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by Kathleen Donner
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Juneteenth: A Family Story
by Pleasant Mann
2022 ELECTION Special
56 Bulletin Board
by Kathleen Donner
24 Meet the Mayoral Candidates –
Three Challenge Bo wser on Housing, Public Safety by Elizabeth O’Gorek
EAST WASHINGTON LIFE
30 Get to Know the Candidates for
62 No More Graves – DC Nonprofit Takes Their
32 Meet the Candidates for DC Council
64 The Old Man of Anacostia – Jonetta Rose
Motto Seriously
DC Attorney General by Sarah Payne
Chair
by Anthony D. Diallo
Barras on Father’s Day
by Sarah Payne
36 The At-Large Democratic Primary Race
65 Changing Hands
by Philip Pannell
compiled by Don Denton
by Elizabeth O’Gorek
40 Opinion / Reform Election Petition
Requirements Now! – Signature Technicalities Should Not Be A Bar To The Ballot by Leniqua’dominique Jenkins
67 All of Us Together:
Graduation Spacial
72 Notebook
42 Trashed: The Challenges of
Apartment Recycling – Why Does So Much Of It End Up in Landfill?
by Kathleen Donner
ON THE COVER:
by Mark R. Smith
Photo by: Rev. Henry Clay Anderson
50 DC Council Approves ANC Redistricting Legislation in Final Vote
CLASS OF
68 A letter from Mayor Muriel Bowser
NEIGHBORHOOD NEWS
by Elizabeth O’Gorek
Outdoor Portrait of a Family Standing by a Picnic Table 1950s–1960s
IN EVERY ISSUE 78 79
The Crossword The Classifieds
silver and photographic gelatin on acetate film, 5 x 4 in
54 Our River: The Anacostia – World Class
Restorations of Nature at The Arboretum To Benefit Our River by Bill Matuszeski
Capital Community News, Inc. Publisher of: Capital Community News, Inc. PO Box 15477, Washington, DC 20003 202.543.8300 www.capitalcommunitynews.com www.hillrag.com
KIDS & FAMILY
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, © Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
MIDCITY
F A G O N
GUIDE TO CAPITOL HILL
FAGON
EDUCATION
YOUR COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER
EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Melissa Ashabranner • melissa.ashabranner@gmail.com MANAGING EDITOR: Andrew Lightman • andrew@hillrag.com PUBLISHER: Jean-Keith Fagon • fagon@hillrag.com Copyright © 2022 by Capital Community News. All Rights Reserved.
We welcome suggestions for stories. Send queries to andrew@hillrag.com. We are also interested in your views on community issues which are published in the Last Word. Please limit your comments to 250 words. Letters may be edited for space. Please include your name, address and phone number. Send Last Word submissions to lastword@hillrag.com. For employment opportunities email jobs@hillrag.com.
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C I T Y LIVE AT THE LIBRARY: LOC WELCOMES THURSDAY EVENING VISITORS
The Library of Congress has created a new evening visitor experience featuring extended public hours and regular live programming as part of an ongoing series, Live at the Library. The Thomas Jefferson Building and all exhibitions are open for extended hours on Thursdays from 5 to 8 p.m. Enjoy happy hour drinks and food available for purchase. The series features special conversations, music, performances, films and workshops. Get free timedentry passes at loc.gov/visit. loc.gov/visit. Washington Nationals pitcher Sean Doolittle. On Thursday, June 30, Washington Nationals pitcher Sean Doolittle and Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden discuss Doolittle’s love for books, his passion for reading and his role as the team’s Summer Reading Ambassador at 7 p.m. in the Coolidge Auditorium. Photo: Courtesy of the Library of Congress
DOWNTOWN DC’S MONTHLY POP-UP ARTS MARKET
The Capital Arts Collective takes over Wilson Plaza, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., on every third Thursday of the month through October. Remaining dates are June 16, July 21, Aug. 18, Sept. 15, and Oct. 20. Locals and passersby can shop and explore a curated selection of items by the areas most talented creatives, including everything from jewelry, paintings, candles, custom designed items, home goods, and more. rrbitc.com/ events/capital-arts-collective. Photo: Courtesy of the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center
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JUNETEENTH CELEBRATIONS
On June 6, 6 p.m. (two virtual programs), Stephen Lewis, NMAAHC Curator of Music and the Performing Arts, will discuss the premier of the Juneteenth Playlist featuring the best of jazz, soul, rhythm and blues, gospel, classical and other genres. Same day and time, Juneteenth Dishes to Taste and Savor. The three-day SOMETHING IN THE WATER Music and Arts Festival 2022 is on Juneteenth weekend, June 17 to 19 on Independence Avenue. General admission, tier-three passes for all three days are still available at $399.50, plus fees. On June 19, 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., celebrate the history, art, and culture of Juneteenth at NMAAHC with three community day events. Live. See more events online at nmaahc.si.edu.
Created by Jessie Bell Williams Telfair Freedom Quilt ca. 1975 cotton H x W: 73 × 87 in. (185.4 × 221 cm) Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Virginia Dwan
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NATIONAL CAPITAL BARBECUE BATTLE RETURNS ROCK! FEShiTghly anticipated return to thera for S L IR G K C A es its BL rchest CK! FEST mak Symphony O
RO e National BLACK GIRLS h days). Multirating with th bo lla co r, te at 8 p.m. (bot en 1 ly Ju d mustan Kenneth C 30 es this year’s on Friday June a.Arie headlin di ic. In ag M the first time on ic irl B G of Black d-winning R& g celebration w in po er Grammy Awar e w th po in r em ue believe ll-spirited, tr fu a a is t, rie en re A ev is a. e e se to, Indi joy. Sh r velvet-rich al g, peace, and in r al he he , r fo ve lo ity Known for he read commun d music to sp . music industry er e nt th d ce yer of words an an ed ns er. kenn wide by her fa , and perform spected world er, songwriter ng si a as nt incredible tale . girlsrock.com org and back
BELA FLECK: MY BLUEGRASS HEART AT WOLF TRAP
Béla Fleck’s Grammy Awardwinning album, My Bluegrass Heart (2021), is more than just a bluegrass homecoming. It features all new compositions and musicians from both the newgrass aces of Fleck’s generation as well as the sharpest young players today. On Saturday, July 2, 7 p.m. (gates, 5:30 p.m.), he returns to the Filene Center with mandolin master Sam Bush and the Jerry Douglas Band. Tickets are $29, up. Wolf Trap, 1551 Trap Rd., Vienna, VA. wolftrap.org.
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The National Capital Barbecue Battle returns in-person (rain or shine) on Saturday, June 25, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday, June 26, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and will benefit the USO of Metropolitan Washington-Baltimore. The two-day event along Pennsylvania and Constitution Avenues, between Third and Seventh, features delicious barbecue and grilled food samples all weekend, 30 bands performing across three stages, celebrity chefs, cookbook authors and local professional sports player appearances, microbrew and wine sampling, cooking competitions and more. Musical artists performing throughout the weekend include American Authors, Trevor Daniel, Nighthawks, Laine Hardy, Vertical Horizon, The Chuck Brown Band and Sam Grow. Daily pass, $20; two-day pass, $30; kids under 12, free; and family four-pack (for over 12s), $60. bbqindc.com.
Emmy Award-winning actor Richard Thomas plays the role of Atticus Finch. Photo: Julieta Cervantes
HARPER LEE’S TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD
Academy Award winner Aaron Sorkin’s adaptation of Harper Lee’s Pulitzer Prize-winning masterwork starring Richard Thomas is at the Kennedy Center from June 21 to July 10. Harper Lee thought To Kill a Mockingbird would fail. But not only was the novel a bestseller, it was followed up with an Oscar-winning movie starring Gregory Peck. It also won a Pulitzer Prize in 1961. Today, the book sells almost one million copies per year. $49 to $199. kennedy-center.org. PS: Mary Badham, the actress who played the original Scout in the film, plays Mrs. Henry DuBose in this touring production.
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Late Night Cabaret at the 2015 Fringe
DC JAZZFEST
The 18th edition of the DC JazzFest will take place Aug. 31 to Sept. 4, marking a permanent shift of their annual festival to the end of summer and culminating over Labor Day Weekend. With five days of concerts citywide, the 2022 DC JazzFest will be a celebration of all things jazz in more than a dozen neighborhoods including its marquis weekend at The District Wharf. DC JazzFest at The Wharf will take place Sept. 3 to 4, featuring multiple waterfront stages, as well as the DCJazzPrix international band competition at Union Stage. For the lineup go to dcjazzfest.org.
CAPITAL FRINGE FESTIVAL RETURNS
After a two years absence, the Capital Fringe Festival is returning to one of DC’s most historic neighborhoods. This year you will find Fringe performances at Georgetown Park in the heart of commercial Georgetown. From July 14 to 17 and 21 to 24, over 250 theatre artists will perform sketch comedy, stand-up, documentary theatre, musical theatre, and cabaret with themes reflecting on what is happening in our world today such as the climate crisis, our relationship with our bodies, substance abuse, motherhood, the afterlife, marijuana in gentrifying DC, Palestine, cloning, identity, the pandemic, and much more. The schedule goes live and $15 tickets are on sale starting June 21. capitalfringe.org.
The String Queens perform at the 2021 DC JazzFest. Photo: Jati Lindsay
THE OUTWIN 2022: AMERICAN PORTRAITURE TODAY EXHIBITION
The National Portrait Gallery’s triennial Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition celebrates excellence in the art of portraiture. Every three years, artists living and working in the United States are invited by the museum to submit one of their recent portraits to a panel of experts. The selected artworks reflect the compelling and diverse approaches contemporary artists are using to tell the American story through portraiture. This year’s competition features 42 portraits that were selected by a jury from more than 2,700 open-call entries. The Outwin 2022: American Portraiture Today is on view at the National Portrait Gallery, Eighth and G Streets NE, through Feb. 26, 2023. npg.si.edu. You can vote online only in the People’s Choice Competition at portraitcompetition.si.edu/competition/how-to-vote.
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SAVOR: AN AMERICAN CRAFT BEER & FOOD EXPERIENCE
First Prize Winner: “Anthony Cuts under the Williamsburg Bridge, Morning” by Alison Elizabeth Taylor, marquetry hybrid (wood veneers, oil paint, acrylic paint, ink jet prints, shellac, and sawdust on wood), 2020. Collection of the artist. Copyright Alison Elizabeth Taylor. Courtesy of Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery.
On Friday, June 24, at 7 to 10 p.m., the country’s premier craft beer and food pairing event comes to The Anthem, 901 Wharf St. SW. SAVOR marries flavor-forward, independent craft beer with small bites to create an unforgettable experience for beer lovers and foodies alike. Meet the personalities behind 100 + small and independent US craft breweries and sample their rare and unique beers. All SAVOR tickets include: samples from more than 200 craft beers from more than 100 US craft breweries; unlimited food pairings; conversation with brewery personalities; event program with room for tasting notes; unlimited non-alcoholic beverages; commemorative tasting glass; an exclusive commemorative beer. $144. theathemdc.com.
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SIX AT THE NATIONAL (DIVORCED, BEHEADED, DIED, DIVORCED, BEHEADED, SURVIVED) From Tudor Queens to Pop Princesses, the six wives of Henry VIII take the mic to remix five hundred years of historical heartbreak into an exuberant celebration of 21st century girl power. This new original musical is the global sensation that everyone is losing their head over. Six is at the National Theater, 1321 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, from July 5 to 10. broadwayatthenational.com.
Brittney Mack (Anna of Cleves, center) with (l-r) Anna Uzele (Catherine Parr), Abby Mueller (Jane Seymour), Andrea Macasaet (Anne Boleyn) & Adrianna Hicks (Catherine of Aragon)
FIRES IN THE MIRROR AT THEATER J
On June 9 through July 3, Theater J brings Fires in the Mirror: Crown Heights, Brooklyn and Other Identities to the stage. The groundbreaking documentary play was conceived, written, and originally performed by Anna Deavere Smith in the wake of the violence and unrest that struck the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York, in 1991. Fires in the Mirror tells the story from the multiple perspectives and wildly divergent viewpoints of those who lived through it. In a racially polarized neighborhood simmering with tensions between the Afro-Caribbean and Chabad-Lubavitcher Jewish communities, Crown Heights erupted into riots after a Black child was killed by a car in the Chabad-Lubavitcher Rebbe’s motorcade. $35 to $70. Theater J is at 1529 16th St. NW. theaterj.org. Photo: Ben Pease
WE THE PEOPLE BEFORE AT THE KC
From June 30 to July 2, the Kennedy Center presents a festival of events designed to explore and expand deep truths and reflections about the history and experience of this country’s Native peoples. The three-day event will feature performances, workshops, film screenings, a cooking demonstration, discussions, and a signature multi-disciplinary stage production in the Eisenhower Theater featuring some of the greatest Indigenous performers and storytellers of our day. The highlight of the We The Peoples Before First Peoples Fund celebration at the Kennedy Center, will be a one-night-only, multi-generational, multi-genre mainstage production that takes the audience through the past, present and possible future of an Indigenous America that is grounded in spirit, land, and the principles of true democracy. All events are free but some require advance reservations. Read more and register at wethepeoplesbefore.org. 10
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SMITHSONIAN FOLKLIFE FESTIVAL
Since 1967, Smithsonian Folklife Festival has been collaborating with cultural practitioners, communities, and heritage professionals to spark curiosity, catalyze intercultural exchange, and create participatory experiences that nurture human connection. Themes for this year’s Festival are United Arab Emirates (From poetry to perfume, explore past and present traditions of the region as resources for connecting communities and envisioning a sustainable future.) and Earth Optimism (Meet scientists, anthropologists, and other specialists to learn about conservation in action at the Smithsonian and in our communities.). The Smithsonian Folklife Festival is on the National Mall from June 22 to 26 and June 30 to July 4. festival.si.edu.
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SILKROAD ENSEMBLE WITH RHIANNON GIDDENS AT WOLF TRAP
The Silkroad Ensemble, founded by Yo-Yo Ma in 1998, unites audiences through cultural experiences and underrepresented voices. Silkroad’s music is contemporary and ancient, familiar and foreign, traditional and innovative, drawing on styles from around the world to create a new musical language that reflects 21st-century society. “When we create music together, we listen to our differences, connecting and creating meaning from them.” Featuring Grammy Award winner and Artistic Director Rhiannon Giddens, on Sunday, July 24, at 8 p.m., Silkroad showcases more than 15 acclaimed musicians for an evening like none other. Tickets are $32, up. Wolf Trap, 1551 Trap Rd., Vienna, VA. wolftrap.org.
DURAN DURAN AT MERRIWEATHER POST
Duran Duran is a British new wave band formed in Birmingham, England in 1978. The group was a leading band in the MTVdriven Second British Invasion of the US in the 1980s. The group was formed by keyboardist Nick Rhodes and bassist John Taylor, with the later addition of drummer Roger Taylor; After numerous personnel changes, the band added guitarist Andy Taylor and lead singer Simon Le Bon. The band was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as part of the class of 2022. Duran Duran with Special Guests Nile Rogers & Chic are at the Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland on Tuesday, Aug. 23, 7 p.m. (gates at 5:30 p.m.). $57.50 to $227.50. merriweathermusic.com.
GUIDED BY VOICES AT 9:30 CLUB
Guided by Voices (GBV) is an American indie rock band formed in 1983 in Dayton, Ohio. It has made frequent personnel changes but always maintained the presence of principal songwriter Robert Pollard. The band has had a prolific output, releasing 35 fulllength albums along with many other releases, and has garnered a dedicated cult following. Guided by Voices is at the 9:30 Club, 815 V St. NW, on Saturday, June 18, doors at 8 p.m. $35. 930.com. 12
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SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE AT THE KEEGAN
Young Will Shakespeare has writer’s block… the deadline for his new play is fast approaching but he’s in desperate need of inspiration. That is, until he finds his muse—Viola. This beautiful young woman is Will’s greatest admirer and will stop at nothing (including breaking the law) to appear in his next play. Against a bustling background of mistaken identity, ruthless scheming, and backstage theatrics, Will’s love for Viola quickly blossoms and inspires him to write his greatest masterpiece. $60. Shakespeare in Love is at the Keegan Theatre, 1742 Church St. NW, from June 18 to July 26. keegantheatre.com.
Guided by Voices. Photo: Tony Nelson
“CULTIVATE: GROWING FOOD IN A CHANGING WORLD” AT THE (REOPENED) BOTANIC GARDEN
The United States Botanic Garden, 100 Maryland Ave. SW, at the foot of the Capitol, has just opened a new exhibit sharing the stories of agriculture—from the people that grow the food and the important cultural connections food provides to modern techniques and scientific innovations that make agriculture more sustainable and productive. The visually beautiful United States Botanic Garden is the oldest continuously operating public garden in the United States, created in 1820. The USBG informs visitors about the importance and fundamental value and diversity of plants, as well as their aesthetic, cultural, economic, therapeutic, and ecological significance. USBG is open daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. usbg.gov.
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Photo: Craig Cipollini
IT’S A GAS! THE GREAT AMERICAN SONGBOOK
On June 26 at 2 and 6 p.m., join the Gay Men’s Chorus as they salute the music of the “Great American Songbook” paying tribute to the music of African American artists and composers from the early 20th century (Nat King Cole, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holliday, Lena Horne, Fats Waller, Eubie Blake, and many more.) Thirteen select soloists from the Chorus will share stories as they sing from the songbook of jazz greats. Songs include “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore,” “Georgia On My Mind,” “God Bless the Child,” and “Stormy Weather.” It’s a GAS! The Great American Songbook is at Capital One Hall, 7750 Capital One Tower Rd., Tyson, VA. Tickets start at $45. capitalonehall.com.
FOLGER’S “THE PLAYHOUSE” AT THE NATIONAL BUILDING MUSEUM
RED VELVET AT SHAKESPEARE
In London’s Theatre Royal, 1833, history is made when Ira Aldridge becomes the first Black actor to take the stage as Shakespeare’s Othello. As a bill promoting the abolition of slavery sends shockwaves through Parliament, how will London react to Aldridge’s groundbreaking performance? Director Jade King Carroll makes her STC debut with Olivier Award winner Lolita Chakrabarti’s Red Velvet, celebrating a pioneering actor who triumphed in his art despite a tempest of social injustice. Red Velvet is at Shakespeare Theatre’s Michael R. Klein Theatre from June 16 to July 17. shakespearetheatre.org. Amari Cheatam plays Ira Aldridge. Photo: Tony Powell
The National Building Museum and the Folger Shakespeare Library are partnering this summer to present The Playhouse. July 1, through Sept. 6, visitors can step back in time with the Bard for the latest iteration of the Museum’s Summer Block Party. An exciting festival stage, developed by Jim Hunter, Department Chair of the Department of Theatre and Dance at the University of South Carolina, which comfortably fits into the Museum’s immense Great Hall, will welcome visitors as they arrive. By day it provides a venue for unique experiences related to theater—from behind-the-scenes tours to sword-fighting demonstrations and other hands-on activities. At night, Tuesdays through Sundays, July 12 to Aug. 28, The Playhouse transforms into a stage for Shakespeare’s most famous, fairy-filled comedy for Folger Theatre’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Tickets start at $20. folger.edu/theatre. The Playhouse, the 2022 National Building Museum’s Summer Block Party installation is a partnership with the Folger Shakespeare Library. It will fill the Museum’s Great Hall. Image: Alex Erkiletian
PORTSIDE IN OLD TOWN SUMMER FESTIVAL On Friday, June 18, 6 to 9 p.m. and Saturday, June 19, 1 to 9 p.m., kick off summer with the return of the Portside in Old Town Summer Festival at the Waterfront Park, 1A Prince St. This free festival features an array of live music, local craft beer from Port City Brewing Company and fun for the whole family on the Alexandria waterfront. New this year, the event merges with the 44th Annual Alexandria Jazz Fest on Friday evening to showcase jazz performances and readings by Alexandria poets. Saturday the festival continues with an eclectic musical lineup, local food, hands-on art and history activities and more. visitalexandria.com. 14
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Photo: Sam Kittner
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jUnEtEeNtH: a fAmIlY sToRy
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by Pleasant Mann
hen President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act last year, the nation finally had a national holiday to commemorate the end of slavery in the US. Some thought the new holiday should have been on the date of the declaration of the Emancipation Proclamation in September or its enactment in January, or the date of the passage of the 13th Amendment ending slavery. But having grown up in Oklahoma and Colorado, where Juneteenth celebrations were commonplace, I think Juneteenth was the right choice. The first big celebration of the end of slavery was actually here in Washington DC, on April 19, 1866, when the Black community celebrated the fourth anniversary of the law emancipating slaves in the District of Columbia. It started with an asThe first Emancipation Day celebration in DC’s Franklin Square. Harper’s Weekly graphic. Library of Congress
The author at the plantation in Georgia where his great-grandfather was born. Photo: Alexander Padro
sembly of Black troops and civic association members in front of the White House, where President Andrew Johnson welcomed the crowd and shook hands with people approaching him. As Harper’s Weekly recorded the event, “The procession then re-formed and took up the line of march along Pennsylvania Avenue. In passing the Capitol cheer after cheer rent the air in compliment to their legislative friends. There were probably 4,000 or 5,000 colored men in the procession, while 10,000 of the same race were interested spectators, manifesting their joy and gladness by waving their hats and handkerchiefs and cheering lustily the passing procession. The celebration was closed with religious services and the delivery of addresses in Franklin Square in the presence of a vast multitude.” Celebrations of the end of slavery in the Western United States took a different turn. While most presume that the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia’s surrender at Appomattox in April 1865 marked the end of the Civil War, the situation in the West was more complicated. Other Confederate armies had yet to give up and there were even occasional hostilities. The Confederate army 16
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Mann Bros. Grocery in Tulsa with McKinley Mann (far right). Photo courtesy of the Mann Family
in Texas did not surrender until June. When Union General Gordon Granger took over Galveston, Texas on June 19, 1865, his announcement that any previously enslaved people were thereafter free made that the date for commemorating emancipation. There were Juneteenth celebrations in Texas the following year.
The Mann Family Early History My family’s time in the West starts with my great-grandfather, the first Pleasant Mann, who was born into slavery on a plantation near Calhoun, Georgia in 1852. He was likely liberated during General Sherman’s march towards Atlanta. While there is at least one story that said the plantation owner tried to implement Sherman’s Special Field Order No. 15, mandating that every emancipated family get 40 acres of land and a mule, Pleasant did not stay there. He made his way west, taking opportunities to work at sharecropping, until he reached Texas. In 1878, he married Octavia Porter, whose father, a White man, 18
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owned land. The census records for Grayson County, Texas show Pleasant farming next to his in-laws. Octavia’s father eventually formally deeded the land to his children before he died. Pleasant and Octavia quietly farmed and raised eight children in Texas. According to census records, they were still in Texas in 1900. By 1910, the family had moved to Oklahoma. Family lore does not offer much detail on what prompted the move to Oklahoma, but Pleasant did it in his mid-forties. He and his family, and at least one of his in-laws, moved to the all-Black town of Grayson. Oklahoma attracted a number of Blacks in this period, with notable Black towns such as Boley, which still has an annual Black Rodeo, and Langston, formed with the intent of creating a Black state in Oklahoma Territory, and the location of a Historically Black College. Some of this migration was encouraged when the Creek Nation was forced to break up the land it held in-
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common and give it out as individual parcels to tribal members. A number of Creeks divided their 160 acres into smaller lots that Blacks moving to Oklahoma could purchase. Being in the West, Juneteenth was the celebratory day for Oklahoma Blacks. Indeed, the last novel by Oklahomaborn author Ralph Ellison is entitled “Juneteenth.”
The Tulsa Massacre and Aftermath Pleasant’s children did not stay on the farm for long. Ben, the oldest, wound up in Okmulgee and started a grocery store. The next oldest, John Douglas “J.D.” Mann moved to Tulsa and set up his own grocery on Greenwood Avenue. Not long after, my grandfather McKinley Mann and his brother Obie opened a grocery on Lansing, appropriately named Mann Bros., just before the Tulsa Race Massacre in 1921. Obie Mann is credited in books like “The Burning” with leading the resistance to the attacks against the Greenwood community during the riot. After hostilities ended, Obie had to skip town for a time until it became clear that the indictment issued against him after the riot would not be carried out. While Mann Bros. had been burned out, there were enough savings that my grandfather could rebuild it. He married my grandmother, a member of the Creek Nation, three months after the Tulsa riot. Eventually all of Greenwood was rebuilt. This was bolstered by the fact that Tulsa’s Blacks had little inclination to patronize White stores, encouraging the development of a full spectrum of Black-owned businesses. When my mother’s family came from Kentucky to visit, they were amazed at the strong Black community they found there with its own retail, doctors, dentists and even its own hospital. Still, there were some adjustments required. Greenwood had a barbeque joint with separate
entrances for Whites and Blacks. My father also told me of a drive-in theater that prohibited Black patrons, even though a Black man owned the land under it. There is also an emancipation story on my mother’s side of the family. Her great-grandfather, Green Thurman, was allowed to join the U.S. Colored Troops during the Civil War. He fought in the Battle of New Market Heights near Richmond in September 1864. After the war, he went back to Lawrenceburg, Kentucky and became a tobacco farmer. When he applied for a soldier’s pension in the 20th Century, his file included an affidavit: “I knew Green Thurman. My father gave him to me.” Obie Mann died in 1946, and after my grandfather died, Mann Bros. grocery closed in 1961. Soon after, my father moved the family to Denver. As Black Consciousness grew in the Sixties, Juneteenth became the obvious time for celebrations. As schools integrated, Negro History Week had started to diminwh as an important date on the calendar, without the prominence that Black History Month has today. One of the first big Black cultural celebrations I remember was in June 1969 at Five Points, the heart of Black Denver since the time that Madame C.J. Walker and Hattie McDaniel lived in the city. Juneteenth has now come full circle, growing from a Western holiday to a national one. My family, with branches around the country, and the rest of the nation now have an official date to celebrate emancipation. Happy Juneteenth! Pleasant Mann is a 35-year resident of the Shaw neighborhood and is wellversed in its history and community development. He writes the monthly “Shaw Streets” column for MidCity DC. ◆
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Election Special Coverage for the District of Columbia 2022
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2022 Election Special
Meet the Mayoral Candidates
Three Challenge Bowser on Housing, Public Safety by Elizabeth O’Gorek
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Mayoral Candidate and current At-Large Councilmember Robert White, Jr. Photo: Courtesy the Campaign
n the June primary, incumbent Mayor Muriel Bowser faces a trio of challengers as she seeks a third term. Two of her challengers for the Democratic nomination are sitting DC Councilmembers, including Robert C. White, Jr. and Trayon White, Sr. A third, James Butler, is a former Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner (ANC). Name recognition will play a role in this election, but in repeated polling voters have said they are concerned with the issues, particularly rising crime, housing and homelessness.
Meet The Candidates:
Robert C. White, Jr. (robertfordc.com): At-Large Councilmember Robert White was first elected in 2016 after an unsuccessful 2014 run. A fifth-generation Washingtonian, White graduated from Archbishop Carroll High School, St. Mary’s College of Maryland, and American University Washington College of Law. Prior to becoming a councilmember, he served as Legislative Counsel to DC Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton. Currently, White is Chair of the Council Committee on Facilities and Procurement as well as the board chair of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments. As councilmember, Robert has supported returning citizens and advocated for minority-owned businesses. An occasional critic of the mayor even pri-
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Incumbent Mayor Muriel Bowser at the Capitol Hill July 4th Parade. Photo: Andrew Lightman
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HOW to VOTE
he Primary Election is June 21. This is where voters affiliated with particular parties choose their candidates for office in the General Election. The General Election takes place November 8, and will involve the candidates selected by each party and those running as independents. However, DC is largely a blue city, so the primary elections usually function as the main event. Voters who register by May 31 are eligible to vote in their party primaries. The DC Board of Elections (DCBOE) started mailing ballots to voters May 16. You can mail those back immediately and track them online (https://votedc.ballottrax.net/voter/), but they must be postmarked by June 21 and received by June 28. Alternatively, ballot drop boxes open May 27. Early voting is between June 10-19 from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. at any of the 40 Vote Centers. 90 Vote Centers will be open on June 21 from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. You don’t have to go to any particular voting center, either. A full list of early and day-of voting centers is at https:// www.d cboe.o rg/Vote rs/Whe re-to-Vote/Fin d-OutWhere-to-Vote If you are a registered voter, you won’t need any particular identification to vote, unless you are doing same-day voter registration. Then you’ll need to bring proof of residence. That can include a DC-issued ID (i.e., driver’s license or REAL id), a government check or paycheck, a bank statement, a current utility bill, a lease, or any official document that includes your name and current District address. If you are incarcerated, regardless of the offense, you can vote. If you are under court supervision or residing at a halfway house after release, you can vote. If an Absentee Ballot was mailed and you were released from incarceration before it arrived, you may vote at any Voting Center during Early Voting or at any Vote Center on Election Day. Upon your release, please contact the Board of Elections to make any updates to your mailing address. DCBOE usually posts results for mail and early in-person shortly after polling places close on Election Day, followed by the day-of results. But nothing is official until results are certified on July 8. Limited races: Councilmembers for Ward 1, 3, 5 and 6; Ward-based committee members of the DC Democratic State Committee. Citywide races: mayor, attorney general, DC Council Chair, At-Large councilmembers, US Shadow Representative, Delegate to Congress (Note: The Full Minimum Wage for Tipped Workers Amendment Act, a referendum on whether DC should get rid of the tipped wage scale, has been pushed to the November General Election). Find out more about the June Primaries by visiting dcboe.org/ Elections/2022-Elections ◆ [INSERT BALLOT HERE]
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Mayoral Candidate and current Ward 8 Councilmember Trayon White, Sr. at a mural dedication December, 2021. Photo: E.O’Gorek/CCN
or to the election, White has helped pass laws that imposed higher taxes on the wealthy, established paid parental leave and has advocated for shrinking the city’s spending on police in favor of alternatives. Trayon White Sr. (no website) Trayon White was first elected to represent Ward 8 in 2016 when he defeated LaRuby May, to whom he lost in a special election the year before. A Southeast Washington native raised by his grandmother, he is a graduate of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. He said his fight is to get adequate resources to the places that need it the most, putting people over politics. A former member of the DC State Board of Education, White has focused his efforts on raising awareness of violence in Ward 8. White has prioritized fighting gun violence, which disproportionately affects areas of the city such as the ward he represents. He uses social media to great advantage, posting constituent meetings and concerns to his followers. Mayoral Candidate James Butler. However, it proved a disCourtesy the Campaign advantage in March 2018, when White said that Jewish banking family the Rothschilds control the climate while recording a Facebook video. White has introduced bills to help curb gentrification and co-authored legislation ending the city’s practice of suspending driver’s licenses for unpaid tickets. He recently cast the only opposition vote on a bill that would
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have required all councilmembers and their staff to be vaccinated against COVID-19. He said while he was fully vaccinated, he did not want to force a decision on anyone else. James Butler (www.butler4dc.com): Former Ward 5 commissioner James Butler has a simple message: Everyone else on the ballot has had years to fix the issues they are talking about in the debate —and they haven’t. If the electorate truly wants change, he said, he’s the only candidate that can accomplish this. He launched his first mayoral bid in the 2018 Democratic primary, coming in second to Bowser with about 10 percent of the vote. Originally from Ohio, Butler, 46, has lived in the District for about 20 years, first in Columbia Heights and most recently in Trinidad, where he was elected as Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner (ANC) 5D03 in 2016. He holds a Bachelor’s of Science from Kent State University and a law degree from Ohio State University Moritz College of Law. He currently handles civil complaints before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the DC Office of Human Rights. Butler was disbarred in 2009, after at least 130 of his former clients contacted the DC Bar about fraud and negligence related to his former legal practice. Butler did not dispute the committee’s findings and surrendered his license. Butler focuses on public safety, arguing DC Police have insufficient officers and resources to deal with crime. Incumbent Mayor Muriel Bowser (murielbowser.com) is a native Washingtonian who was raised in North Michigan Park. She graduated from Elizabeth Seton High School before getting a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from Chatham University and a Master’s degree in Public Policy from American University. Bowser first entered elected office in 2003 as the representative for Riggs Park ANC 4B09, and was elected Ward 4 Councilmember during a 2007 special election, winning re-election in 2008 and 2012. Bowser was appointed to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transportation Authority board of governors in 2011, holding the position until 2015. She won her first term as mayor in 2014 and was re-elected in 2018. Bowser helmed the city during the pandemic, seeking to add to the police force and opening homeless shelters not just in low-income areas but across the city, including affluent neighborhoods. In addition, a great deal of construction has taken place throughout her two terms, including multiple real es28
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tate projects and the early completion of the Frederick Douglass Bridge. However, Bowser has had challenging moments during her eight years in office. Bowser appointee Neil Albert, the former chair of DC Housing Authority (DCHA), resigned after reports that he had authorized contracts for a design firm owned by a personal associate. Critics have pointed to accusations of misconduct amongst MPD officers, “squalid conditions” at the DC jail and DC’s troubled crime lab, which lost its accreditation last year.
Public Safety and Justice
Public safety and justice have been front and center during the campaign, as an uptick in violence and crime across the city has left many residents feeling uneasy. “I may be the only one —and Mr. Butler, perhaps— who is willing to include policing in that comprehensive approach,” said incumbent Mayor Muriel Bowser, restating her goal to get MPD up to 4,000 officers and deriding Robert White’s plan to “streamline” police as a screen to defund officers. Bowser touted the benefits of the cadet program, which DC has funded for the last several years. The program allows the District to hire students and residents, send them to the University of the District of Columbia (UDC) and the police academy. Bowser has funded incentives to attract and retain officers, a strategy, she said, that will continue to build a stronger and larger police force in the District. James Butler said his goal is “to be the mayor of the safest city in America.” Butler said increasing the size of the police force is key to accomplishing this. He committed to bringing between 500 and 700 “new, well-trained officers” into the DC Police corps during his first term as Mayor. “Our police force is overburdened and doing 1.1 million hours of overtime,” Butler said. “I know that those 1.1 million hours of overtime equates to the salaries of 500 more police officers. It amounts to lower response times, it amounts to police officers working when they’re sick.” Accusing the Mayor in particular of fear mongering, Councilmember Robert White, Jr. said he would enact recommendations made by the District Police Reform Commission in the report issued two years ago and conduct an analysis of how many police are needed in the District, rather than aspiring to any “arbitrary” number. “I want people in our city to feel safe, but more importantly, I want people in our city to be safe,” Robert said. “That is why my comprehensive plan first fo-
cuses on streamlining police resources on public safety so that they can solve crime, so that they can patrol.” “We deserve more than just the police,” White said, introducing a focus on violence intervention “that meets the scale of the problem.” “We can’t wait to lose more brothers and sisters in our city,” Councilmember Trayon White, Sr. echoed those concerns, saying neglecting a response crime has led to the 20-year high in crime that DC is currently experiencing. “I believe that police is a part of reducing crime in Washington, DC,” Trayon said. “We have neglected violent crime in this city for at least six years, with zero money going into violence prevention while this administration ran the initiative that crime was down,’ Trayon said. As a result, there is a 20-year high in crime, Trayon said. “That’s not leadership. That’s reactionary.” While acknowledging that police should be “part of ” incident response, Trayon emphasized the need for the expansion of after school programs and a focus on supporting kids working with both local and federal partners to mitigate and interrupt violence before it happens.
Housing
The mayoral race has involved frequent discussion of housing and homelessness. Bowser spoke about her efforts to combat homelessness and her CARE pilot program, intended to do intense outreach to people in encampments and find them housing. Bowser expressed frustration with DC Council’s decision to halt her pilot program, which she said aims to clear tent encampments and provide stable and secure housing to unhoused residents of the District. Robert White said his approach to encampments would diverge significantly from the Mayor’s current strategy by taking “a strong, empathetic and studied approach.” He argued that the “quick fix, headline stuff isn’t working,” asserting that unhoused residents often don’t seek services due to a lack of trust in government. “If our Mayor spent more time talking to people who lived there and less time talking to developers,” White said, “maybe she would understand that we need not show up with police and bulldozers.” He said the District needs to get the residents vouchers, support the organizations doing the work and get out of the way. “I have made it a major platform of my time in office to make homelessness rare, brief and non-re-
CHUCK BURGER SELLING OR BUYING..... LET ME WORK FOR YOU! curring,” Bowser said. “The truth is that we had a pilot program to make sure that we could move people out of tents and into housing, and council members voted to stop it. They voted to stop it,” Bowser said. That elicited a response from two councilmembers; DC Council voted down a bill to pause clearings last December. Trayon White sharply criticized the CARES pilot, calling it a “failed program” and saying that there is not a one size fits all strategy to getting people housed. White said the right strategies need to be implemented with the right people. White said the District needs to talk to homeless individuals and families about their needs. “We have all these different people that we have shuffled around in all these different programs leaving them in deep despair.” Butler said the mayor and council members were bickering over issues that they should have solved years go. “They remind me of three blind mice,” the former commissioner said. Butler said his plan was to go into existing housing stock and have homeless residents themselves build units out into Permanent and LongTerm Supportive Housing, with the District providing wrap-around services such as mental health and addiction support. Bowser defended her accomplishments in providing new housing and reducing homelessness, referencing the $1 billion invested in the Housing Trust Protection Fund (HPTF) since 2015 and $500 million in this budget for affordable housing. She pointed to studies showing family homelessness has significantly declined during her time in office. “Most residents understand that spending money and solving problems are different things,” said Robert White. He said he would “stand up to developers” and demand workforce
housing for those earning between $50-$90,000 annually. DC needs to protect affordable housing that exists, enforcing the building code in poorly maintained units. Finally, he called for social housing and community land trust as well as converting commercial properties to residential. Trayon was sharply critical of the deployment of HPTF, saying it has become “a slush fund for developers,” and calling for an investigation into the way those funds were spent. “We can’t figure out where the affordable housing is, quite frankly,” Trayon said. He said the District needs to reconsider what affordable is so truly affordable housing is available. Trayon expressed frustration with the gentrification that has forced out thousands of black residents from the city. “We have lost 20,000 black residents in the last 10 years,” White said. “We are being forced out and gentrification is being engineered by the government.” Butler said if elected, he would take steps on day one to ensure that residents have long-term supportive housing. He said the key to this is not continuing to “rely heavily” on inclusionary zoning through private developers but rather to go into the city’s housing stock and provide “deeply affordable housing” to residents and rent control for newer units. He said there should be a reexamination of the formula DC uses to calculate Area Mean Income that depends on the local data rather than regional income. Bowser refuted criticism from other candidates and touted the District’s significant investments in affordable housing. “Unlike the entire region, we have made a strategic investment in building affordable housing,” Bowser said. “When you look at the whole region, we stand head and shoulders above them all.” ◆
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2022 Election Special
Get to Know the Candidates
for DC Attorney General
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ncumbent Attorney General Karl Racine (D) announced last fall that he will not seek reelection, leaving the field open for the three candidates who seek the Democratic nomination in the June 21 primary election. Former front-running candidate Kenyan McDuffie (Ward-5 D) suspended his campaign May 2, after the DC Board of Elections and Court of Appeals ruled that he did not meet the statutory requirements for the position. The platforms of the three remaining Democratic candidates —Brian Schwalb, Bruce Spiva and Ryan Jones— share many of the same priorities for the District. But their backgrounds provide a unique perspective on many of the issues facing Washingtonians today including public safety, the criminal justice system, environmental issues and DC statehood.
Meet Brian Schwalb
Brian Schwalb (brian4dc.com) is a third-generation Washingtonian and trial lawyer. After graduat-
By Sarah Payne
ing from Harvard Law School and completing a clerkship, Schwalb returned to the District to join the Justice Department under the Clinton administration. Schwalb has worked in private practice for 30 years and has also served as the vice chairman and Partner-inCharge of the District office of law firm Venable LLP. Schwalb said his vast experience in leadership and in representing a variety of legal cases sets him apart. He said while he did not have a long-standing dream of running for public office, he is excited about the opportunity to bring his expertise to address the inequities addressing his hometown. “I think it is a city with big challenges, but also really big opportunities in the future,” Schwalb said of the opportunity to serve. “I looked at what I thought was the biggest challenge for everybody who loves Washington, a city that has abundant resources and amazing talent, and it’s that we don’t share the opportunities and the equity equally across our city. I feel the law is the most powerful tool we have to address inequity.”
Meet Bruce Spiva
Brian Schwalb
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Bruce Spiva (spivaforag.com) has lived in the District for over 30 years and founded and ran a public interest law firm. After graduating from Harvard Law School, Spiva dedicated his career to practice in the areas of civil rights, consumer protection and antitrust enforcement. Spiva has tried cases and argued appeals in courtrooms
Bruce Spiva
in the District and all across the country, including in the Supreme Court. Spiva has also served as an advocate for Washingtonians outside of his legal work. He has been a long-time supporter of DC statehood, civil rights, housing and consumer rights. Spiva believes that his advocacy work, leadership and legal experience and love for the District make him uniquely qualified to serve as DC’s next attorney general. “I came here for work and really loved the city,” Spiva said of Washington. “I really love the diversity of the city, and I want to continue to work to make it better, particularly for those who haven’t enjoyed the benefits of the prosperity of the city as a whole.”
Meet Ryan Jones
Ryan Jones (ryanjonesforag.com) is a lifelong Washingtonian who grew up in Ward 4. He is a practicing attorney who has appeared in civil, criminal, family, landlord-tenant and probate court in addition to the DC Court of Appeals and the District Court for the District of Columbia. Jones attended Southern Illinois School of
Ryan Jones
Law and The George Washington University Law School for his LL.M. He founded his law firm here in the District in 2014. That practice has helped both plaintiffs and defendants, in cases including seniors, fraudulent transactions, discrimination cases, employment matters and intellectual property cases. After seeing how Washingtonians have been victimized and exploited, he said his goal is to protect DC residents with the law. Jones said he is running to give back to the city that has given him so much and wants to use the law to uplift people in the District. “When 2020 hit, I wanted to use my tested skill set in order to help more people and so that’s what pushed me to run,” Jones said, referencing the onset of the pandemic. “I felt (and) I believe that we’re in crucial and critical times that need new innovative thoughts to overcome the hardships that we’re currently in to create or implement new solutions to cure age old problems.”
KEY ISSUES: Equity Promoting equity and opportunity in the District is a top priority for all three candidates. Schwalb said that equity is at the forefront of his platform and that ensuring equity and the availability of resources to the District’s residents, regardless of the Ward they live in, is a top priority.
“I thought about a city I love, what I’m good at and taking the law to address what I think is the biggest long-term threat for anybody who loves Washington, which is how do we address a widening gap between people who are enjoying certain opportunities and prosperity and others who are being left out,” Schwalb said. Jones emphasized that creating equity in the law can range from education reform to child support enforcement. “There’s an inequitable allocation of resources and opportunity and I think we start attacking that with the law, how we write the law, what’s available for people, how we’re designing our city, how we focus our resources on our residents, that’s our greatest challenge,” Jones said. “When people start trying to isolate certain issues it overlooks the greater underlying cause, and that’s the change that I bring. I’m focusing on root causes.” Spiva said a core component of his campaign is to help the people who have been left behind. If elected, he said he wants to bring his legal experience into helping set a level playing field for all. “I want to use the experiences that I have had over the last 30 years to try to advance the public interest mission of the office and to help people in the city, particularly people who have been left out, left behind and lower income folks,” Spiva said. Public Safety and Juvenile Justice The District’s uptick in crime, specifically juvenile crime, has raised questions about best approaches for mitigating violence in the District. While all candidates agree that public safety is a top priority in the District, each candidate has a unique strategy and perspective on how to best address this issue. Schwalb has a six-point plan to address violence in the city by addressing current crime and also community mitigation and programming. He emphasized the importance of creating safe communities and preventing violence before it happens through violence interruption and other mitigation strategies. “If people don’t feel safe in their neighborhoods, we can’t get to the other really important hard work that government has to do in terms of bridging equity gaps, making sure that people have economic opportunities to build equity in their homes and in their businesses and get ahead in education and other things,” Schwalb said. Juvenile justice, something the attorney general is responsible for overseeing, is a crucial component of the job. Schwalb said he will “never give
up on kids” but plans to hold them accountable for their actions in addition to addressing the root causes of crime through community programs. “We always have to remember that kids are kids,” Schwalb said. “Their brains are developing, and therefore even when we’re holding kids accountable for making mistakes, we also have to provide resources, and make sure that we’re thinking about how we help kids rehabilitate, get on paths of hopefulness, prosperity, feeling good about what they’re doing, because we all know that kids who are hopeful and who see a future for themselves are less dangerous to themselves.” Spiva said that addressing all of the issues, including public safety and the prosecution of juvenile offenders, will require a comprehensive approach rather than a specific focus on one component of the problem. “All of these challenges really require an approach that uses all of our resources and involves us coordinating and cooperating amongst ourselves because no one agency or no one part of the government has the ability under its roof to solve these problems. It’s going to take a team effort, because these are complicated challenges that we face.” Spiva said that he sees “great promise” in violence interruption programs and that he plans to expand these programs. He said addressing the root causes of this violence is the “right thing to do for kids and the right thing to do for public safety.” Jones also advocated for a comprehensive approach to crime, but specifically advocated for increased hiring of local police officers and visible presence to deter violence before it happens. “I think we need to be hiring local residents to be police officers so that they can stay in the city and take their police cruisers home and provide deterrence to some of the criminal elements that are occurring in our city right now,” Jones said. “We need to talk about doing a gun buyback program so that we can get guns off of our streets, and if we can collaborate more seamlessly with the Mayor’s office and have Cure the Streets work with prosecutors and police, then we’ll really get better.” Jones said he plans to use both specific and general deterrence practices to hold youth offenders accountable while also working to give kids a second chance to “get better on the other side” of a poor decision. Sarah Payne is a general assignment reporter for Capital Community News. She can be reached at sarahp@ hillrag.com. u E ast
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Meet the Candidates
for DC Council Chair
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hen they met for debate during the primary campaign for DC Council Chair, incumbent Phil Mendelson and primary challenger ANC Commissioner Erin Palmer had different views on nearly every issue from transportation to crime. While the two candidates share many of the same priorities, including creating a more equitable and accessible DC, they each have a unique strategy for how to address the key issues. The DC Council works to improve the quality of life of District residents’ neighborhoods by ensuring safer streets, improving education, providing oversight of the District’s government including the Mayor’s office and developing the District’s
by Sarah Payne
Phil Mendelson
Erin Palmer
economy. Working with the Mayor and the executive branch, the Council also maintains the District’s budget. The DC Council Chair works to oversee and lead the 13 members of the Council.
Meet Phil Mendelson
Current Chairman Phil Mendelson moved to Washington, DC from Cleveland, Ohio to pursue a bachelor’s degree in political science at American University. In 1979, Mendelson was elected as an Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner (ANC) for his neighborhood of McLean Gardens where he fought against threats of demolition and rent increases on behalf of its residents. Mendelson said in his fight to save McLean Gardens that he became committed to remaining active in local politics. 32
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The current chairman has served on the DC Council since 1998, first as an at-large member and then in 2012 as DC Council Chairman after winning a special election following the resignation of his predecessor. Mendelson has subsequently been reelected twice. Mendelson also serves as the chair for the Council Committee of the Whole (COW), which has specific oversight of the District budget, Council relations with the federal government, planning and zoning, DC statehood, the retirement system, the University of the District of Columbia, the DC auditor, the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs and DC Public and charter schools. Mendelson’s top priorities include increased progress in education in the District, addressing pressing public safety concerns and addressing the affordable housing crisis. You can learn more about Mendelson and
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his platform on his website, mendelsonforchairman.com.
Meet Commissioner Erin Palmer
The current ANC representative for 4B02, ethics and accountability lawyer Erin Palmer is running on a platform of progressive change. After attending the University of Pennsylvania, Palmer relocated to the District to attend law school at American University and has lived in the District ever since. Palmer is a Board Member of the Old Takoma Business Association and has previously served as Secretary of the Manor Park Citizens Association, a Board Member of the Kennedy Street Development Corporation, and a Board Member of the Student Education and Leadership Fund. At the forefront of Palmer’s agenda is her DC Council accountability plan, the first of its kind, which she hopes to use to strengthen the Council creating a well-functioning, modern, ethical and accountable standard of practice to best serve the community. Though this, she hopes to: strengthen the Council as a whole, reduce over-concentration of power in the Chair position, revitalize committees and add legislative research capacity, hold the council accountable to high ethical standards and ensure inclusivity and accessibility through use of technology to make the council more accessible to residents. Palmer’s other priorities include transportation and safer streets, housing, public education as a right and public safety. You can learn more about Palmer and his platform on her website (erinfordc.com).
KEY ISSUES: Public Safety As the District continues to report increases in crime, public safety remains a key issue for candidates and the community. Mendelson called public safety “top of mind” and emphasized the importance of government action to help community members feel safe. Mendelson’s platform emphasizes the importance of holding repeat offenders accountable and maintaining an open dialogue with city officials about resources they need to help keep communities safe. “It’s a relatively small number, several individuals repeat and repeat and repeat,” Mendelson said. “We need to focus on those assessments.” Mendelson said that while a set number of police officers is not crucial in his view, he is adamantly 34
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opposed to defunding the police. Data, Palmer said, is what drives her approach to crime. She referenced a 2017 investigation into the DC police and said “we don’t have the number of police officers that would make us most safe” emphasizing a need for alternative intervention. Public safety, community programming and investment in violence interruption are key components of the solution to crime in the District, according to Palmer. She emphasized a “balanced discussion” about violence prevention and mitigation is needed alongside policing and the criminal justice system. For Palmer, this includes ensuring that DC residents have basic needs such as housing and education. Funding, Palmer said, should be focused on providing for residents and on stopping violence before it happens through violence interruption programs. Housing Homelessness and affordable housing are also key issues for both candidates. Mendelson and Palmer disagree sharply on the DC Mayor Muriel Bowser’s (D) pilot program to clear encampments. Mendelson favors the Mayor’s program, saying it provided for relocation and long-term housing for residents of the District in need. While acknowledging its shortcomings, Mendelson expressed agreement with the initiative and its results calling the program “the best approach” to homelessness. “This was a pilot, so there were some mistakes that were made,” Mendelson acknowledged, “but it seemed that there were lessons learned so that the city can do a better job.” Palmer’s platform is focused on the importance of providing adequate, safe and secure housing for all DC residents without forcibly clearing the tent encampments. Palmer expressed extreme concern about the tent encampments that she said were hastily cleared. “The camps were evicted while people were still in them, so a human being was bulldozed,” Palmer said. “That’s not a mistake. That is deplorable and we need to provide housing.” Palmer said building trust with individuals experiencing homelessness is key to securing them in long term housing. She emphasized that removing encampments simply displaces the issue and does not resolve it. “They want safe, stable and secure housing,” Palmer said. “They’re entitled to that, and tent evictions displace the problem, they do not solve it. They
move people around somewhere else. Housing is the solution to homelessness.” Education Both candidates agree on the importance of education to the District’s communities and the vitality of continuing to improve access to education. While Palmer said there were a handful of things that led her to challenge Mendelson in the primary election this summer, she said education and how schools and families were handled throughout the pandemic stood out to her. Chairman Mendelson dissolved the standalone education committee during his tenure, something Palmer said she plans to reinstate if elected. “I think that has really done a disservice,” Palmer said. “Dedication to our public schools, and the oversight necessary to balance out a mayoral control governance system really requires a dedicated committee and the institutionalized support staff that comes with that. We have seen and felt the consequences of not having that over the course of these last several years.” Mendelson emphasized the importance of education and continuing to make improvements to the DC Public Schools and that improving outcomes in schools will in turn advance communities across the District and help to ameliorate many other challenges facing the District’s residents. Mendelson, after becoming Chairman in 2012 reinstated the independent education committee but felt there was insufficient progress. He now stands by his decision to again dissolve the independent education committee as the current committee as a whole is providing more oversight. Palmer said that the COVID-19 pandemic exposed many of the “deep deep failures” of the DC public education system. Education as a right as well as additional funding for students classified as at-risk is also a component of her DC Council Accountability Plan. The DC primary election will take place on June 21, 2022. Early voting will take place from June 10 to June 19. The deadline to request an absentee ballot is June 6, and absentee voting is taking place May 27 through election day. You can learn more about the primary election and voting process at (dcboe.org). Sarah Payne is a general assignment reporter at Capital Community News. She can be reached at sarahp@hillrag. com. u
ANACOSTIA COORDINATING COUNCIL presents a
Juneteenth J u Father's a DAy Ay Un Ne Et Te Ee En Nt Th H & F At Th He Er R's S D Y Conversation C o On Nv Ve Er Rs Sa At T iI o On N with
Jonetta Rose Barras The Impact of Fatherlessness on Black Girls and Women Sunday, June 19th, 2022 1 - 4pm
Anacostia Community Museum 901 Fort Place SE Washington, DC 20020 Tickets are limited to the first 50 people. Register at tinyurl.com/barrastalk!
The lunch conversation will be streamed via YouTube at tinyurl.com/luncheonconvo
THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA HOUSING AUTHORITY
REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP) SOLICITATION NO.: 0011-2022 FPREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE AND REPAIR SERVICES FOR HVAC AND WATER TREATMENT
DISTRICT of Columbia Housing Authority (DCHA) requires professional contractors to provide Preventive Maintenance and Repair Services for HVAC and Water Treatment throughout various DCHA properties. SOLICITATION DOCUMENTS will be available beginning Tuesday, May 31, 2022 on DCHA’s website at www.dchousing.org under “Business” and “Solicitations”. SEALED PROPOSAL RESPONSES ARE DUE ON OR BEFORE Friday, July 1, 2022 at 12:00 PM. Email LaShawn Mizzell-McLeod, Contract Specialist at LMMCLEOD@dchousing.org with copy to business@dchousing.org for additional information.
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The At-Large Democratic Primary Race
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hree candidates are challenging incumbent Anita Bonds for the Democratic at-large nomination. The other Democratic at-large seat is currently occupied by Robert J. White, Jr. who is currently running for mayor but is eligible to hold his seat Lisa Gore until 2025. Two seats designated for the non-majority party are currently occupied by Christina Henderson (I) and Elissa Silverman (I), the latter of whom will appear on the ballot in November; because she is an independent candidate, there is no primary.
by Elizabeth O’Gorek
Born in Roanoke, VA, Lisa Gore (https://www. gorefordc.com) graduated from the University of Virginia and is finishing a master’s degree in management from University of Illinois. Currently Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) for 3/4G01
Nate Fleming Dexter Williams
Meet the Candidates
Born and raised in Hillcrest, Dexter Williams (www.dexter4dc.com ) graduated from Friendship Collegiate Academy before obtaining a bachelor in health administration from Howard University and a master in public administration from the University of Baltimore. Williams worked as legislative assistant for Councilmember Robert J. White, Jr. until 2020. Since then, Williams has worked for RepresentUs, an organization that lobbies for electoral reforms like ranked-choice voting and voting by mail. 36
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and a resident of U Street, Gore spent 23 years as a federal special agent for the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), rising to Special Agent In Charge. She recently retired from government service after a stint with the Inspector General (OIG) office in the Department Anita of Housing and Urban DevelBonds opment (HUD). Nate Fleming was raised in Ward 8 and obtained his Bachelors in political science from Morehouse College, a law degree from the University of California, Berkeley and finally, a master’s in public policy at Harvard. In 2013, Fleming was elected as DC’s Shadow US Representative. Currently a resident of Deanwood in Ward 7, Fleming has worked in the office of Councilmember Trayon White Sr. (D-Ward 8) since 2017 as both a Legislative and Committee Director. The trio face incumbent Anita Bonds. A gradu-
ate of the University of California, Berkeley who was born and raised in Southeast and is now a resident of Northwest. The incumbent has been involved in District politics for more than fifty years, starting behind the scenes helping Marion Barry run for school board in 1971 and then during his campaign for mayor. She later joined his administration in multiple capacities, including as his special assistant for constituent services. Bonds has been At-Large representative on DC Council since 2012, filling the vacancy created when Phil Mendelson (D) won a special election for DC Council Chairman. Bonds has been re-elected twice since then, defeating two primary challengers in 2016. Currently Chair of the Council Committee on Housing and Executive Administration, Bonds points to legislative successes including the Vacancy Increase Amendment Act of 2020 which limits rent increases on vacant units; and Limited Equity Cooperative Task Force Act 2018, which established a task force to provide policy recommendations to improve existing and add new cooperative housing in the District. “As an at-large council member for all eight wards, I am focused on providing reasonable and resourceful leadership on legislation and constituent services,” she said. During the campaign, the four at-large candidates met virtually and in-person at multiple debates including one sponsored by the Hill Rag and Ward 6 Democrats at the Hill Center (921 Pennsylvania Ae. SE) May. During these encounters, the three challengers tried, and at times struggled, to differentiate themselves from one another. For her part, Bonds was often the more likely to offer opposing views. Two matters dominated much of the discussion: public safety and housing.
Crime
Public safety and a rise in crime are major issues during this year’s District election cycle and it was no different during the at-large debates. Bonds was the only candidate to say she is in favor of a proposal
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from Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) to increase Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) ranks to 4,000 officers, noting that she was a “big proponent of community policing” while suggesting that more officers could help improve the police department’s clearance rate in solving crimes and help the community feel safer. Acknowledging that societal interventions are needed, Bonds emphasized that the community wants additional police support. “I really and truly believe that we need to see more officers on the streets,” Bonds said at the Hill Center forum. “Whether it is a forgone conclusion or not, people feel comfortable when they see an officer in their community and we just don’t have officers in our community as we once did.” Meanwhile, former law enforcement manager Gore said she sees the importance of police in crime prevention but said there is not a “magic number of officers who will make the city safer.”. “I think we need to give MPD what they need, but I would do that with great oversight,” she said at the Hill Center forum. Allocating resources is a difficult balance, she said, adding that DC Council needs to dig into the MPD budget to make sure the agency is effectively positioned to respond appropriately in an efficient and effective way, and to make sure resources are not being allocated where not needed. Both Williams and Fleming opposed an increase in officers. Williams addressed the importance of identifying and addressing the root causes of crime in the District rather than adding uniformed officers to the streets. He called for equitable resource allocation across wards, especially for education, school nutrition programs, after-school programs, mental health support programs and opioid treatment. “We have to invest in causes,” Williams said. “I don’t think increasing the number of police officers is actually going to solve crime; it gives us a false sense of security.” Instead, he proposed the city needs to expand the Mental Health Emergency Dispatch Program to direct certain 911 mental health calls to social workers instead of going directly to MPD. “By not having the police as the sole crisis responders,” Williams added, “we will start eliminating the risk of harm to both residents and the police.” Fleming agreed, saying a comprehensive approach is needed. He said improving outcomes for young people can help address the root causes of crime. Instead of increasing officer corps, he advocated for the implementation of year-round universal after-school programming. “[Crime] is a reflection of our young people being in crisis and we have to address that issue both in 38
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the short term by improving community and police relations,” Fleming said, adding that this could be addressed in the long term with educational and economic opportunities and expanded mental health care. Fleming said one way to do so is to create jobs and expand entrepreneurship, while avoiding displacement and securing affordable housing. “Making sure that our young people are engaged, I think, is at the heart of this matter,” he said.
Challenging Bonds on Housing
Incumbent At-Large Councilmember Bonds is the Chairperson on the Committee on Housing and Executive Administration. There’s no guarantee that the next at-large council member will serve in the same role, as chairs of council committees are elected by the Committee of the Whole at the start of each two-year council period. Still, given that Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) has referred to Bonds as “the Chair of Housing,” it is no surprise that housing dominated much of the discussion between candidates. Pointing to her record, Bonds said that since accepting the assignment as chair of the housing committee DC has been recognized as a national leader on affordable housing. “Building, preserving and providing housing at a rent that residents can afford are challenging processes, but DC is slowly overcoming,” she said. Bonds said she was working to ensure that every District resident has a safe, sanitary, and affordable place to call home, pushing for policies that expand tenants’ rights, increase opportunities for homeownership and preserve and increase of the District’s affordable housing stock. Bonds said there has been progress made but much work still needs to be done on affordable housing in the District. In April, she created a stir when she said she had not heard of the District’s 37,000-long housing-voucher wait list. Asked about it at the Hill Center Forum, Bonds said that she was misquoted. She said she was aware of a wait list for public housing, but noted that there is no list for the local voucher program. Of note, Bonds said the Council is researching the public housing waitlist to see which families have already been assisted. The incumbent said the government thinks it likely that many have had their needs met in the time that has elapsed since they were added; “We don’t know that,” she acknowledged, “but that’s what we’re working on.” Gore, former council staffer Dexter Williams and former shadow representative Nate Fleming all pointed to the council’s lack of oversight of the Housing Production Trust Fund as a particular concern. Since
2015, more than $1 billion has been added to the fund, which by law is required to spend half its outlay on funding the construction of units reserved for residents earning below 30 percent of the area median income (AMI). A recent inspector general report found the fund was significantly missing that target. During the virtual Office of Campaign Finance (OCF) debate, Gore quoted a report issued last year by the Office of Inspector General which found that contracts for affordable-housing development projects were sometimes awarded to applicants besides those recommended by the finance committee. “And we know the Housing Production Trust Fund (HPTF) has been in the news lately with the inappropriate spending of over $82 million in terms of deeply affordable housing,” Gore said. “That is where good oversight comes in.” Responding to a question about which barriers to building housing should be removed, Williams and Fleming also pointed to HPTF. Williams said mismanagement is putting money in developer’s pockets and preventing the city from building as much affordable housing as possible. “We have policies that can address these issues, but they aren’t being implemented well,” he said at the OCF debate. Bonds said that a problem with the HPTF is that developers have trouble getting funding to build units in the 0 to 30 AMI range. In response to another questions, she also pointed to the cost of land as a primary barrier to housing construction. “Land prices are so exorbitant it makes it very difficult to build the housing that we need uniformly across the city,” she said.
Affordable Housing
The city is experiencing an affordable housing crisis even as housing prices rise. Fleming emphasized the need to make affordable housing a “priority” in the District and said that unconventional and creative problem solving could be the solution. “We have the least affordable housing market in the country, we have the highest rate of black displacement in the country, we have the largest achievement gap between black and white students, public safety, crime is on the rise,” Fleming said. “So we need creative leadership that can work to solve these problems.” Williams emphasized a need for increased housing for the middle class as well as affordable units. He pointed to the potential of development around Reservation 13 to fill housing needs. “I have friends who make a high six-figure income [and] they cannot afford to live in this city,” Williams said at the Ward 6 Dems At-Large Candidate Forum. “So I think it gives us an
opportunity to build more workforce housing and, as a Councilmember, to advocate for more funding so that we can make those strategic investments.” Gore said the city can integrate community land trust and social housing models that center permanent affordability. But, she said, DC won’t get out of the affordable housing crisis using one type of model. While DC has built a lot of market-rate units, there’s been less investment in affordable. She said DC should look at new ways to invest, such as the Community Land Trust model used in New York. Gore said DC could close loopholes in rent control law and to make sure to preserve affordable and multi-family units during conversions. DC should also fund public housing repairs, rehabilitating and maintaining deteriorating units. “Public housing residents deserve to live in homes that are safe, healthy, and thriving,” Gore said.
Quick Stands
Positions on other issues were offered in short-answer questions posed at both the OCF and Hill Center forums: • All four candidates oppose District financial support for a new Washington Commanders stadium. • Bonds favors removal of encampments, noting housing is available to residents. Williams, Fleming and Gore oppose removal. • Bonds is also the only candidate to oppose ranked-choice voting and voting for those under 18. She is the only candidate who supports continued mayoral control of District schools.
Next
The winner of the June 21 Democratic Primary will appear on the ballot for the Democratic Party in the November 8 general election. Learn more about the 2022 Primary Election by visiting dcboe.org/PrimaryElection2022 ◆
A STRONGER D.C. FOR ALL. I am running for re-election because I am devoted to our community, and we need steady, dedicated, honest leadership now more than ever. My focus is simple: providing strong, independent leadership and working to create a stronger D.C. for all of us.
I HUMBLY ASK FOR YOUR SUPPORT. UN DISTRITO DE COLUMBIA MÁS FUERTE PARA TODOS Me postulo para la reelección porque estoy dedicada a nuestra comunidad, y necesitamos un liderazgo estable, dedicado y honesto ahora más que nunca. Mi enfoque es simple: proporcionar un liderazgo fuerte e independiente y trabajar para crear un DC más fuerte para todos nosotros.
HUMILDEMENTE LES PIDO SU APOYO.
Vote Anita Bonds - #3 on the ballot
www.anitabonds2022.com
Endorsed by: DC Women in Politics • LiUNA • UNITE HERE Hospitality Workers’ Union
Paid for by Anita Bonds 2022, Don Dinan, Treasurer. A copy of our report is filed with the DC OCF, Washington, DC.
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/ opinion /
Reform Election Petition Requirements Now!
Signature Technicalities Should Not Be A Bar To The Ballot
I
n November 2021, I announced I was running as a Democrat for the At-Large DC Council seat, in Washington, DC. Six months later I was unceremoniously kicked off the ballot by an opponent who successfully challenged my petitions. This tactic is commonly employed by candidates to thin the ranks thereby increasing their electability. Essentially, my opponent used the petition process to bar me from public office. Perhaps, I am naïve, but I always thought the choice of who best to serve District citizens lay in the hands of its voters. In DC, council candidates for AtLarge seats are required to collect 2,000 signatures from registered voters to qualify them for appearance on the ballot. I collected 2,049 signatures. A novice for citywide public office, I was unaware that this razor thin number put my candidacy in jeopardy. Opponents challenged the validity of the signatures on my petitions alleging missing dates, incomplete forms, illegible or unauthentic signatures and in some the concerns were manufactured completely out of whole cloth. A sufficient number were called in question for the DC Board of Elections to summon me for a mediation. After a failed attempt at mediation, I subsequently appeared in court to defend my petitions. I was consumed by anxiety. I was not worried about meeting the required number of signatures. I had neighbors and supporters rooting for me. Do-
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by Leniqua’dominique Jenkins
nations were flowing in daily. Rather, I feared the judicial system was about to fail me. I spent days securing affidavits from challenged signatories and assisting voters in updating their addresses. I came with 64 pieces of evidence. Howev-
er, as a preschool teacher and mother of two, I did not have the resources to pay an attorney. Neither did the Board provide one gratis. In the end, a loaded docket and over extended Board ruled against me despite my best efforts. I was barred from the ballot giving DC voters no chance to decide on my merits as a candidate. Had I received court-appointed legal aid, matters might have ended differently. A modernized petition system might also have permitted my petitioners to correct their voting credentials and sign their names electronically, preventing confusion. No one gave me a blueprint on running for District office that would guided me around the perils of petitions. I still do not have one. However, I do possess grit, courage, genius and a sincere avocation to improve our city. I will do this even in the absence of an official title. The election petition process should not be weaponized. The Board of Elections must do a better job adjudicating petitions, create an electronic alternative to paper or simply dispense with the qualification entirely. I hope to be the last Black Woman removed from the ballot by an antiquated, cumbersome, weaponized petition qualification. Leniqua’dominique Jenkins holds a Bachelor’s in Political Science from the University of Houston. She worked on Capitol Hill and in Africa, India and Spain. Currently, she serves as a preschool teacher at a language immersion school in Ward 7. u
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T R A S H E D The Challenges of Apartment Recycling Why Does So Much Of It End Up in Landfill? by Mark R. Smith
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nder her Zero Waste Initiative, Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) has publicly committed to diverting 80 percent of the District’s waste from incinerators and landfills by 2032. In December of 2020, she signed the Zero Wast Omnibus Act, which directs the city to reduce the contamination of recyclables to attain that lofty goal. In 2018, District multi-unit, residential dwellings
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generated approximately 24,470 tons of recycling, roughly twice as much recycling as the single-family households directly serviced by the DC Department of Public Works (DPW). That number is projected to rise 54 percent to 33,422 tons in 2038. DPW estimates only 13 percent of potential recyclables in such buildings are successfully recycled, according to the agency’s 2021 Desktop Waste Character Study. Many residents of these buildings are good envi-
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kmG Hauling, the trash/recycling contractor for Velocity, makes very clear to the building’s residents which products are recyclable and which are not. Note kmG’s refusal to accept pizza boxes, even though they are made of valuable cardboard – since they are often contaminated.
ronmental stewards, carefully segregating plastics, paper and metals from their trash for recycling. Yet, these sincere efforts are largely doomed to failure by a flawed, unaccountable, waste hauling system regulated by an agency asleep at the switch. This third installment of a Spotlight DC-funded investigation of recycling reveals that the District government pays little or no attention to large, multi-unit dwellings’ compliance with recycling regulations. It also does not audit the operations of the private commercial haulers servicing these apartments, which function as recycling gatekeepers, choosing whether loads are headed to landfill or to a Materials Recycling Facility (MRF) for processing. Unless the District regulates and audits recycling operations at large apartment buildings and polices the operations of their private haulers, Zero Waste will likely remain a pipe dream. The story begins with case studies of the recycling efforts in two distinctly different large residential buildings. First up is The Velocity, a modern condominium in Capitol Riverfront, built with recycling in mind. The second, Town Square Towers, is an older structure in Southwest dating from the late 1960s, before the practice was commonplace. The inquiry then follows the trajectory of recyclables as they travel from these two sources to either being successfully processed or ending up burned in an incinerator or buried in a landfill.
At Town Square Towers a check on the recycling cart shows comtamination.
ay’s market – so y is very valuable in tod uld like to find a wa Recycled cardboard wo ty oci Vel at gement much so that mana money it generates. to make and keep the
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The trash/ recycling room on the north end of the 8th floor at Town Sq Towers.
Posting recy guages (as cling instructions in fo w seen as an ell as simply using gr reign lanef rules in an fective way to comm aphics) is internationa un l city like W icate the ashington.
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Built to Recycle
Velocity Condominium General Manager Bryan Burke and Assistant Manager Michael Hunt are well acquainted with the challenges of recycling. They work hard to ready “clean recycling” for pickup at their 200-unit building. Completed in 2009, the Velocity was designed with two serrated chutes: one for trash and the other for recyclables. Residents deposit loose recyclables in the appropriate chute on each floor, leading to a dumpster in the trash room. If a particular dumpster is contaminated by soiled pizza boxes, residuelined peanut butter jars or perhaps the prime offender, the plastic bags that threaten to clog sorting machines at the MRFs (pronounced “murphs”), the entire load is considered “dirty” and is routed to a landfill or the incinerator. Glass requires special handling. Velocity provides a separate bin in every trash room to avoid glass contaminating the recyclable carts. Glass, while on DC’s official recycling list, is not processed by the building’s recycling contractor and therefore must be segregated and picked up separately. The recycling collects in large carts in Velocity’s trash room at the bottom of the recycling chute. The building’s 435 residents collectively generate six weekly cartloads, each containing roughly two cubic yards of material. Their contents are collected thrice weekly by kmG, Velocity’s Potomac Falls-based recycling hauler. Burke and Hunt focus on getting the cleanest loads to their hauler. Mondays are the “toughest” recycling days, said Burke, because staff has to sort through the weekend’s detritus. Velocity’s managers make every effort to educate residents. They have mounted signs in the trash rooms on each of the building’s 14 floors in English and Spanish. Among other cumbersome items, they warn against the perils of chucking pizza boxes that clog the chute. There is a labeled recycling bin in the mail room. But the key to the building’s recycling success, they say, is the
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behavior of Velocity residents. “Most are doing a good job with it and that does make our jobs easier,” said Hunt, “but in any group of this size, there are always a number of [residents] who simply don’t [follow the rules].” Consistent staffing in another key to Velocity’s effort. “Our three cleaning employees have all been here for several years,” Hunt said, “and they know what to look for and correct.” Velocity residents play an important role in keeping a focus on proper recycling and educating their neighbors to achieve the best results. “Yes, people do get busted,” Hunt reported with a smile, adding that there is “good communication” among them about doing it right the next time. All told, Burke and Hunt are content with both their residents and kmG. The extra money the building pays each month for recycling is worth it, in their estimation. Velocity has an annual budget for waste removal of about $21,000. That breaks down to $1,750 per month, about $250 of which is for the separate recycling pickup. There are two other rental apartment buildings immediately adjacent. If they pay their recycling haulers the same rate, that block would yield about $60,000 per year. To expand this hypothetical, the 12 blocks bounded by I Street and M Street SE and New Jersey Avenue and South Capitol Street, would generate roughly $750,000 annually. One thing is for sure, there is plenty of money to be made in waste removal, mostly for trash, and more on the recycling side.
A Legacy Building
There is a different tale to tell at Town Square Towers (TST). This nine-story condominium at 700 South Seventh St. SW, just across the street from The District Wharf, dates from 1969. Unlike its younger neighbors, it was not designed for recycling. TST was built with two trash chutes for its 285 units, one on each side. Nei-
ther are dedicated to recycling. Rather, all trash rooms are equipped with two blue bins, one reserved for paper/cardboard and the other for plastic and glass. The latter bin is outfitted with replaceable clear plastic bags. TST’s cleaning staff picks up the recycling from each floor in carts. The glass and plastics are contained in clear plastic bags while the cardboard and paper remain loose. The materials are then transported to special recycling bins in the northern trash room. According to TST General Manager Ronnette Bowlding, the building generates two cubic yards of recyclables per pickup or 40 cubic tons a month. Bowlding selected Pittsburgh-based Roadrunner Waste Management (www. roadrunnerwm.com) to handle her building’s recycling needs. The company, a “trash and recycling broker,” contracts Uber-style with independent haulers, who pick up both TST’s trash and recycling thrice weekly. The company hand sorts recyclables, reselling them on the open market to local buyers. Roadrunner’s unique business model for dealing with commingled recyclables saves the company a tremendous amount of money, since it does not have to directly bear the costs of a fleet of trucks, said Senior Account Executive Chris Smith. “If we pick up cardboard, glass, plastic and aluminum, they (Roadrunner clients) get a report on all four streams, with the tonnage numbers broken down by month,” Smith said, “as well as how much of the recycled material is diverted from landfills.” The new deal with Roadrunner is going well. “Now, we basically have one set price with them, so we don’t get charged for overages,” Bowlding said. “That wasn’t the case with Republic (the former contractor). We paid whatever they charged, which varied from month to month. They would also charge us for coming back to pick up contaminated loads without informing our office, so to make cost comparisons, we had to guesstimate what we paid the same month in the previous year.” Roadrunner, Bowlding said, “picks up
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whatever we have for the same flat fee every month, including contamination, for $3,100. So, no more overages.” The TST office works hard to ensure residents understand how to recycle. The weekly newsletter offers suggestions. There are posted instructions in every trash room. As for Town Square residents, they are “not good” about recycling, said Bowlding. “Nobody cooperates, nobody reads the instructions. About half of the residents, if they see contamination atop the recycle bins,” she added, “will throw it in the trash. But that’s it.” The key, Roadrunner has told her, is to keep the wet bottles and cans from soaking the valuable commingled cardboard, which is why that is separated by the cleaning staff in clear plastic bags. A simple inspection demonstrates the challenge at TST. Residents don’t clean glass or plastic bottles, aluminum cans or plastic containers. They also often put their recycling out in supermarket plastic bags, which badly clog most recycling sorting machines. Even if residents and management companies are attentive, haulers themselves may judge recycling loads contaminated. In which case, they are dispatched directly to the incinerator or landfill.
Hauling It Away
Hauling is the next step in recycling materials from large residential communities. The road to getting started as a hauler in DC is relatively easy. The city’s Dept. of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA) licenses all hauling companies in the District. The DCRA application requests a company’s contact information, a list of all collection vehicles and an email address. It must be completed annually. Companies are also required to register with the DC Dept. of Public Works (DPW). DPW requires them to report the location, name, material type, tonnage and destination facility for all “solid waste deliveries,” which includes recyclables. The reporting must be broken down by quarter, but can be submitted annually. The two largest haulers in the city are Waste Management and Republic. WB Waste Solutions, WB Waste, Goode Companies Inc., Bates Trucking & Trash Removal and Lawrence Street Industries number among the other key players. The remaining smaller operations include kmG and a plethora of mom ’n pop operations equipped with pickup trucks. In total, there are approximately 50 haulers serving the District. Republic services “about 4,000 business customers in the city,” said Republic’s DC General Manager Lisa Mears. The company runs “about 20 routes” in the city that make from 65 to 100 stops daily, six days a week. Each of their trucks holds five tons of recycled materials.
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Their dumpsters hold up to eight cubic yards of material. First, two-person teams check each receptacle for contamination; there’s nothing scientific about their approach. “Eyeballing the contents works just fine,” said Mears. “It’s very easy. If they see a toter (container) with a few plastic bags in it, it becomes trash. Bags are strictly prohibited because they badly clog the sorting equipment at the MRF and we don’t know what’s inside of them.” “If there’s broken glass or a dirty needle in it, we don’t want anyone getting hurt,” Mears said. “So, it gets tossed.” If a container is deemed to be fully contaminated, the driver informs dispatch, which notifies the customer. Customers either clean out the bin themselves or have Republic come back and deal with the issue by paying a contamination fee based on the size of the container. “That,” Mears said, “is the only way to change the behavior.” “Some people will do it right to save the planet,” Mears said, “and others will if there are financial repercussions.” Haulers transport clean loads to a transfer station, such as the District’s Fort Totten Transfer facility. There it is dumped on the “tipping floor” to recheck for contamination. Rejected loads are sent to the incinerator or landfill. Clean loads are aggregated and placed on 55foot tractor trailers that can hold up to 13 tons of recyclables. The city generates approximately four loads a day from Fort Totten. The tractor trailers haul the recyclables to MRFs such as Republic’s Manassas operation or Waste Management’s Elkins, West Virginia, facility. There is a catch, however, even for bringing clean loads. “The employees at the MRF will come back and charge me a significant fee for anything that has to be disposed of as trash,” Mears said. Then after the materials are sorted and bailed, the company’s materials group takes over. “It goes on the open market,” Mears said, “and they constantly look for who’s buying what product and for what rate, which depends on the supply and demand that day.”
Recycling By The Numbers
Operating a recycling truck “costs $150-$250 per hour. So, you first have to charge to cover those expenses,” said Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) Executive Director David Biderman. That’s part of what makes rejecting contaminated loads at multi-unit dwellings expensive. “It’s doubly important for collectors to educate those customers and that means doing it in multiple languages, even three or more,” said Biderman. “That’s especially necessary in DC, since a significant portion of the population is comprised of immigrants from all over the world who often come from places that don’t recycle. And many of them
live in multi-family housing.” The practical mantra for recycling is “loose, clean and dry,” said Biderman. “Those are the three words that haulers and local governments need to communicate better.” Moving forward is about common sense. “For instance, it’s important to remind people to never place plastic bags, obviously, or lithium batteries in with their recycling,” Biderman said. “The batteries can often catch on fire in recycling and disposal facilities.” Some haulers fight back against contamination by placing a sticker on the dirty bins. “Haulers don’t pick them up. That is typically done by those working in the single-family home market. “It’s tough to do that in the private market because there can be 70 people living on one floor and you’re hoping they all do the right thing,” said Biderman. Given the involvement of DCRA and DPW in licensing and monitoring DC’s haulers, one would imagine the industry operates under a microscope. Unfortunately, that is not the case.
The Regulators: Asleep At The Wheel
DPW’s Office of Waste Diversion (OWD) requires solid waste collectors to register their business and report waste tonnages annually. The agency’s Solid Waste Education and Enforcement Program (SWEEP) oversees enforcement including the operations of recycling commercial private haulers. The program has three Environmental Crimes Unit Investigators and 23 Solid Waste Inspectors. None of these staff are assigned specifically to audit the operations of private recycling haulers, stated the agency in its responses prepared for the DC Council FY-2021-2022 performance hearing last winter. SWEEP works with DCRA to maintain an accurate list of active solid waste haulers and ensure that these companies comply with the city’s solid waste reporting rules, which require companies to report the origin, destination and composition of every solid waste delivery on an annual basis. 109 landscaper/haulers registered in FY 2020 for an estimated 87 percent registration compliance rate, the agency stated. “At this time our ECU team is responsible for ensuring that private haulers who operate in DC are properly licensed and comply with DC hauling regulations. Our solid waste inspectors are tasked with making sure that all private haulers are providing commercial establishments with trash and recycling containers or dumpsters that are free of defects. They are also responsible for making sure commercial properties have a minimum of twice weekly solid waste and recycling collection,”
the agency stated in response to this reporter’s queries. DPW also maintains “high standards” for the quality of single-stream recyclables that are transferred through Ft. Totten Solid Waste Transfer Station. When contamination exceeds 18 percent, DPW charges haulers applicable fees for reclassification of material as trash or refuse and an administrative fee for the contamination, DPW stated. “All SWEEP inspectors/investigators have the authority to, and are tasked with, ensuring private haulers are in compliance with DC laws and regulations. When a hauler is found in violation of the law, they are issued a citation,” an agency representative stated. “While we have the authority to inspect trash and recycling rooms in multi-unit dwellings to ensure separation compliance, we do not have the authority to stop or inspect vehicles used by private haulers,” DPW stated. However, “Inspectors witnessing an infraction can issue a warning or a Notice of Violation.” In 2021, SWEEP did conduct 200 in-person inspections of multi-family dwellings. However, this was for the purpose of creating a baseline for future operations, rather than for enforcement purposes. Asked how many inspectors DPW employs to inspect recycling operations or police haulers at its 2022 performance hearing, DPW responded “None.” SWEEP inspectors do not monitor the tipping operations at Fort Totten. However, DPW does screen recyclables there. If a load is judged more than 18 percent contaminated on the tipping floor, the agency levies an additional fee on the hauler. This creates a significant incentive for haulers to reclassified recyclables as trash, rather than risking the surcharge. In FY 2021, DPW issued a total of 44 citations to errant haulers. Of these, 23 involved a failure to have a valid recycling registration. One involved a lack of a valid solid waste collector’s registration. 13 involved a failure to submit required quarterly reports and another five were for failure to file annual reports, stated the agency in response to Council queries. In other words, all of the 44 DPW enforcement actions involve reporting or registration infractions. The program took no action against any recycling hauler relating to actual non-compliant recycling operations. In fact, the District make no attempt to oversee or audit the recycling operations of commercial haulers. To be more specific, SWEEP conducts no inspections of commercial waste haulers, residential buildings nor does it oversee the tipping floor at Fort Totten. As a result, the agency did not routinely issue citations for their operational infractions. “For better or worse, DPW only has about 20 inspectors,” said Charlotte Dreizen, a former DPW program
analyst. “They used to have 40. So those 20 inspectors equate to about two per ward, so it’s crazy to expect that two people can oversee such a vast area.” Due to short staffing, DPW prioritizes calls to 311, the city’s Office of Unified Communications hotline, “There are so many calls that it’s like playing whack-amole to find an inspector,” Dreizen said. “So, they have little time to actually enforce recycling violations.” Given the DPW’s reporting requirements, citizens might think the efficacy of the District’s private haulers would be easily publicly ascertained. For the multi-family dwellings, the agency estimates that 24,470 tons of recyclables were put out for collection in 2018; the estimate for 2023 is 26,935 tons, according to the 2021 Desktop Waste Characterization Study. However, the agency’s numbers do not include recyclables mistakenly placed by residents in trash. Nor do they include contaminated loads dispatched (either by the hauler directly or after tipping at the transfer station) to the landfill or the incinerator. In fact, DPW’s 2018 Waste Diversion Report estimates only 13 percent of recyclables in these large, multi-unit dwellings end up successfully recycled. Further dismal statistics of recycling can be gleaned from the DC Council’s Committee on Transportation & Environment’s DPW oversight hearings. The recycling diversion rate is defined as the weight of diverted waste (recyclables) divided by the weight of all waste then multiplied by 100. It has declined 1.34 during the past four fiscal years: • • • •
FY 18 – 25.24% FY 19 -- 25.1% FY 20 – 25.0% FY 21 – 23.9%
Furthermore, these stats are not broken down between single-family and multi-unit dwellings. So, it is impossible to ascertain whether the private hauling system is working effectively. Yet, a strong market for recyclables may still provide a pathway to zero waste.
A Flawed System
Today’s market for clean recyclables provides a stronger incentive than regulation to prompt haulers to maximize the clean loads delivered to MRFs. Haulers know the value of cardboard “has been high for the past 18 months, driven in part by Amazon and general ecommerce demand,” Biderman said. “So, companies want to collect as much cardboard as they can. It’s a hot commodity.” “There are even companies like Pratt Industries, a leading consumer of discarded cardboard, that take out ads in
the Washington Post that illustrate how recycling is good for the environment and creates jobs,” Biderman said. Creative haulers such as TST’s Roadrunner that hand sort comingled loads for a set price while holding their costs down by contracting out the collection, provide a possible model for the future. They earn their profits from maximizing their recycling. Thus, it would seem that private haulers have a great incentive to push clients to educate residents and charge steep fines for contaminated loads. If costs are covered by hauling contracts, then the more recycling it can sell, the more profitable the business is. However, if the reported Diversion rates for 2018-2021 are any indication that does not seem to be working. With DPW providing very limited enforcement, both buildings and haulers have little incentive to change. Inconsistent rules, uneven city educational efforts and lack of enforcement continue to doom Mayor Bowser’s commitment to diverting 80 percent of the District’s waste from incinerators and landfills by 2032. “Recycling is not working as well as it could or it should,” said Biderman. “We need to identify and take advantage of best practices in other markets and apply them here in DC to create a higher diversion rate. It creates jobs, it’s good for the environment and it’s the right thing to do. “Washington is a world-class city,” Biderman said. “It should be a leader in recycling, too.” To do that, the District will have to hold both large apartment buildings and haulers accountable. Mark R. Smith is a freelance writer based in Odenton, Md. He writes for The Business Monthly in Columbia, Md., where he also served as editor-in-chief for almost 15 years; earlier, he spent 16 years contributing to The Daily Record, in Baltimore. He has also recently worked for Expansion Solutions, the Georgetown University Law Center and the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, as well as many other publications during the past three decades. This article was supported by a grant from the Spotlight DC: Capitol City Fund for Investigative Journalism. Spotlight DC encourages the submission for proposals by independent journalists. For more information, visit www.spotlightdc.org. u
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DC Council Approves ANC Redistricting Legislation in Final Vote Ward 7 ANC Boundaries Altered by Elizabeth O’Gorek
“I
noted on social media when we started this redistricting process that I had just given birth to my second child who sat next to me on those hearings,” said At-Large Councilmember Christine Henderson, member of the DC Council Subcommittee on Redistricting.
asked rhetorically. “Well, at the last minute the Chairman is supplanting judgment of both the task force and subcommittee with his own. Where have we seen this kind of behavior before? Well, we see it every year around budget time. Here he’s replacing a four-month process with a last minute fiat.” Councilmember Councilmember Elissa Silverman (I-At Large), who chaired the DC “I was technically on maternity leave when Council Subcommittee on Redistricting, had we started this process and now she’s threatrepeatedly stated at public meetings on new ening to walk. That is literally how long we’ve ANC boundaries that she wanted to make the been doing this,” Henderson said. process open and transparent. During the first Henderson made the remarks as DC Counvote on the redistricting legislation May 24, she cil prepared for its final vote on legislation enelected to vote “present” to draw attention to shrining new boundaries June 7. “I feel like we what she called the “broken process” of redishave battle scars that we’ll hold onto,” she added. tricting. The map adopted by council during DC Council voted unanimously to apthe May 24th legislative meeting made signifprove legislation creating redistricted Advisoicant changes to the boundaries supported by ry Neighborhood Commissions (ANCs) on the the Council’s Subcommittee on Redistricting final vote, bringing to an end the redistricting the week prior. Despite lengthy and, at points process for the next decade. arduous, efforts by the subcommittee to keep Redistricting kicked off in September 2021, redistricting discussions open and public, she delayed by the late receipt of 2020 Census data. said she was not consulted or informed about New ward boundaries were passed in final vote the changes. Dec. 21, 2021. The process to determine new During the final vote June 7, Silverman boundaries for Advisory Neighborhood ComDetail, final COW map showing Ward 6 ANCs. Screenshot: ChairMendelson.com again drew attention to process. She alluded missions (ANCs) began with public hearings in to the last-minute changes made by Mendelson January 2022. prior to both votes. “I heard the Chairman say, amendments to the map that made significant changes Each ward council member appointed a task this is all allowable, this is how redistricting normally to Ward 7 ANCs. Also, on May 3, Mendelson hosted a force to make recommendations for ANC boundaries in works,” Silverman said. meeting to discuss Ward 3 ANC boundaries that critics, their ward, submitting final recommendations April 1. “You know what, the chairman Is not wrong about including some councilmembers, said was poorly noHowever, the boundaries have significantly changed prithat,” she continued, noting Mendelson was on the subticed and unfairly moderated. or to votes by DC Council held May 24 and June 7, with committee in 2001 and 2011. “In the past, redistricting The Chair’s proposal made a number of changes, the most significant changes in Wards 7 and 3. has been all about internal squabbling and the whims of most significantly to reunite Cleveland Park into one Those changes took place under the auspices of the the chair, but that needs to change. That’s what we atWard 3 ANC. That change was reversed when council Committee of the Whole, which is chaired by DC Countempted to do with this process.” voted to support an amendment put forward by Council Chair Phil Mendelson (D). For his part, the chair pointed to the limited time for cilmember Mary Cheh and Silverman. Prior to the May 24 vote, Mendelson submitted public engagement between the time the Subcommittee “Where are we going with this [legislation]?” Cheh 50
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submitted recommendations May 20 and the first council vote May 24. He noted that Council was legally required to finalize ANC boundaries at the June 7 meeting and that, despite a requirement that amendments to legislation be circulated a day in advance, that last-minute amendments are common. “It brings criticism on the council to say “this is last minute,” as if there was another possibility,” Mendelson said. After the vote, the chair reminded members of council rules that require debate to be confined to subject matter, rather than around a person. “I’m still stinging from some of the comments made on the debate of the last measure,” he said.
mittee, and achieves a balance of cross-river cooperation, compactness of West of the River neighborhoods in a single ANC and a balance in the number of SMDs in neighborhoods,” the report accompanying the map, noting that additional changes are to be expected, especially to balance the size of the ANC 7F SMDs. The Ward 7 map advanced by the subcommittee sought to balance the two cross-river ANCs by ensuring each had an equal number of SMDs on each side of the river. However, in the map approved by council, ANC 7D has 5 SMDs west of the river, and 4 on the east side; meanwhile, ANC 7F includes 6 SMDs on the east side, one in the west and another that crosses the river. At the June 7 council vote, the ANC 7F was redrawn
all shape of the ANC. Rather, it eliminates a split census block and more equitably balances SMD populations.
Ward 8 Changes
In their report, the Ward 8 Task Force proposed a crossriver commission. Their design of ANC (8A) also incorporated a small area of the Navy Yard that was placed in Ward 6 by the change in ward boundaries. Cross-ward commissions are legally permissible and the arrangement was supported by the Ward 6 Taskforce. However, Ward 8 residents raised two main concerns with the Subcommittee regarding the design of 8A. First, the proposed map unnecessarily split the historic Anacostia neighborhood. Second, they felt the preWard 7 Changes ponderance of western SMDs would award an The new boundaries of Ward 7 encompass outsized voice to Navy Yard residents over the three neighborhoods west of the Anacostia: Anacostia and Fairlawn neighborhoods. Kingman Park, included in 2000; the porIn response, Ward 8 Councilmember Traytion of Hill East that is east of 15th Street; on White, Sr. (D) requested the Subcommittee and Rosedale. Both the latter were formerly in adopt a compromise map created by a number Ward 6. The Ward 7 Redistricting Taskforce of the Ward 8 Taskforce members. This map incorporated these neighborhoods into two created a standalone west of the river commission, ANC 8F, containing five SMDs and recross-river ANCs: 7A and 7F. united historic Anacostia in a redrawn 8A. The taskforce’s design of ANC 7F drew A Plea for Respect and Empathy criticism from Subcommittee members, parChanges made in council did not affect the ticularly the chair. As drawn, the commission bulk of recommendations on ANC boundarwas comprised of five SMDs east of the Anaies in other wards that were unanimously adcostia and only three on the west. The Subvanced by the Council Subcommittee on Recommittee redrew 7F to balance the number of districting at a meeting May 20. The ward SMDs between east and west using a comprotaskforce reports and maps function as recommise map drawn by Taskforce Member Keith mendations. The Subcommittee made changHasan-Towery. This involved moving a pores to every task force map submitted with the tion of 7B01 into the new 7F. It also involved exception of Ward 4. transferring northeastern portions of the origAt that meeting, Silverman noted that the inal 7F to 7D. redistricting process has been marked by pasThe map approved May 24 by DC Counsion. “I have to say that I am greatly disturbed cil renames the northern cross-river ANC, forby the vitriol seen in this debate,” she said, merly 7A and renames it ANC 7D, and extends Detail, final COW map showing Ward 7 ANCs. Screenshot: ChairMendelson.com pointing to Wards 3 and 7, where the subject it to include all of the currently developed land had grown particularly heated. in Hill East. The southern cross-river ANC 7F “There are strong feelings here,” Silverman said. now includes largely undeveloped Reservation 13 and to include Phase 1 and 2 of Reservation 13 development, “We’re dealing with historic issues around race, power, the DC Jail and extends further west into much of what including the Park Kennedy Apartments (1901 C St. SE) geography, representation and institutional biases that was ANC 7D on the Subcommittee Map. After an outand The Ethel (1901 C St. SE) which were placed in have led to tremendous racial and economic disparities cry, including a letter from incumbent representative of ANC 7F07. The new 7F08 is entirely populated by resin our city. And we shouldn’t sweep those under the rug, the DC Jail Joel Caston, an amendment passed June 7 idents of the DC Jail. but we need to talk to one another in a way that gets us put the DC Jail into its own SMD. towards solutions,” she added. The reconfiguration necessitated the moment of othWard 6 Changes “What worries me is that if we can’t discuss ANC er Single Member Districts (SMDs) into adjacent ANCs. The Subcommittee received a request from Ward 6 and SMD boundaries, how are we going to talk about the With the elimination of the Subcommittee’s ANC 7D Councilmember Charles Allen (D) and Taskforce Chair other complex challenges we face in this city?” she asked (mostly absorbed into ANC 7F), the Subcommittee’s Ivan Frishberg to redraw the SMDs in ANC 6C. The rhetorically, pointing to issues such as gun violence, pubproposed ANC 7D01 moves to ANC 7C, uniting the request closely aligns with a proposal unanimously enlic education, housing and mental health issues. neighborhoods along Nannie Hellen Burroughs Avenue. dorsed in April by members of ANC 6C. “I just beg of everyone to start talking to and treatANC 7F06 rejoins ANC 7B as advocated by the current ANC 6C’s concerns were presented at the Subcoming your neighbors and fellow residents with respect and ANC Commissioner. mittee’s April 28 meeting by Commissioner Mark Eckempathy,” Silverman said, as she ended her remarks. u “The Committee believes that these changes build enwiler (6C04). The request does not change the overon the work of the Ward 7 Taskforce and the Subcom52
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Our River: The Anacostia World Class Restorations Of Nature At The Arboretum To Benefit Our River by Bill Matuszeski
T
he DC Department of Energy and Environment has undertaken, with the cooperation and support of the National Arboretum and the Friends of the National Arboretum, a series of projects that use nature to substantially reduce pollution to the Anacostia River. These projects are so innovative and promising that they have drawn attention worldwide to how natural areas can be re-established or improved to absorb and reduce pollution levels from storm sewers and ditches that otherwise would empty directly into rivers like the Anacostia. We should all be aware and proud of what is going on here in our watershed.
Rebuilding Springhouse Run
The first of three current projects was to rebuild Springhouse Run. It had over the years lost much of its natural function and was a ditch that took the content of storm sewers from about 100 acres above New York Avenue. The water entered the Arboretum from a large sewer pipe under the Avenue, ran around a manmade pond and carried it for about a quarter mile to enter Hickey Run. Since it was a storm sewer and was not supposed to carry sewage, it would 54
be best to let it flow naturally to the Anacostia in Hickey Run. The project was completed in 2017 for a bit over $1.5 million, not counting the large number of plants donated by the Arboretum. Near the place where the sewer entered the Arboretum there are two springhouses, marking the place in the late 19th and early 20th centuries where groundwater was bottled and sold in the City—long before the highway and sewer line went in, but indicative of historically good quality groundwater in the area. The restoration project reconnected the manmade pond right below the springhouses to the newly widened stream around it, with the entering waters able to drop sediments and to exit over a dam at the other end. The connecting of the flowing water also attracted to the pond to an array of fish, birds, turtles and other animals. Past the dam, the stream opens up to a wide natural habitat with miniponds and native plants all along it. Soils in this area were replaced by a combination of stone, soil and wood chips to attract a range of species at the bottom of the food
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chain. Most recently, in an expression of how much of nature has been restored, the effort was greatly complimented by the arrival of beavers, who took advantage of the new broad land and water areas along the stream to build their own dam from one side to the other, creating a new pond! And people are drawn to this new expression of nature in land and water. Children love to see the fish and other critters. Adults are drawn by the beautiful natural plants and flowers that grow high along the unpaved paths throughout the new valley. It has been designed and placed to deliver cleaner water to the Anacostia. But by building with nature, it has brought so much more to all of us!
Hickey Run Wetlands
Current Passage of Hickey Run as a Ditch Through the Arboretum
The second stormwater improvement that is nearly complete is a much more modest project, but the first of its kind in DC. It is on Hickey Lane right below the R Street entrance to the Arboretum. It is called a “submerged gravel wetland.” The idea is to capture runoff and hold it and treat it, with some eventually slowly making its way down alongside the road to Hickey Run. The wetland is only about 100 feet long and a third that wide, but it can handle a drainage area of 8.1 acres, 2.2 of which are impervious runoff from R Street and the Arboretum entrance area. The dug out area is filled two feet deep with ¾ inch crushed stone and tall plantings of species with the ability to grow in such a submerged area. In addition to holding back the runoff, there is biological uptake by algae and bacteria in the filter media and wetland plants. Physical and chemical treatments can also increase the absorption of organic matter, so less runs down the hill to Hickey Run and what does brings little pollution.
Restoration of Hickey Run
New Beaver Dam and Pond on Springhouse Run
The final project in this group is the restoration of Hickey Run. With progress upstream to handle pollutants and the lessons and positive effects of restoring Springhouse Run, there is much excitement over what we can do with its big sister, which goes all the way to the Anacostia after Springhouse joins it. Because it drains a substantially larger area than Springhouse, and because of years of wrong connections of sanitary sewage lines to what is supposed to be another storm sewer, this is a substantially bigger and more challenging project.
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After coming out of a sewer as it comes under New York Avenue, this larger stream currently moves through the Arboretum in a ditch built of concrete blocks about 10 feet wide and 10 feet deep. It is not clear after all these years how contaminated the soils are under this large strip through the Arboretum to the Anacostia, although upstream clean-up is about completed. Still, it may be difficult to replicate the recreated watershed of Springhouse Run in the Arboretum. On the other hand, there is room to spread out Hickey and make the waters wider and more shallow. Much of it also runs through mature woods, so curves and spreading out will require removal of a number of trees. But there is sizable pond part way down the stream that could be readily connected as was done in Springhouse and provided many benefits to water quality and natural recovery of the stream. It will be very interesting to see what the City and the Arboretum and their contractors come up with to restore Hickey Run from New York Avenue to the Anacostia. And we should all be anxious to see what these folks come up with next to show the world how to restore the rivers, their streams and the lands along them.
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BIll Matuszeski is a member of the Mayor’s Leadership Council for a Cleaner Anacostia River, and the retired Director of the Chesapeake Bay Program. He also serves on the board of Friends of the National Arboretum and on Citizen Advisory Committees for the Chesapeake and the Anacostia. ◆ E AST
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Arboretum Summer 5K (Scenic Race through the Collections)
On Saturday, June 25, 9 a.m. to noon, enjoy the US National Arboretum in full swing during FONA’s summer 5K. Runners pass through garden collections in full bloom, over treelined rolling hills and along streams winding to the Anacostia River. Road closures provide safe running through 450-acres of urban green space. $55, adults; age 12 and under, free. Strollers and dogs are welcome, but dogs must stay on a five-foot nonretractable leash. www.fona.org
Photo: Courtesy of the Friends of the National Arboretum
Juneteenth Prayer Breakfast
Wards 7 and 9 faith leaders are hosting Breaking Every Chain, a prayer breakfast on Monday, June 20, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Roman Catholic Church, 1600 Morris Rd. SE. Limited to 200 registrants. Live stream at www.tinyurl. com/JuneteenthPrayer2022.
Screening “Lorton Prison of Terror”
On June 25, the Anacostia Coordinating Committee hosts a free screening of the documentary “Lorton Prison of Terror.” The film will be followed by a panel discussion that includes the filmmaker. The event takes place at 2 p.m. at THEARC, 1901 Mississippi Ave. SE.
Public Ice Skating Resumes at Fort Dupont Ice Arena
Public indoor ice-skating sessions resume at Fort Dupont Ice Arena, 3779 Ely Pl. SE, on Friday, July 8. Adult admission is $5; kids, $4. Skate rental is $3. Check the session schedule at www.fdia.org/calendar.
Let’s Skate DC at The Wharf
New this summer is an old-school favorite at The Wharf Roller Rink ‒ a free outdoor rollerskating rink on Transit Pier. During the second weekends of June, July and August, skate outdoors for free, vibe out to music and watch skate performances by professionals. The Wharf Roller Rink will operate on Saturday, June 11, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., and on Sunday, June 12, from 3 to 7 p.m. Free admission for all ages and no pre-registration required. Skate rent56
EASTOFTHERIVERDCNEWS.COM
The First Lady addresses Washington Ballet supporters as young dancers stand in the background. Photo: Tony Powell
First Lady Dr. Jill Biden Visits THEARC
On Monday afternoon, May 16, the nation’s First Lady, Dr. Jill Biden, visited with students at the Washington Ballet at THEARC in Southeast Washington. The visit supported the Washington Ballet’s announcement of a new scholarship initiative designed to support pathways into the study of ballet.
als are $10, for children only (size 12 junior-6). Adults must bring their own skates. The Wharf Roller Rink will also be open on July 9 and 10 and Aug. 13 and 14. www.wharfdc.com
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this DC Department of Housing and Community HPAP provides interest free loans for of serves as adeferred co-administrator HPAP provides interest free deferred loans for down Development’s (DHCD) first-time home buyer this DC Department of Housing and Community down payment and closing cost assistance up program. Development’s (DHCD) first-time home buyer to $84,000 combined. DCHFA serves as a coserves as a co-administrator of program. administrator of this DC Department Housing this DC Department of Housing andofCommunity Development’s (DHCD) first-time home and Community Development’s (DHCD) years or older who have fallen behind firstonbuyer insurance program. time buyer program. andhome tax payments as a result of their reverse mortgage. District can receive up to yearsQualified or older who have homeowners fallen behind on insurance and tax payments as a result of their reverse mortgage. DC4ME Qualified District homeowners receive to years or older who have fallencan behind onup insurance DC4ME provides as mortgage with optional and tax payments a resultassistance of their reverse mortgage. Qualified Districtassistance homeowners cangovernment receive up to down payment to D.C.
DC4ME provides mortgage assistance optional years or older whoishave fallen behind onwith insurance employees. DC4ME offered to current full-time down payment assistance to D.C. government and tax payments as a result of their reverse mortgage. DC4ME provides mortgage assistance with employees optional District government employees, including employees. DC4ME offered to current down payment assistance toisD.C. government Qualified District homeowners can receivefull-time up to ofDistrict District government-based instrumentalities, government employees, including employees. DC4ME is offered to current full-time employees DC4ME provides mortgage assistance with optional of District government-based instrumentalities, independent agencies, D.C. Public Charter Schools, District government employees, including employees payment assistance toD.C. D.C.Public government independent agencies, Charter Schools, ofdown District government-based instrumentalities, and organizations, provided the applicant/borrower’s employees. DC4ME offered to Charter current full-time and organizations, provided the applicant/borrower's independent agencies, is D.C. Public Schools, employer falls under the oversight of the Council of District government employees, including employees and organizations, theoversight applicant/borrower's employer fallsprovided under the of the Council of of District government-based instrumentalities, DC4ME provides mortgage assistance with optional the District of Columbia. employer falls under the oversight of the Council of the District of Columbia. independent agencies, D.C. Public Charter Schools, the District of Columbia. down payment assistance to D.C. government and organizations, provided the applicant/borrower's employees. DC4ME is offered to current full-time employer falls under theemployees, oversight ofincluding the Council of Mortgage Credit Certificate (MCC) District government employees the District of Columbia. ofThe District government-based instrumentalities, MCC provides an additional incentive for firstCOVID-19 COVID-19 independent agencies, D.C. Public Charter Schools,to time homebuyers to purchase a home in D.C. An DC MAP COVID-19 provides financial assistance DC MAP COVID-19 provides financial assistance to and organizations, provided the applicant/borrower's those affected the impacts ofability the COVID-19 MCC offers qualified borrowers to claim those affected by theby impacts of thethe COVID-19 employer falls under the oversight ofareceive the COVID-19 pandemic. Qualified borrowers can pandemic. Qualified borrowers can receive loanCouncil ofa loanofof a Federal Tax Credit of 20 percent of the mortgage the District ofmonth Columbia. up to $5,000 per to put toward their mortgage up to $5,000 per month to put toward their mortgage DC MAP COVID-19 provides financial assistance to interest paid during each calendar year. for up sixto months. forto up six those affected bymonths. the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Qualified borrowers can receive a loan of up to $5,000 per month to put toward their mortgage COVID-19 for up to six months.
DC MAP COVID-19 provides financial assistance to are Back at DCHFA Homebuyers Info Sessions those affected by the impacts of the COVID-19 Visit www.DCHFA.org Qualified borrowers can receive a loan of Visitpandemic. www.DCHFA.org Register at their bit.ly/dcopendoors uphow to $5,000 monthto to any put toward mortgage to per apply of DCHFA’s homeownership programs.
for uphow to six months. to apply to any of DCHFA’s homeownership programs. Visit www.DCHFA.org 815 FLORIDA AVENUE, NW, WASHINGTON, DC 20001 • 202.777.1600 • WWW.DCHFA.ORG to apply to WASHINGTON, any of DCHFA’s DC homeownership programs. 815 FLORIDAhow AVENUE, NW, 20001 • 202.777.1600 • WWW.DCHFA.ORG
815 FLORIDA AVENUE, NW, WASHINGTON, DC 20001 • 202.777.1600 • WWW.DCHFA.ORG57 E AST OF THE R IVER M AGAZINE J UNE 2022
Visit www.DCHFA.org how to apply to any of DCHFA’s homeownership programs.
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neighborhood news
MPDC Chief Robert Contee III in Conversation
On Wednesday, June 15, from 7 to 8 p.m., the Hill Center will host an inperson conversation with DC Police Chief Robert Contee III, moderated by George Derek Musgrove, associate professor of history at University of Maryland, Baltimore. Contee became chief of the Metropolitan Police Department in 2021. The conversation will explore Contee’s personal story of growing up in DC in the Carver Terrace neighborhood, participating in Marion Barry’s Youth Leadership Institute, becoming a police cadet at 17 years old and joining the department while a senior in high school. It will also reflect on the major shifts in the city’s landscape over the past few decades as well as examine 21st-century policing in the District.
Photo: Courtesy Juneteenth Marathon
“The ABCs of Black History” by Rio Cortez
On Monday, June 20, 11 a.m., author Rio Cortez will read from her book “The ABCs of Black History.” This in-person storytime will also include an art-making activity and book signing. The program is free but registration is required. National Museum of African American History & Culture, 1400 Constitution Ave. NW. www.nmaahc.si.edu
Friday Night Concerts at Yards Park
Friday nights, through July 29, Yards Park offers music, food and beverages for adults and kids alike. Music starts at 7 p.m. Here’s the lineup: June 10, La Unica (Irish Latin Rock); June 17, The JoGo Project (Jazz/Go-Go); June 24, Pebble to Pearl (Pop/RnB); July 1, The 19th Street Band (Folk); July 8, The Jarreau Williams Xperience (RnB); July 15, So Fetch 2000s Tribute Band; July 22, Broad Sound Pop/Rock/RnB; July 29, Uncle Jesse (Rock). www.capitolriverfront.org Photo: Sharon C. Farmer
Juneteenth Half Marathon & 10K
The third annual Juneteenth Half Marathon & 10K is on Saturday, June 18 from 5:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Fort Stanton Park, 1829 Erie St. SE. Runners meet at sunrise (5:30 a.m.); pre-run stretch at 6 a.m.; starting time 6:19 and 6:30 a.m. Post-race festivities are from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The 2022 edition of the Juneteenth Half Marathon & 10K again takes you along the entirety of the Civil War Defenses of Washington Trail–truly a proper trail run, i.e. dirt and elevation and definitely one of DC’s hidden gems. Free registration. Commemorative shirts available for purchase. juneteenthmarathon.org.
Grants for Black-Owned Ward 7 and 8 Retail Businesses
The Washington Area Community Investment Fund (Wacif) and Walmart have partnered to support black retail entrepreneurs in Washington’s Wards 7 and 8. Eligible businesses can receive up to $10,000 in funds. Grants are awarded on a rolling basis. Applications close on June 23, 2022. Wacif ’s mission is to promote equity and economic opportunity in underserved neighborhoods in the DC region. Contact www.retailgrant@wacif.org with questions. www.wacif.org
Essential Theatre’s “From the Mississippi Delta”
The Essential Theatre kicks off the summer with its Women’s Works Program production run of “From the Mississippi Delta,” by Endesha Ida Mae Holland. Inspired by Alice Walker’s poem “Revolutionary Petunias,” “From the Mississippi Delta” tells the story of playwright Holland’s journey from Greenwood, Mississippi, to the halls of academia. With major support from the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, pay-whatyou-can previews are on Sunday, June 19, at 3 and 8 p.m., and June 20 to 23, at 7 p.m. PWYC tickets are at-door sales only. A limited number of $15 advance PWYC tickets can be purchased online. The show runs from June 24 to July 10, at Anacostia Playhouse, 2020 Shannon Pl. SE. For tickets and info visit www.theesssentialtheatre.org. 58
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Crafitivist Circle: Feel the Power of the Stitch!
On the first Saturday of the month, 2 to 4 p.m., through November, join the Anacostia Community Museum’s resident “Crochet Kingpin” Dwayne Lawson-Brown for a meet-up of like minds and crafty hands. Participants will engage in fiber-crafts including crochet, knitting and needle point, while listening to podcasts. Join for lively discussions around the city’s social justice issues and the power of art to cre-
ate change. Crafitivist Circle is gender inclusive. Registration is required. www.anacostia. si.edu/events
Unicorn Kids Club: Celebrate What Makes You Magical!
On the third Saturday of each month, through November, from 11 a.m. to noon, Unicorn Kids Club will focus on a different way to be different. Join other kids at the Anacostia Community Museum, 1901 Fort Pl. SE, for stories, making cool stuff and other activities designed for kids ages 5-12. There’s a different focus each month: June 18, Transgender/Gender-Creative Kids Day; July 16, Introverted Kids Day; Aug. 20, Kids with Dyslexia Day; Sept. 17, Deaf and Hard of Hearing Kids Day; Oct. 15, New Kids on the Block Day; Nov. 19, Celebrate All Difference Day. www.anacostia.si.edu/events
“Portraits of Resilience” at Phillips@THEARC
“Portraits of Resilience” features images of survivors of torture from around the world who fled
their home countries seeking safety, recovery and political asylum. The ongoing photo series by British photographer Jonathan Banks is presented in collaboration with survivors and Torture Abolition and Survivors Support Coalition International. “Portraits of Resilience” incorporates voices from countries such as Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Pakistan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Through July 29 at Phillips@THEARC, 1801 Mississippi Ave. SE., on Thursdays and Fridays, 1 to 6 p.m. www.phillipscollection.org
The Wharf’s Phase 2 Brings Job Opportunities
Pendry Hotels & Resorts will be opening at The Wharf this fall. Pendry Washington DC will feature 131 guestrooms and suites, three signature dining and bar concepts, Spa Pendry and 5,000 square feet of meeting and event space. Since this will be Pendry’s first hotel in DC, most of the positions will be filled with new hires. Along with other businesses from The Wharf, Southeast DC and Capitol Riverfront, Pendry will participate in a job fair on Tuesday, June 28, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.,
METROPOLITAN POLICE DEPARTMENT
HOMICIDE VICTIM
DESCRIPTION OF INCIDENT
VICTIM’S NAME
Charnice Milton
LOCATION
2700 block of Good Hope Road, SE DATE/TIME
Wednesday, May 27, 2015
Up to $25,000 Reward
9:40 PM
On Wednesday, May 27, 2015, at approximately 9:40 pm, Ms. Charnice Milton was shot and killed in the 2700 block of Good Hope Road, SE. The Metropolitan Police Department seeks the public’s assistance in gathering information regarding this homicide.
CONTACT
Detective Chanel Howard (202) 437-0451 Detective Robert Cephas (202) 497-4734 Homicide Branch (202) 645-9600
(cell) (cell) (main)
H O W TO H E L P O U R I N V E S T I G AT I O N
This case is being investigated by the Department’s Homicide Branch. Anyone with information about this case is asked to call the detective(s) listed above or the Command Information Center (CIC) at (202) 727-9099. Anonymous information may also be forwarded to the department’s TEXT TIP LINE by text messaging 50411.
Photo: Nan Raphael
Freedom Fireworks at Nats Park
On Friday, July 1, after the 6:05 p.m. Nats vs. Marlins game (around 9 p.m.), fireworks will be visible from inside the park, along the riverfront, in boats and on nearby rooftops. www.mlb.com/nationals E AST
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neighborhood news
at Arena Stage, Sixth Street and Maine Avenue SW. Job seekers will have face-to-face meetings with representatives from a wide range of businesses. Training organizations will provide information for those seeking additional skills and expertise. Register at bit. ly/3l4O3Jy.
Free Movies on the Pitch at Audi Field
Audi Field, home of DC United, and the Capitol Riverfront BID have partnered to host a free outdoor movie series on Thursday evenings at Audi Field, located in the Buzzard Point subarea of Capitol Riverfront. Here’s the remaining lineup: June 30, “Sing 2”; July 28, “A Quiet Place 2”; Aug. 25, “In the Heights.” Movies will show on the stadium’s jumbotron screen. The family-friendly experience will begin at 7 p.m., with gates opening at 5:30 p.m. Audi Field will offer concessions for purchase during each movie (no outside food or alcohol permitted). Moviegoers can visit https://offer.fevo.com/movies-on-thepitch-801efa3 to register for tickets. www.capitolriverfront.org/events
SOMETHING IN THE WATER Music and Arts Festival 2022
The three-day SOMETHING IN THE WATER Music and Arts Festival 2022 is on Juneteenth weekend, June 17 to 19, on Independence Avenue. At press time, general admission, tier-three passes for all three days are still available at $399.50, plus fees. The pass includes access to the main lineup, activities, food and drink vendors and all general-admission areas of the festival. See the lineup and buy passes at www.somethinginthewater.com/home#home-lineup-content.
(Night) Market SW
Market SW, at Fourth and M streets SW, is open alternate Fridays, 4 to 10 p.m. Remaining dates are June 24, July 8 and 22, Aug. 5 and 19, and Sept. 2, 16 and 30. This market is a mix of local and creative businesses, food trucks, live music, a fully stocked beer garden, colorful lights and family-friendly activities. www.diversemarkets.net
“Drumfolk” by Step Afrika! at Arena Stage
Electrifying percussive dance fused with contemporary art fuels StepAfrika!’s latest production, “Drumfolk,” inspired by the Stono Rebellion of 1739 in South Carolina. State laws mandated that enslaved Africans could not assemble or use their drums, used to signal the uprising, but they could not stop the beat. The immersive production will be the first of three as part of a multi-year collaborative partnership between Step Afrika! and Arena Stage. $76 to $95. “Drumfolk” is at Arena Stage through June 26. www.arenastage.org
Bond Vet (Urgent and Primary Care) Opens in Arlington
Bond Vet has announced that it will open at 2871 Clarendon Blvd., in Arlington, on June 14. Bond Vet welcomes local pet parents to their clinic on June 12, noon to 4 p.m., for an open house with adoptable pups from Little Black Dog rescue, pet portraits, treats for pups and humans, swag and raffles. Bond Vet is open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Bond Vet also offers Telehealth services when a trip to the vet isn’t feasible. www.bondvet.com
The Sweet Ride (through Arlington and Alexandria)
On Saturday, June 18, 8:30 through 11:30 a.m., Washington Area Bicyclist Association launches summer with a bicycle ride through Arlington and Alexandria. Choose from 5-, 15-, 30-, or 50-mile routes through Northern Virginia on a combination of bike lanes, quiet neighborhood streets and trails. Enjoy snacks, lemonade, water; WABA staff and volunteers offer support at pit stops. Registration fees support WABA’s work in the DC region and its mission of empowering people to ride bikes, build connections and transform places. www.waba.org
E a s t o f t h e R i v er D C N e w s . c o m
DC outdoor pools are operating on a weekend-only schedule through Sunday, June 26. Starting Monday, June 27, all outdoor pools will operate on individual summer schedules, six days a week. All DC public pools are free for DC residents. Have photo ID. dpr.dc.gov/page/outdoor-pools.
The Well at Oxon Run Opens
DC Greens officially opened The Well at Oxon Run, 300 Valley Ave. SE, on June 4 with a full day of festivities featuring Ward 8 Councilmember Trayon White, The Experience Band & Show, and others. The Well is an urban farm and community wellness space in Ward 8’s Congress Heights. It is led by Jaren Hill Lockridge, the DC Greens Director of The Well and a resident of the neighborhood. dcgreens.org.
DC Heat Alerts and Shelter Hotline
When the temperature or heat index reaches 95 degrees, District government, through the Department of Human Services and the Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency, will implement its Heat Emergency Plan and activate cooling centers for residents. For transportation to a shelter, call 311 or the Shelter Hotline, (202) 399-7093. For more information and a list of District cooling center locations visit www. heat.dc.gov.
DPR is Hiring for Summer Positions
The Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) is hiring for over 700 seasonal positions at pools, parks, camps, food service, natural resource management and operations. Selected candidates for hire must be vaccinated and boosted (as applicable) and will be subject to criminal background checks, traffic record checks, or both, and pre-employment drug and alcohol screening. Details about job opportunities and job listing numbers can be found at www.dpr.dc.gov/summerjobs. Interested individuals may apply for a job at DPR through the Careers DC portal at www.careers.dc.gov. Photo: Courtesy of Washington Area Bicyclist Association
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DC Outdoor Pools Open for Season
ANACOSTIA COORDINATING COUNCIL presents
LORTON:
PRISON OF TERROR SC FILM RE EN IN
DCSEU Courses Are Live. Register Today!
Register at no-cost for one of over 18 DC Sustainable Energy Utility courses that are live now. The no-cost training, credentialing and certification program is designed to expand the local green workforce and is available to staff of DC Certified Business Enterprises (CBEEligible) firms and DC residents. Train Green courses range from introductory to advanced, addressing but not limited to energy efficiency, renewables and HVAC. Potential participants must complete a registration form at www.dcseu. com/traingreen-register.
G
T CERING: The Experience N CO TUR Band FEA
PANEL DISCUSSION
Saturday, June 25th at 2pm Ave THEARC | 1901 Mississippi Av A e SE The event is FREE and OPEN to the public, however REQUIRED. registration is REQ QUIRED QU D . Get your tickets at tinyurl.com/LortonScreening! tiny yurl.com//LortonScreening ! This Panel Discussion and Concert will be livestreamed on THEARC Theater's Channel.. YouTube Channel for Proof of COVID-19 vaccinations or negative COVID test must be presented ffo r entry.
REQUIRED. MASKS ARE REQU Q QUIRED.
Art Bank Program Workshop Join a tai chi group on June 19 and July 31, 9 to 10 a.m.
Outdoor Wellness Series at Kenilworth
Friends of Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens offers WELLderness: An Outdoor Wellness Series, at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens, 1550 Anacostia Ave. NE. Learn or continue yoga, tai chi, forest bathing and painting and enjoy live music, June through October. Additional activities and events include West African and steel-band drumming, bird watching, photography and dog-pack walks. Subscribe to the newsletter at www.kenaqgardens. org/subscribe. Here is the June and July schedule: Forest Bathing, June 18 and July 2, from 9:00 to 10:30 a.m.; tai chi, June 19 and July 31, from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m.; yoga, June 19, July 3 and 17, from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m., and July 16, from 7:00 to 8:00 a.m.; Park Cleanup Volunteer Event, June 25, 9:00 a.m. to noon; canoe tour with Anacostia Watershed Society, July 16, from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m.; iPhoneography with ArtReach GW (all phones), July 16, from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.; Bele Bele Rhythm Collective, July 30, from 2:30 to 4:00 p.m.; and East of the River Steel Band, from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. www. kenaqgardens.org
The DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities (CAH) requests applications from qualified artists and District nonprofit art galleries or organizations for its FY 2023 Art Bank Program. Award amounts vary but eligible applicants can be awarded up to $15,000. There is an informational workshop on Wednesday, June 15, 4:00 to 5:30 p.m. Register at www.dcarts.dc.gov/node/1594896.
CAH Announces Grants for FY 2023
The DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities (CAH) is accepting applications for FY 2023 grant programs. Funding is available to support projects from both individuals and nonprofit organizations. CAH awards grants through a competitive, peer-reviewed process. Artists and humanities practitioners must be residents of the District of Columbia and organizations must be 501(c)(3) nonprofit entities based in the District. Non-arts nonprofit organizations that host arts projects are encouraged to apply. Grant awards range up to $500,000 and support initiatives including public art, arts education and capacity building. To learn more about grant programs and to apply visit www.dcarts.dc.gov. CAH holds live online chat sessions to assist with the completion of grant program applications every Friday, 2:30 to 3:30 p.m., through July 8. www.dcarts. dc.gov/node/1115831 ◆
Artist: Jay Coleman
Coleman is pictured in studio with a working model for ‘Communessity,’ a completed work now outside Barry Farms Recreation Center. Photo: Elizabeth O’Gorek
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east washington life
No More Graves
DC Nonprofit Takes Their Motto Seriously by Anthony D. Diallo
A
fter seeing countless children lose their lives to senseless violence in his southeast community, Ira “Spanky” Mathis had seen enough and decided that he had to get involved and do something to
save lives. He had been thinking about assuming an active role in the fight against violence since 1994, but it was not until the deaths of his beloved sister, Hannah Mathis, due to a health crisis and the fatal stabbing of his best friend, Shawn Posey, that really spurred him to create the nonprofit organization called No More Graves. “It was founded because of all the death and imprisonment happening in our neighborhood. There are too many guns on the streets and especially where we live. I dislike violence of any sort but really hate guns. If I could have my wish, there would be no more guns at all,” said Mathis, 45, the president and founder of No More Graves, In addition to his work on No More Graves, Mathis is the Lead HVAC Mechanic for Thompson Hospitality. Mathis’ branch is located at Howard University’s campus and does all the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning for the prestigious historical learning institution.
Reason for No More (Senseless) Graves
The non-profit organization was born because of an urgent need that arose from a community desperate for advoca-
From L-R: Ira Mathis, Michael Taylor, and Tiffany Green.
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Seven of the nine active members of No More Graves.
in the mid-1980s that the deaths and drug-related violence escalated. Although drugs were rampant everywhere, city residents and long-time Washingtonians might swear and testify that it was ten times worse East of the River in the Ward 7 and, especially, Ward 8 quadrants. Members of No More Graves attempt to motivate and empower children and youth by engaging with them “where they are.” They accomplish this by being daily positive role models, taking them out of their neighborhoods and visiting other regional locales. No More Graves regularly supply job information for those interested in legitimate work. Annual activities and events sponsored by the nonprofit group include school supply drives, movie excursions, and cookouts. A mentoring program was also established.
DC’s Woodland cy and answers. Mathis works with eight other active memNeighborhood bers including Vice President The concept of “No More Daniel Flowers, CommunicaGraves” was started in the tions Specialist Tiffany Green, Woodland Terrance PubCommunity Liaison Michael lic Housing which is in the Taylor, Yolanda Fields, DemeWoodland neighborhood in trius McDuffie, Alisa Steele, Ward 8 where Mathis grew and Malcolm Pryor. A ninth up. The 234-unit developmember, who is also part of ment, located at 2311 Ainger a clergy, requested to remain Place, SE, opened in the unidentified for this article. 1960s. The small community Simply put, there have is bounded by Ainger Place, been too many homicides in Alabama Ave to the east, HartDC for far too long. By 1989 ford Street to the south and the annual homicide rate had Langston Pl., Raynolds Pl. On March 24, 2022, No More Graves gathered up risen above four hundred and and Erie to the southwest. 40 youths from Woodland Terrance and took them the nation’s capital had the In recent times, accordto Bolero Bowling Alley showing them that they can come together as one and enjoy themselves. notorious moniker of being ing to The Washington Post, the “murder capital” of the the neighborhood, which has United States with the city showing the highest numa mostly African American population, is a persistent pockber of slayings. The record climbed to 479 homicides in et of crime where shootings, armed robberies, and assaults 1991 which remains the record. are common. The Post also reported that open-air drug Homicides allegedly stemmed from the drug culmarkets operate on a nightly basis. ture that was prevalent at the time. Drug dealers were present in the District of Columbia, like every major urban city in the country, since the 1970s. However, it The Director of Entertainment was only when crack cocaine became easily accessible Besides being the Community Liaison for No More
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Community cookout in Woodland Terrance SE demonstrating peace amongst the community.
Graves, Michael Taylor is also the organization’s entertainment director. Taylor (or Big Nut as he is known) may be the most visible member of the nonprofit who regularly interfaces with teenagers and twenty-somethings involved in illicit or criminal behavior. “I preach about being consistent. We hold most of our meetings right there in the court yards of Woodland Terrace. I talk to the youth all the time and give them job leads for themselves or family members. If I can get one or two out of five off the streets, it’s a win,” said Taylor, who no longer resides in Woodland Terrace but frequents the area. The 57-year-old works as a Case Manager for the Department of Behavioral Health (dbh.dc.gov) where he carries a current caseload of approximately thirtysix people. He sometimes acts as a character witness and provides positive testimony in a courtroom. Taylor is also a huge fan of the movie, The Godfather, and the intricacies that the trilogy lays out about certain ills in society and specifically the conveyance of drugs to minority communities. “We lost (our collective) family with the drugs brought to our community and things like (the over dependence of) welfare. Things need to change. We need more leaders,” he said. Taylor, like his friend and fellow nonprofit member, Mathis, served jail time at least once in life. They have rehabilitated E AST
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themselves while trying to inspire the next generation. Mathis, who is interested in collaborating with other community stakeholders like Violence Interrupters, says that an attitude in today’s youth has shifted from previous generations. “We did have a sense of respect even when I was out there hurting people by selling drugs. But now the kids seem to take, take, take all the time. We’re all competing. We’re our own lottery ticket if we wake up. We keep competing for the unseen [almighty dollar]. The only person you should compete with is the person you were yesterday.”
Communications Specialist
Tiffany Green is one of three women in No More Graves. Her motivation to join the nonprofit came when Davon McNeal, a 11-year-old boy and innocent bystander, was fatally shot on Independence Day in 2020 during a violent dispute between two other individuals. Green now serves as the team’s secretary and communications specialist which includes monitoring and overseeing the website. The mother of two, who resides on Jasper Street in southeast, has one daughter who graduated from North Carolina Central University and the youngest one is currently a junior at George Washington University. “I think people and the youth need mental health resources, better things to do, and more positive role models,” said Green, 45, who works as a Customer Relations Specialist with the nonprofit National Council of Architectural Registration Boards. “We want people to learn to express themselves other than through violence.” For more information on No More Graves, or to volunteer go to www.nomoregraves. org. u
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The Old Man of Anacostia
Jonetta Rose Barras on Father’s Day by Philip Pannell
J
onetta, this year Juneteenth is on Father’s Day and you will engage in a luncheon conversation sponsored by the Anacostia Coordinating Council at the Anacostia Community Museum which will be live streamed on YouTube. What do you have in store for us that day? The intersection of these two occasions provides us an opportunity to discuss the institution of family and how it has been adversely impacted for decades—from slavery through the present. Obviously, we can’t cover every aspect but we can come to appreciate the struggle within the Black community to maintain family, especially those that include fathers and mothers or Jonetta Rose Barras similar surrogates; the kinship we once knew can be resurrected to help heal trauma and bring greater power. Much has been studied and said about the impact of fatherlessness on Black boys. How does that differ for girls? You’re right much has been written within the past two or three decades about the importance of fathers in the lives of young boys. Those discussions were ignited and expanded through the National Fatherhood Movement. It was through my examination of that movement that I came to ask this quintessential question: If fathers are important to their sons, shouldn’t they be equally important to their daughters? Of course the answer is yes—a resounding yes. If we consider the fact that in Black and Brown communities more than 60% of families are headed by women, then we know we have to look at how that affects all children. For mothers who grew up without their fathers, they face a dual challenge of attempting to convey to their sons what is manhood—how does it look, how does it act—without having had that example in their daily lives when they were growing up. Further, they are required to give their daughters
the information they need about managing themselves in relationships and in a society that continues to be for all intents and purposes male dominated; yet these mothers did not have that training themselves. It is difficult to teach what you do not know. Absence of fathers for girls and women comes with that enormous challenge. That is why we must work to build strong families in our communities so our children receive what they need to lead whole healthy lives whose power can ripple through the years to come. Can the damage of fatherlessness on Black girls and women ever be repaired? I do believe the damage can be repaired. But first we have to acknowledge it is an answer that is worthy of our attention. A person with diabetes cannot begin to become healthy until a proper diagnosis is made. Once that happens and a prescription for wellness is presented and adopted then we can begin to see improvements. That is the same with our community. Many—though not all—of our families are sick; some are dying. It’s not too late, however, to distribute the prescription we need. I hope after the ACC’s event on June 19th, there will be a rededication to reviving families. I speak from my experience and work for over 20 years in this arena. However, I do not have all the answers. This is an issue that requires all of us in concert and collaboration. The Anacostia Coordinating Council is presenting the luncheon featuring Jonetta Rose Barras. To listen to the discussion via YouTube go to tinyurl.com/luncheonconvo. Long-time Ward 8 community activist Philip Pannell can be contacted at philippannell@comcast.net u.
Changing Hands Changing hands is a list of most residential sales in the District of Columbia from the previous month. A feature of every issue, this list,based on the MRIs, is provided courtesy of Don Denton, manager of the Coldwell Banker office on Capitol Hill. The list includes address, sales price and number of bedrooms.
NEIGHBORHOOD
PRICE
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H STREET CORRIDOR
1647 Kramer St NE $625,000 516 14th St NE $992,000 643 11th St NE $1,005,000 705 12th St NE $1,000,000 ANACOSTIA 808 9th St NE $1,450,000 1228 Pleasant St SE $550,000 3 906 Kent Pl NE $940,000 1347 Maple View Pl SE $650,000 3 1428 18th Pl SE $610,000 3 HILL EAST 1437 Ridge Pl SE $431,000 3 1360 L St SE $760,000 1518 Ridge Pl SE $699,000 4 314 16th St SE $1,160,000 1910 T St SE $510,000 3 1933 P St SE $349,900 3 2239 Mount View Pl SE $525,155 4 HILL CREST 2301 1/2 Elvans Rd SE $599,900 4 3809 Nash St SE $640,000 2709 SE Alabama Ave SE $600,000 3417 Carpenter St SE $508,000 BARRY FARMS 2333 Fairlawn Ave SE $495,000 1448 Howard Rd SE $299,000 3
FEE SIMPLE
CONGRESS HEIGHTS 103 Trenton Pl SE 1154 Barnaby Ter SE 1215 Congress St SE 1236 Barnaby Ter SE 148 Darrington St SW 163 Darrington St SW 22 Brandywine St SW 3402 10th Pl SE 409 Brandywine St SE 432 Orange St SE 4635 6th St SE 631 Raleigh Pl SE 832 Hr Dr SE
$330,000 $407,778 $500,000 $220,000 $373,500 $417,500 $446,000 $500,000 $373,331 $330,000 $395,000 $365,000 $480,000
2 4 3 3 2 3 3 3 2 3 4 3 4
KINGMAN PARK 1621 Rosedale St NE 332 17th Pl NE 416 20th St NE 502 21st St NE
$631,000 $425,000 $495,000 $975,000
LILY PONDS 102 Kenilworth Ave NE 3319 Alden Pl NE 339 35th St NE
$350,000 $576,000 $464,999
3 3 3 3 5 3 2 4 3 4 2 2 2 3 2 5 2 3 2
MARSHALL HEIGHTS
4615 B St SE $460,000 4 4707 B St SE $300,000 2 5004 Astor Pl SE $502,000 3 DEANWOOD 5026 Kimi Gray Ct SE $465,000 3 1123 51st Pl NE $330,000 3 5205 A St SE $375,000 5 DEANWOOD KINGMAN PARK 12 Burns St NE $445,000 3 5219 C St SE $545,000 3 4613 Minnesota Ave NE #UNIT 4$390,000 2 1612 Isherwood St NE #1 $675,000 2 338 53rd Street NE $303,000 2 5221 Bass Pl SE $570,000 5 1612 Isherwood St NE #4 $749,500 2 3929 Clay Pl NE $430,000 3 5310 B St SE $570,000 4 715 18th St NE #1 $435,000 2 FAIRFAX VILLAGE 4052 Clay Pl NE $459,900 3 5448 C St SE $479,448 3 717 18th St NE #2 $535,000 2 2111 Suitland Ter SE #101 $169,942 1 420 Eastern Ave NE $279,405 3 4306 N. H.Burroughs Ave NE $515,000 4 NAVY YARD RANDLE HEIGHTS FORT DUPONT PARK 4612 Hunt Pl NE $660,000 5 328 I St SE $1,495,000 4 3105 Naylor Rd SE #202 $126,000 2 3935 S St SE #203 $124,999 1 4709 Clay St NE $325,000 3 3281 15th Pl SE #2 $152,000 2 3956 Pennsylvania Ave SE #T3 $142,000 1 5093 Just St NE $350,000 3 RANDLE HEIGHTS u 4477 B St SE #303 $275,000 3 5115 Sheriff Rd NE $434,900 3 1909 T St SE $530,000 3 5362 Gay St NE $390,000 2 2331 Altamont Pl SE $360,000 3 FORT LINCOLN 609 49th Pl NE $495,000 4 2804 Gainesville St SE $930,000 8 3172 Berry Rd NE $342,000 2 844 51st St NE $260,000 2 HILL EAST FORT DUPONT PARK 16 17th St NE #312 $735,000 2 1106 45th Pl SE $520,000 3 1843 A St SE #1 $775,000 3 1424 42nd Pl SE $525,000 4 CONDO 330 16th St SE #2 $864,500 2 359 Chaplin St SE $425,000 2 401 15th St SE #202 $675,000 2 3921 Burns Ct SE $423,000 3 CAPITOL HILL EAST 4315 G St SE $450,000 2 1125 Maryland Ave NE #15 $290,000 1 HILLCREST 432 Burbank St SE $313,986 2 2059 38th St SE #201 $160,000 2 CONGRESS HEIGHTS 3930 Southern Ave SE #B $270,000 2 FORT LINCOLN 4130 4th St SE #8 $155,000 2 3237 Fort Lincoln Dr NE $750,000 3 4717 1st St SW #103 $9,500 1 3814 Fort Lincoln Dr NE $725,000 4 912 Barnaby St SE #302 $120,000 1 E ast
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Dear Students, Whether this was your final year of high school, your last year of elementary school, or anywhere in-between, I hope you are wrapping up a successful school year and that you are excited to celebrate summer and all that comes next. As students and as people, you have been through a lot over the past two and a half years. I know that your teachers and principals worked hard to make this school year an exciting return from many months of distance learning. I hope you enjoyed getting back to friends, group projects, specials classes, and after school activities. I also want you to know how proud I—and your community—have been of how you adapted so quickly to new ways of doing things—new COVID testing protocols, new pickup and drop-off procedures, new ways of interacting with your teachers and classmates. But you did it. I hope you will take a moment to feel proud of your accomplishments too. I also hope you will take some time to thank the people around you who supported you through distance learning and then with your return to school. One thing we know from our experience throughout this pandemic is the importance of working together as a community. As Mayor of Washington, DC, I feel incredibly proud of how our city rose to meet this once in a lifetime challenge. At every stage of the pandemic, Washingtonians of every age, and across all eight wards, have worked together to keep each other safe. Now, as you prepare for summer, my call to action to each of you is to pick an issue or problem you care about and then find other people in our community who want to help you create a solution. There is no issue too big or too small for you to care about. You might want to join the growing number of Americans nationwide who are demanding solutions to gun violence. In fact, you might already have an idea for how we can make our community safer and stronger. You might have heard about the campaign being led by professional women’s sports teams in DC to distribute free sports bras to girls who need them, and you might have your own idea for how we can help and encourage more girls to play sports. Maybe every day on your walk
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to school you notice a part of the sidewalk on your street that needs to be fixed and you want to do something about it. Maybe you’re just about to turn 18 and you’re frustrated about not having any United States senators to vote for and now you want to play a bigger role in the fight for DC statehood. Again, there is no issue too big or too small for you to care about. Being a Washingtonian is a unique and wonderful experience. Washington, DC functions as a city, county, and state. That makes my job interesting because it means I function as a mayor, county executive, and governor. For you, as a citizen, this also means that there is so much opportunity to make a positive change in your hometown. You can have an idea today and by working with other members of the community, you can bring that idea to life by the summer. And I hope you will! I always tell my team at DC Government to bring me fresh ideas. One thing I know for certain is that our young people have the freshest ideas! Again, I am so proud of DC’s students. Let’s keep setting important goals, dreaming big, and working together to keep Washington, DC the greatest city in the world, and soon to be the best state in the country!
Sincerely, Muriel Bowser Mayor
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Have you applied to Pre-K yet? Open to ages 3 and 4 FREE for all DC residents.
Introducing a free, new, safe and secure preschool option for all DC families. Apply today for Pride Pre-Kindergarten, presented by Perry Street Prep - a Tier 1 K-8 public charter school in the heart of Northeast. No income restrictions - minimum or maximum.
PROGRAM BENEFITS: • Full day, full week 12-month program • Includes meals and before or aftercare • Small Class Sizes with 1:9 Ratio
• Outdoor Learning Space • Music, Art, Field Trips, Spanish and more!
Register today on MySchoolDC.org or email Mrs. McCaskill (dmccaskill@pspdc.org) • Apply online at myschooldc.org limited seats available
• Now enrolling all students in PK-8th grade
• Tuition-free; before care and afterschool care offered 6:30am - 6:00pm
Give your cub the best in early childhood education - apply to Pride Pre-K today!
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• Developmentally Appropriate Programs • Toilet Training • Certified Educators • Education Field Trips LOCATIONS: • Income-Based Tuition MINNESOTA Summer Camp • 4021 Minnesota Ave., NE 202.397.1170
ANTIOCH 1105 50th St., NE 202.397.8754 GOOD HOPE ROAD 2503 Good Hope Rd., SE 202.582.0323
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by Kathleen Donner
My House, My Home at the National Building Museum
On Saturday, June 18, 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., kids in first to third grades can compare and contrast common features of houses and explore the process, tools, and materials used to construct homes before building a home of their own. Participant ticket includes access to all of the Museum’s exhibitions on this specified date. $15. National Building Museum is at 401 F St. NW. nbm.org.
Washington Nationals: The Team That Reads
Photo: Courtesy of the DC Department of Parks and Recreation
DC Outdoor Pools Open for Season
DC outdoor pools are operating on a weekend-only schedule through Sunday, June 26. Starting Monday, June 27, all outdoor pools will operate on individual summer schedules, six days a week. All DC public pools are free for DC residents. Have photo ID. dpr.dc.gov/page/outdoor-pools.
This season, the Nationals launch Summer Reading Sundays, which occur prior to select home games and feature Nationals first baseman Josh Bell and relief pitcher Sean Doolittle as Player Ambassadors. Summer Reading Sundays feature a Player Ambassador plus reading and literacy-themed programming from partner organizations including Arlington Public Library, DC Public Library, the Library of Congress, the Smithsonian Institution and National Children’s
Photo: Courtesy of Friends of the National Arboretum
Washington Youth Garden 50th Birthday Party
On Saturday, June 11, 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., all are invited to the National Arboretum Washington Youth Garden for a free, family-friendly birthday party. WYG was established in 1971 on the grounds of the US National Arboretum to teach students horticultural and life skills. They’ll have games, activities, and birthday cake. Connect with WYG staff and participants from the past and present. The event is free, but they ask that you register to let them know you’re coming at fona.org. 72
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Jefferson Turner and Daniel Clarkson in Potted Potter Photo: Courtesy of Potted Potter
Potted Potter at Shakespeare Theatre
Playing to sold out houses all over the world, the Olivier Award nominated Potted Potter—The Unauthorized Harry Experience—A Parody by Dan and Jeff takes on the ultimate challenge of condensing all seven Harry Potter books into seventy hilarious minutes. Even if you don’t know the difference between a horcrux and a Hufflepuff, Potted Potter will make you roar with laughter. Created by two-time Olivier Awardnominated actors Daniel Clarkson and Jefferson Turner, Potted Potter is perfect for ages six to Dumbledore (who is very old indeed). $49.75 to $99.75. Potted Potter is at Shakespeare Theater’s Sidney Harman Hall, 610 F St. NW, June 29 to July 17. Seventy-minute run time. shakespearetheatre.org.
Museum. Summer Reading Sundays will take place prior to the following home games this season: June 12 vs. Milwaukee Brewers; July 17 vs. Atlanta Braves; and Aug. 14 vs. San Diego Padres. nationals.com/SummerReading.
Market SW: Family & Pet Friendly Gathering
Market SW, at Fourth and M Streets SW, is on alternate Fridays, 4 to 10 p.m. Remaining dates this season are June
SERVING GRADES 6-12
YOUR LEGACY STARTS HERE. Apply today for School Year 2022-2023. Seats are limited. Complete the application online through MySchoolDC.org. #ChoosePaul and we’ll choose you back! Increase your chances of being matched with Paul PCS by making us your #1 selection.
WHY PAUL PCS FOR 6-12 GRADE?
• Tier 1 High School; on average 1:15 ratio for MS and HS classes • Guaranteed seat for Paul middle school families into Paul IHS • SAT Prep, Tutoring, Honors AP Classes, Dual Enrollment and In-House College Application Assistance
• Over 20 competitive Jr. Varsity and Varsity Athletic teams • Free daily breakfast, lunch and Extended Day after school programs • Highly Rated 6-12 Special Education Services, IEP/504 Support and Counseling After you apply, visit us during our Paul PCS Saturday Enrollment Hours:
Saturday, June 11th 8:30am - 12:30pm
Visit www.paulcharter.org to learn more. Questions? Email: Enrollment@paulcharter.org
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ing room. The market is directly across the street from Waterfront Station Metro and near Arena Stage. DiverseMarkets.net.
Little Red Riding Hood and the 3 Little Pigs & Cinderella
We all think we know the Big Bad Wolf from the classic fairytales, This concert is also the album launch party for Lions & Lilypads. The concert will but what if it’s the same feature the first exclusive performances of new original tunes from the album, produced by Grammy-winning Dean Jones (Okee Dokee Brothers, Joanie Leeds). The band will be Wolf in both stories? selling merchandise. What if there’s been a big mistake? What Family Happy Hour with King Bullfrog if the Wolf isn’t so big On Friday, June 19, 5 to 7 p.m., bring the family out to enjoy a Friday evening or so bad? Little Red filled with live music perfect for all ages. This concert will be outdoors at the Hill Riding Hood and the Center, 921 Pennsylvania Ave. SE perfect for little ones to run, dance, laugh, and 3 Little Pigs is at the play to the beat of their favorite songs. Featuring Mr. Jeremiah and Mr. Steve— Glen Echo Playhouse both Capitol Hill-based dads and music teachers—the duo’s roots-and-blues on Thursdays and Fritunes are carefully tailored to get children dancing while delighting grownups— days at 10:30 a.m. and an approach that successfully hooks audiences young and old. With their muon Saturdays and Sunsical stories, amusing wordplay, and close attention to all of their audiences, days at 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m., King Bullfrog is the hottest sensation in family music in the DC area. Or at least through July 3. Sensory-friendthe most amphibian…. Adult ticket, $10; child ticket, $12.hHillcenterdc.org. ly performance is on June 12, 11:30 a.m. and ASL interpretation is on June 26, 11:30 a.m. Tickets are $15. Recommend10 and 24; July 8 and 22; Aug. 5 and 19; and Sept. 2, ed for ages four, up. Rod puppets convey the classic tale 16 and 30. With a mix of local and creative businesses, of rags to riches, love at first sight (twice!), and getting food trucks, live music, a fully stocked beer garden, colwhat we all deserve. Cinderella is at the Glen Echo Playorful lights, and family-friendly activities, each market crehouse on Thursdays and Fridays at 10:30 a.m. and on ates a lively atmosphere of a neighborhood outdoor livSaturdays and Sundays at 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m., from
Marine Corps Marathon Kids Run Registration Open
The MCM Kids Run is on Saturday, Oct. 29 in Arlington, VA. Children ages five to twelve can participate in the one-mile fun run. Pre- and post-event hospitality, activities, entertainment, games and mascots make this an unforgettable event. The Kids Run offers families eight start time options between 9:30 a.m. and 12:15 p.m. Registration is $15 and is now open at marinemarathon.com/events.
Photo: Courtesy of the Marine Corps Marathon
July 21 to Aug. 28. Tickets are $15. Recommended for ages five, up. thepuppetco.org.
June’s Children’s Theatre-in-the-Woods at Wolf Trap
Tucked in the woods at Wolf Trap National Park, the Children’s Theatre-in-the-Woods has been a summer tradition for generations of children and families. Here’s the June lineup: June 22, The Fourth Wall--Fruit Flies Like a Banana; June 23, Xuejuan Dance Ensemble--The Land of Mulan; June 24 and 25, Madcap Puppets--Jack and the Gentle Giant; June 28, National Capital Barbecue Battle Marsha and the Posi(free, under twelve) trons--Energetic, Fun After taking place virtually for the past two years, the National Songs About Science; Capital Barbecue Battle returns in-person on Saturday, June 25, June 29, Native Pride 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday, June 26, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. (rain Dancers--Dancing or shine), and will benefit the USO of Metropolitan WashingtonThrough Life; June Baltimore. The two-day event along Pennsylvania and Constitu30, David Gonzalez tion Avenues, between Third and Seventh features barbecue and with Daniel Kellygrilled food samples all weekend, 30 bands performing across Cuentos--Tales from three stages, celebrity chefs, cookbook authors and local profesthe Latinx World. All sional sports player appearances, kids activities, microbrew and shows are at 10:30 wine sampling, cooking competitions and much more. Musical a.m. (gates at 10 a.m.). artists include American Authors, Trevor Daniel, Nighthawks, Tickets are $12. After Laine Hardy, Vertical Horizon, The Chuck Brown Band, Sam each performance, Grow and many more. Daily pass, $20; two-day pass, $30; family children and parents four-pack (adults), $60. bbqindc.com/kids-activities-dpr.
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100 Gallatin St. NE Washington, DC 20011
Pre-K 3 through 5th grade Building a strong foundation for learning
Mr. Popper’s Penguins at Imagination Stage
COME LEARN WITH US!
Mr. Popper, a painter of modest means, dreams of taking an Antarctic adventure. So he’s thrilled when a penguin named Captain Cook waddles out of a mysterious box left on his doorstep. The zookeeper donates a female companion and soon…the patter of 20 baby penguin feet. To feed all of these mouths, the imaginative Mr. Popper and his wife turn his talented penguins into a must-see traveling vaudeville act full of song and dance. But the rigors of performing take a toll on them all, and they must make a difficult decision. This musical play, featuring expert puppetry, depicts a wild and witty way to follow your dreams–and your convictions. $12 to $39. ASL-interpreted performance: July 24 at 1:30 p.m. Sensory-friendly performance: July 17 at 11 a.m. Mr. Popper’s Penguins, for ages three to ten, is at Imagination Stage, 4908 Auburn Ave., Bethesda, from June 22 to Aug. 7. imaginationstage.org.
PRE-K 3 – 5TH GRADE SPOTS AVAILABLE FOR THE 2022-2023 SCHOOL YEAR ADDITIONAL SLOTS FOR STUDENTS WITH HIGH LEVEL SPECIAL EDUCATION NEEDS.
Apply for admissions at:
www.myschooldc.org or call (202) 888-6336 APPLICATIONS ACCEPTED ON A CONTINUING BASIS
w w w. br i d g e sp c s . org I 2 0 2 . 5 4 5 . 0 5 1 5 Accredited by Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools.
“Cultivate: Growing Food in a Changing World” at the Botanic Garden
The United States Botanic Garden, 100 Maryland Ave. SW, at the foot of the Capitol, has just opened a new exhibit sharing the stories of agriculture—from the people that grow the food and the important cultural connections food provides to modern techniques and scientific innovations that make agriculture more sustainable and productive. The visually beautiful United States Botanic Garden is the oldest continuously operating public garden in the United States, created in 1820. The USBG informs visitors about the importance and fundamental value and diversity of plants, as well as their aesthetic, cultural, economic, therapeutic, and ecological significance. USBG is open daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. usbg.gov.
DC Prep campuses now accepting applications for the 22-23 school year, serving students PK3-8th grade in wards 5,7,8. Preparing students for an academically and socially successful future.
Call 202-780-5126 for more information or visit:
dcprep.org
Photo: Courtesy of the United States Botanic Garden
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Design Zone at the National Children’s Museum
Creating new worlds as a video game developer, crafting the perfect vibe on the dance floor as a DJ, designing a fun, thrill-inducing roller coaster: It’s all in a day’s work while playing in Design Zone, National Children’s Museum’s newest visiting exhibit. This summer, Design Zone will challenge young innovators to put their creative problem solving to the test and discover how science, technology, engineering, and math concepts power design. On display through Monday, Sept. 5, 2022, the exhibit seeks to engage learners ages five through 12 as they explore a variety of creative concepts to learn the processes and tools needed to create a successful design. Highly interactive and hands-on, Design Zone is organized into three thematic zones (art, music and action). Admission is $15.95. National Children’s Museum, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, is open daily, except Tuesdays, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. nationalchildrensmuseum.org.
er fans who would like to stay and watch the entire game will still be able to line up once the game has ended. Participants must exit the ballpark through the Right Field Gate. The line forms outside of the park on the sidewalk along First St. washington.nationals.mlb.com.
The ABCs of Black History by Rio Cortez
On Monday, June 20, 11 a.m., acclaimed author Rio Cortez will read from her book “The ABCs of Black History.” Using rhyming couplets, Cortez shares uplifting stories with young readers about pivotal events in Black history. This in-person story time will also include an art making activity and book signing. This program is free, however registration is required. National Museum of African American History & Culture, 1400 Constitution Ave. NW. nmaahc.si.edu.
Semper Fi Father’s 10K, 5K and Kids’ Run
On June 19, 9 to 11 a.m., the Semper Fi Father’s 10K, 5K and Kids’ Run is at Mason Neck State Park, 7301 High Point Rd., Lorton, VA. Enjoy this scenic, flat 5K/10K that runs along a bike path through Mason Neck State Park. There is race day registration. Participants need to arrive around 45 minutes before the race to get registered. bishopsevents.com/event/2022-semper-fi-fathers-5K-10K-1m/.
Blippi The Musical at the National Theatre
On June 25 at 2 and 6 p.m. at the National Theater, Blippi The Musical is set to bring the vivacious, energetic, and educational children’s character from the screen to the stage for an all-ages extravaganza of fun, dancing, singing and meeting amazing new friends onstage. For tickets and additional information, visit BroadwayAtTheNational.com. u
The “Fast Tracks” experience within Design Zone’s action-themed area. Photo: Courtesy of the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry
are encouraged to continue enjoying the free and open space in the Park. Theatre-inthe-Woods, 1551 Trap Rd., Vienna. wolftrap.org.
NSO’s Toy Story in Concert at Wolf Trap
On Saturday, July 30, 8 p.m., the NSO brings Toy Story in Concert to Wolf Trap, featuring the Oscar and Grammy-winning score by Randy Newman. Ever wonder what toys do when people aren’t around? Toy Story answers that question with a fun-filled journey through the eyes of two rival toys—Woody and Buzz Lightyear. The full feature film will be projected in HD onto screens in-house and on the lawn and accompanied by the music of a live symphony orchestra. $37 to $67. wolftrap.org. William Shakespeare
Kids Run the Bases at Nat’s Park
Kids ages four to ¬twelve can run the bases after every Sunday day game throughout the season. This season’s remaining dates: June 12 and 19; July 3, 17 and 31; Aug. 14 and 28; Sept. 18; and Oct. 2. Kids Run the Bases begins immediately following the game, weather permitting. An adult must accompany runners to the field. Once the game has ended, it takes the grounds crew approximately 20 minutes to prepare the field. Kids and parents/guardians can begin lining up at the end of the seventh inning, howev76
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It’s never too early to discover Shakespeare!
Visit Folger Shakespeare Library’s Shakespeare for Kids and check out fun and informative resources for kids and for Shakespeare beginners: 10 Ways To Be a Shakespeare Expert; Cool Printing Facts; Queen Elizabeth I; Shakespeare Challenges; Shakespeare Quotations and Scripts; What is a Shakespeare First Folio?; Who Am I?; and Words, Words, Words. folger.edu/shakespeare-kids.
Come se hine learn C us! with
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PREK 3 - GRADE 5
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www.themecrosswords.com • www.mylesmellorconcepts.com
XWORD
“Islands”
by Myles Mellor Across: 1. Key next to Q 4. Seaweed 8. The end of World War II Treaty city in Ukraine 13. Computer woe 18. Dip 21. Pack of donkeys 22. Like the Keystone Kops 23. Islands 25. Island 26. Perturb 27. Pacific ocean fish 28. Baseball’s Blue Moon 29. Racy Italian cars, for short 34. Way up 38. Electronics brand 40. Train directors 44. Cocinero’s pot 45. Halogen salt 49. Sheet 50. Numbers can be found in it 51. Puts back on eBay 53. One way to ship 54. Desire 55. Characterized by apery 57. Some seamstresses 59. Umpire 61. Thesaurus abbr. 62. Time of life 64. Bizarre 65. Goes (for) 67. Well-groomed 71. Provoke 72. Islands 76. Heckle 77. Wet 78. Light-footed 79. Smart ___ 81. Part of a cell nucleus 82. Lab eggs 85. Curve-shaped letter 86. Tyrannize 88. Bowl over
91. Inner part of a corn ear 94. ___ sense 95. Butt of a Jeff Foxworthy joke 98. Colloquial phrase 100. Good works ad 101. Female monster 103. Highway hauler 104. Extremely stingy 106. J.D. holder 107. Warblers 109. Away 110. Ski lift 113. Brigitte, e.g. 115. ____ A4 119. Island down under 121. Islands 129. Despite 130. Excessive 131. Teaching 132. It’s for the birds 133. Fab Four drummer 134. With skill 135. Mach 1 breaker
Down: 1. Cry of relief 2. Vibe 3. Protest singer 4. Auto insurer with roadside service 5. K-O connection 6. Word on a dollar bill 7. “Heart of Dixie” state: abbr. 8. Chicken dish 9. ___ general rule 10. The Fighting Tigers, for short 11. The Mad Hatter’s beverage 12. “____ live and breathe!” 13. London’s Old ___ 14. Bit of progress 15. Swamp thing 16. __ no good 17. Emanation point
Look for this months answers at labyrinthgameshop.com 19. G-rated 20. Med. specialty 24. Putin’s yeses 30. Test site 31. Con game 32. Dextrous beginning 33. Historic march site 35. Tina’s “30 Rock “costar 36. Off one’s feed 37. Thor Heyerdahl craft 38. Confirmation, for one 39. ___ Girl 40. Seek intelligence 41. Suffix with project 42. Dr. for women 43. Require 46. Common solvent 47. Oppressively hot 48. Detroit disappointment 52. Singer Easton
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56. Image maker 58. Wall paintings 59. Veto 60. Manning with two Super Bowl MVPs 62. “Give it ___!” 63. Serengeti grazer 65. Cognac cocktail 66. Slept noisily 68. Get behind 69. Elseways 70. Barely beat 72. Keeping papers in order 73. Hue and cry 74. Government security agency, abbr. 75. Fleur de __ 76. Cuba Gooding Jr. movie 80. Limestone region 83. Phone-on-the-web
technology 84. English-born American poet 87. Teacher’s handout 88. Crowning point 89. After a diet look? 90. Chihuahua child 91. U.S.N. rank 92. Buckeyes’ sch. 93. ___-relief 96. Australian state, abbr. 97. One engaged in, suffix 99. Hosp. procedure 102. Chases a fox into its hole 105. Out of place 108. Boy child 110. Peter for one 111. Nevada neckwear 112. Photographer’s setting 114. Actress West 116. “Mila 18” author 117. Abbot and Costello, et al 118. “___ She Lovely?” 120. Fast-moving (in sales) 121. One of Greyhound’s fleet 122. Orkin target 123. “Black box”ers 124. Warm lining 125. Secrecy agreement, abbr. 126. Name 127. Half of D 128. “Whoopee!”
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