Hurrah for Three-Fifths
Dear Whole People:
It has nothing to do with current local life in the District of
Columbia, but Ralph Chittams mentions it in passing below. Since my
college days I’ve been bothered by how it has been misunderstood, so I’m
going to take this opportunity to defend the “three-fifths of a man”
clause of the Constitution. Here’s how the clause actually reads: “Representatives
and direct Taxes shall be apportioned among the several States which may
be included within this Union, according to their respective Numbers,
which shall be determined by adding to the whole Number of free Persons,
including those bound to Service for a Term of Years, and excluding
Indians not taxed, three fifths of all other Persons.” This clause is
often misread as a devaluation of the humanity of slaves, or a
denigration of them, or of black people generally. It certainly wasn’t
meant that way or read that way then.
In the colonial period, there were both slaves and bound servants in
the United States. Bound servants were indentured for a set time period,
usually in order to pay off a debt or in exchange for learning a trade;
slaves were indentured for life. Both slaves and bound servants could be
white, black, or other races. Over the first couple centuries of
American life, bound servitude became less frequent, and it became
increasingly rare for slaves to be other than black. By the time the
Constitution was written, slavery was regionalized and racialized; it
was almost exclusively practiced in the south, and slaves were almost
exclusively black.
What was at stake in this clause of the Constitution was not how much
blacks or whites, free people or slaves, should be valued as people. It
was only how much representation each state would have in Congress, and
therefore how much power each region would have in Congress. Southern
representatives to the Constitutional Convention argued for counting
slaves fully in their states’ populations, because the greater the
population of their states, the more representatives and the more power
they would have in Congress. Northern representatives argued that slaves
did not have voting rights, and therefore should not be counted toward
the population of states that had slavery. The pro-slavery position was
counting slaves fully in terms of setting the number of representatives
a state would have in Congress. The antislavery, pro-black position was
counting the population of slaves as little as possible toward
determining representation. The three-fifths compromise was a northern,
antislavery victory, since it reduced the power of the southern states
in Congress — it would have been an even greater victory if only
two-fifths or one-fifth of the number of slaves had been counted toward
determining representation. People who believe that slaves should have
been counted as “whole people” are actually wishing that southern,
slave-owning states would have had greater power and influence in the
decades between ratification of the Constitution and the Civil War. So,
hurrah for the three-fifth clause.
Gary Imhoff
themail@dcwatch.com
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Tax Refunds from DC?
Joan Eisenstodt, jeisen@aol.com
I paid last April; I filed the paperwork by October 15, and was due a
refund. DC has not processed the return or (obviously) sent the refund.
My accountant has written. I’ve contacted our councilmember’s office
to no avail, and am frustrated. Does anyone know if DC is, like
California, not sending refunds? Does anyone have any good ideas about
how to move this along?
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Emergency Response in DC
Ed T. Barron, edtb1@macdotcom
There are numerous cases each year of emergency vehicles getting lost
and not finding their caller in the shortest time in responding to an
emergency call. One way that problem can be avoided is to have a person
at the home location of the emergency responding unit manning a computer
and using Google Maps on a computer to find the best route to the
location of the emergency. The person using the computer stays in touch
with the co-driver of the emergency vehicle via cell phone and vectors
that emergency vehicle right to the emergency location. The person at
the home base could be a volunteer high school student who knows how to
use Google Maps. This would save the horror stories of emergency
vehicles wandering the streets looking for the emergency without
requiring a GPS receiver in every emergency vehicle.
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Your Technology Columnist: RSS Explained
Phil Shapiro, pshapiro@his.com
Last week I explained how Bloglines.com can be a very useful tool for
subscribing to blogs and other sources of RSS feeds. RSS is a concept
that can be difficult to understand at first. Here’s an article I
wrote that explains more about RSS: http://rssexplained.blogspot.com
Suffice it to say that if you develop some skill at subscribing to
RSS feeds, you’ll be better able to tune into the varied streams of
information on the Internet. You’ll be more clued in and less clued
out. In this very busy world we live in, that’s something everyone
needs.
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House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer
Kathy Henderson, khenderson029@aol.com
Hats off to Majority Leader Steny Hoyer for understanding the plight
of disenfranchised District citizens and working to assist our own
Congresswoman Eleanor Norton to achieve voting rights for us.
Congressman Hoyer is a friend to the District, a strong regional
partner, and noteworthy Democrat. I am glad he supports Congresswoman
Norton’s efforts to advocate for each of us. If you feel as I do,
please share your thoughts by contacting his office at 225-4131.
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Funeral Notice for Richard Woodlee
Dorothy Brizill, dorothy@dcwatch.com
On Thursday, January 29, Richard A. Woodlee had a heart attack and
passed away. Richard was the husband of former Washington Post
reporter Yolanda Woodlee. A viewing for family and friends will be held
on Monday, February 2, from 5:00-8:00 p.m., at the Hines-Rinaldi Funeral
Home, 11800 New Hampshire Avenue, Silver Spring, Maryland, at the
intersection of Route 29. Following the viewing, Yolanda and her soon
Ryan will receive family and friends at a repast at their home, 10302
Nolcrest Drive, Silver Spring, Maryland. Richard will be taken to his
home city of Louisville, Kentucky, for a funeral service on Friday.
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Book World — Our World — Lost
Star Lawrence, jkellaw@aol.com
I was sorry to hear about Book World. I am sorry one of my three “driveway”
papers vanished into electrons three weeks ago. Our remaining one, the Arizona
Republic, is getting skinny, glomming sections together, eliminating
sections on certain days. But it is still out there and, as far as I
know, hasn’t borrowed money at 6-for-5 from a Mexican guy, like the New
York Times. That may be coming. Hope there are enough rich Mexican
guys. I am completely fed up with the people who say, “Oh, who needs
newspapers, we can get our news 140 characters a time on our RazzBerries,
or whatever.” We need all forms of media to stay ahead of these
fast-talking politicians. Well, not fast-talking, but you know what I
mean. Dismantle all papers and when some hacker brings down the house of
electrons, we will have to go back to mimeograph. The old will be new
again — but never the same.
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Response to “DC Statehood — Another
Perspective”
Bob Levine, rilevine@cpcug.org
As a native resident of our fair city, thank you for this view [themail,
January 25]. As far as federal taxes, I’d love not to pay them, but
also take back Home Rule, the city council, and our other trappings.
Give us back our territorial status and subsidies to run the largest
federal monument there is, and one that we govern so badly. I’ll bet
the Committee for District Affairs, if they were made responsible for
DC, would do a much better job of running the place than the current
government.
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Let’s Talk About Voting Rights
Ralph Chittams, Sr., minchittams@gmail.com
Anne Anderson wrote in the January 28 issue of themail, “I, for
one, refuse to be bought off with the thought of paying no federal taxes
in return for giving up my right to an equal voting voice in the
government of the United States.” But, that is exactly what proponents
of DC voting rights will be doing if they succeed — “giving up my
right to an equal voting voice in the government of the United States.”
Those who argue in favor of voting rights for the District of
Columbia in the House of Representatives are accepting the same flawed
logic that permitted the Continental Congress to accept the compromise
that resulted in African slaves, among others, being counted as
three-fifths of a person. “Something is better than nothing.”
Citizens of the District of Columbia are American citizens, and as such
are entitled to all the rights and privileges appertaining thereto. We
are not now, nor were we then, three-fifths of a person. Neither should
we have to settle for one-third representation or unequal treatment
under the law. If it is voting rights you want, then you have to fight
for it all — full voting rights in the House and Senate. Settling for
less is tantamount to admitting that we are less than full citizens of
the United States. How many are willing to make that concession?
There are those who will argue that we should take what we can get.
After all, something is better than nothing. Let us examine that
position. If Rosa Parks believed something were better than nothing,
African-Americans would still be riding the back of the bus. After all,
at least we were on the bus. If Rev. King believed something were better
than nothing, African-Americans would still be drinking from “colored”
water fountains. After all, we did have access to water. If the
Suffragettes believed something were better than nothing, women still
would not have the right to vote. After all, they were still citizens.
If those advocating DC Voting Rights get their way, Citizens of the
District of Columbia will still be treated as second-class citizens. We
won’t be fully enfranchised, but at least we will have some
representation. Just as partial rights weren’t good enough for those
who came before, partial rights should not be acceptable to us now.
Citizens of the District of Columbia deserve no less than the full
measure of humanity as articulated in the Declaration of Independence
that “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their
Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life,
Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.”
I, for one, will settle for neither partial rights nor unequal
treatment under the law. I demand to be treated no better, and no worse,
than any other similarly situated American citizen. Those similarly
situated Americans are the citizens of Guam, American Samoa, Puerto
Rico, The Northern Mariana Islands, and the United States Virgin Islands
— American citizens who also have a nonvoting representative in
Congress. Yet those citizens do not pay Federal taxes. Therefore, as one
who is against DC Statehood, I am left with but one viable position to
take. Citizens of the District of Columbia should not pay Federal taxes
either. That is the only solution that makes me whole. The time has come
for us to join the ranks of patriots, on whose shoulders we stand, who
understood that liberty diluted is liberty denied.
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While I too am saddened to see the end of the Post’s Book
World as a stand alone section, I can’t really blame the paper. Nor
can I go so far as to say the decision has a negative affect on the Post
as a world-class publication or on Washington, DC, as a world-class
city. As you know the economic downturn is changing many things in this
country, including newspapers. The Post isn’t jettisoning the
content of Book World. it is simply redistributing the pieces throughout
the paper and throughout the week. If choices need to be made by the
Post — and they do — I think it is more important for the paper to
focus its limited resources on hard news. I seem to recall that many
years ago the Post folded its stand-alone book review section. A
number of years later the paper reconsidered and revived a stand-alone
section devoted to books. I suspect when the economy rebounds — and it
will — the Post will again do likewise.
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I certainly agree with Ed Barron that LPQ (as us linguistically
challenged call it) has terrific bread; but he really ought to fight off
his better angel and try the pastries. I’ve sampled several, and they
are really good. The most recent addition is called, I kid you not, an
“Organic Green Tea Pistachio Kiss.” Splendid, and on a par with the
apricot and apple-almond tarts. LPQ/CH, by the way, is at 7th Street and
Pennsylvania Avenue, SE, a block off Eastern Market.
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CLASSIFIEDS — EVENTS
Registration for DPR Summer Camps, February 2
John A. Stokes, john.astokes@dc.gov
Registration for the DC Department Parks and Recreation’s (DPR)
2009 Summer Camps opens on Monday, February 2, at 10:00 a.m.
Registration can be completed online at summercamps.dc.gov or in person
at DPR centers. This summer DPR will offer five two-week sessions from
June 15-August 21, Monday to Friday, 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. DPR will also
offer eight one-week camping sessions at Camp Riverview, DPR’s coed
residential (overnight) camping facility located in Scotland, Maryland.
The campground is nestled among 217 wooded acres along the Potomac River
near the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay.
Camping fees are $100 per session for District residents for most
camps and $150 for nonresidents. All camping fees must be paid at the
time of registration; acceptable forms of payment are Visa, MasterCard,
and Discover, or money orders made payable to DC Treasurer. Checks or
cash are not accepted.
DPR offers a scholarship rate for District residents to ensure that
summer camps are available to everyone, regardless of their ability to
pay; eligible families pay $25 per child, per camp session. Applications
are available online at summercamps.dc.gov or by contacting the DPR Camp
Central office at 671-0295. For more information about DPR’s 2009
Summer Camps, visit summercamps.dc.gov or contact the DPR Camp Central
office at 671-0295 or DPRcamps@dc.gov.
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Dupont Circle Citizens Association Meetings,
February 2, 4
Joel Lawson, president@dupont-circle.org
Two very important meetings next week: Michelle Rhee on Wednesday,
and a Monday meeting on the 17th Street Liquor License Moratorium. And
an open house at Ross Elementary on February 19
Liquor License Moratorium meeting on Monday, February 2, 6:30 to 9:00
p.m., at Foundry United Methodist Church, 1500 16th Street, NW. DCCA
joins with ANC2B, Historic Dupont Circle Main Streets, and the Dupont
Circle Merchants and Professionals Association in a community meeting
regarding the liquor license moratorium for East Dupont (generally,
covering the 17th Street commercial corridor). DCCA eagerly welcomes
input on this important topic at any time, but also encourages you to
attend Monday’s community meeting. For more information on the
community meeting, click on to Commissioner Jack Jacobson’s blog: https://www.dupont-circle.org/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=20&qid=15087
On Wednesday, February 4th, at 7:00 p.m., at Foundry United Methodist
Church, 1500 16th Street, NW, Michelle Rhee, Chancellor of DC Public
Schools, joins us for a discussion of education and schools reform in
the District.
Additionally, we wish to remind neighbors that Ross Elementary School
will hold an open house for parents of prospective students on Thursday,
February 19, from 9:00-11:00 a.m., 1730 R Street, NW. Come meet
Principal Amanda Alexander, teachers, and current parents and pupils.
There are numerous openings in pre-K and limited openings in
kindergarten through 5th for the 2009-10 school year. Neighborhood
children are given preference, with unfilled spaces available for
out-of-boundary pupils. For more information, call 462-2054 or E-mail
the principal at: amanda.alexander@dc.gov.
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National Building Museum Events, February 3-4
Jazmine Zick, jzick@nbm.org
February 3, 10:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m., readings at 10:30 and 11:30 a.m.
Book of the Month: join us in The Building Zone for an interactive
reading of Virginia Lee Burton’s Mike Mulligan and His Steam
Shovel. Free drop-in program. Recommended for ages 3 to 5.
February 3, 6:30-8:00 p.m., Robert Lautman: A Lifetime of
Architecture on Film. Robert Lautman, famed DC-based architectural
photographer and Chrysanthe Broikos, Museum curator, discuss his ongoing
sixty-year career capturing architecture. The exhibition Cityscapes
Revealed will be open prior to the lecture. $12 member; $12 student; $20
nonmember. Prepaid registration required. Walk-in registration based on
availability.
February 4, 6:30-9:00 p.m., Detour: The Landscape of Travel on Film.
Schultze Gets the Blues, Directed by Michael Schorr, 2003, PG, color,
114 minutes, German with English subtitles. Starring Horst Krause,
Harald Warmbrunn, Karl-Fred Muller. Striking cinematography of the
German lowlands and Louisiana bayous frames this bittersweet tale of a
retired salt-miner who is awakened by the rhythm of zydeco. $5 member;
$5 student; $10 nonmember. Prepaid registration required. Walk-in
registration based on availability. All 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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Standards and Fundraising Success Workshop
Patricia Pasqual, changedc@yahoo.com
In this terribly challenging economy, DC nonprofits are more focused
than ever on fundraising. As we work to craft the strongest possible
proposals and develop relationships with foundations and other funders,
we also must remain focused on our organizations’ infrastructure. We
must insist that our “house in is order” and that our boards,
volunteers, and staff are working within a strong organizational
framework.
The Standards for Excellence: An Ethics and Accountability Code for
the Nonprofit Sector offers a model for how the most well managed and
responsibly governed organizations operate. The Standards for Excellence
code encourages nonprofits to embrace best practices in critical areas.
Strengthening these areas will help you meet your mission and make your
case to funders.
To learn more about the Standards for Excellence code, attend a
special program on February 6 at 9:30 a.m. at the Foundation Center,
Washington, DC. Space is still available, so be sure to register for
this free informative program! at http://www.foundationcenter.org/washington/dc_calendar.html
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Department of Parks and Recreation Events,
February 6-7
John Stokes, john.astokes@dc.gov
Friday, February 6, 5:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m., A Visit to MLK Library, 901
G Street, NW. The youth of the community will visit the historic Martin
Luther King Jr., Library. Ages 8-12. For more information contact Kyanna
Blackwell, Site Manager, 724-4876.
Friday, February 6, 6:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m., Fort Stevens Recreation
Center, 1327 Van Buren Street, NW. Black History Trivia and Photo
Exhibit. Participants of all ages will enjoy a pictorial exhibit of
famous black people while grouping off for a black history trivia
competition. For more information contact 541-3754.
Friday, February 6-18, 6:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m., Kennedy Recreation
Center, 1401 7th Street, NW. Black History Movie Nights. Come join us
both Fridays as we travel through history with movies depicting Black
History figures, icons, events, and other important segments of the rich
history of the African American heritage. For more information contact
Pamela Pugh, 671-4794.
Saturday, February 7, 7:00 p.m. Westin Hotel, 1400 M Street, NW. DC
Challenge Ireland. Eight boxers ages 8-18 from the Department of Parks
and Recreation will be matched. For more information contact Marshall
Cunningham, (202) 645-3961.
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Historical Society of Washington, DC, February
7-8
Ed Bruske, euclidarms@yahoo.com
Saturday, February 7, 3:00 p.m., 801 K Street, NW, at Mt. Vernon
Square. Hip Hop Cinema Cafe Series: The Freshest Kids: A History of
The B-Boy, 90 minutes. 2002 Israel. The solSource Group and HSW are
pleased to present the first film in the series of ‘Hip Hop Cinema
Cafe’ by opening with a video presentation featuring DC Hip Hop
notables produced by solSource Group. The featured film, The Freshest
Kids is the first documentary to explore the mostly unknown history
of hip hop’s first dance and its early pioneers. Known by many names
— Breaking, Rocking, Burning, Going Off, B-Boying, Break Dancing —
the style was born at DJ Kool Herc’s South Bronx house parties in the
early 70s, catapulted to worldwide fame in the 80s, and evolved through
the 90s into its latest gravity-defying incarnation as a thriving
underground movement.
For the first time ever, legendary B-Boy pioneers such as Crazy Legs
and Ken Swift bring their stories to you. From how the dance originated
to how it has evolved through its history of more than twenty-five
years, The Freshest Kids will leave you entertained, educated,
and inspired. After the film, you are invited to participate in an
audience discussion with some of the best B-Boys, DJs and Emcees on the
DC Hip Hop Scene. A program collaboration of solSource Group and HSW.
Ages fourteen to adults. RSVP@historydc.org
or 383-1828. Free admission.
Sunday, February 8, 2:30-4:00 p.m., 801 K Street, NW, at Mt. Vernon
Square. History Society of Washington Author and Lecture Series. Anthony
Pitch’s new book, They Have Killed Papa Dead! — The Road to Ford’s
Theater, Lincoln’s Murder, and the Rage for Vengeance account of
the Lincoln assassination and its aftermath is compelling from beginning
to end. Virtually every word of this riveting history is based on
primary source material: new quotes from previously unpublished diaries,
letters and journals — authentic contemporary voices writing with
freshness and clarity as eyewitnesses or intimate participants — new
images, a new vision and understanding of one of America’s defining
moments. Pitch provides new confirmation of threats against Lincoln’s
life as he traveled to Washington by train for his first inauguration,
and a vivid personal account of John Wilkes Booth being physically
restrained from approaching Lincoln at his second inauguration. Perhaps
most chillingly, new details are revealed about conditions in the
special prison where the civilian conspirators accused of participating
in the Lincoln assassination endured tortuous conditions in extreme
isolation and deprivation, hooded and shackled, before and even during
their military trial. Pitch’s narrative adds important new insights to
our national story as we celebrate Abraham Lincoln’s bicentennial.
Anthony S. Pitch’s books include The Burning of Washington: The
British Invasion of 1814, a selection of the History Book Club and
winner of the Arline Custer Memorial Prize and Maryland Historical
Society’s annual book award. A former journalist in England, Africa,
and Israel, Pitch has been a broadcast editor for the Associated Press
and a senior writer for US News and World Report’s Books
division. Ages sixteen to adults. RSVP@historydc.org
or 383-1828. Free admission.
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New Orleans Cocktails, February 10
Phil Greene, pgreene@doc.gov
Just in time for Mardi Gras, Smithsonian Associates is hosting the
Museum of the American Cocktail’s acclaimed Famous New Orleans
Cocktails seminar on February 10, at the Atrium Cafe of the Smithsonian’s
Museum of Natural History, from 6:45-8:45 p.m. Details at http://residentassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/reserve.aspx?performanceNumber=216593,
or visit www.museumoftheamericancocktail.org/events.
Join master New Orleans bartender Chris McMillian and yours truly,
Phil Greene, on this fun and informative discussion of New Orleans’
rich and fascinating cocktail lore, and learn the histories and how to
make the Hurricane, the Sazerac (which is featured in The Curious Case
of Benjamin Button — Brad Pitt downs three of ‘em!), the Vieux Carre,
and the Mint Julep. You’ll also shake for yourself the famous Ramos
Gin Fizz, which was the Louisiana Kingfish Huey Long’s favorite drink.
You’ll get to sample each of these delicious drinks, and will also be
served great appetizers throughout. The cost is only $35 for Smithsonian
members, $45 for nonmembers, but spaces are going fast, so register
today at the link shown above. I hope to see you there, and laissez
les bons temps rouler!
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Mayor’s Arts Awards, March 23
Masresha Tadesse, masresha.tadesse@dc.gov
We invite you to the twenty-fourth Annual Mayor’s Arts Award, the
most prestigious honors conferred by the District on individual artists,
organizations, and patrons of the arts. Join Mayor Adrian M. Fenty as he
presents these awards at a ceremony on Monday, March 23, at 6:00 p.m.,
in the Concert Hall Millennium Stage at the Kennedy Center for the
Performing Arts. Award categories include Excellence in an Artistic
Discipline, Outstanding Emerging Artist, Excellence in Service to the
Arts, Outstanding Contributions to Arts Education, Innovation in the
Arts, Excellence in Teaching Performing Arts, Excellence in Teaching
Visual Arts, and Excellence in Teaching Language Arts.
The Mayor’s Arts Awards are free and open to the public. E-mail
questions to artsawards@dc.gov or
call 724-5613. For more information, go to http://dcarts.dc.gov/dcarts/cwp/view,a,3,q,528370.asp
or contact Lisa Richards Toney at 724-5613.
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CLASSIFIEDS — HOUSING
I have a one-bedroom, one-bath condo for sale at 4000 Tunlaw Road in
Glover Park for $289,000. I have really loved living in this condo
because of the proximity to Whole Foods, Starbucks, all the restaurants
and night life on Wisconsin Avenue, the community garden plot next door,
bus lines right outside my door, and being surrounded by Glover Archbold
Park with hiking trails.
The condo features an updated kitchen with 42’’ solid maple
cabinets, nine foot windows, southern exposure with tons of natural
light, custom blinds, newer light fixtures in the dining room, kitchen,
bath, and foyer, crown molding, and beautiful hardwood floors. The
building amenities include a 24/7 secure front desk, pool, roof deck,
convenience store, and dry cleaners. There is also a bike room. The
building is known in the community for being a very well managed condo.
The condo comes with an additional storage unit and a parking space!
To see pictures and learn more go to http://www.joancromwell.com
and search for MLS: DC6968614
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