09 08 2021

VOL. 18 ISSUE 32

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The Cover D.C.-area reisdents sought increased support for Afghan refugees on Aug. 28. Hasib Abbasi holds the country’s flag.

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The Street Sense Media Story, #MoreThanANewspaper Originally founded as a street newspaper in 2003, Street Sense Media has evolved into a multimedia center using a range of creative platforms to spotlight solutions to homelessness and empower people in need. The men and women who work with us do much more than sell this paper: They use film, photography, theatre, illustration, and more to share their stories with our community.

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EVENTS

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NEWS IN BRIEF INCOME

Job search requirement back for DC residents on unemployment Federal unemployment benefits offered through the American Rescue Plan Act expired Sept. 4, according to a D.C. fact sheet.

District residents receiving any type of benefit will have to complete at least two work search activities each week and register with the American Job Center, according to the Washington Post.

DC Meal Pack for 9/11 Day Saturday, Sept. 11 // 8 a.m. - 7 p.m.

Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Mount Vernon Pl. NW The Anacostia Coordinating Council is collaborating with Mayor’s Office on Volunteerism and Partnerships, AmeriCorps, Voices for National Service, and With Honor to organize a signature meal pack in Washington, DC in observance of the 20th anniversary of 9/11 and the federally-recognized September 11 National Day of Service and Remembrance. More than 1,000 volunteers will help pack at least 200,000 healthy, non-perishable meals. To help address the growing food crisis, all the meals will be donated to and distributed by the Capital Area Food Bank to individuals and families who are food insecure. REGISTER: tinyurl.com/dc-911-meal-2021 WEDNESDAYS, STARTING SEPT. 8

UPDATES ONLINE AT ICH.DC.GOV

Steps to Owning a Home (Between Now thru 2022)

D.C. Interagency Council on Homelessness Meetings

6 - 7 p.m.

Bowie, MD or Surrounding Areas

Executive Committee Sept. 14, 1:30 - 3 p.m.

If you are thinking of buying a home in Maryland, register for a free hour to learn from Realtor ReShawna Leaven (VA, MD, DC) your options in this fast paced market to be ready and prepared.

Housing Solutions Sept. 20, 3 - 4:30 p.m.

REGISTER: tinyurl.com/homeowner-coach-bowie

Shelter Operations Sept. 22, 1 - 2:30 p.m. ***For call-in information, as well as meeting info for unlisted working groups, contact: ich.dmhhs@dc.gov

MONDAY, SEPT. 13

Abortion rights rally and speakout at Brett Kavanaugh’s house

HOUSING

New federal eviction moratorium blocked, DC protections phasing out

6:30 p.m.

Chevy Chase Park Supreme Court Justices continue to work remotely. Activists will meet at Chevy Chase Local Park to walk/roll half a mile to Kavanaugh’s house.

Accessibility note: If you think you’ll be unable to walk/roll half a mile, please email accessibility@shutdowndc.org and we will coordinate rides.

INFO: tinyurl.com/Kavanaugh-rally

Starting Oct. 12, landlords can file for eviction for nonpayment only after applying for STAY D.C. rental assistance on behalf of the tenant, per a law that went into effect on July 24. The law continued a previous temporary provision allowing for eviction if a tenant is “a threat to health or safety” or “has willfully or wantonly caused significant damage to the property.” Other eviction cases can be filed starting Jan. 1, 2022.

AUDIENCE EXCHANGE @Ntl_Homeless

District residents eligible for traditional unemployment benefits will continue to receive those, according to the fact sheet. If those have been exhausted, an individual may file a new claim to see if they’re still eligible.

—spencer.donovan@streetsensemedia.org

The Supreme Court blocked the latest attempt at a federal eviction moratorium on Aug. 26 in a 6-3 ruling with the court’s liberal justices dissenting.

Local protections remain for D.C. residents, but those are phasing out.

Submit your event for publication by emailing editor@streetsensemedia.org

National Coalition for the Homeless

The following federal benefits have expired: Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation, Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation, and Mixed Earners Unemployment Compensation.

Will Schick

Landlords cannot file for eviction for nonpayment if the tenant has submitted a rental assistance application unless that application is denied or the tenant owes more than two months or $600 in back rent, Street Sense Media previously reported.

—spencer.donovan@streetsensemedia.org

@schick_will

@streetsensedc, Thanks for showing up week in and week out for the DC community, your case management team, office staff, and editors are a dedicated group that inspires me to keep fighting to end homelessness and help my neighbors

Attention all creative writers and journalists! @Streetsensedc has openings for interns this semester, come work with us!

12:49 PM · AUG 19, 2021

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NEWS

Broken refugee program complicated Afghanistan evacuation crisis

BY RUI KANEYA // The Center for Public Integrity

This article was first published on Sept. 3 by the Center for Public Integrity, a nonprofit investigative news organization based in Washington, D.C. The last United States military planes flew out of Afghanistan at almost the stroke of midnight Aug. 30, capping the bloody and turbulent end of America’s longest war in history.

In the war’s final weeks, President Joe Biden faced a torrent of criticism for failing to anticipate the sudden collapse of Afghan security forces in the face of advancing Taliban militants.

Critics say this miscalculation led to the last-minute scramble to evacuate Americans and Afghan allies out of Kabul — and left thousands of at-risk Afghans still stranded in a country once again ruled by the Talibans.

But refugee advocates say chaotic withdrawal was years in the making, a result of squandering a 20-year window to resettle Afghan refugees — particularly those who aided the U.S. war effort.

Since its invasion in 2001, the U.S. has resettled about 20,850 Afghan refugees, according to the U.S State Department’s Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration.

That’s a comparatively small number: More than 147,600 Iraqi refugees were resettled during the same period.

And the number of Afghan refugees has dropped significantly in recent years. At the end of July, the U.S. had only resettled 494 Afghan refugees in fiscal year 2021, which ends on Sept. 30. By comparison, more than 2,700 Afghan refugees were resettled in fiscal year 2016, during former President Barack Obama’s final full year in office.

An additional 72,500 Afghans have been resettled through the special immigrant visa program, known as SIV, which was created by Congress in 2009 for Afghans and Iraqis who worked directly with U.S. and allied military forces or embassies.

But that’s still a far cry from the estimated 250,000 Afghan allies who were not evacuated before the pullout.

With better resettlement efforts earlier, advocates say tens — if not hundreds — of thousands of Afghans could have been out of harm’s way, and there might not have been any need for mass evacuations.

“For us, one of the most challenging things in watching the events unfold was knowing just how avoidable all of this was,” said Betsy Fisher, director of strategy at the International Refugee Assistance Project.

immigration measures a hallmark of his presidency. He suspended the resettlement program for 120 days in 2017 and then left it chronically understaffed, significantly slowing down the process for thousands of applicants. He also gradually lowered the annual refugee admissions cap from 85,000 in 2016 to 15,000 in 2020.

“Under Trump, we had an administration committed to not only reducing the number of refugees that could enter [the U.S.], but then also hollowing out the refugee resettlement system itself — to severely weaken it,” said Ali Noorani, president and CEO of the National Immigration Forum.

“Now, Afghans who helped our military are facing the very consequences of that.”

Ya e l S c h a c h e r , senior U.S. advocate at Refugees International, said politics prevented Congress from stepping in.

“It would have been great if Congress passed prorefugee, pro-immigrant legislation, so we could get more visas for Afghan refugees,” Schacher said. “But no Republican was going to put their neck out for a piece of legislation that would expand legal immigration.”

Earlier this year, Biden came under heavy criticism when he broke his campaign promise and kept the annual refugee admissions cap set by Trump. He quickly backtracked, pledging to resettle 62,500 refugees this fiscal year.

But the Biden administration appears likely to fall well short of the goal: At the end of July, the U.S. had managed to resettle 6,274 refugees, with only two months left in the fiscal year.

With Afghans, the Biden administration has instead been turning to an emergency measure, telling refugee resettlement agencies to prepare to receive as many as 50,000 refugees arriving on “humanitarian parole.”

The move will allow Afghans to enter the U.S. without visas and give them a year to complete their application for refugee status or SIVs. In early August, the State Department also authorized giving priority consideration to Afghan refugee applicants who worked for U.S.-based employers but do not qualify for SIVs. The Biden administration’s moves have been denounced by a handful of vocal Republicans, but polls show a vast majority of Americans — 90% of Democrats and 76% of Republicans — support resettling Afghans.

Noorani said the Biden administration should seize the moment to not only provide immediate relief to Afghans, but also push for an overhaul of the U.S. immigration system.

“I’ve been working on immigration longer than I’d like to admit, and I’ve never seen this kind of bipartisan support for Afghan allies to be resettled here,” Noorani said. “This is an incredible opportunity for the administration — and more importantly, in many ways, for civic society — to actually find a consensus around the immigration issue.”

Rui Kaneya is a senior reporter at the Center for Public Integrity. He can be reached at rkaneya@publicintegrity.org. Follow him on Twitter at @ruikaneya.

Bureaucratic red tape For years, advocates have criticized the red tape surrounding the U.S. resettlement program, saying the application process is too onerous and backlogged.

Earlier this year, for instance, the processing time for Afghans applying for SIVs reached an average of nearly two years, even though applications are, by law, supposed to be completed within nine months.The situation worsened under former President Donald Trump, who made anti-

Maryam Kargar marches down Constitution Avenue as part of an Aug. 28 demonstration to call for more U.S. support for Afghan refugees. Her sign is in reference to a famous Marine Corps slogan. PHOTO BY WILL SCHICK

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Where do Afghanistan’s refugees go?

BY TAZREENA SAJJAD The Conversation

Afghan refugees sit in a bus taking them to a processing center upon arrival at Dulles International Airport in Dulles, Virginia, U.S., August 28, 2021. PHOTO COURTESY OF REUTERS / MICHAEL A. MCCOY

I

mages of thousands of Afghans desperately trying to flee their country following a hasty U.S. withdrawal have provoked an international outcry. U.S. troops have been working to evacuate U.S. military, American citizens and Afghans who are approved for Special Immigrant Visas. SIVs are a special program to protect Afghans who risked their lives working for U.S. troops in Afghanistan.

Germany, France, Italy and the U.K. are conducting smaller evacuation efforts for their nationals and some Afghans.

The pace of these poorly planned evacuations has been slow. They are taking place amid chaos in Kabul, where crowds are being confronted by violence from members of the now-ruling Taliban and U.S. forces and facing checkpoints that are nearimpossible to pass.

Shaharzad Akbar, who leads the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission, called the situation “failure upon failure.”

This harrowing scene that is unfolding can be seen within a broader context of Afghanistan’s long-standing displacement crisis. This includes an unequal sharing of refugees between the developed world and economically disadvantaged countries.

A muted US role The U.S. Refugee Act of 1980 standardized the procedures for admitting refugees – people who have fled war, violence, conflict or persecution – and put in place a rigorous vetting process. But over the past 40 years, U.S. acceptance rates for refugees worldwide have fallen significantly – from 200,000 admitted in 1980 to less than 50,000 in 2019.

Over the past 20 years, the U.S. admitted more than 20,000 Afghan refugees – an average of roughly 1,000 per year. But during the 2020 - 2021 fiscal year, just 11,800 refugees from around the world settled in the US – among them were only 495 Afghan Special Immigrant Visa recipients. That number

seems tiny compared to the approximately 20,000 Afghans who are currently in the pipeline waiting for a SIV and the additional 70,000 Afghans — including applicants and their immediate family members — who are eligible to apply.

Europe hosts few Afghan refugees For decades, Afghans have also migrated or fled to Europe. Between 2015 - 2016, 300,000 of them arrived on the continent. They were the second-largest group of refugees and asylum-seekers after Syrians. Asylum seekers are people seeking refugee status, but whose claim has yet to be evaluated.

The Afghan population across the European continent remains small and unevenly distributed. Up until the Taliban takeover of Kabul in August 2021, many Afghans were facing deportations. Germany is the largest European host, followed by Austria, France and Sweden.

For the first three months of 2021 about 7,000 Afghans were granted permanent or temporary legal status in the European Union.

They are distributed between Greece, France, Germany and Italy, with smaller Afghan contingents in other EU states.

Australia – based on its 2016 census – has approximately 47,000 Afghans who are permanent residents, some of whom began arriving as early as 1979. Approximately another 4,200 Afghans have received temporary protected status.

Displaced within Afghanistan This still leaves an enormous number of Afghans who are displaced without a permanent home. More than half a million have already been displaced by the violence so far in 2021 according to the U.N. refugee agency. Some 80% of nearly a quarter of a million Afghans forced to flee since the end of May are women and children.

As of 2021 and prior to the current crisis, at least 3.5 million Afghans remained uprooted within Afghanistan because of violence,

political unrest, poverty, climate crisis and lack of economic opportunity.

Afghan refugees in Pakistan The vast majority of Afghan refugees do not settle in the West.

Pakistan, which shares a 1,640-mile land border with Afghanistan, has long absorbed the largest number of Afghan refugees even though it is not a party to the 1951 Refugee Convention or the 1967 Protocol. Within two years of the 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, following the conflict ignited by the rise of the Mujahideen, 1.5 million Afghans had become refugees. By 1986, nearly five million Afghans had fled to Pakistan and Iran.

Since March 2002, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, or UNHCR, had repatriated nearly 3.2 million Afghans, but in April 2021, the United Nations reported that more than 1.4 million Afghan refugees remained in Pakistan due to ongoing violence, unemployment and political turbulence in Afghanistan.

Iran also remains a significant host for Afghans, with nearly 800,000 registered refugees and at least two million more who are unregistered. Smaller numbers of Afghan refugees and asylum-seekers are in India (15,689), Indonesia (7,692) and Malaysia (2,478).

Turkey – the world’s largest refugee host, with over 3.8 million registered Syrian refugees – has 980 registered Afghan refugees and 116,000 Afghan asylum-seekers.

As it stands today The latest figures from the AP show that more than 47,000 Afghan civilians and at least 66,000 Afghan military and police forces died in the 20-year-old Afghanistan war The security situation in the country had been deteriorating in recent years. According to Brown University’s Cost of War Project, an increasing numbers of Afghans have been killed as a result of crossfire, improvised explosive devices, assassinations by militant

groups including the Taliban, night raids by U.S. and NATO forces and U.S.-led airstrikes.

Even prior to the Taliban takeover of Kabul, civilian casualties had risen by 29% in the first quarter of 2021 compared with the same period in 2020. A U.N. report from July 26 found a 37% increase in the number of women killed and injured, and a 23% increase in child casualties compared with the first quarter of 2020.

With the Taliban takeover of Kabul, there is a growing concern for the safety of Afghanistan’s women and girls, ethnic minorities, journalists, government workers, educators and human rights activists. Many Afghans desperate to leave remain outside Kabul and far from any airport.

Adoption of hard-line policies and antirefugee sentiments across much of Europe means that relatively few Afghans will find sanctuary on the continent. Austria and Switzerland have already refused to take in large numbers of Afghans. Turkey, already straining with refugees, said it does not want to become “Europe’s refugee warehouse.”

Other countries committing to take in Afghans temporarily in small numbers include Albania, Qatar, Costa Rica, Mexico, Chile, Ecuador and Colombia. Uganda, which already hosts 1.5 million refugees, mainly from South Sudan, has also agreed to take in 2,000 Afghans temporarily.

Ultimately, most Afghans able to leave the country will do so not in an aircraft, but on foot into Pakistan and Iran. Pakistan, already strained by its own economic and political struggles, will once again likely be the largest host for the most recently displaced Afghans.

But given that border crossings in the region are difficult and dangerous, the vast majority of uprooted Afghans will remain within Afghanistan’s borders. Their considerable humanitarian needs, economic and political challenges, security concerns and resistance to the Taliban will shape the next chapter of the country’s history.

Courtesy of The Conversation / INSP.ngo.

Tazreena Sajjad is senior professorial lecturer of global governance, politics and security at the American University School of International Service.

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NEWS

Women's freedoms under threat from Taliban

BY SHADI KHAN SAIF Reuters

As the Taliban sweeps across Afghanistan, reports are emerging of women in newly captured territory being forced to marry fighters, publicly flogged and forced to stay at home. It took the Taliban just over a week to seize control of the country after a lightning sweep that ended in Kabul as government forces, trained for years and equipped by the United States and others at a cost of billions of dollars, melted away. The insurgents' advance has fuelled concern of a return to the Taliban's 1996-2001 rule, when women could not work, girls were not allowed to attend school and women had to cover their faces and be accompanied by a male relative outside their homes. Fawzia Koofi, one of the few women involved in peace negotiations who was shot in the arm by the Taliban last year, spoke about what she is hearing on the ground and how she sees the future of women's rights in Afghanistan.

What's happening in Taliban-controlled areas?

FAWZIA KOOFI: In some provinces, cities are completely shut down except a few shops. In some provinces, they don't allow women to go to out without a male companion. I'm also receiving reports of women and girls being forced to marry. Taliban fighters, unlike their political officers, are unfortunately behaving the same way they did when they were in power. I receive calls from women even at four in the morning from provinces that have fallen in the hands of Taliban, asking me difficult questions about what is going to happen or demanding transfer to a safer place. We want

the international community to help transfer them to safer areas or provide them with some level of protection.

Haven't the Taliban promised to respect women's rights to work and education in accordance with Islam?

Their leadership have been claiming this in our negotiations and they keep repeating the same things, but in practice we know that this is different. A lot of people are being killed. If they really believe that they will not be the same Taliban of 20 years back, then they have to demonstrate that. Their political office issues statements that don't make sense. There is no relevance of their statements to the situation on the ground. In Herat, the female members of parliament, their houses were searched and their cars were taken away (when the Taliban took control.)

What should be done to protect women's rights in Afghanistan?

Not only women, but everybody. We are all living in a very chaotic situation in Afghanistan. Because of the war, there is no accountability. People are killed without any accountability — extrajudicial killings, trials without courts.

An immediate ceasefire is something we are urging, followed by a political settlement because a military solution is not the way forward Even if the Taliban control Kabul, so what?

They think that will bring stability? Of course it will not.

What's your view on the withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan?

The world must be very embarrassed actually. They must be

embarrassed for what they did because it's not only the people of Afghanistan who will suffer, they will also suffer sooner or later.

Now they really have to use their political leverage to ensure that there is a peace process that would give a result. If the international community really wants, it can change everything. Remember in 2001? They came and in a few months everything was okay.

How do you see the future for Afghan women?

Women are still doing their best. You have seen from across Afghanistan, every woman is on the media. They are trying to talk about what's happening to them, their communities. We have always been optimistic. But of course, it's very difficult. It's life threatening in many places. Not only for me but for everybody.

I have never experienced a situation where thousands of people are leaving their villages, leaving their communities and coming to Kabul. I went to some of those (displaced people's) camps yesterday and people told me their houses were destroyed, about serious women's rights violations. Women had no space to deliver babies and they were delivering on the way (to Kabul) with no medical assistance There is a complete lawlessness environment, a vacuum of power. This I have never experienced.

These military extremist groups are not afraid of superpowers or B52 or B56 (American bombers) but they are afraid of women.

We will continue with our struggle. But it's becoming more and more difficult for women's rights defenders.

Courtesy of Reuters / Thomson Reuters Foundation / INSP.ngo.

This interview has been shortened and edited for clarity.

STREETSENSEMEDIA.ORG

What the US didn’t learn in Afghanistan, according to the government’s own inspector general the questions SIGAR raised in each report would have forced a wholesale reexamination of the U.S. presence in the country.

That never happened.

This article was first published on Aug. 19 by ProPublica, “This was not a matter of ignoring what was said as much a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. as not wanting to come to grips with the issue, and it was a deliberate choice not to deal with the problems,” said Anthony The chaotic collapse of the Afghan military in recent months Cordesman, a policy expert at the Center for Strategic and made starkly clear that the $83 billion U.S. taxpayers spent to International Studies. “It wasn’t even a triumph of hope over create and fund those security forces achieved little. But a new experience; it was a triumph of political expediency over report this week by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan meaningful policy making.”

Reconstruction also reveals the depths of failure of the United According to Cordesman, no one wanted to “preside over States’ entire 20-year, $145 billion effort to reconstruct (or a very visible American defeat,” one that would undoubtedly construct, in some cases) Afghanistan’s civil society. leave behind a destabilized Afghanistan and potential national John Sopko, the special inspector general since 2012, has security disaster. There was, too, he said, a strong contingent of long chronicled the government’s miscalculations. In his latest true believers who kept making the argument that success was lacerating assessment, he concluded that “the U.S. government almost in hand: “I think they were in a state of denial.” continuously struggled to develop and implement a coherent Then there were the military generals and other top officials strategy for what it hoped to achieve.” The U.S. effort was clumsy described in The Washington Post’s revelatory “Afghanistan and ignorant, the report says, calling out the hubris of a superpower Papers” in 2019, who were far more interested in spinning a thinking it could reshape a country it didn’t understand by tossing tale of near victory to the public. In addition to assurances that gobs of money around. the insurgency was on its heels, The new report is a sweeping officials often trotted out statistics “By spending money faster than look back over America’s two about lower infant mortality rates, it could be accounted for, the U.S. increased life expectancy and vastly decades in Afghanistan, which left 2,443 U.S. servicemembers educational opportunities government ultimately achieved the improved and more than 114,000 Afghans for girls. SIGAR acknowledged dead. The watchdog agency such “bright spots” in this week’s opposite of what it intended: has, for 13 years, consistently report, but concluded that those it fueled corruption, delegitimized achievements were not worth and accurately pointed out consequential flaws of the many the sizable investment and, more the Afghan government, and reconstruction programs at play. important, aren’t sustainable without ProPublica also examined some a continued U.S. presence. In other increased insecurity.” of the same issues along the way words: It was all temporary. in a series called “GI Dough.” In SIGAR found that there was a 2015, ProPublica decided to add persistent, troubling disconnect Special Inspector General up the waste and did an extensive between what U.S. officials wanted analysis of the causes behind it. to be true and what was actually for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) Their reporting found at least $17 happening. “By spending money billion in likely wasted taxpayer dollars at the time. (And that faster than it could be accounted for, the U.S. government was just out of the small percentage of total spending SIGAR ultimately achieved the opposite of what it intended: it fueled had scrutinized at that point.) corruption, delegitimized the Afghan government, and increased The efforts to create a new government and military from insecurity,” the report says. But officials pressed on with scratch were overly ambitious, ProPublica found in 2015. They “reckless compromises,” including unrealistic timelines for failed to consider the needs and abilities of Afghans. There was progress, and “simply found new ways to ignore conditions a disregard for learning from past mistakes. And the goals were on the ground.” far too “pie in the sky” for one of the world’s poorest nations, Diplomatic agencies more suited to the task of nation building a country still racked by violence. What was happening in were muscled aside by the Pentagon, which was better resourced Afghanistan was strikingly similar to the failures endured in but lacked the requisite expertise. The State Department and Iraq just a few years prior.

U.S. Agency for International Development, SIGAR reported, For its part, SIGAR has dissected a wide variety of breakdowns didn’t have enough staff to “meaningfully perform that role.” in its decade-plus of tracking the Afghanistan effort. These “If the goal was to rebuild and leave behind a country that reports are not just about a $25 million building no one wanted can sustain itself and pose little threat to U.S. national security or would ever use, a $200 million literacy program that failed interests,” the report says, “the overall picture is bleak.” to teach would-be soldiers how to read, a $335 million power SIGAR’s analysis of the future is equally forbidding. The plant the Afghans couldn’t afford to run or even the $486 million U.S. has exited Afghanistan, but history shows we’ll likely spent on planes that couldn’t fly and ended up as scrap metal. jump into nation building again. SIGAR’s report notes that What the reports often really highlight is that the underlying it’s the “11th lessons learned report” in the series, but the assumptions were wrong. heading for the report makes it quite clear that, if the U.S. The SIGAR reports form a penetrating body of real-time government is the student, the message hasn’t sunk in. It’s analysis that reveals little appetite to change course and whose called “What We Need to Learn: Lessons from Twenty Years warnings seem to have gone unheeded. Adequately answering of Afghanistan Reconstruction.”

// 7

AT A GLANCE

BY MEGAN ROSE ProPublica

Angie Whitehurst

BIRTHDAYS Angie Whitehurst Sept. 8 ARTIST/VENDOR

ACCOMPLISHMENTS Wendell Williams

Hired by the Melville Foundation to consult on how to address racial equity in a way that resonates with people with lived expertise in homelessness.

ARTIST/VENDOR

VENDOR PROGRAM ANNOUNCEMENTS • Anthony Crawford’s memorial service will be held in the Church of the Epiphany on Thursday, Sept. 16, at 1 p.m.

• Moving forward, there will be a 2-day delay on all Vendor App payouts.

• Vendors can bring in a complete CDC vaccination card for 15 papers.

8 // S T R E E T S E N S E M E D I A // S E P T. 8 - 1 4 , 2 021

The US doesn’t settle refugees in DC because the cost of housing is so high

BY WILL SCHICK will@streetsensemedia.org

T

hree days before the U.S. completed its withdrawal from Afghanistan, brother and sister Sulton and Iman Naieem passed around index cards to protesters gathering in Lafayette Square.

The cards contained a list of basic demands: evacuate at-risk Afghans, increase U.S. quotas for refugees, and provide humanitarian aid to those left behind. Printed on the opposite side of the cards were slogans such as “free, free Afghanistan!” and “Black, red, and green, we hear your screams!” that helped guide protesters in their chants throughout the day.

The Aug. 28 protest and subsequent march to the Capitol were personal for the Naieems and many others who attended. With the withdrawal not yet finalized at the time, some were hoping that the government would extend its deadline for evacuations.

Some protesters came to the U.S. as refugees in the ‘80s and ‘90s. Others, such as the Naieems, had parents who came during the same period. Veterans were also among the crowd. All were united in the effort to make sure the Biden administration and the broader American public heard the voices of those left behind.

“I have a lot of cousins still there, and their families, and friends. They’re all trying to get out,” said Tahmina Achekzai, one of the dozen volunteers helping to direct demonstrators at the park. Achekzai was just one among dozens of young Afghan Americans who recounted to Street Sense Media and The DC Line stories about loved ones whose lives were now at risk because of the withdrawal.

On the outer edge of the gathering, Nina Aziz, a firstgeneration Afghan American whose father came to the U.S. in the ‘90s, described how people she knew were being affected by the recent Taliban takeover.

“I know a couple of family friends whose 3-year-old was kidnapped by the Taliban,” Aziz said.

With thousands of Afghan refugees expected to arrive in the U.S. in the coming months, she hopes to see broad pressure on Congress and the White House to accept more refugees and expand protections for them. How many refugees the U.S. will accept is set every year before the next fiscal year starts on Oct. 1. After resettling 2,700 Afghan refugees in FY 2016, the U.S. only resettled 494 refugees in the first nine months of FY 2021, according to the Center for Public Integrity. While the overall limit was 15,000 in 2021, the federal government now expects to resettle more than 50,000 evacuees — including many who are not classified as refugees and lack a Special Immigrant Visa — from Afghanistan, according to data obtained by CBS News. With the numbers having dropped in recent years, Aziz

said she hopes people will stay focused on the issue, even after the withdrawal fades from the headlines.

Getting out of Afghanistan is just the first of many challenges that refugees who manage to make it into the U.S. must overcome. Obstacles can include learning a new language, adapting to a new culture, finding a suitable job, and affording a home. Within the Washington region, housing can be the hardest of these hurdles because of the soaring cost of rent.

Refugees and Special Immigrants Visas: How it all works Due to the high cost of housing, the State Department generally does not resettle refugees within the District of Columbia. The average cost of a two-bedroom apartment is $3,427, according to Apartment List. While the Washington region is home to a sizable group of Afghan Americans, the State Department recently announced it would focus on resettling refugees from Afghanistan in other areas throughout the country, including Baltimore, Philadelphia and Atlanta.

When selecting a resettlement area, officials consider factors such as cost of housing, prospects of employment, and availability of cultural and community resources for newcomers. The State Department also considers a person’s connection to an area when placing them in a specific locale.

Other factors in play include state policies.

In Virginia, for instance, refugees must have a personal family connection to someone already living in the state to initially resettle within its borders, according to Dana Lea, a board member of the local refugee nonprofit Kama D.C. She said Maryland does not have the same restriction, instead accepting refugees regardless of their connection to the state.

Even with this difference in policy, many refugees from Afghanistan have resettled in Virginia. Recently, three military bases in the state have welcomed thousands of Afghans and their families.

Many of the refugees coming into the U.S. have a Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) offered through a program signed into law in 2006. The visa grants Afghan and Iraqi translators who worked with the U.S. military a legal way to immigrate to the United States. The government later expanded SIV eligibility to include Afghans and Iraqis employed in their host country and engaged in activities that supported NATO efforts.

But as Lea — who has been involved in refugee resettlement for seven years — pointed out, SIV holders do not necessarily come into the U.S. the same way other refugees do. With visas in hand, they do not always rely on the U.S. government to schedule their travel out of their home country.

Aug. 28 protest. PHOTO BY WILL SCHICK

NEWS

“Because they received these visas, they can purchase their flight and just come to the U.S.,” said Lea. Before the recent Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, many Afghan SIV holders came into the U.S. by paying for seats on commercial flights.

At least 8,000 SIV applicants have entered the U.S. in the past month, according to Military Times. As of January 2021, however, there was a backlog of more than 17,000 applications.

Even though their process for entering the U.S. looks different, SIV-holders have access to the same kinds of assistance given to all refugees. Considering the high cost of resettling in a new area, however, the amount of support doesn’t stretch too far.

The State Department offers one-time payments of $1,200 per person, which many local nonprofits pointed out is insufficient for paying rent in the Washington area. The payment is the same regardless of where a refugee family settles.

The Office of Refugee Resettlement within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services contracts with nine agencies across the country to help distribute the funds. These nonprofit agencies also help provide refugees with furnishings for their homes and case-management support. While the D.C. Department of Human Services does not engage in resettlement per se, it does provide refugee assistance for D.C. residents, helping to connect them with social benefits including access to medical care and the local Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) cash payment program. Under TANF, an individual can receive up to $414 per month in flat payments for eight months.

Resettlement agencies operating in the Washington area such as Catholic Charities, International Rescue Committee, and the Ethiopian Community Development Council also help families with tasks such as applying for Social Security cards, enrolling their children in school, and opening bank accounts.

The one-time cash payment and the initial support services are meant to carry refugees through their first three months in the country. However, in Lea’s view, this timeline is unrealistic.

“The idea of self-sufficiency itself is constantly discussed [at resettlement agencies],” Lea said. “[But] are you really selfsufficient after three months in a country? No.”

The pain of leaving behind one’s birth country Hekmatullah Latifi left Afghanistan in February 2016 with his wife, two sons, and two daughters after working for years with the U.S. Agency for International Development and the U.S. Embassy in Kabul. They first settled down in Alexandria before moving to Arlington.

Latifi had never wanted to leave his home country but felt

STREETSENSEMEDIA.ORG

that he could no longer stay given the threats to his family. The danger resulted from Latifi’s job promoting U.S. support for development projects, which included frequent trips to often remote areas of Afghanistan to meet with community leaders and village elders.

Even as Latifi knew the work was dangerous, he believed it was the right thing to do.

“I said, well, it’s my country [and] people from 12,000 miles [away] came ... here and they want to help my people. I should be part of this,” Latifi said.

But as time passed, the threats Latifi received were directed not only at him but also his wife and children. The change complicated his choice as to whether to stay in the country he had so loved and wanted to help.

“I was ready to be there and face all the consequences, but I couldn’t accept those challenges and consequences for my children,” Latifi said.

If he decided to stay, Latifi knew it would be a matter of time before the Taliban would go after his family. With the support of his employer, Latifi knew that he had to leave Afghanistan to protect his family.

When Latifi arrived in the United States, he experienced many culturally shocking things, which he sees as natural for anyone moving to a new place. He said he remembered thinking how much more reserved and closed off Americans were when compared to people in his hometown — for instance, in terms of how they spoke about political issues or other sensitive subjects. But Latifi said he and his family soon adjusted.

“You know, kids are like birds. Within two months, they were like fluent [in English],” Latifi said, explaining how quickly his children, who range in age from 9 to 18, adapted to the American way of life.

In his view, the biggest challenge for refugees and other immigrants is securing stable housing.

“Especially for those new arrivals, you know, housing could change the course of their lives. It can give them the confidence and motivation to not worry about their futures,” he said.

Latifi, who paired with Catholic Charities during the resettlement process, remembers thinking how amazing it would be to work for the organization that was helping his family. But Latifi, who has a master’s degree, said finding suitable employment initially was a challenge. It can take time, he said, to get all the proper certifications and licenses set up in order to start working, depending on one’s profession.

Today, he works for Catholic Charities as a cultural liaison and senior employment specialist — the job he’d initially wanted when first coming to the country.

Jessica Estrada, the director of newcomer services for Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Arlington, said recent arrivals throughout the years have faced the challenges Latifi raised concerning finding suitable housing and employment. Her agency has been involved in refugee resettlement since 1975.

For instance, Estrada said, some landlords can be reluctant to rent to someone who has no credit or employment history

in the U.S. Part of her job is convincing property owners to rent to qualified tenants despite these concerns.

Picking up where resettlement agencies fall short Merritt Groeschel, the executive director and founder of a local nonprofit dedicated to supporting refugees, was on the phone in 2015 when an idea flashed through her mind. It was the height of the Syrian refugee crisis. Groeschel’s mother-in-law, who lived in a small town in Germany that had recently welcomed an influx of refugees, said she was going to invite some of the families over for tea in her garden.

So much of refugee resettlement revolved around what Groeschel’s mother-in-law considered to be mundane, impersonal activities such as searching for a job, applying for government documents, or opening a bank account. But tea in a garden — now this was something that was “normal.” Life, Groeschel and her mother-in-law agreed, is meant to be built and centered around “normal,” not the businesslike processes involved with settling down in a foreign country.

“It [must] be so nice to have a normal connection that is not transactional,” Groeschel remembers thinking. “And I thought, ‘You know, I live in Washington, D.C. There must be [Syrian refugees] here too. I just have never seen them before,’” Groeschel said.

After calling everyone she could think of, Groeschel learned of an opportunity to sponsor a Syrian family. They stayed in Groeschel’s home for a few weeks and connected her with other Syrian refugees and volunteers.

Before long, she and other volunteers began to identify shortfalls with the care refugee families were receiving from resettlement agencies. Many of the women they were helping, for instance, could not leave home to attend English classes because of a lack of access to child care.

“And they were becoming more and more isolated,” Groeschel explained.

With many of the women whom Groeschel had encountered craving social interaction, Groeschel teamed up with other volunteers to start hosting English classes in community spaces that were within easy walking or driving distance of the participants’ homes.

“When we first had our first class in one of the library branches, a group of women were driven there by one of the husbands, and they called us on a cellphone from the parking lot and asked if they were permitted to enter into the library,” Groeschel said.

According to Groeschel, the Syrian refugees didn’t know the library was open to the public.

By 2017, Groeschel’s loose-knit support morphed into a new organization called Solutions in Hometown Connections that helps pick up where refugee resettlement agencies might fall short in assisting new refugees in finding community.

The Syrian refugee crisis inspired several other locals to start

nonprofits with similarly aligned goals. One of Street Sense Media’s founders, Laura Thompson Osuri, started Homes Not Borders in 2017, just as the crisis was at its crescendo.

“We wanted to address the career-job aspect,” Thompson Osuri said, citing the need for mentorship and employment support for refugees looking to establish themselves in industries they are interested in.

Among the group’s offerings is a carpentry workshop at its location in Landover, Maryland, for people who aspire to make furniture. Lately, however, Thompson Osuri said the group’s space has been overrun with items being donated for Afghan refugees. Its volunteers have been busy coordinating the donations and doing home setups for people being resettled in the area. Once the immediate tasks ease, she said, they hope to shift their attention to growing an artisan empowerment program.

Today, multiple local organizations — including Catholic Charities, the Ethiopian Community Development Council, the International Rescue Committee, and the Lutheran Immigration Refugee Service, among others — have put out calls for volunteers to do everything from serving as a translator or mentor, to helping collect and sort donations.

Concern about fleeting public focus In 1982, as the Soviets were laying siege to Afghanistan, a 17-year-old Afghan boy named Habib Marzi stepped off a plane in New York City. In the four decades since then, Marzi has never forgotten the pain of the experience. Fleeing from a war that had taken the life of his older brother, Marzi could feel his heart tearing as he walked into his new life.

“It’s not just something you can, 41 years later, you know,” he said, overcome by the powerful memories. “I still feel the sorrows and the pain.”

Soon after arriving in the United States, Marzi settled down in Falls Church, where he finished high school. He remembers the help he received from one of his teachers, who recognized his interest in fixing cars. The teacher went out of his way to help foster Marzi’s auto-repair hobby. Today, he runs his own auto shop on Minnesota Avenue NE in D.C. Marzi said he achieved everything he set out to do when he came to the U.S. But getting there required two years of work to finally get a decent handle on English — on top of the challenges of acclimating to a new country and culture. And these travails paled in comparison to what he still considers the most difficult challenge of all.

“The hardest part is to leave your home country, your birth country, your relatives, friends, everything that you’ve known for almost 17 years — and then, all of a sudden, in the blink of an eye, it’s gone,” Marzi said.

On Aug. 28, Marzi stood amid the crowds assembled in front of the White House and marched alongside hundreds of others toward the Capitol, demanding that his adopted country not forget those it left behind in his homeland, which has plunged back into an all-out brutal war. Marzi vowed never to forget those in Afghanistan and to do what he can to help.

Whether the U.S. as a whole will maintain a similar focus is a major concern for Estrada, Groeschel, Thompson Osuri, and others interviewed for this article. While several local nonprofits have seen a surge of support and donations in recent weeks stemming from the heavy focus on the U.S. withdrawal, organizers hope people will remain committed to helping refugees far into the future.

“SIVs are like the hot topic at the moment, so we want to keep people interested because this is not a problem that’s going to be solved in a month,” Thompson Osuri said.

This article was co-published with The DC Line.

This article will be available in Dari online and in next week’s paper. Read it here:

‫ترجمه دری این را نیز در نشریات هفته آینده به‬ .‫ مطالعه بفرماید‬،‫صورت آنالین قابل دسترس میباشد‬ Karim Hashimi (left) says he doesn't understand why the US would negotiate with terrorists like the Taliban. He stands next to his sons Adam and Jacob. PHOTO BY WILL SCHICK

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StreetSenseMedia.org/2021-refugee-dari

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OPINION

Bullies use homeless people as playthings.

It has to stop

BY WENDELL WILLIAMS

L

ast week, because of my contacts on the streets and with law enforcement, I was asked by a crisis response unit to locate a homeless woman. Her family was concerned about her mental health, and after a couple of days running down leads, I learned her whereabouts.

On a sweltering afternoon, I found her sitting in a folding lounge chair in the middle of the sidewalk outside a shopping center near a busy intersection. Because this would be my first time interacting with her, I parked close enough to observe her behavior without startling her, trying to assess whether she was any threat to herself or others. She had covered her head and body with a blanket, and I didn't want to scare her. I've learned that that first encounter can determine whether a person will trust you, so I was overly cautious.

That's when I noticed what was about to happen. Two what I can only now call thugs were sizing her up, which convinced me that they planned to harass or abuse her, and she had no idea of the impending danger.

In my years of working with homeless people and experiencing it myself, I'd heard of assaults on homeless women. But somehow never witnessed one while I was working the streets. This perhaps was because my vehicles had plainly visible government logos and markings all over.

You'd think that would be a deterrent. But oh no — they looked my way and proceeded to rip the blanket off the sleeping unsuspecting woman and almost pushed her from her chair. You could see she was shaken up by this cowardly deed. I started blowing the horn as they stood over her laughing.

Then they brazenly approached my vehicle, offering the excuse that they were just having fun — as if a homeless person is a plaything — and asked if I wanted to "do something about it." They had done nothing for which they could be punished, they declared. You see they knew and understood the low prosecutorial priority of their premeditated crime. And that's a sin and a shame.

I rolled my window down ever so slightly and told them to hold on a second, as I finished my call for help from officers in the area. Sensing that, they took off down the street crossing to the other side of the road before quickly moving out of my sight.

I got out to assist her, and let her know I saw everything, but her mental state was such that she now viewed anyone as a threat, saying she just had to use a bathroom. I watched this highly upset human being move across the street to an open field and relieved herself with heavy midday traffic just a few feet away.

About 15 minutes later the young thugs came back from wherever they were going to laugh again and snatch off the blanket once more while mocking her. She

PHOTO BY WENDELL WILLIAMS

jumped up this time startled as they chuckled and left.

She returned to her seat and was in a full meltdown when a police officer arrived. After I told him what happened, he set out trying to find attackers. After about 15 minutes the officer returned, saying he was unable to find them.

He also knew the lady wouldn't be in the best shape to press charges because she doesn't speak to the police, so I said I would.

I also told the officer how powerless I felt watching this unfold and how I should have gotten out of my vehicle and physically challenged them. He told me I did the right thing because those young toughs would have been happy to hurt me as well. Maybe my ego made me think that at age 70 I could have stopped them.

Later, said officer called and told me he caught up with

them and followed them for a while before they turned, approached his unmarked car, and asked for his badge number. These punks were bold — the kind we need to get off the streets.

I was saddened by what I witnessed that day firsthand. I often hear talk about violence against women. Doing this work I routinely see female victims who are bruised and battered and know people have no idea what homeless women go through. They are defenseless and not even safe when a clearly marked government vehicle sits a few feet away.

Wendell Williams is an artist and vendor with Street Sense Media.

Join the conversation, share your views - Have an opinion about how homelessness is being addressed in our community?

- Want to share firsthand experience?

- Interested in responding to what someone else has written?

Street Sense Media has maintained an open submission policy since our founding.

We aim to elevate voices from across the housing spectrum and foster healthy debate.

Please send submissions to opinion@streetsensemedia.org.

STREETSENSEMEDIA.ORG

// 11

ART

Put on the whole armor of God

BY REV. JOHN LITTLEJOHN Artist/Vendor

God is Love

As I watch the local news on CBS, read the “Washington Post” newspaper, and listen to the gospel station, 105.1 FM — I hear news about wars and flooding, COVID-19 and terrorism, wildfires and other tragedies. And the list goes on and on.

In today’s world, we all need to put on the whole armor of God to protect us. Amen!

Here’s one definition of “armor.” The Oxford Dictionary: “The metal coverings formerly worn by soldiers or warriors to protect the body in battle.”

The Holy Bible goes on to talk about spiritual “armor” in 2 Corinthians 6:7: “By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left.” Amen!

Ephesians 6:10-18 again talks about armor: “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day,

BY KYM PARKER // Artist/Vendor

Thank you for all the love and the understanding, mercy and peace For us to forgive others is God’s love to us God feeds us when we need to feel Protects us Never leaves us Never judges us God is love Pull into the Heavens She will heal you Love us unconditionally She holds all of us because she made us God’s love

God, my guardian

BY DARLESHA JOYNER Artist/Vendor

I was down the street from a shooting on 14 St. NW last month. I was just about to get off the bus in that area to hustle there. Glad I did not. I heard the shots but was thinking it was potholes in the street. The noise was loud and continuous. I assume it must be gunshots.

I’m glad that I followed my instincts to go further down the street. Otherwise I might been shot at or dead. I always be wondering why God never allowed me to be somewhere I want to be at. But God allow me to make it there when He already knows it's safe.

My daily practice

BY QUEENIE FEATHERSTONE Artist/Vendor

F A I T H

Forever Attentive Intent Thankful Humble

and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.”

By putting on the whole armor of God, you can help tackle this hard-to-tackle homeless “problem.” Amen!

It is truly a blessing when we can give cheerfully to those in need, and receive cheerfully from those who just might have more than they need. Amen!

God gave His one and only begotten son, Jesus Christ, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Give and it should be given back to you. Amen.

It’s better to give than to receive. Amen!

“Jesus saith to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh into the Father but by me.” (John 14:6)

Who is really smart?

BY ANTHONY CARNEY Artist/Vendor

Do you know who is really smart?

If you do, please tell me.

God knows who is really smart, but I don’t know.

Do you know? Someone tell me.

Who is really smart? Are you The one who is really smart?

Think think!

Spread love

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ART

Memories of my aunt

BY RONALD SMOOT Artist/Vendor

My aunt, Barbara Ann Holt, died from cancer in July. She was 70. Her next birthday would have been this month.

When I was a young child, I used to love going to a cookout with my aunt. We were eating a lot of hot dogs and chicken that was on the grill. Then after the family eats, we will play football and basketball. We would be at the cookout all day long. I miss a lot of things we used to do.

One thing I used to like was that I went to the same high school that my aunt went to.

It was Ballou High School over in Southeast where I used to live. I would ride my 10 speed bike over her house and into Maryland, Oxon Hill. I loved playing with my cousin. She raised four children by herself.

One thing I used to do was mess with her about her football team, the “deadskins.”

She was very mad about it and then would talk about my team. I will miss her very much.

We also used to watch scary movies.

And sometimes, I would spend the night over her home and sometimes for the whole weekend. I haven’t seen her for about 20 years because I was out of town and she moved out to Clinton, Maryland. She enjoyed playing NFL Fantasy Football and doing puzzles. She was a very happy person and that’s why she was my favorite aunt and her children were my favorite cousins.

To honor her life, here’s an excerpt from the obituary our family published with the funeral home: “Barbara was born on September 16, 1950 in Pomfret, Maryland. She was educated at Charles County Public Schools and graduated from Frank W. Ballou High

School. Barbara moved to Washington, D.C., where she work for 38 years in the federal government. She started her federal career at the Navy Annex as a File Clerk.

She later gained employment at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). At the FTC, Barbara worked as a secretary and as a human resources specialist. She retired from the Federal Trade Commission in 2008 as the assistant director for operations in the Human Resources Office.

Barbara continued her work in the Human Resources field as an independent contractor. She work with several federal government agencies, including the Department o f Tr a n s p o r t a t i o n , Federal Motor Carriers Administration, the Selective Service System, the Department of Energy and the Department of the Air Force.

Barbara grew up in the Catholic Church. Later in life, she became a faithful member of New Fellowship Baptist Church and then joined and currently is a member of the Community of Hope AME church family.

Barbara enjoyed spending time with her family and spoiling her grandchildren and great grandchildren. She was an avid football fan and a Redskins fan for over 50 years. She enjoyed going to the games, both home and away. Barbara enjoyed reading, doing crossword puzzles and playing games on her iPad. She also enjoyed playing fantasy football, survivor, and other NFL games.”

Friends and family held a memorial service for Barbara Ann (Smoot) Holt on Aug. 9. You can read her full obituary from Thorton Funeral Home at tinyurl.com/BarbaraHoltObit.

Step Up

BY AYUB ABDUL Artist/Vendor

When you are elected, step up to uncertainties and face the new reality.

Step up and don’t let it be an anxiety.

Step up, can’t go halfway, got to go all the way.

Step up and believe that you can get through no matter what you do, you can’t give up.

Step up.

God bless you, Anthony

BY DANIEL BALL Artist/Vendor

Yes, Anthony was one of our best Street Sense Media vendors.

And he made Street Sense very popular with his customers on M Street NW. Yes, I did know him very well when I sold my Street Sense papers on K Street NW. And did you know Anthony had so many friends here on this earth? He was a true friend to all of us at Street Sense Media. God Bless you, Anthony Crawford.

A memorial service for Anthony is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 16, at the Church of the Epiphany (1317 G Street NW).

A small reception will follow. All are welcome.

Anthony Crawford in 2010.

The reward is always great in the end when you step up.

PHOTO COURTESY OF YOUSSEF NADDAM ON UNSPLASH.COM

STREETSENSEMEDIA.ORG

Angel

BY LATICIA BROCK, a.k.a. “PWEZZY VILLAGE” Artist/Vendor

Women hold your head and cry because your son have been shot down in the street and died Is how I felt when that poor baby god killed by these punks with them guns instead of going over to help the country with the Army ruins the government is very corrupt look and our old boy Donald Trump and this mayor talking, “she’s gonna help our city”

When they feed us government cheese sandwiches at 7 o’clock from a food truck These agencies say they’re gonna help when all they do is affect our mental health.

So what you think is gonna happen more gun violence and is at an all time high so that’s why I focus on my angels in the sky.

You still have a voice. Show baby pictures of innocent kid. Dedicated to the many babies who died behind gun violence or missing kids: Relisha Rudd (disappeared at 8 in 2014), Makiyah Wilson (killed at 5 in 2021), Nyiah Courtney (killed at 6 in 2021)

PHOTO COURTESY OF CHAD GREITER ON UNSPLASH.COM

Life is your perspective and not the events that you observe

BY MICHELE ROCHON // Artist/Vendor

We really know who we are during times of adversary.

During life, many persons can rise against you, but the strong man will survive, because of the greater one on the inside.

I refuse to bend, break, give up, quit, or drop.

I am in a spiritual military, wearing my armor daily, which is my war gear.

Life has many trials, tests, twists, and turns.

I serve a God of the impossible.

I am a son of God, not just a daughter, which makes me a “Joint-heir;” He owns it all today.

I was made to live, I choose joy today!

// 1 3

OnlineCrosswords.net

1 4 // S T R E E T S E N S E M E D I A / / S E P T. 8 - 1 4 , 2021

FUN & GAMES

Challenging Sudoku by KrazyDad, Volume 17, Book 49

4

1

4

2

2

9

9

6

8

7

9

1

1

8

8

5

4

5

8

4

2

1 3

9

© 2019 KrazyDad.com

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

3-by-3 block contain

7 use 3 logic 2 you 6 can 5 solve 4 the1 puzzle 8 without 9 If you guesswork.

9 a little 8hints 1 page 2 shows 3 5a logical order to solve the puzzle.

4 6 Need help?7 The Use it to identify the next square you should solve.>>OrThis use the answers page crossword 8 get 1 stuck.

5 really 2 9 3 7 6 4 if you 5 3 8 1 9 4 6 7 3 2 4 1 7 8 6 9 5 2

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

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

4

2 1

7 3 8

6 7 2 5

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

8

9

9 1

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

4

3 2 4

5

6

7

9

3

7

8

1 6 8 9 2 1 5 4

puzzle’s answers: https://tinyurl. com/SSMcross-09-07-2021

<< LAST EDITION’S PUZZLE SOLUTION

Across 1. Certain sandwiches 1. Certain sandwiches 6. Southampton stirs 6. Southampton stirs 11. Experienced office holder 11. Experienced office holder 14.alternative Whirlpool alternative 14. Whirlpool 15. White heron 15. White heron 16. --- Lanka16. --- Lanka Study of by "Dianetics" by 17. Study of17.

“Dianetics” L. Ron Hubbard L. Ron Hubbard 19. Edible tuber 19. Edible tuber 20. Slender 20. cigarSlender cigar 21. Betting-window option 21. Betting-window option 23. Idolizer 23. Idolizer 25. "The Liner --- a Lady" 25. “The Liner --- a Lady” (Kipling) (Kipling) 26. King’s land 26. King's land 30. Cat’s-eye30. Cat's-eye 31. --- Paulo,31.

Brazil --- Paulo, Brazil 32. “So soon?”

32. "So soon?"

34. Booze hound 34. Booze hound 36. Geneticist’s 36. workplace Geneticist's workplace 39. Master of Latin prose 39.

Master of Latin prose 40. Tranquility 40. Tranquility 42. Word repeated in “Fargo” 42. Word repeated in 43. Brooklyn"Fargo" ending 43. Brooklyn ending 45. Gasconaded 2. 1978 Down disco hit 33. Part of a semicolon 45. Gasconaded 46. Greek “H” 3. Dance1.that may 35. Hockey Huff andaffect puff the weather22. Simile 47. A fly, when doubled words legend Bobby 46. Greek "H" 48. Singer DiFranco 4. Good 2. for1978 drafting 37. Notwidths ashore disco hit 49. Christian creed 24. Printing Singer DiFranco 50. Yucatec 48. speakers 5. Historic ship that may 38. Some of them are 51. twins 3. Dance "--- of God" (play and 26. Risqué Yucatec speakers 6. Studyaffect 51. Bustling50. commotions of earth 41.

Important letters for Els thehistory weather movie) 27. Lamb alias Bustling commotions7. Blazing, 53. Melodic51. pieces as a look 44. Lendable 4. Good for drafting 28. Study of past organ 52. San follower 53.

Melodic 55. Balm of --- (fragrant pieces resin) 8. Acapulco gold ship Study of life 5. Historic 53. "A Passage to India" human45. culture 57. Type of 55. errorBalm of --- (fragrant 9. French 47. A when doubled woman 6.cubist Study of earth history 29. Spike infly, production? resin) 62. Avant-garde prefix 10. Charon’s crossing 49. Christian 31. Wrinkle fighterscreed 54. Sun. message 7. Blazing, as a look 57. Type of error radios 33. Part a semicolon 8.of Acapulco 63. Study of weather 11. Study the mindgold 51.of“--of God” (play56. andMost movie) 62. Avant-garde prefix 58. Nastase of tennis 35. Hockey legend 9. from French cubist 65. Horton’s worry 12. Speak a soapbox 52. San follower 63. Study of weather Bobby53. “A Passage to India” 59.woman NY neighbor 10.

Charon's crossing 66. Hurled 13. Some beans 65. Horton's worry 37. Not 60. Grows up 11.co-star Study in of “Cheers” the mind 67. Frisco footballer 18. Rhea’s 54.ashore Sun. message 66. Hurled 38. Some of them are 61. Greek harp 12.words Speak from a 68. High-protein bean 22. Simile 56. Most radios 67. Frisco footballer twins 58. Nastase of tennis 64. Well-preserved king soapbox 69. Brit’s buddy 24.

Printing widths 68. High-protein bean 41. Important letters for 13. Some beans 70. Sixth follower 26. Risqué 59. NY neighbor 69. Brit's buddy Els 18.

Rhea's co-star in 27. Lamb alias 60. Grows up 70. Sixth follower 44. Lendable organ "Cheers"

There was a young poet named Dan, Whose poetry never would scan.

When told this was so, He said, "Yes, I know."

8 2 6 9 7 2 3 6 4 Challenging Sudoku by KrazyDad, Volume 17, Book 49 Sudoku 4 #2 2 1 6 1 2 8 9 5 6 3 7 9 6 38 7 8 3 8 5 6 7 4 54 7 1 73 4 2 5 9 5 6 1 4 2 9 3 3 3 2 7 6 1 4 77 6 9 36 2 5 8 9 3 8 7 6 8 6 8 32 755 17 9 4 5

Find the solution at https://onlinecrosswords.net/6593

Across

Sudoku #5

7

This is the Daily Crossword Puzzle #3 for Sep 7, 2021

Down

1. Huff and puff

28. Study of past human culture 29. Spike in production?

31. Wrinkle fighters

61. Greek harp 64. Well-preserved king

45. Study of life

Author Gene Weingarten is a college dropout and a nationally syndicated humor columnist for The Washington Post. Author Dan Weingarten is a former college dropout and a current college student majoring in information technology. Many thanks to Gene Weingarten and The Washington Post Writers Group for allowing Street Sense to run Barney & Clyde.

STREETSENSEMEDIA.ORG

COMMUNITY SERVICES

SHELTER HOTLINE Línea directa de alojamiento

(202) 399-7093

YOUTH HOTLINE Línea de juventud

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE HOTLINE Línea directa de violencia doméstica

(202) 547-7777

1-800-799-7233

Housing/Shelter Vivienda/alojamiento

Education Educación

Health Care Seguro

Clothing Ropa

Legal Assistance Assistencia Legal

Case Management Coordinación de Servicios

Food Comida

Employment Assistance Assitencia con Empleo

Transportation Transportación

Showers Duchas

All services listed are referral-free Academy of Hope Public Charter School 202-269-6623 // 2315 18th Place NE aohdc.org

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

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

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

Foundry Methodist Church // 202-332-4010 1500 16th St., NW ID (Friday 9am–12pm only) foundryumc.org/ministry-opportunities

Friendship Place // 202-364-1419 4713 Wisconsin Ave., NW friendshipplace.org

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Community of Hope // 202-232-7356 communityofhopedc.org

Covenant House Washington 202-610-9600 // 2001 Mississippi Ave., SE covenanthousedc.org

D.C. Coalition for the Homeless 202-347-8870 // 1234 Massachusetts Ave., NW dccfh.org

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

BEHAVIORAL HEALTH HOTLINE Línea de salud del comportamiento

1-888-793-4357

Laundry Lavandería

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

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

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

JOB BOARD Weekend Door Attendant Ivy and Coney / 1537 7th St. NW (Shaw) Part-Time // Saturday 12 - 8:30 PM // Sunday 12 P.M. - 6:30 P.M. // $18.00/hr Employee must be fully vaccinated. Checks ID and vaccine cards of guests.

APPLY: https://tinyurl.com/ IvyAndConeyDoorAttendant or send email to info@ivyandconey.com

Weekend Cook Ivy and Coney / 1537 7th St. NW (Shaw)

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

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

// 1 5

Martha’s Table // 202-328-6608 marthastable.org 2375 Elvans Road SE 2204 Martin Luther King Ave. SE

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

My Sister’s Place // 202-529-5991 (24-hr hotline) mysistersplacedc.org

N Street Village // 202-939-2060 1333 N St., NW nstreetvillage.org

New York Avenue Shelter // 202-832-2359 1355-57 New York Ave., NE

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

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

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

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

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

Part-Time // Saturday 6:30 PM - 12:30 AM // Sunday 11 A.M. - 6:00 P.M. // $18.00/hr+ Employee must be fully vaccinated. Higher pay available for more experience.

REQUIRED: previous kitchen experience APPLY: https://tinyurl.com/ IvyAndConeyDoorAttendant or send email to info@ivyandconey.com

Crew Member Trader Joe’s // West End Store (1101 25th St NW) Part-Time // $16/hour - $18/hour Crew members stock shelves, operate the cash register, bag groceries, help customers, and create signage annoucing deals and specials.

APPLY: https://tinyurl.com/Trader-Joes-DCCrew-Job

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

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

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

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

Blick Art Materials // 1250 I St. NW

Part-time Assist staff and customers as local art supply store serving educators, students, artists, and the communitiy. Sales associate will deliver customer service, coordinnate merchandise set-ups, and follows directions while cleaning the store and producing signs for sales displays.

REQUIRED: High school graduate or equivalent, lifting and carrying up to 50 poinds, prolonged walking, standing, and climbing on ladders APPLY: https://tinyurl.com/BLICK-salesassociate Hiring? Send your job postings to editor@StreetSenseMedia.org

Joy

BY AMIA WALKER Artist/Vendor

I take pleasure in learning Taijiquan (Tai Chi). I started in June and I’ve been practicing four days a week. My favorite movement is the Grasp Sparrow Tail.

Sometimes I feel overwhelmed going through the process of mastering a part of the routine. And sometimes I wonder why my mind literally blanks out after repeating movements. It’s okay because tai chi takes ten years to fully master. Tai chi helps improve balance, better concentration, less stress, more energy, and better circulation. Learning Taijiquan brings peace to me in dealing with daily situations.

PHOTO BY MARK HANG FO SHO VIA UNSPLASH.COM

Glad to be back

BY ABEL PUTU // Artist/Vendor

I’m happy to be back and I’m happy that I’m about to move soon. Wednesday, I’ll be shooting the Street Sense commercial featuring me playing wheelchair basketball and my story. Not only for me, for all wheelchair basketball in the United States, for all WNBA, all national wheelchair basketball, and Goodman League summer basketball.

Everywhere I go, people are texting and talking about the wheelchair basketball and Street Sense. So, we can have a big league, a big tournament at the Capital One Arena.

I’m glad that Street Sense is putting the word out there. I appreciate all the employees and the vendors.

Thank you for reading Street Sense!

From your vendor, PHOTO BY RYAN TOMSHECK

I pray that the commercial I’m going to do on Wednesday in front of Capital One goes well, and people will stop to see and take a video. I know they will. And not only for me but for all the people to know the wheelchair basketball. And we can get the first contract for wheelchair basketball. The Wheely Mambo, out.

SEPT. 8 -14, 2021 | VOLUME 18 ISSUE 32 NO CASH? NO PROBLEM. WE HAVE AN APP! SEARCH “STREET SENSE” IN THE APP STORE

Free Game

WWW.INSP.NGO

BY MARCUS MCCALL // Artist/Vendor

Don’t run through life so fast that you forget not only where you’ve been, but also where you’re going. Life is not a race, but a journey to be savored each step of the way.

It’s funny when people think you’re the problem until you fall back and they still have the same problems. Whatever life gives you, even if it hurts, just be strong and act like you’re OK. Strong walls shake, but never collapse.

Never be embarrassed by s*** you go through in life. S*** happens.

Just don’t fold!

Some people can be doing better than you and still will envy you only because your character holds more weight than their status.

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