April 2004 – Truxton Is In Shaw

Spring Clean-up Day

Neighbors,

Saturday, May 1, 2004 has been declared “Spring Clean-up Day” in our

neighborhood. This is the 10th consecutive year that this event has

been promoted in the community by North Capitol Neighborhood Development,

ANC 5C, the Bates Area Civic Association, and other neighborhood groups. In

this regard, residents are asked to use the day as an opportunity to begin

the process of “spring cleaning” by also sprucing-up and/or fixing-up

things around their respective properties or households. Where possible,

residents are asked to perform these tasks between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and

1:00 p.m. on Saturday to show solidarity with this community-wide

initiative.

And, it is hoped that this type of clean-up activity will be ritualized

on every Saturday morning until the Fall.

Best,

Jim Berry

ANC 5C

Gentrification and British people: Or gentrification and me with an accent

Allo Govener’

Went looking for some gentrification sites again and came across a British site What is gentrification? There is a mild hostility towards gentrification with a bit of Marxist theory. Oh I miss Marxist theory, makes me pine for grad school again. A tad different than some other sites, the creator throws in how gender adds to gentrification, which gave me a bit of pause.

As the theory goes if you look at gentrifying couples they are DINKs (double income, no kids) so they have greater spending power over working class families because the woman in the DINK couple is not tied up with childrearing. Nor is the woman’s or family’s resources eaten by childrearing that could better be used in home buying and home improvement. I also found this statement of interest: “Tim Butler and Chris Hamnett have stated that gentrification is “not solely a class process, but neither is it solely a gender process. It involves the consumption of inner-city housing by middle-class people who have an identifiable class and cultural formation, one of whose major identifying characteristics centres around the occupational identity of its female members” (Butler and Hamnett, 1994, p.491). ”

Spring you lying season you

This weekend I fell for the warm weather and bought many plants. Now it’s getting colder again. WTF? So I had to cover my semi-hardy plants. Come on Spring, get back to the warming, chop-chop.

Realtors on Crack
I’ve been looking at what’s for sale in my section of Shaw. And I must say someone has been smoking some serious crack when they thought of the prices for some of the homes.
Let’s look shall we.

MLS #:DC4805985 – 611 S St.- I pass it all the time. It is close to the metro, about one block, so yes, that counts for something. But 335K? It’s a little wooden detached (it’s wood, everything else is brick) with no basement. Nothing special about the house, slightly on the ugly side. I remember when it was around 100K 3 years ago.

MLS #:DC4795165 – 1254 NJ Ave. It’s short, it’s got a big front, it’s $695K. Over half a million dollars and you’re still in the hood! On a busy street… over 1/2 a mil, crazy crack.

MLS #:DC4790758 -1718 4th St- On a block I don’t even like walking down in the daytime. Nearly 1/2 a mil at $485K. Yes, nice rehab, but for that price?

Serious. Crack.

Church

Church
Honestly I am trying to find a decent Episcopal church in DC, but I’m aiming for Shaw. In this search I have been to St. Paul’s in Foggy Bottom, St. George’s on U Street, and recently St. Agnes (?) on 12th and Mass. St. Pauls- love the people there, love the incense, not too keen on the mass. Too high church and not even Rite I (I’m totally Rite II). St. George’s is near by and African American. It is Rite II and seems traditional. Yet, I am so, so sad to say, I was bored to tears in mass. That pains me, ’cause it would be so cool to just walk to church and be amongst my people and be ‘home’.

The past 2 sundays I’ve been to St. Agnes. The first time, high mass. Okay, I can pretty much say that besides the incense, I hate high mass. This week I did their low mass. I gather because of the march downtown there was a very low turnout. For the whole mass there were 5 of us, counting the priest, and worse, it was like high mass but without the music. Arrgh! There were a few good points, I got more sherry, it was over with quickly, and it was at 12:30.

At this rate I’m almost headed towards the Luthuran church.

Next month I’ll try Georgetown churches.

An exchange

Below, for your enjoyment is an exchange on a discussion board for dancers. Some of the handles have been changed. I’m MM or O M. The issue is ABC licenses and live music and dancing. I’ve publically disagreed with the DC Nightlife folks because of their disregard for residents’ input on being able to challenge ABC licenses. But the thing here is an arguement is presented to appeal to the group’s activist side, but I argue that suburbanites freedom to dance infringes on DC resident’s right to safety and decent neighborhoods.

Posted: Mon Apr 19, 2004 9:28 pm Post subject: NIGHTLIFE ALERT – Defend Music and Dancing

——————————————————————————–

Please join thousands of others in sending a message in support of common-sense reform to restore fairness and balance to nightlife laws and end the unpopular and unprecedented prohibitions against music, dancing, DJs, entertainment, and operating hours imposed by anti-nightlife citizen groups as small as three people.

The D.C. Council will begin voting this week on new nightlife laws and proposed legislative reforms. Don’t let them turn out the lights on nightlife!

You do *NOT* need to be a D.C. resident to participate!

RIGHT NOW your support is needed!

“SIGN and SEND” an electronic auto-message to city officials by clicking on this

link:

http://www.CommitteeforaLivingDC.org/NightlifeAlert

________________________________________

DEFEND NIGHTLIFE IN THE NATION’S CAPITAL!

________________________________________

YOUR SUPPORT IS NEEDED RIGHT NOW!

________________________________________

*** You do NOT need to be a D.C. resident ***

________________________________________

WE HAVE MADE IT EASY TO PARTICIPATE!

< SIGN and SEND a NEW auto-message >

. . . . . at the following direct link . . . . .

http://www.CommitteeforaLivingDC.org/NightlifeAlert

IT’S TIME TO RESTORE SOME BALANCE

TO D.C. NIGHTLIFE LAWS!

Support Common Sense, Fairness,

and Regulatory Reform for DC Nightlife!

Community advocacy for regulatory reform

is supported by a large and growing city-wide

coalition of neighborhood residents, community

reform advocates, popular local nightlife venues,

event producers, DJs, and industry professionals,

proponents of local economic development, and,

like yourself — D.C. nightlife consumers.

“SIGN and SEND” an auto-message NOW!

* You do NOT need to be a DC resident *

< SIGN and SEND >

an auto-message at the following direct link:

http://www.CommitteeforaLivingDC.org/NightlifeAlert

THANK YOU for your continued support!

— Committee for a Living DC (CLDC)

http://www.CommitteeforaLivingDC.org

_________________

*Bal hugs*

Lily DINNER SHOW! Bakadu! Strongbad!

Vermont

Location: Living in TKPK MD, when not living at CUA Law.

Posted: Mon Apr 19, 2004 9:47 pm Post subject:

——————————————————————————–

Done!

After several weeks on nuisance and zoning laws in property class, I’m pretty skeptical about overly restrictive zoning ordinances.

Susan

_________________

“If the apocalypse comes, beep me.” –Buffy

O M

Location: Gentrified Shaw, DC

Posted: Tue Apr 20, 2004 7:00 am Post subject:

——————————————————————————–

The other side of the coin….

The laws that the “DC Nightlife” people are attacking are the ABC liquor licensing laws that also regulate liquor stores, not just restaurants. What it really is all about are the volunteer agreements that businesses engage in with the residents of the community where they operate. The volunteer agreement is the only effective tool some communities have in dealing with the numerous liquor stores. If a business fails to agree to the volunteer agreement the community challenges their ABC license. DC is not the only place that has volunteer agreements, but our rights to have them are being attacked under the guise of protecting nightlife.

Residents, like myself, worry about trash, public urination, traffic, rats, noise, oh and the odd shooting. The volunteer agreements are our (residents’) one shot at addressing those issues, when we ask the business to discourage loitering, keep the thumping music down after 11, make sure that trash doesn’t build up, etc. You want to take that away, thanks. Coffee houses, places that don’t sell liquor don’t have to deal with volunteer agreements and could host live music. The law is not about live music, it’s about liqour. Booze, pure and simple.

Go ahead, not like I have a vote in Congress anyway. Seems that those in Maryland and Virginia have a greater say over DC than the people who live here.

_________________

MM

Back to top

Lily

Location: home: Alexandria, VA (Obie Grad ’03) 😉 Virginia Beach, VA for law school

Posted: Tue Apr 20, 2004 8:27 am Post subject:

——————————————————————————–

thank you for your clarification of the issues

i wish the vote could be specified more towards the relevant concern for DC nightlife, but unfortunately it doesn’t seem possible

most clubs, especially EDM (electronic dance music) venues, are not located next to residences; coffee houses, on the other hand, are, so it would far more likely to have noise and trash concerns for coffee houses than EDM clubs that are usually next to office buildings or are in their own remote, self-contaned warehouse space, like Nation in DC

at most, i doubt the trash and noise of other dance/club/coffee house/cabaret venues will get out of hand, if the vote favors EDM communities, there are other checks in place for that, but the EDM scene lobbyists are few and far between with little influence in the gov’t

ps. Susan, thanks for your support!

_________________

*Bal hugs*

Lily DINNER SHOW! Bakadu! Strongbad!

Bigg_Al

Location: College Park, MD

Posted: Tue Apr 20, 2004 9:24 am Post subject:

——————————————————————————–

The thing is, it just gives neighborhood advisors much too much power. I mean, a classy guy like Breeze can’t keep the Deno’s club going because of NIMBYs (who even try to regulate how loud car doors can close) while real estate impresarios can open a behemoth like Dream with relative impunity.

It’s not just a double-standard, but a multiple standard. Banish the voluntary agreements and set (shock!) one standard throughout the city.

_________________

For the love of God, ask me to hand dance!

COLIN MOCHRIE: “Today, it was announced that John Templeton did kill an ox in a rice field with two small porcelain figurines. Experts are saying this is the first example of a knick-knack paddy whack.”

Help get The Annoying Music Show on the air!

http://www.petitiononline.com/LUVJIM/petition.html

Lisa

Location: Ashburn, Virginia

Posted: Tue Apr 20, 2004 9:38 am Post subject:

——————————————————————————–

Lily or M:

Could you post the proposed leg. or a link to it? I’m still not getting a clear picture of what all is involved and I’m curious…

_________________

The Hunger Site – Have You Clicked Lately?

Lily

Location: home: Alexandria, VA (Obie Grad ’03) 😉 Virginia Beach, VA for law school

Posted: Tue Apr 20, 2004 10:06 am Post subject:

——————————————————————————–

http://www.committeeforalivingdc.org/NightlifeAlert/

_________________

*Bal hugs*

Lily DINNER SHOW! Bakadu! Strongbad!

Lisa

Location: Ashburn, Virginia

Posted: Tue Apr 20, 2004 10:10 am Post subject:

——————————————————————————–

Lily – I didn’t see the proposed legislation there. Did I miss it?

_________________

The Hunger Site – Have You Clicked Lately?

O M

Location: Gentrified Shaw, DC

Posted: Tue Apr 20, 2004 10:17 am Post subject:

——————————————————————————–

The DC Nightlife folks are challenging 15-516 (see http://www.dccouncil.washington.dc.us/images/00001/20031022175820.pdf )

The introductory letter says its to deal with fake IDs and drinking by minors. Just a quick look shows that the School Board can get into the act of challenging a liquor license.

Another DC Nightlife complaint is that as few as 3 people can challenge a liquor license. Sounds horrid huh? Well here’s my story. On the corner of 4th and Florida is a liquor store. Back when I 1st moved in this store would have all sorts of unsavory characters hanging outside the store, a good number of rough fellows. People living much closer to the store got together to challenge the store’s ABC license because they were almost encouraging the loitering and creating a safe environment for the drug dealers in their parking lot. The neighbors TRIED (I can’t stress that part hard enough) working with the store owner, but were ignored. So when the date comes to challenge the license, we get 2 days warning and the hearing is at 1pm on North Cap. In the middle of the day, I had to take off work early (leaving Alexandria) to attend the hearing and the ABC bastards cancelled on us earlier that morning. You know how hard it is to get people to take off work to attend a hearing? It’s good if you can find three people. Worse yet the block where the liquor store is had a bunch of abandoned houses so the number of people around are few. Good news, a new owner bought the store, is working with the neighbors and I feel safer walking over to the corner of 4th and Florida so I can catch a bus.

_________________

MM

O M

Location: Gentrified Shaw, DC

Posted: Wed Apr 21, 2004 10:16 pm

——————————————————————————–

Well, after the DC Council told the Mayor to go screw himself if he wanted take over the schools they delt with the liquor law 15-516 (See http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A28910-2004Apr20.html ). I’m happy, & some restaurants are happy. I don’t know how exactly the law would hurt EDM communities, but I hope you can keep dancing Lily.

_________________

MM

BBQ & white wine

BBQ and white wine

Twas interesting last night. Maxine and her crew had a backyard barbeque that spilled into the alley, when they pushed aside the illegally dumped crap that had been resting along their fence for who knows how long. As usual the exchanges were spoken as if they were far distances form each other and in the country, loud. On the other side of the fence from me the neighbors were hanging out on their patio, sipping white wine and entertaining a guest. Despite the smoke and the noise from the opposite side of the alley they were not going to move from the patio. I decided to take advantage of the warm Spring evening and sit out on my patio with a camping chair, with foot rests, and read a gardening book. We all had backyards, it was a lovely day, and dammit we were going to hang out in the back.

The crew on the other side of the alley conversed with each other from various parts of the property, constantly, with few breaks. Requests for hot dogs from the kitchen to the yard, questions about who was where deep inside the house filtered out, and joshing in the alley. The was a short lag in the talking and then someone figured it was time to turn on (blast) music. I don’t remember the tune but it featured the word “nigaz” quite often. The song/ rap only got a minute into it before someone yelled something to someone else and the music was turned off. After that it, went back on, starting at the begining of the song, again. This went on 3 times. Under the sounds from the alley were the sounds next door, clinking of silver against china and barely heard conversation. Only when B seemed to want to make a point did I pick up on anything they said. The only noises I made were shifting my chair, grunts of pain and annoyance, which no one probably heard, ‘cept me.

Then it got dark.

The alley light flickered on but by that time I turned on my patio light. The neighbors were sitting at their teak (?) table, still sipping wine to candlelight and later their patio light. Across the alley they just had the alley light, which with the fence wasn’t helpful. The noise and the people had moved inside, except the one person in charge of the grill, feeling his way in the dark. I figured it was time to go in, make dinner, wash clothes, so I turned off the light and went inside. Peering out the window later, I saw the neighbors still sitting out on the patio, sipping wine and talking, the folks on the other side of the alley had already called it quits.

Across the alley

Maxine is at it again. I was in the front of the house, watching a DVD when the yelling from across the alley (windows up now, can hear more) got me up. I figured I should check it out since it was SOOOOO loud, maybe someone is getting beat up. Dunno.

Anyway, I listen and the best I can figure, they were chasing something. A rat? Gerbil? Pet lizard? Then it all settled down.

The house across the alley is loud. I would love to not know about things but can’t help it when it is soo frickin loud I can pretty much catch the whole conversation. This weekend there was some ruckus about a dream she had confirming her suspicions that her man (husband? boyfriend?) was cheating on her with a white woman. I heard a bit of him, but his volume did not match hers.

The noise from the other side of the alley I’m used to. I’ll go out on the patio to water the plants, try to nap or fix something and I’ll hear what’s going on in the other house. Ricky is always in trouble. I don’t know who Ricky is, but his name gets yelled a lot. I don’t call the police. I don’t hear anything that would make me think there is abuse, deafness, but not abuse.

Da hood: What’s going on

Sunday was lovely and everyone was out. Two neighbors painting, others in the backyard entertaining, little T terrorizing the block on her big wheel, her mom and granddad sitting out front watching the world go by (and the neighbors paint). I was out front for a while cutting grass by hand, pulling out roots and what not. Everyso often I’d wander over talk to my neighbors, then go back and do my thing.

The kids on the other side of the block were terrorizing their side with a motorized big wheel. It was loud, in that grinding gears kinda way. I know several adults who would like to “fix” this child’s toy. We can only hope it gets fixed or it is not seen ever again. I’m glad it’s on the other side of the street.

I’m Booooooooooooooooooooooooored

I left a PSA (Police Service Area) community meeting early because I figured playing Civ (my addiction) would be far more interesting than hearing crime stats, listening to the same complaints and what not.

This month’s meeting talked about the switch over to the 5th District and leaving the 3rd District. That should have been interesting on it’s own, but no. The crime stats were slightly interesting. I mean I learned something new, our PSA had about 900 calls for service in the past month. Some were repeat calls.

As at every meeting, well not every, there is the one angry person. Past angry people are citizens who just heard about the meeting and come to vent about the drug dealing, the loitering, (sometimes) prostitution, abandoned cars, abandoned properties or (my fav) the crime that happened to them. Not to dump on crime victims, but just ’cause YOU finally became a victim does not mean the world suddenly jumps into action. It is sad that it takes a crime for you to finally get involved in your community. But they don’t stay invovled, they just vent and leave, never to be seen again. Tonight’s angry citizen was an angry black man who thought this give and take between the citizens and police was odd, and mentioned this several times. It was new and foreign because, as he explained, his past dealings with police have been confrontational. He finally said what brought him to the meeting, apparently he’s the manager of a residence and the warrent squad and he got into it at 6AM.

Civ was more interesting.