Voting Rights
Dear Voters:
Okay, am I alone here, or does anyone else think that DC politicians,
including Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, are doing a lousy job of
promoting the DC Voting Rights Act? Do you think they really want it to
pass, or do they prefer keeping the issue alive as so they can campaign
on it? First, when gun rights amendments were added to the DC Voting
Rights Act, our pols panicked. District politicians are still resisting
complying with the Supreme Court’s findings in the Heller v. DC case,
but Democratic politicians throughout the country learned years ago that
gun bans are unpopular politics except in the most liberal districts. (A
Gallup poll released today found that only 29 percent of Americans
support a ban on the possession of handguns by individuals, the smallest
percentage since Gallup started polling on the issue fifty years ago, http://www.gallup.com/poll/117361/Support-Gun-Control-Laws-Time-Lows.aspx.)
So it is obvious that majorities of both Democrats and Republicans in
Congress will vote for a bill that that imposes the Second Amendment on
a reluctant DC. The reaction of our local politicians to the gun
amendments was neither politic nor practical. They didn’t try to see
what compromise they could reach with the amendments’ supporters.
Instead, they threatened and blustered, when they had no leverage.
They have continued to do so. Delegate Norton preaches that gun
rights are dangerous, and says that DC citizens can’t be trusted with
them. Today, Councilmember Michael Brown issued a press release about
his hearing yesterday that said the message was, “District residents
are unwilling to trade a vote on the floor of the House of
Representatives for guns on our streets.” The press release ended: “The
clear message from the hearing, as succinctly stated by Keshini
Ladduwahetty, Chair of DC for Democracy, was ‘if the gun rider isn’t
removed, let the legislation die!’” Of course, the citizens of DC
will eventually receive the full coverage of the Second Amendment,
regardless of the opposition of our local politicians, but those
politicians would rather delay that day for a few more years than get a
floor vote for Delegate Norton, and certainly rather than get statehood.
This week, to further sabotage the chances of the DC Voting Rights
Act, the city council voted to recognize gay marriages performed in
other states, with the clear indication that it would soon vote to
legalize gay marriages performed in the District. Gay marriage, like gun
bans, is unpopular politics except in the most liberal districts. The
vote, taken at this time, is clearly intended to be a provocation to
Congress, a thumb in the eye for most members of Congress of both
parties. If a motion of disapproval is brought to a vote in Congress, a
wide majority of both Democrats and Republicans will vote for it.
Although Delegate Norton has promised that she will protect the DC
Same-Sex Marriage Bill in Congress, it will take a lot of maneuvering to
prevent every member of Congress from introducing a disapproval
resolution, or to prevent such a resolution from coming to a vote, and
such maneuvering can only poison the relationships that are needed to
gather the votes for the DC Voting Rights Act.
So what are the next steps? A vote to legalize drugs in DC? A
resolution of support for North Korea’s nuclear weapons program? After
all, the DC Voting Rights Act could still squeak through, regardless of
our politicians’ hard work against it. There has to be some other way
to antagonize enough members of Congress to ensure that the DC Voting
Rights Act won’t pass, and guarantee that DC will continue to have the
grievance that its politicians seem to prefer to a Congressional
delegate’s floor vote.
Gary Imhoff
themail@dcwatch.com
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The DC government apparently implemented a novel commuter tax on
Monday. An SUV with over $1,400 in outstanding tickets was booted on
Connecticut Avenue. Not only does this tax the owner of the
Virginia-plated Land Rover, it sets a precedent for booting cars on
commuter routes. Cars on Connecticut Avenue accumulate thousands of
dollars of tickets without risk of booting because the city has feared
the potential of limiting rush-hour traffic with disabled cars. Next the
city needs to start ticketing/booting the always illegally parked
delivery trucks. Details and photos: http://tinyurl.com/alhtuu
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Security at Martin Luther King Library
Bryce A. Suderow, streetstories@juno.com
I visited Martin Luther King Library a few days ago and was surprised
to see Ginnie Cooper had gotten rid of the metal detector and replaced
it with cameras. A sign next to the guard post announced new rules
beginning February 1: new video cameras replace the X-Ray machines;
nonalcoholic beverages welcome; and one personal bag allowed per
customer, with a size limitation.
The Library Police are not happy with the new rules because they make
the MLK Library less safe. The guard on duty during my visit told me,
“I feel like a sitting duck out here. The metal detector provided some
warning that someone might have a weapon. Now there’s nothing.” She
ridiculed the idea that security cameras manned by guards on the third
floor could protect her: “I’ll be dead along with God knows how many
other people by the time they get here.” According to one of my
sources, Cooper dispensed with the x-ray machine because she thought it
wasn’t necessary and because it didn’t make patrons feel welcome.
There are additional changes planned for MLK Library by Mayor Fenty
that will undermine security further. According to Page D68 of the “Proposed
FY 2010 Budget for the DC Public Library,” Fenty wants Cooper to fire
the twenty-two library police and replace them with rent-a-cops from the
Office of Property Management Protective Services Division. The document
states: The total net savings from this transition is approximately
$1,238,000.” Fenty’s and Cooper’s security changes should be
resisted strongly by DC citizens. The mayor and the library director are
weakening security at the worst possible time: There will be thousands
of homeless and mentally ill people flooding the library in the near
future. Perhaps Cooper is unaware that homeless shelters are closing all
over the city and the DC Department of Mental Health is closing down.
Fenty, having closed them down himself, has no such excuse.
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When former Representative Tom Davis of northern Virginia introduced
the DC House Voting Rights bill in the 109th and 110th Republican
Congresses, he did not intend to empower the people of the District of
Columbia. Accordingly, the bill does not assure full and equal
representation in Congress. It does not give the District full, local
control of its laws, budgets, and judiciary. As shown with the gun law
amendment, Congress would still govern the District. The bill does not
give the District a fair federal payment or a fair reciprocal tax,
although the District is the only jurisdiction in the entire nation that
may not tax income where it is earned. The bill provides no substantial,
material or political improvement in the status of the District. We
should never propose a measure in Congress that only changes the status
of our Delegate and not the status of the District.
Tom Davis drafted a Republican trick bill that would Utah an extra
vote in the Electoral College without an additional Electoral College
vote for the people of the District. Had the presidential election of
2008 been as close as in 2000 and 2004, one Electoral College vote may
have been decisive. That election is over. It wasn’t close. The bill
has outlived its usefulness. It should be retired to the dust bin of a
deceitful and manipulative history. The 111th Congress features a
Democratic bicameral majority. We may be wasting a major historical
opportunity with the Tom Davis bill. Furthermore, the bill’s
antidemocratic nature has been exposed by the refusal of the bill’s
promoters to consult with the people of the District in any meaningful
manner, despite the fact that the people of the District in 1980 and
1982 seated Delegates to a Constitutional Convention and ratified the
Constitution of the State of New Columbia.
The DC House Voting Rights bill is a bill of shameful submission. The
gun law amendments were attached because the bill did not propose
sovereignty for the District. The lack of sovereignty invites colonial
intermeddling. We must instruct our delegate to withdraw the bill. I
urge the council to implement a “Steps to Statehood” program
immediately that would be in fact a people’s awakening and action
program. The council and the people of the District would create a
formidable partnership. The Constitution of 1982 should be brought out
of moth balls for the people’s review and appropriate action. In this
hearing a reminder of the power of a people’s movement is also timely,
because the promoters of the Tom Davis bill now proudly call themselves
incrementalists. In doing so they distort the lessons of history.
The District was governed by three commissioners for 99 years —
1874 to 1973 — that is incremental. However, the District got the
right to vote for president, a nonvoting Delegate in the House, an
elected mayor and city council all within ten years of the March on
Washington — which, forgotten by many, also demanded a Free DC. Or, we
could say that the District got a nonvoting delegate, an elected mayor
and council all within six years of the rebellion following the
assassination of the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. That history will
not be repeated, but there should be no doubt about the power of a
people’s decision to throw off the shackles of colonial government and
blatant discriminatory treatment. That power still resides in the people
of the District.
We must begin by instructing our delegate to withdraw the DC House
Voting Rights bill and in its place submit a statehood bill. If
sovereignty and autonomy is what we want, then sovereignty and autonomy
is what we should demand.
I would also make two observations. First, statehood is not
compatible with the DC Voting Rights Act because the Voting Rights Act
is revocable — passed by one Congress and repealed by the next.
Therefore, it is not a step to statehood. There is no such thing as a
revocable step to statehood. Nor is the nonvoting Delegate a step to
statehood. The District had a nonvoting Delegate to Congress from 1871
to 1875. A second observation: a statehood bill cannot carry a rider or
amendment to local laws. A statehood bill is voted up or down. A state
must enter the union on an equal footing with all other states, not
conditioned by a guns amendment or a needle exchange amendment. A
statehood bill is an appeal for sovereignty and repels Congressional
intermeddling.
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DC United Soccer in Prince Georges
Dave Mallof, mallof@verizon.net
In the February 18 issue of themail, I wrote, “Hooey in PG: county
officials are trying to portray the deal as ‘businesslike’ in the
press, but in reality it sounds like the PG government will be classic
“dumb money” sitting on the sidelines. If the management fails to
deliver revenue, or if the stadium shuts down due to a soccer labor
dispute, etc., then the public has been given notice that it will be on
the hook to make the debt repayments. Excuse me, that’s businesslike?
Rather, if the county does not get an active seat on the United board as
any venture capital or private equity guy would demand, at the very
least if management fails to deliver for whatever reason to cover debt
servicing, the lender should end up owning the team. That’s the public
in this case. Every team wants free money and a free lunch paid by the
public. We will see if PG can sell this proposition to an intelligent
public and legislature.”
Now that the Prince Georges County deal has fallen through, I wish to
say in print, “I told you so.”
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[in response to Harry Jaffe’s Examiner article, http://tinyurl.com/dg3854,
mentioned in the introduction to the last issue of themail] Mr. Jaffe, I’m
a bit disappointed in the parallels you are trying to make between Shaw
Middle School (nee Junior High) and Wilson High School. Your commentary
displays an inherent racist attitude and bias. In your attempt to
highlight unfairness, you distinctly made yourself look just as bad as
the “reverse racists.” By the way, there is no such thing as “reverse
racism.” Just because racism is against a non-African-American, that
doesn’t make it “reversed.” Racism is a racism, regardless of
color.
In terms of the premise of your opinion, I’m usually not a defender
of Michelle Rhee, but the Shaw situation is a good example of her
actually listening to the students and parents. While you are
languishing in the travesty of Wilson High (and basically anointing
Wilson as the flagship of DCPS), please understand that there are other
kids in the system and alumni who do/did quite well in spite of
limitations from DCPS and media criticism. Shaw or any other school
should not be marginalized because your precious Wilson lost a science
teacher. In this day and age, the loss of any teacher is a reason to be
disappointed, but not at the expense of another school whom you deem
poorly performing. Wilson is a good school, but I’m reluctant to
believe that if Mr. Siebens was transferred to Roosevelt, Coolidge, or
Ballou SHS to jump-start their AP Science program that you wouldn’t be
offended either. Neither of the latter three schools has a large “white”
population, but seniors still field acceptance letters from Ivy Leagues
and the like. Basing a school’s prosperity/success on how many “white”
or “black” students it has is not policy or reform. It is “racism.”
If giving Shaw back its ninth graders is the only thing you can
accuse Rhee of doing wrong, especially in the name of reform, you are
sadly mistaken. On the contrary, giving ninth graders a chance to finish
at a school in which they were nurtured, is not undermining reform. It
is aiding transition and preserving continuity.
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The Siemens [sic] Case
Robert Marshall, befamous@msn.com
Sounds like a racist got what he deserved to me. The damage that
racist teachers can and have done to vulnerable minority students is
well documented. Good riddance! DC schools and students are better off
without a racist on the payroll.
[I believe that Qawi Robinson has misread Harry Jaffe’s article.
Jaffe doesn’t compare Wilson to Shaw to the disadvantage of Shaw; he
doesn’t marginalize Shaw; he doesn’t say that Siebens was
transferred from Wilson to Shaw; and he doesn’t say that retaining the
ninth grade at Shaw was a bad thing. The point Jaffe made was that it
was a good thing that Rhee listened to the students at Shaw and
therefore retained the ninth grade there; he asks why she didn’t
listen to the teachers and students at Wilson who said the decision to
fire Arthur Siebens was inexplicably bad and wrong. Robert Marshall, on
the other hand, has made a vicious and defamatory charge without
producing a scintilla of evidence to support it. I shall allow him to
post again if he can produce any substantiation; if he can’t, I’d
suggest he apologize. — Gary Imhoff]
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CLASSIFIEDS — EVENTS
Department of Parks and Recreation Events,
April 10-11
John Stokes, john.astokes@dc.gov
Friday, April 10, 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m., Hillcrest Recreation Center,
3100 Denver Street, SE. Visit Anacostia Museum of African American
History for senior ages 55 and up. Take a trip to the Anacostia Museum
of African American History, see the latest exhibit and enjoy lunch out.
For more information, call Ben Butler at 645-9200.
Friday, April 10, 11:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m., Fort Davis Recreation Center,
1400 41st Street, SE. Eat, Meet and Greet Luncheon: Golden Corral
Restaurant for ages 55 and up. For more information, call Tonya Cousins
at 645-9212.
Friday, April 10, 11:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m., King Greenleaf Recreation
Center, 201 N Street, SW. Trip to National Air and Space Museum for
seniors ages 55 and up. Seniors will enjoy the exhibits and workshops
featured at the museum. For more information, call Kim Campbell,
Recreation Specialist, at 645-7454.
Friday, April 10, 7:00 p.m.-11:00 p.m., King Greenleaf Recreation
Center, 201 N Street, SW. Teen Night Citywide Kickoff for ages 13–19.
Teens from across the city will enjoy a night out at King Greenleaf
Recreation Center. This event will feature music, games, a fashion show,
a Rock Your Status Concert in conjunction with the ANC Umbrella
Foundation, giveaways and more! This event will kick off the remaining
Teen Nights for the rest of the spring and summer months! Call 671-0451
or visit dpr.dc.gov for more information.
DPR Teen Nights are held on Friday nights at recreation centers
throughout the eight wards of the District and are open teens ages 13
– 19. The Teen Night program has been specifically planned for young
adults to include a variety of fun, educational and engaging activities.
DPR Teen Nights include everything from participating in traditional
sports to movie nights, fashion shows, poetry slams, dance nights,
concerts, go kart racing, laser tag, singing karaoke, and participating
in life skills workshops.
Saturday, April 11, 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m., Stead Recreation Center
(Ball Field), 1625 P Street, NW. Easter egg hunt for all ages. In
conjunction with the Friends of Stead Park, youth will engage in the
timeless tradition of hunting for Easter eggs, including searching for
the special golden egg throughout the field. For more information call,
Vince Hill at 673-4465.
Saturday, April 11, 10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m., Southeast Tennis and
Learning Center, 701 Mississippi Avenue, SE. Third Annual Easter Bunny
“Tiny Tots” Tennis Tournament for ages 3-6. Join us for our third
annual Easter bunny “Tiny Tots” tennis tournament, intended for
parents of current registrants to demonstrate the progression of what
the children have learned throughout the spring and winter season. For
more information, call Yvonne Ruffin, Tournament Coordinator, or Keely
S. Alexander at 645- 6242.
Saturday, April 11, 11:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m., Fort Stevens Recreation
Center, 1327 Van Buren Street, NW. Easter egg hunt for ages 55 and up.
Seniors of Fort Stevens in conjunction with the 15th Street Presbyterian
Church will host their annual Easter Egg Hunt for children and kids of
all ages. For more information, call Louis Jones at 541-3752.
Saturday, April 11, 12:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m., Kennedy Recreation Center,
1401 7th Street, NW. Kiddie cabaret. Children 12 and under will
celebrate the spring season with the Easter Bunny, an egg hunt, games,
music, dancing, food and a lot of fun! Let’s celebrate the changing of
the season with excitement and a good time! For more information, call
Pamela Pugh at 671-4794.
Saturday, April 11, 12:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m., Fort Stevens Recreation
Center, 1327 Van Buren Street, NW. Easter egg hunt for ages 12 and
under. Youth will enjoy hunting for Easter eggs and playing various
games. Contact Larry Kinney for more information, 541-3754.
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Beauty vs. Barricades, April 14
Sara Kabakoff, skabakoff@nbm.org
How can Washington, DC, balance the need for security with
accessibility, transparency, and aesthetics in its buildings? On
Tuesday, April 14, 6:30-8:00 p.m., at the National Building Museum, 401
F Street, NW, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Robert Campbell, an
architecture critic at The Boston Globe, will discuss what he
refers to as “security mania” in DC, citing the FBI Headquarters and
the new US Capitol Visitor Center among his examples.
In a recent Boston Globe article on the subject, Campbell
wrote, “Dealing with security, with the threat of terrorism, is now an
obsession in Washington, not only at the Capitol. Sometimes it’s done
well. Philadelphia landscape architect Laurie Olin, for example, has
created a low car-bomb barrier that entirely circles the Washington
Monument, but you never notice it because it also serves as a
comfortable dark granite seating bench. And at the National Museum of
the American Indian, vehicles are blocked at one corner by a handsome
sculptural pile of ‘grandfather rocks’ . . . that are an improvement
on Jersey barriers and steel bollards.”
Our buildings say much about the national mood and can provide a
larger metaphor for how we view ourselves and our government from the
neoclassical look of DC to the remaking of the mall as part of the 1902
McMillan Commission. What will future generations think about the
buildings and security measures we are designing and constructing today?
$12 museum members; free students; $20 nonmembers. To register, visit http://www.nbm.org
or call 272-2448. Advance registration requested; walk-in registration
based on availability.
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Environmental Health Group (EHG) Events, April
14
Allen Hengst, ahengst@rcn.com
World War I munitions, bottles filled with chemical warfare agents,
and contaminated soil have been found in and around the Spring Valley
neighborhood of northwest DC. The Environmental Health Group (EHG) seeks
to raise awareness of the issues and encourage a thorough investigation
and cleanup. Every Sunday at 1:30 p.m., please join the Environmental
Health Group for an informal discussion about Spring Valley issues. At
Glover Park Whole Foods Market, 2323 Wisconsin Avenue, NW (one block
south of Calvert Street). For more information, visit the EHG on
Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Washington-DC/Environmental-Health-Group/67807900019.
On Tuesday, April 14, at 7:00 p.m., the monthly meeting of the Spring
Valley Restoration Advisory Board meeting will include a review and
discussion of the District of Columbia water supply. At Saint David’s
Church basement, 5150 Macomb Street, NW (one block north of MacArthur
Boulevard). See http://www.nab.usace.army.mil/projects/WashingtonDC/springvalley.htm
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Students for DC Vote Arts Showcase, April 14
Jaline Quinto, jquinto@dcvote.org
Students for DC Vote will host an arts showcase next week on Tuesday,
April 14. Local artists and performers will highlight the issue of DC
voting rights through poetry, spoken word, mixed media art and music.
The event will kick off at 5:30 p.m. with an artists reception hosted by
Miss DC 2008. The program will be held from 6:30-8:30 p.m., at the True
Reformer Building, 1200 U Street, NW.
Students for DC Vote’s Project STAND (Students Together Advocating
for National Democracy) is an arts and humanities event showcasing the
unique perspectives of DC youth on the topic of DC voting rights through
various art forms including music, spoken word and visual art. The
program will include performances by Def Jam poet Sciryl; “Demand the
Vote” songwriter and performer Joe L. Da Vessel; “Free DC”
songwriter and performer Rasi Caprice; and Jahi Foster-Bey, an artist
recently highlighted in Spin magazine.
For more information, visit our event page, http://www.dcvote.org/events/event.cfm?eventID=461,
or contact Erica Spell, Public Affairs Associate, at espell@dcvote.org.
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Free Workshops on Funding for Community
Organizations, April 14, 16
Lisa Alfred, lalfred@wdchumanities.org
The Humanities Council of Washington, DC, is offering funding to tell
your neighborhood or community story. Stop by the grant workshop to find
out about funding requirements. Two workshops on Tuesday April 14: 12:00
p.m.-1:30 p.m. at Anacostia Community Museum, 1901 Fort Place SE; and 5
30 p.m.-7:00 p.m. at the Humanities Council of Washington, DC, 925 U
Street, NW. Free. For further information, call 387-8391 or RSVP at http://www.wdchumanities.org.
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Funding for Human Services Programs, April 14,
23, 30
Patricia Pasqual, changedc@yahoo.com
The Foundation Center Washington, DC, Library and Learning Lab (1627
K Street, NW, 3rd Floor) will be featuring special programs for
organizations seeking funding for health and human services projects
during the month of April . For more information about the programs and
to register, visit http://www.foundationcenter.org/washington/dc_calendar.html
or call 331-1400.
Upcoming programs include: Dialogue with Donors, Funding for Health
and Human Services Projects from DC Agencies, Tuesday, April 14,
9:30-11:00 a.m.
Philanthropy Forum. Celebrate National Volunteer Week 2009 and Learn
About Working with Volunteers, Thursday, April 23, 12:00-1:30 p.m.
Workplace Giving, A Strategy for Diversification, Thursday, April 30,
3:00-4:30 p.m.
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State Board of Education on Early Learning
Standards, April 15
Beverley Wheeler, beverley.wheeler@dc.gov
The DC State Board of Education (DCSBOE) will hold its regularly
scheduled public meeting Wednesday, April 15. At the meeting, the DCSBOE
will receive a presentation from the Office of the State Superintendent
of Education (OSSE) updating the State Board on early learning
standards. The OSSE will also present an update on wellness and
nutrition services, including HIV/AIDS education and the Youth Risk
Behavior Survey. The public meeting will begin at 5:30 p.m. at 441 4th
Street, NW, in the District of Columbia State Board of Education
Chambers, located on the lobby level of the building.
Constituents who wish to comment at the meeting are required to
notify the State Board of Education in advance by contacting the
Executive Director, Beverley Wheeler, by phone at 741-0884 or by E-mail
at Beverley.Wheeler@dc.gov
before the close of business Monday, April 13. Please provide one
electronic copy and bring fifteen copies to the hearing for the State
Board members to view. The meeting will air live on DSTV Comcast Channel
99 and RCN Channel 18.
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