Free Franklin Activists Hang Banner From Franklin School
At 2:00 PM on Saturday, November 19, 2011, a small group of activists associated with Occupy DC took over the vacant Franklin School building at 13th and K Streets NW, Washington, DC. Their occupation did not last long as the police arrested eleven activists around 7:00PM that same evening. The activists call themselves Free Franklin. They’re goals, motivations and calls to action are posted at FreeFranlkinDC.blogspot.com. A public forum about the future of Franklin Shelter and the importance of public property for essential human services is scheduled as follows:
Public Forum on Franklin Shelter Monday, November 21 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM Asbury United Methodist Church 11th & K Streets NW
All DC community members are encouraged to attend. For more on the November 19 takeover of Franklin School I suggest Luke’s post at DC’s Independent Media Center.
The recent history of Franklin School illustrates the conflict between the needs of long-term DC residents and the actions of District government who, more often than not, represent the interests of developers and the wealthy over those of low and moderate-income residents. Since the Fenty Administration, the government of the District of Columbia has been attempting to declare Franklin School surplus and sell it to a private entity, this despite the school’s long history of public service. One of DC’s first public high schools, the building was used as an educational facility for most of its life. Up until 1995 the Franklin School housed an adult-education center, at which time it was closed for renovations that the city promised but (surprise, surprise) never materialized. The school remained shuttered until 2002 when homeless advocates took over the building and turned it into a shelter. By 2007, the Franklin Shelter was housing 300, working, homeless men. In 2008, then Mayor Adrian Fenty shuttered Franklin Shelter ignoring emergency legislation passed by the council to keep it open, Franklin Shelter Closing Requirements Emergency Act of 2008. After more than two years in the courts, a lawsuit brought by the Committee to Save Franklin Shelter and former residents finally failed in January of 2011. Despite this, homeless advocates continue to challenge the closing of DC’s homeless shelters in the courts. More information about their efforts can be found at FranklinShelter.org.
Except for its brief re-opening on November 19, the Franklin School has remained empty since September 2008. Homeless advocates would like to reopen it as a shelter. Others interested in the property as a historical landmark and District treasure such as the Coalition for Franklin School would like to see it reopened as a school or some other educational or cultural institution. The city seems most inclined to sell the property to private developers interested in turning the Franklin School into a boutique hotel. In accordance with District of Columbia Code 10-801, DC government is not allowed to surplus and sell any property without first conducting a pubilc hearing and soliciting input from the community. Unfortunately, as the above video of the surplus hearing for Franklin School conducted on November 18, 2010 demonstrates, these hearings are far too often used as a forum for city officials to present to the community their reasons for a decision that they’ve already made, rather than a hearing in which public comment is genuinely considered. Is the surplus of Franklin School a foregone conclusion? Stay tuned.
It’s been a minute since we’ve done a post on Walmart, but that’s not to say that DC’s progressive community has stopped working on the issue. Currently, the group No-Ward-4-Walmart is calling for an anti-Walmart presence at the Historic Preservation Review Board Hearing (October 27th at 2:10pm, 441 4th St. NW, Room 220 South) where they will consider designating the old streetcar storage barn at Georgia and Missouri Avenues NW a historic landmark which would make it impossible for developer Foulger Pratt to build a Walmart on that site.
Respect DC takes the position that it’s okay if Walmart comes to DC so long as they sign a community benefits agreement that would guarantee that any Walmart within the District provide its workers with a living wage. Not much word on the community benefits agreement, but on October 20, 2011, Respect DC teamed up with Occupy DC and staged a flashmob at a $1,000-a-plate fundraiser at Union Station. The fundraiser featured Walmart board chairman Rob Walton as well as Wes Bush, CEO and president of arms manufacturer Northrop Grumman.
As its name suggests, the group Walmart Free DC believes that DC doesn’t need any Walmarts: they not only fail to provide a living wage to their employees, but they also have a tendency to drive small businesses into the ground. Empower DC also opposes Walmart coming to the District. This summer, Grassroots Media Project intern Roshan Ghimire and hip-hop artist/community activist Head-Roc teamed up to produce the following video Keep DC Walmart Free, which makes our position pretty clear.
In addition to hosting a series of screenings of The High Cost of Low Price throughout the city over the summer, Walmart Free DC has posted several links that make a strong case for their position. LGBT activist Robby Diesu’s post sums up much of that information and makes a few points that are missed on most of the other anti-Walmart websites.
Why the GLBTQ Community in DC Needs to Reject the Wal-Mart Invasion of Our City
By Robert Diesu
In November 2010 Wal-Mart decided that DC would be its next target in their attempt to amp up their already impressive market share of the retail world. They have met a lot of resistances so far, but not enough. Wal-mart has a special place in the minds of us who are progressive, leftist, and even liberal, and that is the vast majority of us can think of only one word to describe them; evil.
In the District, Wal-Mart plans on bringing in four stores by 2012. Wards 4, 5, 6, and 7 will hopefully not be the home to these planned stores. Each of the four stores in the invasion are going to be 80,000-100,000 sq feet. Doesn’t that just make you feel all warm and fuzzy? But they have not signed leases at any of the four locations, though.
Yet, we as queer people have some extra special reason’s to oppose the evilness that is Wal-Mart, and mainly they don’t support our liberation as a community. To this date, they do not have an anti-discrimination policy that protects trans people and other non-gender conforming peoples. This prompted the National Gay and Lesbian Task force to come out against them invading New York and hopefully soon, DC as well. [1]
They donate to crazy right-wingers, who are actively working against our interest in congress, and by donate I mean hundreds of thousands of dollars, not five grand like Target. Members of the Wal-Mart board of director and the Wal-Mart PAC have given $455,500 to current members of the “Tea Party Caucus” in Congress (this also includes Tea Party backed candidates who lost)[2]. Not to mention $1,431,000 to candidates who have actually voted against voting rights for DC.[3]
Oh, and they think we are a “highly controversial issue”[4], as a reason why they don’t donate to any National LGBT groups. Since when is treating other human beings with respect and dignity a controversial issue? The last time I checked, our liberation and the emancipation of our community from oppression was a good thing, not something controversial? What should be highly controversial is that a city government that is as progressive as DC would even think of allowing Wal-Mart in our city-limits.
Now there is this fad among our community to boycott companies who are against our liberation and it always seem inept to me. (I mean Target is right next to my gym, and is constantly calling my name.) Yet, here is a chance for us to actually stop a corporation that opposes our liberation from even getting a foot in our city. Wal-Mart Free DC is a group that is working actively to oppose all and any Wal-Marts in our city. They are working to build a multi-racial, multi –generational, multi-class, and multi-gender citywide coalition who opposes Wal-Mart from even building a single store in the District. Check them out if you want to stop this invasion of our city!
On April 15, 2011 the United States House of Representatives approved a Budget Resolution for 2012 proposed by conservative Wisconsin Representative Paul Ryan. Ryan’s resolution, if passed, will abolish Medicare and mandate budget cuts totaling $5.5 billion to Housing and Urban Development programs starting in October 2011. All of these cuts target low- and moderate-income people and add up to more than double the amount cut in 2010.
The House budget also calls for work requirements, time limits and rent increases for elderly, disabled and low income tenants receiving HUD assistance. Currently, the House Budget Committee plans to cut 14% of HUD programs across the board, leaving 294,000 Voucher families, 150,000 Public Housing families, and 180,000 Project Based Section 8 families without homes beginning in October. If these cuts are applied proportionately to Washington, D.C., 1520 Voucher families, 1100 Public Housing families, and 1540 Project Based Section 8 families will lose their homes.
Earlier this year, the Save Our Homes Coalition—representing tenants who live in Section 8 public housing programs as well as housing voucher recipients from across the country—coordinated a national day of action to protest the proposed cuts to the HUD budget in Fiscal Year 2011. Nineteen cities participated in a series of actions that took place on Valentine’s Day, including Washington, DC. Grassroots Media Project ally, Judith Hawkins of Valencia’s It Is What It Is Mobile Talk Show, along with Project trainees from Different Avenues, Grace Ebiasah and Jasmine Archer, produced the following video.
As a result of the nation-wide “Have a Heart-Save Our Homes” rallies, like the one shown above, as well as other pressure from the Left, deep cuts to HUD rental housing programs were avoided. However, Republicans have again called for deep spending cuts. This time they are tied to the increase in the US debt ceiling, which must be voted on by August 2 to avoid a US government default. To avoid further cuts, tenants are urging support for alternative revenues by taxing the wealthy and closing loopholes for giant corporations that paid no federal taxes in 2010.
According to US Uncut, a self-described grassroots movement taking direct action against corporate tax cheats and unnecessary and unfair public service cuts across the United States, Bank of America paid no federal income taxes in 2010. In fact, BOA received a tax refund of $666 million—despite record profits and lavish taxpayer bailouts. US Uncut and others estimate that making large corporations pay their fair share would generate as much as $100 billion per year. If BOA paid their fair share at the supposed “corporate income tax rate” of 35%, $4.2 billion in cuts could be avoided—enough to prevent the deep cuts to HUD rental programs proposed by the House Budget Committee for FY 2012.
To that end, low income tenant leaders and organizations from across the nation will come together June 21, to urge the US Treasury to “Tax the Cheats and Save Our Homes.” The National Alliance of HUD Tenants and local organizations Empower DC, ONE DC and the Community for Creative Non-Violence urge everyone suffering under DC’s affordable housing crisis to join them at the following rally at the Bank of America and the US Treasury.
Tax the Cheats, Save Our Homes Rally Tuesday, June 21, 2011 10:30 – 11:30 am 730 15th Street NW (Bank of America) Washington, DC 20005
Tuesday’s demonstration will feature tenant leaders from across the nation gathered in Washington, D.C. for the annual conference of the National Alliance of HUD Tenants (NAHT), the nation’s only national tenants union. They will be joined by tenants and homeless people from DC, including Empower DC, ONE DC, and the Community for Creative Non-Violence. For more information, contact Empower DC, affordable housing organizer Linda Leaks at 202-234-9119.
Help ensure that much-needed Human Services funding is restored to the DC budget.
The group of mostly homeless homeless advocates who’ve been meeting at the CCNV (Community for Creative Non-Violence) Shelter every week since April 26th, 2011 for Shelter, Housing, and Real Change (SHARC) will make a final push on Monday, June 13th to ensure that funds which Mayor Vincent Gray sought to take away from Human Services is restored by the DC Council.
We will impress upon the DC Council the need to go beyond simply funding shelters and to ensure the continual creation of AFFORDABLE HOUSING across the city as well as LIVING WAGE and other policies that will empower the poor community and enable them to become self-sufficient.
WE WILL NO LONGER SIMPLY ORGANIZE FOR SHORT-TERM GOALS LIKE SAVING SHELTERS AND RESTORING FUNDING FOR SERVICES THAT MAINTAIN HOMELESSNESS.
WE WILL DEMAND THE CONTINUAL CREATION OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING ACROSS THE CITY AND THE REALIZATION OF HOUSING AS A HUMAN RIGHT!!!!!
People who DEMAND
“Shelter, Housing And Real Change”
will meet at:
The CCNV Shelter
425 2nd Street NW, Washington, DC
Nearest Metro station: Judiciary Square (Red line)
Buses: D6 and D3
Monday, June 13th
11 AM
To march to the Wilson Building at 1350 Pennsylvania ave. NW
Feel free to bring signs with you. Or you can make signs from 10 to 11 AM.
SCHEDULE
We will begin to gather at CCNV at 10 AM,
march at 11,
arrive at City Hall by 11:30,
speak to councilmembers and their staff until 12:30 PM,
and have regular 1 PM meeting at CCNV.
Now that we have a Council budget vote that may partially restore funding to safety net services in DC with an out-of-state bonds tax and zero increase in income tax for high-income residents, what happens next for people who depend on the city for housing needs?
Friendship Place's Welcome Center in Northwest Washington.
One answer lies outside the government altogether. Non-profit homeless service organizations like Community Council for the Homeless at Friendship Place receive only around 21% of their funding from the city, a figure that may soon decrease. Friendship Place depends mostly on corporate and private donors to provide temporary and long-term housing along with other services. Will this dependence become the de facto direction for all social service organizations in Mayor Gray’s “One City”? And if so, what does this mean for the direction of social services themselves?
Carolyn Darley (aka Candy) is a beneficiary of one of Friendship Place’s most successful programs, “Neighbors First”, which moves highly vulnerable homeless people into apartments without preconditions. The partially city-funded program is based on the “housing first” model which refuses to blame homelessness on mental illness, substance addiction, or other personal characteristics.
This spring I had the honor to hear and film Carolyn’s story on finding a home through the assistance of Friendship Place and throughout her lifelong struggles. As a Black woman and Panamanian immigrant who completed her degree at George Washington University and worked in nursing, Carolyn shares an important perspective on DC homelessness that is not often seen.
