Note from Jim Berry on Tonight’s PSA 312 meeting

Neighbors,

Please be reminded that the next meeting of the PSA 312 Community Coalition will be held on Wednesday, November 12, 2003, between the hours of 7:00

p.m and 8:30 p.m., at Mount SInai Baptist Church, 3rd and Q Streets, N.W. As was emphasized during a recent set of meetings with Third District

Commander Larry McCoy, it is very important that we attend the PSA meeting in our area and that we use this forum as a vehicle for action planning on matters

of public safety. PSA Leader Lt. Dennis will engage in a discrete discussion of action items that are being worked on in the community and we need to be

in a position to provide her with feedback that will let her know if the planned actions are having their intended effect.

Unfortunately, I will be on travel tomorrow and won’t be able to attend the meeting. Nevertheless, I plan to contact Lt. Dennis and Neighborhood Services Coordinator Todd Douglas to find out what happened at the meeting and to learn how I might best plan to participate in the next one.

Have a good meeting!

Best,

J. Berry

ANC 5C

Historical East Shaw Survey

This monster is 187 pages! The thing that tees me off is the border they make. East Shaw ends at NJ Ave! According to the Capitol Commission (can’t remember the whole name right now) the border was at North Cap. There are so many things that want to cut my neighborhood off from Shaw. Dangit I’m IN SHAW, not Bloomingdale, not Le Droit, not Eckington, but Shaw. Bad enough I’m in Ward 5.

East Shaw Survey (2.1 mb PDF file)

This historical survey of the area just east and right on the border of Shaw’s Truxton Circle is an extremely detailed report of the buildings and the history of the area written up by Kelsey & Associates. Those who own homes or property in the area should read the report as it advocates creating an historic district.

borrowed from my other blog…

Drug dealer’s rep shows up at neighborhood meeting

…or at least that is what it seemed like.

Another 1st Monday, another stinky neighborhood meeting. It begins hopefully, with myself, police rep, parole program rep and ANC commissioner. Meeting was supposed to begin at 7 PM but starts at 7:15; maybe we can say what needs to be said and get the heck out at 8 PM. NO. About 10 people trickle in between 7:30 and 8, apparently on CP time.

Of the topics covered are the Parolee program and how police can work with Parole Officers to help deal with crime. There are plenty of questions about providing citizenry more info, stay away orders and the like. In the back of the small church room is one old woman, who brings up things that now make me wonder if she wasn’t a plant sent by the neighborhood drug dealers.

The first thing she brings up during the conversation on citizery involvement was the horrible killings of a whole family by a drug dealer in Baltimore and the recent attack on a woman and her daughters in southern (SE?) DC. The way she was talking it seemed she was saying ‘ooo y’all better not talk ’cause the dealers gonna come after you.’ At first I was thinking, yes, some people are scared to do anything. Other meeting attendees kept engaging her saying the Baltimore woman was regularly and visible confronting the dealers outside her home, we suggested less visible ways to help the police. She remained unmoved. Okay you have the right to be scared but don’t go trying to scare others from doing the right thing.

Next topic that coupled with her first statements just then made me wonder if she was a plant. The CSOSA/parolee guy was talking about what he does and trying to get parolees from hanging out where they aren’t supposed to, and at some point in the conversation the woman in the back starts talking about how hard it is for some people to find jobs. Fair enough it is an issue for some in the neighborhood. This goes south when she begins making excuses for those who resort to prostitution and selling drugs because they can’t get work and need to support their families. Several jump on her. There are tons of programs in our immediate area of Shaw that serve the hungry, sick and naked (food, health care & clothing). The ANC bemoaned how he has invited people to jobs fairs and make arrangements only to have those people not show up. THERE IS NO REAL EXCUSE TO SELL DRUGS!!!! She seems to remain unmoved.

Last topic she brings up. Renters getting thrown out. This is more than the general gentrification complaint but something particular to her block. The ANC knows what it is all about and starts talking about home buying programs for her area, specific to her area that the administrators don’t bother telling residents about. He offers to tell her more and help her after the meeting. She walks out when the meeting is over without talking to him.

I really don’t think she was interested in being helped.

And you were going to do what?

And you were going to do what?

I was talking with the neighborhood handyman some time back and he mentioned the guy who had sold me the house came by to, I don’t know, look around or something. Anyway the seller voiced regret about selling the house. He went through the shoulda done this or that’s.

Hearing this I’m thinking to myself, you owned the house for how many years, didn’t do a dang thing and now after I painted and repaired and am still finding crap hidden behind the drywall you wish you hadn’t sold it?

Let’s review shall we? I know he “fixed up” the place for sale. The fixer was a Nigerian named Sonny who does crappy work and hires crackheads. The upstairs was covered in textured paint…. to hide the cracks in the plaster. I know this because the texture wasn’t uniformed and very prickly and scratchy over the big cracks. The floor upstairs is uneven and is covered up by cheap carpet, which after 2 years, I need to replace. We discovered the plastic pipes weren’t sealed properly, they were just being held together by friction and gravity. The windows are cheap “section 8” windows, that also need replacing and squaring. The interior doors are hollow core and I have so far had to glue them back on occasion.

I have so far, painted the front, covering up the hideous red, that sat between two other red (different shades) townhomes. Got rid of the ‘weed’ trees in the front and the back. Cleaned up the front yard getting rid of stupid low unattended bushes replacing them with large flowers that keep blooming and planted grass. Nevermind that the cat kills the grass, I made an attempt. I have replaced the front lighting. I put in a rustic looking brick walkway replacing the green turf carpet encrusted with dirt. I have planted herbs in the front. In the back I replaced the fence with a newer cedar fence, and then stained it. I’m in the process of painting the back, updating the kitchen, and the interior lighting. Future plans are to lay hardwood flooring on the 1st level, replace the carpet upstairs, and redo all the windows.

I really doubt the former owner/landlord would have gone through all this trouble.

FLEXCAR!

As a member of Flexcar I was so happy I almost fell when I saw a Flexcar parking sign outside the Shaw metro. Up until now the closest Flexcar would be at R and 14th (yes there is the U St SUV, but I don’t want to deal with an SUV). Now I envision all sorts of fun. Buying heavy things at Giant, oh joy!

So happy, I’m so happy.

TODAY MONDAY BATES ASSOC. MTG! 7PM

MONTHLY Meeting Notice

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Invited Guests Include Representatives from the Following:

Third District, Metropolitan Police Department

Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency

DC Department of Parks and Recreation

Monday, November 3, 2003

Mount Sinai Baptist Church

3rd and Q Streets, N.W.

Rooms 1 and 2

7:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m.

For more information regarding the meeting and/or the Association,

contact J. Berry at (202) 387-8520