Month: June 2008

For ANC 5C-01 Citizens- Anita wants to hear from you

Okay, I just got this. Our 5C-01 leader Anita Bonds wants to know our feelings regarding what’s happening over in Trinidad. I’m guessing some of my fellow TC citizens citizens might have demanded that we have the same thing over here (I have an image in my head of a few whos who would have done so). I’ve cut out her phone number and home address, but left the email. So if you are in 5C-01 (most of the TC) please contact Anita.
My own feelings are mixed. Libertarian me, totally against it. Car-less me, enjoys the idea of drivers gettin’ hassled.

Dear Neighbors,
Please see article below. What is your opinion on this action taken by MPD to secure the Trinidad community?
Do you agree with the action taken?
Do you feel that the action is a solution to the problem of “outsiders” coming into a community to murder residents?
Are there other ways for MPD and city officials to stem the rising murder rate at the community level?

Please provide your responses/ideas to me by Monday, June 16, 2008 so that they can be incorporated into a draft plan of action for implementation in our community that as ANC Commissioner, I am working on along with James Berry, President of the Bates Area Civic Association, government officials and community resource providers for immediate implementation in our community. The continuing issue of community crime, murders, robberies and assault must be handled more effectively than the actions taken by authorities in the past months/years. In addition to residents and community stakeholders getting involved and cooperating with law enforcement, US Attorney’s Office, CSOSA, etc., our community needs an action plan that all law abiding citizens will be informed of and hopefully, will commit to follow. As community members, we can work with law enforcement, social services, other stakeholders and institutions, and our civic groups to fashion such a plan in a short period of time. But your input is required. Please let me know what you think on this critical matter.

Further, there are service requests and or outstanding issues requiring updates — speed bumps applications, residential parking, limiting pedestrian access to rear of homes located in dark hiding places, keeping the grass in front and (rear) of our homes cut/trimmed, recycling and picking up our waste left in the alleyways, placing our house number on the rear of our dwellings or gates (for Fire protection), installing smoke detectors in the home, effectiveness of home alarms, status of brick sidewalk in front of your home, street noise at 2AM, etc.. Additionally, there are a number of economic development projects and construction occurring in the area that you might want to comment on. I’d like to hear your point of view on these development activities as well. If there is a specific project you want information on, please let me know via e-mail or phone by Monday, June 16 so I can get appropriate answers and or the necessary speaker to attend the Single Member District Meeting I am convening on June 25, 2008 at 6:30 p.m. at Mt. Sinai Baptist Church (corner of 3rd and Q Streets, NW). The agenda includes:
Crime Fighting Draft Plan Review and Approval Vote
Development and the Affects on Our Neighborhood
You can reach me at 550-XXXX, by e-mail: dcbonsa[at]yahoo[period]com
I look forward to hearing from you, and thanks in advance for your interest and cooperation,
Anita Bonds, ANC5C01 Commissioner

Oral History

One of the things they teach you in library school (colleges of information studies/science, whatever) is where to find information. You’ve got your information in books, on-line, other print media and the written word has value. Then there is getting information from people, because really who writes the books, the government reports, the news articles, and the on-line content? People. And when you don’t want to flip through a zillion pages of stuff to find the answer, it is sometimes just easier to find an expert and ask them directly.
Yesterday, I hung out with the Davitts, the experts of Bladgen Alley and Naylor Court. I learned a lot, and got a history lesson on late-mid century Washington, DC social and political life. And that history, considering that several of the players then are still alive and involved, is still shaping and coloring the social and political climate of 2008.
I’ve talked with a number of folks in and around the area. People who grew up around here and left. People who grew up around here and stayed. People who were involved with this or that thing. And I have been told, I need to talk to so-in-so. And as some of the really old timers who are hitting 80 and beyond, or 50 with a bunch of health issues, I know I should try to talk (and better yet interview & record) to, as well as others.

I’ve seen this scene before

Last week heading out from work, pondering taking a cab home to test out the supposed lower prices, I saw a couple walking along Pennsylvania Avenue. What grabbed my attention was the pleading man. The woman was a long haired blond in her late thirties, maybe mid forties wearing a tight fitting black jeans and tee. The man was in his late forties, sorta moppish hair cut, wearing the most nondescript clothes ever.
Man: Let me drive you home
Woman: [silence and keeps walking ahead]
Man: Please [followed by more whiny pleading]
Then there is a certain point when he looks like he’s going to get down on his knees, as she’s keeping her stride on….
Man: She means nothing to me!

Well that explains a lot. Dude, you’re in trouble.

Diversity of Buildings

Yesterday I did stop by Jessica Lanza’s fund raiser. I was superfashionably late because I had to sell a man an air conditioner. Thank you craigslist.
First thing I did when I got into the building was write a check. Yes, I live in Ward 5, and not in the Ward or ANC single member district that Ms. Lanza is in. However, I walk through it and work in it, and what happens in 2C impacts my life in 5C. And really there is so much development and lunch option goodness happening in 2C-03 that it should be represented by someone with more strength than a sock-puppet. Seriously, can Ms. Doris Brooks conduct a meeting or two without her puppet master pulling her strings and throwing his voice?
Anyway, after writing a check for political change, I went out on the patio of the condo building on the corner of 7th and H and gazed at the sights. What I really liked was the diversity of building styles jumbled up together representing different periods. There was the synagogue dome on 6th & I, with the brutalist Wah-Luck House, and 555 Mass in the background. There was little homogeneity, and that’s what made it so lovely. Looking over at 555 Mass I thought about all the people living there who came to stake their claim on downtown. With the older 19th and turn of the 20th century facades I thought of an earlier DC. And then the larger buildings set back that house the residents, hold the employees, and draw in the shoppers and diners who give life to the streets below.
And then I saw the lightening in the distance, and high tailed it out of there.

So Hawt

What is it, like 96 degrees outside?
It’s 79 in the house. Oh, the SpacePak A/C system works fine, it is just that I’ve gotten my Pepco bill. I know energy costs have gone up, and I can kiss the days of $30 electric bills goodbye, but really, $100! I can cut costs somewhere.
Seriously, it is so hot out my worms are running from my composter like it was a house on fire. It is truly a distressing sight to see globs of earthworms streaming out of the vent holes. All the moisture from this morning has left the composter and the worms were trying to leave as well, in droves.
It is so hot, I put an old window a/c unit out on the sidewalk late last night and now it is gone.
How many more months of this?

Capitol Market: US Beef


US Beef
Originally uploaded by In Shaw

U.S. Beef, Inc.
300 Morse St, NE
Washington, DC
Takes: Cash

Description: Serving wholesale and retail customers this is a place for decent low priced meats. Notable items are beef tenderloin (6/7/08 @ $4.09/lb), leg of lamb, ribeye, slabs of pork, large globes of uncut luncheon meats, butter, ribs, goat, duck, frozen red snapper, and cornish game hens. Sometimes items like chicken feet have been spotted. Those items are in their large walk in cold room. There are glass doored freezers on the side where you may find rabbit, bacon, beef tounge, frozen seafood, and other frozen meats. If one is planning a big cookout, or stocking up on meat this is a good place to go.

Extra: There are two lines, one for business, one for retail. Do not join the shorter business line, unless expressly called over to come over. Upon exiting you will need to have your receipt checked by one of the attendants near the door.

Risk and Benefits

I was looking at mutual funds for an education fund I’m supposed to set up for the niece before the year is out when I answered a question on someone else’s site about crime in Shaw. So this explains the state of mind I was in when answering.
Life is filled with risk. And not just one kind of risk, all sorts of horrid things could happen to your health, heart, and soul. Add to it, it doesn’t get evenly spread. You could move to Shaw, live here for 7 years and experience nothing but good. Just as well you could move here, buy a money pit, have your car stolen, get hassled by various people on the street, and move out after 2 years, bitter and angry.
Your experience here could depend on a slew of factors ranging from your personality, your immediate environment, that big wild card, fate, and how all those things mix together on any given day. Say you did buy that money pit, and by chance you mention it to some neighbors/friends/ co-workers who experienced the same problem and could advise you before you threw too much money at it. Or maybe there are a thousand little things that go wrong that need fixing, whether you’re the kind of person who could install drywall in your sleep or if you can barely change a light bulb may color how you see the place(the availability of loved ones who like coming over to help with that sort of thing count too).
Only you, know ‘you’ well enough and what’s going on in your life to determine if you can tolerate the various risks of buying a fixer upper or moving into a group house on this or that street in Shaw.
With that said, there are benefits to living here, and this too depends on you and what’s going on in your life. I like being able to walk home on a mild day after work. It helps that the job is tiny bit over a mile from the house. If you work in Dulles, this is not a option for you. It helps that there are several other easy transportation options to work and there are several places to walk t, which makes it possible to live without a car. I don’t know if the car-dependent people get much out of this. I’ve been in the house for 7 years, fixed it up and have little intention of moving anywhere anytime soon. But should the University of Florida call me out of the blue wanting me to work at one of the non-med libraries….. see ya. I believe, and know for myself that homeowners who have been in their houses for a decent length of time, say around and over 10 years, should see a decent return on their investment. The reinvestment of commercial ventures (restaurants, coffee shops, stores), improved metro (a straight Green line was not always there), improvements to decaying residential properties, and a more attractive Downtown (remember when it was dead after 6 and on weekends?) have made Shaw a more attractive place to be. There is still room for improvement.
More good neighbors than bad. More good experiences than bad. Interesting stories to tell. Yeah, so far it’s been like a slow growing stock that pays decent dividends.

New Vendor at Bloomingdale Farmers Market

This is just too good to throw on the announcements page (from the BFM organizers):

I am VERY excited to tell you that we are adding a NEW vegetable
farmer to Bloomingdale Farmers Market starting THIS Sunday. I just came back from a farm visit where I saw all their fields including these tomatoes plants that are growing healthy and tall ( field -ripened tomatoes coming soon!)

Their Virginia fields are in a warm, sunny microclimate so their crops ripen early — and they will add a LOT of variety to the market. (think sweet corn in late June)

This Sunday they will bring: quarts of mixed baby squash (zucchini, one ball, 8 ball, sunburst, pattypan, Kousa), mixed summer squash, squash blossoms, broccoli, baby new potatoes (red Pontiac and Yukon Gold), asparagus, vidalia-style sweet onions, spring onions, english peas (shelled and unshelled), sugar snaps, purple top turnips, Choggia beets, red beets, swiss Chard…..and the first raspberries
of the season (come early, they will go fast)

And Flowers,too. They will bring their field- grown flowers (lilies, yarrow, zinnia) and their beautiful hanging baskets on Sunday. (They will also have bedding plants and flowers.)

Please stop by and welcome Garner to the Bloomingdale Farmers Market.
They are very excited about becoming part of BFM!

Robin and Ted

From Jim: Honoring Dr. Swygert

Neighbors,

I encourage you to join me at this event in honor of the above-referenced persons. As you may know, Dr. Swygert has been the president of Howard University for many years and former Senator Pendleton was a past chairperson of ANC 5C, a past chairperson of the Ward Five Democrats, a senior administrator in the DC Public Schools, and an overall treasure in the Ward Five community.

As indicated below, the affair is taking place this coming Sunday at 3:00 p.m. The BACA is one of the community co-sponsors and it may interest you to know that the activity is free of charge.

Feel free to share this information with others in our community and be sure to RSVP today!

Best,

Jim Berry
Bates Area Civic Association, Inc.

The Anniversary Committee of the

Bloomingdale Civic Association, Inc.

requests the honor of your presence

at ceremonies honoring

H. Patrick Swygert, President, Howard University

The Honorable Florence Pendleton, former U.S. Senator

(DC-Shadow)

Sunday, June 8, 2008

3:00 P. M.

The Gallery, Blackburn Center

Howard University

2400 Sixth Street, NW, Washington, DC

Honorary Host Committee

The Honorable Eleanor Holmes Norton * The Honorable Vincent C. Gray

The Honorable Yvette Alexander * The Honorable Marion Barry, Jr.

The Honorable Murial Bowser * The Honorable Kwami R. Brown

The Honorable David Catania * The Honorable Mary Cheh

The Honorable Jack Evans * The Honorable Jim Graham

The Honorable Phil Mendelson * The Honorable Carol Schwartz

The Honorable Harry Thomas, Jr. * The Honorable Tommy Wells

Community Sponsors

Bloomingdale Civic Association * Fifth District Citizens’ Advisory Council

Bates Area Civic Association* South Central Civic Association

LeDroit Park Civic Association * Edgewood Civic Association

Woodridge Civic Association * Brookland Civic Association

DC Federation of Civic Associations * Ward Four Education Council

Ward Five Education Council * Neighbors of Seaton Place

Pleasant Plains Civic Association

Corporate Sponsors

ADAMS National Bank * PEPCO

VERIZON Washington and Maryland * State Farm Insurance Companies

RSVP: bloomingdaleca@ gmail.com

Fireworks leg

From Jim Berry:
Neighbors,

At last night’s meeting of the Bates Area Civic Association, Inc., the membership considered and decided to support the “Fireworks Neighborhood Safety Act of 2007.” In substance, this Bill “prohibits the use, sale, storage and display of fireworks in the District of Columbia except in certain instances; it provides for civil penalties for possession or sale of fireworks; to provide for enforcement of the act by the Fire Chief and the Chief of Police; and to make conforming amendments.”

Specifically, bill is being considered today by the City Council on an emergency basis. We are told that it is supported by Mayor Fenty and, if it passes today, that it can be implemented in time to impact this year’s “fireworks season.” (my inartful description) Whatever the case, anyone who has been living in our community for a time knows how taxing the constant sound of firecrackers, cherry bombs and other explosive devices can be when discharged in the neighborhood (seemingly, every five minutes from late May to the middle of July). The sound of these items, alone, often resembles the sound of gunfire which makes this frequent and excessive noise in our community particularly unsettling for children and adults alike. Every year, we ask ourselves what can be done to more effectively manage this problem and, now, it seems that at least a partial solution has presented itself. And, while this might not be the panacean answer to the problem, it offers possibilities that can be tested via the emergency implementation of the law this year.

So, if you agree with our position, I encourage you to contact Ward Five Council Member Thomas, Chairman Gray and each of the At-Large Council Members who also bear some measure of responsibility for our representation on the City Council. The telephone numbers for the Council Members are as follows:

Vincent C. Gray Chairman
At large Room 504 202-724-8032
fax 724-8085
vgray@dccouncil.us Democrat
current term
2007-2010
Carol Schwartz At large Room 404 202-724-8105
fax 724-8071
schwartzc@dccouncil.us Republican
current term 2005-2008
David Catania At large Room 110 202-724-7772
fax 724-8087
dcatania@dccouncil.us Independent
current term
2007-2010
Phil Mendelson At large Room 402 202-724-8064
fax 724-8099
pmendelson@dccouncil.us Democrat
current term 2007-2010
Kwame R. Brown At large Room 506 202-724-8174
fax 724-8156
kbrown@dccouncil.us Democrat
current term 2005-2008
Jim Graham Ward 1 Room 105 202-724-8181
fax 724-8109
jgraham@dccouncil.us Democrat
current term
2007-2010
Jack Evans Ward 2 Room 106 202-724-8058
fax 724-8023
jackevans@dccouncil.us Democrat
current term
2005-2008
Mary M. Cheh Ward 3 Room 108 202-724-8062
fax 724-8118
mcheh@dccouncil.us Democrat
current term
2007-2010
Muriel Bowser Ward 4 Room 406 202-724-8052
fax 741-0908
mbowser@dccouncil.us Democrat
current term 2007-2008
Harry Thomas, Jr. Ward 5 Room 107 202-724-8028
fax 724-8076
hthomas@dccouncil.us Democrat
current term
2007-2010
Tommy Wells Ward 6 Room 408 202-724-8072
fax 724-8054
twells@dccouncil.us Democrat
current term
2007-2010
Yvette M. Alexander Ward 7 Room 400 202-724-8068
fax 724-0911
yalexander@dccouncil.us Democrat
current term 2007-2008
Marion Barry Ward 8 Room 102 202-724-8045
fax 724-8055
mbarry@dccouncil.us Democrat
current term 2005-2008

We thank you in advance for your willingness to help with this initiative.

Best,

Jim Berry
Bates Area Civic Association, Inc.