May is National Foster Care Month - FAN Needs Your Support

As the founding vice-chair of the board for Fihankra Akoma Ntoaso (FAN), I find myself in the delicate situation of asking for your financial support for our grassroots 501(c)3 on my community blog. I keep reminding myself that I've asked my readers to support a number of community organizations and events that I have no official ties to, all in the name of community and civic investment, and this is really no different aside from my personal commitment to FAN. This is not my day job, it truly is a volunteer labor of love. Please, read the information below, and, if possible, contribute to FAN and help us stay on track in fulfilling our mission to provide safety, security, love, and understanding to DC's foster adolescents....

Can you imagine being separated from your family, moving from place to place, not knowing if you'll be in the same school, same neighborhood, or same house from one day to the next?

Nearly 3,000 children in foster care from Washington, DC live with this uncertainty every day, staying in care for 3 years on average and living in 3 different homes during that time. The crisis-driven child welfare system is so focused on what's wrong with teens in foster care, that they fail to see what's "right" with this group of young people.

FAN works with some of the city's most vulnerable youth: teens in foster care, in a daily after school and summer positive youth development program that engages youth in academic support, extracurricular instruction, community service, group mentoring, and cultural enrichment. Youth are provided with opportunities to belong, to develop their talents and skills, to develop meaningful relationships with peers and adults, and to experience success. FAN serves as a source of stability, consistency, and support that enhances the well-being and positive development of youth. Please visit our website at www.fan-dc.org to learn more about our organization and to join our mailing list.

May is National Foster Care Month. Make a difference in the lives of teens in foster care with your tax deductible donation of $10, $25, $50, $100, or more. To be a part of FAN's success, please mail a check today or donate online on our website through Network for Good.

I cannot thank you enough for your generosity!

Fihankra Akoma Ntoaso / FAN
1227 Good Hope Road SE, Room 106
Washington, DC 20020
202.889.5000 x114
202.889.5035 (fax)
www.fan-dc.org

Rhode Island Avenue Redevelopment Brunches - June/July

Janice Lillian Booker is inviting residents of the Woodridge, Langdon, Gateway, and South Central neighborhoods to attend brunches in June and July to introduce her development projects planned for the 2000 block of Rhode Island Avenue, NE.

Please attend to learn and explore the roles these communities can play to make the revitalization of the Rhode Island Avenue commercial corridor an accomplishment for all of us.

The brunches will take place at 2008 Rhode Island Avenue, NE, from 11am-1pm on:

Saturday, June 2nd
Saturday, June 9th
Saturday, June 16th
Saturday, June 23rd
Saturday, July 14th

Each brunch will accommodate 40 community residents. Pre-registration and registration confirmation are required. Please call 202.529.3610 to reserve a place at the brunch you wish to attend.

Free parking will be available in the lot at 2027 Rhode Island Avenue, NE (the old National Bank of Washington building beside St. Francis De Sales Church - the sign of the last tenant, Educational Solutions Academy, is on the side of the building).

Brunch attendees will include Reena Racki and Associates (architects for Phase I of Ms. Booker's projects); staff from the DC Office of Planning; Eddie Harrison, Woodridge Civic Association; Leslie Bournes, Gateway Citizens Group; Frances Penn, South Central Community Association; Jhaz Phifer, ANC 5A-10 Commissioner; and Ward 5 Councilmember Harry Thomas, Jr.

Ward 5 Townhall Meeting #2 on Legislation to Relocate Displaced Clubs - Wednesday, May 30th

What: Ward 5 Townhall Meeting #2 on "Legislation to relocate displaced adult-themed establishments...Share your thoughts with Councilmember Harry 'Tommy' Thomas, Jr." [taken directly from the flyer handed out at last week's ANC-5A meeting]

When: Wednesday, May 30th, 2007 at 7:30pm

Where: Washington Center for Aging, 2601 18th Street, NE

You can view my previous posts here and here. If you want to catch up with some of the controversy surrounding this legislation, the Brookland listserv is a good place to start (I imagine the discussion is also hot and heavy on the Ward 5 listserv, but I don't have access to it). You can also view a number of links to media coverage in the Brookland messages - I'm preparing to leave town for a conference and simply can't post them all now. Ms. Steptoe mentions this blog in one of her posts; for the record, I have no affiliation with her.

McMillan Sand Filtration Site Developers' Presentation - TONIGHT

What: Prospective land development partners for the McMillan Sand Filtration Site will present their qualifications to the National Capital Revitalization Corporation's (NCRC) Board of Directors. The winning team will evaluate and create master plan options for the Site. Residents surrounding the Site are encouraged to attend.

When: Tuesday, May 29th, 2007, 6-8pm

Where: All Nations Baptist Church Fellowship Hall, 2001 North Capitol Street, NE

Etc.: Please contact Tiffany Simms with any questions at 202.530.5750

Help Find Luca!

**UPDATE** Luca was found at the Washington Humane Society yesterday evening after being hit by a car. His owner told me he's got a cast and should recover completely. Thanks to everyone who was on the lookout!

If you've seen Luca, a 10-month-old American Bulldog, please contact his family at 202.276.8039 or 202.903.4316.

Edgewood Emergency Community Meeting - TONIGHT

What: "Crime and Gunshots in Edgewood" Emergency Community Meeting sponsored by Councilmember Thomas (in response to recent incidents like this)

When: Thursday, May 24th, 2007 at 7pm

Where: Beacon House, 601 Edgewood Street, NE, Suite 15

For more information, contact the Ward 5 Council office at 202.724.8028.

ANC-5A Monthly Meeting - Wednesday, May 23rd

What: Advisory Neighborhood Commission 5A Monthly Meeting

When: Wednesday, May 23rd, 2007 at 7pm

Where: Taft Recreation Center, 1800 Perry Street, NE

Agenda Includes:
· MPD-5D and MPD-4D crime reports [we didn't get these last month, so I hope we do tomorrow]
· Linda Agro, Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs
· Juanita Price, Department of Mental Health
· Invited: Councilmember Jim Graham, Ward 1 [no doubt about the ongoing drama of moving the displaced adult clubs to Ward 5]
· Community Concerns

Armed Carjackings this Afternoon in the 4800 Block of 8th Street NE

From MPD-4D Commander, Hilton Burton:

This afternoon, within the last hour [message was sent at 5:36pm], there were two carjackings involving a dark green or black Jeep. Both carjackings took place in the 4800 block of 8th street NE. The current lookout we have is for 2 black males armed with a shotgun and a hand gun driving a black or dark green Jeep. Anyone with information about these suspects should call 911.

Four Teens Shot on Edgewood Playground

From NBC4:

The search continues for the person or persons responsible for shooting four teenagers on a northeast Washington playground Sunday night.

Police said the shooting happened about 8:30 p.m. on a playground near the Edgewood Terrace apartments in the 600 block of Edgewood Street, NE.

Police said a 15-year-old boy was shot in the back and transported to the hospital in serious condition. The other three victims are between 18 and 19 years of age and were wounded in their arms and legs.

Authorities said all four victims are expected to survive.

D.C. police Inspector James Crane told News4, "Several people were seen running, including the victims. We're trying to interview the witnesses and the victims to find out who was where and at what point in time so we can get a clear picture of what was going on."

Investigators said they are looking for at least one person who is described as a black male with light complexion, about 6 feet tall with a short haircut and wearing blue jeans.

More from WaPo here.

Coalition of Concerned Neighbors Meeting - Monday, May 21st

What: Coalition of Concerned Neighbors Monthly Meeting

When: Monday, May 21st, 2007, 6:30-8:30pm

Where: Woodridge Library, 1801 Hamlin Street, NE (corner of 18th Street and Rhode Island Avenue)

Special Guests: DC Attorney General Linda Singer, District Attorney Jeffery Taylor, Director of DC Public Defender Service Avis E. Buchanan

Special Concerns: MPD-5D crime report, nuisance properties, prostitution, open air drug sales, auto theft

Please let us know your concerns, the topics you would like to discuss, and the guests you wish to have this year.

Contact: 202.903.6197 / 202.882.1683 or concerneighbors@yahoo.com

Rhode Island Avenue Robbery Suspect Sought

Why did this take 6 days to become public?

From MPD:

On Saturday, May 12, 2007, at approximately 10:47 pm, a woman was utilizing a drive-thru ATM at the Bank of America, located at 915 Rhode Island Avenue, NE [by the Home Depot/Rhode Island Avenue Metro], when she was suddenly approached by a lone male subject who grabbed the money that she had just withdrawn. The subject then entered the victim’s vehicle and made the woman withdraw more money from the ATM. Upon obtaining the additional money the subject made good his escape. The victim in this case was apparently uninjured.

The suspect in this case is described as a dark complexioned black male, possibly in his 40s, 6'0" tall, with brown eyes and black hair. He is further described as last seen wearing a gray sweatshirt with a hood and light colored jeans.

This case is under investigation by detectives from the department’s Fifth District. Anyone with information about this case is asked to call police at (202) 727-9099.

The Metropolitan Police Department currently offers a reward of up to $10,000 to anyone who provides information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person(s) responsible for any robbery committed in the District of Columbia.

Borf in Bloomingdale

Yipee - might be a good spot for the cops to pick up ROB, Magic, Inca, Nehi, et al.

NE DC Historical Society Meeting - Sunday, May 20th

What: Join the NE DC Historical Society as they continue to explore the history of our Northeast Washington communities - past, present, and in years to come. This month the community focus will be the greater H Street neighborhood.

When: Sunday, May 20th, 2007, 2-4pm

Where: Laboratory 1 of The Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1333 H Street, NE

Presentations will include:
· "An Overview of the History of the Greater H Street Neighborhood", by neighborhood preservationists Richard Layman or Nancy Schwartz.

· "The Swampoodle Neighborhood" by Kathleen Lane. The Swampoodle neighborhood was located in what is today the Union Station railyard. Some of Ms. Lane's ancestors lived in Swampoodle and then relocated onto H Street after the neighborhood was razed. She wrote her master's thesis on the neighborhood.

· "The History of Union Station" by Bill Wright. Mr. Wright is writing his dissertation on the history of this great railroad station, which opened in 1907 and has experienced decline and rebirth in the 100 years since.


Etc.: For those unable to attend this meeting, don't miss next month's meeting to be held from 2-4pm on Sunday, June 10th, 2007. Our hosts for this meeting will be the Premier Community Development Corporation (PCDC) speaking on "A Slice of Woodridge - The Present and Future of the Rhode Island Avenue Business Corridor" by Stephanie Rones, Executive Director. Our meeting will take place at the Saint Francis De Sales School, 2019 Rhode Island Avenue, NE. Other presentations will include Father Carl Dianda of the Saint Francis De Sales Church speaking on his "Reminiscences on the Businesses of Woodridge," and Ward 5 Councilmember Harry Thomas, Jr. on "The History of DC Voting and African American History in Ward 5."

Our meetings take place the second Sunday of every month. During the month of May we will meet the third Sunday. Contact queenstowndc@yahoo.com for further information.

Saint's Bourbon Street's One-Year Anniversary - Saturday, May 19th

Celebrate with Saint's Bourbon Street on their one-year anniversary all day Saturday, May 19th 2007 (1812 Hamlin Street, NE - the north side of Rhode Island Avenue at Hamlin Street)

· Free bead giveaway
· Free face painting & mask giveaway for kids, 3-5pm
· Free dinner giveaway (one at 4:30pm and again at 8:30pm)
· Live DJ
· $5 Hurricanes all day
· Half price appetizers all day
· $5 martinis all day, including our famous "Sex with an Alligator"

Call Saint's at 202.269.2150 for more information.

SMD 5A-09 Neighborhood Walk - Saturday, May 19th

What: Join Commissioner Shirley Rivens Smith and neighbors on a community walk in SMD 5A-09

When: Saturday, May 19th, 2007 at 7:30am

Where: Meet at 22nd Street and Bunker Hill Road, NE

Mount Rainier Day and More - Saturday and Sunday

From the Mt. Rainier listserv:

SATURDAY

MOUNT RAINIER DAY FESTIVAL
The Mount Rainier Day Festival will be in the 3400 block of Rhode Island Avenue, 11am-6pm

· Parade starts at 12:30 and will march down 34th St from St. Johns Church to the Traffic Circle and then down to Otis and back up 37th St. Northwestern High School Band will be in the parade in addition to the Rolling Crest Community Center Pom Dance Team.

· Many of the city’s artists will be performing this year, including a salsa band and dance group from Joe’s Movement Emporium. There will also be self-guided walking studio tours throughout the entire Gateway Arts District from Mount Rainier, Brentwood, North Brentwood and Hyattsville.

· Transportation has been added this year to support residents from all over the city who want to participate and join in on the fun but have little or no transportation, or for those who cannot walk to the events. THE CITY’S CALL-A-BUS WILL OPERATE FOR THE ENTIRE DAY FREE OF CHARGE! CALL-A-BUS STOPS WILL BE MADE EVERY HALF HOUR AT THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS FOR PICK-UP AND DROP OFF BEGINNING AT 10AM AND ENDING AT 6PM:

• Wells Avenue and Otis Street
• Wells Avenue and Perry Street
• 34th Street and Bunker Hill Road
• 30th Street and Taylor Street
• 32nd Avenue and Upshur Street
• Thomas Stone Elementary School Parking Lot
• Prince George’s Pool Parking Lot
• Rainier Manor
• 30th Street and Arundel Road
• Parking Lot on Varnum Street near 22nd Avenue and Arundel Road
• 31st Street and Bunker Hill Road

Please note that the pick up times and drop off are approximate.

GATEWAY ARTS DISTRICT OPEN STUDIO TOUR
A Gateway Arts District open studio tour in conjunction with Mount Rainier Day is scheduled for Saturday, May 19th, 2007, 12-5pm. Over 30 artists participating in a self-guided tour of Mount Rainier, Brentwood, North Brentwood and Hyattsville will occur on this date and will include painting, ceramic, sculpture, glass, mosaic, mixed media, performing arts, and more! Maps will be available at the Mount Rainier Artists’ Lofts, H&F Fine Arts, Artmosphere Café (3311 Rhode Island Avenue, Mount Rainier) and Gateway Community Development Corporation, (4102 Webster Street, North Brentwood, MD 20722). In addition, a group show of participating artists at H&F Fine Arts, will be held May 4-31, at 3311 Rhode Island Avenue, Mount Rainier.

SPECIAL INVITE FROM JOE’S MOVEMENT EMPORIUM
From Ingrid S. Nuss, Marketing & Program Manager, Joe's Movement Emporium:

Join us on Saturday, May 19th, 2007, 12-5pm, for the Gateway CDC’s annual open studio tour and Mount Rainier Day! From 2-4pm Laura Schandelmeier and Stephen Clapp will host the OPEN DOOR PROJECT for PORTALS. Building upon the storefront spirit of the old Joe’s Movement Emporium, we are opening the studio doors at the new Joe’s facility! We invite you to join us through the creation of our latest evening-length performance work, PORTALS, to premier June 23-24 at Dance Place. We invite you to create, write, dance, draw or sing at your own comfort level, offer feedback through a structured response process, have a peek at our latest evening-length work, PORTALS, and our last OPEN DOOR session before the piece debuts. For more information please contact me at 301.699.1819 or come by the new Joe’s at 3309 Bunker Hill Road.

COUNTDOWN TO SPLASHDOWN
Prince George's Community Pool Countdown to Splashdown
Saturday May 19, 2007 • 4 to 8 pm
34th & Buchanan Streets, Mt. Rainier, Maryland
The pool will open our grounds (no swimming until the following weekend) for a free early peek at what’s in store for this summer. The pool is now accepting memberships for the 2007 season.
Potluck • Open to all • Live music by Ten Feet Tall

Prince Georges Community Pool
34th and Buchanan Streets in Mt. Rainier, MD
PO Box 181, Mt Rainier, MD 20712
www.pgpool.org

======================================

SUNDAY

HYATTSVILLE HOUSE TOUR
The 28th Annual
Historic Hyattsville House Tour
Sunday, May 20th, 2007
1-5pm

The Hyattsville Preservation Association is honored to once again showcase beautiful homes in Historic Hyattsville. This year’s tour includes nine wonderful homes and gardens. The architectural and decorating styles vary and include Cottage, Art-Deco, Sears Bungalows, a Center Hall Colonial, and a grand Queen-Anne style Victorian.

Each home showcases the owner’s unique approach to making the house comfortable for life in 2007. Our town and our homeowners are proud to share our homes and neighborhood with you. Come see why Hyattsville is a "Good Place to Live" and "A World Within Walking Distance."

The Historic Hyattsville House Tour is a self-guided walking tour through the beautiful City of Hyattsville. For those with difficulty walking the tour, Hyattsville provides a shuttle van that continuously circles the route.

Ticket Information:
Adults: $10 in Advance, $12 Day of Tour
Advance tickets will be available at Franklin’s Restaurant and Store in May. On the day of the tour tickets can be purchased at the Hyattsville Municipal Building, 4310 Gallatin Street, Hyattsville, MD, the tour’s starting location. For additional information contact Ann Barrett, 240.938.6060.

Help Custom Cleaners Fight Judge Pearson and His $65 Million Pants

There are so many posts on the web about this that are easy to find, so no need for me to mention them all here.

What I'd like to see is a surge of business for the Chung Family at New Town Custom Cleaners, 3174 Bladensburg Road, NE. Surely you have a pair of pants or some shirts that need to be pressed?

If you're wash-and-wear like me, you can also support Jin Nam and Soo Chung by donating to the Custom Cleaners Defense Fund.

» A good Google start if you need to catch up on the story

Ward 5 Townhall Meeting on Legislation to Relocate Displaced Clubs - Wednesday, May 16th - UPDATED

**UPDATE**Yesterday the DC Council agreed to spend $3.6 million on road improvements to calm the neighbors. From The Examiner:

The D.C. Council on Tuesday agreed to spend millions of dollars to lessen the impact of a proposed cluster of relocated strip clubs in Northeast Washington.

....

But Ward 5 Council Member Harry Thomas, who vehemently opposes the measure, said Ivy City residents deserve some level of comfort if they are to be impacted by an influx of club patrons. The businesses, Thomas said, will have a major impact on infrastructure and could "create an unsafe environment."

Thomas asked for and received, as part of Tuesday’s fiscal 2008 budget debate, $3.6 million to improve the major corridors that surround Ivy City: Bladensburg Road, New York Avenue, West Virginia Avenue and Mount Olivet Road.

Also take a look at DCist's "Strip Club Jujitsu in Ivy City." Neither the articles, nor the earmarking of millions for Ivy City, hint at any "compensation" for the other neighborhoods that may be affected (see list below). Does anyone have a definitive list of proposed sites? Any word from Jim Abdo regarding Arbor Place, his forthcoming development (the second link is from 2005) on the NY Avenue/Bladensburg Road/Montana Avenue triangle?

What: Ward 5 Townhall Meeting sponsored by Councilmember Harry Thomas, Jr. on legislation to relocate displaced "adult-themed" establishments (my previous post is here)

When: Wednesday, May 16th, 2007, 6:30-8:30pm

Where: Bethesda Baptist Church, 1808 Capitol Avenue, NE

The proposed locations (from a Premier Community Development Corporation/PCDC press release):
· 2046 West Virginia Avenue, NE - Ivy City
· 2132 West Virginia Avenue, NE - Ivy City
· 2155 24th Place, NE - Langdon (sometimes thought of as Woodridge)
· V Street Warehouse (behind the Washington Times) - Gateway (sometimes thought of as Woodridge)

» View Bill B17-0109 here
» DC Politics Hour with Kojo and Jonetta on "the down-and-dirty political brawl over 'gentleman's clubs'"
» Post from Frozen Tropics with zoning maps and 49(!) comments and counting
» More debate on Frozen Tropics
» New Kid on the Eckington Block and what he believes is NIMBYism in Ward 5

Community Workshop #4 for the Brookland/CUA Small Area Metro Plan - Wednesday, May 16th

**UPDATE**I couldn't attend, but Ryan did. Overall, his report is positive, and it sounds like Brookland is on track - despite some naysayers - to getting sound, transit-oriented development.

What: The DC Office of Planning invites you to attend the fourth community workshop in a series for the Brookland/CUA Small Area Metro Plan where the public will review alternative design concepts and give feedback for the development of a preferred concept.

When: Wednesday, May 16th, 2007 - 6-6:30pm Open House, 6:30-9pm Workshop

Where: Noyes Elementary School, 2725 10th Street, NE (enter at Franklin Street auditorium door)

RSVP: 202.610.0005 or rsvp@jsallc.com

Questions and additional information: Deborah Crain, Ward 5 Planner, at 202.442.7615 or deborah.crain@dc.gov. You can also visit http://planning.dc.gov, and click on "Neighborhood and Revitalization Plans."

» Consultant's reports and additional information are available here.

Thomas Requests $400,000 for Proposed Labor Site at Home Depot

From The Washington Times:

A D.C. Council member is requesting $400,000 in city funds to put a day-laborer center in a Northeast shopping center. But it is unclear whether city officials will check the immigration status of the mostly Hispanic job-seekers that congregate at the site.

About 200 workers, many of whom are Hispanic day laborers, wait for work each day outside the Home Depot store at 901 Rhode Island Ave. NE, said council member Harry Thomas Jr., Ward 5 Democrat.

Mr. Thomas proposed building the center after neighbors complained about loitering and public urination in the area.

....

Mr. Thomas said he hopes to place a temporary "multicultural and training-based center" on land owned by Home Depot in the shopping center by next month. The council member's long-term goal is to begin building a permanent center in the plaza by the end of the year.

Ron DeFeo, a spokesman for Home Depot, said discussions are ongoing and that the national chain has cooperated with other projects in the past to help solve similar problems. Often the day laborers gather to appeal to the contractors and homeowners who frequent the home-improvement store.

....

The permanent structure would sit on land owned by both Home Depot and the District and would hopefully be paid for with private funds, Mr. Thomas said.

The site would not be a "day-laborer" center but also would serve local residents seeking work, he said.

Three men were stabbed - two died - last year in a day-laborer scuffle. I would imagine the developers working on the Rhode Island Avenue/Brentwood Metro redesign will weigh in on this idea.