Persuasive Cases
Dear Case Workers:
Many people make persuasive cases in this issue of themail, but I
particularly want to point out Rob Fleming's message arguing against
Initiative 62. It's a long piece, so only the first three paragraphs are
being sent by E-mail. The remainder is online; if you're interested in
this subject, I'd encourage you to read and consider it. As I wrote in
the last issue, the arguments for and against this Initiative have been
ignored by the press; Fleming's article is a good statement of the case
against.
Gary Imhoff
themail@dcwatch.com
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Disgust
Vivian Henderson, 1886@aol.com
Perhaps people are not writing about the upcoming elections because
they are overwhelmed with disgust with the current administration. The
light in my alley has been out since August, I have reported it and
reported it, etc., etc., it remains pitch black in the alley. Appealed
to Mayor's office. He has no more influence than I, because the light is
still out. Have appealed to Fenty for help (recently); will see what
happens. It is bigger than those mentioned, I am switching to a new
party, Republican; can't wait to vote for Carol Schwartz perhaps her
party will pay attention to the needs of the taxpayers in this city. I
have lived here for 42 years, and never have I witnessed such a blatant
disregard for the needs of the public.
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Just two comments on a couple of submissions in Sunday night's
themail: In “Tired of Tony Williams's Lies, Scandals, and Broken
Promises” Mr. Goldstein suggests not sitting out the election, and
sending a Message to “Million Dollar Tony” by writing in former DC
Democratic State Committeeman Arthur Jackson for Mayor. While it is
always a good idea to exercise your right to vote, I would suggest a
more effective protest would be to join the thousands of other Democrats
for Carol and vote for her. At worst, you might prevent Williams from
getting a mandate; at best, you can send him packing to his next job,
which will probably be in another city.
2) Reading Kemry Hughes’s comment in “Political Animal Mimicry”
that “Catania posters came out after the Kinlow posters” made me
laugh, since the Catania posters are the same basic design from the
Catania '97 and '98 campaigns. While I agree with Hughes that “maybe
both candidates see value in the DC flag,” I also know that mimicry is
a form of flattery and that Catania’s campaign should not feel
slighted, but rather be flattered.
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How to Keep DC Spending Down
Susan Ousley, slousley@aol.com
Here's an idea. Don't let anyone who uses Medicaid — even children
with long-term, well-documented, lifelong, chronic illnesses -- have
prescriptions good for more than three months. Since so many doctors now
won't even take Medicaid patients, it will take poor people much, much
longer to get to the remaining doctors to get new prescriptions.
Besides, those who are well enough to work won't have enough paid leave
to make frequent appointments. Bingo! Automatic savings. And maybe some
patients will even die or go into acute crises before they can get the
meds they need.
Oh, wait a minute, DC is already doing this.
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A wolf in sheep’s clothing will appear on the November ballot in
DC. Claiming to be an initiative to mandate treatment instead of jail
for low-level drug offenders, it really tries to legalize some drugs.
Treatment instead of jail is a good idea for people whose only offense
is possessing or using small amounts of drugs, but DC already has two
drug courts that can divert offenders into treatment instead of sending
them to jail and can clear their records if they successfully complete
treatment. It’s cheaper and more effective than jail, and recognizes
that addiction is a treatable disease. Actually, Initiative 62 would
apply to repeat offenders and probation-violators, including those on
probation for crimes like burglary, arson, child sex abuse, and other
crimes. It would forbid incarceration for those diverted to treatment,
even if they did not follow their treatment plan.
But voters won’t know that, because the Short Title and Summary
Statement that will appear on the ballot says treatment instead of jail
for certain nonviolent offenders. Only when you read the full text of
the Initiative do you learn that only the first or second violation
after the law goes into effect on October 1, 2003, is counted to
determine who is eligible. The definition of “violent” is much
narrower than the definition in the DC Code. Further, it bans any jail
time, even if the offender does not go into treatment immediately or
violates the terms of the court-approved treatment plan. In effect, this
is a Get-Out-of-Jail-Free card that could be given to some really bad
people.
Initiative 62 was brought to DC by the same people who got similar
initiatives passed in Arizona and California and are seeking passage in
Ohio and Florida. There, it was coupled with legalization of marijuana
for medical purposes, but that was banned by Congressional action in DC,
so it was proposed separately here. The DC Campaign for Treatment is
well-funded and well-organized, with paid canvassers from an
out-of-state firm collecting signatures at community events and shopping
centers, but does not appear to have strong local ties. The Initiative
shows an ignorance of local conditions and concerns, but does appear to
be an attempt to make the issue of diversion to treatment visible right
under the noses of the US Congress.
The Initiative really gives nothing to the people it purports to
help. No one is prosecuted for using drugs in DC. Even those arrested
for possession have to have more drugs than could reasonably be
considered for personal use (The US Attorney won’t say how much, but
MPD officers say they can’t get a case to trial for fewer than twenty
bags of dope). They seldom get jail time on a first or second offense.
DC already has two drug courts that are expanding their capacity.
DC already promises treatment on demand, fitted to the needs of the
individual patient, through the Choice in Drug Treatment Act. When it
passed, the Council thought they had appropriated an extra $10 million
for treatment, but the Williams administration saw this as an
“earmark” and took the money out of contracts for treatment
services. While everyone agrees that treatment is underfunded, the
initiative does nothing to change that. DC already has the seventh worst
treatment gap in the country, but funds cannot be appropriated by
initiative in the District. So passage of the Initiative would strain a
treatment system that already serves clients from the courts or will
require additional appropriations for the 2004 fiscal year. The DC
Corporation Counsel has filed suit to block implementation of the
Initiative if passed because it would require additional funds,
something only the City Council can do.
Further, alcohol abuse is a much bigger problem in DC than drug
abuse, costing an estimated $700 million and putting 28,500 people in
need of treatment. Drugs cost the city $500 million, with 10,100 needing
treatment for marijuana, 7,400 for cocaine, and 2,400 for heroin. These
figures come from the 2000 DC Household Survey, which did not count the
homeless, people in jail, or those living in college dorms, all known to
be high-use populations. But the Initiative does not include treatment
for DUI offenses. It also, because of Congressional concerns, does not
mandate treatment for Class I narcotics (those with great potential for
abuse but no medical application, like Ecstasy and PCP). It does require
continued methadone treatment for heroin addicts jailed for other
crimes, but does not mandate treatment in jail for marijuana offenders.
The initiative would ban any incarceration, even for those who don’t
comply with the conditions of their diversion to treatment. Without that
threat, treatment will be less effective. Nevertheless, people can be
diverted into treatment without being addicted, and their records could
be expunged even if they do not complete treatment.
The people of DC are sympathetic on this issue. Almost half reported
using an illegal drug at some point in their lives on the Household
Survey. Many know people who use illegal drugs. Canvassers reported
little difficulty in getting people to sign the petitions with the
misleading title and summary. The City Council and DC Metropolitan
Police support more treatment and less jail. The Campaign plays on this
sympathy with tales of children who will be placed in foster homes if
their parents are sent to prison in Ohio. But this sympathy will be
abused if voters are asked to approve an initiative that does far more,
and far worse, than they are led to expect by the description on the
ballot.
In summary, the Initiative would create a poorly constructed law that
would do little for the low-level, nonviolent offenders described on the
ballot, but potentially do a lot for some really bad people. While it
does not legalizes drugs, it removes most of the penalties for using
them. Passage of Initiative 62 will make a bad law. (The DC Campaign for
Treatment has a web site at www.Dcmeasure62.com. The full text of
Initiative 62 is available at http://www.RecoveryWorks.org/Initiative62
and http://www.dcwatch.com/election/init062.htm.)
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Scrutiny and Controversy
Shaun Snyder, Chevy Chase, shaunsnyder@starpower.net
I lifted this from the NBC4 web site. This is a quote from Mayor
Anthony Williams [in response to Carol Schwartz's debate comment that,
“It's without question that this mayor has ethical problems”]: “I
actually believe that I have been exposed to more scrutiny [and] exposed
to more controversy . . . because of the kind of people I brought into
this government. . . .”
He's got that right. Let's not forget Ronnie Few, Valerie Holt,
Robert Newman, Vanessa Dale Burns, et al. The mayor deserves the credit
for bringing them into the government!
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Tax on Tax-Free Municipal Bonds
Zinnia, cmszinnia@cs.com
I haven't noticed any discussion about the City Council's underhanded
new proposed tax on tax free municipal bonds from other jurisdictions to
take effect in tax year 2003. This proposal went through the City
Council without any opportunity for people to make comments.
It is a particularly stupid move. It impacts most heavily on those of
us who are retired. We are by and large model citizens. We pay taxes,
vote, often have our own health insurance, don't generally use a lot of
city services. Suddenly decreasing a portion of our fixed or dwindling
incomes by 9.3 percent is a real financial blow. I would have bought DC
bonds, but no one in their right minds buys them. The city even has to
insure them to sell them at all.
I am urging every one young (think ahead a few years) and old to
write to your councilmember and all the at-large members to ask them to
repeal this law before the city loses middle class citizens.
[Councilmember Jack Evans has introduced a bill to repeal this new
tax. It is not yet available from Legislative Services or online, but
I'll give more information about it when it is available. — Gary
Imhoff]
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Partisan Organizations in Public Space
Paul Dionne, PDionne at speakeasy net
Am I the only one concerned that partisan organizations are using
government office space at Judiciary Square free of charge for endorsing
political candidates (as advertised in themail, October 13)? Who is
sponsoring them? Is this legal? Is this fair to those partisan
organizations that pay for their meeting spaces?
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Brief notes from one of the many omitters, using your item numbers:
1) Despite all her strengths, Carol Schwartz's candidacy is (perhaps
unfortunately) a complete nonstarter owing to its own very late start
and the realities of party affiliation in Washington, as febrile as that
may be. It becomes somewhat irrelevant that I am considering voting for
her myself. While Tony Williams may be imperfect, he clearly does want
the job and has performed it far better than any of his recent
predecessors. Neither can be said of Ms. Schwartz. 2) I pass. 3) The
less said in themail about the sniper situation the better. The
electronic and print media have been having a field day on the subject,
and providing a great deal of valuable information if one takes the time
to glean the new information from the sensationalist repetitions and
alarmist hype. None of your readers is oblivious to the dangers
involved, or needs to be reminded to keep her or his head down from yet
one more source. After all, we don't read our E-mail while pumping gas.
I found your reference to security details to be gratuitous at best.
Couldn't your keyboard time have been better spent indicating to readers
which of the various initiatives to provide support to victims' families
is the least likely to siphon funds into a bottomless pit?
4) Frank Rich's put-down of the District is nothing but a
recapitulation of the Manhattan-centric world view so cleverly displayed
years ago on the cover of the New Yorker. Sadly, it isn't good enough to
merit a flood of humorous ripostes (though Mr. Eckenwiler's is quite
good). The New-York-is-the-center-of-the-universe world view is old
news, sadly. Very old. There's the old saw that says that people vote
with their feet (don't try this at home). DC's population is on the
rise. Enough said.
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Residential Parking
John Whiteside, johnwhiteside at earthlink dot net
Jack McKay is right that there are problems with the residential
permit system, but it isn't that residents with stickers get special
parking rights at night. The system needs a ground-up overhaul. I would
suggest using Boston's as a model, because it worked much better. The
city was divided into neighborhoods which were different from the city
council districts. If you were in a neighborhood with permit parking
areas, you could have a sticker, regardless of how your particular
street was zoned. Most permit parking areas were residents-only, twenty
four hours a day, seven days a week. A much smaller number were metered
or two-hour limits by day, but became residents-only at 6 p.m.
Generally, if a street was zoned for permit parking, there would be a
small section at the end marked for visitor parking, two-hour limit
during weekdays from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Crowded neighborhoods would be
almost entirely resident parking on side streets and a mix of resident
and meters on main streets. This is much tougher on visitors than our
system; it was nice to have the permit restrictions in effect at night,
when most residents are actually home and need to park. There were no
temporary visitor permits; that's one thing about DC's system which is
helpful.
This use of small permit areas kept parking problems from flowing
into neighboring areas. I lived in the South End, where parking was
tough, half a block from the Back Bay, where parking was impossible.
With a DC-style system, my neighborhood would have been filled with Back
Bay residents parking a few blocks from home because there was nothing
closer; instead, Back Bay parking issues stayed in the Back Bay (and if
you were foolish enough to move there with a car and no parking spot,
that was your own problem). Extending the restrictions into the night
kept people from registering cars in New Hampshire to avoid
Massachusetts insurance and excise taxes (which fund road work there).
Without that sticker, you were out of luck. And permits were free of
charge to residents; you just had to prove your Boston residency with
your registration and a recent bill, and you got a sticker. (And they
were attractive — each year they featured a different illustration of
a city scene.)
###############
Mr. McKay must have missed the City Council hearing that went until
almost 7:30 p.m. on the issue of RPP parking. Citizens came forward with
many thoughtful issues and ideas, and there is a Mayoral task force on
parking in the works now. Suggestions that we look at other boundaries
beside Ward boundaries were suggested. However, as one of Mr. Graham's
staff that advises people to get RPP parking, I would note a few things:
1) That is what we have in the law now. So that is where I send
people. It may have been initially designed for out-of-city commuters
but also is effective for within-city commuters to a degree. 2)
According to the former PSA Lieutenant for Mt. Pleasant, there are about
300 cars registered out of state that belong to folks who live in Mt.
Pleasant. 3) There is now the ROSA task force working evenings geared
toward targeting those cars and getting them registered in DC. 4) It is
a simple process to get your block zoned RPP. The problems folks have
run into is blocks where there are a large number of out-of-state cars
and apartment buildings. Both of those can be dealt with, the first one
administratively with DDOT, and the second we have helped with.
RPP is not perfect but until something better comes along it is what
we have to deal with out of state and out of ward plates on our street.
###############
Living through a Global Whirlwind
Mark David Richards, Dupont East, mark@bisconti.com
Historian Constance McLaughlin Green said that during the years
approaching the Civil War, among residents of DC, “the fiercer the
storm blew roundabout, the greater the quiet at the center.” Today, we
are citizens of a united and the only remaining hyper-super-power,
living in a world convulsion. There are so many national and
International issues to think about that I am not surprised at the
apparent difficulty we find focusing on local politics. Gloom is in the
air, and this makes us tender in some ways. Stability is meaningful. We
live daily with the knowledge that innocent individuals in our region
are being picked off and murdered one by one. Our nonvoting delegate,
Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, along with other regional voting
representatives, was on CNN tonight to discuss the impact of the sniper
on our regional. Between 9-11 and the sniper, our region is coordinating
more than ever. Our national leaders are talking immanent war, and most
of the world wants the US to slow down and think this through. There is
less tolerance for dissent, yet there is much disparity in our opinions
about how our nation should behave. As always, DC is not part of the
national discussions in a way that counts in Congress. This is an
emotional time. What are we to make of everything we are seeing and
reading and hearing? How are we to analyze the quantitative with the
qualitative and find a sense of what is happening? Indeed, it is
difficult to think about local politics in an environment where one gets
the impression that it might be nice to just get off the merry-go-round.
Perhaps one of the reasons that DC has had such a hard time making its
case for equal political rights for the last century is that DC is at
the center of world events, where local events get lost in a global
whirlwind. But we can't be completely distracted from our local quality
of life and the very important aspect of quality of governance.
###############
Tom Berry is absolutely incorrect when he says that there is no one
issue motivating protesters. The common denominator is social justice.
The policies of injustice that have come to infect every aspect of
policy are primarily the result of the corporate purchase of our
democracy. That there are so many issues indicates the extent of the
problem, stemming from greed, and leading to war. Please look for a
moment at the American flag; it is a symbol of our unity. The flagpole
then becomes a symbol of that around which we unify, i.e., the central
organizing principle, the common denominator. Look at the finial
adorning the top of the flagpole. If it is a cross what does that
indicate the central organizing principle might be? If it is the
Imperial Roman Eagle, a spear point or a cannonball, what then? How
about a dove, the blue/green planet, or a sheaf of wheat? Those are the
symbols proposed by Americans for Social Justice, for whom the central
organizing principle of the movement begun in Seattle, which continues
without pause and with gaining influence, is social justice itself. (I'd
rather see a pink flamingo on top of the flagpole than the Imperial
Roman Eagle.)
I respect Tom's suggestion that we question authority. Tom, get down
here in this "mud puddle" right now; all your rationalizing
about your life's experiences leading you away from the dissent you felt
show you to be at heart a principled man. The general welfare has never
been so at risk. You can still do some "do-gooder" things for
the world and live to be proud of your impact.
###############
I found Tom Berry's E-mail amusing for its lack of logic on a number
of points, but rather than respond to all of them, I'm just going to
bring up the one that irritates me the most. I hear this all the time
from people: “Unlike the Vietnam War, there is no single reason to
protest. There are disparate groups with a plethora of agendas and
causes who seem to find it convenient to mass together to air their
individual points. There is no unity.” Okay, it may be that the
protesters have not successfully gotten their message across, and
therefore it's difficult for the general public to connect the dots. Or,
more likely, the mainstream media is simply too lazy/bored/uninterested
in any of the causes of the protest to report on them, and instead just
show up looking for the "violence" that they eagerly
anticipate. But these are not disparate groups with a plethora of
unconnected agendas. The causes are all connected, as I can easily
demonstrate. For example, that Saturday I participated in the global
AIDS march that joined up with the World Bank protests near Sylvan
theater. What does global AIDS have to do with the World Bank? Simple.
Developing countries can't afford to devote resources to the huge AIDS
epidemic they're battling because so much of their money is tied up in
debt. They're forced to pay back the money they borrowed from the World
Bank, rather than pour that money into health care. The protesters are
asking the World Bank to absolve the debt, so these countries can focus
on a health crisis. You can debate whether that's sound policy or not,
but at least agree that the issues are related.
###############
I have posted to themail before that I think the MPD handles IMF
protests with a rather heavy hand. More to the point, the IMF/World Bank
has a total team player in Chief Ramsey. I do not believe him for a
moment when he talks about his respect for protesters or for that matter
the rights of DC residents.
I am further intrigued by other readers of themail who say the police
have the right to preventive arrests based on what somebody says they
might do (who? are they there? are others there?) and the supposed lack
of a “single issue.” Preventative arrest is a tactic more commonly
used by despots, tyrants, dictators and others who cling to power by
brute force. And I don't buy the line that, “The police had every
right to peacefully disassemble large groups before the situation turned
nasty.” Surrounding people, telling them to disperse, then blocking
anyone who tries to disperse and then arresting everyone because they
didn't disperse is a perversion of logic. And it is not peaceful.
Peoples' rights in this country are constantly being threatened.
Since September 11, they have been under serious assault. As to “step
in a mud puddle, get dirty,” the road to fascism is a slippery slope.
###############
On salary costs versus contracts in the Mercer contract at the
Department of Health. I apologize! I must not have made my point clear:
the point wasn't that Mercer paid those salaries to their employees, but
that the cost to the District was $161,000 per person. Contracts aren't
cost effective when they are used to provide staff that ought to be
provided by DC employees, because contracts are more expensive than
hiring staff for the very reasons Ms. Kane cited in her E-mail (themail,
October 13).
Contracts versus hiring staff is a government efficiency discussion
that will be ongoing in the upcoming budget discussions. In the recent
budget cutting round, the issue of high contract costs and high salaries
was brought up by Patterson, Schwartz, Cropp and others. The Mercer
contract at the Department of Health is just one example: I am guessing
we are going to hear more about this and DC begins the FY04 budget
debate. Good reminder for me to be very clear in my writing! Thanks for
catching it!
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This is to advise that the October 2002 on-line edition has been
uploaded and may be accessed at http://www.intowner.com.
Included are the lead stories, community news items and crime reports,
editorials (including prior months' archived), restaurant reviews (prior
months' also archived), and the text from the ever-popular “Scenes
from the Past” feature. Also included are all current classified ads.
The complete issue (along with prior issues back to July 2001) also
is available in PDF file format by direct access from our home page at
no charge simply by clicking the link provided. Here you will be able to
view the entire issue as it looks in print, including the new ABC Board
actions report, all photos and advertisements. The next issue will
publish on November 11. The complete PDF version will be posted by early
that Friday morning, following which the text of the lead stories,
community news, and selected features will be uploaded shortly
thereafter.
To read this month's lead stories, simply click the link on the home
page to the following headlines: 1) “Skateboarder on U Street
Assaulted by Aggressive Police Without Warning”; 2) “University's
Dorm Plan Near Dupont Circle Not Welcome, Neighbors Seeking to Nix
Deal”; 3) “Historic House Razing Galvanizes DC to Set Regs Enforcing
Existing Law.”
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CLASSIFIEDS — EVENTS
Please Testify at Antenna Hearing Thursday, October 17
Ann Loikow, johnl@erols.com
As of 3 p.m. on the day before the Zoning Commission's hearing on
revising the antenna regulations, only four citizens (and no one from
the area around the Tenley Tower) have signed up to testify. The hearing
will be on Thursday, October 17, at 6:30 p.m. Please fax (727-6072)
Alberto P. Bastida, Secretary to the Zoning Commission, or E-mail him (alberto.bastida@dc.gov)
that you wish to testify, and if for an organization, what the
organization's name is.
It is very important that citizens participate actively in this
hearing. This is the hearing we requested at the roundtables last year.
The purpose of the hearing to get comments on the Office of Planning's
proposed amendments to the antenna regulations which are basically our
only protection, esthetically and from a public health standpoint, as to
new antennas, antenna towers and monopoles all over the city. Please
participate. For more information, E-mail me or call me at 363-6658.
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Renovators’ House Tour on Capitol Hill to Benefit Local School,
October 19
Mark Eckenwiler, eck at ingot dot org
The Renovators' House Tour is a self-guided walking tour of Capitol
Hill homes featuring creative design and renovation ideas. This year's
tour is slated for Saturday October 19, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., and includes an
1805 house recently renovated under the direction of award-winning
architect Robert Gurney. Also on the tour is a loft space planned by
local architect Eric Jenkins, who won an Inform 2002 award for the
project.
Tickets are available at Trover Books, Grubbs Pharmacy, and Randolph
Cree Salon on Capitol Hill, or by calling 543-0805. All proceeds go to
support Watkins Elementary, a DC Public School within the Capitol Hill
Cluster. For more information, visit http://voiceofthehill.com/Renovators.htm.
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Latin Drums Along the Potomac, October 19
Dorothy Marschak, chime-dc@erols.com
You can beat this! The drums, that is, that Steve Nash will
demonstrate in his program on "Latin Drumming" this coming
Saturday afternoon from 2-3 p.m. at Northeast Public Library, Maryland
Avenue and 7th Streets, NE. In this program sponsored by CHIME
(Community Help In Music Education), Steve will present a live
demonstration of different Latin drumming styles using timbales, bongos,
congas, and campana. He will also show a videotape of different Latin
musical influences, and answer questions from the audience.
This program is the fourth in CHIME’s 2002-2003 Music Around the
World in Your Neighborhood series of twenty-two free programs for all
ages at eleven libraries in all parts of the city. It is the first of
its next group of three programs on music with Hispanic roots,
celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month. Save October 26 for a program with
Coral Cantigas Director Diana Saez on “Songs of Latin America” at
Petworth Public Library and catch Steve again on November 2 at Lamond-Riggs
Library. The series will pick up again in January with units on music
with Asian, African and European roots respectively. The programs
illustrate the connections as well as the differences between the
musical forms and instruments of different cultures, genres and periods.
The series is partially supported by grants from the Humanities
Council of Washington, the IMF and Friends of participating libraries.
We still seek donations to make up the balance of the costs, including
sponsors for taping for TV airing. For a complete schedule of the series
and for more information about CHIME (Community Help In Music
Education), including how to volunteer or donate, visit http://www.chime-dc.org.
You can also contact us at info@chime-dc.org,
or at S232-2731.
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From the Omitted, Candidates Forums
Anne Heutte, heuttea@earthlink.net
I think that since I joined the DC Statehood Party (now the Statehood
Green Party) when Julius Hobson organized it in 1971, I am a reliable
witness to the fact that the DC media have done an excellent job of
keeping us omitted from the political life of this city. So here is how
readers can play catch up: meet us in full color reality at any of the
occasions listed below. And get to know us in our virtual reality at http://www.statehoodgreen.org.
We are a feisty, progressive, colorful bunch of tireless young
enthusiasts and vigorous old-timers, all of us in it for the long haul,
so that, as Julius used to say, we can become a city of free citizens
instead of a Disneyland for the rich. See you at the polls.
Thursday, October 17, 6:30-8:30 p.m., mayoral candidates' forum,
Capitol City Pavilion, 3401 Georgia Avenue, NW, Sponsors: ANC 1A and 1B.
Saturday, October 19, 11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m., at-large council and
mayoral candidates forum, 441 4th Street, NW, outside the Judiciary
Square Metro Stop on the Red Line. Sponsor: Advisory Neighborhood
Commissioners' Assembly.
Monday, October 21, 7:00 p.m., mayoral forum sponsored by Capitol
Hill/Stanton Park Neighborhood Assoc. H Street Theater, 1365 H Street,
NW. Moderator: Tom Sherwood of Channel 4.
Monday, October 21, 6:30 p.m., League of Women Voters sponsors a
forum for candidates for At-Large and Chair of the DC Council. Martin
Luther King Library, Auditorium A.
Tuesday, October 22, 7:00-9:00 p.m., Mt. Pleasant Neighborhood
Alliance candidates' forum for At-Large City Council seats. Moderator:
Tom Sherwood, Channel 4. Mt. Pleasant Library, 3160 16th Street, NW.
Tuesday, October 22, 7:30 p.m., Janney Elementary School, 4130
Albemarle Street, NW, sponsors a Candidates' Forum.
Saturday, November 2, 12:00 p.m., mayoral candidates' forum.
Cleveland Park Library, Connecticut Avenue and Macomb Street, NW.
###############
Stand Up for Democracy Candidates’ Forum, October 23
Karen Szulgit, kaszulgit@ilsr.org
Stand Up for Democracy in DC will sponsor a candidates' forum for DC
statehood delegation, at-large council, and mayoral candidates. The
forum will be held on Wednesday, October 23, at 6:30-8:30 p.m., at the
Martin Luther King, Jr., Memorial Library, Basement Auditorium, Room A5.
The forum will feature a celebrity media panel including Joe Madison,
nationally syndicated talk show host for WOL-1450AM, and Mark Plotkin,
political commentator and analyst for WTOP Radio (1500AM). Moderators
will be Anise Jenkins, Stand Up! president, and Mark David Richards,
sociologist. For more information, contact Anise Jenkins, 232-2500.
###############
Rally for Environmental and Economic Justice, October 24
Parisa Norouzi, dcparisa@aol.com
In commemoration of the 11th anniversary of the First National People
of Color Environmental Leadership Summit, please join us for A People's
Rally for Environmental and Economic Justice United in the Fight Against
Racism, Poison, and Poverty. Hear national and local speakers and
invited elected officials, see exciting cultural performances, get
information and be part of the movement! Thursday, October 24, 6:30-9
p.m., Hyatt Regency Hotel Capitol Hill, 400 New Jersey Avenue, NW.
Join us for an evening rally of the 2nd National People of Color
Environmental Leadership Summit, as we celebrate our work, victories,
lessons and key objectives of the growing environmental and economic
justice movement. At this event we will highlight and unite
environmental justice organizing underway throughout the country with
the ongoing organizing around affordable housing, health care,
education, safe jobs at livable wages and overall economic justice in
Washington, DC and throughout the nation. One goal of this national
event is to provide support for the people of Washington, DC, our host
city. Please come out and represent your community! This event is free
and open to the public. For more information, contact National People of
Color Environmental Leadership Summit Planning Committee and National
Black Environmental Justice Network, http://www.summit2.org,
or call 265-4919 or 833-1333.
###############
“Bowling for Columbine” A Must-See Movie
Sarah Lanning, splanning at yahoo dot com
I just saw the new movie by Michael Moore, “Bowling for
Columbine,” and it is fantastic! It's a highly entertaining
documentary about America's love affair with guns. Michael Moore's
previous movie, “Roger and Me,” took a look at corporate greed at
GM. As we face the prospect of war with Iraq and our home has become a
place where pumping gas can be fatal, the issues he raises in this movie
seem more important than ever. Even if you ultimately don't agree with
his position, it's a very funny and provocative movie that is well worth
seeing. It opened in New York and LA last weekend, it opens in more
cities this weekend (including DC) and will eventually be shown in over
700 movie theaters across the US Please go see this movie.
###############
CLASSIFIEDS — DONATIONS REQUESTED
Food Donations Needed for Families
Art Jackson, Jr., ahjgroup@earthlink.net
We are seeking donations of turkeys and can goods to feed fifty to
one hundred families falling on hard times, in need of someone to care.
If you know of a grocery store or individual who can assist us, E-mail
details today. Donated meals will be distributed to the District
families in mid November.
###############
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