Draw the Line
Dear Practiced Line-Drawers:
In defending his decision to promote holding the Mike Tyson-Lennox
Lewis fight in DC, Mayor Anthony Williams plaintively said, “It's hard
to know where to draw the line. Where do you draw the line?” In
excusing his practice of directing the vast majority of the city's
neighborhood economic development funds to Community Development
Corporations that are effective only in their corruption, Mayor Williams
said, “Sometimes when you are the mayor, you deal with who is
there.” In the spirit of helpfulness, I have devised a simple,
eight-question, multiple choice quiz to help the clueless Mayor learn
where to draw the line and with whom he should deal. Here it is. If
themail contributors have other questions to add, please send them to
themail.
1) You want to dedicate a new ice skating rink in DC, and you have a
choice of famous skaters to appear at the dedication. Whom do you
choose? a) Michelle Kwan b) Tonya Harding
2) In the midst of an election campaign before you take office, a firm
that does business with the city offers you a “job” that pays tens
of thousands of dollars, just for having lunch. Do you take it? a) yes
b) no
3) You have spent millions of dollars of taxpayer money on a new
baseball stadium, and still can't get a baseball team. You decide to
start a new league of your own. Whom do you get as league commissioner?
a) Stan Musial b) Pete Rose c) Hank Aaron d) Darryl Strawberry (hint:
this question has two right answers, to make it easier for you to guess)
4) Is it legal and right for you to use taxpayer funds and city
employees to promote your position in an election? a) yes b) no
5) Your new baseball league fails, and you decide to bring a new sport
to town to fill the stadium. Which sport do you choose? a) cock fights
b) dog fights c) bull fights d) bear baiting e) gladiator fights f) all
of the above g) none of the above
6) You want to raise money for your political activities, but you want
to keep the donations secret and allow your donors to get tax deductions
for their donations to you. Is it legal and right for your office to
funnel some money through real nonprofit organizations and to invent
nonprofits to accept other donations? a) yes b) no.
7) Should the District of Columbia license Mike Tyson to box here? a)
yes b) no
8) Should you continue your practice of scorning honest citizens
associations and preventing neighborhood economic development, of
wasting taxpayers' money, and squandering city owned land projects to
corrupt Community Development Corporations? a) yes b) no
Mr. Mayor, this is an open book test. If, through hard experience
(harder on the citizens than on you, Mr. Mayor), you have learned the
answers, congratulations. If you still don't know where to draw the
line, find someone in your administration who does, and in the future
depend on his judgment rather than your own. Please.
Gary Imhoff
themail@dcwatch.com
###############
The report on the mayor's fundraising practices is not the only one
that the Inspector General has refused to release: the IG office says it
has yet to close the investigation of illegal retaliation it started 18
months ago, when I lost my job at the DC Department of Health following
my discovery of 200 tons of expired, rat and insect-infested food at the
DC Public Schools food warehouse. Did the IG's investigation uncover
anything embarassing for the DC Department of Health? Does the IG's
failure to release the report have anything to do with the fact that
Government Accountability Project is suing the DC Department of Health
on my behalf?
At the time, four City Councilmembers protested the termination of my
employment, but to no avail. Each time a whistleblower is silenced or
retaliated against with impunity, it makes it all the more difficult for
other employees who uncover public health hazards, mismanagement, and
waste of public funds to come forward. All DC residents stand to lose
when DC government fails to protect its whistleblowers.
###############
Getting with the Mayor’s Program
David Stephens, davidstephens@att.net
You guys whine too much. Why don't we just quit fighting the Mayor's
thoughtful initiatives to bring economic development and luster to our
communities and embrace them as our own? My proposal: let's have the
Logan and Shaw Communities host the Tyson-Lewis match right here in our
neighborhood, at the Garrison Elementary Playground, right behind
Metropolitan Baptist Church. What an attractive marketing package we
could put together:
First of all, the school is public property, so we can give it to the
fight-promoters free of charge; no pesky rental fees to draw down the
prize money. There's history on our side: remember all those years that
Metro Baptist used the playground as a parking lot, with no fee? Second,
speaking of parking, there's plenty of it, as long as we don't host it
on Sunday, Wednesday, or Saturday nights, when Metro Baptist “takes
back the street.” Perhaps we can get Reverend Hicks to put out those
nice “Reserved Parking” stanchions up and down the block as the
Church does on a regular basis, so VIPs like the Mayor get a close-in
spot. Plenty of ticket-free, double-parking also available on 11th
Street and Vermont Avenue. Third, the ABC Board has ensured that there
are plentiful Class B liquor stores in the neighborhood, available to
sell single beers to all fight-goers and thereby boost city tax coffers.
And when the fight's over, spectators can amble up to U Street and 14th
Street nightclubs (oops, the ABC Board tells me they are restaurants)
and whoop it up until all hours. It will be safe there, because, as you
know, the police are always there late at night anyway, just to make
sure that those tax-producing patrons can make their way through the
3:00 a.m. rush hour. Finally, with all those vacant properties owned by
Development Corporations in and around the fight site, there won't be
any trouble finding available short-term housing for the influx of
visitors for the “Big Fight.”
You see, DC Government has put everything in place for us, if we just
think creatively and use the resources available.
###############
I'd say that the mayor's pandering to Mike Tyson and the title fight
promoters makes him appear to be a cheap 14th Street whore — parading
up and down the city streets in lurid makeup and fishnet hose, selling
his wares to the highest bidder — but that would give the world's
oldest profession a bad name. At least prostitutes try to make an honest
living, which is more than can be said for the shameless pandering of
the mayor and the Boxing Commission. This is about as low as this city's
representatives can go. Bring back Marion Barry. He's beginning to look
like a model of moral rectitude.
What in the world causes people like Anthony Williams to sell
themselves, their integrity, and their soul for money? And what kind of
message does this send to young people? “It's all right to do anything
you wish to do, as long as you pay the District of Columbia enough money
to condone your disgusting actions”?
###############
Mayor Williams Vs. DC Residents Re Tyson
Lyla Winter, calabash02@aol.com
Anything for “mo' money.” If Tyson is allowed to fight here,
maybe he could be billed as “The Biting Rapist” — that would
undoubtedly be a tremendous draw, for all those thousands of tourists
and their millions of dollars, that Mayor Williams is counting on. Since
the Marion Barry fiasco, the nation's capitol has no longer been the
poster city for bad judgment — but it will be again, if Tyson is given
the go-ahead by the Boxing Commission and Mayor Williams.
###############
The Land Grab at DC General Gets Worse
E.A. Purcell, eap1@mindspring.com
St. Coletta's of Greater Washington, a private school for children
and adults with mental retardation, autism and/or multiple disabilities,
has sufficiently mastered the art of congressional intrigue to land a $1
million earmark in the 2002 DC appropriations bill for “expansion”
of its DC operations. Critics of such earmarks, i.e. “pork,”
frequently note that it avoids public scrutiny and circumvents the
competitive bidding for government contracts. Now, it appears St.
Coletta's is also about to benefit from a multimillion dollar land
giveaway that's also taken place without competitive bidding or public
scrutiny.
We don't object to St. Coletta's presence in our community on eastern
Capitol Hill and would welcome St. Coletta's clients, but there's
something troubling about the secret deal the school has cut with
District officials. According to documents distributed by the Office of
Planning at a February 20 public meeting on DC General, St. Coletta's
has been given 4-plus acres at the most desirable location on the site,
right next to the Stadium Armory Metro stop. At previous public meeting
about the DC General land, Office of Planning representatives
emphatically stated that no private entity had any claim on the DC
General property. Planning representatives also stated that private
developers approached them and were all turned away, told that only
later in the process could developers come forward with proposals.
All these behind-the-scene deals raise questions: Why is one private
party allowed to claim the best space at a site on public land, but
other private parties are turned away? Is this lawful? What are the
financial ramifications of this back room deal? Who's paying for what?
The land involved here obviously has great potential value. Using the
amount Girls and Boys Town paid for a 1.6 acres across from the nearby
Potomac Avenue Metro, the lot St. Coletta's is being given would be
worth about $23 million. What would DC taxpayers get for this $23
million giveaway? We estimate that the fair rental value of the 4-plus
acres is approximately $500,000 per year, based on recovering $23
million over a 50-year land lease. But these figures, unfortunately, are
our estimates; the consultants hired for $100,000 by the Office of
Planning have refused to address the issue of what the land at DC
General is worth. Nor have we seen any statement regarding the financial
fitness of St. Coletta's to build, manage and pay a reasonable rent at
the facility they want. But another aspect of the deal is likely: DC
taxpayers will be footing the bill for students attending St. Coletta's.
So how much will St. Coletta's charge for its services?
It is a further irony that the St. Coletta's deal essentially voids
the $100,000 planning process. On Feb. 20, the pricey consultants
insisted on drawing imaginary streets, etc., across the land that has
been earmarked for St. Coletta's. When asked about this contradiction,
they appeared slightly flummoxed. So what's going on? St. Coletta's, we
are told, has drawings of it new facility on the 4-plus acres. Why
hasn't the public been shown these drawings? The public has furthermore
been invited to join in three days of an intense planning “charette”
for the DC General site. But who's going to show up? Right now, the
whole process looks more like a charade.
###############
Police Cars and Intersections
Shaun Snyder, Chevy Chase, shaunsnyder@erols.com
MPD needs to come up with a better policy when it comes to officers
racing to emergencies and using their sirens. I understand the officers
may not want to alert the criminal of their imminent arrival, but they
can't continue risking the safety of others in the process. And if they
hit another car or a person then they can't get to the crime scene at
all. Officers probably think their lights provide sufficient warning to
motorists, but they don't. At the very least, the siren must be used
when approaching an intersection and going through it -- and I don't
mean a few toots.
If anyone knows of any policy regarding this issue I'd love to hear
it. I've also wondered if there could be a sensor on the police car that
would turn all lights red at the intersection the squad car is
approaching. It is the 21st century after all.
###############
Refinancing in DC
Jon Desenberg, NW, JonDes@hotmail.com
Has anyone else experienced the following? A call to a bank or
mortgage company seems to be going well, then suddenly the evil question
comes up, “What state do you live in?” Suddenly, an excellent credit
record, a huge down payment and anything else no longer matters. “I'm
sorry, we don't do business in DC.”
Forget that incredibly low home equity loan or refinancing rate. Even
with the DC Council changing laws to help prevent this, i have a feeling
we are never going to get some of the deals everyone else gets. This
costs us all thousands and probably millions of dollars. What can we do?
###############
A friend of mine, who owns a condo in DC that is currently rented out
(he's away in graduate school), says that he has been getting
communications from the DC Department of Revenue stating that he is
required to register and pay some sort of non-franchise business tax on
the rental income. (He owns the condo as an individual, and reports the
rental income on his Federal and state tax returns and pays income tax
on the net profit, which is nominal.)
Especially since he is paying DC income tax on the income already,
this seems unlikely, but it's not inconceivable. Since I am in the same
situation, I'd like to get it clarified. I do remember filing some sort
of paper when I first converted the unit to a rental, probably with a
nominal fee involved, but no one ever mentioned any sort of business
registration or tax. Before I tackle the DOR, can anyone comment?
###############
Aliens in the District of Columbia
Mark David Richards, Dupont East, mark@bisconti.com
DC’s quest to be treated equal to citizens who live in states has
been an intergenerational project. Starting just after its formation, DC
has requested a republican form of government, described as a
Territorial government, which it pointed out early and often was
guaranteed by the Constitution to every State and granted to
Territories. This was one of its demands, along with the right to sue
and to have federal representation, which fell into the larger category
of “equal to citizens who live in States.” At the time, the courts
of Virginia had “adopted the broad principle, that the citizens of the
District of Columbia must be regarded as aliens in relation to every
other state of our Union.” These issues were outlined in a report
prepared by the Citizens of Washington on the 24th October 1822. These
manuscripts are protected in the National Archives. In a report prepared
by a Committee of Twelve appointed “pursuant to a resolution of a
meeting of the Inhabitants of the City of Washington,” the Committee
said it was not “expressing a desire to withdraw from the paternal
rule of the Congress.” However, it wrote, “The committee confess
that they can discover but two modes in which the desired relief can be
afforded, either by the establishment of a territorial government,
suited to their present condition and population, and restoring them, in
every part of the nation to the equal rights enjoyed by the citizens of
the other portions of the United States, or by a retrocession to the
states of Virginia and Maryland, of the respective parts of the District
which were originally ceded by those states to form it.” Washington
City residents were not interested in retrocession, however.
Three years later on December 28, 1825 a Committee of Thirteen
(perhaps the same one with an added member, I am not certain) appointed
“to take such measures as might appear to them best calculated to
promote the objects of a Memorial presented to the Congress of the
United States on behalf of the people of the District of Columbia,
praying for an amelioration of their civil and political condition,”
sent a ten-page beautifully scripted Memorial to Congress. Congress at
that time paid for DC’s judicial functions, but DC residents
calculated that the revenues lost from federal exemptions would be the
sum needed to pay for a whole Territorial government, and they felt they
should be treated at least as well as Territories. Their efforts during
the last two sessions of Congress, they wrote, had “proved abortive;
though a committee of the House of Representatives reported a bill in
favor of the measure.” They explained that Congress had its attention
“diverted” from everything except “those annual laws which were
indispensable to sustain the government in all its departments” thanks
to “ardent contests springing from the presidential election.” And
so the difficulty of getting Congressional attention on fundamental DC
issues was established long ago.
The Committee wrote, “Though it may be said that none of the States
tax, (or ask from Congress an equivalent for the exemption of any of the
property within it, bought by, and improved by, the United States for
public purposes, it may be observed that almost all this property has
been bought, and is now occupied and used for military objects, and for
the military defense [sic] of the Nation, and that each property in
comparison with the extent of the smallest State, form but an atom on
its surface; and that the defense [sic] and protection afforded by these
establishments within it, give to such State a full equivalent for their
exemption from taxation. But this cannot be said with regard to the
district [sic] of Columbia. . . . [T]he value of the property held by
the United States in that small District, in comparison with the value
of all the land, buildings, and other property within it, cannot be less
than one fourth of the whole, and it is known that the fourth
contributes not one cent to any local object.” The Memorialists said
that General Washington had secured the land from local proprietors for
the national seat of government without having to bill the national
treasury. They also noted that the federal government had given the
newly acquired territories “one thirty-sixth part of the soil in
perpetuity for the maintenance of education.” They wrote, “It is to
be observed that Congress already expends annually twenty seven thousand
dollars to maintain the present judiciary system in it. Can they then
hesitate to add to this sum annually thirteen thousand more to give the
District a government as free as that of Arkansaw [sic]? If that be too
free — then one as free as that of Michigan, or of Florida? . . . Mr.
Madison has said — 'that a municipal Legislature derived from their
own suffrages will, of course, be allowed them.' This committee will
conclude with observing that the Constitution guarantees to every State
'a republican form of government —' does not this imply that Congress
ought to give to every territory as far as may be practicable a similar
form of Government?” And so the Memorials, and petitions, went. In
2002, though DC has gained the right to sue and the right to a limited
Home Rule government, DC citizens are some ways still aliens indeed. And
Congress is still too busy to listen. (Kudos to Ida Brudnick of the
Center for Legislative Archives of the National Archives for her kind
and intelligent assistance in identifying original documents for me. She
is an excellent example of the way good government functions.)
###############
Unlike Ms. Brizill (2/17), I applaud Mayor Williams for nominating
three new members for the Taxicab Commission who share his preference
for a universally accepted metered taxi fare system instead of DC's
weird and antiquated zoned fare system. In this case, “stacking the
deck” is little more than the exercise of limited mayoral prerogatives
to stimulate a long-overdue shift in this largely dysfunctional
commission. Who better to consult than the hotel and tourism industry?
He would get the same answer from any professional group interested in
the global stature and economic growth of its national capital city. DC
surely doesn't need the additional national embarrassment of being out
of step with the practices of virtually all the major cities of the
civilized world. Why not focus on DC's more serious root problems and
quit belittling the mayor for trying to rid Washington, DC, of its
Hidden Agenda Hack Companies?
###############
The Role of DC Council Members
Alan Schwartz, arsdc@yahoo.com
The recent exchanges about constituent service assume that everyone
agrees that it is the role of each Council Member to provide assistance
to constituents — in sorting through the bureaucracy and getting
deserved city services to make the DC government more responsive. I
personally subscribe to this view. I am not sure Kathy Patterson does,
however.
When I have complained to her (and I have repeatedly) about her
failure to stick up for my block or my ward (3), I have gotten either
silence or an explanation that she spends her time dealing with the big
issues affecting the city as a whole. So helping get my street repaved
is not her job. Helping to get my street plowed is not her job. Helping
to get alley lights fixed is not her job. Keeping the Chevy Chase
neighborhood intact as a community and not split between two different
wards is not her job either. Some of us who resisted splitting Chevy
Chase between Ward 3 and Ward 4 are rethinking their position. Maybe we
would have all been better off in Ward 4.
Now that Kathy Patterson has, through redistricting, given herself a
less diverse and richer demographic base, the related topic is term
limits. But I will save that for another day.
###############
Councilmember’s Responsiveness to
Constituents
Renee Schwager, renee508@yahoo.com
Well, since Wards 1 and 4 have chimed in, let me give you my
assessment of and gratitude to Ward 2 Councilmember Jack Evans' staff.
I've know Jack and his staff since his first term of office, and I'm
very pleased to say that my experiences with Jack's staff continue to be
easy, efficient, effective, and pleasant.
Just recently, Jack's office celebrated (with certain sadness) the
departure of June Hirsch, his constituent services coordinator, who
recently moved back home to NYC. What a loss for us in Ward 2, but I
know Jack's replacement (whose name I've forgotten . . . sorry) will
provide the same effective and pleasant service that June did. I mention
June's departure as a way to not just thank her for her solid work for
the constituents of Ward 2 but to mention the depth of the service that
Jack's staff offer and the warmth that the office provides Ward 2
constituents. Of course, Jack also is very quick to respond to E-mails
and phone calls, and for that I'm grateful; but I am more grateful that
because of his staff I don't have to speak to Jack each time there is a
problem. And I always am pleased with the quality service each staff
member I've dealt with has provided.
So the tribute I make is to the staff in the Ward 2 Councilmember's
office because that is a tribute to Jack Evans and his ability to find
and value staff that provide effective services while still being kind
and pleasant.
###############
Time to Privatize
Ed T. Barron, edtb@aol.com
The District is spending more than thirty percent of the school
education budget on Special Education. This rip off has been promoted by
legal leaches and others who want to bleed the school system dry for
their own benefit. No one in the school system or the District is in
control of the situation, and the non-special education students and the
taxpayers get ripped off. Mayor Williams has talked about privatizing
some of the District's Services. He has taken that step with regard to
health care for the uninsured District residents and that appears to be
quite successful.
It is timely to put Special Education in the hands of a private
organized and well managed organization that can take some of the unused
District facilitates and to convert them into places where special
education students, those truly in need of special programs, can be
educated. Let's stop spending $250K for a student to attend a school in
Vermont and spend far less while spending that money right here in the
District, and collecting some taxes, too.
###############
I have to protest yet again for Mr. Barron's baseless assertions
about teacher's unions being at the root of all problems in education.
Without statistical, anecdotal, or any other evidence at all, he
proclaims with certainty that all problems in education are the result
of “unreasonable” regulations put in place by unions. It's as
offensive as it is absurd. I ask Mr. Barron to provide any evidence to
support his claim. On the contrary, there is a mountain of evidence to
suggest that most individuals that would otherwise make excellent
teachers stay away because of at least three factors: low pay, low
prestige, and terrible working conditions (long hours, overcrowded
classes, old/missing/broken equipment, etc.). It is a testament to the
men and women who choose to teach under these circumstances that they
persevere and succeed as well as they do.
Do we need more and better qualified teachers? Absolutely. But as
long as college graduates can expect to earn (under worse working
conditions) a fraction of what they could make in other fields such as
the technology sector or financial services, we'll never have as many
qualified teachers as we need. And one thing on which you can count is
that teachers unions will lead the fight for higher pay and better
working conditions. The solution? There isn't an easy one, but reducing
the city bureaucracy (over which teachers unions have no control), and
improving budget oversight (I refer readers to the recent Post article
highlighting how unscrupulous individuals have abused the special
education system to make millions) are a good start. Bashing unions is
not a solution, it's a cop out.
###############
Auto Registration
Mark Eckenwiler, eck@ingot.org
Paul Pellerin recently wrote to comment on the seeming absurdity of
the fees listed in his reregistration notice ($55/1 year, or $135/2
years). I believe he is overlooking the fact that inspections (fee: $25)
are required only every two years, and that the inspection fee is
included in the 2-year registration cost.
###############
BJ Series License Plates
Shaun Snyder, Chevy Chase, shaunsnyder@erols.com
I finally saw my first BJ-xxxx series license plate. As I suspected
they have the District government's web site as the motto rather than
Taxation Without Representation, similar to the BB-xxxx series tags.
I've never understood why someone would object to the Taxation motto.
It's hardly a political message, it's a fact!
###############
A mystery solved. Coming home today I was at a red light behind a car
with a BJ plate. It was a www.washingtondc.gov
plate. not a Taxation Without Representation plate. So the BJ series
must be the continuation of the BB series, for those who prefer no
representation.
[In a letter in last Thursday's District Weekly section of the Post,
Paul Curry wrote that a clerk at the DMV told him that only
“taxation without representation” license plates were available, and
that there was no other choice. The Post's editor's note says
that the official policy of the DMV is not to inform residents that
there is another choice, to tell residents who ask for a different plate
motto that “taxation without representation” is the “official”
plate, and to admit to and supply the plate with the web site motto only
if the driver absolutely refuses the “taxation without
representation” plate. Bullying and dishonesty by the government when
issuing license plates is enough to encourage me to insist on the
alternative. — Gary Imhoff]
###############
Reading the complaint about people feeding pigeons reminded me of an
interesting experience last year. One day I noticed a lot of feathers
near my bird feeder. I assumed that the neighbor's cat had caught a
bird, but then I noticed that they were pigeon feathers and a cat was
not likely to get a pigeon, and if it did, it surely would not be able
to eat the whole thing. Over the course of several weeks, there was
evidence of more pigeon kills. Then one day I was in my front yard and
heard a big commotion in my neighbor's yard. A peregrine falcon had just
caught a pigeon. The next day, the falcon caught and devoured a squirrel
from my yard. So the solution to the pigeon problem is to encourage the
nesting of peregrine falcons.
###############
Pigeon Problem Solution
Joan K. Veres, jveres@erols.com
There is a church in SE that had pigeons nesting at the entrance to
the church which really presented a problem especially on Sunday
morning. The pastor came up with a bright idea to keep them away . . .
not the church goers, but the pigeons. He had some artificial snakes
hoisted up to the roof where the pigeons nested and they disappeared. I
use rubber snakes in my garden to keep the birds from my tomato plants.
I put one snake on each cage . . . they can be purchased at K-Mart for
$1.00 apiece. Good luck!
###############
CLASSIFIEDS — EVENTS
The DC Sports and Entertainment Commission has proposed building a
new baseball stadium in DC Big developers want it downtown. Mayor
Anthony Williams says he supports it and has offered $200 million in
taxpayer dollars. But, can the city afford it? How would our
neighborhoods be affected?
The Ward 2 Democrats and the DC Federation of Citizens Associations
will sponsor a panel discussion, “Fields and Dreams: Would a New
Downtown Baseball Stadium Be a Welcome Boon or a Major League
Boondoggle?” Panelists will include Bobby Goldwater of the DC Sports
and Entertainment Commission, Jim Nathanson of the Committee of 100 for
the Federal City, and Dennis Zimmerman of the Congressional Budget
Office. The meeting will begin at 7:00 p.m. at the Great Hall, Sumner
School Museum, 17th and M Streets, NW. For more information, contact the
Ward 2 Democrats at 789-7864.
###############
DCBaseball.org Fundraiser
John Vocino, VocinoJ@gao.gov
Here's an idea for something to do on Wednesday night, March 6th:
come to our DCbaseball.org fundraiser at Habana Village, 1834 Columbia
Road, NW, 462-6310. Event starts at 9:30 p.m. The event will help
support our 18+ teams, the Anacostia Mariners and DC Dukes, which
provide DC's young men the opportunity to play ball during the summers,
as well as our work with youths in the Columbia Heights, East Capitol
Hill and East of the River neighborhoods. There will be a $5 cover.
Includes complimentary Cuban buffet (appetizers), drink specials: $3.00
beers, margaritas, and Cuba Libres (that's “Rum & Coke” for us
Norte Americanos). Also featuring: live Cuban folk trio
(guitar/bongos/harp) on the main level, and a DJ spinning Afro-Cuban
tunes for salsa dancing on the 2nd floor (salsa lessons available at an
additional cost).
DCbaseball.org is organized to revive the game of baseball for DC's
youths, teens, and amateurs. We are also working to create opportunities
for women's fast pitch softball for the city's youths. Our goals are to
(1) increase opportunities to participate, especially during the summer,
(2) improve relationships among and between city agencies as well as the
city's neighborhoods and the business community, and (3) improve both
the physical and human infrastructures for the game (such as ball
fields, coaches and role models). Hope you and all your friends can join
us.
###############
Film Screening
Jason Ziedenberg, jzdc@cjcj.org
Please join us next Tuesday, February 26, at 6:30 p.m., for a free
special film screening and discussion of powerful youth justice
movements that are taking place around the country to end abuses in
youth jails, close dangerous youth prisons, and abolish racial
unfairness and over-incarceration in the juvenile justice system. After
the film screening, youth and parents will discuss their grassroots
campaigns for juvenile justice reform, and the audience will learn how
to get involved in local efforts for youth justice.
The screening will be at the True Reformer Building, 1200 U Street,
NW, Green Line U St./Cardozo Metro stop. See http://www.buildingblocksforyouth.org
for more details.
###############
CLASSIFIEDS — FOR AND AGAINST
We Want Mike Tyson Fight K.-O.’D
Alpha Estes Brown, alphabrown@aol.com
[Rev. Brown is circulating this petition among ministers and in
churches in DC.] We the undersigned persons of faith in Jesus Christ and
of nonviolence respectfully request that the proposed fight between Mike
Tyson and Lennox Lewis be denied licensure in this our Nation's Capital.
At this point in his life, Mr. Michael Tyson exemplifies unacceptable
self-restraint and violence against women and men. We wish Mr. Tyson
success in changing his life for the good inside and outside of the ring
but see it a critical priority to oppose this matter for the sake of our
children.
###############
Lewis Tyson Fight Means Business for
L.S.D.B.E.’S
Wayne “Peterbug” Brown, Special Events Coordinator, ccadadc@aol.com
The Lewis Tyson MCI Fight will mean tens of millions in contracts and
business for Local Small Disadvantaged Business Enterprises, and Global
AHJ Group is working to ensure DC based L.S.D.B.E.'s are involved in
this lucrative project. We had the honor of providing consulting
services to the NBA All Star Jam in 2001. The Fight has the support of a
majority of L.S.D.B.E.'s according to an random survey of certified
business in the city. Former Boxing Champion Alphonso Hatcher has joined
other area boxing trainers and champions in support for Lewis-Tyson in
DC
If you know of an DC based L.S.D.B.E. interested in participating in
the Lewis-Tyson fight contact Global AHJ Group through E-mail only at ahjgroup@earthlink.net.
And if you support Lewis-Tyson contact the Mayor's Office and inform him
of your support.
###############
themail@dcwatch is an E-mail discussion forum that is published every
Wednesday and Sunday. To subscribe, to change E-mail addresses, or to
switch between HTML and plain text versions of themail, use the
subscription form at http://www.dcwatch.com/themail/subscribe.htm.
To unsubscribe, send an E-mail message to themail@dcwatch.com
with “unsubscribe” in the subject line. Archives of past messages
are available at http://www.dcwatch.com/themail.
All postings should also be submitted to themail@dcwatch.com,
and should be about life, government, or politics in the District of
Columbia in one way or another. All postings must be signed in order to
be printed, and messages should be reasonably short — one or two brief
paragraphs would be ideal — so that as many messages as possible can
be put into each mailing.
