Public restrooms

The biggest gripe I have with the Eastern Shaw or Truxton Circle area is the perceived sense of lawlessness by some of the people that pass through the borders. I’m not talking about the dealing, shooting, etc. It’s the little things that I just can’t get my head around. The other morning on the way to work, I looked down the alley and saw a nicely dressed man walk a little ways towards a trash can, look at me and then proceed to do his business while I stood and stared. He looked at me and I made a point at stopping to stare at him. Didn’t phase him. He zipped up and walked off.

I’ve seen plenty of crackheads leave “presents” for the residents. But it kills me when I see someone who should know and act better think that they can just void their waste wherever they choose. This man was a customer at one of the take-outs and was not your stereotypical looking crackhead. He may have been a crackhead, but my crackhead-radar tells me he was not.

I value diversity. But is having to tolerate people using streets like a restroom a consequence of a diverse neighborhood? I haven’t decided on that yet. Maybe a signal a neighborhood has turned is when the streets are no longer frequently used as restrooms. (Yes, I know that bar hoppers in Adams Morgan and Georgetown do this at night.)

What ever happened to shame? Is that something that you have to teach people?

Sandy is missing.

If you live anywhere near First and Q you know Sandy as the adorable yellow lab
that greets all passersby from the front yard at the corner.

The flyer says there is a reward and asks that you have any information to
contact the police at 202-698-0150 missing dog number 013825, the dog pound at
202-576-6664, and/or the family at 202-see Truxton Dispatcher for number.

Further description: Well-loved, friendly, Sandy-tan colored, white spots on
chest and paws, dog tag and red collar. Breed: Lab-Rott. Last seen at First
and Q.

02/18 Shaw Main Streets Black History Month Celebration Honors

Shaw Main Streets’ Black History Month Celebration will honor Carter G.
Woodson, the father of Black History, with an African American Tea Ceremony on
Saturday, February 18, 2006, at 1:00 PM at Shiloh Baptist Church’s
Henry C. Gregory, III Family Life Center, 1510 9th Street, NW.
The tea ceremony will engage participants to share what they know
about Dr.Woodson and how his work has affected their lives. Men and women who
worked with or met Dr. Woodson will be present to share their reminiscences.
Participants will then enjoy tea. The ceremony will be led by
African American Tea Praises founder Johnetta Bagby.
News about other efforts to honor Dr. Woodson in Shaw will also be
presented. Each pre-registered participant will receive a special
souvenir of the event.
Admission is free, but reservations are required. For more information or
to RSVP, call 202-265-SHAW or email info@ shawmainstreets.com.

Alex

Alexander M. Padro
Commissioner, ANC 2C01
1519 8th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001-3205
Voice: 202-518-3794
Email: PadroANC2C @ aol.com
Website: www.members.aol.com/PadroANC2C

Secrets of Crackhead Building Techniques

Got a hole? Fix that puppy right up with adhesive and caulk. Apparently that was the thinking of the crackhead who worked around the electrical outlet in my bedroom. I wanted to replace the metal painted over outlet covers with something white, clean and plastic. So I figured it would be an easy change, scrape the edge of the outlet cover, pop it off and replace. Nooooooo. That sucker was glued in. There was a gap between the drywall and the outlet box and the outlet cover was secured with a massive gob of something that had me tearing off part of my wall. Nothing that couldn’t be fixed with that vinyl mesh stuff and joint compound. But it was annoying because a simple thing that should have taken 1 minute has dragged out because I have to apply the compound, wait for the compound to dry, sand the wall, paint the wall, and then replace the cover.
But really this is one of 100 crackhead problems awaiting for me to discover. I’ve already discovered a dozen so far. There is the nearly clogged up shower head I can’t replaced because someone must have welded that sucker in. The toilet encased in the bathroom floor. There was the plumbing pipe that wasn’t glued (or whatever the adhesive is) together so it fell apart when I had a washer installed. There are all sorts of challenges behind these walls and I’m dealing with ’em one at a time.