Not April Fools
Dear Foolers:
First, let me apologize for the lack of April Fools Day jokes in this
issue. Although the things that are described in some messages may read
as though they are put-ons, they are all real.
Carrie Johnson’s article in today’s Post, http://tinyurl.com/ctc6lh,
reveals a real problem for the DC Voting Rights Act. The Office of the
Legal Counsel in the Obama Justice Department wrote a legal opinion that
the Act was unconstitutional. Attorney General Eric Holder squashed that
opinion, so that it is unpublished, but it probably substantially agrees
with the testimony given by Deputy Assistant Attorney General John
Elwood of the Bush OLC on May 23, 2007, that the bill “violates the
Constitution’s provisions governing the composition and election of
the United States Congress” http://www.usdoj.gov/olc/2007/dcvotingrights-act-2007.pdf.
The legal arguments in Elwood’s testimony are convincing, and not
shaded by any desired political outcome. Holder went opinion shopping,
and asked the office of the Solicitor General to give its opinion on a
substantially different question — not whether the law is
constitutional, but whether the Solicitor General could make an argument
defending it against a court challenge.
Holder’s actions in this instance are a blatant politicization of
the Justice Department, a clear example of letting his political
preference overshadow his duty to render an impartial legal opinion.
Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton issued a press release today praising
Holder for going “above and beyond” in rejecting the OLC’s opinion
and seeking the Solicitor General’s instead. But aside from dedicated
partisans such as Delegate Norton, Holder’s actions only add to the DC
Voting Rights Act’s problems. Some advocates of the Act have argued
that members of Congress who support the cause of voting rights but who
believe that the proposed law is unconstitutional should vote for it
anyway, and let the courts sort it out later. But members of Congress
are sworn to support the Constitution, not to subvert it. Holder’s
unsavory politicization of the Justice Department to support the Act
will only strengthen the feeling among many members that the
constitutional problem is decisive.
Two short takes on a busy news day: 1) Deborah Gist has resigned as
DC State Superintendent for Education, http://voices.washingtonpost.com/dc/2009/04/gist_quits_district_for_rhode.html.
2) Harry Jaffe is seeing the light about Fenty in today’s Examiner,
http://tinyurl.com/cvs6h3. “Fenty
may be winning the battle with the council, but he’s embittering and
empowering the members in the process. Next, my political operative says
Fenty has abused his power in nominating people to crucial boards and
commissions. He’s stuffed many with friends and loyalists, which is
fine if the panels are ceremonial. But his appointments to substantive
boards that control zoning, utilities and employee disputes show a
genuine disdain for how the government works. My friend says Fenty’s
approach is: ‘I’m above it all. The rules don’t apply to me.’”
Gary Imhoff
themail@dcwatch.com
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On Sunday in themail, I wrote about recent news reports by Mike
Neibauer and Dave Statter on the donation of a District firetruck and
ambulance to Peaceoholics, so that the organization could then give the
vehicles to the beach town of Sosua in the Dominican Republic. I
detailed several unanswered questions about this deal. In the last three
days, two people in a position to know what transpired have publicly
commented on the controversy. On Tuesday, Ron Moten, cofounder and COO
of Peaceoholics, and I appeared on Bruce DePuyt’s NewsTalk Show on
NewsChannel 8, http://cfc.news8.net/news8/shows/newstalk/videoplayer.cfm?video=ntambulance0331.wmv.
On Wednesday, Fire Chief Dennis Rubin responded to questions from Phil
Mendelson, chairman of the city council’s Committee on Public Safety
and the Judiciary, at the FY2010 budget hearing for the Fire and
Emergency Medical Services Department, http://tinyurl.com/dgzk4q. You
can judge for yourself whether Moten’s and Rubin’s statements shed
any light on the issue or whether they simply heighten concerns about
what occurred; the subject is raised at the 1:50:50 mark in the hearing,
and continues to 2:24:20.
In response to requests for information on the donation of the
vehicles to Sosua, Moten and officials in the Fenty administration
repeated pointed to the fact that the Office of the Attorney General is
conducting a “full investigation of the entire matter. However, at
Wednesday’s hearing, Councilmember Mendelson noted that, “this is a
scandal which is burgeoning,” and that, “there is every reason to
believe that the Attorney General was in the thick of all of this.”
Mendelson noted that the emergency rulemaking that facilitated the
donation had to have been known, and probably written by, the Attorney
General’s office.
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The State of the Department of Mental Health
Bryce A. Suderow, streetstories@juno.com
I’ve mentioned in past postings that the city plans to shut down
its Department of Mental Health and that the Agency has until September
2009 to assist its clients in enrolling with private psychiatrists. The
plan was that each client would work with his case manager and together
they would decide where the client would go. It was expected that many
clients would regress because of the change, but at least they’d
continue to have mental health care. Last Tuesday, March 24, when I
visited 35 K Street NE, I learned this plan had fallen apart because the
mayor and city council want to cut the agency’s $14 million budget
now. Many case managers had been terminated and many of the
psychiatrists were due to be “riffed” the next day, Wednesday.
For an hour (while the secretary ate lunch), the desk was manned by a
befuddled elderly man who apparently was a volunteer. When asked for the
three-page list of private practictitioners that are supposed to provide
mental health care for patients, he could find only one page. And when
clients phoned and asked to speak to their case managers or doctors, he
told them he didn’t know who these employees were. Really, he did more
harm than good. On that Tuesday the doctors and psychiatrists informed
clients of the changed situation and advised them to make the transition
to private practice as soon as possible. They handed out the three-page
list. They gave their clients the phone number of a Department of Mental
Health employee named Mr. Plummer who would help them choose a new
provider, but — and this is crucial — they did not always urge
clients to meet with Plummer immediately.
For those who chose to meet with him then and there, Mr. Plummer
could be found in a back room office. He was doing his job at several
outpatient clinics and this was his day to visit 35 K Street. Naturally
he was a stranger to all the clients and knew nothing of their
histories. Still, he was a kind and patient man and he helped people
pick an agency. Then he phoned a number and another individual spoke to
the client while he typed their personal information onto a computer
screen and forwarded it to the agency they had picked. In theory the
agency would contact that client in a day or two. I cannot stress
strongly enough that this man was available at K Street only part time
and that he was responsible for hundreds if not thousands of clients.
Most clients, instead of meeting with Plummer, wandered off after seeing
their doctor or psychiatrist. Before he left, one of them plaintively
asked me who I recommended from the three-page list. I worry that these
people will not phone Mr. Plummer and will not find a private provider.
In that case, in a few weeks they will run out of medication and may
become homeless. I saw a tragic story unfolding and I wondered why no
one from the Washington Times, Washington Post, or DC Examiner
was on hand. Where was the host of TV reporters I see every night? This
is a story without any coverage.
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DC Schools Budget, What’s In, What’s Out
Jeff Smith, jsmith@dcvoice.org
Mayor Adrian Fenty has submitted his proposed budget for the 2010
Fiscal Year to the City Council. This budget contains over eighty-four
million dollars in changes to how DC Public Schools and other education
agencies are funded. Because the mayor’s hearings have passed and city
council hearings for the agencies impacting public education began March
31 with little or no information for community members to understand
what has changed in this year’s proposed budget, DC VOICE has produced
“What’s In, What’s Out — A Line Item Look at the Fiscal Year
2010 Budget Changes Affecting Public Education.” This document is
intended to shed light on what major changes are occurring in school
spending this year, with hope that the mayor and city council will work
together to define an acceptable standard for public notice and
presentations when it comes to important matters such as school funding.
For a full copy of the report, call 986-8535 or click http://www.dcvoice.org/pdfs/education_budget_summary.pdf.
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Nationals’ Opening Day Alert
Ed T. Barron, edtb1@macdotcom
For those fans who will attend the Nationals’ opening home game on
April 13, be warned that Half Street, SE, the pedestrian walk street to
the ballpark from the Navy Yard Metro Station, is closed, as all those
old buildings on the west side of Half street are being torn down. Metro
riders must walk to the corner of Half Street and N Street, then go west
to South Capitol or east to first Street, SE, then south to the ball
park. My guess is that Half Street will likely be closed until the end
of April.
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The Incredible Shrinking Post
Ed T Barron, edtb1@macdotcom
It’s pretty bad when my favorite newspaper, the Washington Post,
is becoming smaller than the Northwest Current. With so much less
to read I find too much extra time on my hands and might actually have
to do some of those chores that have been dormant for so long. It is now
so hard to read the compressed funny pages that I have to use some extra
strength reading glasses. Are magnifying glasses next. When the Post
shrinks to microfilm I’ll give it up and read it on line.
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It’s warm and fuzzy that the council is giving up its 2010
cost-of-living pay raise. The exact amount of this sacrifice won’t be
known until the end of 2009 when it officially will be calculated. But
lost in the hand-clapping is that the council members are — are —
receiving a pay raise right now of 4.5 percent. That’s the
cost-of-living increase calculated based on 2008. The Secretary of the
Council told me last week that the actual dollar amount for each council
member was being calculated and that it would be retroactive to January
4. The raise will make the council members salaries rise to about
$126,000 a year. People can argue about whether that’s too much, too
little, or just right.
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DC WASA’s Impervious Surface Fee
Clyde Howard, ceohoward@hotmail.com
[Re: “DC WASA’s Impervious Surface Fee, themail, March 30] When
you put all your eggs in one basket, you have to watch that basket.
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I think DCWASA’S “Impervious Surface Fee” is another example of
double dipping!
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CLASSIFIEDS — EVENTS
Empowerment Circle Series, April 3
Parisa Norouzi, Parisa@empowerdc.org
Land Rights and HIV/AIDs Prevention in Thailand with special visiting
guests, Thai organizers Ms. Pintong Lekam, Thai HIV-AIDS community
organizer; and Mr. Kovit Boonjear, Thai land rights community organizer.
Friday, April 3, 6:30-8:30 p.m., at Charles Sumner School, 1201 17th
Street, NW (17th and M Streets). Accessible location; light
refreshments.
Join us to hear about the inspirational work of two visiting
community organizers from Thailand. Pintong Lekam is a community
organizer who has been working with communities affected by HIV/AIDS in
Khon Kaen, Thailand, for seven years, and is currently studying
nonprofit management in the United States. Kovit Boonjear has dedicated
over twenty-five years to social justice work in Thailand on many
community issues. Over the past ten years, he has worked with urban slum
communities to win tenant rights to public lands that were at-risk of
being privatized and developed for private profit. RSVP to Empower DC at
234-9119 or parisa@empowerdc.org.
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Department of Parks and Recreation Events,
April 3-4, 6
John Stokes, john.astokes@dc.gov
Friday, April 3, 5:30 p.m., Brentwood Recreation Center, 2311 14th
Street, NE. Table tennis tournament for ages 15 and up. Participants
will showcase their table tennis skills in a single elimination
tournament. The winner will receive a prize. Light refreshments will be
served during the opening games. For more information, call Lorenzo
Carter, Site Manager, at 576-6667.
Friday, April 3, 7:00 p.m.-11:00 p.m., various locations. Teen Night
for ages 13–19. Call 671-0451 or visit dpr.dc.gov for a list of
locations and times.
Saturday, April 4, 8:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m., Coolidge Senior High School,
6315 5th St., NW. Joyner-Walton Speed and Plyometric Clinic for ages
8-18. The 2009 Al Joyner/Michael Walton Speed and Plyometric Clinic is
sponsored by 100 Black Men of Greater Washington, DC, Inc., PowerAde,
Fox 5 News, and MyVoiceDC.com. Free of charge to all DC residents. This
clinic will feature Plyometric exercises, high intensity training
techniques used to develop athletic power (strength and speed), often
used for training in track and field sports. Free health screenings will
also be offered at the clinic courtesy of 100 Black Men of Greater
Washington, DC, Inc. and the YMCA of Metropolitan Washington. YMCA’s
PHD (Physical, Healthy, Driven) health assessment program consists of
basic health measures of blood pressure, body fat composition, muscular
strength and endurance, cardio fitness and flexibility. For more
information, contact the Michael Walton Foundation at 301-868-0171.
Saturday, April 4, 10:00 a.m., Emery Recreation Center, 5801 Georgia
Avenue, NW. DPR Youth Basketball League Championship Games for ages 6-8;
9-10; 11-12; 13-15; 16-18. DPR will host the Citywide Youth Basketball
Championship games at Emery Recreation Center. The top teams from each
age division (boys and girls) will compete for the citywide championship
title. The event is free and open to the public. For more information,
call Athletic Programs at 671-1700.
Saturday, April 4, 10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m., Upshur Recreation Center,
4300 Arkansas Avenue, NW. Annual Eggs-travaganza! for ages 12 and under.
Children will hunt for eggs and receive prizes; they will also make
holiday crafts and enjoy light refreshments. For more information, call
Deyanne Nicholas at 576-6842.
Saturday, April 4, 10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m., Columbia Heights Community
Center, 1480 Girard Street, NW. Gardening workshop for all ages.
Gardeners and homeowners will learn how to plant and/or care for their
shade trees. Participants will gain an understanding of the proper
environmental conditions that promote tree health and minimize the trees
susceptibility to pests and stress. This workshop will inform
participants how to reduce chemical use in the garden, how to reduce
storm water run off from property and about the risks of improper
fertilization on trees. Join DC Department of Parks and Recreation and
the District Department of the Environment to learn helpful eco-friendly
tips for gardening, pest control, and general garden and lawn care. For
more information, call Kelly Melsted, Environmental Education Specialist
at, 671-0396.
Saturday, April 4, 11:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m., Watts Branch Recreation
Center, 6201 Banks Place, NE. Easter egg roll for ages 6-16. The Watts
Staff will accompany youth to the National Zoo to take part in the
Annual Easter Egg Roll. For more information, call Libby Morris at
727-5432.
Monday, April 6, 11:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m., Takoma Community Center, 300
Van Buren Street, NW. Annual shoe drive for all ages. Staff will collect
shoes donated by patrons that visit our DPR facility. The shoes will be
given to “Street Sense,” an organization that helps homeless
families in the Washington, DC, area. For more information, call Al Cook
at 576-7068.
Monday, April 6, 6:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m., Sherwood Recreation Center, 640
10th Street, NE. Sports Wii Game Blast for ages 9-18. EA Sports has
partnered with several community organizations within the Washington DC
Metropolitan area, to provide the ultimate gaming experience on the
Nintendo Wii. The Game Blast will pit up to four people in competitive
fun, in which they will experience and play the newest games from EA
Sports. Along with playing, there will be prizes, games, and giveaways
for those that participate. Registration required. For more information,
call Raphael Marshall, Site Manager, at 698-3075.
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At-Large Councilmember David A. Catania will speak on health,
environment, libraries and other issues at the Cleveland Park Library on
Saturday, April 4, at 10:15 a.m. The meeting is sponsored by the
Cleveland Park Citizens Association. All are welcome.
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National Building Museum Events, April 8, 16
Jazmine Zick, jzick@nbm.org
Wednesday, April 8, 6:30-8:00 p.m., and Thursday, April 16, 6:30-8:00
p.m., Spotlight on Design. Spotlight on Design features architects and
designers of distinction from around the world. This month on April 8,
Alberto Campo Baeza, of Spain, discusses his buildings including
Turegano House, the Caja General in Granada, and the Olnick Spanu House
in Garrison, NY. The following week, on April 16, an Andropogon
Associates principal discusses the firm’s beautiful, evocative, and
sustainable landscapes. 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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