Empower DC's Tax Day Delegation, storming the gates of power at the Wilson Building.
As activists, we love to participate in demonstrations and marches, especially when they’re in a good cause and there are so many good causes. But it’s also nice to step it up a notch and take specific demands to the people in power. It’s a quieter, less showy form of activism, but necessary and effective in its own way. On April 17, 2012 (tax day), Empower DC along with representatives from the Fair Budget Coalition, Jobs With Justice and DC for Democracy went to the Wilson Building to talk to our council members about how they’re spending our taxes. Our first visit was to the hearing room, where the Committee of the Whole was meeting. We’d brought along an information packet that included our take on the shortage of affordable housing in the city , the DC public school budget and the childcare subsidy program. All these issues the council and the mayor influence through policy, legislation and funding. Council members and their staff (very important cogs in the legislative apparatus) are usually pretty knowledgeable when it comes to how much money is being put into or taken out of the programs that many low- and moderate-income DC residents depend on, but they’re not so knowledgeable when asked how cutting those programs will impact DC residents. That’s why activists, organizers and community members who are impacted need to educate our elected officials.
Here’s an audio snippet of one of our office visits. The position of the recording device was not ideal, so some of the audio is a little hard to understand but it’s well worth the entire 3-minutes. [haiku url=”http://www.grassrootsmediaproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Tax-Day-Delegation.mp3″ title=”Tax Day Delegation” style=”color: #003300]
Although Empower DC child care organizer Sequnely Gray, who is featured in the above audio, expressing her concerns passionately about the plight of DC’s homeless families, she was there primarily to discuss the child care subsidy program. There is so much overlap between the issues that local progressives care about, it doesn’t always make sense to try to tease them apart. The DC residents who are most impacted by this year’s round of budget cuts don’t even have the option. The parent who needs the child care subsidy so he or she can work is at risks losing their job without it. Without a job, what happens to the money for rent or for food? When one program fails you, the others become all the more necessary. As activists and organizers it’s important that we understand all of the programs that are critical to the city’s safety net. To that end, I’ve posted below the information that Sequnely put together regarding the subsidized child care program.
Here’s a link to the Demands to Fully Fund the Subsidized Child Care Program below. I hope to post more info regarding programs that will be impacted by the budget in the weeks leading up to the city council’s vote on the 2013 budget at the end of May. Empower DC is planning more advocacy days at the at the city council. Stay tuned to this channel for more on that. In the meantime, feel free to download the child care demands and do a little advocacy on your own. Because frankly, DC residents who are also parents can’t work without quality, affordable child care.
Today is emancipation day here in the District of Columbia. It marks the day when the enslaved residents of the District of Columbia were granted their freedom. The Civil War was already underway when President Lincoln signed the Compensated Emancipation Act for the release of certain persons held to service or labor in the District of Columbia. That was nine months before he signed the Emancipation Proclamation. I’ve always found it ironic that enslaved African-Americans in the District of Columbia were the first in the nation to receive their freedom, and yet their descendants still don’t have representation in Congress. Go figure. That was the message of a video about Free DC’s Emancipation Day celebration that I produced three years ago, which I’ve posted below.
It also seems meaningful that these reminders of our second-class status here in the District of Columbia should come just before tax day. We pay taxes here in the District despite the fact that we don’t have representation in Congress. We do have city representatives. The mayor, members of the city council and the advisory neighborhood commissions are all elected by DC residents but do they really represent our wishes? Mayor Gray’s proposed budget would cut over $20 million from the city’ s affordable housing programs, despite the fact that the citizens at Mayor Gray’s One City Citizens Summit put the need for affordable housing at the top of their list of priorities that District government should address. Mayor Gray also wants to cut $5.7 million from the subsidized child care program. Certainly this does not represent the wishes of the more than 300 parents who will lose their vouchers and possibly their jobs as well, because as any good parent of young children knows, you can’t work and raise your children without affordable and preferably quality child care. The mayor’s cuts to school budgets will mean increased class sizes, loss of librarians, special education coordinators and other “non-mandatory” staff. Whose wishes do these cuts represent? Are DC students complaining about librarians and counselors? I don’t think so. Low and moderate income residents pay 7 – 10% of their income in taxes. A family of 4 earning $26,300 a year pays $2,630 in taxes. Relatively speaking, that’s a HUGE chunk of money.
Which is why Empower DC members will be engaging in the following action:
Tax Day Delegation to Fight Budget Cuts Tuesday April 17, 2012 Meet on the steps of the Wilson Building @ 10:30 AM. We will visit our council members and give them the following message–
Dear City Council: WE PAY TAXES Don’t SCREW US in the Budget! Put My Tax Dollars Towards Affordable Housing, Childcare & Education!
For more information about tomorrow’s Tax Day Delegation contact Daniel@empowerdc.org or call 202-234-9119 ext. 104.
Cleveland Elementary School at 8th & T Streets NW in Washington, DC
Freshly renovated only six years ago, the award-winning Cleveland Elementary School at 8t and T Streets NW is beautiful inside and out. The school has served the Shaw community for 100 years. It didn’t always serve Shaw’s black residents but 100 years ago the city was segregated and so were its schools. Within it’s integrated history, Cleveland has done a pretty good job of recognizing the changing demographics of its students–69% African-American, 29% Latino. It is one of very few schools in the DCPS system with a dual-language Spanish immersion program. This all sounds great, right? So, why is it going to close by 2017?
Here it is important to emphasize that the closing of Cleveland Elementary by 2017 is simply a prediction and what’s more it’s my prediction and my prediction alone. I am no expert. On the other hand, one need not always be an expert to read the writing on the wall. In this case, the wall being the Prince of Petworth, which is a lovely blog. Unfortunately, with all its pretty ads for houses and condos, real estate agents, developers and developer-friendly politicians, the blog is an incessant reminder to me that I have been displaced from the Petworth community. It’s got nothing to do with Jim Crow laws that might have once kept me out. There’s no redlining keeping me from buying in the neighborhood. I just don’t have the money to afford a house, a condo or an apartment there. Alas, I’ve digressed into the politics of envy. Forgive me.
What does this have to do with Cleveland Elementary? In keeping with The Prince of Petworth’s focus on development, the Prince interviewed David Batista owner of “All Souls” neighborhood bar which, should it be granted a liquor license will reside directly across the street from Cleveland Elementary School. The article itself is nothing as compared to the 96 comments that follow, which is not surprising given the last sentence of the blog post which reads, “If you live in the neighborhood and have any questions or concerns you can contact David directly via email at dtb1514(at)Yahoo(dot)com and if you’d like to support the plans (to grant All Souls a liquor license) be sure to let your ANC reps know.” Beyond suggesting that those who support the bar contact the ANC and show their support, the conflict between the bar and the neighborhood is not defined. Despite the fact that the Prince of Petworth calls itself a “neighborhood blog,” the post did not include any members of the neighborhood that would be affected. No interview of the Cleveland Elementary School principal who objects to the bar. No interview of any of the parents who also object and are planning to take their children out of the school should All Souls be granted a liquor license. No interview of the future mother-to-be who lives next door, who probably moved into the neighborhood hoping it would be a good place to raise a family and is now genuinely frustrated, to say the least. Since the Prince of Petworth did not define the conflict between the bar and the neighborhood, I’ll do my best to do so here.
The problem as I understand it is not that complicated. Yes, there are folks, like the pregnant lady living next door, who are worried about the noise, undesirable foot traffic, problems with parking, etc. But the really big objection is the proximity to the elementary school. The District of Columbia has a zoning law on the books that prohibits establishments that serve alcohol from operating within 400 feet of a school. All Souls would be 22 feet away. Why is the Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration even considering their application? Apparently, there’s at least one liquor store within the 400 foot boundary and since they are allowed to operate, the court says that any establishment that wants to violate the 400 foot law should be allowed to do so. So much for the will of the people who worked to have that zoning law enacted. It seems those community members who think its best if little kids are not forced to watch adults buying and consuming alcoholic beverages–that any substance abuse counselor will tell you is the number one gateway drug–isn’t worth too much either.
This video below, 22 feet is too close, is a visual demonstration of the parents concerns.
Not to appear one-sided, a few of the comments left on the Prince of Petworth blog, which mostly represent a pro-bar position, follow:
Comment Posted by pg23
Here are the email addresses for all 11 ANC members in list form for easier copy and paste. Please join me in expressing strong support for this establishment to all members:
Dear ANC Members,
I am writing to express my strong support for allowing the All Souls Neighborhood Bar at 725 T St. NW to proceed as planned. I own a row house just down the street between 8th and 9th on T so I pass by this property literally everyday. This corner is currently unkept/overgrown grass and a wall that is constantly covered in graffiti. The addition of this establishment will drastically improve the look of the block, in addition to adding another great option for residents to grab a drink and some good food.
I received fliers and understand that there is a small group that, for reasons beyond any logical understanding, is protesting the opening of this establishment. I can assure you that this protest does not represent the majority opinion of residents in the immediately surrounding area. Please do not let the misguided protest of a few stop this or any future much needed economic development in this neighborhood.
Comment Posted by in the ‘hood
Of course it would be nice for that space to be occupied with a viable business that contributes to the neighborhood like the others on that block. For example, Divine Shine is an excellent addition. A bar is just a poor choice. A bar directly across the street from an elementary school is a bad idea even if there is a loophole that might allow it. There are activities at the school outside of regular hours on a regular basis. (The other licensed places within the 400 feet are over on 9th St. NW.) There is a home directly adjacent to the property. Would any of you really want a bar with a patio right outside your window? I doubt it. It’s great to have one down the street or around the corner but not right next door. There are plenty of bars in the area already. Plenty! We all know that. Lots on 9th St. NW, lots more on U St. NW more coming along Florida Ave. NW. So, let’s leave 8th & T NW bar-free! Everyone in the area has plenty of options. Yes, more development is coming. No, it’s not all bars. We need a mix – shops, services, offices. About noise – some bar and restaurant operators are better neighbors than others. Some adhere to the law and some don’t. We should never hear what’s going on inside a bar from outside. The problem is really the patio idea. That’s where the noise is going to come from and it will affect neighbors. It’s been suggested that a patio on the T St. NW side could be acceptable but the All Souls people so far refuse that idea. The nearby residents don’t want a patio on the 8th St. NW side as it is way too close to homes. A number of groups are protesting this application based on the above concerns. There was a deadline for protesting through ABRA and this was followed. Not sure why so many people are picking on Myla Moss. She has worked on a number of big projects for the area and listens to her constituents. While many people like the idea of this proposed bar, many of those people do not live in the immediate area. Think about it from the perspective of those who do. Why not ask David Batista to come to your neighborhood? It might be easier for him to do business where he is welcome. Or why doesn’t he open up a place close to his own home?
Comment Posted by Anonymous
I live next to the newly opened Boundary Stone and it has been a great addition to the community. I definitely would not complain about any additional noise. I’d much rather have people hanging out in an actual establishment keeping me up at night than just standing in front of an abandoned building doing who knows what.
I don’t really understand the whole elementary school across from a bar argument.. Are you worried that the kids are going to go to the bar? Some drunk guy is going to walk into the school? I’m going to make a generalization and assume that most of the kids who go to that school have probably seen their parents drink before. Maybe it’s just because I don’t have kids, but I am a teacher and I don’t see any issue with it. Again..I would much rather have my students be in an area with established businesses than a place where decent-sized groups tend to loiter.
Comment Posted by **DOLPH STRIKE**
Okay, I’ll think about it from your point of view. You purchased a home next to or near a vacant commercial lot, now something is coming in that benefits the rest of the ward members and the local economy (And long-term development of the area) and you think you can control it because your proximity grants additional weight to your cause. That’s flawed logic. You bought the home/live in the area, deal with the development that comes in and not the development that you prefer. You can’t dictate the rest of the community’s preferences, think about the area in which you live.
You final comments about David Bautista are completely asinine and demonstrate the flawed logic that dominates your mental faculties. I would love for this place to be closer to my home, but there are no vacant commercial lots there. Maybe Davide would prefer opening the place closer to his home but there are no available spots or the price isn’t doable. Stop being a ridiculous control freak. He is welcome to do business in this area because the majority of people seem to support it – it may be your block but it’s OUR neighborhood. We want David and his business to come here.
Your whole point about bars near schools is stupid, too. Like REALLY stupid. The unregulated flow of illegal goods and services is rampant in this area (right next to your house) and poses a far greater threat to the children in the school. DC has some of the strictest ID policies of any state that I’ve been to, the kids are going to suddenly develop alcoholism because a bar opened up nearby. Besides, it’s a legal establishment promoting legal behavior to those who are of legal age. The state enables it and thank god for it. We live in a dense, urban environment and it’s foolish to go about regulating businesses like this because a few people are uncomfortable about it.
Please stop attempting to force your will down the throats of the majority. This is no place for tyrants.
Okay, I admit it. I posted those comments because I think they help make the case against the bar for me. If you suspect I’m being one-sided (and I am) you can find the whole list off comments on the Prince of Petworth Blog along with the original article.
This still leave us with the question why I predict that Cleveland Elementary School will close by 2017. Here’s what’s likely to happen if the bar opens up and gets its license. Parents who don’t want their kids to go to a school just 22 feet away from a bar will transfer their kids to another school. A number of parents have already announced their plans to do so. What happens next? Enrollment drops. Those of us who’ve been working to save the neighborhood schools in less affluent neighborhoods know that low enrollment is a death knell to DC Public schools especially in neighborhoods that are at risk of gentrification. Ask the parents of Bruce Monroe or River Terrace Elementary Schools. Why might this happen in communities that have already been gentrified? Greed. Does gentrification ever end? The building that would house All Souls bar is not the only potential money making property surrounding the school. The for-profit developers who seem to have more sway over the city council and mayor than the citizens are only interested in the character of a neighborhood so long as it doesn’t interfere with its money-making potential. I refer to one of the more informative comments from the Prince of Petworth blog:
Comment Posted by volki:
The idea of a bar called All Souls coming to 725 T St, NW across from a Charter School in a residential neighborhood is what I would call bar creep. As the real estate prices go up certain business’s will try to ride off the main street traffic, by moving (try to creep) a block or two inside the perimeter of a neighborhood. Of course based on previous licensing, grandfather clauses and poor DC NO ZONE attitudes, this should be no problem, “a school across the street, come on, get over it.” We all know early childhood education likes to get the kids exposed and involved in all facets of life at a very early stage in the learning process. Try this stunt anywhere else and see what you get.
It kind of illustrates that the investor/owner does not have or cannot get the financing it takes to get to U STREET or 14th next to Pearl Dive or Massa 14. I take it this bar will be like “Cheers” with Norm, Coach, Sam, Carla, Diane and Woody. Yeah, dream on. As I walk down 14th Street, almost every corner building for sale has now been taken and on the window there an application for a liquor license. As soon as the post office closes on 14th that would be a good spot? The old theater costume building across from St. Ex will be a bar restaurant.
So, maybe my prediction that Cleveland Elementary will be closed by 2017 isn’t so crazy. Enrollment drops, more not-so-public-school-friendly businesses crop up around the school, and before you know it the city is saying, “why do we have a school in that area anyway? Why, it doesn’t even make sense. Little kids shouldn’t be walking past bars and liquor stores on their way to and from school. Let’s move the school somewhere less central.” If that happens, I’ll be wondering whether the readers of the Prince of Petworth blog who followed his advice and contacted the ANC to let them know that they support the opening of All Souls “neighborhood” bar will even notice that the school is closed or consider the role they may have played in its demise? How many of those folks, who may genuinely believe themselves to be acting in the best interest of the community, will even be living in the neighborhood in 2017? If you are one of the relatively new and affluent residents of Shaw, you may be able to afford your housing costs now but will you be able to afford it in five or ten years? And what exactly are you getting for your money? Bedford Falls or Pottersville?
This blog has focused more on the school closings in Wards 7 & 8 than the relatively few schools closings in wards 1 – 6, but I think it’s worth noting how schools in more affluent neighborhoods may also be at risk. All of us who genuinely want DC Public Schools to succeed have a stake not only in our own individual communities but the city as a whole. We should be working together. Many of the parents of Cleveland Elementary School would appreciate your help to keep All Souls from being granted a liquor license. Just as the Prince of Petworth asked you to call your ANC’s to show your support for All Souls, I am asking that you call to express your objection. If you don’t live in the neighborhood, you can still show your support by attending the DC Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration hearing at which time the issue will be decided. With any luck, we’ll slowly but surely build a movement of parents and other school stakeholders (i.e. all of us) that will force District government to base it’s school policies in EVERY ward of the city on the wishes of the parents, students, teachers and community members rather than the wishes of the developers who fund their campaigns. Details of the ABRA hearing follow:
District of Columbia Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration Hearing Regarding All Souls Restaurant and Bar Wednesday, March 21, 2012 4:00 PM 2000 14th Street, NW Suite 400S Washington, DC 20009
On Thursday, March 17, 2011, St. Patrick’s Day, members of Empower DC’s Child Care for All Campaign and Save Our Safety Net DC came together to demand that newly elected Mayor Vincent Gray “Show Us the Green” for Child Care Subsidies.
Most of the people featured in this video, and many of their neighbors in Ward 7 and 8 supported Gray – without those wards Gray may well have lost the election. Yet many are worried that Gray will continue some of the same dangerous trends that Fenty began – including slashing the budget for child care subsidies.
The Child Care Subsidy Program is a critically important program that allows low-income families to access child care so that they can keep their jobs, enroll in school, and provide for their families. If these subsidies are cut further, parents will be left with no option but to forego employment and remove their children from quality early childhood education. Child care providers, who rely on DC’s reimbursement for serving subsidy-holders, will be left with no option but to close – as over 50 have already in the past year.
Child care like that provided by those featured in this video ensure that children are more likely to be prepared to enter school, successfully graduate high school, move on to college, and stay out of the criminal justice system. Investment in early childhood has a huge return on investment by saving taxpayer money down the line on reduced need for remedial education and pressure on the penal system.
In four years, this critical program that also employs nearly 6,000 people in DC, has been cut nearly $30 million. THE CUTS MUST STOP NOW. Send Mayor Gray the message: eom@dc.gov.
Thank you to all the Child Care for All Campaign members, to Save Our Safety Net DC, and the Puppet Underground (for the great signs in this video)!!
Vince Gray is very proud of the legislation he sponsored making pre-k education universal for all 3- and 4-year-olds. He declared it as one of his major accomplishments in all of his town hall meetings prior to November’s general election. To be sure, early childhood education is extremely important. Children who receive high-quality child care from an early age are better prepared for school, more likely to graduate high school, go on to college, and to stay out of prison. But which service providers are able to take advantage of the money made available by this legislation is also important.
When the bill to make pre-k education universal was first proposed in 2008, 50 percent of the new slots provided were supposed to go to community-based child care providers. By the time the legislation was passed, that number was down to 25 percent. In addition, funding for the District’s Child Care Subsidy Program, which also benefits community-based child care providers as well as low-income parents in need of affordable child care, has been cut each of the past five years.
While Gray wants to do right by his youngest constituents, he seems less concerned about their parents or the middle-class workforce that at one time provided the backbone for DC’s tax base. A pattern that we should be familiar with from the Fenty Administration, who closed down Department of Recreation Early Childhood programs in wards 6, 7 & 8 while leaving the same programs open in the wealthier wards. This action, which Gray is unlikely to reverse, insured an increase in the unemployment rates in those wards hardest hit by the recession as child care providers from the Department of Recreation were fired. The closing of the Recreation Department child care programs also increased the burden on low-income parents by decreasing the number of affordable child care providers within the city’s poorest communities, a number which has already been decreased by the consistent de-funding of the District’s Child Care Subsidy Program.
Subsidized child care, which provides low-income parents with vouchers that pay a portion of their child care costs, is one of the most important work support programs available in DC and around the country. Child care costs can easily amount to $15,000 per year, per child. Without subsidies that help to make child care affordable for low-income families, thousands of parents in DC would be unable to work, unable to look for work or attend school so they are better qualified for work.
In addition to the huge benefits for children and their families, investing in early child care and education helps to strengthen a field whose workforce in DC is predominantly low-income women of color. Child care providers rely on these subsidies from the government to cover their costs. Without them, they would have to lay off the hundreds of people, mostly women, who work in this field. Many child care providers have already had to close their doors for good, even though these are precisely the kinds of small business that Gray claims to support.
The District of Columbia City Council will hold a a public hearing Tuesday November 30, 2010 to hear testimony regarding childcare in the District’s budget. Community members who are impacted–children, parents, child-care providers, etc., are encouraged to testify. If you are interested in testifying at the hearing, attending in support or getting more information, contact Ben Parisi, Child Care organizer for Empower DC at (202) 234-9119 or Ben (at) empowerdc.org.
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