VOL. 55, NO. 5 • NOVEMBER 14 - 20, 2019
Show Your Thanks to U.S. Veterans through Acts of Kindness
'Dancing' Fundraiser Page 22
Veterans Day 2019: DMV Salutes Vets with Volunteers, Ceremonies and Upgraded Support Washington Gas Helps Residents Prepare for Winter’s Blast
Prince George's Pays Homage to Local Veterans Veterans Affairs Touts Department Improvements
Lower Bills, Warmer Homes Goals of Annual ‘Day of Weatherization’
By William J. Ford WI Staff Writer @jabariwill Joseph Pruden stood outside Legion Park in Cheverly, raised his right hand and read the military oath. When the Army veteran read it the second time, he became emotional. "Getting out the service didn't change my oath. I still try to abide by it," Pruden, who served from 1969-72 during the Vietnam War, said after a 30-minute Veterans Day program Monday, Nov. 11. "You're swearing to protect and defend the Constitution, which pretty much means your country. The military does an exceptional job of molding all these individual strangers into a unit that will fight together, follow orders together, will look out for each other. It truly is a band of brothers. You can't just turn that off like a switch." Pruden and other military veterans received a hearty thankyou Monday for their service to the country. Rep. Anthony Brown (D-Maryland), who served in the Army Reserve for 30 years, not only thanked America for allowing him to meet men and women during his military career, but also for what the coun-
VETERANS Page 38
By D. Kevin McNeir WI Editor @dkevinmcneir With meteorologists forecasting the region’s weather first cold front this week punctuated by nightly temperatures hovering near or below freezing, Artic-like winds and the return of snow, preparations for winter have ramped up with greater urgency. And in a home weatherization program targeting low-income fam5 Fred Price, Jr., who served in the Marines, bows his head in prayer at a Veterans Day program Nov. 11 at Legion Park in Cheverly. (Anthony Tilghman/The Washington Informer)
VOLUNTEERS Page 32
Outcry for Action on D.C. Opioid Deaths Intensifies By Sam P.K. Collins WI Contributing Writer @SamPKCollins
In the years after synthetic opioids first ravaged the District's majority-Black communities, the city government rolled out hospital emergency department outreach programs and equipped local police officers with a nasal spray that prevents overdose deaths, albeit not with the speed and enthusiasm many on-the-ground addiction specialists have found suitable. Some people, like Dr. Edwin G. Chapman, an addiction specialist and internist of 40 years who works
east of the Anacostia River, said the District's seemingly lackadaisical response toward opioid addiction has been particularly detrimental to older Black male heroin users, a group that suffers in great numbers after using packages laced with fentanyl and other synthetic opioids. "This [opioid addiction] is a community disease, meaning that everyone has to be responsible. The white response has been to build a community of resources so people are sent directly to treatment instead of prison," Chapman told an audience of educators and hu-
HEALTH Page 20
5 Addiction specialist, Dr. Edwin G. Chapman, speaks about the opioid crisis at Howard University’s Cramton Auditorium on November 9. (Anthony Tilghman/ The Washington Informer)
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