Deborah Ann Brown
Dear Mourners:
Deborah Ann Brown was killed Saturday night, shot by a kid in her
neighborhood (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/01/AR2009090103709.html).
She was walking two blocks away from her job, just after her shift was
over at Dunkin Donuts. She was in front of the Urban League headquarters
on 14th Street, NW, where a group of kids were sitting on the steps,
when the seventeen-year-old boy from the 1400 block of Girard Street,
NW, who was riding by on his bicycle, pulled his gun and started
shooting at them. He missed his targets; he hit Debbie.
We knew her, casually. She was a tenant in the rooming house next
door to our house for several years, and we talked over the fence
several times. When our house was burglarized while we were on vacation,
she tried calling the police two or three times before she was able to
flag down a passing patrol car and get the officers to investigate. She
was a nice and friendly person who had what the news stories about her
death called, vaguely, “personal problems” — when she drank too
much she could become loud and argumentative. But she was recovering
from her days of heavy drinking. In a way, Debbie represented Columbia
Heights, both its past and its future. For years, she, like many
longtime residents of Columbia Heights, struggled to live in a
neighborhood plagued with unbridled drugs and violence, more than
twenty-one acres of vacant lots owned by the city, and a long delayed
promise of a subway line on 14th Street. In recent years, with the
development and gentrification of Columbia Heights, Debbie’s rooming
house was closed to be redeveloped. Like many others, she then struggled
to find employment and affordable housing, so as to be able to stay in
her neighborhood. Her death at the hands of a careless and thoughtless
teen was unfair, but she had known a lot of unfairness and trouble in
her life.
The Metropolitan Police Department solved Debbie’s murder quickly,
but “solved” is a generous verb. Debbie’s many friends in the
neighborhood volunteered all the information they had, and the killer
was identified rather easily. Meanwhile, MPD’s response to the
shooting was the same as its response to nearly every neighborhood
drive-by; it flooded the area with additional patrol officers whose only
job was to be a visible presence, not to investigate and really, not
even to patrol. On Monday morning, Dorothy approached two officers (H.
Luge, Badge No. 3704 and R. Jones, Badge No. 3291) who had parked their
cars at 14th and Girard Streets, just across from the Dunkin Donuts
where Debbie had worked. They spent most of their tour standing by their
cars, talking only with each other. They never once crossed the street
to go into the park at 14th and Girard, where a number of Debbie’s
friends, who have an uncannily accurate intelligence network about the
neighborhood, regularly congregate. When Dorothy approached the officers
to discuss the stories about the shooting that were circulating in the
neighborhood, they quickly let her know that they didn’t want to talk
with her or to find out what she might know, and dismissed her with the
statement, “We don’t know anything.” Calls to the Third District
headquarters and to the PSA lieutenant for PSA 302 were similarly brief
and dismissive. So much for reaching out to the community, for working
together with the community, and for community policing.
Gary Imhoff and Dorothy Brizill
themail@dcwatch.com and dorothy@dcwatch.com
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The Libertarian Party of the District of Columbia is in the process
of re-forming after a hiatus. You can find us at http://dclibertarians.blogspot.com/
and on Twitter at @DCLibertarians.
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Avoid the Jenifer Convertibles Store in
Georgetown
Ted Knutson, dcreporter1@yahoo.com
DC government doesn’t have a monopoly on treated the public poorly.
Customer service does not get any worse than at the Jennifer
Convertibles store in Georgetown. A week ago Saturday, I ordered a love
seat that was supposed to be delivered this Saturday. The middle of last
week, the store calls to tell me that date is impossible and the next
non-workday day that would be available would be September 26. That is
over a month to get a piece of furniture from Landover. I could get a
Radio Flyer and have it here in the fraction of the time.
I called the corporate headquarters and found that the only day that
I could bring a Radio Flyer or a U-Haul over to the warehouse myself
would be on a Thursday, when I and most other people are working. To add
insult to injury, their computer records last week said I had agreed to
a Thursday, September 10, delivery, which I never had. Today, according
to corporate, their computer said I had agreed to pick up the love seat
from the warehouse that day. So instead of correcting the mistake, they
added to it. Note: that if you are not home when Jennifer tries to make
a delivery, they hit you with an additional full delivery charge.
I finally got so sick of being treated like this, that I canceled the
order. And guess what: they are hitting me with a 10 percent restocking
fee, even though there is nothing to restock. In no instance would they
have made the delivery by today and it was not a special order item. To
make matters worse, Ogueji (I may have his name spelled wrong), who
answered the phone at the store today and Saturday had the worst
attitude I think I have ever encountered from a sales person. When I
asked him to call the warehouse on Saturday to see if I could pick up
the love seat at a convenient day and time, he refused. I don’t know
if this was out of stupidity, incompetence, or callousness, but someone
who treats a customer like that has no business being in retailing. When
I asked him about possible delivery dates, he told me something and said
“that is what was in the system.” When I said computers are wrong
sometimes, he said “not Jennifer’s.” I am taking my business
elsewhere. I hope you do, too. (I found out Tuesday morning that the
store does not have a DC business license. Bad business is bad
business.)
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Responsive Government
Phil Shapiro, pshapiro@his.com
At 6:00 a.m. on Wednesday, September 2, I posted on the web these
ideas about public libraries diversifying the operating systems of the
computers they make available to the public (see http://tinyurl.com/n67bmm).
Two hours later I saw this article on the Washington Times web
site about MLK library’s setting up twenty new Macs for teens to use
(see http://tinyurl.com/nmmngh).
I call that responsive government. I especially applaud the purchasing
division of the library’s acting with such dispatch.
And next — the Linux public access computers. I’m prepared to
wait an extra two hours for that.
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Time to Emulate the Cruise Ships
Ed T. Barron, edtb1@macdotcom
With the swine flu potentially invading our schools, there are things
that can be done to help protect our school kids and minimize the spread
of the disease. Cruise ships have learned how to protect their guests
from the Noro Virus by using hand sanitizers all over their ships. There
are hand sanitizers in the rest rooms, at the entrance to any dining
facility, and even before you get on the ship at every stop. They also
monitor guests to make sure that they use these sanitizers. The same
could be done in our schools. Have sanitizers at the school entrances,
at all of the rest rooms, and at the entrances of any school dining
facilities.
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District Seeks Applicants for Aging Program
Grants
Darlene Nowlin, darlene.nowlin@dc.gov
The District of Columbia Office on Aging has continued the search for
nonprofit and for profit entities to apply for grant funds to operate
Lead Agency and Senior Wellness Centers for residents aged sixty and
older in the District. The process has begun again to give more the
opportunity to apply for available funding. Lead Agencies are
responsible for planning, developing, implementing and coordinating
programs that provide advocacy, health, education, employment, and
social services to District residents aged sixty and older so they can
live longer and maintain independence, dignity, and choice. In total for
fiscal year 2010 there is approximately $4,712,599.00 available for the
Lead Agency Grants with $252,000.00 to $736,800.00 available for each of
the eight wards of the city.
DC Senior Wellness Centers promote healthy lifestyles, sound
nutrition, exercise, and general wellness among the aging population in
the District. This grant seeks organizations to operate Senior Wellness
Centers in Wards 4, 5, 7, and 8. For fiscal year 2010 there is a total
of $1,354,780.00 contingently available for the Senior Wellness Center
Grants, with approximately $300,000.00 available for each of the four
Wards serviced.
The lead agency RFA and the Senior Wellness Center is available for
review on the Office of Partnerships and Grant Services (http://www.opgs.dc.gov)
and the DCOA web sites. The grant application deadlines are September 11
and September 8 respectively. For more information, contact Aurora
Delespin-Jones, Program Analyst, or Eric Manuel, Programs and Grants
Manager, at 724-8821 for the lead agency grant or Tiffanie Yates, Public
Health Nutritionist, and Mr. Manuel for the wellness center grant.
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DPR Moving Rosedale Recreation Center to Old
Gibbs Elementary School
John A. Stokes, john.astokes@dc.gov
The DC Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) has announced that
the Rosedale Recreation Center and outdoor swimming pool, 1701 Gales
Street, NE, has been closed to begin preparations for the construction
of a new Rosedale Recreation Center.
Staff and programs from Rosedale Recreation Center are being
relocated to the old Gibbs Elementary School, 500 19th Street, NE, which
will reopen on Thursday, September 3. Access to the recreation center
will be though the E Street entrance of the Gibbs Elementary School
building. Hours of operation remain Monday through Friday, 9:00
a.m.-9:00 p.m.; and Saturday, 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. The phone number for
the center is 213-5649.
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Bailouts, layoffs, foreclosures, social decay, family destruction,
and endless wars. Most don’t know it, but virtually every problem that
America now suffers is the direct result of violations of the
Constitution by our (servant) government. Finally there is hope. This
November, publicly elected citizen-delegates representing the people of
each state will convene at a national assembly known as “Continental
Congress 2009.” The purpose of this historic event is to formally
document the violations and develop strategies the people can employ to
peacefully resist tyranny and restore constitutional order. It’s time
to hold our servant government accountable and reclaim the light of
liberty.
Continental Congress 2009 will take place on November 9-November 21
at Pheasant Run Conference Center, Saint Charles, Illinois (http://www.cc2009.us/about-cc2009/purpose-format-outcomes)
Three Washingtonians have been nominated as delegates so far to
represent DC. Go to the DC state page to see who they are. There is
still time for you to nominate anyone whom you think would be a great
representative for DC: https://givemeliberty.org/Delegates2009/SignIn.aspx.
Election day for the delegates will be on Saturday, October 10, 10:00
a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in each time zone. A voting center for elections to be
held is still needed in DC. If you know of a place that might be willing
to allow the voting to take place, please contact me as soon as
possible. Volunteers are also needed. We the People organization home
page and link to state pages is at http://www.givemeliberty.org/.
###############
I addressed this, as well as the merits of gay marriage in a
religious context, in my DC Examiner piece at http://tinyurl.com/lkk74j.
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The Effort to Keep Homosexuals Unequal in DC
Philip E. Pannell, Philippannell@comcast.net
In 1983, when I was appointed to the DC Human Rights Commission, I
became the first gay African American man to be appointed to a municipal
human rights panel in the country. What humbled me most is that I took
an oath to protect the rights of the then fifteen protected categories
of residents in our city. The DC Human Rights Act is one of the most
comprehensive and progressive in the nation and I am exceedingly proud
to live in a city that protects minorities from the possible tyranny of
the majority.
We live in a society where it is still acceptable to discriminate
against lesbians and gays and advocate measures that will give rise to
public expressions of prejudice. In my opinion, such is the case with
the calls and efforts to have a referendum or initiative on same-sex
marriage in our city. These are blatant efforts to dismantle the civil
and human rights protections of LGBT residents in our city. I deeply
feel it is a sophisticated form of hatemongering — homophobia wrapped
in democratic rhetoric.
The preponderance of civil and human rights achievements for African
Americans in the United States have been the results of legislative and
judicial actions. If the rights of blacks had been subjected to popular
votes years ago, many of the civil rights advances would have been
delayed and denied. Only bigots feel comfortable in calling for popular
votes that will affect unpopular minorities. My homosexuality is as
innate to me as my eye color and race. To discriminate against people
like me because of the way we were born is not only unfair and unjust,
it is profoundly evil. I hope and pray that most people in the District
of Columbia are not as hateful as those who are promoting a popular vote
to ban marriage equality and that this campaign of bigotry will fail.
People like me want the same rights and responsibilities as
heterosexuals — nothing more and nothing less.
###############\
I’ve again been surprised by Gary and his opposition to marriage
equality. On August 30, he wrote: “Building a consensus in the United
States for gay marriage as a legal option, which is far short of being a
basic human right, will take many years and a good deal of work, and it
can’t be done by the imposition of courts or legislatures.” Huh? I
hate to be the one to remind Gary and other marriage equality opponents
that legislatures across the country have many times played vital roles
in the civil rights victories we now take for granted. The 1964 Civil
Rights Act was passed by Congress under fierce opposition from many
Southern states. Looking back on that key piece of legislation, is Gary
arguing that Congress “imposed” civil rights on the US? And if it
did, is that necessarily a bad thing? I don’t think so.
Changing people’s minds about marriage equality will take changes
in cultural norms, but it will also take brave acts of legislation by
our elected leaders. Vermont recently became the first state to allow
same-sex marriage by legislation, and the District may well be the
second. This isn’t an imposition, Gary — it’s democracy. Lest you
forget, this is a representative democracy, and you have chosen
representatives to make decisions on your behalf. If you’re that
opposed to them, you can feel free and vote against them. But don’t
pretend that anything is being “imposed” on you.
Finally, I think it’s telling that while marriage equality
opponents claim to have the support of the “people,” the only actual
protest we’ve seen occurred earlier this year in front of the Wilson
Building and was attended by less than two hundred people — most of
them not even District residents. And now that national organizations
have decided to work against marriage equality in the District, it’s
tough to argue that they’re not looking to impose their beliefs on the
residents of the District.
[In themail on August 23, Martin seemed to argue that it was
illegitimate to hold an initiative or referendum on the definition of
marriage unless we held an initiative or referendum on every issue; now
he seems to argue that in a representative democracy there should be no
initiatives or referenda at all. I disagree. Not all states have a right
to hold initiatives, but I think that the opportunity to propose
initiatives and to get a public vote on them strengthens democracy and
increases the legitimacy of laws. Interestingly, just today the state of
Maine announced that a referendum on that state’s gay marriage law
will be on the November 3 statewide ballot. If the law is upheld, it
will increase its legitimacy; if Maine had blocked the citizens’ right
to hold a referendum on the law, that would have placed a shadow of
doubt over it, and created a presumption that it was a law imposed on
the people without their consent. No doubt, national organizations will
participate in the state campaigns in Maine, both for and against gay
marriage, just as national organizations will participate on both sides
of the debate in DC. Does Martin believe that the participation of
national gay organizations on the side of same-sex marriage in DC
invalidates the arguments made by local advocates? — Gary Imhoff]
###############
CLASSIFIEDS — EVENTS
National Building Museum Events, September 10
Jazmine Zick, jzick@nbm.org
September 10, 12:30 p.m.-1:30 p.m., Building for the 21st Century:
Deep-Energy Retrofits for Existing Homes. Betsy Pettit, AIA, president,
building science consulting, provides results from several cold-climate
retrofits that addressed windows, insulation, equipment, and more. Free;
registration required. Walk-in registration based on availability.
September 10, 6:30 p.m.-8:00 p.m., Sustainable Communities:
Greenovation. Discover cutting-edge sustainable technologies and learn
how these innovations are conceived, developed, and ultimately brought
to the market. Bill Sisson, director of sustainability at United
Technologies, and others discuss moving green technologies from thought
to reality. Members and students, $12; nonmembers, $20. Prepaid
registration required. Walk-in registration based on availability.
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Outreach Information Exchange, September 10
Leah Gurowitz, leah.gurowitz@dcsc.gov
Knowledgeable persons will discuss the resources available to
immigrants, non-English and less-than-proficient English speakers, and
self-represented litigants at the DC courthouse. Thursday, September 10,
3:00-5:00 p.m., at the DC Court of Appeals, Historic Courthouse, 430 E
Street, NW.
The DC Courts’ Standing Committee on Fairness and Access has
reached out to immigrant communities, legal services providers, members
of the bar, court interpreters, and others to gather recommendations on
how to improve court access. One of the themes that emerged is that
persons who provide services to immigrant communities, those who do not
speak English or are less-than-proficient, and self-represented
litigants are eager to learn more about the legal and other resources
offered at the DC Courts. To address this, the committee will conduct an
Outreach Information Exchange. Organizations and persons who provide
services to these populations are invited to attend.
Presenters will discuss resources in the areas of family and domestic
relations, landlord/tenant, small claims, domestic violence, wills and
probate, tax sales, appealing to the DC Court of Appeals, court
interpretation, the Courts’ web site, and access for persons with
disabilities. Each presenter will describe briefly the scope of the
services provided, the way the services are delivered, the location and
hours of operation, and the resources available. For more information on
the Standing Committee on Fairness and Access, go to http://www.dccourts.gov/dccourts/about/standing.jsp.
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