Around the City

Urban affairs, neighborhoods, subways and the people who are affected by them all.

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January 25, 2011 | 5:21 PM | By

About that Petworth Safeway…

DCentric

DCentric quoted incorrect information. DCentric, like Hulk, speak in third-person.

Even though 99% of you refuse to comment (kidding!), I know that DCentric has the BEST readers a new-ish blog could ask for– I can tell by your emails, which are often poignant, eloquent and very helpful. I welcome your suggestions and corrections and am grateful to learn all I can from you. For example, one of you wrote to me about my Petworth Safeway post, from earlier today:

Hey Anna,

FYI the Georgetown “Social Safeway” is 71,000 square feet, according to a spokesperson. That means the 60,000 square-foot Petworth Safeway (if this is the size it will be as Prince of Petworth reported) will not be the biggest Safeway in the city (Prince of Petworth made this claim.)…
Just thought you might like to know because that knowledge does make the enlargement of the Petworth Safeway a little less symbolic.

To reiterate, I did not make the claim that this Safeway would be the city’s largest– that information was in the text I quoted from Prince of Petworth; having said that, I know I am responsible for what I quote or direct you to and I am sorry for the error. I called Safeway to clarify this– and ask a few questions of my own, since I’m extra-interested in grocery stores, food deserts and nutrition. I haven’t heard back yet, but I’ll update you all when I do. Thanks to dedicated DCentric reader Teke Wiggin for the gentle correction. I appreciate it!

FILED UNDER: Around the City, DCentric
January 25, 2011 | 10:38 AM | By

A Nice, New Safeway for Petworth (Updated)

UPDATE: One of you kindly informed me that the numbers in this post aren’t accurate. Thanks for that!

Flickr: M.V. Jantzen

Georgetown's renovated, modernized "Social Safeway".

Prince of Petworth has exciting news for the residents of his neighborhood. D.C.’s newest, sleekest Safeway will be built in Petworth, replacing an aging facility which attracts as many complaints as it does shoppers:

Back in May ’10 I wrote a post titled Battle of the Safeways: Haves Vs. Have Nots comparing the new Georgetown/Glover Park Safeway to Petworth’s Safeway on Georgia Ave (3830 Georgia Ave, NW). I am happy to say that, soon, this argument will no longer apply. Petworth is slated to be home to the city’s newest and largest Safeway at 60,000 square feet. While I’m trying not to exaggerate I believe this is the biggest news to hit Petworth/Georgia Ave since the metro station opened. This news is so huge that I have passed out twice since starting to write this and I’m only on the first paragraph. This is, in the parlance of our times, a true gamechanger…

There will be two underground floors of parking removing the current parking lot and curb cuts on Georgia Ave. will be no more. There will be 85 spaces on one floor for shoppers and 135 parking spots on a separate floor for residents. The ground floor will be 60,000 square feet including a full deli, Starbucks and a state of the art pharmacy and will look a lot like the City Vista/Sexy Safeway and the new ultra modern Safeway in SW-Waterfront…

Additionally, the Safeway will increase from 40-50 employees to 150-160.

The entire process should take about 2 and 1/2 – 3 years.

When the extensively renovated “Social Safeway” held its grand opening in Georgetown, people were frustrated at how beautiful and well-stocked (yes, especially with Organic food) it was compared to its siblings in less affluent parts of D.C. Not only does this news address that, it means better options (and more jobs!) for a neighborhood which would welcome them.

FILED UNDER: Around the City, Access, Food, Petworth, Race and Class
January 24, 2011 | 3:43 PM | By

“It’s not that we don’t care or understand, it’s that we’re poor.”

Flickr: District 47

Organic, vegan food from a Bento.

Kindly allow me to start this post by thanking you. I am humbled by the letters I am receiving regarding “The Privilege of Prioritizing Organic Food“. Your emails are thoughtful and heartfelt; I am grateful for them, and for the way you have shared my story on Facebook and Twitter. Thank you.

I wrote that post on Thursday and a few of you have left comments, the majority of which were productive and welcome additions to DCentric. One comment, however, stood out. It bothered me enough that I wanted to respond to it, but I kept revising my reply because I am sensitive to the challenges of creating a trusted space for discussing personal or controversial issues (that’s my ultimate goal with this blog), and I don’t want to discourage anyone from sharing their point of view. That is why I’m so glad one of you addressed the questionable comment, instead.

Here’s the comment that I wanted to call out, from “Organic Trade”. After reading it, I wondered if I hadn’t conveyed my point well enough– buying organic may be easier and more affordable than ever, but it’s still beyond the reach of too many people, no matter what their “priorities” are. Also, I don’t understand how choosing organic and thus, more expensive versions of something you buy a lot of is an “easy way to save”:
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FILED UNDER: The People, DCentric, Food, Privilege, Race and Class
January 24, 2011 | 12:54 PM | By

An Update on Latisha Frazier: Murdered, not Missing

While Frazier's family searched for her, someone used Facebook to anonymously taunt and threaten them.

Last week, I included a story in my morning roundup about Latisha Frazier, a 19-year old woman who has been missing since August; Frazier’s family became worried when she disappeared, because the teen mother was devoted to her three-year old daughter, Diamond. A missing person is tragic enough, but Frazier’s family suffered even more when they were harassed with anonymous threats and taunts via Facebook. Once alerted to this unfortunate use of their site, Facebook removed the account and cooperated with MPD, which resulted in a breakthrough in the investigation; after seeing Frazier’s story on ABC7 news, someone contacted the MPD with information about the case, and yesterday, Frazier’s family learned that

“probable cause was established that on August 2, 2010, Latisha Frazier was at the 1700 block of Trenton Place SE, where she was assaulted during a dispute and was ultimately murdered.”

Brian Gaither, 23, of Southeast was arrested and has been charged with Murder Two and is scheduled to be arraigned Monday, police said.

At this time, Frazier’s remains have not been located.

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FILED UNDER: Around the City, Crime, Social Media
January 24, 2011 | 10:33 AM | By

There is no Georgetown conspiracy to keep out POCs.

DCentric

M Street and Wisconsin Avenue, Georgetown.

Before moving to Columbia Heights, I lived in Georgetown, a neighborhood I have always loved without any embarrassment or hesitation. I can’t count how many times I was either teased or questioned about being a POC (Person of color) living in the one part of the city where “they don’t want minorities”; then I’d hear a familiar tale about “the only reason Georgetown isn’t on the Metro is to keep it white.” I’d sigh and explain that while that theory was popular, it was a myth; there were logistical issues behind the lack of trains in popped-collar-land. Besides, when I lived there, there were plenty of teenagers roaming M Street or Wisconsin Avenue– and they were minorities. So it’s not like the lack of a metro stop was a particularly effective strategy for keeping the chocolate away from the vanilla.

I see that the Georgetown Metropolitan is sick of that unnecessarily divisive and inaccurate explanation as well, since he tackled it admirably in his post, “All You Need to Know About the Georgetown Metro Stop“.

Why There is No Georgetown Metro

If you take anything away from this article, please let it be this: the reason there is no Metro station in Georgetown has absolutely nothing to do with neighborhood opposition. Nothing. No “rich Georgetowners wanted to keep out minorities”-conspiracy. No matter how much it fits with the popular stereotype, it’s just not true.

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FILED UNDER: Public Transportation, Georgetown, Metro, Race and Class, Racial Divide, WMATA
January 21, 2011 | 3:53 PM | By

Tiger Mothers, Black Sons

Flickr: Vearl Brown

Literally, a tiger mother.

Now reading: “How to Raise a Model Minority. “Tiger Mother” Amy Chua is right about one thing: Assimilation is the enemy of achievement for minorities in America“, via The Root:

“We gotta get out of here.”

My friend Allison was talking about the city we both live in, Washington D.C., where she and her husband were typical black strivers trying to do right by the race. Couple of kids, a house, advanced degrees, professional careers. Model minorities.

Allison and her husband were thriving professionally but felt suffocated by the U.S. education system, backlash against the Obama election, guns at town hall meetings, the inexplicably enduring public presence of a failed Alaska governor, the dueling Beck and Sharpton rallies — the nastiness that settled over us like an angry, evil cloud.

So where to? Maybe they wanted to join the bourgie reverse migration down South? “Mozambique … ,” she said. “Maybe Venezuela. We haven’t decided yet.”

Huh? Crazy talk! But I couldn’t fault her for wanting to flee the country. My son, an athletic bookworm, was having a rough year when we heard an NPR report in the car about black boys failing in schools. There was a long, uncomfortable silence as I searched for but did not find the words to say, “But they don’t mean you!” without denying him pride in his racial identity…

FILED UNDER: The People, Children, Immigrants, Race and Class
January 21, 2011 | 12:46 PM | By

Dog Poo and Racial Epithets, Oh My.

DCentric

More pleasant than a broom, but that's just me

Well, THIS is an interesting feature on TBD– the “Neighbor Hall of Shame“. I’m extra interested in this story for a few reasons– I think D.C.’ers need to be more neighborly, it involves “shame” and it has to do with dog poo. As the proud caretaker of a poky little puppy, I deal with such foulness at least twice a day…but at least I dispose of it properly, unlike this Hill East resident:

Handley accuses a neighbor in the 1700 block of Massachusetts Ave. SE, directly across the rear alley from him, of regularly sweeping his dog’s feces out of his back yard and into the alley. “This is his standard practice and has been going on for years,” Handley says. “What he tends to do is sweep it out there, and then maybe later he’ll take a hose and flush it down the alley.” The situation gets even worse in the summer months, Handley says, when “you really smell it.”

It’s a mind-boggling neighborhood issue on number of levels. So many questions come to mind. Is it really more work to pick up the poop and dispose of it properly than it is to grab a broom and start sweeping? Does this guy use that broom inside his house?

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FILED UNDER: Around the City, Animals, Racial Divide
January 20, 2011 | 4:20 PM | By

The Privilege of Prioritizing Organic Food

Flickr: ehpien

Farmer's Market, Dupont Circle.

Writing about Walmart earlier today reminded me of something I’ve been meaning to discuss on DCentric; I had an eye-opening experience at the beginning of the year, and all I could think about was “Race and class! Race and class!”, as it was happening. Despite my ethnicity, I’m not a huge fan of yoga, but I heard from a trusted friend that a local yogi was known for holding a workshop that helped people go beyond making resolutions. The all-day event included stuff one does on a rectangular mat, nutrition advice, life coaching, art and a vegetarian brunch.

I went and I have to agree, it was restorative and inspiring, so much so that I didn’t even mind twisting my body like a pretzel while trying to remember to breathe. What stands out to me most, however, is the nutrition-focused portion of the programming. While I expected to hear about the virtues of organic produce and embracing healthier diets which had few or no animal products, I did not expect for race and class to collide during the Q + A period, which came right after a recitation of the “dirty dozen”, or the list of produce that is most affected by pesticides.

Since I keep mentioning race, I’ll disclose that I was impressed that a quarter of the attendees were women of color; basically, it was me holding it down for Asian-America plus five African-American women.

One of them raised her hand, tentatively.

“Thank you so much for this information,” she began. “It’s so worrisome…all these chemicals and pesticides in our food. I would like to be healthier by eating organically but…it’s so expensive. Do you have any advice for dealing with that?” She looked hopeful; her hand was poised over her notebook, pen aquiver, ready to jot down wise words which would not come.
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FILED UNDER: The People, Food, Privilege, Race and Class
January 20, 2011 | 1:16 PM | By

When Walmart Comes to D.C., it will be Healthier

Flickr: Shawn Campbell

Bell peppers, on sale at Walmart, which is committed to making fruits and vegetables more affordable.

Remember how Walmart is planning on opening several stores in the District? Well, due to the considerable influence of our First Lady, who has made nutrition a national priority, those stores will be stocking healthier versions of Walmart’s house-branded foods, as well as more fresh produce:

In interviews previewing the announcement, Wal-Mart and White House officials said the company was also pledging to press its major food suppliers, like Kraft, to follow its example. Wal-Mart does not disclose how much of its sales come from its house brand. But Kraft says about 16 percent of its global sales are through Wal-Mart.

In addition, Wal-Mart will work to eliminate any extra cost to customers for healthy foods made with whole grains, said Leslie Dach, Wal-Mart’s executive vice president for corporate affairs. By lowering prices on fresh fruits and vegetables, Wal-Mart says it will cut into its own profits but hopes to make up for it in sales volume. “This is not about asking the farmers to accept less for their crops,” he said.

I know many D.C. residents are less than thrilled about Walmart’s impending arrival, but increasing access to healthy, affordable foods is one way to look at the “bright side” of such a development.
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FILED UNDER: Around the City, Access, Food, Michelle, Walmart
January 20, 2011 | 10:59 AM | By

Being Neighborly in Glover Park

DCentric

Unshoveled sidewalk near Glover Park.

This is great to see; in Glover Park, neighbors are coming together to help elderly or physically incapacitated people clear snow and ice while reminding others of their obligation to clear the sidewalk for pedestrians:

The sense of urgency to organize and pursue this initiative came from two sources. A primary driver was listserv traffic describing properties whose sidewalks have persistent snow and ice long after precipitation ends. Another factor was the occasional senior citizen or physically limited person who approached GPCA for shoveling assistance.

With feedback from residents, the ANC developed a snow shoveling flyer. The flyer explains the obligation to shovel sidewalk. It also promotes the availability of volunteers help with those who are physically unable to shovel. Any resident can print the flyer and leave a copy at a property with untreated sidewalks.

At no point was there significant discussion about how to formally validate that someone needed assistance. Organizers generally assumed that someone who approached the neighborhood for assistance legitimately needed it.

I think this fosters a sense of community, something which is sorely lacking in many parts of this city. The fact that such cooperation among neighbors makes it easier and safer to walk around is nice, too.

FILED UNDER: Around the City, Access, Glover Park