08 12 2015

Volume 12: Issue 20 August 12 - 25, 2015

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

Ask and You Shall Receive:

Maryland Nonprofit Sets Up Shop in D.C. Public Housing Community pg 5 Ivy City Finally Promised

a future without buses | pg 4

“Dear Evan Hansen�

debuts at Arena Stage | pg 8

STREET SENSE August 12 - 25, 2015

Street Sense aims 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 experiencing homelessness or poverty in our community.

ONLINE EXCLUSIVES www.StreetSense.org •

•

Don’t miss our next forum and networking event! On September 16th we’ll focus on Child Homelessness StreetSense.org/forum In case you missed it, check out our web exclusive article about Anita Bonds new push for D.C. Statehood StreetSense.org

COVER ART

A Wider Circle, a nonprofit serving the D.C. metro area, moved new operations into two vacant public housing units given to them by the D.C. Housing Authority. The new center offers wrap-around services for that housing complex, Barry Farm.

PHOTO BY COLLEEN COSGRIFF

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!

NEWS IN BRIEF

How It Works

Eleanor Holmes Norton to Host Annual Job Fair ADDRESS 1317 G Street, NW, Washington, DC 20005 PHONE 202.347.2006 FAX 202.347.2166 E-MAIL info@streetsense.org WEB StreetSense.org

Each vendor functions as an independant contractor for Street Sense. That means he or she reinvests in the organization with every purchase.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS Margaret Chapman, Margaret Jenny, Elizabeth Canizares, Reed Sandridge, Max Gaujean, Heidi Keller, Robyn Kerr, Jeremy Scott, Jennifer Park, Martin Totaro, John Senn, Anne Willis

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

Street Sense publishes the newspaper.

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

Street Sense

25% supports the production costs at Street Sense.

Vendors buy the newspaper for 50 cents each.

11

The remainder of your $2 donation directly supports the vendor.

/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.

1. Street Sense will be distributed for a voluntary donation of $2.00, I agree not to ask for more than two dollars 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

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, INC 2015

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Brian Carome EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Eric Falquero VENDOR & SALES MANAGER Jeffrey Gray NEW INITIATIVES & VOLUNTEERS COORDINATOR Rachael Buck INTERNS Colleen Cosgriff, Lindsey Habenicht, Dottie Kramer, Ashley Strange

&

25%

3

VENDORS Shuhratjon Ahamadjonov, Gerald Anderson, Charles Armstrong, Lawrence Autry, Daniel Ball, Aida Basnight, Roberta Bear, 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, Rachel Higdon, Ibn Hipps, Phillip Howard, 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

Subscribe to Street Sense 1 Year: $40 2 Years: $80 3 Years: $120 I want half of my purchase to benefit a vendor directly

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 7.3 percent of District residents — 28,135 people — were without work this May, down 1.3 percent from May 2013.

However, this is still high above the national average of 5.5 percent.

In response to unemployment, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (DDC) announced that her 18th annual job fair will be held Thursday, August 21 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Washington Convention Center. The event is free for District residents.

The fair will begin with a job hunting workshop from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m.

Here, residents will learn best practices in preparing for an interview, managing an online profile, and building a resume.

Workshop instructors are specialists in each field, and sessions will operate on a question and answer format.

Then, attendees have the opportunity to meet and mingle with employers from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. A wide range of private, federal and state agencies employers will be present to discuss jobs in construction, retail, labor unions, hotels, tourism, law enforcement, non-profits, and more.

Potential job sites include CVS Health, United States Postal Service, United States Capitol Police, Hamilton Crowne Plaza Hotel, Capital Rail Construction, and Fairfax County Public Schools. Over 40 DC Metroarea employers have been confirmed.

“The job fair allows people to do something that is rare today, which is to speak to actual employers gathered under one roof,” said Congresswoman Norton in aninterview with Street Sense.

YES!

While noting that attendees should be encouraged to come see what kind of jobs are available in the region, she emphasized that a job fair is not a device for handing out jobs. Instead, it’s a place to find what may be a good fit.

“The notion of working below your skill level is important for anyone who is unemployed to understand,” Norton said. “You have to be willing to get yourself experience.”

Often times, the most important thing an individual can have in hunting for a job is a job.

Thousands of people are expected to attend the fair, and the competition — a mixed group of people looking to change jobs, looking for a second job, and looking for any job at all — is stiff.

“That should not discourage our homeless citizens,” said Norton. “They should not count themselves out of the job market.”

—Lindsey Habenicht

Victory for Homeless Rights Advocates Advocates claimed a victory for homeless rights on August 6 when the Justice Department filed a “Statement of Interest” in an ongoing Idaho court case. The lawsuit was filed in 2009 against the city of Boise, Idaho by several homeless individuals that were convicted under a city ordinance which banned sleeping in public spaces, reported the Idaho Statesman.

The Justice Department’s filing supports the plaintiffs and argues that enforcing a ban on sleeping in public would be the “criminalization of homelessness,”

language often used by the National Coalition for the Homeless.

Similar cases cited in the Justice Department’s statement have found ticketing or arresting homeless individuals for sleeping in public, particularly when there is no space available in local shelters, to be unconstitutional. Punishing individuals with nowhere else to go for something as universal and unavoidable as the need to sleep is cruel and unusual, violating the Eighth Amendment in the Justice Department’s eyes.

A Boise city spokesman countered the federal filing. He explained to the Idaho Statesman that Boise amended its ordinance in 2009 to prohibit police from enforcing the sleeping ban when there is no available overnight shelter. This change brought the law in compliance with previous rulings.

This case will be closely observed by other cities that are writing legislation to protect homeless people, including the District. This June, Alice Deal Middle School sixth graders rallied at the Wilson Building to support homeless anti-discrimination legislation, which would include the homeless population as a protected class in city anti-discrimination laws.

-Will Karpie

“Prison to Productivity Pipeline” Announced A limited number of incarcerated individuals will now be eligible to receive Pell Grants to fund postsecondary education and training during their sentences, the Department of Education announced on July 31. This is the most recent of several Obama administration efforts to improve

I want to donate: My info: $1500 can cover the cost of printing an issue. $ 1500 Name $1000 can help us orient, train, and support new vendors $ 1000 Address $500 can help purchase needed software $500 $250 can provide badges for 50 vendors $250 $100 Every dollar helps us further our mission! $________ Email

Vendor Name Vendor Badge #

DONATE ONLINE

Name

Address Phone

the criminal justice system, building off a visit to a federal prison and the commutation of 46 nonviolent drug offenders’ prison sentences. President Obama was the first sitting U.S. President to visit a federal prison.

The higher education funded by the Second Chance Pell Pilot program will help inmates re-enter a more competitive job market. One third of all jobs in the United States require at least an associate degree, a number which may increase to 43 percent by 2020, reported the Huffington Post.

In addition to better preparing prisoners for jobs, the Department of Education claimed in a press release that “correctional education can ultimately save taxpayers money and create safer communities.” The release cited a 2013 RAND Corporation study showing that prisoners who participated in “correctional education” were 43 percent less likely to return to prison within three years.

Attorney General Loretta Lynch and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan describe the program as a “prison to productivity pipeline.” The pilot will also be a step away from the past 20 years in which prisoners in federal and state penal institutions were disqualified from receiving Pell Grants as financial support.

“This ban was passed despite the fact that higher education has been shown to reduce recidivism and despite the fact that incarcerated students made up less than 1% of all Pell Grant recipients,” the two officials wrote in a USA Today op-ed.

Postsecondary institutions will apply to the program next month for the 2016-2017 academic year.

-Will Karpie

Street Sense seeks to offer economic opportunities for people experiencing homelessness and poverty in our community. Our vendors work hard as self-employed contractors distributing the newspaper, with all proots directly supporting their success.

Comments

Please make checks payable to “Street Sense” and mail to 1317 G Street NW Washington, DC 20005

STREET SENSE August 12 - 25, 2015

Distirct Revisits Contentious Ivy City School Development with Inclusive “Our RFP” Program

By Colleen Cosgriff Editorial Intern Two blocks off of New York Avenue NE, boarded up and covered in vines, sits a century-old pride of Ivy City. The Alexander Crummell School was built in 1911 for African American children and was once the center of the neighborhood. The school was named for clergyman, teacher, and orator Alexander Crummell, who died in 1898. The school closed its doors in the early 1970s and has remained neglected since, as has Ivy City.

On June 29 Ivy City residents poured into the Bethesda Baptist Church for an "Our RFP" meeting regarding the school.

From toddlers to Crummell School graduates, the room was filled with anticipation as Mayor Muriel Bowser and Ward 5 Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie opened the meeting.

The Bowser Administration created Our RFP (Request for Proposals) to ensure that community voices are heard in development decisions. This was the second Our RFP meeting since the program's inception.

The first took place on June 13, for a parcel of land in Shaw. At that time, Director of Communications for the Deputy Mayor of Planning and Economic Development (DMPED) Joaquin McPeek told Street Sense that any future plans to develop Crummell School would have community input.

“We think about projects where we know that there is a significant amount of community interest. Granted, lots of proj-

ects have that. But we also look at what have been the previous attempts to do a project in that area," said Brian Kenner, Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development. "With [Crummell School], there’s just been a lot of back and forth between the previous administration and the community. We thought it was appropriate to come back to the community and really ask them for the first time what do they want to see at this site. Not what do we want to put in the site, but what they want to see.”

The Ivy City community has expressed their need of a recreation center for years, and opening one at Crummell School has been the residents' dream for decades. During past administrations, that dream has been ignored by the District and even threatened by unwanted development plans. In 2012, the local Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) and activist group Empower DC have fought legal battles against former mayor Gray's administration when they attempted to develop the school parking lot into a bus depot. The parking lot was never constructed, but both Empower DC and the ANC are still fighting for a community center in Ivy City.

“We’re trying to fix what has happened and I just want to thank you for your diligence in insisting that we look at this process again. So, as Councilmember McDuffie has already said, the Bowser administration will not put buses at the Crummell School,” Bowser said over applause from

Ward 5 Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie listens as each table of community members discusses their vision for the redevelopment of the historic Alexander Crummell School and the needs of Ivy City. PHOTO BY COLLEEN COSGRIFF

the Our RFP meeting's attendees. “And so now we are starting the process over.”

Each table of attendees was tasked with brainstorming public space and commercial use ideas for the redevelopment of Crummell School and the parking lot adjacent to it.

Table 10 included Antonio Lewis, who has lived in Ivy City since he was seven. He is now in his late twenties and has a multitude of ideas for the school building. First and foremost was a community center.

“There’s nowhere around here where the kids can go play basketball or do afterschool homework,” Lewis said during his table's discussion.

Job creation was also on Lewis’ mind.

He is interested in a construction job when the development of Crummell begins. Lewis’ table also discussed the idea of creating jobs through a light industrial center.

Gaje Jones, also at Table 10, sees the building’s revitalization as a chance to engage the community artistically. He and Christopher Smith were in attendance representing Mousai House, which provides studio space, equipment and free music education for "underground artists."

As retail options, Smith and Jones recommended a performance venue similar to Busboys and Poets or an art store.

Everyone at the table agreed the redevelopment should honor Alexander Crummell with some sort of museum. Smith suggested a “walk of fame” to recognize Crummell and graduates of the school.

They also recognized the community’s need for aftercare, tutoring, GED preparation, job training and family counseling services.Table members thought the parking lot adjacent to Crummell could be used for open green space: a dog park, playground, community garden or somewhere to hold solar panels.

When asked “what’s missing?” from Ivy City, Table 10's lengthy list included: bus stop shelters, water fountains, trees, bike lanes, a sufficient amount of trash cans, and a homeless shelter and service center.

After the small group discussions ended, a representative from each of the 12 tables was allowed 30 seconds to share what their group came up with. It was obvious the Ivy City community has a common vision for their neighborhood. By the time Smith had his turn to summarize Table 10's discussion, most ideas had already been stated by other groups.

The suggestions from each table were met with applause and cheers. One statement about honoring Alexander Crummell’s legacy brought forth the loudest cheers from the community.

“When it came to the commercial use for the space we said no commercial use.

However, if there is going to be commercial use, we ask that it suit the community. There was a question about the historical element and what to do with the site, the idea is that Alexander Crummell, his legacy, should be reflected and whatever we do should be to uplift the community. And that might not include commercial uses,” Table 9’s representative stated.

Several graduates and former teachers of Crummell School were present at the meeting. Philip S. Beacey was in the last graduating class from Crummell and strongly believes Crummell should be used as a community center, focusing on the area’s senior citizens and youth.

“I want to say that it is wonderful that we are having the opportunity because to Dr. Alexander Crummell, this is a dream. we’re putting together a dream to him.” said Remmetter Freeman, who also graduated from Crummell and later returned to teach there.

The meeting ran thirty minutes over schedule and did not end until 9pm, but both Mayor Bowser and Councilmember McDuffie stayed until the end.

The next part of the Our RFP process is online participation from the community and those who were not able to attend in person. Then there will be a second Our RFP meeting in September and DMPED will most likely be issuing solicitations for developers in the fall, according to Deputy Mayor Kenner. He predicts there will be a development plan sometime in the first or second quarter of 2016.

Kathy Henderson, a Ward 5 ANC Commissioner, was on the D.C. Historic Preservation Review Board when they unanimously voted to designate Crummell School historic. She remembers the unanimous vote as a “truly beautiful day," and is especially excited for the Our RFP process to be employed at Crummell School. Henderson said she supported the legal action against plans to use the lot as a bus depot, when historic designation was not enough to keep additional sources of air pollution out of Ivy City and the Crummell site.

“Too often, in communities that have been traditionally underserved, people get beaten down, they’re reluctant to speak up, they feel like ‘okay no one is going to listen to me anyway.’" Henderson said. "We didn’t get any of that today. That sentiment was not here. We saw seniors, children, everyone in between.

People came and everyone participated.”

5

COVER STORY

A Wider Circle Opens First Satelite Service Center

PHOTOS BY COLLEEN COSGRIFF

By Lindsey Habenicht Editorial Intern A Two vacant units stood at the center of the Barry Farm neighborhood, a public housing complex in Ward 8 completely overcome with crime and poverty. But as the epicenter of the war on redevelopment in the District, Barry Farm is also a place of resilience.

Since May of this year, A Wider Circle— a nonprofit dedicated to helping children and adults lift themselves out of poverty— has been working to bolster this resiliency.

The D.C. Housing Authority (DCHA) gifted them the vacant units on Eaton Road.

The Barry Farm Resident Council approached them last year to help bring more services into the neighborhood after A Wider Circle hosted a backpack and food distribution near Barry Farm in August 2014.

“We said ‘yes’ right away,” said Mark Bergel, founder of A Wider Circle. “If they want us to serve, we’ll create something to serve.”

A Wider Circle provides food and furniture distribution, access to professional attire, job skills training, youth mentoring and tutoring, long-term support, and life skills workshops to the D.C. Metro Area. Since opening on-site, all of these services have been easily accessible for Barry Farm residents.

Take Desheria Barksdale, a resident of Barry Farm for the last year and-a-half, who turned to A Wider Circle when she finally found work with a temporary labor agency in Alexandria. She didn’t have an appropriate wardrobe to start work on such short notice. Barksdale made an appointment with A Wider Circle, shopped the professional workwear closet, and walked away prepared for the week ahead.

Continuing her professional development, Barksdale also set an appointment

with an on-site job coach to help her through the employment process.

The organization has also highlighted the importance of community at Barry Farm, hosting events for children of the neighborhood nearly every weekend.

A Wider Circle played an integral role in the formation of a Barry Farms Girl Scout Troop.

“Nothing takes away the stress of redevelopment,” said Rhonda Edwards-Hines, a 28-year Barry Farm resident. “But [A Wider Circle] takes a bit of the hardship off.”

In 2012, DCHA was awarded a Choice Neighborhood Planning Grant of $300,000 for its proposal to redevelop Barry Farm.

According to DCHA, the grant has since been used for meetings seeking residents’ feedback to help inform the future of Barry Farm.

A Wider Circle at Barry Farm’s professional workwear closet.

“The grant is being used to comprehensively address community challenges, which will result in a transformation plan created by residents and community stakeholders,” said Christy Goodman, a spokesperson for DCHA. At the time of the award, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) identified community challenges ranging from a 66 percent poverty rate, poor educational attainment, and a high violent crime rate.

However, the October 2014 approval of the First Stage Planned Unit Development at Barry Farm – development with mixed uses such as retail and residential-- has left residents fearing for where they will turn next. Under the Barry Farm Redevelopment plan, 444 public housing units will be demolished and transformed into a mixed-income community. Residents worry they will be displaced to off-site locations and become another casualty of gentrification.

While the apparent goal of the redevelopment plan is to improve the quality of living for those in the neighborhood, residents question whether public housing will be sufficiently replaced for each family. Many have already watched their neighbors relocate.

There are few limits to A Wider Circle’s giving. Residents are welcome to “take what they need” during their scheduled appointments. Though they can only come through once per month for general food and hygiene items, A Wider Circle staff members take everything on a case-bycase basis.

Rhonda Edwards-Hines recalled a long history of other organizations coming and going. A Wider Circle is the only organi-

A Barry Farm dwelling.

zation that residents at Barry Farm have opened up to.

“They always want to make sure that everyone is taken care of,” she said.

Regardless of what redevelopment may

“Nothing takes away the stress of redevelopment. But [A Wider Circle] takes a bit of the hardship off.”

— Rhonda Edwards-Hines Barry Farm Resident

occur, A Wider Circle is at Barry Farm to stay. Dedicated to the neighborhood’s residents, past or present, the onsite non-profit will continue to provide support even after resident relocation.

In the three months that A Wider Circle at Barry Farm has been open, it has been able to serve approximately 150 Barry Farms families strictly through donations.

A Wider Circle at Barry Farm is unique in the sense that it is the first onsite assistance that A Wider Circle has offered, but potentially not the last. A Wider Circle staff recognized that Barry Farm was a community where the needs outweighed the response; they also recognize that this is the case in countless other places, and would consider going to serve any high need community.

“The only way to get these people out [of poverty] is with commitment,” said Bergel.

STREET SENSE August 12 - 25, 2015

7

NATIONAL

LEGAL BEAT: BREAD FOR THE CITY’S FREE CLINICS

By Tim Ferrell, Volunteer

PHOTO COURTESY OF GOOGLE MAPS

Since starting this column, I have been researching the availability of legal resources for the homeless. In addition to the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless, Bread for the City is another well regarded place to find legal help.

According to its website, Bread for the City operates two legal clinics. The first is called the D.C. Employment Justice Center, which holds walk-in workers’ rights clinics at 1525 7th St. NW every Wednesday from 6:00 to 7:30 pm and at 1640 Good Hope Road SE the last Saturday of every month from 10:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m.

The second clinic is called the D.C. Bar Advice and Referral Clinic. It holds walk-in legal hours at both locations on the second Saturday of each month from 10:00 am until noon.

The clinics represent clients in landlord-tenant disputes and those denied Social Security disability benefits. Clinic workers also attend hearings for other public benefits and clients with family

MOVING UP: HOW TO SAVE TIME AND MONEY WITH YOUR FINANCES

By Arthur Johnson ajohnson@streetsense.org Many people struggle to make it through the day. Fortunately technology can help you make the most of your time, save you money and make both go much farther.

Smartphones can help simplify your life in many ways, especially with money.

One way is to use the bill pay feature on your bank’s website. If you have an account with a large bank, most companies that will send you a bill will be listed on the site, which means you can electronically send money from your account to them. Many cell service providers also allow for paying the provider through your phone.

Several major food chains such as Subway, Wendy’s, Taco Bell, McDonald’s and others have apps that allow for you to use your mobile phone to pay for your food purchase. You use your debit or credit card to pay it in advance and then it is deducted each time you orde. This makes it unnecessary to carry cash with you and allows you to budget how much you’ll allow yourself to spend with that food chain ahead of time.

Another great advantage to using technology is making sure your check and debit card purchases are approved. If you are at a store, you can check your bank balance before you shop by accessing the mobile website or app for the bank. If you get to the counter and find that the purchase will cost more than is in your checking account, you can instantly transfer money from another account if you have it, and avoid your purchase being declined.

law issues like child custody, civil protection orders, child support and divorce.

The clinics are staffed by dozens of volunteer attorneys, paralegals and law students who work alongside 14 staff attorneys and one loaned associate from a law firm with offices located internationally and in D.C. Last year the clinic provided over 4,000 individuals with advice, referrals and full representation.

Bread for the City also has several special projects including the Community Lawyering Project, the Court-Based Legal Services Program, the Child Support Community Legal Services Project and the Domestic Violence Community Legal Services Project. The Community Lawyering Project is limited to those in Wards 7 and 8. It helps residents in direct representation, advocacy, community education and community building on issues of affordable housing, public benefits and economic development.

Volunteer and staff attorneys work

Thank You for sponsoring our 2015 Fall Gala!

You can also add value to your Metrorail SmarTrip card online to avoid wasting time waiting in line before boarding.

Technology can be a great equalizer. As you go through your day in the District and you look at the White House or the Capitol, just remember that everyone— including President Obama, members of Congress and yourself—all have the same 24 hours in a day.

Minimum Wage Update One thing to keep in mind about the upcoming battle regarding the minimum wage is that the issue is one that was created by the inaction of the city council.

Minimum wages generally are voted on every several years and take several votes to get approved. One way to prevent that is if the City Council would vote to index the minimum wage. What that means is that the minimum wage would increase every year based on inflation. If the minimum wage was $10/hour and inflation was 4 percent, the next year’s minimum wage would be $10.40/hour. Without indexing the minimum wage to inflation, its purchasing power is minimized over time.

Arthur Johnson is a volunteer writer focusing on finance and economic issues.

He also has substantial experience working with the homeless as a Volunteer Financial mentor at The Salvation Army shelter in Minneapolis. He is always open to questions and suggested topics.

with the Legal Aid Society to operate the Court-Based Legal Services Program.

This program allows attorneys to appear in court with clients, sometimes on the same day as intake.

For Street Sense patrons wanting to get involved, be assured that the staff attorneys provide guidance and support in every step of a case. The clinic also provides files and intake forms to get the case going and has a vast forms library to assist with many of the issues that the clients commonly face. Volunteer attorneys who get involved gain an understanding of the issues facing a marginalized segment of the District, get an opportunity to develop their practice and gain new skills, plus meet other like-minded professionals to share ideas, consult, and work with on other projects. As such, the Bread for the City clinics are a resource for the Street Sense vendors and an opportunity for some of Street Sense’s barred patrons to give back.

The Plan to Cut Poverty in Half

By Amanda Waldroupe Street Roots, Portland

Reducing poverty by 50 percent sounds like a bleeding heart liberal's dream. Saying that people should work more sounds like the canned response of a free-market capitalist.

But David Riemer thinks such a dramatic reduction in poverty is possible - with the help of America's free-market economy.

Riemer is a senior fellow at the Community Advocates Public Policy Institute, a think tank based in Milwaukee that promotes policies to reduce poverty. In March, Community Advocates released a report analyzing how poverty can be reduced from its current national rate of 14.5 percent to nearly 7 percent.

The report presents a package of policy proposals that would enable more than half of people living in poverty to earn wages that would lift them above the poverty line.

The report takes a five-pronged approach to reducing poverty: create "transitional jobs" for underemployed and unemployed people; increasing the federal minimum wage to $10.10 an hour; expand the earned income tax credit; increase funding for child-care subsidies; and increase support for people who are physically or mentally incapable of working - people with disabilities and receiving Social Security and Supplemental Security Income.

The policy proposals developed by Community Advocates relies on modeling software developed by the Urban Institute, a national organization that conducts research on social and economic policy, which is able to simulate a household's eligibility for different assistance programs or tax credits, depending upon changes in income. The result is an empirical analysis of various factors that can lead to a reduction in poverty.

"Until this report came out, no one could say (how poverty could be reduced) with this level of certainty," Riemer says.

Amanda Waldroupe: Your report concludes that work is the primary way out of poverty. Why is that?

October 1, 2015 StreetSense.org/gala

David Riemer: As we talk about poverty here, we're talking about a shortage of income. The point that I was trying to make is that when you have a shortage of income when you're underemployed or unemployed, it makes it more likely for you to become sick or ill. It makes it harder for children to learn.

A.W.: Why the goal of cutting poverty in half?

D.R.: Our goal was to achieve a dramatic reduction in poverty. The single biggest way to achieve (this goal) is to get more people working. If you increase the minimum wage, (a reduction in poverty) just happens. When you increase the earned income tax credit, it just happens. If you were to achieve a higher rate of unemployed people transitioning to work, it just keeps adding to the reduction of poverty. It makes a big difference.

A.W.: Minimum wage.

D.R.: We know two things about the minimum wage. It's true that when you raise the minimum wage, there is some job loss. There is, however, also an increase in the income for those who keep their jobs.

The amount of the increase determines both the amount of the job loss and the amount of the income gain. It's a complex trade-off. Striking the right balance is complex.

A.W.: What are transitional jobs?

D.R.: Broadly speaking, a transitional job is subsidized wage-paying employment that unemployed or underemployed adults are offered after their effort to find regular, unsubsidized employment has not succeeded after a reasonable time period.

Transitional jobs have been given other names. They're sometimes called temporary jobs, jobs of last resort, communityservice jobs. In the last several years, in particular, transitional jobs have been made available at not only nonprofit organizations but also for-profit firms.

A.W.: It sounds a lot like the jobs offered under the New Deal, especially the Civilian Conservation Corps and the Works Progress Administration.

D.R.: The CCC and WPA were a type of transitional job. Today, that approach is still being used in a number of states. Anyone who gets a transitional job works for a government or nonprofit organization.

What's new about today's version of transitional jobs is that a fair number of them include work in the for-profit sector. Even though we have a pretty dicey economy for a lot of people … transitional jobs are seen as an economic development tool .

A.W.: It's interesting that you're couching all your arguments to reduce poverty on free-market capitalism. Rather than mak-

ing any moralistic argument, you're saying this is good for employers and businesses.

D.R.: It's important when you're pushing most reforms and policy changes to have three legs to stand on, so to speak. One leg is evidence. One of the really powerful and unique things about this model is that it's backed by incredibly rigorous and independent analysis coming from the Urban Institute. The second leg of the stool is to appeal to people's basic values - liberal values, conservative values, values about reducing poverty. The third leg is a recognition that the overwhelming majority of people in this country have always got their jobs because of the free-market economy. So our model rests on evidence, values and a recognition that the private market is ultimately a key part of the solution.

A.W.: So there's a recognition that attacking poverty is something the private sector can benefit from. I'm not sure that's always been obvious.

D.R.: There's the underlying moral concern. Do we want to live in a society where so many people are poor? There are all kinds of practical reasons for (reducing poverty). An unemployed worker is someone who isn't producing anything. They're not paying taxes, or at least not paying as many taxes. We have overwhelming scientific evidence that being unemployed and being poor is damaging to people's health. What does that mean to general society? … We pay more for Medicaid. We pay more for insurance. There's also evidence that poor people and their children (achieve) less in school. It also means that they're less likely to graduate. You have more people going on welfare. There's a social cost.

Even if you are a middle-class person and don't have any moral reason to care about poor people, you have an economic reason. Poverty costs the middle class.

A.W.: The report talks about tapping into and reflecting widely shared American values. Why is that important? It seems like many important changes in our culture the civil rights movement, for instance occurred because there was a movement that said our values were wrong.

D.R.: I actually think that the values of the American people are pretty much in the right place when it comes to poverty.

I say that not out of gut instinct. We had a national opinion poll done where we asked people about the policies in this policy package. There were very strong, favorable responses to that public opinion poll cutting across Democrats, Republicans and independents. Republicans supported all those policies - not quite as much but still with heavy majorities. I think Americans are figuring out that we need to shed old values and replace them with new ones, which was the case with slavery, with African Americans in general, with women, with same-sex relationships. When it comes to poverty, there's no change in values that is needed. What is needed are changes in understanding what those values have to be translated to in light of today's economy.

Here's part of the problem. When the U.S. emerged from World War II, there literally was a job for everybody. The U.S. economy was the world economy.

We didn't face any international competition. If you had said, in 1955, we're at risk of losing your jobs to China, people would have thought you were crazy. It was not rational to expect China, Japan, India would be competing with us. What happened was not so much the values changed, but the world changed.

A.W.: Creating transitional jobs, raising the minimum wage and the earned income tax credit are pretty hot-button issues but also require systemic change. It seems impossible without large-scale government intervention and changing laws.

D.R.: The goal of our project is to persuade policymakers to consider and implement large-scale policies. It's quite likely that small-scale transitional jobs programs will continue to be enacted. The politics surrounding transitional jobs are quite different from the politics surrounding welfare. As budget director of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, I was not keen on spending money or raising taxes. The costs associated with these large-scale policy changes can be offset by cutting other wasteful or ineffective or low-priority government programs, including tax loopholes. I'm not arguing for an overall increase in government size or government spending. …

Implementing this model will not necessarily require overall that government gets bigger.

Courtesy of INSP News Service www.

INSP.ngo / Street Roots

STREET SENSE August 12 - 25, 2015

9

FEATURES The Monkey and the Turtle

By Michael Craig Vendor/Artist Turtle and Monkey were sitting under a tree.

Turtle: I’ve never tasted a banana before. ‘Cause you know I can’t get up in that tree!

Monkey jumped up the tree and climbed down in the blink of an eye, extending a banana to Turtle.

Turtle: For me? Just like that?!

Monkey: No. I want all of your wisdom, knowledge and experiences in exchange for this banana.

Turtle: Let me get this straight. All I have to do is give you my wisdom, knowledge and experience... and you’ll let me taste that banana?

Monkey: That’s it!

Turtle: But why would you want those anyway?

Monkey: You know how to survive in the ocean. You know how to survive on land.

And you outlive almost all the other creatures.

Turtle: ...And you’ll let me taste that banana?

Monkey: You bet.

Turtle slowly turned around and began crawling away. Turtle stopped to look back one last time.

Turtle: You’re trying to make a monkey outta me!

The Right Way

By William Mack Vendor/Artist Larry Murphy squirts shaving cream into his palm and rubs his hands together to demonstrate how to break-in a baseball glove "The Right Way," a scene in the second act of the musical "Dear Evan Hansen" at Arena Stage.

Larry (Michael Park) never had time to do this with his son Connor before he died. So now he's showing his son's friend Evan Hansen (Ben Platt) the right way to lather the mitt with shaving cream, attach rubber bands and put it under a mattress to make it ready to catch a fastball.

This isn't the way we broke-in gloves when I was growing up, but I could relate to doing things the right way — which was a theme for the whole production. Considering where I've come from, and what I've done, I really connected with this.

Evan won the love of the Murphy family after Connor died, when they discovered a letter it seemed Connor had been writing to Evan. They were shocked to learn their son had a friend. Evan didn't have the heart to tell them that Connor was a bully, and had stolen the letter Evan was writing to himself. The lies spin out of control from there, and the family's love for their son

PHOTO COURTESY OF MARGOT SCHULMAN/ARENA STAGE

begins to transfer to Evan. He even helps them start a foundation in Connor's name.

Evan's mother works a lot, and he begins to spend more and more time with the Murphy family — including their daughter Zoe (Laura Dreyfuss). His crush.

Evan eventually comes clean, leaving the Murphy family heartbroken. But it doesn't end there.

Anyone could find a character they relate to in this talented cast. Michael Park played a firm business man. He was professional even around family - but very compassionate. And while we were all rooting for Evan, I certainly didn't want to see Laura Dreyfuss' character get hurt.

Ben Platt's voice is great and his acting was spot-on, from the expressions on his face to the twitching of his fingers.

The singing was excellent, the music was great, the lighting was good and the cast were dressed just like you or I. We had a lot of good laughs.

I really can't emphasize the singing enough. I recommend you check out the show. The musical's world debut continues at Arena Stage through Sunday August 23.

Tribute to My Father, Part 5

By Sybil Taylor, Vendor/Artist

My father is speaking from heaven about his joy, peace, and happiness: “I was in pain all day. Look at me now, pain free and cancer free. I am happy in my newly restored body. No more aching.

The day I passed away, the birds all sat on the window ledge until I passed. They were preparing me to go home and soon I did. When you came upstairs to check on me, I was in transitional stage. You and Bridgette came upstairs and found me with my eyes open. I had then passed away. I didn’t know how to tell you or anyone. I couldn’t speak or eat anymore.

Sadness filled the room when I left, but I was free as a bird. Free as free can be. I was very happy. I am in my glory robe. I am walking along with Jesus, my parents, and my brother. I’m singing and dancing.

One day we’ll be together. I Love you all.”

A Walk to Remember

To Dad, We all miss you and your smile, through the sadness and pain of knowing that you are gone forever. You are missed. God has prepared you a home in paradise, a lovely home with angels that sing. The flowers smell so beautiful and fresh there. I’m glad you are finally at peace and full of joy. I will always love you dad. Mom really misses you. We all miss you. You were the best father in the world. You are a star to be cherished for the many honors of your life. You had a heart of gold, a memory worth silver and gold. We will always love you. One day we will all meet again.

With Love, Sybil

Keeping Family Together

By Charles Davis Vendor/Artist When I wake up in the morning, I always give God thanks for another beautiful day of my life and my loving family, for whom I dearly care. But as my heart always says, it is not about how much you give, it’s about what you give.

So always think “anything beats a zero”. Every day, all day I am always thankful.

When I start my day with my Street Sense papers, my first thought is faith and family, because family follows just like Street Sense. I try my best to always think of Street Sense as one big, happy family. When I first started with Street Sense I just didn’t think about myself. I thought about others too, because that is what life is all about. When Andre brought me into this organization, I told others about Street Sense. So, people, as you go on with your life, always keep family in your heart, because God loves you.

Remember, we are his family, too.

My family still tries to stay together no matter how tough it gets, because our parents left us with that gift. May they rest in peace. So, Street Sense family – let’s try to keep together and work as a family, because times are getting very tough out there. So, as I speak, stay strong, keep the faith.

May God bless us all!

But the Leaves

By Robert Warren, Vendor/Artist I see.

Can you see, a path among the trees?

So many trees.

But I only think of the leaves, And all the things they have seen.

The sun rise; The moon light gleaming on the leaf next door; The tree trunk so wide that the leaves do fly everywhere.

They know when the fall winds will blow, and the leaves that live through the winter's snow; So much of life the leaves watch live and grow: The new born baby, they peered through the window as he was being born; They saw him run and play as a boy, The leaves know of his struggles into becoming a man.

The leaves saw the armies marching through the path, and the destruction of all the bombs that fell; They blow and bend at half-staff, for the life of the forests that are no longer there.

They know the animals that come and go; The leaves praise the Lord all their days, but no one but the Lord knows their praise.

If the leaves could talk many of life's stories would be told; If you praise the Lord out loud, the leaves will blow with a cool breeze, coming your way as you smile, the leaves wishing on a rain drop all the while.

But the leaves.

(*Inspired by this painting)

By Ron Verquer Vendor/Artist I rode a different bus on July 14, 2015.

It dropped me off at L’Enfant Station. If you wait till 9:00 am you get a discount rate, so I walked towards the McDonald’s at C St. & 4th St. SW for a coffee.

I walked up to this man, who introduced himself as Rudy. I asked him if he was a veteran, and he said he was. I asked him if I could pet his dog. Mr. Rudy was very nice to me. I showed him my Street Sense paper and all of the help that is on the back page. He told me he had a tent & a sleeping bag. I liked his American flag.

He told me that his trip started in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I told him I had friends there in Woodward County, and my dad had hauled oil field pipe and the office was out of Oklahoma City. I told him Tulsa used to be called Sin City of the Southwest. My great aunt helped Oral Roberts.

M r. Ru d y a l s o told me he was a security guard for the Oklahoma City Thunder and had met Kevin Durant. I had not been there in a while.

He told me that on his journey, which went through Arkansas a n d Te n n e s s e e , people had given him money and helped him get motel rooms. Then Mr. Rudy said he

got to Virginia and people did not pay as much attention to him.

Freedom, the dog, was fun. He has itty-bitty fur. Rudy and I walked to the McDonald’s & Freedom watched his bag while we talked.

Mr. Rudy told me the Good Lord Jesus was his guide. He had walked 2075 miles with any help he could get. I got to show him my car magazine. He talked to his Congressman’s chief of staff, and had an appointment with Representative Markwayne Mullin at 1:00 pm on the 14th.

The Good Lord also was working on his behalf because friends had helped him connect with a ride back home. It was a family moving from Arlington back to Oklahoma.

God bless our military and veterans.

STREET SENSE August 12 - 25, 2015

COMICS & GAMES

Don't Measure The Drapes Hillary, Here Comes The Donald

By Jeffrey McNeil, Vendor/Artist

ELEUTHERIAN PUZZLES OF DELIGHT: MATCH THE ORIGINS

By Franklin Sterling, Vendor/Artist

1. Cutting Contests

a. The Book of Forms

2. The Secondary Rattle

b. U.S. Army

3. The Repetend

c. Medieval Iconodule

4. Rashid al-Din

d. Lithuania

5. Dunadh

e. Romania

6. The Kearny Cross

f. Prehistoric Man

7. Cromlech

g. Indefinite Origin

8. Scytale

h. Vodoun

9. Middle Name: B

.

i. American Jazz

10. Samuel Rosenstock

j. Mayan Civilization

11. Sardanapalus

k. Waelses

12. Dyinous

l. Sparta

13. The Terrestrial Monster Strip

m. Shamanism

*Answers to be printed in August 26 edition of Street Sense ANSWERS FROM 7/29: 1. The Holy House of Understanding - Sumeria, 2. Lixus - Morocco, 3.

Transvestite Saints - Old England, 4. The Local Effect - Impressionism, 5. Enheduanna - Assyria, 6. Degaussment - U.S. Navy, 7. Intermundia - Classical Rome, 8. Wyn Olverholser - St. E’s, 9. Loa Brave Guede - Dahomey, 10. Goat Kissing - Minoan Civilization, 11. Cosmic Spider Monkey - Mayan Civilization, 12. Great Wall of Santa - Incan Civilization, 13. Homoeoteleuton - Medieval Scribes

Harry Truman once said “I never gave anyone hell, I just told the truth and they thought it was hell.”

Donald Trump is giving the Washington establishment hell and they don’t like it. Both parties are tone deaf and clueless. They think the American electorate was going to sign off on their pre-ferred candidates so they can continue their globalist agenda. Donald Trump has woken the sleeping giant and Washington has been put on notice, no more business as usual.

Trump is resonating because he’s speaking truth to power. Our country is on the wrong track, we’re tired of politicians saying one thing and doing another.

The American People are tired of seeing the government’s size be the only thing to grow. Trump may be the one to give Washing-ton a kick in the ass.

I’m not a Tea Partier, I’m a disgruntled Democrat who believes the party has gone Cuckoo for Coco Puffs. I find it disheartening that after eight years of President Obama, Democrats don’t have any viable candidates in case Hillary falters. You would think party elders would have floated Corey Booker, Deval Patrick, Kirsten Gillibrand or Andrew Cuomo instead of flaming libtards such as Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders. Hillary is the pinkest liberal we’ve seen since George McGovern. If she gets the nomination it will be “all hands on deck.” Whenever Liberalism comes upon our shores, it should be identified, targeted and set afire.

I l i k e B e r n i e S a n d e r s h o w e v e r, and I understand why liberals love

11

OPINION Trump . r M o t r A Lette , Vendor/Artist

him. He’s a modern day Santa Jones Claus, promising cradle-to-grave

By Morgan welfare and advocating to raise the mp, rner of onald Tru D r.

M at the co r r a e minimum wage to $15 an hour. It p De a p s w your ne cks from et Sense lo e b r doesn’t matter to his followers that t e S e r ll h e t s you I ets NW, ce. Since ffi his message of dependency and free th and F Stre O t s o P w 12 of the old I would like to kno t n stuff will put our nation on a path toe m p lo , deve ident le — the wards Greece. However, that crowd g for pres less peop e m o h re runnin r a o doesn’t need much convincing. All you uld do f at you wo le. h w need is some weed or other hallucinopeop forgotten Post gens to go with the message of self-inu on the o y h it w ar g dulgence and Bernie is speaking truth to m workin ny is simil r a fi p g m in o c lt u power towards them. se. This te cons .C. see real esta Streetsen ople who live in D e d h e T m a n orkBernie won’t win because he’s a true building is r in name only. Pe tsense [.com] is w e c ffi O at e e liberal with no backbone. His failure to edia cent ects on which Stre een a company th m r u o o t w -j stand up to the “Black Lives Matter” t o uilding pr e more synergy be the homeless. a lot of b crowd and say “All Lives Matter “ shows r e rs e w w e o r h the that em-p e n he’s not a true socialist but a pan-derer. If o ing. I wis d n a sue of homes and the is nse t s he won’t stand up to his own party, Putin r e develops d n u u don’t reet Se will chew him up and spit him out. erhaps yo oke bread with St e about p , h lt a e rw you br nd mor People can criticize Donald Trump, but Given you understa Maybe if . s ld s u nch (my o le c e u m o o the man’s an Alpha male. He oozes masyou to lu ists, y e t being h r it a v d in n o a we can dors iting t culinity. When hecklers try to disrupt him, ccept so a u [.org] ven ople. So, I am wr o y e p pe s. I ho he just steamrolls his attackers like bowler vendor homeless h t o e m o s ing pins. h treat) wit ach other.

I will never forgive President Obama. e m o r learn f I’m done with him. He effeminized America. I become en-raged when I see what’s Sincerely, s happening to this country. When you turn one Morgan J on MSNBC or CNN you see one woman or ense Vend S t e e r t S after another screaming they want abortions anytime, anywhere and anyplace.

We have a black president and people are crying about racism. The other day I saw Demo-crats win, socialism will be in full Americans are tired of the “Where’s Mine” a women work-ing in a sewer, we are told effect and the American way of life will attitude of the Left along with the blatant by our feckless leaders that this is progcease to exist. disregard of working people by the Right. ress and we should be ok with it.

I don’t agree with Donald Trump, but his They’re sick of hearing rhetoric and getDonald Trump is the first person in a presence is exposing how corrupt the Washting no results. long time to say “hell no,” this is unacington es-tablishment is. When I saw talkLet them keep underestimating the ceptable. I’m not com-fortable with his ing heads have meltdowns over Trump, I American people but if I were Hillary or language, but he’s telling it like it is. The began thinking ‘if the Beltway clique hates Jeb I wouldn’t be measuring the drapes on Democrats want to make America into the him he may be the perfect president.’

Pennsylvania Avenue just yet. If they get image of San Francisco. 2016 may be the Washington is broken because too many too comfortable they may look out their most important election in history. If the have been bought by special interests. window and see a landslide coming.

Prostitution Stings a Waste of Taxpayers Money Aida Basnight, Vendor/Artist

As I was watching the news this week, they were reporting how Washington, D.C. was doing a sting on street prostitutes by putting them in jail every time they see a prostitute in the streets. It is just a plain waste of time and energy to lock up women for street prostitution. But, to tax them as they do in Nevada is a different story. Nevada’s legal prostitution requires that the workers be healthy and gives cus-

tomers the opportunity to sue if they are affected by someone who turned out not to be healthy. The only thing a cop has to do there is see if a prostitute has all of his or her licenses and updated papers in order. I bet adopting this system will slow down street prostitution.

Nevada is the lone State in the USA, to have legal prostitution.

Why can’t The Supreme Court legalize prostitution for the other 49 states? It is an old profession, not only in the states but around the world.

Nevada Law requires that all prostitutes have to be at least 21 years old and must register with a county Sheriff, receive reg-

ular medical checkups, be tested weekly for gonorrhea, Chlamydia trachomatis and be tested monthly for HIV and syphilis.

Nevada has brothel owners as opposed to street prostitution.

Prostitution stings are very ineffective and it’s wasted taxpayer’s money and time.

Jesus Christ defended Mary Magdalene from a group of people who wanted to throw stones at her because she was a repentant prostitute. They walked away only after Jesus said ’those who have not ever sinned in their entire lives can go ahead and cast that first stone.’

No one did, they moved on about their

business. Prostitution is in my neighborhood, but I have to be wide awake in the wee hours of the night or get up super early in the morning to see a prostitute on the street.

To hear a politician right here in the District say ‘housewives are offended to have prostitutes in their neighborhood’ is a lame excuse. Children and housewives are usually in bed snoring when street prostitutes are working. I am simply coming up with solutions rather than wasting taxpayers money by having prostitution stings. That taxpayer money could go into housing homeless families and individuals.

The Street Sense Writers’ Group is led by writing professionals and meets every Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. The group’s goal is to develop ideas and collaborate on the next great issue of Street Sense.

What People Don’t Know O S ne thing you don't know about me is that I care beyond what I verbally and non-verbally exude or say. Even when I internally grimace.

I care enough to attempt to understand why one might feel, say or do what they do even when the action or behavior is repetitive. Only after those actions are counter productive, will I shy away without fueling a double trouble of engagement, cause and effect conflict. If that is the culture and normal of an individual or group, that is okay with me to let people be who they are after all my purpose or interest is not restricting anyone's rights and pursuit of happiness unless they cause harm and then that's when you dial 911. ­—Angie Whitehurst, Vendor/Artist

omething most people don’t know about me is that I can drive a car.

Most people figure if you are homeless you cannot drive. Or is it that most people figure that I can probably operate one of some of the many kinds of motorized vehicles in the world today?

Their opinion is a good thing because they will give me advice when I am doing something I find difficult. When good people give me the right advice, I can easily find the solution to many of the problems that I face by following their advice.

Since I have problems with driving, many thought I could not drive. Because of this, it was obvious to me that most people didn’t know I could actually drive.

What are my problems with driving? I cannot discuss them.

However, most people become very concerned when I drive. Yet I love to get out there and try. But when I drive, I’m afraid that things will quickly go wrong and for the worse.

While I know of five people who don’t know how to drive, I do know how to drive. And is spectacular that people encourage me to drive. They try to help me, urging me on like that do in most matters of things they find good. I think I have people who admire the things that I do.

It seems to me that most people want more things to worry about. Because I understand that, I try to think of people. I try to concentrate on them. People often say I should pay more attention to myself.

I agree with that.

—Debbie Bantley, Vendor/Artist

BIG NEWS - check back in our next edition to learn more about Vendor/Artist Gerald Anderson’s book “Still Standing,” which collects the My Katrina memoir originally printed in Street Sense. Available now on Amazon.com!

Hello Y’all! I’m Back Again: The Girl from North Carolina

13

VENDOR WRITING

By Betty Everett Vendor/Artist

P

eople see me as a great guy. They notice how I dress and that I mind my business. I laugh and joke a lot, and I love to have fun. When I come around the neighborhood, the people I associate with have a smile on their face. That makes me feel welcome. I consider myself a people pleaser.

But no one knows what goes on inside you. Sometimes I feel lonely thinking about my history. Memories flash in my mind about growing up without my mother and about how she died. In my teens, I would cry on Mother's Day and on my mother's birthday.

Now, I thank God for making me strong and soothing my mind about my mother, who I truly love. And I know she loves her son.

—Ricardo Meriedy, Vendor/Artist

Today I will talk about the problems of the homeless, especially the elderly.

Twenty-five years ago, uncertain if I wanted to stay in D.C., I experienced homelessness in our city for several months. I was at the Carpenter’s Shelter and they were very nice to people and made you feel welcomed.

I found this place through the Salvation Army. At the time I had a job and people with employment had more privileges. I decided to stay in the D.C. area and found a room, and from there I found an apartment.

Today in my area—H Street NE—I see a lot of older people as well as young peo-

Dragging My Suitcase

By Grayla Vereen, Vendor/Artist

Homelessness is a great deal more than not having a roof over my head or a place to call home or having an address to receive mail. Homelessness is also being burdened daily with not having the basic necessities of life so one can live life like a human being.

Homelessness is suffering with the everyday cares from chasing everything from food to showers to transportation to bare necessities to dragging a suitcase around.

Dragging my suitcase is one of the hardest

STREET SENSE August 12 - 25, 2015

ple strung out on heroin and K2 drugs that they can buy from a grocery (I can’t believe this!). A couple of weeks ago, down

by Giant on H Street, a young man was naked hugging a street pole. Police came with an ambulance and took him away.

But this K2 drug is worse than I have seen, too many people are strung out. I guess they feel by buying from grocery stores it’s not bad.

On any given day on H Street you can see people yelling, laughing and talking to themselves—K2 you are their friend. The saddest part of it all is that a “retired” policeman was a drug dealer and he sold drugs from his store. Good they closed him down.

So for now I will keep you posted on life on H Street and the surrounding area.

Peace to y’all.

To Edna St. Vincent Millay

challenges of my day in getting from point A to point B. Because of my homeless circumstances, my suitcases are tampered with and destroyed, which puts a burden on me in trying to transport my possessions. The wheels are destroyed which makes it almost impossible for me to pull the suitcase. I need the contents to research my situation, so I have to drag a suitcase that is on its last wheels. It may sound trivial to some but it’s a burden to me. It aint’living.

By Gwynette Smith Vendor/Artist

PHOTO COURTESY OF NEW PUBLIC ART FOUNDATION/TWITTER

“Jawso”

By Jermale McKnight, Vendor/Artist As I walk, I see a lot of messages. About half of those are graffiti.

The majority of them are positive: informative or poetry. Good graffiti has what I call a “ministrying” effect. It makes you reflect on yourself, your environment and things you have done. It puts you in the hip of what’s going on.

One example is “Don’t leave the house without consulting your doctor.”

This has been taken down, but it was some beautiful graffiti located near 16th Street and Columbia Road Northwest.

It made me think of the scripture Isaiah 31:1 “Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help And rely on horses, And trust in chariots because they are many And in horsemen because they are very strong, But they do not look to the Holy One of Israel, nor seek the LORD!” These are both messages to guard yourself: one modern, the other biblical. Both direct you to think clearly on your daily decisions.

But some messages are detrimental. In many places across the city I see the graffiti tag, “Jawso” repeatedly. It’s around 14th and U Streets NW, it’s near Dupont

Circle, it’s throughout Adam’s Morgan.

“Jawso” to me, means to disregard God, whatever your faith may be.

“Jah,” the end of Hallelujah, is commonly used to refer to God. Pairing the pronunciation of that word with “so” sounds to me like, “God - so what?”

Even though I’ve worked hard to maintain my salesmanship and entertainment for my customers, since I started seeing “Jawso” my sales have dropped - even with my regular supporters.

Unnecessary disrespect toward the poor has increased. I see new clientele and regulars alike go out of their way to drag me down. But this isn’t just me, or homeless people in D.C. In the news, I see the whole nation has similarly gone out of whack. It seems in today’s America, certain people are not allowed around the seemingly-affluent.

To me there is a lot of vulgarity when it comes to the treatment of our nation’s poor. Too often, people jump to negativity first when interacting with someone on the street, without exhausting possibilities of positivity.

This is toxic, and I blame “Jawso.”

ILLUSTRATION BY LEVESTER GREEN

Mommy

By Ted Leggett, Vendor/Artist Mother, who is that person in yellow with a paper in his hand?

Mommy, what's a "donation for the homeless"?

Mommy, are we homeless?

Mommy, I like where we live when you are there.

Mommy, are we homeless because we eat here and there?

Mommy, was that man they talk about in church homeless?

Mommy, did they crucify him for being homeless?

Mommy, that person in yellow is hurting.

Mommy, is he homeless, too?

Whereas we are making Our own allegory You, our daughter and me Our union seems a blessing Not found by everyone.

I never thought the time would come When my eyes would be a sun.

Along the way, this joy begun Is fed by plans, discovery, work and failure But never not worth this great endeavor.

Rocks fall and quakes bruise the skin Yet never defeating what we began.

A safety that is unusually found The laughter of Shawna where love abounds.

I hope that God will uphold this way It is the end for which I pray.

What we have lasts a very long day And when it ends If we meet again, Thankful we’ll be Joyfulness remains.

No Place Like Home

By Ken Martin, Vendor/Artist

They say ‘home is where the heart is.’

It must be where the remnants of my broken heart remain. I would love to pick up the pieces. But not if I have to go back there. The memories would only shatter new growth tissues. Fragile tissues that

tear constantly, as I experience new losses because of my homeless — no, houselessness.

This week, as I celebrate the dream come true of a pop-up business, I suffer the loss of my best friend. Not to death, but to distance and guile. Distances that may have been reduced, guile that may have been stymied, if I had a place to relax, rejuvenate my mind and restore my wits. I am wiser than my opposition but at a distinct disadvantage without a place to ever rest my head, to have a full nights’ sleep.

Then there is the pain of missed opportunities. Without housing, I have incredibly limited time with my children. I am absent in their wonder years, relegated to little more than an ATM with minimized contact. I miss their milestones.

I knew their faculty as casual acquaintances. They greeted me with hugs. This month my daughter finished her first year in middle school. I never even saw her in dress uniform. I met only one of her instructors. We had no Father’s Day or Fourth of July celebration. Monday my son started his first job. I wasn’t there to display my pride, offer “sage wisdom” or straighten his tie.

People worry that I’ll die on the street from heart disease. But heart failure, though painful, can be quick. I just don’t want to go due to loneliness or heartbreak because it’s more intense, slower and tortuous. There is no place to run.

No fortress of solitude. Nowhere to hide.

No bat or man cave. No place like home.

PHOTO COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

My Country, My Home – With or Without a Roof

By Angie Whitehurst Vendor/Artist My home is under the soles of my feet.

They have travelled, worked, toiled, suffered, joyed and lived life.

They have not given in.

Some choices mine. Some choices are no choices at all. Man made the laws of supply and demand.

But my spirit, compassion and choice to love, care and make a difference is in my mind, and will not bend.

The right to live within a social, civil society is a right. Not a stigmatized sin.

The pursuit of happiness in an organized, institutionalized nation begins with housing and is needed to survive.

The whole can never be greater than its parts. Each part must be just as whole,

and better than – more than, infinitely more extraordinary than the meager pain and turmoil of the past and the present.

Our future must be addressed today, for greater goals and existence for you, our future.

It starts with the prevention and eluviation of eroding states across the board. A place to be stable and strong: a house, a home. Affordable not just for some, but all.

Dew up with the dusk of dawn, and fields of capped and let there be a roof for all.

This is the need, this is the call.

Give the issue a push, shove and engine to go. Get it done today, not tomorrow.

15

STREET SENSE August 12 - 25, 2015

I Just Moved to My New Home!

By Patty Smith, Vendor/Artist

A month ago I moved to my new home. I had been living at CCNV. I used to sell Street Sense in the middle of the night. I was not afraid of being out at night because I had a lot of friends who also liked to be out at night.

Some kind of way, I was able to get to a new area and start a new life in my new home. Not everything is perfect. I swear, sometimes I think it must be my imagination but I see shadows and they scare me.

Say I am smoking in the back yard. People I don’t know come through the alleyway.

Just out of nowhere. They look at me. It scares me. Now I have started to think they just want to see who I am.

ILLUSTRATION BY PATTY SMITH

PERCEPTION OR REALITY:

Contemplating Choices

By Robert Williams, USMC, Vendor/Artist

When will it ever end? Where are we headed as a people? Not just black people or white people - red, yellow or brown people - but a race of people. There is only one race of people: the human race.

Perception or Reality?

It is perceived that there are many benefits and services available for the homeless, veterans in particular. In reality, this is not the case. Far from enough is being done. Salt Lake City has declared an end to veteran homeless. Maybe more cities should take a page from their book.

The belief that enough is being done manipulates the actions of individuals each day. Unjustifiably, this falsification is what the public wants to believe, which thereby justifies a lack of positive action or even acknowledgement.

Examine yourself, as I examine myself.

What are the motives behind the actions we take? Do you care, or are you trying to PROVE that you care? Who or what at any cost do you feel the need to prove yourself to if you really do care?

Do we prosper and progress individually or collectively? It is my understanding that the human race (black, white, red, yellow, or brown) was designed to be at the top of the food chain, so to speak.

But those that prosper most in today's

society, have done so on the neck of others, while too many are held in jails, rehabilitation institutions, and the cycle of homelessness. That type of victory is shallow, to say the least. Last time I checked, it was cheaper to house people than support them through homelessness.

Why then are we so animalistic in our behavior. It is not our given nature.

Who actually benefits? You, I , everyone or no one? Are there not groups of animals that travel together in packs or herds? The operative word there is TOGETHER. Where is the togetherness for "we the people?" There is a homeless epidemic happening all around you - right in front of you. What is it about the indigent community that frightens you, alarms you or causes you to look the other way, pretending you don't see or hear them?

Am I my brother's keeper? Are we not blessed to be a blessing? Is not what we receive directly proportionate to what we give?

"A setback is just a setup for a comeback," according to motivational speaker WIllie Jolley.

Perception or reality.

I'd love to here any feedback from you, dear reader. E-mail Street Sense info@streetsense.org

A Time To Move Special Thanks to My Dear Customers Forward

By Roberta Bear, Vendor/Artist

By Evelyn Nnam, Vendor/Artist

Although living in denial may be necessary for a time for some, I have to make a decision to move beyond denial. This does not mean I will stop grieving altogether, for my healing grieving process has only just begun. I have to remember if I spend too much denying my loss, I would be unable to move forward with life.

Every woman that finally figures out her worth has picked up her suitcases of pride and boarded a flight to freedom, which landed in the valley of change.

Unless you heal your past, your life patterns and relationships will continue to be the same, it's just the faces that change stages of the battered women.

I would love to give a special thanks to my dear precious customers. If it wasn't for you this job would not be.

I appreciate all of you and pray that you will have a great, successful, and blessed life.

You guys are a big part of my life. I enjoy seeing your faces every day. It brightens my day when you all buy papers and provide donations. It's a wonderful blessing to see all of you; truly it is. From the bottom of my heart. I enjoy my job, I never thought I would love my job as I do now.

I thank those of my customers that donate to me from the different stories that I write in the newspaper. I love writing about seasons and things people love in life. I feel that if I write, it soothes and makes people be interested in what I write about. I like writing about what comes to my mind and I go from there onto the paper. When you just sit down and think about all the things that make you feel happy and joyful; it tells me that others will enjoy too. Thank you again my wonderful customers. God bless!

Denial The woman refuses to admit even to herself that she has been beaten on, that there is a problem in the relationship. Even may call it an incident or accident. She offers excuses for the person who is abusing her and, each time, family and friends believe it will never happen again.

Guilt That there is a problem and she considers herself responsible for it.

Enlightenment The woman no longer assumes responsibility for abuser treatment, recognizing that no one deserves to be beaten.

Responsibility Accepting that the abuser will not change or stop. She decides she will no longer submit to it and starts a new life.

What Is Peace

By Sasha Williams Vendor/Artist Peace is mental clarity Peace is the summer breeze Peace is growing with ease Peace is everything we need Peace is a better place to be Let's have peace Let be set free Let make a different reality What is your peace Watch Sasha’s documentary about finding peace at E Street Cinema on August 26!

StreetSense.org/film

The National AA Conference

By Elizabeth Bryant, Vendor/Artist

I just returned from the national Alcoholics Anonymous conference. They hold one every five years. This year it was in Atlanta, Georgia.

I was crying and scared when I got there, because I couldn't find the people I was supposed to stay with. I was in a big city, and didn't know my way around.

Eventually I got in touch with them and they told us which hotel to go to. The people I rode with dropped me off to wait in the lobby.

It was beautiful. We went to a marathon of meetings for three days. I wanted to buy a camera and take pictures to remember everything, but I couldn't afford it.There were over 6400 people there!

There was a slight hiccup, because the man that brought me there couldn't give me a ride back. His sponsee (and friend) ended up needing emergency surgery for an ulcer. But two other attendees were kind enough to bring me home. We left at 6 a.m. and drove for 11 hrs.

The drive was cool, and now I'm back.

Some of the other people at the conference said they would share their pictures with me, too.

COMMUNITY SERVICES Housing/Shelter

Food

Clothing

Showers

Outreach

Medical/Healthcare

Transportation

Laundry

Education

Employment Assistance

Legal Assistance

Academy of Hope: 269-6623 601 Edgewood St, NE aohdc.org

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

Community of Hope: 232-7356 communityofhopedc.org

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

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

John Young Center: 639-8569 119 D Street, NW

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

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

Catholic Charities: 772-4300 catholiccharitiesdc.org/gethelp

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

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

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

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

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

Community Family Life Services: 347-0511 | 305 E St, NW cflsdc.org

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

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

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

Gospel Rescue Ministries: 842-1731 810 5th St, NW grm.org

CELEBRATING SUCCESS! • Vendor Lawrence Rogers started a part-time marketing job with Smiles Dental in Columbia Heights!

• Vendor William Mack started a job as a residential night manager for So Others Might Eat! • Vendor James Davis celebrated his birthday on 8/1!

• Vendor Gynette Smith celebrated her birthday 8/9!

• Vendor Mary Ann Blackman celebrates her birthday 8/20!

Martha’s Table: 328-6608 2114 14th St, NW marthastable.org Miriam’s Kitchen: 452-8926 2401 Virginia Ave, NW miriamskitchen.org

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Family Reunion

By Marcus Green Vendor/Artist

Some of my family got together this past weekend. I had mixed emotions; some good, others grieving the family members that have moved on to be with the lord. Family can be good, some can be bad news like me with a reputation you can’t live down.

Family doesn’t have to be blood related. My godmother and sister are also my family. In the end family is whomever you love, support, receive support from, call, or text, because bottom line you care. Thanks for the opportunity to reach my family, friends and others. God Bless.

street sense STREET SENSE

MEDIA CENTER PRESENTS:

CINEMA FROM THE STREET II Could you call this tent home for a year? Someone did.

Emerging filmmaker Eboni Williams, outside of DC General Family Shelter.

WHO SHOULD I BE GRATEFUL TO?

RAISE TO RISE

Directed and Produced by Cynthia Mewborn

Directed by Sasha Williams with Producer Angie Whitehurst

AUGUST 26, 6:30-8:30 P.M. @ E STREET CINEMA Q&A follows, moderated by Author Marita Golden Tickets $12 @ StreetSense.org/film Two films by D.C.’s first homeless filmmakers co-op

ReginaldBlackChonGottiLevesterGreenCarltonJohnsonMorganJonesHenrieeseRobertsPattySmithRobertWarrenRobertWilliams Executive Producer Bryan Bello August 12 - 25, 2015• Volume 12 • Issue 20

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

Angie Whitehurst

vendors and do not give to those panhandling with

Sasha Williams

Cynthia Mewborn

one paper.

Eboni Williams

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

PHOTO BY JANE CAVE