Tent City Protest at 7th & R Streets NW
On July 10, 2010 ONE DC and Take Back The Land set up a tent city at 7th and R Streets NW to protest the unfulfilled promises made by Mayor Fenty regarding the public property there, otherwise known as Parcel 42. The tent city got a fair amount of media attention at the start, but interest waned as the protest failed to move the Fenty Administration to action, beyond posting the sign in the picture of course. The sign, which reads, “Another Project from the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development,” sounds like Mayor Fenty is taking credit for the tent city. In a way, that’s accurate. If Fenty had followed through on the Memorandum of Understanding that he signed in 2007, then a tent city on that lot wouldn’t have been necessary.
The Grassroots Media Project’s radio production class gathered audio at tent city near the end of July. Interviews were conducted by Candace Wolfe, Navid Nasr, Crystal Elekwachi and Riley Abbott. The final piece was edited together by Riley Abbot.
A Brief Audio Archive of the Tent City Protest
Additionally, Eric Sheptock’s blog posts on the subject give you the perspective of a tent city resident. It’s also interesting to compare coverage by the City Paper, which focuses on whether or not the activists would achieve their goals, with coverage in the Afro American, which is more concerned with how affordable housing is defined by the city and why their definition is problematic.
The article is from Aug. 2010. Well, it’s Jan. 2012 and nothing has happened on the site. The protestors and occupiers moved on long ago. There is not even a protest or informative sign on the site now. The site, whenever it is developed, will not have maximum affordability but will have some below market units.
What did this campaign achieve for DC residents in the end? What did it change?
Hello Sam,
Parcel 42 has a long history. Developers have eyed it greedily for well over a decade. They wait patiently until they think no one from the community is paying attention and then pounce. Fortunately, ONE DC was paying attention the last time they made a play for the space and the tent city helped to stop it. I agree that this campaign did not achieve as much as it might have, had it been better organized, supported, etc. Maybe next time, you’ll be there to step up and help out so that the next campaign will be more successful. Thanks for your comments. -Liane