeting and said McDuffie left July 20th” when a video crew and when he spotted a filmmaker in the non-residents were in attendance. room. The documentarian is recording “In my estimation, the meetings are tenants’ efforts to obtain more less productive because outside groups affordable housing. are using the issue to validate their plat“It clearly shows [McDuffie] doesn’t forms rather than work in a collabora-

Residents, Councilmember, Torn borhood Modernization

STREET SENSE August 9 - 22, 2017

9

NEWS

By Justine Coleman Editorial Intern

attends ONE D.C. meetings. She recently her daughter and grandchildren to live in a ons. PHOTO BY JUSTINE COLEMAN tive manner for the benefit of Brookland Manor residents,” he said in the letter.

McDuffie added in the letter that he had worked with MidCity to give residents in large bedroom apartments the first right of refusal for a four-bedroom townhouse in the new community.

Following the July 20 meeting, ONE D.C. took to Twitter and posted several videos of residents’ accounts of what happened at the meeting. After McDuffie responded that senior residents told him it was too hot to walk in the neighborhood, the organization, residents and the councilmember exchanged several tweets debating the meeting’s purpose and cancellation.

“I forgot — you know what’s best for residents who actually live in the community,” McDuffie tweeted at the organization.

ONE D.C. responded, “The residents do know what’s best. So why don’t you stop cancelling meetings and actually talk to them?”

The residents association also sent McDuffie a letter in February with their demands to maintain 535 units as affordable and with the same bedroom size, allow residents to stay on the property and permit residents to have employment opportunities involved with the redevelopment of the area.

The D.C. Zoning Commission approved MidCity’s initial plans for the neighborhood in November 2015 and earlier this year accepted the next round of plans for a section of Brookland Manor known as Block 7.

As the first phase of the plan, Block

7 will bring 331 units to the area in two 4-story buildings that are expected to open in mid-2019. The structures will house mainly seniors and current residents, according to the project’s website and zoning commission documents. The first building will house seniors in 200 affordable, mainly one-bedroom units. The second will have 113 one and two-bedroom units and 18 three-bedroom units.

Almost 170 seniors qualify to live in the senior building, according to zoning commission documents.

Michael Meers, the executive vice president of MidCity, said services specifically for seniors will be provided in the new affordable housing units and at least 22 percent of units will be deeply subsidized for lowincome families. Currently, 8 to 10 percent of units are required to be affordable.

“This mixed-income housing will create a fully integrated community that will help lift all residents,” Meers said in an email.

“The new RIA development will create thousands of jobs and generate millions in new tax revenue for the city as well economic activity for local businesses.”

Meers declined to say on the record the next steps of the project, how the number of affordable housing units were chosen, whether the new buildings will have four or five-bedroom units or whether there will be enough room for all residents in Brookland Manor.

All tenants who are in “good standing” will have the opportunity to stay on the property, according to the project’s website.

The new development could also break up the low-income concentration currently in Brookland Manor, according to zoning commission documents. “Other projects that have deconcentrated low-income housing in the District and elsewhere have been celebrated successes for interrupting the selfreinforcing nature of poverty and crime,” according to the second project proposal.

In the new development, 373 apartments will remain under Section 8 contract, a Housing and Urban Development housing subsidy attached to the specific units where residents pay about 30 percent of their certified income for rent. Yet unless plans change, there will be roughly 150 less affordable units in the new development than what is currently available, according to a Greater Greater Washington report.

When the 80-year old complex is replaced with modern construction and amenities, the market rate rent for apartments there will increase considerably and be out of reach for low-income renters.

As of April, 431 of 521 units in Brookland Manor were occupied, according to zoning

commission documents.

Mrabet said that ONE D.C. offered to team with developers to try to obtain money from the Housing Production Trust Fund, which could be used in Brookland Manor.

“Everybody in this community is expected to fit into the 373 units that have no large bedroom sizes and that have 200 of them restricted to seniors only 62 and over, so clearly that’s impossible,” she said.

Elliott, the president of the residents association, originally lived where Block 7 will be constructed before moving twice to get to her current apartment. As Elliott sat in her three-bedroom house that she shares with her grandchildren and their mother, surrounded by several boxes, she said she would not be able to move to the senior building with her family.

“They wouldn’t be allowed, and that’s a lot of people here on this property,” she said. “You have seniors that are raising their grandkids or helping their children in order to go to school.”

With all these things, you wouldn’t be able to do that,” Elliott said.

Maier & Warner, a Rockville-based public relations firm representing MidCity, said in a statement to Street Sense in March that 13 Brookland Manor families require units with more than three-bedrooms.

Lisa Roy, a resident who attends ONE D.C. meetings, said that although she approves of the development of the neighborhood and thinks it will be beautiful, she is concerned the changes do not support

large families who want to stick together.

Roy recently had to move out of an apartment with her daughter and grandchildren to live in a bottom-floor apartment for health reasons, she said.

“That’s fine for us, but you’ve got some families who don’t want to split,” Roy said.

Residents have also accused property owners of evicting residents for minor reasons to make room for new residents in the development. According to a report by the Washington Post, Brookland Manor filed 15 eviction lawsuits over less than $100 in unpaid rent during a 9 month period in 2014 and filed 23 eviction lawsuits over less than $100 in upaid rent during a 9 month period beginning the following year.

Mary Smith, a resident for more than 20 years that lives with her great-granddaughter, said that it was time for a redevelopment and added that the owner of the property has a right to fix it up.

Pam Bonner, Smith’s sister, added that she believes the new buildings will bring some peace to the neighborhood, which she said is plagued by drug use and violence.

“You don’t know when to let your kids out,” Bonner said.

While the new buildings will be an improvement and she does not know anyone who has been removed from the neighborhood, Shateena Ellis, a Brookland Manor resident, said she is worried that officials will not stay true to their promises to help all residents to stay.

“It’s slowly but surely becoming a headache and a worry to people,” Ellis said. ■

OPINION: Are You ONE of Us?

By Angie Whitehurst, Artist/Vendor

Recently, the honorable Councilman McDuffie shied away and physically retreated with great rapidity from an agreed upon meeting with the tenants of Brookland Manor, who are victims of coercive politics and regentrification maneuvers by city government and the development contractors who backed our mayor’s campaign.

It was dismaying to see the Ward 5 representative write to The Washington Post about a need for campaign finance reform — in the name of Democracy, a more even playing field and less pay-to-play antics — just one week

after he ran out on the constituency that elected him.

Democracy is, "we the people" and freedom of speech is an important part of that. Officials in every level of government should respect their constituents to see and hear from them without shying away.

These human beings at Brookland Manor deserve and are overly due an audience and serious discussion with Councilmember McDuffie. He is supposed to be their champion, not their foe.

Thank goodness, the tenants do not have to pay- to-play. They can vote!

Do the right thing Mr. McDuffie!

Angie Whitehurst is a regular vendor of and contributor to Street Sense. She also belongs to ONE D.C.

OPINION The MLK Mural Will Return.

Will The Homeless?

By Reginald Black The Martin Luther King Jr. Library closed its doors in March for renovations.

Among the significant objects in need of relocation was a painting that hung in the front area of the library. It depicted Martin Luther King, Jr., and snippets of the many marches and actions conducted by him and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference during the Civil Rights era.

These were actions of the poor fighting for equality and justice for themselves.

The closing and remaking of this library branch is symbolic of big changes downtown and it leaves me wondering what will happen to those who live in those streets. Losing this building has moved the homeless community to the outskirts of the city to access services that had been offered at the library.

In June, Mayor Muriel Bowser and others held a ceremony to remove this painting. She acknowledged that the renovation is a big investment and one that the city does not take lightly. Worldclass cities have world-class facilities like this one, Bowser said.

Also at the event was former mayor Anthony Williams. In his remarks he said that he thought a lot of his work and his successor’s work is really restoring

ABETH

LIZ N BY E TRATIO ILLUS

respect for the city. He commented that our forefathers got a lot of things wrong, like slavery and secession, but one thing they got right is a vision for our city to be a collection of monuments -- a living, breathing example of democracy. Williams noted that the renovation of the library is refurbishing the public realm. “We believe public ground--shared ground--is the higher ground,” he said.

The huge mural depicting the Civil Rights movement was one of the last things to go. The faces on that mural, representing those fighting for equality, will return when the new facility is complete, but we are left to wonder whether some of the faces among the displaced homeless community will return as well.

Everyone is anticipating the new state-of-the-art library. In the meantime those striving to strengthen and improve communities across the District will continue their valuable work.

Reginald Black is a Street Sense vendor and contributor.

ILLUSTRATIONS BY CYNTHIA MEWBORN

Visit StreetSense.org to watch video of the mural move and listen to audio of the speeches from Mayor Bowser and former mayor Anthony Williams.

T

BRYAN

ILLUSTRATION BY MILDRED HALL

Mayor Bowser, former mayor Anthony Williams, Councilmember Grosso and other officials watch as the MLK mural is removed from the downtown branch of D.C. Libraries. PHOTO BY REGINALD BLACK

ILLUSTRATION BY REGINALD BLACK

STREET SENSE August 9 - 22, 2017

1#1

OPINION

What It Is Like To Have Been Homeless Gwynette Smith

A headline printed in The People’s Tribune. Bulldozer photo by Sandy Perry for the People’s Tribune. PHOTO OF NEWSPAPER BY SHEILA WHITE

Stop Bulldozing The Homeless

By Sheila White

While asleep in his tent a man living under a freeway in We s t O a k l a n d , Calif., was hit and dragged by a city bulldozer.

The city said it was "removing garbage" from a homeless encampment. If the bulldozer had approached from the other side, the man's head would have been struck.

A similar incident occurred in 2015, when a woman sleeping in a San Jose encampment was bulldozed, suffering a broken pelvis.

These examples show that the poor have no value to a corporate profitdriven economic system. Homelessness is spreading by leaps and bounds – particularly among the working homeless who are living in shelters, tents, or cars.

Sleeping on a park bench myself makes me wonder if I will be the next victim of a bulldozing incident. I may be homeless but I am not dumb.

It is urgent that we demand the governments of wealthy nations provide housing for everyone, simply because it's a right and as human beings we need shelter.

Sheila White is a Street Sense vendor and contributor.

There have been times when I have felt small because I was homeless.

In the city where I was homeless, a security officer followed me when I was in the store -- I believe it was the feeling that I might steal something. At a movie theatre, I was told I could not buy a ticket because I had bags with me. One of the most startling things to happen was that a passerby simply spit at me. At least he spit near me and I had a canvas bag with me.

Even now, when I have housing, I can feel belittled and hurt by the responses of people at times. They can see my bag with papers in it and I think they believe I am homeless. Or maybe they know that I sell a street newspaper. Store clerks offer

to help me probably hoping to rush me out of the store. At other times, it seems like people look for a seat somewhere else on the bus and appear to prefer not to sit beside me because they see a bag full of something.

Of course, with all the terrorism, although not really a lot in this country, people could just be afraid of me. They see me periodically, though, on the same bus line, and the clerks see me fairly often at the same store.

Most people, though, are decent in most places and situations. We should learn to accept each other. Doing so would make for a better country.

Gwynette Smith is a Street Sense vendor and contributor.

Your Thoughts & Editorials Are Always Welcome • Have an opinion about how homelessness is being handled in our community?

• Want to share firsthand experience?

• Interested in responding to what someone else has written?

Street Sense has maintained an open submission policy since our founding. We aim to elevate voices from across our community and foster healthy debate.

Please send submissions to opinion@streetsense.org.

My First Critique of President Trump

By Jeffery McNeil

I voted for D o n a l d Tr u m p but I'm slowly winding myself off the Trump train.

The Scaramucci fiasco was a little too much for me.

President Trump said he was a great businessman that knew all the tough negotiators, but ended up firing this guy within ten days.

Although I'm disappointed, I would probably vote for him again. Sure, he’s incompetent, but he’s not a liberal or Democrat. I’m not happy with Trump but I would rather die before I would ever align myself with anything liberal.

Every time I hear the names Nancy Pelosi, Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren I get physically repulsed. Liberalism equals theft. They never met a dollar they didn't want to confiscate.

Yes, I've been had by Trump, but we had a good time. I miss the Hillary For Prison and Lock Her Up slogans. I enjoyed trolling and getting under liberals' skin. But it’s painful to say that Trump may be playing us.

Yes, Trump conned me, but I don't see anyone beating him in 2020 unless it’s a celebrity. Maybe Mark Zuckerberg or Mark Cuban. I would vote for Oprah, Kanye, Caitlyn or Kid Rock because I hate anything establishment or Washington D.C. I still feel an incompetent Trump is way better than any Clinton. If Hillary was elected America would have been put up for sale. We would have been at war with N o r t h Ko r e a , Russia and Iran.

She would have nominated liberal judges that believe men using women's bathrooms is natural and normal. America would have been transformed into a hellhole like Germany or Venezuela.

I despise politicians and political parties. They tell you, you're a freeloader if you receive public assistance — then someone such as Jason Chaffetz wants housing subsidies to live in Washington, D.C. They talk about free markets and limited government when their lives get subsidized by taxpayers. The kicker is they

want to kick everyone off their healthcare when they get the best healthcare in the world, all subsidized off gullible Trumplickers who mime everything that man says even though he’s playing them for the gullible huckaboos.

Now President Trump is trying to push tax cuts for the wealthy and he wants to cut funding for the poor so he can pay for the military. I ask the Trump supporter: whose hide is he gonna take it out of? All t h e s e Tr u m p supporters say they're taxed enough but how are we going to pay for a wall and all the security to toss out immigrants?

I understand why people have contempt for the left. But can anyone say the Republicans are better? They played dog-whistle politics to get in power and they do nothing but sit on their musty dusties and take vacations all paid by for by the gullible white working class.

They constantly talk about how blacks sheepishly vote Democrat but how can

“ I e n j oye d t r o l l i n g a n d getting under liberals’ skin.”

white people keep voting for folks like Rand Paul and Mitch McConnell? How's Kansas, Louisiana and New Jersey working for white people? How have limited government and tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires fared for the white working class?

S o m e t i m e s i t ’s s a d t h a t Tr u m p supporters and Sanders supporters don't see eye to eye because we probably have more similarities than differences.

We both are angry, have chips on our shoulders and are tired of both political parties. We both agree on a social safety net. However, we clash on cultural issues which keep us from getting together and finding common ground.

I don't know what the answers are. No matter how many times we vote out the establishment it seems all we get is the establishment. We keep looking for wolves to clean the henhouse and all we get is fat sleazy wolves.

Jeffery McNeil is a Street Sense vendor and columnist.

The Street Sense Writers’ Group is led by writing professionals and meets every Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. The group’s goal is to develop ideas and collaborate on the next great issue of Street Sense.

Empowerment is a Journey

By Antoinette Calloway, Artist/Vendor

Waking up and showering is the first part of my d a y, t h e f i r s t step to keep up with myself.

It is motivating to think about self-sufficiency and being able to improve and maintain myself on my own. And it is empowering to be at Street Sense with like-minded individuals that are putting their best foot

forward. I'm very much excited for the spontaneity of whatever is next in my life.

I am ready to challenge myself to be indispensable at a job and start building my career. I am also working to develop my songwriting skills and saving to become a licensed member of the SESAC Music Rights Organization.

Sometimes you get discouraged and feel as though your efforts are not leading to a change. But every day is a journey — a journey that you must complete to realize your dreams.

Family is Complicated

By Marcellus Phillips, Artist/Vendor

Recently, I got a message from a family member about something that happened a couple of years ago. Just the thought of the situation makes me sick to my stomach. The world we live in is full of lies and happiness. It's your choice which to live by. So, choose from either one.

I have a small family in the D.C. area and more in other states, including Georgia. My brother suggested I move to Atlanta to start over and begin a better life, and to also build a relationship with his kids and other family.

My girlfriend and I trusted his word and made the move within two months to Georgia. I took my tax return money to pay for everything, and the $2,500 left was to go toward our house that we were supposed to move into immediately. We caught a plane to Atlanta and arrived at the airport expecting my brother to be there, but he was not. We waited for hours as he told us he was on the way. I ended up having to book a hotel and catch a shuttle instead.

Now, I had never met his wife or kids, so I was extremely excited about everything.

After getting the hotel room, I finally got in touch with him. It turned out the house wasn't ready, which I found out he knew before we had left D.C. Somehow, he forgot to tell us. He brought the family with him so I could meet everyone, but upon arrival told me they had no place to live.

After finding this out, I immediately got another room so everyone would be safe and have a place to stay until the house was ready. Even though things were not looking good on my first day there, I was still excited to be with my family. My brother told me it would be at least a week before the house was ready to move in.

No one had any money but ME. I have no kids, but I took care of everyone in all ways possible during my time there. I wasn't expecting things to go the way they did and I eventually had to remove myself from the situation. It has been a long road.

PERCEPTION OR REALITY:

Exposing Exploitation

By Robert Williams, USMC Artist/Vendor Why is it you fear me?

Refuse to look at or even hear me?

You want to hold me down And keep on my face a frown.

Yet still I wear the crown And I remain in town.

With my head held high Looking toward the sky.

My help comes from above.

Though you refuse to— He always shows me love.

We already have no representation Now here you go with gentrification.

Exposing the exploitation And unjustification Returning to the mind and body Manipulation For personal gratification.

One might as well Be placed back on the plantation.

PS — Welcome to the military Tiara and good luck on your journey in the service!

OUR CUSTOMER: LTC Sherry Oehler

By Wendell Williams, Artist/Vendor

This long-time Street Sense supporter and friend of mine is a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army, stationed at the Pentagon. She is a veteran of several tours of Iraq and Afghanistan. I thank her for her service and I thank her for her support of Street Sense and people experiencing homelessness.

The Aristocratic Monkeys

By Michael Craig, Artist/Vendor

They thought t h e y w e r e superior, because of their wealth.

That’s why they chose to live far away from everyone else, in gated communities. They were sympathetic to the homeless.

But then there was a fire. Everything burned to the ground. And many of them had to live in shelters — using open showers and open restrooms. They had to escape from the fires and left all their belongings

in the process. They had no ID, no money — and didn't know how to survive in a shelter, let alone on a park bench, which is where some of them ended up because they couldn't get a bed at the shelter.

They realized their survival skills were inferior and started appreciating people who can survive under crucial circumstances. It's not easy.

They were no longer sympathetic to the homeless, but empathetic — because they saw themselves: scared and reluctant — sleeping with one eye open.

They learned humility. You have to listen real close and feel what's going on around you. It's a completely different reality.

PHOTO COUTESY OF WENDELL WILLIAMS

STREET SENSE August 9 - 22, 2017

13

ART

rest in peace

ILLUSTRATION BY DWIGHT HARRIS

Jim Vance

On July 22, news broadcaster Jim Vance passed away at the age of 75 after a battle with cancer. I grew up watching Mr. Vance on News 4 and met him in person two years ago. He was coming off the escalator while I was selling newspapers and seemed to be a down to earth person.

Watching him as I grew from teenager to adult, Mr. Vance was a positive influence on the air. He had a certain charisma about himself and he knew how to really talk to and connect with a person.

Mr. Vance was one of the pioneers for African American news anchors, alongside J.C. Haywood (WUSA 9), Max Robinson (ABC World News Tonight) and others. He overcame a lot of obstacles in his life.

There will never be another one like him.

May you rest in peace, Mr. Vance.

—Leonard Hyater, Artist/Vendor

Jim Vance, the news anchor on channel 4, was a voice I grew up listening to. I've been watching him since I was a child. Since his death on July 22, other news anchors have been showing a lot of support for him. He was a journalist of the purest form.

The outpouring of support that has come through for this man is overwhelming. I have great respect for what he accomplished as a journalist and stood for. I strive to be as much like him as possible or better. That is a goal that drives me.

Jim Vance's career spanned most of my lifetime. He was a beacon for us all to draw from.

—Damon Smith, Artist/Vendor

The Power of Words

Back to School

By Chon Gotti, Artist/Vendor

The language we use and the stories we tell ourselves can seriously affect how we move through life. You narrate your life and your voice matters: the way you talk about yourself, your life, and your experience.

We use words like "always" and "never" and "everybody" and "nobody" very loosely.

Then then wonder why things “always

happen” to us or “never happen” for us. We wonder why our “everybody” thinks a certain way or “nobody” supports what we do.

It is my belief and experience that words create your circumstances. Life responds to what you consistently tell yourself. If I tell myself that I "always have a bad experience when I go to the MVA," guess what's going to happen when I go to the MVA? I called it. I claimed it.

I projected my "desire" into the future.

It is all to easy to get yourself caught up in a cycle of reinforcement. You say it. It happens. You believe it because

By Elizabeth Bryant, Artist/Vendor it happened. Then you say it again. Round and round you go.

So, Facebook Family especially, remember we are constantly speaking circumstances into existence. Be very aware of what comes out of your mouth, or out of your keyboard!

Many thanks to my customers and to you, dear reader.

I took a test to start classes at the YMCA to prepare for the GED but was very disappointed. I scored one point away from passing, just like the last time. When I found out I didn't pass, it felt as if the whole world came crashing down on my shoulders. I was real sad.

It took me a while to get over that feeling, but I'm OK now. I will just have to study harder. I kept missing school because I was sick and had to be hospitalized for a week. I have arthritis in both legs. The faculty took our class out to lunch and I had crab cakes, fries and cheesecake for dessert – which lifted my spirits. Lately my legs have not hurt at all and I thank God, the Holy Spirit, in Jesus Christ's name for that. I’m going to take advantage of it when I start school again in September!

sudoku!

We All Have Rights

By Leonard C. Hyater, Artist/Vendor

COUTESY OF KRAYDAD.COM

Litteræ last edition’s solutions

I offre leattres on pity, ledgde schroud vor hire, vag— us metaphor...any decor asuages, thor leggings stag!

“Welawe! Wat to read?!?!” waxt IMAGINES. Thoo, Thespis withdraws in attyre lyn— nyn (rest cwom weth the cofre).

I gude eal I offre.

—Franklin Sterling, Artist/Vendor

Last month, on the corner of Connecticut Ave and K Street NW, a Human Rights Campaign representative asked if I would be interested in signing a petition concerning the rights of people in the LGBTQ community.

I respectfully declined and explained why: my Christian faith.

The representative lashed out angrily and called me a bigot.

I felt very offended for a moment and almost responded the same way. I decided instead to leave, but the comment still bothers me.

Everyone in this country has rights.

As individuals, the representative has the right to ask for my signature and to live any way that they please. Just as I have the right to decline to provide my signature and to live any which way that I please.

H ow e ve r, a s a re p re se n t a t i ve of a n organization, this person was out of line and unprofessional to call me a bigot just because I believe in something that they do not. The definition of “bigot” is a person who is intolerant toward those holding different opinions. But I am not intolerant – I simply declined to add my signature. I don’t care how this person lives.

I think Human Rights Campaign needs to train its representatives on how to respond to people. I’ve seen other HRC representatives lash out at some of my Christian colleagues as well after they politely decline to sign.

You can’t do that. It is just like my work as an independent contractor for Street Sense. I can’t get mad and lash out at someone because they refuse to buy my paper. That’s unprofessional.

We live in a society where people are different from one another and we must learn to show love and to be tolerant of each other.

STREET SENSE August 9 - 22, 2017

15

COMMUNITY SERVICES Housing/Shelter

Food

Clothing

Showers

Case Management

Health Care

Transportation

Laundry

Education

Employment Assistance

Legal Assistance

Vivienda/alojamiento

Comida

Coordinación de Servicios

Seguro

Educación

Assitencia con Empleo

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

Ropa

Lavandería

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

Línea de juventud

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE HOTLINE: (202) 749-8000 Línea directa de Violencia doméstica

BEHAVIORAL HEALTH HOTLINE: 1-888-793-4357

Assistencia Legal

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

Línea directa de alojamiento YOUTH HOTLINE: (202) 547-7777

Duchas

Transportación

Community of Hope: 232-7356 communityofhopedc.org

SHELTER HOTLINE: (202) 399-7093

Línea de Salud del Comportamiento Jubilee Jobs: 667-8970 2712 Ontario Rd NW | 2419 Minnesota Ave SE jubileejobs.org

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

Loaves & Fishes: 232-0900 1525 Newton St. NW loavesandfishesdc.org

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

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

Vagrancy Comics #10: Handouts

By Justin Benedict Former Vendor

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

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

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

Food and Friends: 269-2277 219 Riggs Rd, NE foodandfriends.org

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

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

Foundry Methodist Church: 332-4010 1500 16th St, NW foundryumc.org/ministry-opportunities

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Patricia Handy Place for Women: 810 5th Street, NW, NW | 733-5378

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

2017 ANNUAL AUDIENCE SURVEY! As a reader and customer, you are a crucial part of the Street Sense family. It is you who empowers our vendors economically, you who reads, watches and listens to their creative work and you who improves our local culture by being better-informed about homelessness and poverty. Needless to say, we value your feedback.

Please complete this survey online at StreetSense.org/survey or postmark your response by August 31, 2017, to 1317 G Street NW, Washington, DC 20005 12) What is your gender?

2) How long have you been supporting Street Sense?

7) How often do you visit our website, streetsense.org?

___ ___ ___ ___

Male Female Prefer not to identify Prefer to self-describe: _______ ___________________________

___ ___ ___ ___

Less than 1 year 1-2 years 2-3 years Over 3 years

3) How often do you purchase a Street Sense newspaper? ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

This is my 1st purchase!

Weekly Every 2 weeks Monthly A few times a year

4) Where do you usually buy a Street Sense newspaper? (Use a landmark, neighborhood, or cross-streets) _______________________________ _______________________________ 5) Why do you purchase the newspaper?

Select all that apply. ___ To support the vendor financially ___ To support Street Sense as an organization ___ To read content by a specific vendor ___ For art and opinions from the homeless community ___ For news on homelessness and poverty ___ Other: _____________________ _____________________ 6) How do you interact with Street Sense online? Select all that apply. ___ ___ ___ ___

View content on streetsense.org Follow on social media Subscribe to the podcast Subscribe to the e-newsletter

___ I do not interact with Street Sense online ___ Other: _____________________ _____________________

___ ___ ___ ___

Weekly Monthly Several times a year I’ve never visited the website

8) Have you ever donated to Street Sense outside of purchasing a newspaper? ___ Yes ___ No ___ I didn’t know Street Sense needs donations 9) Street Sense holds events such as film screenings, theatre productions and community forums about 12 times per year. How many do you attend? ___ ___ ___ ___

All Most Some I’ve never attended a Street Sense event ___ I didn’t know Street Sense holds events 10) In your opinion, which of the following best describes Street Sense? Select all that apply. ___ A newspaper ___ A multimedia center ___ An economic empowerment program ___ An advocacy organization ___ A news outlet ___ An art center ___ A platform that elevates voices of homeless people __ Other: _____________________

16) Are there specific vendor characteristics or behaviors that make you more likely or less likely to stop and buy a paper? _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________

13) What is/was your employment sector? ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Government Nonprofit Legal Retail/service Media/communications Student Unemployed Other: _____________________

14) What is your household income? ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Under $20,000 $20,000 to $39,999 $40,000 to $59,999 $60,000 to $79,999 $80,000 to $99,999 Over $100,000

_______________________________ 17) How often do you observe profane language, inappropriate comments or other harassing behavior from a Street Sense vendor? ___ Frequently ___ Rarely ___ I’ve never observed this behavior 18) How can we improve our organization? _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________

15) What is the highest level of education you’ve completed? ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

No high school diploma or GED High school diploma or GED Associate’s degree Bachelor’s degree Advanced degree

August 9 - 22, 2017 • Volume 14 • Issue 20

Street Sense 1317 G Street, NW

Washington, DC 20005

Nonprofit Org US Postage Paid Washington, DC Permit #568

Mail To:

_____________________ 11) What is your age? ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Under 21 21-30 31-45 46-60 61 or over

Thank you for reading Street Sense!

Interested in a subscription? Visit StreetSense.org/subscribe