09 May 2007

City Pulls Contract with President Inn; WUSA9 Gets Points for Good Deed

Photo from WUSA9
From WUSA9:
The new director of the District’s Emergency Management Agency, Darrel Darnell says that he will no longer be sending displaced families to the President Inn.

Darnell’s decision Monday came after he viewed on the WUSA9.com our exclusive 9NEWS NOW report with a hidden camera that disclosed deplorable conditions inside the rooms where DC families and tourists to Washington had been placed.

The unsuspecting tourists began posting their comments on web pages that rated the hotels and motels in the Washington area.

After staying at the New York Avenue motel [1600 New York Avenue, NE], they complained of rats, bed bugs, soiled linen and carpets.

Our camera also showed cigarette burns and evidence that fires had been set and a bathroom door kicked in. There was human hair in the bed and bathroom.

One woman from Oregon claims she became ill with scabies after staying at the President Inn.

Monday, Darnell’s office confirmed the Inn has a contract to provide up to 25 beds on a temporary emergency basis to homeless families at a cost of up to $75,000 per year. The contract ends at the end of September.

In another move the city’s Consumer and Regulatory Affairs Office sent a team of inspectors to the President Inn Monday. They were looking for construction, fire, plumbing and electrical code violations.

DC Councilman Kwame Brown, after seeing our original report on 9NEWS NOW Sunday night at 11 p.m., said Monday "No family should be placed in conditions like that."

» Bruce Johnson's original report (5.7.07) and video....Ewwww. I can understand how tourists could be duped, but the DC government? Seriously?

1 comment:

  1. I think that the Council should vote yes for this bill. This may help to control these "adult-themed" establishments. They have a right to make money and run a business.

    ReplyDelete

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