The Spoils to Be Reaped
Dear Reaped:
Madeline Fletcher and Ronald Cohen wrote to themail about two ongoing
land deal scandals involving different DC agencies. At the same time,
the National Capital Revitalization Corporation has received an
independent audit of the Department of Housing and Community Development
by accounting firm Mitchell and Titus that shows “gross mismanagement,
failure to collect millions of dollars in rent and missing financial
records. . . . [F]or the past 10 years, DHCD has kept few records, has
not enforced leases for city-owned property, and neglected to monitor
development agreements. . . . And as bad as it looks on the surface, it
may be worse. Record-keeping is so spotty that auditors were 'unable to
identify sufficient official information to guarantee completeness or
accuracy' of their findings. . . .” (The quote is from Tom Hall's
report in the Washington Business Journal, October 22 — http://washington/bcentral.com/washington/stories/2001/10/22/story1.html.)
These land scandals continue because the city does its real estate
deals under Mayor Williams exactly as it did them under Mayor Barry.
Land and contracts go to the developers with the best connections,
rather than the best development plans, and what matters is how the
politicians — not the people — will benefit. If the development
company is headed by a felon, that can be easily papered over by a
transparent shell company. If the developer's plans aren't what the
community wants, it doesn't matter; the deal has been cut in the back
rooms long before the people in the community are ever put through the
charade of commenting on it. And under Mayor Williams, if a director of
DHCD actually believed some of the rhetoric and began to move against
some of the corruption, he was soon replaced. If you can see any light
at the end of this very long tunnel, lend me your telescope and give me
a referral to your ophthalmologist.
Gary Imhoff
themail@dcwatch.com
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After School Funding Distributed Illegally
Andrea Carlson, BintaGay@aol.com
In a recent issue of themail, Vivian Henderson wrote “DCPS, Bless
You” about “after-school activities for all elementary schools in
DC.” If only it were so. The fact is that all of the kids at Horace
Mann Elementary (located in the city's priciest neighborhood) get access
to a free after school program funded under Temporary Assistance to
Needy Families (federal funding channeled through DC's Office of Health
and Human Services, which transferred $20 million to DCPS or the State
Office of Education for the initiative). So do at least some other DCPS
schools (Janney, Murch, Eaton). The trouble is that none of the more
than 10,000 kids enrolled in public charter schools do. True, despite
the fact that the vast majority of public charter school students live
at or below federal poverty levels. Despite the fact that charter
schools are public schools according to law and according to practice.
(These schools are free, open to all and do not discriminate on any
basis. No matter where you live, no matter how actively your parents
promise to volunteer, no matter what your test scores, you can go to the
charter school of your choice if there is a space available.) Under the
law, such funding is to be made available to all public schools,
including charters. Without additional funding, few if any of these
schools can afford to offer free after school programs. Their due from
TANF would help. By rights, public charter schools should be awarded
sufficient funding to provide quality after school activities for their
students, especially for those who need it most. No one disputes that
access to after school programs should be available to all DC
schoolchildren regardless of income — let's just make sure we don't
leave kids in need out in the cold.
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Mid-City Urban LLC, the developer selected by the DC Housing
Authority for the recently funded HOPE VI project at Arthur Capper/Carrollsburg
Dwellings (adjacent to the Navy Yard in southeastern Washington), failed
to disclose the criminal past of one of its leading figures when it
recently bid for the right to develop Metro property. Read the full
article in The Common Denominator at http://thecommondenominator.com/102201_news1.html.
Also see previous articles on Mid-City Urban: “Developers buy support
— Hope VI project ‘backers’ get $50 payoffs,” http://thecommondenominator.com/060401_news1.html;
and “Convicted swindler in city housing deals — One of firm’s
major players has felony past,” http://thecommondenominator.com/052101_news1.html.
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The closing of Hogates is another indication of the reckless manner
in which the Mayor is allowing his subordinates to run this city. The
waterfront has been a neglected asset of DC for 35 years. Shortly after
we in the neighborhood saw private interests focusing on redevelopment,
they were derailed by the stupid actions of the Redevelopment Land
Agency (RLA). When the RLA was taken over by the National Capital
Revitalization Corporation (NCRC), to our disgust, the NCRC joined in
the irresponsible direction set by the RLA.
I understand that several law suits have been filed in DC courts
against the RLA and NCRC over their bad faith, and these law suits will
cause several more years of inactivity as these cases await their day in
court. The Mayor has not demonstrated any leadership in cleaning up the
mess his subordinates have caused. Hogates is only the first, small part
of the spoils to be reaped by administration favorites on our
waterfront. We are disgusted with this entire situation. What will he
foul up next; who will go out of business next? In the next election,
the Mayor will see his lip service fall on deaf ears.
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The History of the Bloomingdale Neighborhood
Samuel McLemore, Jr., sam@blackdvdonline.com
After way too many long weeks chained to the Internet, the MLK, Jr.,
Library's Washingtoniana Room, and the DC Historical Society's library,
the history of DC's Bloomingdale neighborhood has been unearthed . . .
and it has a surprising story to tell. Many thanks to the wonderful (and
patient) staff of each respective library and to my partner James S.
Brathwaite, who offered his mellifluous way with words to much of the
composition of this aggregated information. The history of Bloomingdale
awaits you at: http://www.bloomingdaleboysclub.org.
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As I'm reading the latest edition of themail, a leaf raking machine
is traversing my alley for the second time today. While I deplore those
who complain when something is done for them, I'll have to admit I feel
this activity results in no net gain. Once the leaves are scooped from
the sides, nothing is done with them, so they return to the original
resting place. This huge leaf machine comes down my alley behind
Ingleside Terrace, N.W., in Mt. Pleasant regularly. If I had access to
whoever plans this, I would like to suggest they do something that will
make a difference in this city! My neighbors and I wish the opportunity
cost of this activity be considered.
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Several campaign posters have been recently posted on H Street, NE
for ARTURO (Arturo Griffiths, DC Statehood Party) and Draft Keith Andrew
Perry for Ward 6 Councilmember. I spoke to Kathy Fairly at the DC Board
of Elections and Ethics (DCBOEE) on October 18, and she told me that
there were no special elections scheduled. Furthermore, she stated that
her office had nothing to do with regulating the posting of campaign
posters. She suggested that I go to the Office of Campaign Finance (OCF).
I spoke to Ms. Kathy Williams, the General Council for the Office of
Campaign Finance, about these posters. She told me that campaign posters
can be posted for the elections which will be held in September and
November 2002, as long have the candidates have registered with the
Office of Campaign Finance (OCF).
Ms. Williams told me on October 18 that the posters for ARTURO were
supposedly hung by his supporters and that her office has been in touch
with him to have the posters removed. Arturo Griffiths claims that he
does not know who is hanging posters for him. The posters for Keith
Andrew Perry were supposedly put up by a committee to draft Keith Perry.
Since these posters are being placed by a committee that supposedly
wants to draft Mr. Perry to run for Ward 6 Councilmember, there are no
DC regulations concerning the posting of these posters. According to Ms.
Williams, these posters are 100 percent legal, even thought the DC
government has no idea who is posting these posters and no committee has
registered with her office!
Unfortunately, DC has very lax and incomplete rules concerning
campaign posters. Nobody at the DC government was able to locate the
regulation that Phil Carney mentioned that campaign posters cannot be
posted until 60 days before an election. If any one knows where this
regulation exists and which agency is responsible to enforce this
regulation, please let me know.
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Pretrial Detention
Jason Ziedenberg, Justice Policy Institute, jzdc@cjcj.org
A new study finds that the District of Columbia had a much sharper
drop in violent youth crime rates than the state of Maryland in the
1990's, even though Maryland's use of pretrial juvenile detention
increased and the District's use of detention dropped substantially. The
comparison of the District and Maryland suggests that cities and states
can reduce locked detention without jeopardizing public safety. “A
Tale of Two Jurisdictions: Youth Crime and Detention Rates in Maryland
and the District of Columbia” can be viewed at http://www.buildingblocksforyouth.org.
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Call the Library of Congress's number and you will hear something
quite remarkable. Apparently they closed it to look for anthrax.
707-5000.
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Demonstrations in Saudi Arabia
Irina Livezeanu, Adams Morgan, Irinal+@pitt.edu
I have a friend who is in Riyadh right now. He claims that Seymour
Hersch is wrong about at least one thing in the New Yorker
article — there have been no demonstrations in the Saudi capital at
all. I hope, by extension, that Hersch is wrong about the CIA in
general. I quote from my friend's latest E-mail message: “Last night
around 11:00 there was a loud procession of cars driving down the
boulevard in front of my building. I thought, hm, finally, something
like an anti-war demonstration. I looked out and people were hanging out
of the cars shouting and waving but I am on the 7th floor, so I could
not make out what they were shouting. So I turned on the news to see if
there was a report on the 'demonstration' and I discovered the cause . .
. Saudi Arabia had defeated Thailand in soccer to qualify for the World
Cup! So I guess the only danger last night was if I'd gone out wearing a
'Team Thailand' soccer jersey.”
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One very unfortunate consequence of the conflict in Afghanistan is
the collapse of business for, and occasional vandalism of, Afghan
restaurants in the Washington area. Two examples have been described in
the Post: The Afghan Grill, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A12787-2001Oct18.html,
and The Afghan Kabob, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A18782-2001Oct18.html.
There must be many others, also victimized by unthinking anti-Afghan
sentiment. The injustice of people taking out our national problems with
the Taliban on innocent Afghan immigrants and their businesses is
obvious. I would suggest that we make special efforts to patronize
Afghan businesses, to compensate, as best we can, for this cruelty. If
you're not already acquainted with Afghan food, you have a pleasant
surprise waiting.
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CLASSIFIEDS — EVENTS
The Mayor and Council are hosting a “tribute to bravery” this
Saturday, October 27, at Freedom Plaza (Pennsylvania Avenue at 13th
Street) to honor the District's public safety employees and pay tribute
to their counterparts who died in New York City last month. The program
will run from 5 to 7 p.m., and fire trucks and other emergency vehicles
will be on display from 4 p.m. on as a draw for families with kids.
Speakers will include representatives of the District's police and fire
departments, suburban departments whose personnel served at the
Pentagon, and the New York City police and fire departments. The program
includes music and closes with candle-lighting. It's an opportunity to
acknowledge the debt we all have to those who “run to danger” and
also an opportunity for our own police and firefighters — who have not
been able to travel to New York for services there — to pay their
respects from here. The planning committee has included representatives
of fire and police unions, and, on my behalf, Chris Lively — whose
spirited advocacy of holding the event at Freedom Plaza in front of the
Wilson Building and in full view of the Capitol won the day at the first
planning meeting! Please join the tribute and bring friends and family.
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Super Storytelling Event
Susie Cambria, scambria@dckids.org
The Tellin' Stories Project of the Network of Educators on the
Americas presents a celebration of storytelling. Come join us for an
inspiring day of presentations and workshops in the art of storytelling.
Learn how to select stories and use you own stories to enrich the lives
of your children and transform their classrooms. The morning session
will be led by nationally known storytellers Bill Grimmette and Linda
Fang. In the afternoon, participants will work in small groups to
practice telling their own stories in front of an audience. Saturday,
November 3, 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Bruce Monroe Elementary School, 3012
Georgia Avenue, NW. Registration fee $15 in advance, $20 day of event.
Lunch is included. Scholarships available. Childcare and translation
provided. To RSVP or for more information call 588-7207 or 588-7219.
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Third Annual Harvest Festival
Suzanne Isack, sisack@pressroom.com
Great food, drinks, music, art for two great causes: Brainfood and
Community Harvest. Saturday, November 17, 6 p.m.-midnight, Josephine
Butler Parks Center, 2437 15th Street, NW (Columbia Heights Metro). Come
celebrate local food, art, music, beer, and wine to benefit two local
nonprofits working to improve communities through food. The Harvest
Festival is an open house where people can enjoy local food, art, music,
beer and wine while learning about Brainfood and Community Harvest. In
addition, the Harvest Festival will feature a silent auction for
dinners-for-two from local restaurants, harvest-related dishes from
Washington's best restaurants, food items for sale created by youth in
the Brainfood program, the “Good Food Awards,” great local
musicians, local art (with sales benefiting Brainfood and Community
Harvest), information about the Brainfood and Community Harvest
programs.
Brainfood is an educational nonprofit organization that uses food as
a tool to build life skills with youth in a fun and creative setting.
Through culinary-related activities, we strive to expand cognitive
skills, encourage creativity, foster self-reliance and empower youth as
resources in their own community. Brainfood operates after-school
programs, summer employment, and entrepreneurship education at the
Josephine Butler Parks Center. Community Harvest is a community food
security organization committed to building a food system that works for
both local farmers and low-income urban families. Community Harvest
works year round, operating an urban mini-farm in Southeast Washington,
implementing public education programs, and working to secure access to
good food for all DC residents through the creation of urban farmer's
markets.
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DC Democracy Fund Campaign Kickoff
Ronald T. T. Nelson, ronaldttnelson@hotmail.com
The DC Democracy Fund will hold its campaign kickoff at the Hawk
& Dove, 329 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE (near the Capitol South and
Eastern Market Metro stops), on Friday, October 26, 6:30 p.m. The
District of Columbia has no voting representation in Congress. We're
going to change that. We have founded the DC Democracy Fund -- the
nation's first and only Political Action Committee (PAC) dedicated to
securing full congressional voting rights for the District of Columbia.
DC Democracy Fund financially supports Democratic congressional
candidates who agree to support voting rights legislation in Congress.
If you can't make it and would like to support DC voting rights, you
can make a contribution by clicking on this absurdly ridiculous
hyperlink: http://www.econtributor.net/Contribution/Contribution.cfm?AID=GCQUGLQSZJEI
For more information, check out our website at http://www.dcdemocracyfund.org
or call 547-4426.
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Women’s International Religious Fellowship
Bazaar
Vivian Henderson, VHende 1886@aol.com
The Women's International Religious Fellowship will sponsor a bazaar
on Saturday, November 3, at Nineteenth Street Baptist Church, 4606
Sixteenth Street, NW, from 11:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. All proceeds are donated
to Children's Charities in participating countries. International
crafts, foods and entertainment will be featured. Come out for an
interesting day.
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National Videoconference on Health Disparities
Charlie Baase, cbaase@dcpca.org
A National Video Conference, “Communities In Action: Eliminating
Health Disparities,” will be shown and open to the public in DC on
October 30 from noon to 4:00 p.m. Those interested in attending can
register online at http://bphc.distributedclassroom.org.
The event will be held at George Washington University, 2300 I Street,
NW, Room 117. This site is sponsored by the DC Primary Care Association.
Some key purposes of the videoconference: Profile, learn from and
connect with successful organization level and community level
initiatives to reduce health status disparities; get audience to explore
and take action to adapt, replicate and apply these approaches in
communities and organizations across the nation; sustain the momentum,
learning and progress of the 500+ leaders who participated in the
Communities in Action: Pursuing Better Health for More People for Less
Cost event; expand this movement to others in communities and
organizations who were not able to participate in the June event, the
health center collaboratives, or other events and programs.
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CLASSIFIEDS — FOR SALE
1992 Dodge Grand Caravan. seats 7, including 2 infant seats;
AM/FM/cassette, like-new tires; clean, runs great, though air
conditioner needs repair. 106,000 miles. $2,500 or best offer. Call
726-0587 (evenings) or E-mail to this address.
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CLASSIFIEDS — SPACE
Available in early 2002 at St. Stephen and the Incarnation Episcopal
Church: 4,550 square feet of recently-renovated office and classroom
space. Ten 350-550 sq. ft. rooms are available as is. Rooms are located
in different areas of our three-floor building. Also available daytime
and evening are two large meeting rooms holding 150 and 300 people. St.
Stephen's has been active in civil rights, women's rights, anti-war, and
neighborhood issues for decades. We're looking for new partners to work
for justice and peace in our neighborhood and the world. For more
information, see diagrams and photos on our web site, http://www.saintstephensdc.org/space,
or call Brian Best, Parish Coordinator, at 232-0900. St. Stephen's
Church is located at 1525 Newton Street, NW (at 16th Street) in the
Columbia Heights/Mt. Pleasant neighborhood. Originally posted on DC
METRO by Randi Nordeen, Director of Development, Sojourners, 2401 15th
Street, 328-8842, rnordeen@sojo.net,
http://www.sojo.net.
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CLASSIFIEDS — VOLUNTEERS
Good Shepherd Ministries, Inc.
Kim Montroll, kimmontroll@juno.com
Founded in 1985, Good Shepherd Ministries provides structured
tutoring and mentoring programs for low-income, inner-city youth in the
Adams Morgan neighborhood. Once a week commitments: 1) Mentor a
teenager, focus on reading comprehension, Tuesdays or Thursdays, 6-7:30
p.m. 2) Tutor a 3rd-6th grader, focus on reading, Mondays or Wednesdays,
5:30-6:30 p.m. 3) Tutor a k-2nd grader, focus on reading and math,
Mondays-Thursdays, 4-5:45 p.m.
Contact: Kim I. Montroll, Good Shepherd Ministries, Inc., 1630 Fuller
Street, NW, #105, 20009, 483-5816, kimmontroll@juno.com.
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CLASSIFIEDS — RECOMMENDATIONS
Conversational Salon Recommendation?
Dru Sefton, drusefton@hotmail.com
Anyone know of any interesting local salons out there? Not the kind
for hair cutting, but rather the kind to air cutting views.
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I recommend Backstage, 545 8th St., SE (near Eastern Market),
544-5744.
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I couldn't find the restaurant by doing a search under addresses,
maps, etc. How does one get to it -- specifically after one gets out of
DC?
[I mentioned this restaurant in the last issue of themail. Its web
site is http://www.mnsinc.com/belgique/,
and you probably couldn't find it because its full name is Bistrot
Belgique Gourmande. The web site has a link to a page with driving
directions, as well as a link to a web site on the town of Occoquan, http://www.occoquan.org.
Be sure to call for reservations; as a family-run restaurant its hours
can be erratic. — Gary Imhoff]
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