SMD 5A-09 & PSA 503 Joint Monthly Meeting - Wednesday, May 14

What: SMD 5A-09 & PSA 503 Joint Monthly Meeting

When: Wednesday, May 14 2008, 6:30 p.m.

Where: Hospital for Sick Children/HSC Pediatric Center, 1731 Bunker Hill Road NE

Agenda: Public safety and community concerns, including those addressed in the letter below, written by a neighbor on Otis Street NE:

Dear Neighbors-

In case you haven't heard, a big developer, Alliance Holdings LLC, purchased a tiny piece of land between our home and our neighbor (2212 Otis St NE, Square 4242, Lot 10). It is 25 feet wide, and according to zoning regulations the owner may NOT build as a matter of right.

We recently learned that Taiwo Demuren, presumably with Alliance Holdings LLC, has applied for significant variances from lot area, and lot width requirements, as well as from side yard requirements in order to build a single family dwelling.

In an effort to keep the lot, as it is, open green space, our next-door neighbor made numerous attempts to purchase the lot – but as you can imagine, it is difficult to outbid a developer with deep pockets.

We are very concerned about how this will change the character of our neighborhood. Many of us moved here for the space, and greenery. If these variances are granted, there are many other small lots in our neighborhood that would be able to be developed in a similar manner. Demuren's requested variances would establish a precedent to grant additional variances for these other lots to be more easily developed.

We also fear that since it is often more profitable to knock down an old home and rebuild multiple new homes within the same footprint, than it is to renovate the old home, that this decision could encourage more developers to purchase old homes on these lots, knock them down and build two or more houses in the same plot of land (We have seen this in N. Arlington, VA). Again, we believe that Demuren's requested variances will set a precedent and make the development described above much easier for the next builder.

Of an even greater concern is the beautiful and historic old oak tree that is located on the lot line between the undeveloped lot and our neighbor's home (2216 Otis St, NE). An arborist has certified that this is the SECOND OLDEST TREE IN THE ENTIRE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. The tree measures approximately 180 inches in diameter and is estimated to be 300-400 years old. The arborist has also certified that because of the tree's extensive root system, the construction of a structure on the vacant lot will kill this ancient tree.

There are three meetings where attendance by the community members is important if you are interested in helping to stop the proposed development. The first is on May 14, 2008.

*The proposed use of this land is on the agenda for the ANC 5A09 & PSA 503Joint Monthly Meeting on Wednesday, May 14, 2008, at 6:30 PM, at the Hospital for Sick Children located at 18th St and Bunker Hill Rd., NE. ANC 5A09 Commissioner Shirley Rivens-Smith will be there and would like to know what the citizens of ANC 5 think of this development.*

* *

*The second meeting is the ANC 5A meeting on May 28, 2008, when all of the ANC 5A commissioners will vote whether to deny or approve support of the developers zoning variances. This meeting will be held at the Taft Recreation Center, 18th and Perry St NE, at 7:00 PM.*

The final meeting will be at the zoning hearing, which will take place on July 8, 2008.

We would certainly appreciate any support, advice, and suggestions from our neighbors on this matter.

We are not against development – we just believe that the zoning regulations were established for a reason, and chose to move to this area because of the open space and the character and charm of our neighborhood. Although we do love our neighbors, and feel rather fortunate to know such nice folks on our block, if we wanted to be on top of them we would have stayed in a condominium. We also love the beautiful old trees and feel it would be a terrible shame for this gift of nature to be destroyed.

We understand there is an expectation of many more jobs and people moving to the area over the next few years, but as a realtor I can tell you there are plenty of vacant properties available for housing all over the city, and not enough buyers and renters to fill them.

Again – we feel this could set a terrible precedent that could significantly affect the character of the greater Brookland/Woodridge/Michigan Park neighborhood, and are *asking for your support*.

Please join us at the ANC 5A09 meeting to show your support.

Thank you!

Brookland Small Area Plan - Saturday, April 26

Since 2006, the D.C. Office of Planning has been working on a Brookland Small Area Plan. For those that haven't been following the conversations, a Decking Feasibility Plan was just released April 8th, 2008. The feasibility plan explores possible ideas for decking over the tracks at the metro station. When reading the decking study, you will see visions of open plazas, farmers markets, connectivity from Michigan Ave to 10th Street, new residential development and deck parking. It's a grand vision of what the metro area of Brookland could become, but there is a lot of work (and a few reality checks) between us and anything close to the neighborhood portrayed in colorful sketches in the document.

If you want to know more or get involved, there is a meeting coming up. The DC Office of Planning invites you to attend a public meeting about the Brookland/CUA Metro Station Area Plan. All are invited to share comments and questions.

When: Saturday, April 26, 2008
9:30-10:00 a.m., Open House
10 a.m.-noon, Presentation

Where: Noyes Elementary School, 2725 10th St NE The meeting will be in the school auditorium; enter from Franklin Street.

For more information please contact: Deborah Crain, Ward 5 Planner, DC Office of Planning, 801 North Capitol Street, NE, Suite 4000
Phone: 202-442-7615 Fax: 202-442-7638
E-mail: Deborah.Crain@dc.gov
Or visit the DC Office of Planning online.

Please RSVP: 202-610-0005 or rsvp@jsallc.com

A Place to Play: Playground Initiative Grows in Brookland

We won't know for sure until the 2010 census, but it sure feels like there's been a baby-boom in Brookland/Michigan Park/Woodridge. A quick survey of local playgrounds turns up a number of dilapidated and sometimes vandalized play areas which don't do much to inspire parents to bring their children out. Healthy and accessible open space and play areas are no small asset for parents raising children in the city. Getting outside, getting exercise, and connecting with the community are only a few of the perks of well attended playgrounds.

A number of local neighbors have begun organizing to do something about the neighborhoods' lack and we invite you to get involved. You don't have to be a parent to care about playgrounds. It's a benefit to us all when children of all ages have safe and healthy places to play.

Three ways to get involved:

Dream a Little Dream: We are soliciting ideas for the ideal park and playground. We are looking to the neighbors to tell us what you want to see in a new playground. The group intends to target a particular site to put our efforts behind, so gathering together the vision of the neighborhood helps. What are your favorite parks and why? What is your child's/nephew's/grandchild's favorite activity? Send your comments to brooklandjess@earthlink.net by Thursday March 6th.

Make Some Noise for Noyes: The group quickly uncovered that the Noyes Park (map) is mired in budget politicking. Two years ago, the Department of Parks and Recreation completed a fantastic set of plans for development of the empty parcel bordered by 10th Street NE and Franklin Street NE. The park includes landscaped area and would be a benefit to all residents, not just families with children. Each year, during the usual round of cuts, this park is waylaid. The 2009 budget is presented in March and finalized in June, so this is our window of opportunity to lobby to keep this park in the budget!

It's valid to note that Ward 5's own Councilmember Tommy Thomas is the chair of the Committee on Libraries, Parks, and Recreation. Other councilmembers include Carol Schwartz, At-Large, David A. Catania, At-Large, Phil Mendelson, At-Large, and Yvette Alexander, Ward 7.

Here is a sample letter. Please tailor it to reflect your concerns.

I am writing to ask for a moment of your time to email our council
member and mayor to include the funding for Noyes Park (the field at
10th & Franklin) in the 2009 budget.

Detailed plans for this site were drawn up over a year ago. The 2009 budget is being finalized over the next couple of months so it is a good time to support the addition of a beautiful landscaped park and playground to the neighborhood.

Join us for a Cuppa: Join the Brookland Playground Group at the next open meeting, March 8, 11 am, at Cardinals Nest for coffee and planning, 3748 10th Street, NE. The group is new and we are eager to invite input from the neighborhood.

Photo by elfrenetico

Ward 5 Economic Development Summit - Saturday, February 23

What: Ward 5 Economic Development Summit

When: Saturday, February 23, 2008

Agenda:
10:00 a.m.: Registration

10:15 a.m.–10:30 a.m.: Opening Remarks

10:30 a.m.–11:30 a.m.: Panel: Stimulating Neighborhood Economic Development, moderated by Ward 5 Planner Deborah Crain. Panelists include: Steve Moore, WDC Economic Partnership; Derrick Woody, Great Streets Initiative; Phyllis Love, Restore DC's Main Street Initiative; Vinnie Wolhfarth, Brookland CDC/Brookland Main Street; Pat Mitchell, North Capitol Main Street; and Ana Harvey, Greater Washington Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.: Mini Workshop on Negotiating Community Benefits Packages, moderated by Collaboration DC's Mary Jacksteit

12:30 p.m.–1:00 p.m.: Lunch

1:00 p.m.–2:30 p.m.: Break Out Sessions on Economic Development Projects. You will be able to meet with and ask questions of developers with projects in Ward 5. Each developer will have a table. To-date, developers for the following projects have RSVPed: Rhode Island Station; Arbor Place, McMillan Reservior; Art Space at Fort Totten; Armed Forces Retirement Home; New Town at Capital City Market; St Paul's Townhome project; and the 30th Street Townhome project.

2:30 p.m.–2:45 p.m.: Wrap Up

Where: Catholic University Caldwell Hall, main floor (view campus map here)

Questions and additional information: Call 202.724.8028.

Florida Market Tour - Saturday, February 23

Join Richard (Rebuilding Place in the Urban Space) and Elise (Frozen Tropics) for another installment of the popular walking tours of the Florida Avenue Market, February 23, 2008 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

There are considerable development pressures on the area and it's important that the neighbors understand what is there now so we can better understand what stands to be lost or gained by development. There are many resources for more information on the Market, but none of these will replace walking the Market yourself.

» Capital City/Florida Market posts at Frozen Tropics
» "The Bigness Complex, Urbanism and the Florida Market" from Rebuilding Place in the Urban Space
» Capital City Market (aka Florida Market) blog (also in the sidebar)
» Capital City Market interactive piece from Josh Williams
» FreeRide's wrap-up
» DCmud on the redevelopment plans
» Sang Oh Choi's vision for the Gateway Market & Residences, "The Gateway to the Next Great Place"

School Closing Hearings and Links

By now you likely know about the consolidated school closure hearings on Thursday, January 17 [pdf], and "The People's Meeting" co-sponsored by Councilmembers Thomas and Barry. Whichever you choose, if you are able to make it to one of the meetings on Thursday, you will be making an impact.

- - -

Ward 5 schools to be closed (in parentheses) and their meeting locations:

· Taft Recreation Center (Burroughs ES), 1800 Perry Street NE

· Brookland ES (Bunker Hill ES), 1150 Michigan Avenue NE

· LaSalle ES (Backus MS), 501 Riggs Road NE

· Eastern SHS (M.M. Washington SHS), 1700 East Capitol Street NE

· Kelly Miller MS (Douglass and Taft CHOICE Academies and Centers), 301 49th Street NE

· Emery ES (J.F. Cook ES), 1720 1st Street NE

· Noyes ES (Slowe ES), 2725 10th Street NE

· Cleveland ES (Gage-Eckington ES), 1825 8th Street NW (Gage-Eckington is in Ward 1, just outside Ward 5)

- - -

Some links relevant to Ward 5 and DCPS:

» Save John Burroughs DC - Friends of John Burroughs Elementary

John Burroughs proudly ranks 15 out of all 81 DC Public Schools in Reading and 12 out of 81 in Math. Our enrollment is 244 and rising - we are only 7% away from full enrollment!!!....Save this model school from closure.

» "School closings plan draws opposition" - Examiner, Wednesday, January 15

“What [Burroughs Elementary School] has accomplished is incredible given the few resources it has,” said Gary Spinner, whose granddaughter is in second grade. “We were in the process to petition the mayor and chancellor for more support; in turn, we found out we would be closed.”

Spinner and other Burroughs representatives touted the fact that the school is ranked 15th out of 81 citywide in reading and that its standardized test scores last year rose by double digits. Enrollment also has been going up, they said, making it the wrong time for closure.

Chancellor Michelle Rhee has explained that the 23 schools suggested for closure were chosen mainly for building occupancy, rather than test scores or overall program quality. That numbers-driven approach was challenged Monday.

» "One DC Public School Has Fewer Than 100 Students" - WUSA9, Monday, January 14

When Principal Pat Mabry came to Slowe Elementary, the neighborhood school at 14th and Jackson Streets in Northeast had 619 students. Today, Slowe's student enrollment has plummeted to only 84 students.

There are only five classes held in the entire building for DC public school students.

DC School Chancellor Michelle Rhee pointed 9NEWS NOW to Slowe Elementary as example of why up to 23 school buildings have been put on a proposed list for closing.

This has nothing to do with academic performance. It has everything to do with what the city is paying for unused space; staffing, utility and maintenance costs.

Principal Mabry isn't fighting the closing; but she and her parents don't like the plan to send Slowe students to a nearby school where students have been beefing with Slowe's young people.

» "Fixing D.C.'s Schools" - Washington Post investigative series, multiple parts posted since June 2007

NE DC Historical Society Meeting: Beyond NE, Hillcrest and the Highlands of SE - Sunday, January 13

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 they will again reach out beyond NE DC to discover the beautiful and historic neighborhood of Hillcrest in Southeast Washington. Presentations will include "A Broader View: Hillcrest and the 'Highlands' of Southeast DC" by James Byers, neighborhood historian, author, and tour leader and "From Hilltop to Hillsdale: The Anacostia of Solomon Brown" by C.R. Gibbs, lecturer, author, and historian.

When: Sunday, January 13, 2008, 2-4 p.m.

Where: Lutheran Church Of the Holy Comforter, 3319 Alabama Avenue SE (Holy Comforter is the low 1950's-modern building on the corner diagonally opposite the large more traditional East Washington Heights Baptist Church. The church parking lot and alley have available spaces

Etc.: For those unable to attend this meeting, don't miss next month's meeting - back in NE - to be held from 2-4 p.m. on Sunday, February 10, 2008. The meeting will take place at the Cardinal's Nest Restaurant at 3748 10th Street NE. Presentations will include "Saving Brookland's 1937 Art Moderne Park and Shop: A Historic Failure" by Daniel Wolkoff, Historic Restoration Artist with Adams Morgan Stained Glass, Richard Layman of the Brookland Community Development Corporation, and Dan Vera, a resident of the Brookland neighborhood.

NE DC Historical Society meetings take place the second Sunday of every month. Contact queenstowndc@yahoo.com for further information.

Casey Trees Moving to Brookland in Late 2008

Casey Trees, the DC organization committed to protecting and renewing the city's tree canopy, will be moving to Brookland [pdf] in late 2008:

...Next year [Casey Trees] is moving from 1425 K Street downtown to the Brookland neighborhood at 3030 12th Street and Irving. The group plans to renovate and add to the existing 4000 square foot structure to house a staff that is expected to grow from 20 to 30-35 people over the next 15 years.

“Our central downtown location has been great, but as we’ve grown our need to be based within a neighborhood where we can work hand in hand with our network of community members has increased. We’re looking forward to putting down our own roots as an organization to join the roots of the trees we’ve planted with our volunteers over the past six years” said Mark Buscaino, Casey Trees Executive Director.

Casey Trees has retained Smith Group as its architects who are now working on concepts. Initial thoughts about the building’s construction are for it to be as “green” as possible, incorporating trees, low-impact development stormwater control features, possibly a green roof, and other elements.

You can read Washington Business Journal's article here [pdf].

Quick Links - Catching Up

» "Beacon House Falcons Win Super Bowl" - WaPo, Monday, December 10 - see background here.

» "8 Fired From System; 30 Choose to Retire" - WaPo, Sunday, December 9 (6 days after I announced it - this should have been bigger news)

Almost 40 employees of the D.C. Public Library system -- about 10 percent of the workforce -- will be leaving their jobs in early January as part of what officials describe as a plan to "transform" the beleaguered system and rejuvenate its personnel.
The group leaving includes the head librarians of seven of the District's 27 libraries.
The head librarians at the Mount Pleasant, Petworth and Woodridge branches were fired, along with five subject specialists at the central Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library. The eight were let go "without cause" on Nov. 29 or 30, officials said. They were placed on paid administrative leave through Dec. 31, then accompanied to their desks to retrieve their belongings and escorted out the door.

» Vincent Orange elected to Capital Riverfront BID board - Washington Biz Journal, Wednesday, December 5

» From a neighbor: daytime break-ins have increased around Evarts, 28th, and 30th since construction has started on the South Dakota bridge.

» New Brookland Listservs! Do you want announcements without some of the usual list drama? Sign up for the Brookland Announcements List. Also check out the new Brookland Yoga Listserv.

» NoMa BID has updated their website.

Mayor's Public Meetings on School Closing Plan - Wards 4 & 5

- December 11, 2007, 7:30-9:30 p.m., Noyes Elementary School, 2725 10th Street NE

- December 18, 2007, 6-8 p.m., Barnard Elementary School, 430 Decatur Street NW

- January 10, 2008, 6-8 p.m., Emory Elementary School, 1720 1st Street NE

Meeting: What Economic Development Changes Are Coming in 2008 for Northeast Residents? - Wednesday, December 5

What: "What Economic Development Changes Are Coming in 2008 for Northeast Residents?", sponsored by the Coalition of
Concerned Neighbors.

When: Wednesday, December 5, 2007 at 6:30 p.m.

Where: Woodridge Neighborhood Library, 1801 Hamlin Street NE

Panelists Include:
· Councilmember Harry Thomas, Jr.
· Harriet Tregoning, Director, D.C. Office of Planning
· Neil Albert, Deputy Mayor for Economic Development (or his representative)
· William Washburn, Urban Planner

ANC-5A Monthly Meeting - TONIGHT

What: Advisory Neighborhood Commission 5A Monthly Meeting

When: Wednesday, November 28, 2007 at 7 p.m.

Where: Providence Hospital - Catherine Ross Hall Conference Room 1, 1150 Varnum Street, NE

Agenda Includes:
· SMD 5A-07 vacancy and election - Don Padou and Carolyn Steptoe running
· MPD-5D and MPD-4D crime reports
· Invited Guests: Potomac Lighthouse Public Charter School (PLPCS). PLPCS is planning to relocate into a vacant building at 8th and Varnum Streets NE, formerly known as Brady Hall, 2 blocks west of Providence Hospital. PLPCS is currently located in Michigan Park Christian Church at 1600 Taylor Street NE. The project is being developed by Joel D. Scharfer, CEO of Charter Schools Development Corporation and Edward M. Johnson, a Brookland-based architect. PLPCS currently serves 120 students and is hoping to increase its student body to between 250 and 400 pupils.
· Community concerns

PCDC's "Creating a Community Vision" - Saturday, November 17

What: Premier Community Development Corporation / PCDC presents Dominic Moulden, Executive Director of ONE DC and all Ward 5 residents, neighbors, stakeholders, and community businesses in a discussion on "Creating a Community Vision."

When: Saturday, November 17, 2007, 10 a.m.-12 p.m.

Where: Mount Calvary Family Life Center, 605 Rhode Island Avenue, NE

Discussion Includes: A shared vision for our communities in Ward 5, including an overview of Ward 5's history, demographics, economics, politics, and organizations. What is a vision? Who benefits from a community vision? Who decides what will happen in a community vision? How does a community vision get implemented? What can the community do?

Additional Information: Contact PCDC at 202.252.PCDC (7232) or premiercdc@yahoo.com

SMD 5A-11 Monthly Meeting - TONIGHT

What: SMD 5A-11 meeting with Commissioner Janae Grant

When: Tuesday, November 13th, 2007, 6:30-8:30pm

Where: Friendship Public Charter School - Woodridge Campus, Cafeteria, 2959 Carlton Avenue, NE

Agenda Includes: South Dakota Ave. bridge and traffic update; speed bumps and other traffic calming requests – with Department of Transportation; Fire Engine 26 - relocation plans

Quick Links

I'm on my way out of town for a week, so posting will be light-to-nil. I don't have the time to create posts for each of the links below, but I wanted to share them in case you missed them in the news this week (and I think this may be a good way for me to get info out quickly and more frequently):

» "1300 Rhode Island Avenue - New Name, New Birthday" - DCmud, Friday, October 19th - The "1300 Rhode Island Avenue" development is now dubbed "Brookland Square"
» "Academy Expands Facility, and Hope" - WaPo, Thursday, October 18th - Inspirational news from the Academy of Hope, now located in Edgewood Terrace
» "4 Catholic schools to fight charter conversion" - The Examiner, October 18th - St. Francis de Sales in Woodridge is one of the schools trying to escape charter conversion; St. Anthony's in Brookland will remain under the Archdiocese of Washington's umbrella
» "Owner's letter OKs crackdown" - The Washington Times, October 18th - The company managing the Rhode Island Place shopping center has authorized the MPD to crack down on crimes being committed by day laborers who go there seeking work

ANC-5A Monthly Meeting - THURSDAY, October 25th

What: Advisory Neighborhood Commission 5A Monthly Meeting

When: THURSDAY, October 25th, 2007 at 7pm (note change from Wednesday to Thursday this month)

Where: Thurgood Marshall Elementary School, 3100 Ft. Lincoln Drive, NE

Agenda: Update discussion on Ft. Lincoln retail development and community concerns

Estella's Hats & Boutique Building For Sale

Estella Wheeler (be sure to click on the link for a lovely tribute from NPR's All Things Considered) passed away earlier this year, and now the building that has long been home to Estella's Hats & Boutique is for sale (login required, MLS #DC6564419). The current list price for the 2 retail storefronts with 4 apartments above is $825,000.


» NPR/All Things Considered - June 14, 2007, "Hats Off to Beloved D.C. Haberdasher"
» NPR/All Things Considered - March 27, 2005, "Easter Hat Roundup: Estella's View from Church"

Updates on Artist Housing in Woodridge and Brookland

I missed it a couple of weeks ago, but the Post ran a piece on artist housing in DC, featuring the Douglass Street project I mentioned back in July. The application process will likely open up again in the spring, and I'll post the info here if I catch it in time. Overall, a good article, if you just strike the following:

The biggest downside of the Douglass Street project is its location. While Mather Studios is in the heart of downtown, the Douglass [sic] Street project is in Northeast, near New York Avenue.

God forbid. Seriously, who wants to live near the Arboretum, the Gateway Arts District in Maryland, or Abdo's forthcoming Arbor Place? Oh, maybe it's not that bad....


But I digress. Artspace's Dance Place Project is gathering steam, with construction estimated to start in early 2008:

Artspace will develop a mixed-used project that will include 30 to 40 affordable live/work units for artists and a new home for Dance Place, a nonprofit organization that operates a dance company, a school, and a variety of children's programs. Two existing buildings on the site will be torn down to make way for the project.

A hearty welcome to our future neighbors!

Brookland Preservation Meeting - TONIGHT

Concerned Brookland resident Dan Vera has called an emergency preservation meeting this evening:

We're having a meeting this evening at 6 p.m. to see what can be done about the beautiful art-moderne façade imperiled in Brookland at the 10th Street market. We'll be meeting there to look at the beautiful tiling underneath and then having coffee or whatever at Cardinal's Nest in the complex.

If you only know this place from the last 30 years of its being covered up, you really owe it to yourself to see what lies underneath. It is reminiscent of the Stop-and-Shop on Connecticut Avenue, and we're trying to get people to do what they can to stop further demolition.

It's a glimpse into Brookland's unique beauty.

I know it is short notice but you can do something about this. We all can.

Hope you can join us. We *especially* need old hands in historic preservation.

6 p.m. Tonight!
Cardinal's Nest, 3748 10th Street NE (across from Turkey Thicket)

» You can view Dan's photos, taken today, here.

Violence Erupts Among Day Laborers in Brentwood; Community Opposes Proposed Multicultural Training & Employment Center

The Washington Times - perhaps because of their NE home base - have been closely following the controversy over the proposed multicultural training and employment center in Brentwood. They recently reported the only mention I've found of a brawl erupting Thursday, September 13th among the day laborers:

Community leaders scheduled a public-safety meeting in a Northeast neighborhood after a bloody clash among a group of Hispanic men that residents said began in an area where day laborers gather looking for work.

As many as 200 mostly Hispanic day laborers congregate each day at a shopping plaza in Brentwood looking to link up with area contractors for jobs....

The incident occurred at about 7:30 p.m. last Thursday, when police found a Hispanic man lying on a sidewalk and bleeding from his head near 10th Street and Rhode Island Avenue in Northeast — only a few hundred feet away from the shopping plaza.

Police said the victim — who was identified only as "John Doe" in police reports — also had a stab wound in the center of his back.

Mr. Chandler said his constituents who live in the area told him the man was assaulted during a fight involving a large group of men that began behind the Bank of America at 915 Rhode Island Ave.

The clash then spilled over from a hill behind the bank onto 10th Street, where [ANC Commissioner Raymond] Chandler said men were "rolling over people's cars" during the fight....

Mr. Chandler and other residents adamantly oppose constructing the center, saying employment services already exist in the area and that city money should not be used to fund a center for day laborers, many of whom are illegal aliens.

The incident caused Mr. Chandler to organize a public-safety meeting for community residents and businesses to voice their concerns to police.

The meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Oct. 9 at Isle of Patmos Baptist Church [1216 Saratoga Avenue NE/1200 Isle of Patmos Plaza NE] in Northeast.

The same day they also ran one of Tom Knott's "insightful" columns, where law-abiding citizens get screwed at the expense of "lawbreakers":

The good folks of Brentwood have made it clear to D.C. Council member Harry Thomas Jr. that they do not want a day-laborer center in a Northeast shopping center on Rhode Island Avenue....

But Mr. Thomas, Ward 5 Democrat, presses forward, because he thinks on a higher plane than the good folks of Brentwood. He knows many of the day laborers are illegal aliens, and he knows many of them urinate and defecate on the properties belonging to the good folks of Brentwood, and he knows that if impotent lawmakers at all levels of government merely enforced the existing laws, there would be no illegal-alien mess in this nation....

But our lawmakers, who purport to be in the public-service business, are not heeding the words of those who elect them to office. Mr. Thomas is not unlike so many other legislators at the local, state and federal levels. He blames the illegal-alien problem on some other part of the bureaucracy. He is merely trying to address a situation in the Home Depot parking lot, even if he is dead wrong, even if his constituents in Ward 5 do not want public funds being spent on an illegal-alien center....

I could hang out at the day-laborer center and read Spanish-language materials. And if anyone ever objected to my illegal existence, I would shout racism and bigotry, because that always works, especially around pathetic, whiny white people who have this profound sense of guilt.

Our useless lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are showering our dollars on illegal aliens, who turn around and wave the silly-looking flag of their country. Sorry. I forgot how it works. If they wave the flag of the country they abandoned, it is called pride. If Americans wave their flag, it is called jingoism.

Mr. Thomas undoubtedly expects the legal residents of the city to follow every last law. But there he is ready to reward lawbreakers. While he is at it, he might as well appropriate more of our tax money to equip the illegal-alien center with a health spa.

It is crazy.

As are you, sir.

» The Washington Times, 9.20.07, "Melee spurs calls for action on day laborers"
» The Washington Times, 9.20.07, "Note to Brentwood: Don't doubt Thomas"
» Previous community workshop, 9.8.07
» Previous town hall meeting, 8.15.07
» WaPo, 6.17.07, "As Plan for D.C. Day-Laborer Center Idles, Anger Over Workers Grows"
» The Washington Times, 7.5.07, "Day laborers shower us with culture, irrigation"
» The Washington Times, 7.16.07, "Two sites eyed for D.C. day-labor center"