10 17 2018

VOL. 15 ISSUE 25

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OCT. 17 - 30, 2018

Real Stories

Archdiocese of Washington under fire In August, an exhaustive grand jury investigation revealed the details of “predator priests� in Pennsylvania and more than 1,000 victims affected.

Some clergy had been supervised or allowed to transfer elsewhere by Archbishop of Washington Donald Wuerl when he served as the bishop of Pittsburgh.

Wuerl, who has a reputation as a reformer and has fought for the removal of priests accused of sexual abuse, resigned this month. PAGE 4

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EVENTS

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NEWS IN BRIEF Athlete benched for being homeless is cleared to play

SYMPOSIUM - A Right to the City: The Past and Future of Urban Equity Friday, Oct. 26, 9:00 am to 6:30 pm // Smithsonian’s Anacostia Community Museum // 1901 Fort Place, SE FREE, but space is limited. RSVP at tinyurl.com/DC-Right2City For the first time in human history, more than half of the world’s population lives in cities. This unprecedented rate of urbanization has presented tremendous challenges for communities trying to achieve sustainable and equitable growth. In conjunction with the Smithsonian Anacostia Community Museum’s 50th anniversary exhibition, “A Right to the City,” this symposium convenes scholars, organizers/activists, nonprofit leaders, and others for timely conversations about how the American city has been shaped by more than a half-century of unequal and unjust growth, but also how communities are mobilizing to work toward a more equitable future.

SATURDAY, OCT. 27

UPDATES ONLINE AT ICH.DC.GOV

Harvest With The Homeless 10 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Franklin Square // 1300 I St., NW Every fourth Saturday we provide a hot meal, resources and prayer to the displaced citizens (homeless) of Washington, DC. Volunteers and donations appreciated.

D.C. Interagency Council on Homelessness Meetings Strategic Planning Committee Oct. 23, 2:30 p.m. // 441 4th St., NW Emergency Response and Shelter Operations Committee Oct. 24, 1 p.m. // location TBD (likely 441 4th St., NW) Youth Committee Oct. 25, 10 a.m. // 441 4th St., NW *For more information on issue-focused ICH working groups, contact ich.info@dc.gov

SATURDAY, NOV. 10

Art Enables: Perspectives from the Sidewalk 1 p.m. - 4p.m.

Art Enables Off Rhode Gallery 2204 Rhode Island Ave., NE A gallery opening coupled with the “Mixed Media Madness” workshop, hosted by instructor Delé Akerejah of the Dopamine Clinic, a D.C.-based Art & Design Studio. Delé will guide participants through a whirlwind of expressionistic creations utilizing objet trouvé, popular culture, paint, collage, and canvas.

Submit your event for publication by e-mailing editor@streetsensemedia.org

AUDIENCE EXCHANGE Jacque Groskaufmanis @JacqueGroskauf

Vonetta Young @VonettaWrites

So much love for this organization, happy 15th [anniversary], @streetsensedc! :’)

Here’s the photo I got at the @streetsensedc fete! Made me think of all the gentrification in D.C. My city has changed so much and it breaks my heart. (Photo by Gwynette Smith)

2:11 PM - 27 SEP 2018

7:42 PM - 25 SEP 2018

Jamal Speaks is a stellar high school football player. He does well in school and has committed to play for Temple University after graduation.

He is also homeless, a fact that a D.C. Public Schools principal and the District of Columbia Interscholastic Athletic Association held against him.

On Sept. 15, Speaks suited up for Ballou’s game against Anacostia — a game that would be watched by talent scouts from Temple University. But before he could step on the field, Principal Willie Jackson told him he was ineligible due to his residency.

Speaks’ had been deemed ineligible to play the previous two years because his mother is a resident of Maryland. However, according to a Washington Post report, Speaks filed the proper paperwork last spring to declare he was homeless and sleeping on friends’ couches, allowing him to attend Ballou STAY Opportunity Academy as a D.C. resident.

The D.C. Interscholastic Athletic Association still ruled him ineligible to play, even after he proved his homeless resident status. He appealed the decision with the D.C. State Athletic Association, which cleared him to play on Aug. 29.

When he was benched on Sept. 15, Speaks’s teammates refused to play for nearly an hour, according to CBS News.

Amid scrutiny from the media, a D.C. councilmember and the public, he was allowed back for the next game against Roosevelt. NBC News4 reported DCPS cleared him to practice and play with the team while they work with the Interscholastic Athletic Association to resolve the matter.

A local nonprofit offered Speaks housing.

“After hearing that Jamal was experiencing homelessness and at risk of losing the ability to pursue his dream of attending college and playing football, I knew that CHGW had to help,” said Covenant House Greater Washington CEO Madye Henson in a statement to NBC News4. Speaks stayed at CHGW for a weekend and continues to work with a case manager.

A GoFundMe Speaks set up for himself has raised almost $32,000 as of Oct. 15. On the page, Speaks wrote that he appreciates all the love and support. “I will not let you all down,” he wrote.

—zachary.headings@streetsensemedia.org

2nd DC General replacement shelter complete Mayor Muriel Bowser held an Oct. 9 ribbon-cutting for The Horizon, the second of six “short-term family housing” facilities created to replace the dilapidated D.C. General family shelter, a converted hospital. The Horizon is located in Ward 7 and includes 35 apartment-style units with shared bathrooms on each floor.

The ceremony came two weeks after a similar event to highlight the completion of The Kennedy, a 45-unit facility in Ward 4. “With these new short-term family housing programs, we are providing a chance for our families to rebuild their circumstance as they continue to contribute to our greater D.C. community,” Bowser said in a press release.

Families will be moved to both facilities in the coming weeks and the third replacement facility is expected to be completed in Ward 8 next month. The other three are planned to open this time next year.

Meanwhile, demolition of a building next to the inhabited portion of D.C. General continues, despite criticism from advocates and councilmembers. Bowser reiterated her promise that the shelter will close this year.

On the day of the Ward 7 ribbon cutting, 34 families remained at D.C. General, according to the press release.

—zachary.headings@streetsensemedia.org

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NEWS

D.C. archbishop resigns amid more abuse allegations against Catholic Church

BY ADAM SENNOTT // Street Roots — Portland, OR

P

“It all started when a single mother living in Boston’s housing projects came to him worried about changes in the behavior of her three children.

ope Francis accepted the resignation of the Cardinal Donald Wuerl on Oct. 12 after he was named during the recent Pennsylvania grand jury investigation into Catholic leaders covering up systemic clerical abuse.

According to a New York Times report, Wuerl, now the archbishop of Washington, poorly handled several reports of abuse by clergy members while he was bishop of Pittsburgh.

Wuerl had previously acted as a leader in the church’s fight against clerical abuse. Many victims and advocates were surprised when the pope cited Wuerl’s “nobility” in the letter accepting his resignation, saying the papacy is not going far enough to remove Wuerl from power.

While he will no longer carry the title of archbishop of Washington, Francis asked Wuerl to carry on as an “Apostolic Administrator of the Archdiocese” until his successor is chosen.

Pat Fox, president of Voice of the Faithful, a victim advocacy group, told the New York Times, “They’re removing him from this situation where people feel betrayed, but he’s still got all the power pretty much that he ever had.”

When the Pennsylvania grand jury released its findings on child sex abuse in the Catholic Church, the conclusions – and the numbers – were staggering: more than 1,000 identified children abused at the hands of more than 300 “predator priests,” occurring over decades under a systemic cover-up by the church.

The report, released 15 August, suggests that the real number of victims is much higher, with some records lost to time and many people unwilling to come forward.

While the report is unprecedented in its scope, attorney Mitchell Garabedian believes it’s just the tip of the iceberg.

“There’s many more victims in Pennsylvania, and many more abusing priests and many more supervisors who allowed the sexual abuse to occur,” Garabedian said.

“It’s been my experience over the decades that the first wave of victims usually empowers the second wave of victims, which continues for years.”

Garabedian has represented thousands of victims who were sexually abused by priests in the Catholic Church over the past 20 years. In 2002, he helped reporters in the Boston Globe’s Spotlight team shed light on decades of abuse in the Boston archdiocese. The Globe won a Pulitzer Prize for its reporting, which led to thousands more sexual abuse allegations against clergy members from around the world. Garabedian said he’s been contacted by victims as far away as Haiti, Germany and England.

The investigation was depicted in the Academy Awardwinning film “Spotlight.”

When he began working with victims who had been abused in 1994, not many people believed Garabedian. It

Mitchell Garabedian after he negotiated a settlement in 2002 with the Archdiocese of Boston on behalf of 86 people who claim they were sexually abused. REUTERS/BRIAN SNYDER

all started when a single mother living in Boston’s housing projects came to him worried about changes in the behavior of her three children, according to Garabedian.

“One was washing his hands every day until they bled,” Garabedian said. “Another one was taking twohour showers, and another was being violent towards his brothers, which was not characteristic of any of them.”

Garabedian started investigating the children’s odd behavior and discovered a common thread: Father John J. Geoghan had been putting them to bed every night. Other mothers in the housing project started sharing similar stories and Garabedian soon uncovered 86 children who had been abused by the priest.

Geoghan specifically targeted children from poor families, the Globe reported. The number of victims who said they were abused by him eventually climbed to about 150, according to the Globe. He was ultimately sentenced to nine to 10 years in prison for fondling a 10-year-old boy at a swimming pool and was murdered in his prison cell in 2003.

In 2002, the Globe’s Spotlight investigation uncovered 70 pedophile priests and exposed how the Catholic Church protected them and covered up their crimes through secret settlements and confidentiality agreements.

Despite the church’s efforts, the floodgates had opened.

In 2004, a report filed by the John Jay College of Criminal Justice of the City University of New York for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops revealed more than 10,000 allegations of sexual abuse made against thousands of priests in the United States between 1950 and 2002.

Another 4,000 allegations have been made against priests in Australia and more than 300 in Canada, Germany, Ireland and Belgium, according to the John Jay College report. The Catholic Church has acknowledged 3,400 credible accusations received between 2004 and 2014.

In 2005, after having paid $50 million to more than 100 victims of sexual abuse, the Archdiocese of Portland became the first in the nation to declare bankruptcy as a result of the abuse cases, according to the Catholic News Service. Others were soon to follow, including those in Tucson, Arizona; Spokane, Washington; and Fairbanks, Alaska. In May, the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis agreed to pay $210 million to 450 victims of clergy sexual abuse as part of its bankruptcy settlement.

The church’s victims come from diverse backgrounds and eras. Of the thousands of victims who contacted Garabedian, the oldest was 86 and said he had been abused in 1937.

“Everyone in his life had died, so he felt as though he could talk about this without hurting those individuals,” Garabedian said.

Victims often go through a range of emotions as they begin to share their experiences. Not everyone has been able to overcome the tragedy they’ve endured, Garabedian said; many have committed suicide. Just being able to talk about the abuse they endured can be a relief to some of the victims.

“It’s taking a great weight off their shoulders so that they can realize that the sexual abuse was not their fault, and they shouldn’t feel guilty, ashamed or embarrassed.”

In 2012, Garabedian represented victims in Ohio who he said had been molested by Brother Stephen Baker, a Franciscan friar accused of sexually abusing dozens of teens in at least three states, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The settlements in that case resulted in Pennsylvania victims coming forward.

“I’m told that that sparked the [grand jury] investigation in Pennsylvania,” Garabedian said.

The grand jury investigated every diocese in the state except Philadelphia and Altoona-Johnstown, which had been subject to previous grand jury investigations. Despite the extensive nature of the investigation, the grand jury concluded that its report was still not a complete picture of the abuse that occurred in Pennsylvania.

“We believe that the real number – of children whose records were lost, or who were afraid ever to come forward – is in the thousands,” the report said.

About a dozen victims who were not included in the report have already reached out to Garabedian. He will be representing them with local counsel in Pennsylvania.

After the grand jury report was released in August, D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine told Washington City Paper his phone was “burning up” with calls for a local investigation. When Wuerl’s resignation was announced on Oct. 12, Racine’s office began circulating the number for the District’s report hotline for child abuse, 202-671-SAFE. “We want to remind all residents that they have a [legal] responsibility to report suspected child sexual abuse to the authorities—and that failure to report could result in a fine,” Public Affairs Specialist Marissa Geller wrote in an e-mail.

On Oct. 15, the Archdiocese of Washington voluntarily published a report detailing 31 former clergy members accused of clerical abuse against minors. The review, an investigation of the last 70 years, was ordered by Wuerl in 2017. “This list is a painful reminder of the grave sins committed by clergy, the pain inflicted on innocent young people, and the harm done to the church’s faithful, for which we continue to seek forgiveness,” Wuerl said in a statement.

The Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests criticized the list for being incomplete and called on the attorneys general for D.C., Maryland and Virginia to launch an independent investigation.

“For example, it omits the name of Fr. William Wert, a priest who was first charged in 1997 for assaulting a 14-year-old boy and today is serving life in prison,” the group said in a statement. “The list also leaves off Fr. Garrett Orr, another priest who was convicted of sexual abuse and made to register as a sex offender in 2011.

Similarly, Fr. Matthew Miles himself admitted in a March 2008 deposition that he had molested boys while working in Washington D.C. Given such easily found omissions, the integrity of the entire list is called into question.”

People were skeptical when Garabedian started working with victims in 1994, but that is no longer the case. He is grateful to the victims who have come forward, without which he said the “healing and protection of children could not take place.”

“The tide has turned,” Garabedian said.

Article courtesy of Street Roots, the Portland street newspaper, via the International Network of Street Papers news service (INSP.ngo). Zachary Headings contributed additional reporting.

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ILLUSTRATION BY DWIGHT HARRIS ARTIST/VENDOR

Landlords and advocates for the homeless community push back on eviction legislation

BY SAMANTHA CARUSO samantha.caruso@streetsensemedia.org

Three eviction bills, some benefitting landlords and some benefitting tenants, were debated by landlords, tenants and advocates at a Sept. 24 D.C. Council hearing.

Councilmember Anita Bonds, head of the Committee on Housing and Neighborhood Revitalization, called the hearing to address the Housing Conversion and Eviction Clarification Amendment Act of 2018, the Eviction with Dignity Act of 2018 and the Eviction Prevention Act of 2017.

“This is just another example of bills that only benefit the tenants and don’t help the landlords,” said Lois Johnson, who has been a landlord in D.C. for 11 years.

Like Johnson, many landlords worry about the financial implications of implementing the Eviction with Dignity Act, which was first implemented as emergency legislation in July and requires landlords to store an evicted tenant’s belongings in the residence for seven business days.

“This bill is allowing additional expenses [for landlords] by requiring the hiring of individuals or companies to remove the personal property, cost of rent trucks and cost of disposing personal items,” Johnson said. “This bill is causing additional expenses for landlords to hire additional security to watch the unit until the 10 days is up because the unit could be broken into by the tenant or others.”

Johnson also worried a disaffected tenant could falsely claim their items were damaged or stolen during the 10-day

period and try to sue her.

“As a landlord of the District of Columbia, I don’t want to be responsible for the personal property of the tenant and I shouldn’t have to be responsible for the personal property of the tenant,” Johnson said in her testimony.

Reginald Black, a homeless Washingtonian, also criticized the Eviction with Dignity Act. “The bill needs some work. It has to include focused employment for those who have actually been paid to evict someone, like the day laborers once were,” he said.

As Street Sense Media and Washington City Paper previously reported, several eviction companies in D.C. have relied on homeless people as day laborers and paid them far below minimum wage since at least 1999. According to a Street Sense Media vendor who has worked for these companies and helped with the most recent investigation, those practices ended when the Eviction With Dignity emergency bill was implemented and belongings were no longer disposed of the day a U.S. Marshal served the tenant with a writ of eviction.

Black suggested D.C. Council use the opportunity to create partnerships with city agencies, such as the Department of Employment Services, to employ these workers for the various services now needed to comply with the legislation. These include transporting belongings to a storage center, assisting with unit identification, providing preventative care to those at risk of eviction — i.e., security workers as described by Johnson.

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Howard Park, who has lived on South Carolina St. SE for the past 29 years said he fears the Housing Conversion and Eviction Clarification Amendment Act will leave him unjustly evicted from his home. Park lives in a unit that is designated as affordable housing and said the bill creates an “easy eviction loophole.”

“I have never, ever been late with my rent,” Park testified.

“But, under current law, I can be evicted with only 90 days’ notice because my landlord wants to convert my four-unit building into a family home for his personal use.”

He claimed the bill is “typical of D.C.,” which builds affordable housing well, but does “a terrible job of conserving it.”

Amber Harding, an attorney at the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless, said eviction move-outs still lack the dignity promised for tenants.

“D.C. is losing more affordable housing each year than it produces. D.C. underfunds eviction prevention funds every year and we don’t provide enough free tenant lawyers to represent everyone in court,’ she said. “Since D.C. hasn’t done enough to stop evictions, you must, at the very least, do what you can to reduce the pain of eviction.”

Harding said she looks forward to working with Bonds and the Committee on Housing and Neighborhood Revitalization to amend the existing bills in ways that better protect the evicted.

She estimated D.C. saw approximately 2,000 evictions carried out in 2017.

Unsheltered people face higher mortality rates than sheltered homeless community

BY KATIE BEMB // katie.bemb@streetsensemedia.org

Unsheltered homeless adults in Boston, Massachusetts, have a death rate nearly three times higher than the sheltered homeless population, and about 10 times higher than the overall population, a 10-year study found.

The study, published in the medical journal JAMA Internal Medicine in July, followed a cohort of 445 unsheltered homeless adults from 2000 to 2009. These adults were primary care patients of the Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program’s Street Team.

“Their numbers definitely ring true nationally, with all the anecdotal and minimal research we’ve done,” said Megan Hustings, director of the National Coalition for the Homeless. The coalition coordinates a national memorial day for people who are known to have died while homeless each December.

Hustings said Boston Health Care for the Homeless provides excellent direct service to the unsheltered homeless population and is therefore well-positioned for such a robust study.

Of the 445 adults who participated in the Boston study, 134 died during this period.

The most common causes of death seen during the study were heart-related illnesses and cancer. Dr. Catherine Crosland of Unity

Health Care said that this is also true for the unsheltered population in the D.C. area.

“In general, the people that we see have the same diseases that we see in the general populations,” Crosland said. “But we see them being more severe and at younger ages. People are dying of heart-related illnesses two to three times more frequently than their housed peers.”

Unity Health Care was founded in 1985 and now has 30 community health centers in D.C., some of them specifically for people experiencing homelessness.

“We’ve always believed in meeting patients where they are and lowering the barrier to health care as much as possible,” Crosland said. “On any given day, a patient of mine may have 10 or more needs that supersede their physical health: ‘Where am I going to shower?’ ‘What am I going to eat?’ ‘Where am I going to sleep?’”

Thirteen thousand unsheltered individuals pass away each year, according to data from the National Coalition for the Homeless.

What many people don’t realize, according to Hustings, is there are always restrictions at shelters, including a limited number of beds.

Families with children are given preference and single men are often turned away from shelters because there is not enough room.

Data and graph from the 2017 Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress.

Residents of D.C. and Boston are less representative of this national trend because the District and the state of Massachusetts are two of only three U.S. jurisdictions where there is a “right to shelter,” meaning it is unlawful to turn away someone in need. However, in Massachusetts this protection only extends to families with children.

While D.C.’s law provides for anyone experiencing homelessness, it only comes into effect when the city issues a hypothermia alert in anticipation of below-freezing temperatures.

D.C. Department of Human Services Director Laura Zeilinger instituted year-round access to shelter for families with children soon after she was hired in 2015.

Fewer beds have been available nationally in recent years as shelters have closed due to the federal government investing more resources in permanent housing programs, according to Hustings. While these programs are also of great value, she adds, shelters

have been neglected in funding. These “Housing First” initiatives are generally targeted toward a narrow group of people who are experiencing homelessness, such as people with severe health issues and veterans, according to Hustings.

The number of homeless encampments reported by media has increased by 1,342 percent over the last 10 years, according to a report from the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty. The most recent federal report on homelessness found that on a single night in 2017, 553,742 people were experiencing homelessness—35 percent were unsheltered.

“The majority of funding for homeless services comes from the federal government,” Hustings said. “I think this is a point of contention politically, that some people believe social services can be funded through the generosity of community members, but we haven’t seen the money or the will from the private sector to fulfill these needs.”

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NEWS More shelter beds for homeless youth in 2019 Winter Plan

BY ZACHARY HEADINGS zachary.headings@streetsensemedia.org

As winter approaches, it becomes more dangerous for people experiencing homelessness to remain unsheltered. In preparation, the D.C. ICON COURTESY OF Interagency Council on RAPHAELSILVA / PIXABAY Homelessness compiles a winter plan for each fiscal year, covering shelter capacity, transportation, and services.

This year’s winter plan was approved on Sept. 11 by the D.C. ICH and will go into effect on Nov. 1. Most expanded services become available when a hypothermia alert is issued, based on forecasted temperatures at or below freezing, or near freezing with a high chance of precipitation. Hypothermia season technically lasts through March 31, though an alert and the legal right to shelter that accompanies it are called regardless of the date, whenever the temperature and/or precipitation criteria are met.

There were no sweeping changes from FY2018 to FY2019, but there were a few small additions that were specific to youth and youth shelters. There will be 25 shelter beds available for youth under the age of 18 — ten more beds than last year.

A new plan to provide transportation specifically for youth was approved and added to the winter plan. Youth between ages 12 and 17 should call the Safe Place Hotline, operated by Sasha Bruce Youthwork at 202547-7777 and “transition age youth” ages 18-24, should call the standard D.C. Shelter Hotline at 202-399-7093.

These increased resources were based on the city’s strategic plans to end homelessness and specifically to end youth homelessness.

Based on annual homeless census data, these plans estimate 10 more beds are still needed to accommodate homeless minors and 30 more beds are needed for transition age youth.

“It is a data driven decision,” said Kimberly Waller, youth policy advisor for ICH. “In an ideal world, [we] would be able to say, ‘this is, in totality, the resources that we need.’ But in reality, it takes time to scale these things up.”

Those with concerns about the winter plan can file a complaint with District authorities by emailing OPRMI@dc.gov or calling the complaint hotline at 202-673-4464. There is a D.C. Council oversight roundtable at the Wilson Building on Oct. 23 at 12 p.m. Anyone wishing to testify or suggest improvements should email humanservices@dccouncil.us and provide their name, telephone number, organizational affiliation, and title by the close of business Friday, Oct. 19.

See the plan at tinyurl.com/fy2019-winter-plan.

A Luau at BYU celebrating Polynesian culture. This group represented Hawaii and hula dancing. PHOTO COURTESY OF AARON HAWKINS / FLICKR

How the loss of Native American languages affects our understanding of the natural world

BY ROSALYN R. LAPIER www.theconversation.com/us

A

laska has a “linguistic emergency,” according to the Alaskan Governor Bill Walker.

A report warned earlier this year that all of the state’s 20 Native American languages might cease to exist by the end of this century, if the state does not act.

American policies, particularly in the six decades between the 1870s and 1930s, suppressed Native American languages and culture. It was only after years of activism by indigenous leaders that the Native American Languages Act was passed in 1990, which allowed for the preservation and protection of indigenous languages.

Nonetheless, many Native American languages have been on the verge of extinction for the past many years.

Languages carry deep cultural knowledge and insights. So, what does the loss of these languages mean in terms of our understanding of the world?

Environmental knowledge Embedded in indigenous languages, in particular, is knowledge about ecosystems, conservation methods, plant life, animal behaviour and many other aspects of the natural world.

In Hawaiian traditions and belief systems, for example, the tree snails were connected to “the realm of the gods.”

Hawaiian royalty revered them, which protected them from overharvesting.

The Bishop Museum in Honolulu holds a shell necklace, or lei, of Queen Lili‘uokalani,

the last monarch of the Kingdom of Hawaii.

It is made from tree snail shells, which signifies the high rank of female royalty.

Wearing a shell was believed to provide “mana,” or spiritual power and a way to understand ancestral knowledge.

Many of these snails are now extinct and those remaining are threatened with extinction. Scientists are working with Hawaiian language experts to learn about the belief systems that once helped protect them and their habitats.

A tool for doctors Words in indigenous languages can have cultural meanings that can be lost during translation. Understanding the subtle differences can often shift one’s perspective about how indigenous people thought about the natural world.

For example, as an indigenous scholar of the environment, I led a team some years ago of language experts, elders and scholars from Montana and Alberta, Canada, to create a list of Blackfeet words, called a lexicon, of museum objects. The elders I worked with noted that the English word “herb,” which was used to describe most plant specimens within museums, did not have the same meaning in Blackfeet.

In English, the word “herb” can have numerous meanings, including a seasoning for food. The closest word to herb in Blackfeet is “aapíínima’tsis.” The elders explained this word means “a tool that doctors use.”

The hope is that the lexicon and audio fi les recorded in the Blackfeet language that our research helped create, might assist future scholars access the embedded meanings in languages.

Saving vanishing languages Many Native American communities in the United States are now working to save these cultural insights and revitalize their languages.

In Wisconsin, an Ojibwe language school called “Waadookodaading,” translated literally as “a place where people help each other,” immerses its students in the environmental knowledge embedded in the language.

The Ojibwe believe that theirs is a language of action. And the best way for children to learn is by doing and observing the natural world. Each spring, for example, the students go into the woods to gather maple sap from trees, which is processed into maple syrup and sugar. These students learn about indigenous knowledge of plants, their habitats and uses.

Language loss can be considered as extreme as the extinction of a plant or an animal. Once a language is gone, the traditional knowledge it carries also gets erased from society.

Efforts are now underway worldwide to remind people of this reality. The United Nations has designated 2019 as the “International Year of Indigenous Languages” in order to raise awareness of indigenous languages as holders of “complex systems of knowledge” and encourage nation states to work toward their revitalization.

The loss of indigenous languages is not Alaska’s concern alone. It affects all of us.

Rosalyn R. LaPier is Associate Professor of Environmental Studies at The University of Montana. Courtesy of The Conversation, via the International Network of Street Papers news service (INSP.ngo).

STREETSENSEMEDIA.ORG

// 7

CELEBRATING SUCCESS

Street Sense Media celebrates 15 years of impact

BY GREGORY ADAMS gregory@streetsensemedia.org

T

Photography by our vendor-artists on display at the Big Chief. Most of these pieces were purchased by attendees. PHOTO BY BARRY HOBBS // ARTIST/VENDOR

alk to almost anyone who attended Street Sense Media’s 15th anniversary celebration, Art Brings Us Home, and you’ll get the sense that it was much more than a great evening.

“Artistic expression and the practice of it is like therapy,” said vendor-artist Angie Whitehurst, who began participating in the organization’s theater and writing groups six years ago. “It helps alleviate stress, it helps you to breathe, to go to the next step, to be able to be visionary, to develop new dreams and make those dreams reality.

The celebration highlighted the vendors and volunteers and the work they do in a nice, gracious, fun way, according to Whitehurst.

Fun there was. Held this year at Big Chief in the Ivy City neighborhood, the evening featured live music and dancing, an open bar and hors d’oeuvres, a giveaway of prizes and artwork, and a silent auction that included two VIP tickets to a live taping of “Dancing with the Stars” in Los Angeles.

Whitehurst’s words are echoed in those of Ann Herzog, a longtime customer and volunteer. “I had a lot of fun. The people who came with me had a lot of fun.”

Her friends, Herzog says, didn’t really know much about Street Sense Media other than what she told them. They were “just blown away by this wonderful, strong, community of people, staff, and vendors. I think the staff did a great job, and what a great job the vendors did, showing up and giving their stories.”

Those stories, told through poetry, song, photography, illustration, interactive art, theater and film, were an integral part of the evening.

“With this particular celebration,” Herzog said, “you really understood the work Street Sense Media does and the intersection between homelessness and the community and creativity.”

Whitehurst was delighted by the performance of an artist and vendor she calls by his stage name, Pookanu. “I love his work,” she said.

Vendor-artist Reginald Black next to his expressive self-portrait on display at the Big Chief. PHOTO BY BARRY HOBBS // ARTIST/VENDOR

Pookanu, a.k.a. Ron Dudley, has been doing hip-hop all his life, performing at many of the now-defunct clubs along U Street.

“Since I’ve been with Street Sense Media, I chopped it down to poetry,” Pookanu said. “I was doing music before I was doing the paper. Now I can put my work in the paper. This anniversary was my fourth event. I performed something I had in the paper called ‘Color Blind.’”

Dudley credits Street Sense Media “all day, every day,” with helping remove him from “street life.”

“This is the best job I’ve ever had,” he said. “[Selling the paper] taught me more people skills. It taught me to be dedicated.

It’s the fact that it’s your own business. You treat people with respect, and you have something to offer.”

Both Herzog and Whitehurst said two of the highlights of the evening were the Denny brothers, vendor-artists David and Reginald. “David Denny and Reggie Denny are extraordinary people,” Herzog said. “[Reginald] has a beautiful voice. He sang a beautiful song,” Whitehurst added. “[David], when you hear him recite his poetry, he does it with such passion. It touches everyone who ever hears him. It’s so sincere.”

David was also the subject of a documentary film shown at the event, which chronicles his journey from homelessness to housing with the help of Street Sense Media.

“The video really communicated to the audience the real mission work that Street Sense Media does,” Herzog said. “To have the customers and donors there and really see the vendors and see what extraordinary people they are — and then to see the video on David’s story — was just inspirational.”

Of his rendition of “The Impossible Dream” by Luther Vandross, Reginald said “That was a ministry for me … I’m not poetic. I can sing and that’s what I was there to do.”

Reginald’s brother drew him to Street Sense Media. “I said, ‘Damn. He makes a lot of money just to sell some daggone papers and running his mouth, and I can do that – well,” he laughed.

Other vendors told Reginald about the organization’s artistic workshops and he thought it would be a chance for him to display some of his talents, most of which he had tried to keep hidden from his old community.

“I joined the liturgical dancers, even though I was the only heterosexual at the time, but I didn’t care because I was uninhibited by what people said.”

For Reginald, this organization has been more than a newspaper.

“Street Sense Media, for me, is a platform. Our mission is to raise awareness of the homelessness and poverty of our neighbors in the community, but it’s more than that.

“Street Sense Media is a platform for those who have been pulling back and not being able to speak out about whatever you have dealt with, whatever you are dealing with, whatever you aspire to do with your life.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF WENDELL WILLIAMS

“At the Del Ray Farmers Market with the March for Our Lives speaker on gun violence towards African-American women, Naomi Wadler.”

Wendell Williams // Artist/Vendor

BIRTHDAYS Chad Jackson Sept. 26 ARTIST/VENDOR

ACCOMPLISHMENTS Ivory Wilson ARTIST/VENDOR

Collaborated with AARP to record a newly-edited audiobook version of his 2005 memoir “A Player’s World: So you want to be a pimp?”

Our stories, straight to your inbox Street Sense Media provides a vehicle through which all of us can learn about homelessness from those who have experienced it. Sign up for our newsletter to get our vendors' stories in your inbox.

www.StreetSenseMedia.org/newsletter

8 // ST REET SENSE ME DI A / / O CT. 1 7 - 3 0 , 2 0 18

Are you a veteran who is literally homeless or “at-risk” of

being homeless?

Supportive Services for Vet V eran Families (SSVF) may be able to assist you.

PRIMARY RY ELIGIBILITY RY Y CRITERIA A member er of a “veteran family”: Eitherr a veteran or a family member in which the veteran is the head of household.

“Very Very low income”: Household income does not exceed 50% of area median income.

V Must not have a discharge status of dishonorable or been dismissed by General Court r Martial. rt SERVIC R RVIC ES Case Management Assistance w/ VA V & Otherr Benefits Personal Financial Planning Housing Counseling

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U.S.VETS - Washington D.C. 111 K St. NE, 3rd Floor Washington, D.C. 20002 dcinfo@usvetsinc.org | 202-683-8357 www.usvetsinc.org

STREETSENSEMEDIA.ORG

ILLUSTRATION BY LEVESTER GREEN ARTIST/VENDOR

Restaurant blues

BY SHEILA WHITE // Artist/Vendor

I thought we had moved beyond the stigma of judging people by the way they look and dress when they go to a restaurant. I thought it didn't matter as long as you paid the bill.

I was wrong. I learned we still have a very long way to go.

I took two friends to Ocean Prime to celebrate one of their birthdays. Two of us wore jeans, the third wore slacks and a blouse.

When we got to the door, the doorman looked away. We ignored that offense and walked in anyway.

"Can I have a table?” I asked. No one answered.

I asked twice more. Silence. Our presence was acknowledged only when our professionally dressed friend echoed my request.

After we were finally seated, a man came to the table. I thought he was our server; he turned out to be the busboy.

"Tap water or bottled?”

"Tap," I said. We never saw him again.

Then we waited for our server. And waited. And

waited. Like the busboy, he never showed. Twentyfive minutes later, the bartender took our order.

A bit later I started to ask the bartender where the restroom was. "Are you leaving?" she asked before I said two words.

"No, I just want to use the restroom,” I replied.

The food was good. But, no one came to the table and asked whether we were enjoying ourselves, whether we needed anything else — the usual questions attentive waiters ask customers in restaurants that care. I felt so strange. It seemed to me they wanted us to leave.

And I almost did. What made me stay was to show them I had the money to eat there. I paid the bill with my credit card and left a cash tip for the bartender. "Is the cash part of the bill?" she asked.

"No,” I said. “You saw me pay for it."

Will I go back there? Not likely. I'd rather go to a restaurant that doesn't judge my friends and me by how we look or how we dress.

Our March for Black Women STORY AND PHOTOS BY HENRIEESE ROBERTS // Artist/Vendor

I traveled to New York City in order to march across the Brooklyn Bridge on Sunday, Sept. 30, with the March for Black Women. The only chant I heard as we marched was “Why don’t you love Black women? R Kelly got to GO!” It was a two-day event, gathering people for a rally on the National Mall on Saturday here in D.C. My journey for the project really started with an orientation at a church in the middle of the week.

I came in from Baltimore. But by the time I got to Metro Center, I couldn’t easily catch a bus that would go to the church hosting the orientation.

So I made a few phone calls and decided to head back to Baltimore. As I jaunted down the Metro escalator, I saw my old friend and fellow Street Sense Media artist, Debora B. “Oh gosh! Debra this trip was not a loss! I see you!” I said.

She was unpacking her dinner at the top of the escalator. Greeting me with glee, she said “Write for my paper!” (This paper.) I promised Deb I’d write more and, as you can see, I kept that promise.

As I traveled back to Baltimore, I thought about when I first met Debora: the sandwiches we had shared and the Street Sense paper we had flipped through. Some of her words were printed on one of the pages and we discussed them with merriment.

“My friends like my writings,” Deborah had said.

“So do I!” I remember telling her. “Kinda of crazy and gibberish — tickles me.”

It was a joyful meeting, a warm memory.

Less so was the memory of what she asked of me during that meeting. “I need a friend to help me get housing,” she had said. Reflecting now, I noted mentally how many years back those words were uttered.

How is it our society has let her remain homeless for that long?

I made it to Baltimore without incident and had all the more resolve to shoot the march on Sunday. This march was for me. It was for my friend Debbie B. It was for all of us.

// 9

In a statement, the march organizers said this of its purpose: “We want meaningful policies to end gender violence, the persistent feminization of poverty, the growing Black female prison population, restrictions to citizenship the deportation of Black and Brown people, restrictions to health care, reproductive justice and the ongoing war on women through gag orders and blocked funding by those hoping to retain or gain political leadership this November and beyond.”

When I arrived in NYC, I sauntered over to City Hall and began hunting for the ladies. I met two along the way and had a deep conversation with one about relationship failures. Like the statement mentioned, one of the big themes for our demonstration was that violence in relationships can be circumvented. We must strive to empower women and learn to have healthy relationships based on consent. If fear is evoked in a relationship, that indicates you are in an environment of violence.

Once I spotted Jonathan, who I had met during another march, I knew we had found the rest of the participants. We shared hugs.

I did not feel well and took a few shots from where I stood that would turn out crazy just like I like. We soon headed across the bridge, which I took care to cross safely since I am visually impaired.

I remembered the first time I crossed the Brooklyn Bridge, when a lady screamed “If you didn’t have on that yellow coat you would have been squished!” But on the Sunday of the March for Black Women, all I heard was “Why don’t you love Black women? R Kelly got to GO!” At our gathering afterward, I met the Black woman who climbed the base of the Statue of Liberty on Independence Day with a “Trump Care Makes Us Sick” shirt.

It was a fun shoot! Public response was pleasant and the policemen waited for us at the end of the bridge walk.

Pedestrians on the Brooklyn Bridge raise their hands in support of the marchers.

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OPINION

Prejudice and bias of the news media covering crime in my neighborhood

BY AIDA PEERY

I live two blocks from 11th and P streets NW, where a young woman was stabbed to death in September while jogging. This unfortunate incident might have been avoided if the media had given more coverage to the man who was stabbed in the area on March 17.

He doesn't live in our neighborhood, but he was there to visit his parents, who live near 12th and M streets NW. He got into a verbal altercation with some unknown men and it escalated into a street fight.

This young man happens to be my best friend’s son. He must have been getting the best of the men while they were fighting because one assailant pulled a knife and stabbed my friend’s son multiple times. The police were able to catch the two assailants before they could run away.

One of those stabs was to his heart. My friend’s son ended up at Howard University Hospital and is still in a comatose state. He is now living in a nursing home and has gone through some serious surgeries.

The local news has provided a lot of coverage to the

stabbing of the D.C. Jogger, who happened to be white with Hispanic heritage and happened to have a highpaying job and many friends. They provided less to the other attack, which involved three Black men: the victim and the two who stabbed him.

The two attacks happened in the same area, only two blocks apart from each other, but one wasn’t important enough for the media to give a huge amount of attention to it. It wasn’t important enough to Council Member Jack Evans or Mayor Muriel Bowser that they would visit my friend or the family of her son. No one asked her or the local residents whether they felt safe in the neighborhood, as I was asked after the jogger was killed.

The media headlines for my girlfriend’s son read, “Man critically wounded in stabbing near D.C. convention center.” It was a short article that named both of the suspects and their ages. But the reporters didn’t go out of their way to find the name of the victim. As for TV coverage, it was less than a hot minute and less than a day.

The headline for the jogger read “Avid jogger stabbed to death in Washington’s Logan Circle neighborhood” and it got more attention. We have a lot of joggers in the city, but are there more joggers than Black men? The coverage acted as if it’s normal for two Black men to stab another Black man, whereas stabbing a jogger isn’t normal. Well, maybe if you had given as much attention to the first attack as you did to the D.C. Jogger, she might be alive today!

The D.C. Jogger’s attacker got media attention after he was arrested and when he was sentenced in court.

Meanwhile, we don’t know the fate of my girlfriend’s son’s assailants at all. I had to ask my girlfriend who they were and what had happened to them. But I know more about the man who stabbed and killed the D.C. Jogger, such as witnesses’ suggestion that he was on the synthetic drug K2.

In my opinion, the D.C. Jogger’s life could have been spared if the news media had given more attention to my girlfriend's son. Maybe the jogger’s mother wouldn't be burying her daughter in her wedding gown and would instead be watching her on her wedding day.

The Shaw area, which stretches from U Street all the way to Massachusetts Avenue, includes rents ranging from $1,500 and $1 million homes. That should be a crime-free area. Nope.

Because it isn't gated, anyone can walk through our neighborhood. I would feel safer if they had more police officers on bikes or Segways or whatever to watch out for these kinds of people. This shouldn't have happened to this young woman or to my girlfriend's son.

The news media in Washington D.C. needs to give more coverage to neighborhoods that are actively trying to become crime-free areas.

The residents can't do it without the help of our councilmember, who seems to be a bit complacent in his job. The only time I have ever seen Jack Evans was during the coverage of the D.C. Jogger.

I have lived on 11th Street NW for four years, going on five. We need better news coverage and more police presence.

The coverage acted as if it’s normal for two Black men to stab another Black man, whereas stabbing a jogger isn’t normal.

Aida Peery is an artist and vendor with Street Sense Media.

Should Black celebrities meet with president Trump?

BY JEFFERY MCNEIL

The Black community is in an uproar because Kanye West and Jim Brown visited Donald Trump on prison reform on Thursday. I don't get it. Mass incarceration is something that affects nearly all in the Black community and if the Congressional Black Caucus refuses to work with Trump on an issue they once supported why shouldn't Kanye and other black leaders visit the president?

African Americans say they want to have an honest conversation about race -- that’s until you honestly conversate with them. Black Progressives love to point to structural racism yet rarely want to discuss the problems in many of our inner cities which don’t involve race.

Chicago is a prime example of Democrats' failures.

After the crime, drugs and senseless deaths we got tired of the lies, alibis and excuses. Democrats run Chicago -- not Republicans or the Klan. Trump wants to get rid of the bad people but the culture of not snitching, and accepting drug dealers, prevails. Many African Americans got tired of the groupthink mentality that blacks should keep giving Democrats there vote and accepting poverty.

Donald Trump is teaching African Americans they're worth more than food stamps and a welfare check. He’s teaching Blacks to build up their own communities rather than looking for Washington to do everything for them.

Black people have a trillion dollar economy -- way more than they could get in reparations -- but these corrupt Black politicians keep leading them down the path of misery. I don’t want to be a victim, nor do I want a

free lunch. I want what Trump and Kanye have. The Democrats have become. There were always fringe elements American Dream. in the Democratic Party, but there were statesman such I don’t want to listen to limousine liberals, who are rich as Robert Kennedy, Hubert Humphrey or Daniel Patrick themselves, say the American Dream isn’t for me when Moynihan, men who lowered the temperature rather than someone's getting off their ass and becoming wealthy. Get increased it. In 1992 Bill Clinton stood up to Sista Souljah that socialist, Marxist nonsense out of my face! over divisive comments. With today's Democratic Party It was great to see Kanye West and Donald Trump have there are no statesmen. It’s anything goes and you finally an honest, raw conversation with no liberals. Watching see conservatives standing up to these bullies.

West hug Trump -- for me, that may have been the most America got a glimpse of what America can become, powerful moment in American history since I was invited with the smearing of Brett Kavanaugh, an honorable man to the White House myself. Truth is I’m not a big fan of with an impeccable record, if we’re not vigilant about our Kanye West, but he smashed it. constitutional principles and values.

Somewhere Booker T. Washington, Marcus Garvey and Jeffery McNeil is a Street Sense Media vendor and artist. He Malcolm X are smiling. Kanye exudes black uplift over also writes for the Washington Examiner. victimhood. West is the modern day Booker T. -- a free thinking brother.

Sure, like Trump, he says wild and crazy stuff. So do Hillary Clinton - Have an opinion about how homelessness is being addressed in our community? and Eric Holder.

- Want to share firsthand experience?

Kanye just has - Interested in responding to what someone else has written? what other African

Join the conversation, share your views

Americans don’t have: courage.

After watching the marches and protests, I feel sad about what the

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

Product of Progression:

When I ask for help, what do you see?

BY TYRONE CHISHOLM, JR.

A digital map of public restrooms provided in London. COURTESY OF MAPPING.CITYOFLONDON.GOV.UK

Tell the DC Council: We need more public bathrooms downtown

BY MARCIA BERNBAUM, GEORGE OLIVAR, JANET SHARP AND JOHN MCDERMOTT

This piece was first published by the nonprofit blog and advocacy organization Greater Greater Washington on Oct. 10. (www.ggwash.org).

Despite the fact that downtown Washington, D.C. receives more than 20 million visitors a year and hosts thousands of more residents every day, it currently only has five public restrooms available during the day off the National Mall—all of the rest are privately operated. A bill before the D.C. Council this fall could change that, but it needs your help.

This issue affects everyone. Everyone needs ready access to a clean, safe restroom when nature calls. Access to a clean, safe restroom is a United Nations recognized human right. It's fundamental to human dignity, is key for personal and public health and contributes to livable cities for everyone.

Most European and Asian capitals, recognizing this, have installed public restrooms in populated public areas. For example, London offers an interactive map that shows all of the publiclyaccessible toilets in its downtown area.

In contrast, in the District, there are only five public restrooms (off of the National Mall) that are open during the day. Only two are open 24/7. They’re near the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials, so neither is convenient for people who need them at night.

This is an issue for everyone.

We all need to use a restroom several times a day. This is especially important for people who are restroom challenged (including seniors, young children and people taking certain medications) because when nature calls, they have to go urgently.

Walkers; joggers; bicyclists; taxi, Uber and Lyft drivers; parents of toddlers; and people experiencing homelessness benefit, too. So do tourists—and that’s an important industry for the city.

However, those who cannot find a restroom when nature calls and are caught urinating or defecating in public risk a fine of up to $500, 90 days in jail or both.

The D.C. Council could act and start to address this. One proposed solution comes in the form of Bill 22-0223, the Public Restroom Facilities Installation & Promotion Act of 2017. Bill 22-0223 establishes

a working group to identify an appropriate model and sites for 24/7 stand-alone public restrooms. It also directs the working group to propose a program to provide incentives to private businesses to make their restrooms available to the public during the hours they are open.

The guidance included in Bill 22-0223 is taken from lessons learned and best practices of cities in the U.S. and elsewhere that have been successful in installing and maintaining clean, safe and accessible public restrooms. For example, based on our research we think there are two particular models that would be good for D.C.: the Portland Loo and the Community Toilet Scheme.

The Portland Loo is a prefabricated structure that takes up an area the size of a parking place that could be placed around downtown D.C. Another route couple be to implement a Community Toilet Scheme.

Instead of building additional public toilets, this scheme provides an incentive to businesses in highlyfrequented areas to open their restrooms to the public.

If passed, Bill 22-0223 will empower an interagency working group to look into these kinds of solutions and how to implement them in D.C. Bill 22-0223 was introduced in April 2017, and it’s working through the Committee of Transportation and Environment and the Committee on Health.

Unfortunately, if the the bill is not brought forward for a full Council vote by the end of this year, the legislative process must start over.

That is why the organization we work for, the People for Fairness Coalition Downtown DC Public Restroom Initiative is joining with Greater Greater Washington to call upon the DC Council to pass this bill by the end of the year. Twenty-one organizations and thirteen ANCs have previously supported this Initiative and bill, but now we need a final push.

Please join us in signing this petition urging action from the DC Council and share it with your colleagues and friends.

We can't wait any longer!

Marcia Bernbaum, George Olivar, Janet Sharp and John McDermott are members of the advocacy group People for Fairness Coalition.

I am a working homeless man who is 40 years old, and I have been through a lot of things. When I ask you for something while I am in need, what do you see? Do you see someone who has experienced a setback, or do you see someone that you would consider beneath you because of their conditions?

The film “Trading Places” showed the differences between the upper class and lower class: One prestigious individual with high morals was able to obtain the needed qualities to perform at a high magnitude. The other individual was lower-class and had to work on a person’s emotions to be able to provide for himself. But just because myself and others are lower-class does not mean we do not have good traits. In the end, the one that had everything envied the one who had nothing.

I am not those negative thoughts that you have of me, I am not that twitch in your face muscle that shows how you perceive me. I do have ears to hear, and I can be a good listener. But don't shake your sleeve at me, and pile up your anger on what I already have. I am a good person, I am just homeless, and I am looking for a better way. I have morals, Why do you want to strip me of my dignity? My pain was not pushed upon you! I just need(ed) some assistance, not every time, now, not some of the time but a few of the times.

I do what I can, but my health is not good. I still stand the best I can, and I walk at my pace. I need my health to keep my job, and I need my job to support payment for my bills also other things that construct into the formation of my construction. I have a right to D.C., I have a right to housing, I have a right, I have a right.

Tyrone Chisholm is a volunteer who writes this series to show what opportunities exist for people experiencing homelessness and answer questions about the challenges he has faced, homeless, employed and enrolled in higher education in our nation’s capital. He is also willing to answer questions, which may be sent to editor@streetsensemedia.org

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ART

It’s been a long road

Treading the Waters, PART 8

BY MARCELLUS PHILLIPS Artist/Vendor

BY GERALD ANDERSON Artist/Vendor

My journey began at the age of 16. This is when I truly entered the adult world and began to experience the troubles in life.

I got my first girlfriend.

We met after school. Then we talked on the phone. Interacting with a woman other than those in my family helped change my attitude towards people and their actions.

Now, my eyes are open and I can see what I want in life. After focusing on certain women, it’s time to concentrate on myself. When I wake up in the morning I go straight to my computer to search for jobs. My longterm goal is to help other Street Sense Media vendors gain reliable employment.

My future

Learning from your regrets

BY ELIZABETH BRYANT Artist/Vendor

I am back in school and that’s a good thing.

I want my GED or diploma so I can say I completed something. I think I will even take college courses later.

Thanks to the family that Jesus Christ gave me, I can see the damage I have done. My young daughter doesn’t trust me, but I finally understand that it’s a trial and error thing. Some days are better than others.

I made so many promises that I didn’t keep. My therapist said its time to put on big girl panties and learn to be dependable and follow through.

I am very selfish but will continue to try and change that.

Please pray for me.

When we were last with Gerald, he was a young man hustling in the neighborhoods of New Orleans and, on the side, fishing for his friend’s father. His friend, Gregory, had just suggested they steal some of the fish and sell it at Big Giant Crip...

Big Giant Crip was a bar in our neighborhood, at Second and Danneel. They call it “Big Giant Crip” because the guy who had it was crippled.

You catch wrestlers coming in there. It trip me out when I seen Ernie Lad there, “The Big Cat,” because the place was a little small, and he gotta bend down to get up in there.

Me and Gregory used to go around there because we know Crip. He used to give us money every day. We go to that door and go, “Crip! Crip!!”

He come out, give us five dollars. I don’t care what time you go — Crip there, he gonna give it to you. Or some of the old cats give it to you.

But there was a lot of drug-

selling in that area too. It was a major neighborhood.

One day, me and Greg and his Daddy, Jimmy, sit out.

Jimmy, he said, “Man, I know you all out here doing this crazy shit. But I try to pay y’all.”

And that’s when Greg told him.

“Pay us what? $75? Shit, me and Baby Gerald go on Bourbon Street and get ‘bout $500. We go out there and snatch purses, everything.”

“That ain’t how I want y’all to go.

But you gonna go do what the hell you want.”

So they got into it big time. And his Daddy told him, “You talk that shit if you want. You remember I brought you here, I take you from here.”

My eyes got big because I never heard that before. I was like, ‘What the f@#$ is Jimmy talking about?’

He say, “I kill your a#@.

Because I brought you here, I take you from here.”

To be continued.

BY MARCUS GREEN Artist/Vendor

My future is bright! I am grateful for all Street Sense Media has done for me, but I’m ready to push that to the back of my life so I can have room for other blessings.

I’m at a turning point to greatness, maybe. I know God saved me to do caring things for other people and animals.

That’s my calling, and for that I am eternally grateful.

Putting things in perspective, I have to take the first steps and keep pushing. Ain’t nobody going to love me like me. Other things on my full plate are my PTSD classes, Social Security, employment, then housing. I wouldn’t mind volunteering at the Veterans Administration facility when I get some free time to help the soldiers and dogs.

By staying prayerful and focusing, I will become a more productive member of society.

I want to stay sober, spiritual, loving, and giving — and to put Allah first. As always, God bless and thanks!

Always

BY REV. JOHN LITTLEJOHN Artist/vendor

What is “always?” It means something that is constant, continual, regular and without ceasing. I love the word “always” because it holds so much hope.

I would like to think I could “always” receive — and give – a donation to help someone who is homeless. Likewise, I would like to think I will always be happy and feel that life will never fail me.

But reality says I won’t.

As good as this word sounds, it struggles to live up to its potential – unless you are thinking about the promises of Jesus’s presence.

For anyone who fears facing this homeless problem on their own, Jesus said in Matthew 28:20 “’I am with you always.” Even when “Heaven and earth will pass away,” His words will never pass away. (Matthew 24:35) The writer to the Hebrews, Paul, reminds us that Jesus said, “I will never leave you, nor forsake you. I will always be by your side.”

The Lord is our help and our protector. Always.

So, no matter how scared you feel as a homeless person or how endless the struggle may seem — hold on.

Our future may not look that bright and the road may seem long.

We will get weary. I say again, “Encourage yourself to hold on.”

The Holy Bible says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.” (John 3:16-17) Always hold on.

When trying to bring homelessness to an end, we need to use hospitality to destroy hostility. We need to use reconciliation with yourself and each other.

God is always watching. To lead, protect and provide for you.

To heal and comfort you. To counsel you and love you. To care for you and share with you. And the list goes on and on.

So too may God always bless those who give or receive a donation to try and bring homelessness to an end.

Please, in the name of Jesus Christ, keep your head up and keep looking up.

Amen.

STREETSENSEMEDIA.ORG

SOUNDS Sounds in and around.

Sounds not audible but clear.

Sound we hold dear.

Sounds that we revere.

Sounds that reveal nature.

Sounds and silence all in me.

Silence sounds like everyone but no one.

Sounds who lift weights.

Sounds appear in any places.

Sounding out these words in this place.

How do we sound without a place?

Which sound to isolate?

What is that sound?

I guess I’ll investigate.

Can prosperity and abundance make a sound?

Is poverty a sound no one wants to be around?

Hands down listen to the sound of our rhythm.

Continuing on a long list of greatness’ mission.

If only we would listen to the SOUNDS.

// 13

SILENCE Complete absence of sound.

The lack of noise.

The fact of abstaining from using free speech.

Avoidance, as some walk the other way.

The avoidance of discussing the impoverished.

Complete absence and avoidance, of something everyone is close to.

Laying or standing still because it fit the status quo.

Not showing a single sign of respect for me or our fallen soldiers in the economic battle.

An opportunity for prayers of the people.

Prohibiting or prevent their voices, their votes, their choices.

Preventing and prohibiting our lives.

Do the best you can do

BY MELODY BYRD Artist/Vendor

Do the best you can do. Keep the restroom clean. Respect others when using the restroom. Please knock on the door. Please lock the door. I think that you should be mindful of others when you are using the restroom.

And, I think there should be more public restrooms (available to the homeless).

POEMS BY REGINALD BLACK Artist/Vendor

Thanks

BY BRIANNA L. BUTLER // Artist/vendor

Give thanks to people who make you laugh. Pray for those who make you frown. Remember people who have inspired you. Think of all the good people who, with a smile on their face, fed and clothed you.

Bless the customers who work hard and still have time to give to you. A little help can go a long way. I would like to have more customers to help me get off these streets. Count yourself blessed when you know you have a terrific job or career you can depend on.

My customers make my life easier, because of their caring commitments and giving souls. Their giving, rather than just walking

away, allows me to ride a bus or the Metro instead of walking. It allows me to keep my clothes clean and my tummy full of good food.

They sometimes give me water, knowing I need to stay hydrated.

I want to give a shout-out to farmers who grow lovely produce so that this world can eat. I want to give major thanks to United Planning Organization School of Culinary Arts. I graduated Sept.

13 and would like someone to help me find a job where I can showcase the skills that I have learned and make me smile as I work them.

Enjoying the elderly

BY JACQUELINE TURNER // Artist/Vendor

I'd like to talk about my experience working with older people. A lot of people feel that job is a hard task, because people lose patience and get upset when they are older, say 60 or so, and sometimes they get a little confused. Let's face it; everything wears out as time goes on.

There are two sides to this story. Older people have experience and knowledge to share. They teach all types of things: crafts, survival, how to love and what God is about! Even though you are 80 years old, you still remember you were an educator or doctor or a model, etc.

The seniors pass that knowledge on. If they can't do it all day or night, they'll do it in bits and pieces. I learned to respect the aged, like myself. Older people are fun to be around! They need care, and, like anyone else, they respond to love.

The Homeless Cat Anthem

BY CONSTANCE PORTER Artist/Vendor

Oh, say can you see?

The homeless kitties With no place to call home.

All day and night they roam Dining at trash dumpsters, Winter – Spring –Fall – Summers.

Living with illness and parasites.

Always running to hide Watch out for that car.

No one to help, near or far, Never safe, no place to rest.

They live their lives and Do their best.

There’s no reprieve, this is their life, Amongst the stress and strife.

We can make a difference, By showing our presence, With T-N-R* and adoptions and many other caring acts. *TNR stands for trap, neuter, release.

My return

BY ANDRE BRINSON // Artist/vendor

Hello, my Street Sense Media family. I have returned to the paper because of a job loss.

I’ve been out of work for fourth months.

I enjoy seeing my Street Sense readers. I always tell them I am okay. But no one is okay without income. My baby girl looks up to me. I can’t fail her.

I am holding on because sometimes I get frustrated with the streets, knowing every day I’m going out hustling this paper.

I do not understand the job market. It is as if the people that work the hardest get the worst treatment, while the people that do only what they must to keep their jobs are rewarded. I

have never been that type and never will be. I think that is one of the reasons for losing some of my jobs.

For example, when I worked at a restaurant as a cook, I had an incident with haters on the kitchen staff, so I asked the manager to put me in charge of the kitchen. Two weeks later I had the place reorganized and it was in better shape than it had ever been. I even got noticed as the employee of the month. The next week, I was fired – for no reason that I ever found out.

Now, I am back studying for my CDL license.

I won’t fail as long as I keep trying. Thanks to my customers for asking how I am doing.

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How to mend broken bridges

KrazyDad runs on electrity and caffeine. Want to buy me a cup of coffee?

You can donate at http://krazydad.com Or by mail: Krazydad, P.O. Box 303 Sun Valley, CA 91353 USA Thank you for helping out!

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Because of this, we need to allow the Lord to show us the breaks in our lives. We may have forgotten some of the things that were said or done to cause the breaks. But God will reveal them to us, if we ask Him. Sometimes, we cannot reconnect with someone because that person is not open to us or is not living. But we can reconnect to God. We can’t change other people, but God will show us how to love them and forgive them right where they are. God will give us His insight and His wisdom concerning our broken relationships.

When we bring these things to the Lord, He will help us to begin to understand the people who have hurt us. Understanding them is not the same as forgiving them, but understanding helps give us insight as to what happened. That is an important part of the healing process. It is much easier to forgive and to be set free when we understand more about others, ourselves and God’s principles.

You can always forgive, but you may not forget. Just try to put old situations in the back of your mind and don’t worry about it. Don’t forget God forgives but S/he won’t forget. If you love yourself and love God, everything will be fine.

God Bless You all!

A prayer to live by

BY CHON GOTTI Artist/Vendor

The Bleeding Rose

BY KEDIST GIRMA // Artist/Vendor

Going to church every Sunday and being able to quote all of the verses in the Bible does not mean you are living right. This is my prayer: Heavenly Father, your word tells us that when we ask anything according to your will, you will hear us and grant us the things we requested of you. Your word also tells us that all things will work together for our good.

Lord, remind us of these things as we go through this day.

Remind us that when obstacles surface, when we look to you and allow the Holy Spirit to work through us, we will be successful in overcoming them.

Teach us to practice patience and endure until the very end.

Lord, we thank you in advance as we claim our peace and our victory. In Jesus' name, we pray.

Amen.

Thank you again, my beautiful customers, for reading Street Sense Media.

Weeping meadows weep.

The rose is to bleed.

It is of ages and it flourished...

Only to be cut down and Have its wages garnished.

Weep-the sun was once amazing.

Now the daisies have become lazy.

Weeping meadows weep...

The crown of thorn has been worn...

The skin has been torn.

A version of this poem was previously published in The Ethiopian Herald.

Saints and Sinners

BY DERIAN HICKMAN // Artist/Vendor

This year is moving along, I didn’t do everything right. But I didn’t do everything wrong, either. After nine years of being homeless, I should say I’m truly blessed: working more with saints and less with sinners. Thanks for your support on behalf of myself and all the Street Sense Media vendors.

I hope the remainder of 2018 is prosperous, emotionally and spiritually, for you and for all of us.

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

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 202-265-2400 (NW) // 561-8587 (SE) 1525 7th St., NW // 1640 Good Hope Rd., SE breadforthecity.org

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Martha’s Table // 202-328-6608 2114 14th St., NW marthastable.org

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

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

BEHAVIORAL HEALTH HOTLINE Línea de salud del comportamiento

(202) 749-8000

Housing/Shelter Vivienda/alojamiento

1-888-793-4357 Laundry Lavandería

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

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

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

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 // 202-745-4300 3020 14th St., NW unityhealthcare.org

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

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

// 15

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

JOB BOARD Executive Director

Open Arms Housing // Washington, D.C. Full-time Major tasks include interfacing with community providers, government officials, and funding sources on behalf of the organization. The ideal person has fundraising and business acumen, a commitment to serving people experiencing homelessness and a wide range of mental health issues; experience in advocating for supportive housing and resources for the population; as well as grant writing and other resource development. REQUIRED: A graduate degree in social work, counseling, non-profit management or similar field; At least 5 years administrative or managerial experience in mental health or homelessness field; Experience in working with a board, as well as in grant and contract preparation.

APPLY: tinyurl.com/OpenArmsED

Senior Art Therapist

Miriam’s Kitchen // Washington, DC Full-time, Monday - Friday // 8:15 am - 4:30 pm Manage the Miriam’s Studio program, facilitate individual and group art therapy in an open studio setting, supervise graduate-level art therapy interns, provide a variety of direct services to homeless individuals.

REQUIRED: Master’s degree in art therapy or creative arts; Experience and ability to connect with people experiencing homelessness, mental health and/or substance abuse.

APPLY: Send resume and cover letter to jobs@miriamskitchen.org with the subject line “Senior Art Therapist.”

SOAR Advocacy Case Manager

Miriam’s Kitchen // Washington, DC Full-time, Monday - Friday // 10 pm - 7:30 am The SOAR Advocacy Case Manager will partner with individuals to complete SSI / SSDI applications using the SOAR process (SSI / SSDI Outreach, Access and Recovery). Acting as the personal representative for individuals or family members living in Washington, DC without benefits who are currently experiencing homelessness, unstably housed, and/or who are living in DHS funded permanent supportive housing or target affordable housing.

REQUIRED: Bachelor’s degree; 2 years experience providing case management services; Able to handle physically demanding work – to include but not limited to standing and/ or walking up to 5 hours per day in all types of weather. APPLY: Send resume and cover letter to jobs1@miriamskitchen.org with the subject line “SOAR Advocacy Case Manager.”

Overnight Residential Counselor

D.C. Fiscal Policy Institute // Washington, D.C. Full-time, Monday - Friday // 10 pm - 7:30 am Produce original research, build relationships, lead advocacy efforts on these issues, and informing the public and the press about local budget debates. REQUIRED: Bachelor’s degree; 2 years of work experience in a relevant government agency, an affordable housing provider or lender or a nonprofit policy organization. APPLY: DCFPI-housing-analyst Hiring? Send your job postings to editor@StreetSenseMedia.org

Dirty Down Old town

The Monkey Escaped

Dust motes float ‘Cross bubbly glass Streaked with Memories Lost to tribes of Hoarding Hoboes, all searching for Jobs they claim Keep them from Robbin’— “Oh, the red, red robin, goes bob-bob-bobbin’ along” ‘Cross the peaks of Atlantis, and National Union, he can’t even Grab an onion.

Neon streaks in dirty rain...

Until they fade, S’pose we gotta go Thru more endless Joy and Pain!

BY MICHAEL CRAIG (STORY) & BARBARA POLLARD (ILLUSTRATION) // Volunteers

The Monkey was in the zoo, locked up.

“I’ve been falsely accused for being alive,” it thought. “Why am I trapped here?”

So, this Monkey waited for that next magical moment when the cage would open. All the other monkeys had grown accustomed to the cage. But this one wouldn’t have it. Squinting, it quietly waited to make its great escape.

When the zookeepers came, the Monkey took off full speed, like it was Jesse Owens.

Couldn’t nobody catch it. The zookeepers were fallin’ on their face, slippin’ and slidin’. That monkey was GONE. It found solace in a banana tree, living stress free. But the Monkey was empathetic and soon wondered about all the other animals who had been removed from their natural environments and put in cages.

It went back with bushels of bananas and

set all the other animals free.

“C’mon, we’re all getting out of here.

Life is life!” it proclaimed. “I got my freedom, and I’m going to make sure you all get yours too.” The Monkey had the generosity of love to come back and share with everybody else.

It also acquired the keys and locked the zookeepers in the cages for a day, so they would understand the condemnation they imposed on their fellow living beings. The zookeepers became the animals and the animals became the zookeepers.

Our social ills — the stress, anxiety, vulnerability and tension of life – lock many of us in a cage with no bars. And too many of us become accustomed to this motley mixture of unnecessary frailties.

There’s always a way to escape. Let the stress go and live your life.

Break Up to Make Up

POEM AND PHOTO BY FREDERIC JOHN Artist/Vendor

Some say love ain't easy, some say it ain't hard I say love takes time, it's like praying to God

You say you tried, you say I lied What I thought was true love never dies Guess I was wrong, thought we was strong But your body language telling me to move on

Had a talk with miss Cleo, she told told me love was illegal It gets high like an eagle then comes down on most people.

If it's real, you will know. If you must, let it go If it comes back to you that's when you know it's true.

Girl I know you feel like just leaving now And I know you probably think l’m bringing you down I remember when you use to say, “The sky is the limit” And it was early morning love with my eggs and grits

Lately, baby girl, I been stressing your brain And I told you I would leave if I was bringing you pain L-O-L, we use to be so funny But ain't nothing funny when there's no money

We use to take long walks around the park Where did the spark happen to start?

You say it's me, I say it's you What went wrong? We had a bond like glue

I thought I was tired, thought I wanted to leave But I wanted to STAY baby I'm begging you please Yes I'm a sucker for love, I admit it — don't go Everything that I promised, all my secrets you know

I feel I hear you baby I see things clear The devils been busy but I won't let him get me.

I'm fortunate to have you girl, I'm so glad you’re in my world.

I was on my knees praying the day that He brought you.

Then my heart just stopped when I thought that I lost you.

BY RON DUDLEY a.k.a. “POOKANU” // Artist/Vendor

OCT. 17 - 30, 2018 VOLUME 15 | ISSUE 25

Some say love ain't easy, Some say ain't hard I say love takes time, It's like praying to god.

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