Cross-posted from the DC Independent Media Center
written by Luke
On the 30th of April, Empower DC brought well over 100 DC public housing residents and supporters to pack Muriel Bowser’s hearing on the DC housing authority budget, which contains zero money for repair or renovation of traditional public housing.
Instead, the city applied to HUD for money to DEMOLISH three properties and thankfully these funds were refused. Almost all the attendees at the hearing were either residents or supporters of public housing, and for once witnesses did not have to sit through hours of testimony from developers before being permitted to speak.
A witness reported that Muriel Bowser was the only Councilmember present at the hearing, and she sat “stone-faced” through all testimony except when she was directly singled out for criticism. Several witnesses said they would not vote for her for Mayor even if she was the only candidate running.
Reverend Hagler called out the City Council for committing a “moral sin” by budgeting only $50 million for all the DC Housing Authority out of a total city budget of $11 billion while surrounded by massive wealth.
Click Here to view the entire hearing.
Let’s be honest here. Why would the city keep funding housing projects in which the residents does not take care of them. The ppl are paying nothing for rent and utilities and they are still destroying the neighborhood. I am ready for Public Housing in Ward 8 to get demolished. The ppl who live in it are trifling. They are and have been ruining our community for decades and its time for them to go. Their fight is to keep living this way because they do not want to face the real world like: Working and paying rent (more than $50). It is not the governments fault to take care of them. It is time for DC to stop catering to ppl who do not want to take charge of their own lives.
It is sad, on a nice day, the ppl in Highland Dwellings and cookout on the grills, blast music to 9-10 at night, kids are outside late (on a school night), 100 ppl are standing outside drinking (on a workday/school night)and etc. Hell you can’t do things like this in apartment complexes paying full value rent so why are these people in Public Housing so damn special???? I am tired of it. It is sad to see my ppl like this but you can not help ppl who don’t want to help themselves (without depending on the government).
Hello Tori,
Regardless of the character of a small percentage of residents, the city has every interest in funding public housing. I expect the government that represents me and my tax dollars to spend that money in the best interest of the city’s residents–good schools, affordable housing, economic opportunities, etc. The tragedy of Relisha Rudd is just one example of what happens when they refuse to do this. How many of those families living in DC General were pushed out of public housing? How many of those families would be better off in public housing now? Think about it.