Fwd: Park Morton: DCHA Director Donald Asked to Stop Disinformation Campaign and to Return to Negotiations

Press Alert: Park Morton Equity Team, Scott Brown, 215-499-1078, parkmortonequityteam@gmail.com

Park Morton: DCHA Director Donald Asked to Stop Disinformation Campaign and to Return to Negotiations; Equity Delayed is Racial Equity and Justice Denied

Ward One, Washington, DC – Park Morton is a public housing landmark on Georgia Avenue NW that has served hundreds of DC families for generations with low cost affordable housing.  Now, Park Morton is slated to be torn down, privatized and redeveloped into mostly new expensive condos. 

More than 100 Park Morton families have already been displaced from their home, with almost all families compelled to move away from their longtime Ward One community (some out of DC entirely) and all during this terrible pandemic.  

For more than two years, Park Morton residents have asked DC Housing Authority officials that they be compensated for the major disruption in their lives that this DCHA project represents. Park Morton residents want opportunities in the new project far beyond a mere right to return. They have outlined real objectives to serve their long term outcomes and needs in the Park Morton Equity Plan (a document written by Park Morton residents seeking home equity and ownership and small business opportunities in the new project).  https://www.parkmortondc.com/park-morton-equity-plan

DC Housing Authority (DCHA) Director Brenda Donald has rejected good faith negotiations designed to achieve resident equity and self-sufficiency and instead turned to bullying and confusion to minimize resident rights. In short, Director Donald has been quietly sowing disinformation with residents (those still onsite and those that have been relocated) and blaming the delays and mismanagement of the NCI program on the fight for resident equity (ownership) and self-sufficiency.

“DCHA is coming for me and the rest of us,” said Shonta High, President of the Park Morton Residents Council. “They have had two years to implement our Park Morton Equity Plan and adopt the plan objectives into their land disposition agreements and resolutions, but instead just keep delaying and displacing us hoping we will just give up.”

Of particular concern, Director Donald is taking advantage of a period when public housing residents lack stable representation on the DCHA board due to her mishandling of board elections, allowing her team to operate without full accountability.  This pattern was on full display when the controversial Greenleaf project, which was pushed through without the full support of affected resident council presidents and without resident representation on the DCHA Board.

“Although Director Donald and her team never responded to many offers to resolve issues around resident equity and fair treatment, I never expected calls from residents this week warning me to watch my back, the Director is after you and your presidency. Rumor is she’s seeking to remove me from office by misleading my residents.” -President Shonta’ High.

Park Morton residents have a pending request before the DCHA Board of Commissioners and Councilmember Brianne Nadeau to intervene and mediate this situation. This request remains open. Ms. High and the Park Morton Equity Team are seeking:

• That DCHA Director Brenda Donald be immediately instructed to end her disinformation campaign and bullying of the Park Morton resident council and return to the negotiating table.

• DCHA and CM Nadeau bring in a mediator to oversee the integration of the Park Morton Equity Plan, specifically:

• Institute and fund a Park Morton resident self-sufficiency plan for current and remaining project phases; 

• A Section 3 plan which ensures resident employment, business opportunities and training opportunities reach at least 20% of the current $14.8M budget; 

• Includes a housing self-sufficiency zone that makes up 30% of this phase and includes homeownership/coop options and additional family sized units.

• To establish a fully funded, resident-controlled and DCHA-recognized “Resident Management Corporation”.