mrrayj

Last weekend, Shiloh Baptist hosted Eleanor Holmes Norton to celebrate Congress giving the church two million dollars for two shells north of the Carter G. Woodson house at 1538 Ninth Street. She did her best during the meeting to dis the "gentrifiers" for trying to drive the churches out of Shaw, and praising Shiloh for their contributions to the community (like all the vacant properties?) Shades of 1968 all over again to blame others for the social dysfunction inherent in the community. The overt intent of the convocation was for the ASALH to hand over their key to the Woodson property and cash in a Congressional check for half a million to get them out of hock. Eventually the Park Service plans to study some plan, renovate the properties, and move ASALH back in at taxpayer expense and subsidize the organization in perpetuity. This will hopefully keep them from selling off any more of Woodson's papers and library. Pretty sweet. Except: 1. The Park Service is destitute. They can't keep the National Parks running let alone fund a new museum. 2. We can count on Shiloh never ever allowing the Park Service to build that museum lest, G-d forbid, they sacrifice any of their precious parking. They keep their many properties on Ninth and elsewhere vacant to cash in on schemes like the one that just went down and to assure parking in a desolate neighborhood. Blagden Alley folks and ANC 2C Jefe Padro can tell you how much they fought the Vegan and Queen of Sheeba Restaurant opening on Ninth near Shiloh. Their real for protesting was parking. The church swarms all over my neighborhood and yours every Sunday, fills up the Seaton Elementary School parking lot, and no fire plug or bus stop will deter them. The heaps of praise you LCCA folks shower on the Police should direct them to ticketing the church people on Sundays. The arrogance of those PG bourgies drips with disdain for the community. Next time you Loganites give Eleanor more hugs, prod her first on the Woodson House scam.

As a next door neighbor exiled in Shaw, I am delighted to see the urine stenched refugee camp remain in the center of Logan Circle guarded continuously by the legions of residents with defecating canines. I can't see why you folks put up with it, but we thank you as it keeps the vagrants and dealers out of our midst. We fought valiantly over the years using every tactic in and out of the book to remove the benches from of the trash-filled, blacktopped triangle ANC Commandante Padro dubbed "Woodson Park." (We prefer Bernie Goetz Park). We will continue to repell the urge to install benches in this traditional heroin and cocaine corner despite the dogoodnik urges of newcomers and social planners. So keep up your good work. We shall continue to invite Shaw residents there to share their much touted diversity with you.