Tag: BACA

Oktoberfest

Bates Area Civic Assoc is PLANNING Oktoberfest
According to the little yellow flyer on my fence:
The Bates Area Civic Association is planning an Oktoberfest for Saturday October 30th. Their current ideas include a:
Chili Cook-off
Cornbread
Bratwurst and Sauerkraut
Hot Cider
Flea market
Live Music
Health and Wellness Table
Games
Prizes
and more
If you are interested in volunteering or renting space for the flea market contact the planning committee at oktoberfest AT arachnophile dot com.

PSA 501/Bates meeting

I’m going to sum it up.
Didn’t start on time.
Was upstairs in the santuary.
Began with loooong Christian prayer.
Commander Jennifer Greene.
Florida Park Crew vs Sursum Corda crew to blame for shootings.
Mother of shooting victim gives emotional defense of son.
There are 447 parolees in our community.
Hillbilly Herion is being sold in our area.
Citizen- Truancy calls to 311 not being taken seriously by operators.
Citizen- Weed and Seed van useless. It just sits there.
Vincent Orange shows up. Is he up for election this year?
Question: Why can’t we get decent loitering laws?
Answer: Blame the ACLU for challenging it in the courts.
Left meeting, had to finish manic search for lost tool.

BACA mtg: I go so U won’t have to

Vote.
That’s the crux of it, that and get politically involved by becoming a supporting force by donating time and treasure to a particular candidate. And when you do, then the politicians will truly serve you.
Let’s go over the meeting shall we?
We started on time. Whoo!
The Peanut gallery did not show. WhooHoo!
First, but not on the agenda was Ofc. Grey from the 501 Police Service area who went over crime stats. Yet the meeting attendees weren’t interested in stats, though the sheet passed around was very interesting. The subject of interest was the shootings on the unit and 100 blk of Q St. Marianne was very fair and understanding with Ofc, Grey but she wanted answers.
Next, was Mr. Willie Doggett, volunteer with Cluster 21’s Community Emergency Response Team. Basically, Civil Defense. You get free stuff when you volunteer. See their website for more info.
Followed by Andrew Pollard of the Tuesday Morning Breakfast Group. Get on his mailing list to know what’s happening in the neighborhood with crime and services at acpollard1 AT msn PERIOD com. Or get in touch with Jim Berry to get the right e-mail if I got it wrong.
Lastly was Ms. Linda Perkins, Constituent Services Coordinator from Councilman’s Vincent Orange’s office. She spoke about how DC govt works. If anyone wants to expand on this, that’s what “comments” are for.
Afterwards, Jim Berry (ANC 5C01?)went on a riff that seemed to be coming from frustration. Maybe anger, I don’t know, anyone ever see Jim angry? There was a decent debate, and I truly mean debate, between Jim and Ms. Perkins on how priority is determine based on votership and political strength of an area.
Jim did something that I would like to expand on in another post on another day, where he compared Truxton Circle (ie Bates) to other parts of Ward 5, like Bloomingdale, Michigan Park and Woodridge. Apparently those areas have political clout, and don’t have to ask Councilman Orange twice to come to their meetings. They also don’t have to deal with some of our burdens that the city has burdened Truxton and it’s adjoining areas with. Maybe because there are a greater number of people who come out to vote AND donate a significant amount of time and treasure to the candidates, than our area. Maybe.
But you, my Green/Democratic/ Republican friend can help. Today, you can drag yourself to the polls. If you’re independent like me, you’ll stay in and wait till November, but in the meantime harass your party affiliated friends to vote.
This is me harassing you.
Vote dammit.
Vote.

Correction Bates Civic Assoc Meeting

Oh last week I said the meeting was on the 6th, which happened to have been Labor day. Opps. My bad.
Meeting is tonight. Mt. Sinai Baptist Church @ 3rd and Q. Go up the stairs, inside, then down the stairs and to your right. Starts either 7 or 7:30, take your pick.
Once again I’ll show up and if I am not stricken by shear boredom, or a deep desire to leave and play Civilization, I’ll report on it.

Most likely I’ll show. Pop by and say “hi”.

Flower Power 2004

The Bates Civic Association had it’s Flower Power Awards ceremony last night at Ella’s Coffeehouse/Frame shop/ Art gallery on North Capitol. It was the first time I had been in Ella’s. It is many small cozy rooms with comfy (2nd floor) chairs. There was a small crowd there about 20 or more people, with Jim Berry ANC for 5C0?, and a rep from Councilman Orange’s office.
Unlike the usual Bates CA meeting, it was a pleasant affair where everyone was generally pleasant. There was no peanut gallery making snide comments. No direct mention of drug dealers or unsavory kids hanging out on the corner. The unpleasantness was spoken of indirectly, using that code talk that we use, talking about “change”. It was an environment of supportiveness. Yes, very unlike the Bates meetings, which the next one is Sept 6th @ Mt. Sinai.
My neighbor wanted to talk about the demographics of crowd, while we were there. Good lord man, can’t take you anywhere. I shusshed him. We talked this morning and he observed that the crowd was basically gay men and older single black women. There were a few black men 4. One white married couple and one lesbian couple.
My block won a block award for our beautification efforts. I don’t remember if it was for first or 2nd place. Like the Special Olympics, everyone there was a winner. I did not win any individual prize for my yard, which currently looks bad. I did win a door prize of a plant. A plant I gave to a neighbor I spotted while heading home, ’cause I don’t grow indoor plants, and I don’t care for plants I can’t eat.

Community meetings suck!
Just got out of a baaaad meeting. Heck at lest the ANC 2? meetings in Logan were entertaining with the catty gay men. What made the meeting bad:
1. Snide comments from the peanut gallery
2. A fill in speaker (the one scheduled was on vacation) couldn’t speak on the topic of interest and spent time talking on another topic. Meeting attendees beat the topic speaker couldn’t talk about to death.
3. Peanut gallery did not show up on time missing information that they bitched about later.
4. Every speaker received hostility. Basically making sure that any future returning of said speakers is nil.

Basically tons of negativity.

What is a good meeting.
Well it started as a good meeting.
A speaker, speaking as an individual trying to get tree boxes on Q St from 1st to 3rd St talked about how she was attempting to get grant money from Garden Resources of Washington (GROW). She spoke of iron fencing and pledges she had gotten from neighbors. Then a board member of the Co-Op on Q St said that her group was already in the process for putting iron tree boxes up on her side of Q St.
Good. Informative. Civil.

Then we got on the North Capital Farmers Market (see speaker who didn’t know topic). And downhill we go.