This was originally posted to the Adams Morgan Listserv on January 13, 2019, as message #50347, groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/AdamsMorgan/conversations/messages/50347
My Morning Jog – 1/12/19
So I stopped at 14th & Park to quickly adjust my shoe when I heard a faint, “Psst, Psst, what is ‘IT’ ?”.
I look down, it’s another Columbia Heights loose paver accosting me while on my morning jog. “What now!”, I responded, ” ‘IT’ is a pronoun, now leave me alone”.
“No, ‘IT’, what is ‘IT’? ” , the paver said with a little bit of an attitude, “No, ‘IT’, what is ‘IT’ “, the paver repeats.
“Information Technology?”, I responded anxious to get on with my run.
“No, ‘IT’ “, I heard again coming from near my feet, “from Wednesday’s ANC meeting”
“Oh, that ‘IT’ “, I said knowingly.
During last Wednesday’s ANC while discussing the urgency of funding ,an $2.7M dog park in Columbia Heights, in the context of other community and economic development priorities and commitments an elected official stated while justifying the expense, something like, “We all know what a dog park represents, but we don’t want to deal with ‘IT’ right now…”.
“Yes”, the paver said, “That’s the ‘IT’, the one we are willing to address head-on and immediately when we see it in Trump’s policies, but not in our own city’s policies.”
The paver then goes on to share how pervasive even institutionally “IT” seems to have embedded itself in our city’s public policies. How for example, on December 18th, the DC City Council voted 10 to 3 (Silvermen, T White & Grosso voting ‘no’), in favor of a $5.9M property tax abatement for Chemonics International a company recently fined by the US DOL for discriminating against African American job applicants. For the privilege, no less, of encouraging Chemonics to expand hiring in DC. This in spite of the fact that the city’s CFO found the tax abatement to be unnecessary. I guess for our Council the Capitol River Front <www.google.com/search?q=dc+navy+yard+photos&tbm=isch&source=iu&ictx=1&fir=HV56UgCySP4uQM%253A%252C7Ms7RaVZAA9z2M%252C_&usg=AI4_-kR5unpAA4b-QLAaa_FojORR2BWDcA&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi_oqDSh-vfAhXHxVkKHdeZC…:> /Navy Yard <www.google.com/search?tbm=isch&q=dc+navy+yard+photos&chips=q:dc+navy+yard+photos,online_chips:washington+navy,online_chips:capitol+riverfront&usg=AI4_-kRwfcwGcHgrnwnuy3GYdGRjVbkh0w&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEw…:> is so starved of investment there little need to concretely deal with fairness and equity, right now.
Again, the paver went on to explain its destiny was not always to be a loose and neglected tripping hazard. When initially laid as part of the Columbia Heights Public Realm and Civic Plaza, the paver was to be a foundation for shared community development and growth built upon the community’s unique diversity, common interests and opportunity for growth. Especially, when it came to the development of our public spaces and related public accommodations. He explained how pay-to-play driven greed and political pandering to privilege gave “IT” the upper hand, leading to a drive for development without a concern for the infrastructure required to equity sustain the develop.
Before continuing my run, I urged the paver not to give up hope. Some ANC commissioners did their homework and pushed back against the idea of $2.7M dog park, like Trumps border wall, was being pushed as a public emergency. As well, there were a few Council Members who with their vote prioritized accountability and fairness for all residents ahead of privilege for a few and a shiny new building.
I further assured the paver, as with the 1963 Birmingham Campaign when many said we should not deal with “IT” now, some were able to successfully push for “now”. Saying “we can’t wait” when it comes to equity, fair housing and jobs, challenging government and civic leaders of there day to cease relying on “Jim Crow” as a short cut to economic and social prosperity. As Dr. Jacqueline Battalora
Finally, I apologized to the paver for ever using the phrase, “dumb as a brick”.
My Morning Jog – 1/11/19
Just about every morning I jog down 14th St. past the The Tivoli, the CH Civic Plaza and the Metro Station. I do this for my health, enjoyment and to stay in contact with what’s going on in my community. Often while running I must stop at intersections to allow traffic to past. While this can be annoying, breaking my routine, it does give me a chance from time to time to talk to a few old friends. My favorite are the loose pavers. I’m sure many see them only as tripping hazards or a sign of institutional neglect that should be gotten rid of. But to me they are my friends.
These loose pavers <www.pavestone.com/productcategory/pavers> are my friends because they tell me stories about the neighborhood and the city, especially politics, citywide and community. I figured I would be be a good neighbor, share with you some of what they have shared with me.
So this morning I was stopped at 14th & Kenyon and a paver called me over and shared the following:
He was digging through the City’s 2017 Economic Development Report <cfo.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/ocfo/publication/attachments/Appendix%20IV%20Detailed%20Economic%20Development%20Dollars%20by%20Recipient.pdf> (pg. 23) and found that a REIT <www.reit.com/what-reit>, Wharf Horizontal REIT LLC <www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1631395/000163138515000001/xslFormDX01/primary_doc.xml>, setup by Monty Hoffman <www.bizjournals.com/washington/news/2017/10/27/monty-hoffman-is-now-the-proud-owner-of-a-wharf.html> for the Wharf received at $2M New Communities Initiative <dcnewcommunities.org/about-nci/> (NCI) grant from DMPED. Then he whispered that there is no NCI project at the Wharf that he knows of.
Now you have to understand that pavers are big on fake news and gossip, so you can’t take what a paver says at face value, plus I’m not sure they can read. So I tested him by saying.
“That’s not possible, The Wharf was given a waiver on their affordable housing requirements in there deal with the city. No way they would get a grant from a city agency/program responsible for delivering affordable housing to basically not deliver affordable housing. Stop lying.”
After some missive about laying pavers they don’t paver goes on to tell me that in that same year Hoffman also bought a $3.97M condo at the Wharf from himself <www.bizjournals.com/washington/news/2017/10/27/monty-hoffman-is-now-the-proud-owner-of-a-wharf.html>. Figuring this is a joke, I smile and say to the paver,
“The next thing you know, you are going to tell me that ANC1A passed a resolution requesting the city use public money to build at $2.7M dog park, with no plans in a spot that city regulations say you can’t legally host a dog park.”
The light changed, pavers are so full of sh@t, but I enjoy talking to them.
William