Clarity
Dear Clarifiers:
All right, I understand how perspicuity differs from perspicacity,
but how exactly does perspicacity differ from percipience? Please,
perceptive correspondents, explain it in simple terms so that I can see
it clearly.
By the time most of you have read this, Dorothy and I will be back in
town, but we’ve been in New York for the past several days for her
aunt’s funeral. Being back in New York, where Dorothy was born and
grew up, strengthens our conviction that DC is the place to live. New
York is more stylish? That’s an outdated stereotype. The women on the
street in DC are much more attractive and better dressed. New York has
more culture? Well, it is bigger, so it has more theaters, but our
museums and universities rival NYC’s. New York is the center of
communications? Sure — it reports on the news that is made in
Washington. DC’s drivers are bad? In New York, constantly weaving
between lanes and cutting other drivers short is considered a sign of
driving skill. New York has better ethnic neighborhoods? Well, when
themail’s readers were attending Adams-Morgan Day, Dorothy and I were
at Little Italy’s San Gennaro festival, and San Gennaro isn’t what
it used to be. For every booth offering seafood from Umberto’s Clam
House or desserts from Ferrara’s, there was a booth serving Greek or
Hispanic food. That’s an Italian street festival? Not to mention the
dirt, the rudeness, and so on.
You should be glad I’m writing about the District of Columbia. If I
were writing about New York, I’d really be grouchy.
Gary Imhoff
themail@dcwatch.com
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Another Tenant Emergency
Andrew Willis Garces, willisa@gmail.com
This year Mayor Fenty has been lauded for responding to the crisis in
rental housing administration laid bare by a March 10 Washington Post
expose by Debbie Cenziper. Part of this response has included, in the
last two months, laying off housing inspectors, decreasing the amount of
tenant purchase funding available to low-income tenant associations, and
firing respected rent administrator Grayce Wiggins, who sided with the
Kennedy-Warren tenants against politically connected property manager
Barac Co. earlier this year. The march towards reform continued this
week with the notice that the tenant organizers who worked with Cenziper
for months to document DCRA’s failings will likely be laid off on
October 1, following the Department of Housing and Community Development’s
refusal to renew contracts with the two largest tenant education service
agencies.
This year alone, with funding from DHCD, Housing Counseling Services
and the Latino Economic Development Corporation have provided critical
services to tenants in 163 buildings with more than 13,600 units. At all
of these properties, the tenants are presently at risk of, or have just
recently avoided being displaced and losing the affordability of their
homes. Many have project-based Section 8 contracts, and some are at
critical points in the tenant purchase process. An appeal from HCS
executive director Marian Siegel sent this week reads, in part, “We
are currently working with 115 properties that need support from
attorneys, educators, developers and others as we will no longer have
staff necessary to meet these needs.”
It is inarguable that tenant education and organizing has been the
most effective and probably the cheapest anti-displacement strategy
funded by the city government, particularly in Columbia Heights and
other neighborhoods hit hardest by the housing boom. Tenant rights laws
are, after all, useless if tenants aren’t familiar with them. As a
former District tenant organizer myself, I can attest to the widespread
ignorance of tenant rights among residents of subsidized housing. You
can send comments on this plan to DHCD’s director, the mayor, deputy
mayor, and city council housing committee chair: leila.edmonds@dc.gov,
neil.albert@dc.gov, adrian.fenty@dc.gov,
and mbarry@dccouncil.us. And
please send copies of your E-mails to mariansiegel@housingetc.org
and mhidalgo@ledcdc.org.
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Why Did Carol Schwartz Lose?
Bryce A. Suderow, streetstories@juno.com
Why did Carol Schwartz lose? Was her defeat a continuation of the
revolt that threw Patterson out of office? Or are the younger residents
who moved here in the past few years voting for Mara because he’s
closer to their age than Schwartz? What do people think?
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Teachable Moment for Blind and Visually
Impaired Students
Candi Peterson, saveourcounselors@gmail.com
Approximately one month ago WUSA Channel 9 covered a story about
Denise Hamilton, a teacher who is blind and was fired by the District of
Columbia Public Schools in June 2008. The letter terminating her was not
sent in Braille as required. Ms. Hamilton continues to fight for her job
as a teacher of visually impaired students at Sharpe Health School. She
has filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
and is represented by the Washington Teachers’ Union.
Blind teachers in our DC public school system are treated as badly as
DC students with disabilities. Far too often members of both groups are
not afforded the accommodations they are required under the 504
Rehabilitation Act and the American Disabilities Act. In this case, Ms.
Hamilton’s classification was mistakenly changed by what some describe
as the inept DC central office from a Braille teacher (certified) to a
special education teacher. In response to this challenge, Ms. Hamilton
returned to school to get a second certification in special education.
She even hired her own “reader” to read the praxis test to her and
failed the test by 1 point. Check out the link below as she discusses
the difficulties in completing a test particularly, when everything is
read to you. The million dollar question is whether DCPS will hire her
back and make her whole again. After all, Ms. Hamilton is a certified
Braille teacher and due to no fault of her own was terminated by DCPS
due to human error. In my mind, the real travesty in this situation is
the harm that has been done to our blind and visually impaired students
in DCPS who regard Denise Hamilton as their role model. I salute you,
Ms. Hamilton, and best of luck to you in your challenge on behalf of
your DC students. Check out this link for the full story: http://www.wusa9.com/rss/local_article.aspx?storyid=75229.
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Victory Overseas
Arthur B. Spitzer, ACLU of the National Capital Area,
artspitzer at aol.com
On September 11, the Supreme Court of Guam issued its decision in the
case of Guam Greyhound, Inc., and John Baldwin v. Dorothy Brizill.
A local newspaper’s front page headline reported the next day, “Landmark
Decision Expands Free Speech.” Faithful readers of themail will recall
that in 2006, Dorothy Brizill was sued in the Superior Court of Guam by
John Baldwin, the sponsor of a ballot initiative that would have
legalized slot machine gambling at the dog-racing track he owned on
Guam. Mr. Baldwin was also the financial backer of the proposed 2004 and
2006 initiatives to legalize slot machines here in DC. Dorothy and
others blocked the 2004 initiative by showing that thousands of petition
signatures had been improperly gathered, and blocked the 2006 initiative
by showing that it violated a federal law. Mr. Baldwin’s lawsuit
against Dorothy was based on her statements, in a telephone interview
with a Guam radio station, about what happened here in DC. The lawsuit
alleged that Dorothy defamed Mr. Baldwin, invaded his privacy, and
interfered with his “prospective business advantage.”
The American Civil Liberties Union of the National Capital Area
represented Dorothy, because we felt this was an abusive lawsuit,
targeting her perfectly legitimate speech — and because there is not
(yet) an ACLU office on Guam. Happily, Guam has a statute, called the
“Citizen Participation in Government Act,” that provides protection
even broader than the First Amendment provides to political speech, and
that provides procedural mechanisms to enable the quick dismissal of
cases targeting political speech. Based on that law, the Superior Court
dismissed the case in 2007, and last week the Guam Supreme Court
unanimously affirmed that decision. Mr. Baldwin argued that Dorothy was
not protected by the Guam law because she spoke only to inform the
voters of Guam about the facts, and did not urge them to vote for or
against his ballot measure. But the Supreme Court agreed with us that
her speech came within the statute’s broad definition.
Mr. Baldwin then argued that the Guam law was itself unconstitutional
because it deprived him of the right to sue for compensation even if a
person said things about him that the person knew were false and
harmful. But the court agreed with us that the legislature of a state or
territory has the authority to limit the grounds on which lawsuits can
be brought in the courts of that state or territory. This ruling should
mark the end of the case. However, because Mr. Baldwin argued that the
Guam law infringed on his constitutional rights, he may ask the United
States Supreme Court to review the decision. Stay tuned.
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Beyond this week’s DC election fiasco, has anyone focused on the
fact that, at least in my experience, no one asks for ID at the polling
stations. As far as I can determine, I can vote by using anyone’s name
and address (as long as I know that the person is registered in a place
that votes at the given precinct). This seems to be a huge loophole in
our procedures. (I assume I’d have to use a man’s name — maybe I’d
be queried if I used a woman’s).
According to the Associated Press, “A federal law that took effect
January 1, 2006, requires states to build a voter registration list and
check it against other state databases to confirm identities.” But
this only works, of course, if you also check ID at the polls. Anyone
know whether DC pays any attention to this?
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Young America: Something to Be Proud Of
Kerry Stowell, kerrystowell@mac.com
Take a look around you and feel proud. It’s young America . . .
your young America and mine. Take a look at the political volunteers of
the last local elections. Polite, energetic, clean and cleaned up . . .
new faces . . . new energy. Take a look at the multiple Apple/Mac stores
in any state in the USA, and you will find a group of the most
intelligent and patient-with-customers early-20’s boys and girls. And
let us not forget the Starbucks crowd. Fabulous. “A latte? No? Oh, my
mistake, I’ll make you the Americana that you wanted. No problem.” I
mean, where did they learn this? Is it company leadership? Perhaps. But
I think something else is operating.
Some time ago, manners and courtesies changed. Uniforms became
dungarees. There was an emphasis on cash and cost rather than service,
and service had nothing to do with style. And now we are seeing a
turnaround, with service as the style de jour. Many of these same
youngsters have traveled abroad and met youngsters from other countries.
They have heard the negative opinions about the USA, and they did not
like it. These young men and women have found a way to have it all. To
work in a free country at a specific company that offers respect,
teaches respect, and insists on respect.
Take notice, America. Cherish it. Appreciate it. Realize it is
happening. Realize also that this will be the face of America in the
coming years. God bless them. God Bless America.
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Laurie Collins, the author of the single sales ban that has prevailed
in Mount Pleasant for close to eight years, displays the reluctance of
ban proponents to admit that such bans merely push problem drinkers out
of one neighborhood and into another. The ban, she writes in themail,
September 10, “reduced the problem of public drinking in Mt. Pleasant
dramatically,” and the ANC has “no evidence denoting any increase
that abusers have taken their behavior to nearby neighborhoods.” Well,
if the ban didn’t make the abusers go elsewhere, did it cure them of
their alcohol problems? No; “single sale moratoriums were never
intended to cure alcoholism — they were intended to reduce public
drinking.” Okay, so the ban doesn’t cure alcoholics, and if it doesn’t
make them go elsewhere, then how, exactly, is “the problem of public
drinking” reduced?
As a Mount Pleasant resident testified at the July 11 council
hearing, “they went away, and we don’t see them any more.” This is
really beyond reasonable dispute: the ban makes the problem drinkers
take their bad behavior elsewhere, out of my neighborhood, and perhaps
into yours. It’s rather like my curing my backyard rat problem by my
driving them into your back yard, rather than doing something to
eliminate the rats. The result might be nice for me, but it’s hardly a
valid public solution to the problem.
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This is to advise that the September 2008 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 (the accompanying images can be seen in the archived PDF
version). The complete issue (along with prior issues back to January
2002) also is available in PDF file format directly from our home page
at no charge simply by clicking the link in the Current & Back
Issues Archive. Here you will be able to view the entire issue as it
appears in print, including all photos and advertisements.
The next issue will publish on October 10 (the second Friday of the
month, as always). The complete PDF version will be posted by the
preceding night or early that Friday morning at the latest, 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) “Shaw and Mt. Vernon Neighborhoods Finally to See Actual
Groundbreaking for Long Awaited, New Watha T. Daniel Branch Library
Building”; 2) “Two of Kalorama Park’s Oldest Oak Trees Cut Down by
DC — Neighbors Agitated”; 3) “Adams Morgan Day Festival Set for
Sunday, Sept. 14.”
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CLASSIFIEDS — EVENTS
Historical Society Events, September 15-17
Ed Bruske, euclidarms@yahoo.com
Monday, September 15, 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. Hispanic Heritage Month
kickoff. Join the Mayor’s Office on Latino Affairs (OLA) in the
kickoff of Hispanic Heritage Month programs. The morning will begin with
a special invitation-only breakfast for Latino seniors. From 11:30 a.m.
to 2 p.m. all activities are free and open to the public. Several
musical and dancing groups from Central and South America will perform
on the grounds of the Historical Society and various embassies will
display indigenous arts and crafts. The documentary film, Through Our
Eyes, 30 Years of the DC Latino Story will be shown at 12 noon in the
theater. Produced for OLA by Maya Advertising and Communications, this
26 minute film covers the immigration wave of Central Americans to
Washington, DC, and their struggles as well as their civic engagement to
address discrimination and create the DC Office on Latino Affairs to
represent the community within the government. (A program collaboration
of the Mayor’s Office on Latino Affairs (OLA) and The Historical
Society of Washington, DC.) For the entire family. RSVP@historydc.org
or 383-1828. Admission free.
Tuesday, September 16, 6:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m. Tango lessons and
cocktails, free “The Tango is the easiest dance. If you make a mistake
and get tangled up, you just Tango on.” (Al Pacino in Scent of a
Woman.) Tango (the dance with the stop “Baille Con Carte”) is one of
the most fascinating of all dances. Originating in Spain or Morocco, the
Tango was introduced to the New World by the Spanish settlers,
eventually coming back to Spain with black and Creole influences. In the
early nineteenth century, the Tango was a solo dance performed by the
woman. The Andalusian Tango was later done by one or two couples walking
together using castanets. The dance was soon considered immoral with its
flirtatious music! Ballroom Tango originated in the lower class area of
Buenos Aires, especially in the “Bario de las Ranas”. Clothing was
dictated by full skirts for the woman and gauchos with high boots and
spurs for the man. Join us and learn to dance Tango from a professional
instructor while you enjoy cocktails with your friends. For more
information, contact the Office on Latino Affairs at 617-2825. (A
program collaboration of the Mayor’s Office on Latino Affairs (OLA)
and The Historical Society of Washington, DC.) RSVP@historydc.org
or 383-1828. RSVP@historydc.org
or 383-1828.
Wednesday, September 17, 6:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m. Salsa lessons and
cocktails, free. Learn to dance Salsa from a professional instructor
while you enjoy cocktails with your friends. Salsa refers to a fusion of
informal dance styles having roots in the Caribbean (especially in Cuba
and Puerto Rico), Latin and North America. The dance originated through
the mixture of Mambo, Danzón, Guaguancó, Cuban Son, and other typical
Cuban dance forms. Salsa is danced to Salsa music. There is a strong
African influence in the music as well as the dance. For more
information contact the Office on Latino Affairs at 617-2825. (A program
collaboration of the Mayor’s Office on Latino Affairs (OLA) and The
Historical Society of Washington, DC.) RSVP@historydc.org
or 383-1828. All events at the Historical Society of Washington, DC, 801
K Street, NW, at Mt. Vernon Square.
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National Building Museum Events, September
17-18
Jazmine Zick, jzick@nbm.org
Wednesday, September 17, 6:30-8:00 p.m. For the Greener Good: World
Leaders on Sustainability. From congestion pricing to innovative transit
corridor development, leaders from Stockholm, Sweden, and Curitiba,
Brazil discuss how they are leading the charge to create a more
sustainable planet. During the program, The Home Depot Foundation will
present its fourth annual Awards of Excellence for Affordable Housing
Built Responsibly and its Visionary Award for Outstanding Leadership in
Affordable Housing Built Responsibly. $12 Member; Free Student; $20
Nonmember. Special series price! $35 Member; $60 Nonmember. Prepaid
registration required. Walk-in registration based on availability
Thursday, September 18, Greening the World’s Capital Cities: The
Changing Face of Capital Cities, 9:00-11:30 a.m. Examine the effect of
green design on world-class architecture and public spaces. Building a
City that Fosters our Green Goals, 1:00-2:30 p.m. Discover how green
planning can help national capitals become models for the best urbanism
their countries have to offer. National Capital Planning Commission
Chairman John V. Cogbill, III and Executive Director Marcel Acosta will
provide closing remarks. Free. Registration required. Both events at the
National Building Museum, 401 F Street, NW, Judiciary Square stop, Metro
Red Line. Register for events at http://www.nbm.org.
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DC Public Library Events, September 16-18
George Williams, george.williams2@dc.gov
Tuesday, September 16, 3:00 p.m., Martin Luther King, Jr., Memorial
Library, New Popular Library, Room 110. Shades of Black Book Club.
Discuss the book Love and Lies by Kimberla Lawson Roby.
Next month’s selection: The First Lady by Carl Weber.
Tuesday, September 16, 12:30 p.m. West End Neighborhood Library, 1101
24th Street, NW. West End Book Club.
Tuesday, September 16, 6:30 p.m., Southeast Neighborhood Library, 403
Seventh Street, SE. Capitol Hill Nonfiction Book Club. Discussion of
recent nonfiction titles.
Tuesday, September 16, 7:30 p.m. Palisades Neighborhood Library, 4901
V Street, NW. Palisades Library Book Club
Wednesday, September 17, 7:00 p.m., Watha T. Daniel/Shaw Interim
Library, 945 Rhode Island Avenue, NW. Watha T. Daniel/Shaw Book Club
Meeting. Discussion of the book, Gorilla, My Love by Toni Cade
Bambara.
Wednesday, September 17, 6:30 p.m., Martin Luther King, Jr., Memorial
Library, Great Hall. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton will make
deliver a keynote address in celebration of Constitution Day. Norton, a
longtime supporter of libraries, will acknowledge the DC Public Library
as one of three thousand libraries across the nation to receive an award
through the We the People Bookshelf program.
Thursday, September 18, 6:30 p.m., Cleveland Park Neighborhood
Library, 3310 Connecticut Avenue, NW. Eleanor Herman will discuss her
book, Mistress of the Vatican: The True Story of Olimpia Maidalchini:
The Secret Female Pope. A book sale and signing, courtesy of the
Trover Shop, will follow the program.
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Fun Family Films Under the Stars, September
19-21
John A. Stokes, john.astokes@dc.gov
The District’s Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) will hold
“Fun Family Films Under The Stars,” its 2008 Family Movie Night
Season, this summer. “Fun Family Films Under The Stars,” which
continues until late-September, will afford residents of all ages and
families of all sizes the opportunity to enjoy viewing the free,
family-oriented films in DPR’s outdoor settings. As in previous years,
viewers are invited to bring their own snacks, chairs, and blankets.
This year, District residents will have a greater selection of viewing
locations. Movies will be shown from 8:45 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.
Community members who arrive early enough for each screening will
have the opportunity to place a vote between two movies that may be
shown that evening. The movie that receives the most votes will be
shown.
Friday, September 19, Langdon Park Recreation Center, 2901 20th
Street, NE
Saturday, September 20, Brentwood Recreation Center, 2311 14th Street,
NE
Sunday, September 21, Carver/ Langston Terrace, 21st and Maryland
Avenue, NE
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CLASSIFIEDS — FUNDRAISING TRAINING
Fundraising Training Scholarships for DC
Groups
Patricia Pasqual, changedc@yahoo.com
Scholarships are available for full-day fundraising training seminars
at the Foundation Center, Washington, DC. Partial scholarships are now
available to enable representatives of under-resourced nonprofits
serving Washington, DC, to attend our upcoming full-day training
seminars. If you represent a nonprofit organization based in and serving
the Washington, DC, area with a budget under $1,000,000 you are eligible
to apply. Nonprofit organizations may receive up to two scholarships per
application cycle.
This initiative is designed to assist small, community-based
nonprofit organizations in building their internal capacity for seeking
financial support from foundations, corporations, or other grantmakers.
The application deadline is September 22, to attend any seminar from
November 2008 through January 2009. Don’t miss this valuable
opportunity; apply today! For an application and more information
contact The Foundation Center, Washington, DC at 331-1400 x4060 or visit
http://www.foundationcenter.org/washington.
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