10 15 2008

Officials approve a cold weather plan for the homeless, but advocates still worry, page 3.

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October 15, 2008 – October 28, 2008 • Volume 5, Issue 25

www.streetsense.org

Wall Street Bailed Out, Main Street Buried

Inside This Issue: LOCAL NEWS

Shelter Shock

By Maruice King

Maryland shelters are worried about a drop in donations while homelessness is on the rise, page 6

B

See

Wall Street, page 12

WRITERS GROUP

Wishful Drinking A review of Carrie Fisher’s show “Wishful Drinking,” page 7 FEATURES

Cliff’s Clicks Jerry W.

y now, the bailout of Wall Street is hardly news; it’s already become history for all of us, and there’s nothing any of us can do about it. We’re all stuck with it - and the aftershocks that will come with it.

There’s no one party nor one presidential candidate to blame here; both sides share in the responsibility for getting us into a mess that we’re not likely to come out of for a decade, or probably much longer.

What’s more, it’s outrageous to saddle the American people with the $700 billion bill. And all of this is happening before an election. It will be very interesting to see how voters will react.

Realizing that both the major parties have dirty hands, the voters might consider choosing alternative candidates. But there could be a problem: now that a window of opportunity has definitely come along, the alternative candidates may be totally unprepared for it.

Was the bailout unavoidable?

I hear a lot of arguments on the subject. Basically, the economy was headed for trouble for some

A photographer captures images of safety and vulnerability on Washington’s streets, pages 8 and 9

Greg Butler, of DC Central Kitchen, gathers surplus produce from farmers at the Sunday Dupont Circle Farmer’s Market.

Gleaners Gather Fresh Food for Poor

By Daniel Horner In their growing drive to get healthy fresh food to the poor, local nonprofits are also transforming themselves.

In seeking to more than feed - but also to nourish the needy, charitable organizations are taking a new look at their work. And they

are doing many things differently, from updating their food storage capabilities to returning to the ancient practice of gleaning, gathering leftover produce from farmers.

Efforts to buy local produce are not only promoting better nutrition for poor men, women and children.

They are helping the environment, and saving money, advocates say.

For providers such as DC Central Kitchen (DCCK), a leader in the push for local food, buying locally doesn’t just mean getting fresh produce from a different place; it means buying a different kind of food.

Speed matters at DCCK, which produces and distributes 4,500

See

Food, page 5

EDITORIAL

An Appreciation With sadness and affection, a friend marks the passing of a local homeless woman, page 12 EDITORIAL

Police Sensitivity

Will sensitivity training help local police relate to the homeless? page 13

Attorneys Seek Justice for Low Income Residents

By Lisa V. Gillespie

See

Legal, page 4

Donald Tanguilig

In a sleek, high-ceilinged room stocked with shrimp cocktail and an open bar, 100 people, including high-profile members of every branch of the District government gathered one recent evening. The topic of discussion was a ground-breaking and long-awaited report examining the unmet legal needs of one third of the city’s residents, its poor.

In criminal courts, defendants are entitled to lawyers, but the same right does not extend to civil cases. Within the civil court system low income District residents may face devastating consequences without a lawyer. Yet often, in

spite of the high stakes, they attempt to represent themselves.

“Many people sign their rights away without knowing that doing so is a critical move in their futures,” said Su Sie Ju, member of the District of Columbia Access to Justice Commission and NW Legal Clinic Supervisor at Bread for the City.

“Everyone should have a right to representation, especially if the decisions that are made will directly impact their life,” Ju added.

Low-income residents are likely to be unaware of their legal rights and lack trust in the

(From left to right.) Chief judge of the U.S. District Court of Appeals Eric T. Washington, D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty, and Councilemember Vincent C. Gray showed unified support for the report.

Street Sense . October 15 - October 28, 2008

2 ALL ABOUT US

Our Mission

1317 G Street, NW Washington, DC 20005 Phone: (202) 347-2006 Fax: (202) 347-2166 info@streetsense.org www.streetsense.org BOARD OF DIRECTORS James Davis Kristal DeKleer Robert Egger Ted Henson Mary Lynn Jones Sommer Mathis Brad Scriber John Snellgrove Michael Stoops David Walker Kathy Whelpley EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Laura Thompson Osuri EDITOR IN CHIEF Mary Otto ASSOCIATE EDITOR David S. Hammond (volunteer) INTERNS Lisa V. Gillespie and Carol Cummings VOLUNTEERS Sherry Antoine, Robert Basler, Robert Blair, Cliff Carle, Michelle Capuccio, Jane Cave, Jason Corum, Diana Cosgrove, Rebecca Curry, RickDahnke, Ben Edwards, Jessia Gaitan, JoshuaGardner, Genevieve Gill, Cassandra Good, JoanneGoodwin, Roberta Haber, Razia Hamid, Carol Hannaford, JustinHerman, Annie Hill, Dan Horner, Phillip Hoying, Kayne Karnbach, MauriceKing, Geof Koss, Jessica LaGarde, Karin Lee, Matthew S. Lee, Brenda K. Lee-Wilson, Claire Markgraf, Gregory Martin, Kim O’Connor, Gabriel Okolski, Robert Orifici, Swinitha Osuri, Miranda Pantano, Jon Pattee, Katinka Podmankzy, Cara Schmidt, Jamie Schuman, Kathryn Taylor, Matthew Taylor, Robert Trautman, Francine Triplett, Eugene Versluysen, Jerry W., Linda Wang, Denise Wilkins, Marian Wiseman, Corrine Yu VENDORS Willie Alexander, Jake Ashford, Kenneth Belkowskly, Tommy Bennett, Reginald Black, Corey Bridges, Bobby Buggs, Cliff Carle, Conrad Cheek Jr., Louise Davenport, James Davis, Bernard Dean, Muriel Dixon, Patrick Ebitit, Alvin Dixon El, Randy Evans, Tanya Franklin, Barron Hall, David Harris, Patricia Henry, Phillip Howard, Jo Ann Jackson, Michael Jefferson, Patricia Jefferson, Carlton Johnson, Jewell Johnson, Allen Jones, Mark Jones, Brenda Karyl Lee-Wilson, James Lott, Robert McCray, August Mallory, Gregory Martin, Charles Mayfield, Lee Mayse, Jennifer Mclaughlin, Jeffery McNeil, L. Morrow, Charles Nelson, Sammy Ngatiri, Moyo Onibuje, Thomas Queen, Raymond Ragland, Kevin Robinson, Tyrone Rogers, Dennis Rutledge, Patty Smith,Franklin Sterling, Leroy Studevant, Sybil Taylor, Eric Thompson, Francine Triplett, Carl Turner, Jerry W., Martin Walker, LawlessWatson, Wendell Williams, Ivory Wison

We are proud members of:

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 in our community.

Our Editorial Policy

Editorials and features in Street Sense reflect the perspectives of the authors. We invite the submission of news, opinion, fiction and poetry, hoping to create a means in which a multitude of perspectives on poverty and homelessness can find expression. Street Sense reserves the right to edit any material.

North American Street Newspaper Association

The Story of Street Sense Street Sense began in August 2003 after two volunteers, Laura Thompson Osuri and Ted Henson, approached the National Coalition for the Homeless on separate occasions about starting a street newspaper in Washington, D.C. A street paper is defined as a newspaper about poverty, homelessness and other social issues that provides an income to the homeless individuals who sell it. About 25 street papers operate in the United States and Canada in places like Seattle, Chicago, Montreal and Boston, and dozens more exist throughout the world.

After bringing together a core of dedicated volunteers and vendors, Street Sense came out with its first issue in November 2003, printing 5,000 copies. For the next three years the paper published consistently on a monthly basis and greatly expanded its circulation and vendor network.

September Donors Marcia Auberger Jane Cave Wihelmina Irshad Ane Powers Christine Ritter Eugene Verslusyen Jennifer & Anthony Park And a very special thanks to: Kenneth T. Durham

Thank You!

For the first year, Street Sense operated as a project of the National Coalition for the Homeless, but in October 2004, the organization incorporated and moved into its own office space. In March 2005, Street Sense received 501(c)3 status, becoming an independent nonprofit organization.

In October 2005, Street Sense formed a board of directors, and in November, the organization hired its first employee, a full-time executive director.

A year later, in November 2006, the organization hired its first vendor coordinator.

In February 2007, the paper started publishing twice a month as the network of vendors expanded to more than 50 homeless men and women.

To support the increased production, Street Sense brought on its first fulltime editor in chief in April 2007.

CLARIFICATION .

Patricia Jefferson’s tenure at Street Sense was misstated in the last issue. She has been a vendor for more than two years.

International Network of Street Papers

Street Sense Vendor Code of Conduct 1.

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

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I will only purchase the paper from Street Sense staff and will not sell papers to other vendors (outside of the office volunteers).

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10. I understand that Street Sense strives to be a paper that covers homelessness and poverty issues while providing a source of income for the homeless. I will try to help in this effort and spread the word. _____________________________________

WANNA HELP? If you are interested in becoming a volunteer, or have a great article or feature idea, please contact Mary Otto at 202-347-2006 or e-mail editor@streetsense.org If you are interested in becoming a vendor, contact Laura Thompson Osuri at the same number or come to a vendor training session on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 2 p.m. at our office (1317 G Street, NW - near Metro Center).

Street Sense . October 15 - October 28, 2008

Local News 3

LOcal News

DC Hypothermia Plan Approved Amid Doubts

By Mary Otto

Linda WAng

As the debate continues over the controversial closing of a downtown men’s shelter, a cabinet-level city panel has approved the District’s 2008-2009 Winter Plan for the homeless.

And while this year’s Winter Plan includes new permanent supportive housing for some of the most vulnerable homeless people, the pressing question of emergency shelter beds in downtown D.C. remains unresolved as cold weather approaches.

The new Winter Plan, made official Oct. 10 by the District’s Interagency Council on Homelessness, includes a total of 1,715 beds for indigent men. The majority-1,390 beds-are located, as in previous years, in various city shelters. In addition, however, the plan calls for the accommodation of 325 men in apartments of their own, through a permanent supportive housing program, launched by the administration of District Mayor Adrian Fenty.

The District, like many other cities across the country, has embraced supportive housing as part of a strategy aimed at ultimately ending chronic homelessness.

Such “Housing First” programs provide apartments to indigent people, along with social services, counseling, job training and health care designed to address the problems that underlie their homelessness. In the District, officials say they have placed at least 310 men into supportive housing since August.

Fenty has defended his decision to close the 300-bed Franklin School Shelter, located on prime downtown real estate at 13th and K streets, NW, as part of the shift toward permanent supportive housing.

Even so, homeless advocates are continuing to pursue court action to get the shelter reopened, City Council member Marion Barry is discussing emergency legislation to create a new downtown emergency shelter. On Oct 31, the city

Though the city says that it will provide a bed indoors for all homeless individuals this winter, many still sleep outside.

’s Committee on Human Services will hold a public oversight roundtable where members expect to be briefed by administration officials on supportive housing placements and emergency shelter capacity.

At the Oct. 10 hearing on the Winter Plan, city officials offered assurances that the city would have adequate shelter for the upcoming hypothermia season, which begins Nov. 1.

“We have created housing capacity as opposed to shelter capacity for men during hypothermia,” said Fred Swan, ad-

ministrator for the Family Services Administration at the the D.C. Department of Human Services.

Last year a total of 1,710 beds were available to men, all in shelters.

“We are pretty much at, and slightly above, the capacity we had last year,” Swan added.

The plan includes 655 beds for women and accommodations for 115 families, also increased from last year, officials said.

In light of the nation’s deteriorating economy and housing crisis, however, some in the audience expressed concerns about the adequacy of the Winter Plan.

“We are not dealing with a static number of homeless,” said Erika Barry, executive director of the Dinner Program for Homeless Women. “We’ve seen a 30% to 50 % increase in the number of people coming through our doors in the last couple of months.”

ICH members Scott McNeilly of the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless and homeless advocate Cheryl Barnes both spoke out against the Winter Plan, but could not block its passage.

“I’m not going to be able to vote for this plan,” said McNeilly.

He argued that the city has never been given “a rational explanation” as to why Franklin was closed before winter, and before advocates were able to gauge the effectiveness of the permanent supportive housing program.

A total of 87 men previously staying at Franklin have gotten apartments through the program, according to a report to the City Council from the Mayor’s office. Dozens more have been moved to other shelters. Still others are now sleeping outdoors, afraid or unwilling to leave downtown. When winter comes, advocates including McNeilly contend, their lives will be at risk.

“A low barrier shelter is critically important downtown,” said McNeilly,. “We know people who will not get on a bus and abandon their possessions. It’s too overwhelming.”

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and 10 GB of storage space

Please call 202-347-2006 or send an e-mail to info@streetsense.org if you have any of these items to donate.

4 LOCAL NEWS

Street Sense . October 15 - October 28, 2008

Legal, from p.1 legal system. They have become used to accepting adversity and unfairness, according to the report.

The report, three and a half years in the making, was drawn up to help define the legal problems of the poor and define ways they might be addressed, according to Jonathan M. Smith, executive director of the Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia. “We needed to see what was going on with the community’s poverty and place that in context of what difference a lawyer can make.”

The nation’s curre n t h o u s i n g c r i s i s brings new urgency to the issue. In 2003, homebuyers in Wards 5 (Trinidad), 7 (Capitol View) and 8 (Anacostia) were ten times more likely to receive a home purchase loan from a subprime lender than those living in Ward 3 (Tenleytown, American University). Wards 5, 7 and 8 had the highest unemployment rates of all the wards consistently in 2007 and 2008, according to the District of Columbia Department of Employment Services.

“The difference that representation makes is whether or not someone would lose their home,” said commission chairman Peter B. Edelman. “There are too many poor people in our city.”

And they often go to court without a lawyer. Within the domestic violence unit of the D.C. Superior Court, 98% of both petitioners and respondents represented themselves.

In landlord-tenant cases, 98% of defendants represented themselves, the study found. In child support cases, 98% of respondents represented themselves, the study found.

The new report offers high profile exposure to systemic inequities long seen in the civil courts by advocates for the poor.

“There were many lawyers who were in-

Donald Tanguilig

Partner at DLA Piper Frank M. Conner III and commission member Jonathan Smith talk about the collaboration between private firms and local government.

volved in the community, but to make big changed we needed a heavy hitter to come on board to attack systematic problems,” said Patricia Mullahy Fugere, executive director of the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless.

“Getting a representative is the most common way to address problems, whether legally or otherwise. Some of these institutions are created in the way to shut the lower income community out.”

Without representation, the poor are more vulnerable to devastating losses, because their finances are so precarious. Over 37% of District residents spend over 30% of their income on housing costs, and over 18% of residents spend over 50%of their income on housing costs.

“People that come across the legal system are usually in the situation of being at high stakes of losing something, but the system is not set up for a people that are not trained,” said Sunil H. Mansukhani, executive director of the commission.

“We needed to get the stake holders together and take the effort up two or three notches and take a hard look at the mechanisms that provide justice and also deny justice.”

The commission encountered some resistance to their findings from the business community, according to Smith.

“The fear is that we will take the initiative too far, and they want to be able to give organizations the power to make their own decisions and not have to go by a handbook,” Smith said.

“At a high-gloss level, there is support, but at the practicality level, there is concern.

There is concern that if we look at only certain places, there will be no money left over for civil rights cases.”

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Street Sense . October 15 - October 28, 2008

LOCAL NEWS 5

Food, from p.1

Jerry W.

meals a day. Frozen vegetables have been a big part of meals there, because “it doesn’t take time to open the bag of frozen vegetables,” special projects manager Whitt Masters said.

When DCCK decided about a year ago to make fresh produce a bigger part of the meals the group prepares, it realized it would have to make other adjustments, food donations coordinator Jamie Schuman said.

One step, she said, was to start a new evening volunteer shift for the sole purpose of preparing fresh fruits and vegetables for DCCK’s meals. The shift, which uses DCCK staff and volunteers, runs from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays.

The new shift is part of a much larger -and still growing, transformation that sprang from DCCK’s self-critique, chief executive officer Michael Curtin said. The group was being “hypocritical” about some of its core beliefs, he said.

One part of DCCK’s mission is to make the most of existing resources, and the group wasn’t doing that, he said. Food, people, and facilities all were being underutilized, he said.

For the clients DCCK feeds, Curtin said, the goal is “nutrition” rather than mere “sustenance.” DCCK could feed people “red beans and rice all day, and they’d be full,” but their nutritional needs wouldn’t necessarily be met, he said. For many clients, the meal they get from DCCK may be the only full meal of the day.

DCCK has always had an eye on nutrition, for example, by including a salad with its meals, he said. But a salad built on iceberg lettuce won’t be that nutritious, since iceberg is essentially “crunchy water,” Curtin said.

Another part of the DCCK credo is to build and sustain local communities, he said.

When the group started out on its fresh-food initiative, it found that “millions of pounds” of food were being wasted on farms within a 300-mile radius of DC, he said.

Food often was going to waste, Curtin said, because it was not “aesthetically perfect” and couldn’t be easily sold. In June, DCCK was able to buy 3,000 pounds of cabbage, he said. As a result of a three-week rainy period this spring, he said, the cabbages had grown to “basketball size.” Since consumers are used to seeing much smaller cabbages in their supermarkets, the oversized produce wasn’t marketable, he said.

In cases like that, DCCK is able to buy the produce for 50% to 75% less than what it would pay to a national wholesaler, who typically would bring in produce from the West Coast, Europe or Central America, Curtin said. And the local farmers benefit because they would not otherwise have been able to find a customer for that produce.

Butler from DC Central Kitchen gathers corn from a farmer’s market.

by DCCK and others is the idea of “gleaning,” the practice of collecting leftover or unwanted crops. In some ancient communities, farmers left the edges of their fields unharvested so that the poor could take those crops.

These days, a main supplier for DCCK, Schuman said, is the Mid-Atlantic Gleaning Network. In a recent three-month period, the network gave DCCK more than 14,000 pounds of fresh produce -- which included sweet potatoes, peaches, green beans, greens and strawberries, she said.

DCCK picks up some of the food a t t h e n e t w o r k ’s warehouse in Cheltenham, Maryland, Schuman said. But DCCK also sends staff and volunteers to local farms to pick produce that otherwise would have gone to waste.

A recent expedition netted 800 pounds of kale and collard greens, she said.

Another source is local farmers’ markets, she said. DCCK has a long-standing relationship with the Dupont Circle farmers’ market.

The FreshFarm network of farmers’ markets in the Chesapeake Bay area, which includes the Dupont market, has a gleaning program in which every market has a “gleaning partner,” according to the network’s web site.

The “14 &U” market, which is held in front of the Frank D. Reeves Municipal Center on Saturdays, is matched with Martha’s Table, market manager Robin Shuster said.

In addition to giving away produce from the farmers at the end of the market, the 14& U market is also encouraging customers to get involved, Shuster said in an interview on an August Saturday.

A bright yellow flyer encourages customers to buy a little extra produce and donate “a tomato, a potato, a squash, an onion, a few beans” to Martha’s Table. Those additions give “a real freshness” to the soup that Martha’s table makes, Shuster said.

But so far, she said, that part of the gleaning effort has not been as successful as she

In a recent threemonth period, the [Mid-Atlantic Gleanors] network gave DCCK more than 14,000 pounds of fresh produce.

Multiple Sources At the heart of the fresh-produce effort

had hoped.

On another Saturday, the results appeared to be mixed. At the market’s 1:00 closing time, there were only a few items in the donation basket. The amount varies considerably from week to week, Shuster said. The previous week was much better, she said.

Creating Job Opportunities On the Friday before Labor Day, while much of downtown D.C. was clearing out for the holiday weekend, DCCK’s food prep area was bustling. Masters was briefing a handful of volunteers before they donned gloves and hairnets or ball caps for their assignment.

Their job was to cut up potatoes and put them into large plastic food-storage bins.

In addition to dispensing practical tips on cutting potatoes, Masters told the volunteers about other parts of the fresh-food program.

He described a vacuum sealer DCCK bought so that in can store fresh produce for times when the produce is scarcer or more expensive.

For example, he said, the group recently got a donation of fresh peppers. It already had plenty for its immediate needs; the vacuum sealer allows DCCK to store the peppers until the winter, he said.

Through the first eight months of the year, DCCK has cut more than $6,000 from its costs for frozen vegetables, compared to the same period for 2007, Masters said. He said the main factor is the evening foodpreparation shift, which did not start until April.

According to Curtin, DCCK’s food purchasing costs for the year, through the end of July, were $41,000 below the 2007 level, The group’s annual budget for that activity is about $900,000, he said.

He noted that the savings are coming in spite of sharply rising food prices, about 40% over last year, he said.

He added a “disclosure” that a lot of the money has not really been saved, but has been used to pay the salaries of Masters and the graduates of the DCCK training program who staff the evening shift. But even if it’s a redistribution of money rather than a savings, the new arrangement is still “a huge win,” Curtin said.

DCCK is giving its clients a better product, buying from local sources instead of “a food conglomerate” and providing employment for graduates of DCCK’s training program, he said.

During a break in the Friday night shift, one graduate, shift supervisor Bo Sims, talked about the job’s importance to him. Sims, who said he was sentenced to 40 years for bank robbery, but released after 20 years, took the 90-day training five years ago and has been with DCCK ever since.

Programs like DCCK’s, Sims said, could have a lot of value for prisoners who are about to be released. At that point, many prisoners think, “What do I go when I get out?” since they often don’t have skills, he said. The DCCK program shows that “there is life after jail,” he said.

Sims proudly told how celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain interviewed him for Bourdain’s TV show. “I want to take this a bit further,” Sims said, perhaps by reconnecting with Bourdain and going on “a national circuit.”

Curtin also has bigger ambitions for the program. The next step is for DCCK to use the produce to make sauces and other food products to sell to restaurants and supermarkets, or, he said, at farmers’ markets.

Street Sense . October 15 - October 28, 2008

6 INTERNATIONAL

In OTHER NEWS By Jon Patee Fire in Squatters’ Village Leaves 2,000 Homeless A candle sparked a fire that destroyed at least 600 homes and left 2,000 people homeless in the Foreman Road squatter neighborhood of Durban, South Africa, according to a Sept. 14 post on squattercity.blogspot.com. One person died in the fire and three others are still missing. Authorities are known to block shack dwellers from obtaining legal electrical service and the blog reports that the municipality promised to install fire hydrants around the community four years ago. Such work was never completed. The neighborhood has just one communal water tap.

Charity: UK Soldiers Ending Up Homeless Soldiers of the United Kingdom’s Commonwealth who are discharged from the army are ending up homeless and unable to work or claim benefits, according to a charity cited in a Sept. 26 BBC article by Angus Crawford. Veterans Aid told the BBC that dealing with the problem was taking up 20% of its time. “They treat you like a slave,” said veteran “Jojo” 31 from Ghana, who spent two years in the army air corps.

“You use us, and realize we are no use now, and you chuck us out and don’t think of us again. That’s indirect slavery.” There are currently more than 7,600 Commonwealth citizens serving in the UK’s armed forces.

NYC Housing Program Claims Success An outreach program called Safe Havens has moved 850 chronically homeless people off the streets of New York in the past year, say city officials. According to an Oct. 1 AP report by Kiley Armstrong, Safe Havens offers a customized approach, with fewer rules, no curfews, and no sobriety requirements. Its clients have spent an average of 7 or more years on the streets before accepting housing. The program also cuts red tape by using “single-borough” providers. The program’s outreach workers are currently trying to help another 900 chronically homeless people, according to the report.

Hotels as Shelter, Say Vancouver Activists A group of Vancouver housing activists say homelessness could be temporarily solved by using hundreds of vacant hotel rooms, according to an Oct. 1 article by Lora Grindlay in the newspaper The Province. The report quotes a local activist as saying there are some 400 empty, privately owned hotel rooms in one impoverished neighborhood that has almost as many homeless people. Activists say authorities should negotiate with the owners of empty hotels to open them up to homeless people as shelters. The city recently approved social and supported housing developments on three city-owned sites at a cost of $10 million to provide 250 rooms. This year’s Metro Vancouver Homeless Count found at least 2,600 homeless people.

Savannah Hosts Stand Down for the Homeless The Veterans Administration on Sept. 30 held its annual Stand Down in Savannah, GA, an event aimed at bringing comfort to former members of the US armed forces who are homeless. According to a report on the event by local television channel News 3, an estimated 200,000 US veterans are homeless on any given night. “The origin (of “Stand Down”) came from when the military would bring troops from the front to the rear they would give them a few days off to rest and recuperate, and then they would go to the front,” a Veterans Administration official told Alice Massimi of News 3. This year’s event drew hundreds of participants.

Maryland Shelters Worry About Slow Donations

By Jessica Grover ANNAPOLIS - Several Maryland homeless and transitional shelters are worried as they’ve seen their donations drop in the wake of the nation’s worsening economic climate.

The Light House Shelter in Annapolis, for example, ended the first quarter of its 2009 fiscal year Tuesday with 33% less individual cash donations than last year’s first quarter. “ We’re bracing ourselves for a long winter,” said Harr y Cole, the shelter’s executive director. “It’s a crucial time for us with the homeless population because of hypothermia.”

Because most of the Light House Shelter’s donors are e ve r yd a y c i t i ze n s, Cole said he thinks p e o p l e a re s a v i n g their money to deal with rising gas and food prices.

For the Frederick Re s c u e Mi s s i o n , a transitional shelter for men overcoming addiction, charitable contributions for August were down more than one-third compared to August 2007, said Tommy Skaggs, director of development.

Donations from all sources -- individuals, businesses and churches -- are “probably” 99% of their funding, he said.

The mission is still examining donations from September, but Skaggs said he expects to see the same trend.

The decline could not come at a worse time.

Emily Moore, the public relations and volunteer manager for Frederick Rescue Mission, said the mission’s soup kitchen usually sees fewer people in the summer, but this year the numbers never went down.

With temperatures beginning to drop and shelters relying on more donations during the holiday season, as much as 50% of all donations to charities come in during the holidays, a dip in contributions leaves uncertain futures for shelters’ busiest time of the year.

Stacy Palmer, the editor of The Chronicle of Philanthropy, said that charities are starting to worry about the commitments from donors, but not ever y group has noticed changes in donations.

“The worst is yet to come because charities usually lag behind the rest of the economy,” Palmer said.

Changes in some funding sources show up more quickly than others.

Helping Up Mission, a homeless and drug rehabilitation center in Baltimore, has met its budget for the beginning of the 2009 fiscal year with funding, but it has not seen its usual growth pattern.

Executive Director Robert Gehman said that, because the Helping Up Mission is not funded by the government, it has not felt the pinch of the economy like nonprofit organizations who receive government funding. He suspects that things will soon change.

“I’m constantly thinking about what-ifs,” Gehman said. “Because salaries are the largest line item in the budget, it would mean cutting back on staff.”

A smaller staff would affect the shelter’s ability to serve its typical 400 people a day, Gehman said.

Frederick Rescue Mission has noticed an even more ominous change in its donor status.

“We’ve got some folks that once donated to us and now they’re finding themselves in line for our services,” Skaggs said.

As these shelters are preparing for a shaky future, some are already looking for funding solutions.

“We had to do extra fundraising efforts because we weren’t sure how we were going to make it,” Moore said.

Like Frederick Rescue Mission, other shelters have appealed to their partners and current donors for additional help.

A n d w h i l e t h e s e e f f o r t s h a ve b e e n successful, Skaggs is worried that these current contributions may substitute for the November and December donations that shelters and other nonprofit associations depend on.

These groups said it is too early to predict if this drop in donations will continue, but they expect that if the economy does not improve, donations will continue to decrease.

“We’re going to wait and see now,” said Skaggs.

The (Frederick Rescue) Mission’s soup kitchen usually sees fewer people in the summer, but this year the numbers never went down.

This article was provided by the Capital News Service.

UK Bank Exec Murdered Defending Homeless Man A top executive of Barclays bank was beaten to death by a group of youths as he tried to stop them from attacking a homeless man in the UK city of Norwich, according to a Sept. 30 AFP report. Frank McGarahan, 45, was standing at a taxi line in the early hours of Sept. 28 when he saw a group of four youths assaulting a homeless Lithuanian man. After an “exchange of words,” the youths attacked McGarahan, who was knocked unconscious. McGarahan, a father of two, was rushed to a nearby hospital, but he never regained consciousness and died later in the day.

Interested in reading past Street Sense articles and editorials, visit www.streetsense.org and click on the archive page.

Street Sense . October 15 - October 28, 2008

Writers Group 7

Will write for food: Writer’s Group Theater REview By Jerry W. Carrie Fisher’s “Wishful Drinking” at Lincoln By the time you read this, she might be in Broadway, no longer the black Broadway, aka Lincoln theater, before the riots, host to Duke Ellington, Bill Cosby, and many others, revamped and partially funded by D.C. government.

So this wheel chaired, recently-runover- by-a-taxi-cab victim/ former biker, went for his first theatre review. Like one of my couch surfing hosts, over a decade ago, but not able to comp two tickets, I went solo, to see someone I’d heard of on an early morning media show, arranging through the paper to get in the door.

I rolled over to the Metro, blowing a front wheelchair tire in the ramp to cross the street, then again on the other end of the train ride, when picking up bandages for the toes. Not the Dark Lexus that the valet probably brings most of the audience.

Starting with getting through narrow preADA doors, assisted by people not sure what to make of me, like a white in a blacks-only neighborhood, but this was pay-to-play transplanted Hollywood and Arena re-staged.

The stage is set like a living room with a couch, chair, rug and backdrop of entertaining news reports/ tabloids, and stills projected.

Through the intercom, the party starts, and openly describes the recent loss of a gay friend in her house to open, finding the body, after working in the White House, how do you follow/top that? “More cheerful stuff the rest of the night.” and more turns of phrases than one could imagine, a continuous hypo-manic catchphrases, slogans to live by, remember, but I can’t recall, perhaps I’ve been struck by lightening, discovered, ECT’ed or abducted and don’t recall?

Though she occasionally says she’s tired, and not let out often, and who wouldn’t be after what she’s survived, described in complete detail, uncensored, while toying with the microphone, but “imagine what she’s left out” as only a manic patient could, but we are entertained, not horrified, like wanting an instant replay as an acquaintance’s comments by adding “she’s more than 51’,” essentially needing to update the schtick, but I counter, no woman is over 29, and she reads, on stage, a marriage proposal sent to her, asks the audience to vote, where he admits his faults, so that she can not say, “you didn’t tell me

about ___.”

Princess Leia is growing up, in reality, kicking and screaming, plus limping from a sprain, slightly aged, or should I dare say fermented, by the experience, described in detail, merchandised by George Lucas, her likeness now property, made into figurines and appropriately? Pez dispensers, even a sex doll, lowered onto stage, and even described what to do when others told her to go f*** herself.

Far from the cold cement, Hollywood plastic or silicone, this rumored mother of a teenager (I haven’t read the other press nor tabloids), even shook the family tree, or in counseling speak, did the genogram, or Hollywood Inbreeding 101 class, showing the blood lines plus enmeshed twisted relationships of a mother Debbie Reynolds, and Eddie Fisher, and the whole family circus, with a participant’s chorus of: divorce, remarry, divorce, and inserting (censored name to protect the non-innocent) “going to SF, because it has a big Asian community” describing a sex addiction, following loss, soliciting and philandering.

Unlike a B movie, or soap, this was more therapeutic, group therapy or an open speaker’s meeting (typically without recording), not drunkalogue lasting approximately 3 hours with brief intermission, though she smoked something on stage before break, joking clove, coming back to give a phallic ice cube tray to the gay man from the audience who read the.first act close (censored spoiler).

Her energy, humor and lightness is infectious, but makes you wonder besides will she be inappropriate and impulsive with me, swinging to when is the crash?

If bipolar, undergoing ECT? Or go manically topless?

Even ex Paul Simon got off easy, using his lyrics about her as her alimony, instead of inviting him to a hospital, to check in.

But the 71 post-pubescent stalkers she has can probably cool their jets, her spiritual advisor is right at hand giving her the cane pointer for pointing to the continuing line, blood lines, though titillated by her wit, charm and charisma, as any pickled and tickled Hollywood veteran would.

Jerry dubbed the group ‘Will Write for Food’ and volunteers. You can contact him at NoVAPeers@gmail.com

Drawing by CArlton Johnson

Reggie’s Reflections: Effect

by Reginald Black I was amazed to find that someone had my back. All this searching was driving me crazy, I asked and asked finally getting my answer. She was the one that defended me. That clicked a switch in my heart. I could no longer accept just friendship. I had the desire for more. I constantly told her she was the one. I was set one on thing: having her. The question “what if” came into play.

If we got together where will we stay? I also asked this privately of myself. Since I seemed to want companionship, where could we go? I ended up leaving what people would call a home where I stayed rent-free and there was plenty to eat. I couldn’t get over the fact that I was still homeless. It pained me because I didn’t know how this situation would play out. We started talking less and less.

I began feeling discarded, but I kept optimistic. I refused to give up hope. Whenever my cell ran out of air time I would panhandle to buy more in an effort to catch her. Each time it felt good; each time I returned she was there but what was the truth? I didn’t know.

Reggie has participated in writer’s group over the last five months and no one has ever put a spin on Sara Jessica Parker like this side of the Anacostia. Feel free to send in your questions to RoninWorrior@yahoo.com.

Cara’s Favorite Sport

by Cara J. Schmidt When I was in high school I played field hockey and lacrosse, and although I enjoyed those sports a great deal, I would not choose to be the best in the world at either of them. If I could be the best athlete in the world in any sport, I would be the best tennis player.

I would choose tennis for a few reasons, one being that it may be the best developed female professional sport. Being a world-class player would offer me monetary winnings, fame, opportunities to travel, and competition that no other sport offers women. Of all the professional female sports, tennis comes with the best perks.

More importantly though, tennis also has the most fashionable outfits. I don’t think any other sport so successfully combines a great workout, the adrenaline rush of victory and killer outfits all in one. If I were the best tennis player, I would have huge names in fashion design all my outfits. The only thing better than kicking my opponent’s butt would be looking fabulous while doing it.

Cara volunteers and creates writing exercises for writer’s group.

Writer’s Group meets Wednesdays 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. at the Street Sense office.

This fall will be its first anniversary.

A new poetry after party is 3:30 to 4:30m p.m.

Writers group started last fall with a few volunteers, several vendors and some light lunch.

We have built the group into a regular event, where people bring in drafts, and receive writing coaching from David Hammond. Cara started creating fun writing prompts about six months ago and Reggie created a regular column of “Reflections.” People bring in ideas and we discuss issues but still find time to publish something regularly. Jerry wanted to learn some production and started learning layout. Michelle started doing poetry after 3:30 p.m. Carlton created a logo, and the rest is history. Stay tuned for more improvements.

8 NEWS 8 LOCAL PHOTOGRAPHY

Street Sense . October 15 - October 28, 2008

Red sky at night

Poems by Franklin Sterling

Somnambule Þe slepe vagabon iss fast midd scua upo shawere cast.

Wrouht without stirring him I may fare, nod at me to, as to cloise on you. Then, he gas dreaming . . . yet the signs dim.

Utter Venation The autumn dagas bien silver.

Nakedd limbs ayres rent bid wit skyes to dau gres. Gusts skater tired vestments.

Tree wit Black birds Bi-twyx the knotted sky he desird and ther light, from wood birdies loan a throwe, her sers by that resoun, the glew i’green lefs, yielded menie, a perch on to the spirall-s leomua.

Prest blackbirds with beaks fore mougths ye green leaves spræcan to (to profer), end hielier whereinsoever.

Cliff’s Clicks:

Hallow’s Eve Through the Homele Sun under the gray clouds

Street Sense . October 15 - October 28, 2008

ess Eye

PHOTOGRAPHY 9

Home out of junk.

Night Ware City ris dreams away.

Pity is, dream the way.

Sing my psalm.

Ho, allay werris; calm, ready day.

Dark side of the moon Street Sense vendor Cliff “the Moose” Carle takes hundreds of photos all over Washington every week. Here, Cliff shows the District’s spookiest scenes just in time for Halloween.

In Yon Corte The reposse noisy is, somm weirde, I dream wado.

Those that like rustic aquæ, ther er two cherubs plegodon that thoys noyses lik on stan, bysplatter end strum! To hon my hat.

He and theire lyre, to watch.

Street Sense . October 15 – October 28, 2008

8 PHOTOS FEATURES

Cliff’s Clicks:

Safe and Out There Street Sense vendor Cliff “the Moose” Carle takes hundreds of photos all over Washington every week. Here, Cliff ’s shares contrasting images of the security and the vulnerability he encounters each day throughout the city.

Cliff’sClick–Tips The one-half rule vs the rule of thirds

“Safe at home on the Metro

“This women sits near a hut she has bu

When composing your shot keep the one-half rule and the rule-of- thirds in mind. The old school of thought dictated that the subject should be centered, that was the one-half rule as in the picture of the little boy to the far right. The rule-of-thirds is more contemporary, the subject occupies one-third of the frame, the area where the subject isn’t also tell the story as in the picture of the women sitting next to her hut.

More to come next time! Once a month Cliff hopes to have field trips to go out and practice taking photos. Stay tuned.

“Sleep tight, the bed bugs don

One-half rule separates the picture by two parts with the subject at the middle of the cross

The rule-of-thirds places the focal point of the picture in the center of the two vertical lines.

“A man sleeps near our office on G Street

Street Sense . October 15– October 28, 2008

uilt for herself out of junk on Mitch Snyder Place.

PHOTOS & POETRY 9

“Mommy’s little boy is comfy. Are we having fun yet?

n’t bite

St. Augustines Church: a safe place in God’s house

10 FEATURES

Pretty Red’s Fiction

Street Sense . October 15 – October 28, 2008

By Ivory Wilson

The Career Woman

C

atherine is a single mother with three kids. Phillip is three, Adrian is four, and Sarah is two. On the weekends Catherine likes to sit down with the kids and watch different TV programs.

Catherine notices, when she turns the TV to the Health Channel, that Sarah stops playing and sits and watches the show. When the show is over Sarah acts like she is a nurse taking care of a patient. Catherine notices that when she turns on the History Channel, Adrian will sit still and watch the show about men working, building things and showing how things work. After the show is over, Adrian acts like he is building, stacking blocks straight up. Phillip likes anything electric. He likes the way they work.

Catherine sees in each of her kids what they will be in life. She smiles. Catherine is CEO of a major software corporation.

Lately she has been under a lot of stress, arguing with her ex–husband about late child-support payments.

Catherine has an emergency button on her cell phone. She has shown the kids where it’s located on her phone.

But all of her wall phones are too high for the kids to reach. The kids could not unlock the door or open it without her help. They are too small.

It was Sunday morning, 8 a.m. Catherine’s phone rang. It was her ex–husband. Again, words were being passed.

Catherine threw her cell phone out her bedroom window in anger. She was standing beside her bed, and she had a bad pain in her chest, a feeling like little pins.

Catherine’s body went numb. She could not move. She fell to the bedroom floor.

Catherine just had a stroke. She couldn’t move or speak. All she could do was blink her eyes.

In her mind she was thinking, “My kids.

What about my kids? How are they going to make it without me, God?” Catherine’s mind was racing around in her head, worrying about her kids.

Sarah looked at her mother and said, “Mommy. Mommy is hurt.”

Catherine’s cell phone landed on the roof, in a gutter five feet below her window. Catherine fell on her side. The kids knelt beside their mother, Phillip at her back, Sarah at her head and Adrian at her legs.

The kids gently rolled their mother on her back. Sarah got a pillow off the bed.

Phillip raised his mother’s head, and Sarah put the pillow under it.

Catherine’s eyes filled with tears of joy, seeing her kids being strong and taking care of her. Sarah quickly walked to the bathroom, pushed her potty next to the toilet, climbed up to the sink, turned the water on, wet a towel and put it on her mother’s forehead, saying, “It’s OK, Mommy.”

Phillip’s little mind was spinning

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“Catherine is fine,

$

walking, talking, always smiling, thinking about that day with her angels.”

around. He remembered the emergency button on his mother’s cell phone. Phillip walked to the window and looked down at the phone. Adrian walked to the window with his brother. Adrian asked Phillip, “What are you thinking? We can’t get the phone.”

Adrian smiled and said, “I know how.”

He went to the trash and took out his sister’s soiled diaper, put it in a plastic bag for weight and tied the bag shut, put Elmer’s glue all over the bag, tied his sister’s jump rope to the bag, walked to the window, aimed it and dropped it on the cell phone.

Phillip asked, “What now?”

Adrian said, “We let it lay.”

Phillip asked, “How long?”

Adrian answered, “I don’t know.”

Two hours passed. All three kids were at the window. Phillip and Adrian pulled the slack out of the jump rope and slowly the phone came up.

Phillip asked Adrian, “How do you know this?”

Adrian answered, “I saw it.”

They laughed. Adrian pushed the button. Help came.

Months have passed. Catherine is fine, walking, talking, always smiling, thinking about that day with her angels.

Ivory Wilson has been a vendor for over a year and has written dozens of short stories.

You may find him selling Street Sense at the corner of 11th and E streets, NW.

Items on eBay GivingWorks versus regular eBay items: • Close 40% higher • Sell 50% more often • Receive 20% more bids

$

For more information visit www.streetsense.org.

Looking for a past story or poem?

Check out the Street Sense online archives!

Visit www.streetsense.org/archives.jsp to read past issues or use our internal search engine at www.streetsense.org

Vendor Manager Wanted Street Sense is looking for a part–time vendor manager (20 hours a week) to oversee and assist its sales for of more than 70 homeless and formerly homeless men and women. The position will hopefully become full–time within six months.

The vendor manager would: • • • • • •

Recruit and train vendors Assess vendors’ needs Connect vendors to services they need and provide advice Track vendors’ progress and paper sales Create sales training program for vendors Discipline vendors and mediate vendor disputes

Street Sense is looking for someone with: • • • • • •

Experience working with homeless individuals Strong communication skills with a wide variety of individuals Ability to multitask and excellent organization skills Patience and flexibility Ability to discipline and suspend/terminate vendors when necessary Proficiency using Excel or other data management programs

If you are interested in the position, please email your resume and a cover letter to executive director Laura Thompson Osuri at laura@streetsense.org or call 202–347–2006.

FEATURES & GAMES 11

Street Sense . October 15 – October 28, 2008

Street Sense Sudoku 7 6 1 8 9

7 4 2

5

8 1

3 9

5 7 9 7

2 1 9 4

8 2

4

9

Gregory’s Great Game

6

5 7

Street Sense vendor Gregory Martin loves creating puzzles.

1

1

6

7

8

5

Simply find the following words in the grid below. The solution to the last puzzle is found below.

October Costume Pumpkin Trick Treat Hay Ride Candy Mask Boss (Day) Halloween

Mother-in-Law (Day) Columbus (Day) Childrens (Day) Yom Kippur Grass Leaves Yard Flowers Plants Seeds

Gregory’s Great Game: Solution to October 1st Puzzle

PLACE YOUR AD HERE! With Street Sense now coming out every two weeks and reaching nearly 12,000 people each issue, now is the perfect time to promote your business with us.

Introduce A Friend To Street Sense A recent survey showed that less than half our readers pass along their Street Sense copy to friends.

Please help spread the word.

Give this issue to a friend or coworker.

Thanks!

DEMOGRAPHICS And who your business will be reaching can’t be beat. Our typical reader is a 35-year-old woman who lives in D.C. and works for the government or a nonprofit earning $70,000 a year.

RATES Rates are about half the cost of the neighborhood monthlies and are as low as $57 for a 1/16 page ad that runs multiple times.

DISCOUNTS Discounts offered to nonprofits and to those that prepay for multiple ads.

Call Laura at 202-347-2006 or email editors@streetsense.org for more information and to get a copy of our new advertising brochure. Or ask your local vendor, who can earn 20% commission from ads sales.

Street Sense . October 15 – October 28, 2008

12 EDITORIALS

In Remembrance and Appreciation of My Friend Margarita

By Marie Soveroski

M

argarita lived for I don’t know how many years in and around Farragut Park. She was a familiar fixture there, often sitting under an umbrella and observing the world going by. We became friends, and I had the pleasure of talking to her often, and having her share her observations with me. Although she obviously had a hard life, as a woman living on the street, she never gave me a hard-luck story.

Even in her homelessness, she kept up with what was happening in the world, and we often talked about these things.

Not surprisingly, she was the best– informed person I knew when it came to what the weather was going to be doing. We also talked about how she used to live. She had been a real estate agent in Virginia, and loved to grow flowers at her home there. She told me she loved yellow flowers the best and really loved to eat tomatoes fresh from the garden.

She did not dwell on the fact that she no longer had these things, she just shared these life stories with me as a friend.

I was travelling during the summer, for work and family matters. When I got back I did not see Margarita for some time, but thought that I just was not around when she was.

As the weeks passed I came to realize

that she was not in the park anymore, but I was so busy with things I never managed to find the time to really try to figure out where she could be. Finally, last week, I found out that she had died in early July.

I k n ow t h a t most people looked at Margarita, if they looked at her at all, as some kind o f “ b a g l a d y.”

Like she was part of the scenery, no more worthy of notice than the park benches she would sit on.

But she was just like everyone else, only the victim of much harsher circumstances. She was a victim of her illness, an illness that most of society does not understand. People walked by her pretending that she and her illness did not exist. What they didn’t stop to see was that she was someone who had a life, before her time in Farragut Park, like most of theirs. She had a marriage, and children, a career, and a home where she grew flowers. She graced my life with these stories and her friendship. That park seems so empty to me now.

Thank you for your friendship, Margarita. I miss you very much.

“I know that most people looked at Margarita, if they looked at her at all, as some kind of ‘bag lady.’

Like she was part of the scenery, no more worthy of notice than the park benches she would sit on.”

Wall, from page 1 The credit crunch had been building up; it was not an overnight phenomenon. However, since Wall Street took a nosedive, the question remained - was it the responsibility of the entire nation to pick it back up?

The initial proposal set forward to Congress was out-and-out chutzpah. Take the notorious Section 8: Decisions by the Secretary pursuant to the authority of this Act are non-reviewable and committed to agency discretion, and may not be reviewed by any court of law or any administrative agency.

It was no surprise that this version of the

Marie Soveroski is managing director of EarthRights International

bailout plan was struck down in the first vote.

It would have rendered both the Legislative and Judicial branches of the government powerless in the face of the Secretary’s random decisions.

That was largely the reason that Congress clamored for more “oversight” in the bailout’s provisions. However, even with oversight, the economic reality for the people on the street does not change with the passage of the bailout bill.

We’ve all been put on the hook for hundreds of billions of dollars that will surely make some people very rich, but one thing is for sure: we aren’t the ones.

I’m a registered Independent, and I cannot see myself giving my support to either party

Why Two-Party Systems Don’t Work

By Jeffery McNeil

T

he recent financial crisis has made many Americans realize everything you worked hard for can be wiped out. There is enough blame to go around, and the root cause has been discussed ad naseum, but in reality the great myth that America rewards those who work hard and save enough for retirement has been smashed.

Like all bubbles, greed and fear have left the world in a panic and now people will have to live conservatively, and within their means. There will be soul searching and many people will start to become angry and irritated.

When people see the details in the seven hundred billion dollar bailout they’ll wonder what’s the purpose of democracy, when the only people who work on behalf of the people are the elite and well connected.

I was never a fan of either party and after watching how this bill was rammed through Congress by both parties, I became convinced there is no good when only two parties can hold the forum on any bill or legislation.

Truth is, many Americans are sick and tired of partisan politicians who act on behalf of their donors instead of the will of the working people. These politicians are putting fear into the American people while subsidizing their corporate buddies.

It’s hypocrisy that has run amock. Many people are disillusioned with politics from local politicians like Mayor Fenty who ran on behalf of the little guy (then throws them on their butts by closing Franklin) to our partisan House and Senate that voted in a bill that the people were against

“We’ve all been put on the hook for hundreds of billions of dollars that will surely make some people very rich, but one thing is for sure: we aren’t the ones.” that has mired us into this mess.

I’m curious to see if Nader and Barr don’t end up picking up a lot of votes as a result of what has happened.

I don’t know if they would acquire enough to win an election, that may be stretching it, but the fallout from the bailout bill is surely enough to create a significant backlash of discontent that could manifest itself at the

“Money corrupts both parties and the workingman is ignored.” (then kicks them in the face by adding in tax cuts to rum companies), giving AIG 85 billion dollars while the executives still party with the peoples’ money.

It’s shameless and disgusting; in all reality the people who suffer from all this shameless abuse of money and power are the working and the poor.

This election, many feel powerless with voting for a two-party system that is being held hostage by extremist partisans on both sides. Those in the center have been ignored for extremist agendas. Policies are geared to either make the rich, richer or to subsidize the chronically poor, meanwhile those who work hard and try to play by the rules seem not to be represented anymore.

Money has corrupted both parties, where the workingman has been ignored.

Cronyism and the good ole boy network is commonplace nowadays to the well– connected in Washington.

This presidential election shows how mediocre politics has become. With two candidates that America isn’t excited about, I feel it’s like choosing between being hung or being shot. Both are out of touch with what is ailing America. I feel it’s disheartening because America needs real change – like a new party that represents the people instead of the wealthy and wellconnected.

Jeffery McNeil regularly puts on a suit to sell Street Sense. E–mail him at jeffery_mcneil2000@yahoo.com.

voting booth.

Meanwhile, the smear campaigning will continue, but it does not interest me. It never did. I’ve always said that the person who does the mudslinging is the one who makes the worst impression, not the person against whom the mud is being slung. In this campaign, I really don’t know who is worse in that regard; both sides are pretty bad as I see them.

With both sides voting for the bailout and indulging in character assassination, what kind of choice is there really?

Maurice King has been writing for Street Sense since January 2004. E-mail him at benadam@cyberdude.com.

Street Sense . October 15 – October 28, 2008

The New Blue

Police Cadet Sensitivity Training

EDITORIALS 13

Vermont Avenue Baptist Church Anniversary

By Jesse Smith

A

pproximately every six months, attorney Ann Marie Staudenmaier of the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless conducts a course called Homeless 101 for cadets at the District of Columbia Police Training Academy.

The course is designed to create a degree of sensitivity for the cadets in respect to their interaction with members of the homeless community. Along with the presentation of statistical information, there is a talk given by a homeless or formerly homeless person. I was invited to attend a session by longtime community activist Cheryl Barnes, who was the guest speaker, and have since been given the opportunity to address the groups explaining my experience with homelessness in order to drive home the idea that this situation could happen to anyone.

Wednesday September 24th, Ann Marie and I conducted the course at the training facility. Trainees range from 19 to 25 and undergo intense physical and mental training for a period of eight months. The training has been compared in many areas to that of the U.S. Army or Marines. In fact, a considerable number of cadets have a military background.

Ann Marie presented statistical questions concerning Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), the lack of affordable housing and the general disposition of the poor and homeless communities, and the cadets responded with a great deal of understanding and factual knowledge. I was impressed with their answers and insight. The credit should be given to their instructors for providing attention to these topics in the course of the cadets’ training.

One of the things that came to light is the assumption that many of the abuses inflicted on the homeless were perpetrated by older, veteran police officers.

Perhaps there is a need for sensitivity

“One of the things that impressed me was the large number of cadets who knew someone who is or was homeless.” training for them, especially now that the Franklin shelter is destined to be closed.

This will further reduce the number of facilities in D.C. to house those who suddenly find themselves on the streets, and potentially increase the burden on law enforcement officials.

I recognized a very high degree of discipline in this group. They appear to be an open–minded group of men and women who are willing to listen and make adjustments, so long as it is in the best interest of the public and not contrary to their training or orders from their superiors. One of the things that impressed me was the large number of cadets who knew someone who is or was homeless. This made for an honest assessment of what their perceptions are concerning the homeless community.

The response I received at the end of the session led me to believe that the cadets understand that homelessness can easily affect their friends, family or even themselves.

They understand that this situation spares no one regardless of race, gender, social position, economic status or sexual preference. I believe that this crop of cadets will enforce the law and they will perform their duties with a sense of justice, compassion and sensitivity to all members of this community.

Jesse Smith is a longtime homeless advocate..

Your thoughts and editorials are welcome.

Please e–mail content to editor@streetsense.org or mail to 1317 G Street, NW, Washington, DC 20005.

By Francine Triplett

C

ongratulations to Cornelius Rayford Wheeler’s first–year anniversary as pastor at the Vermont Avenue Baptist Church. It was so awesome to be back in church. I went back on September 14, just in time for the pastor’s one-year anniversary. At church that day, we listened to a really awesome guest speaker from Richmond, Virginia. I felt like I was back at home again. God is so good. I can’t take away everything the children say about the pastor, but it is genuine and heart–felt.

The children call him the cool pastor and it is true.

So, once again: Happy anniversary to our cool pastor! Congratulations to Vermont Avenue Baptist Church! When I was out for months, I really missed the church, but now I’m back, and I feel so,

so good. God is truly an awesome God. I want to congratulate my pastor on his one year anniversary. This is from me to you: You are the reason I joined the church. You inspire me so much.

I’m so proud of my church. We have good music and good deacons and deaconesses, and most of all, a good ministry for children. I love the way the adults are so involved with the youth.

Thank you for the hostesses, servers, and set–up committee. Good job. Thank you to the sixth pastor of our church, a church that has lived for 142 years and continues to prosper and make me proud.

Francine Triplett is a longtime vendor and volunteer for Street Sense and she loves to cook and play with children.

What our REaders are Saying...

American Jobs Bill of 2009 Part 2 of 2 – Continued from October 1, 2008 To the Editor, All manufactured goods must meet certain criteria, by answering questions such as: 1) “How can this product be put together to maximize its recycling salvage potential?” 2) “Is this product more than just a cosmetic improvement over an existing product? Explain in detail.” 3) “How will this product be manufactured to maximize its serviceable life, while at the same time minimizing potential environmental damage, health risks and worker injuries and deaths?”; 4) “If a food product, how will it maximize nutrition and minimize calories empty of vitamins and minerals?”; 5) “Explain why Earth’s limited resources should be used to create your product. How is your product uniquely essential to this planet’s ongoing ‘life, liberty and happiness?’” 6) “How

will your product be marketed without resorting to pushing people’s psychological or sociological buttons or to fulfill needs created by advertising? Can your product be sold without promising sex or social fulfillment?”

Many shelves of books will be public information in The Handbooks of Capitalism, to describe in detail manufacturing and sales laws, rules, regulations, policies, procedures, and engineering and other standards required and necessary to produce each and every product on this planet. To produce something in a different way you must show that the appropriate section is obsolete or is scientifically inaccurate, or, that your product, invention or divide is not (yet!) covered by these books. When something “new” is created, invented or discovered, specifications will be written for it.

Raymond Avrutis

Street Sense . October 15 – October 28, 2008

14 STREET SENSE NEWS

From The Director’s Desk

By Laura Thompson Osuri

Vendors’Notes

Silent Auction Success

T

Student Vendors

Jerry W.

Vendor Carlton Johnson recites an original poem for auction guests.

Jerry W.

hanks to everyone that attended Movin’ On Up: Street Sense Silent Auction and Reception on October 2. Despite the financial crisis and vice presidential debate, the event raised $9,000 for Street Sense. It also provided a great environment for vendors and readers to mingle, and everyone reported having a great time.

Not only did guests get to bid on dozens of wonderful items, they also listened to the beautiful violin music from our volunteer Sherry Antoine, and heard poetry readings from Carlton Johnson, Conrad Cheek and Reginald Black. Vendor Randy Evans also sang two unexpected ballads.

Also thanks to the many volunteers who helped put the event together, specifically Jessica LeGarde and Roberta Haber. And a very special thanks to our sponsors, Kathy Whelpley, Michael and Swinitha Osuri and National Geographic Expeditions.

Readers and vendors mingle as violin music plays in the background.

You might be wondering why there were so many young people selling Street Sense on the mornings of October 7 and 8 in the Metro Center area. These students were ninth graders from St. Andrew’s Episcopal School and they were taking part in Street Sense’s Vendor for a Day program. They learned about Street Sense, were then trained as vendors, and finally hit the streets with many of our esteemed vendors to practice selling the papers.

And after selling, the students donated their earnings to their vendor supervisors – with one group bringing in nearly $50 in just an hour. The vendor supervisors included Jeffery McNeill, Martin Walker, Gregory Martin and Charles Nelson. Most of the students said they had fun selling the paper and getting to know the vendors but reported that it was harder than they thought. A couple students commented that many people would look away or cross the street to avoid them – giving a glimpse into the frustration that our vendors face every day.

If you have a student group that is interested in trying their hand at selling Street Sense, please contact Laura Thompson Osuri at 202–347–2006 or laura@streetsense. org.

Former Intern Taking the Lead

Jerry W.

Jerry W.

Nearly 60 items were auctioned off, including handmade pottery, jewelry and framed photographs.

Guests (including vendor Cliff Carle, center) enjoy a tasty buffet spread provided by Fresh Start Catering.

Get Twice as Much Street Sense Each Month Delivered Right to Your Door!

Do you want to continue to support Street Sense throughout the year?

Order a subscription today.

Not only will you receive 26 issues packed with all our latest news, poetry and photography, you will also help raise awareness about poverty in the D.C. area.

We just wanted to congratulate our former intern Daniel Johnson on being selected to run a brand new, state–of–the–art multimedia lab and newsroom at Abilene Christian University. Daniel was our intern during the summer of 2007, and as we did not have an editor during much of the time he was here, Daniel’s skills were critical in the production of Street Sense.

Daniel said that his experience at Street Sense, where he did everything from updating the website to editing stories to making vendor badges, really prepared him for this new position.

Good luck Daniel, and good luck to all our other interns who have graduated and moved on to the working world.

Top Paper Sales: September Congratulations to all the vendors who sold this month. With special events like the Convoy of Hope and Hoops for the Homeless we nearly sold out of our both our September issues and are now printing 13,500 papers each issue. Nice work everyone!

___ YES! I want to subscribe to Street Sense for just $40 a year for 26 issues. ___ YES! I want to give half of the cost of a subscription to my favorite vendor: ____________

Jeffery McNeil........................ 885 Conrad Cheek Jr....................784

Name: __________________________________________________________________________ Address: ________________________________________________________________________ City: _____________________________________ State:_______________ Zip: ______________ Phone: ___________________________________ E-mail: _______________________________ Please make checks payable to Street Sense.

Mail to: Street Sense, 1317 G St. NW, Washington, DC 20005.

Thanks for your support!

Moyo Onibuje........................683 Bobby G. Buggs.....................642 James Davis...........................612 Carlton Johnson....................568 Top vendor Jeffery McNeil

Donald Johnson....................544

FEATURES 15 SERVICE PROVIDERS & VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

Street Sense . October 15 – October 28, 2008

Community Service Index WASHINGTON, D.C. SHELTER Calvary Women’s Services 928 5th Street, NW (202) 783–6651 www.calvaryservices.org Central Union Mission (Men) 1350 R Street, NW (202) 745–7118 www.missiondc.org CCNV (Men and Women) 425 2nd Street, NW (202) 393–1909 users.erols.com/ccnv/ Community of Hope (Family) 1413 Girard Street, NW (202) 232–7356 www.communityofhopedc.org Covenant House Washington (Youth) 2001 Mississippi Ave SE (202) 610–9600 www.covenanthousedc.org Housing, education, job development Gospel Rescue Ministries (Men) 810 5th Street, NW (202) 842–1731 www.grm.org John Young Center (Women) 117 D Street, NW (202) 639–8469 http://www.ccs–dc.org/find/services/ La Casa Bilingual Shelter (Men) 1436 Irving Street, NW (202) 673–3592 N Street Village (Women) 1333 N Street, NW (202) 939–2060 www.nstreetvillage.org 801 East, St. Elizabeths Hospital (Men) 2700 MLK Avenue, SE (202) 561–4014 New York Ave Shelter (Men) 1355–57 New York Avenue, NE (202) 832–2359 Open Door Shelter (Women) 425 Mitch Snyder Place, NW (202) 639–8093

FOOD Charlie’s Place 1830 Connecticut Avenue, NW (202) 232–3066 www.stmargaretsdc.org/charliesplace Church of the Pilgrims 2201 P Street, NW (202) 387–6612 www.churchofthepilgrims.org Dinner Program for Homeless Women AND the “9:30 Club” Breakfast 309 E Street, NW (202) 737–9311 www.dphw.org Father McKenna Center 19 Eye Street, NW (202) 842–1112 Food and Friends 219 Riggs Road, NE (202) 269–2277

www.foodandfriends.org Miriam’s Kitchen 2401 Virginia Avenue, NW (202) 452–8926 www.miriamskitchen.org The Welcome Table Church of the Epiphany 1317 G Street, NW (202) 347–2635 http://www.epiphanydc.org/ministry/ welcometbl.htm

MEDICAL RESOURCES Christ House 1717 Columbia Road, NW (202) 328–1100 www.christhouse.org Unity Health Care, Inc. 3020 14th Street, NW (202) 745–4300 www.unityhealthcare.org Whitman–Walker Clinic 1407 S Street, NW (202) 797–3500; www.wwc.org

OUTREACH CENTERS Bread for the City 1525 Seventh Street, NW (202) 265–2400 AND 1640 Good Hope Road, SE (202) 561–8587 www.breadforthecity.org food pantry, clothing, legal and social services, medical clinic Community Council for the Homeless at Friendship Place 4713 Wisconsin Avenue NW (202) 364–1419; www.cchfp.org housing, medical and psych care, substance abuse and job counseling Bethany Women’s Center 1333 N Street, NW (202) 939–2060 http://www.nstreetvillage.org meals, hygiene, laundry, social activities, substance abuse treatment Green Door (202) 464–9200 1221 Taylor Street NW www.greendoor.org housing, job training, supportive mental health services Friendship House 619 D Street, SE (202) 675–9050 www.friendshiphouse.net counseling, mentoring, education, youth services, clothing Georgetown Ministry Center 1041 Wisconsin Avenue, NW (202) 338–8301 www.georgetownministrycenter.org laundry, counseling, psych care Martha’s Table 2114 14th Street, NW (202) 328–6608 www.marthastable.org dinner, education, recreation, clothing, child and family services Rachel’s Women’s Center 1222 11th Street, NW (202) 682–1005

Shelter Hotline: 1–800–535–7252

http://www.ccdsd.org/howorwc.php hygiene, laundry, lunch, phone and mail, clothing, social activities Sasha Bruce Youthwork 741 8th Street, SE (202) 675–9340 www.sashabruce.org counseling, housing, family services So Others Might Eat (SOME) 71 “O” Street, NW (202) 797–8806; www.some.org lunch, medical and dental, job and housing counseling

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES Academy of Hope GED Center 601 Edgewood St NE 202-269-6623 www.aohdc.org Bright Beginnings Inc. 128 M Street NW, Suite 150 Washington DC 20001 (202) 842–9090 www.brightbeginningsinc.org Child care, family services Catholic Community Services of D.C. 924 G Street, NW (202) 772–4300 www.ccs–dc.org umbrella for a variety of services D.C. Coalition for the Homeless 1234 Massachusetts Avenue, NW (202) 347–8870; www.dccfh.org housing, substance abuse treatment, employment assistance DC Food Finder Interactive online map of free and low cost food resources. www.dcfoodfinder.org Community Family Life Services 305 E Street, NW (202) 347–0511 www.cflsdc.org housing, job and substance abuse counseling, clothes closet Foundry Methodist Church 1500 16th Street, NW (202) 332–4010 www.foundryumc.org ESL, lunch, clothing, IDs Hermano Pedro Day Center 3211 Sacred Heart Way, NW (202) 332–2874 http://www.ccs–dc.org/find/services/ meals, hygiene, laundry, clothing JHP, Inc. 1526 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE (202) 544–9126 www.jobshavepriority.org training and employment Jubilee Jobs 1640 Columbia Road, NW (202) 667–8970 www.jubileejobs.org job preparation and placement National Coalition for the Homeless 2201 P Street, NW (202) 462–4822 www.nationalhomeless.org activists, speakers bureau available

National Student Partnerships (NSP) 128 M Street NW, Suite 320 (202) 289–2525 washingtondc@nspnet.org Job resource and referral agency Samaritan Ministry 1345 U Street, SE , AND 1516 Hamilton Street, NW (202)889–7702 www.samaritanministry.org HIV support, employment, drug/alcohol addiction, healthcare St. Luke’s Episcopal Church 1514 15th Street, NW (202) 667–4394 http://stlukesdc.edow.org food, counseling St. Matthew’s Cathedral 1725 Rhode Island Avenue, NW (202) 347–3215 ext. 552 breakfast, clothing, hygiene Travelers Aid, Union Station 50 Mass. Avenue, NE (202) 371–1937 www.travelersaid.org/ta/dc.html national emergency travel assistance Wash. Legal Clinic for the Homeless 1200 U Street, NW (202) 328–5500 www.legalclinic.org

MARYLAND SHELTER Comm. Ministry of Montgomery Co. 114 W. Montgomery Avenue, Rockville (301) 762–8682 www.communityministrymc.org The Samaritan Group P.O. Box 934, Chestertown (443) 480–3564 Warm Night Shelter 311 68th Place, Seat Pleasant (301) 499–2319 www.cmpgc.org

FOOD Bethesda Cares 7728 Woodmont Church, Bethesda (301) 907–9244 www.bethesdacares.com Community Place Café 311 68th Place, Seat Pleasant (301) 499–2319 www.cmpgc.org Manna Food Center 614–618 Lofstrand Lane, Rockville (301) 424–1130 www.mannafood.org

MEDICAL RESOURCES Community Clinic, Inc. 8210 Colonial Lane, Silver Spring (301) 585–1250 www.cciweb.org Mobile Medical Care, Inc. 9309 Old Georgetown Road, Bethesda (301) 493–8553 www.mobilemedicalcare.org

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Catholic Charities, Maryland 12247 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring (301) 942–1790 www.catholiccharitiesdc.org shelter, substance abuse treatment, variety of other services Mission of Love 6180 Old Central Avenue Capitol Heights (301)333–4440 www.molinc.org life skills classes, clothing, housewares Montgomery County Coalition for the Homeless 600–B East Gude Drive, Rockville (301) 217–0314; www.mcch.net emergency shelter, transitional housing, and supportiveservices

VIRGINIA SHELTER Alexandria Community Shelter 2355 B Mill Road, Alexandria (703) 838–4239 Carpenter’s Shelter 930 N. Henry Street, Alexandria (703) 548–7500 www.carpentersshelter.org Arlington–Alexandria Coalition for the Homeless 3103 Ninth Road North, Arlington (703) 525–7177 www.aachhomeless.org

FOOD Alive, Inc. 2723 King Street, Alexandria (703) 836–2723; www.alive–inc.org Our Daily Bread 10777 Main Street, Ste. 320, Fairfax (703) 273–8829 www.our–daily–bread.org

MEDICAL RESOURCES Arlington Free Clinic 3833 N Fairfax Drive, #400, Arlington (703) 979–1400 www.arlingtonfreeclinic.org

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES Abundant Life Christian Outreach, 5154 Eisenhower Avenue, Alexandria (703) 823–4100 www.anchor–of–hope.net food, clothing, youth development, and medicines David’s Place Day Shelter 930 North Henry Street, Alexandria (703) 548–7500 www.carpentersshelter.org laundry, shower, workshops, hypothermia shelter Legal Services of Northern Virginia 6066 Leesburg Pike, Ste. 500 (703) 778–6800; www.lsnv.org civil legal services Samaritan Ministry 2924 Columbia Pike, Arlington (703) 271–0938 www.samaritanministry.com social, job and HIV/AIDS services

Street Sense . October 15 – October 28, 2008

PHOTO FINISH

VENDOR PROFILE

By Carol Cummings

Silent Auction, Raucous Debate

Kenneth John Belkosky

Vendor Kenneth John Belkosky was born in Washington, DC on January 17, 1966 at Washington Hospital Center at 4:22PM to Margery Ann Carr, 36 and Michael Belkosky, 63. In 1969, Ken left DC with his father and brother; they moved around a lot and eventually ended up in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. Ken lived there for thirty some odd years. He also spent some time in New York, Hawaii, and Michigan. In 1990, Ken went to visit his father in his nursing home and discovered that he had passed away.

Since moving back to DC Ken went through some difficulties, made some new friends, and then started volunteering with the Pay It Forward Project. Ken, an avid listener of police scanners, will have a scanner column coming out soon called “Scanner Freak.” “It is a way of knowing what is going on before the news,” Ken said.

By

Where do you see yourself in five year?

In my own apartment, still working for Street Sense as a vendor and reporter.

Jerry W.

Street Sense held its annual silent auction on Thursday Oct. 2, and while it was successful, it was unfortunately scheduled the same night of the vice presidential debate. (Who knew four months ago it would be such a must-watch event!) However, we did manage to get a television and thanks to some handy work with a hanger, guests were able to catch a glimpse of the debate between bids.

StreetFact

What is your favorite movie?

National Lampoon’s Animal House and the original Superman movie with Christopher Reeve and Margot Kidder.

What is your favorite band?

KISS and ACDC because that type of music helps me sleep at night.

What is your favorite book?

All Nancy Drew mystery books and Hardy Boys books.

What is your favorite food?

Barbeque spare ribs with corn on the cob, macaroni salad, and corn bread.

DC’s winter plan includes 1715 beds for men, 655 beds for women and115 living areas for families. (See page 3)

Ken reminds customers to only buy from badged vendors and not to give to those panhandling with one paper.

Source: DC INTERagency council on Homelessness Winer PlAn 2008-09

October 15 – October 28, 2008 • Volume 5 • Issue 25

Street Sense 1317 G Street, NW Washington, DC 20005

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