Around the City

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

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November 15, 2010 | 6:29 PM | By

Sadly, Giant Food isn’t feeling very charitable, this year.

turtlemom4bacon

The well-known red kettle.

This is unfortunate; ever since I was a little girl, I have associated red kettles and ringing bells with the holiday season. I won’t be hearing or seeing such things at my local Giant:

Ken Forsythe, spokesman for the Salvation Army National Capital Area Command, says that Giant Food of Maryland has reduced the number of hours and days that the group’s bell ringers will be able to be in front of the grocery stores.

The reduction of hours could have a huge impact on the Salvation Army’s ability to raise money, according to Forsythe.

“The Salvation Army has been partners with Giant Food stores for probably several decades or better,” says Forsythe.

He says that an estimated 45 percent of the funds raised during last year’s Red Kettle Drive came from bell ringers in front of Giant stores. [WTOP]

The Salvation Army will only be allowed to collect funds for one week in November and another in December. A spokesperson for Giant said something perfunctory about serving customers and being committed to the community. Apparently, the red kettles “hinder” the shopping experience. That’s a confusing reason to stop a decades-old tradition, though. If Giant were truly interested in the “experience” their stores provide, they’d focus on customer service, cleaner stores and courteous employees…but getting rid of a red kettle is probably easier and faster.

FILED UNDER: Around the City, Non-profits
November 15, 2010 | 4:45 PM | By

Relegating Buses to Second-Class Status

iwantamonkey

WMATA Bus Stop in Hyattsville, MD

Here’s a great post about how much the location of a bus stop matters. Poorly-located or -designed stops discourage riders from using the bus, unless they absolutely have to. Additionally, the fact that some malls don’t want bus stops on their property reinforces the “second-class” perception of that mode of tranpsort:

The result is to create additional burdens on those using the bus for shopping, requiring them to haul or push their purchases a significant distance to the bus stop, a process that would be particularly unpleasant in rain or snow (or, here in Vegas, when it’s 117 degrees), or for those with mobility issues.

When mass transit stops are systematically located in inconvenient or isolated areas, it disadvantages those who are dependent on public transportation and discourages others from choosing to ride rather than driving their own car, and reinforces a common perception of the bus, in particular, as an inferior form of transportation…

FILED UNDER: Public Transportation, Access, Race and Class, WMATA
November 12, 2010 | 5:42 PM | By

“Be on the lookout”, on Metro

marrngtn (Manuel)

So, last week Metro Transit Police heard from a Metro-rider that two men were engaged in shady behavior at L’Enfant Plaza and on the Orange Line (via WTOP):

The rider told Metro he saw two men acting suspiciously and videotaping platforms, trains and riders.

“The men, according to the citizen report, were trying to be inconspicuous, holding the cameras at their sides,” Metro spokesman Steven Taubenkibel says.

The rider was able to photograph the men who were videotaping and sent the photo to Metro Transit Police.

Metro Transit Police issued an internal memo to officers telling them to “be on the lookout for” the men, a standard tactic used by police departments to share information with their officers.

However, that internal memo was leaked. Metro says the memo was meant for an internal audience only and was not intended to be a public notice.

Some photographers are alarmed at how this memo could be misinterpreted, and as a brown female who always has her camera with her (it’s part of my job!), I understand why. At the same time, I worry about how vulnerable Metro is to a terrorist attack. How vigilant is too vigilant? And how much liberty should we lose to be safe?

FILED UNDER: Public Transportation, Metro, WMATA
November 11, 2010 | 6:35 PM | By

The “D” in D.C. isn’t for “Dangerous”

DCist looked at a map from The District of Columbia Crime Policy Institute and learned some interesting information (I sure didn’t know what a “Census block” was, before their post):

But there are also some surprising spots where high amounts of crime are reported, like a blip on upper Connecticut Avenue in Chevy Chase.

The figures represent reported Part I crimes (homicide, sexual assault, aggravated assault, robbery, burglary, larceny, motor vehicle theft, and theft from a motor vehicle) and map by Census blocks, not typical city blocks. A Census block is the smallest unit measured by the U.S. Census Bureau — and occasionally they can be rather large, which helps explains why certain areas, like the larger blocks around American University and some of the blocks in the Seventh Police District, are designated as high-crime areas. DCPI researchers also confirmed with us that the presence of college campuses also plays a role in the designation of high-crime areas, like ones located around Georgetown University.

Sometimes, these reports about crime in the city leave me feeling paranoid and worried, but DCist helpfully notes that a majority of all census blocks have experienced only a few crimes per year (and almost a quarter had NO crime in the last ten years!).

FILED UNDER: Around the City, Crime
November 10, 2010 | 9:22 PM | By

Suddenly, an IHOP.

On my way home from WAMU, I passed the new, soon-to-be-open IHOP in Columbia Heights. Much to my surprise, it was brightly lit, filled with tables and it looked as if they were training employees, inside. It was shocking to see new furniture and activity where there had previously just been dust, but then I remembered that they hope to start serving diners, this month. Finally, a late-night dining option in Columbia Heights. Some of my neighbors are vocal about their fears; they worry that IHOP will attract drunks, rowdy teenagers, gang members (?) and the like. I’ll wait until it’s actually functioning to worry about any of that. I’m a pragmatist (who loves pancakes).

FILED UNDER: Around the City, Columbia Heights, Food
November 10, 2010 | 8:14 AM | By

Tasty Morning Bytes – Taxi Medallions, Tyler Perry and the Twinkie Diet

Good morning, DCentric readers! Ready for some links?

DC Cabbies Don’t Like Competition “Basically if you think it’s too easy and convenient to hail a cab in Washington, you’ll love an artificial regulatory restriction on the supply of taxis. In particular, if you think the city’s peripheral neighborhoods are too well-served by cab drivers and that we need to shift to a dynamic where you can only hail a cab in the downtown core, you’ll love this plan…If Gray is smart, he’ll recognize that this is change we don’t need. But I worry that Gray will think the lesson of his victory is that city government should always bow to interest-group pressure.” (Matthew Yglesias)

After Perry’s ‘Colored Girls,’ there’s plenty of bashing to go around “Jeepers creepers. For decades, Hollywood has been waving the same dirty drawers in the black man’s face, one black-man-bashing movie after another – including last year’s “Precious” and now Perry’s “For Colored Girls.” So where is the movie “For White Girls,” bashing white men? Stories of white men kidnapping and abusing white girls are in the news. And maybe the Lifetime channel will make one of them into a TV crime drama. But be assured that if it does, the show will feature more than enough good white men to make that one evildoer come off as an aberration.” (The Washington Post)

Encourage better conditions for restaurant workers in D.C. As restaurant goers, there are a couple simple things we can do to help support restaurant workers. First, leave your tip in cash. Since credit card tips must be processed, it can take longer for waiters to actually receive their wages, while some never receive their credit card tips at all. Restaurant employees and advocates are working to change tip processing, but for the time being the best way to ensure that your tips reach workers is to leave cash. (Greater Greater Washington)

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FILED UNDER: Around the City, Roundups
November 9, 2010 | 9:35 PM | By

Not his blood.

thisisbossi

Memorial for Mohammed, outside DC9

This seems significant, since that photograph of blood on white crosswalk paint is what I think about, as soon as someone mentions “DC9″:

Images published on TBD.com and on the Washington Post’s website that purported to show a bloody crosswalk in the vicinity of the DC9 nightclub do not depict the blood of Ali Ahmed Mohammed, according to authorities with knowledge of the case.

The photographs first surfaced on Oct. 15, when reporters descended on the scene near 9th and U streets NW. Mohammed died early that morning following an altercation with five men who worked at the bar. The men were accused of chasing, tackling and beating Mohammed after he allegedly threw one or two bricks through the front window of the bar. Charges of aggravated assault in the case have since been dropped, though the investigation is ongoing, and charges could be re-filed at a later date.

The incident…took place on a sidewalk on 9th Street NW, north of U Street, while the images depict a bloody crosswalk on the south side of U Street, authorities say. In other words, the bloody scene was not the same location where Mohammed was allegedly tackled and restrained by the DC9 employees. [TBD]

FILED UNDER: Around the City, Crime, DC9
November 9, 2010 | 5:06 PM | By

Now Reading About: Dr. Sabiyah Prince of AU

One of you kindly sent me a link to “Behind The Research”, a series from The Atlanta Post that “explores the dynamic work of African-American professors around the country”. The first profile for Behind The Research is of Dr. Sabiyah Prince; coincidentally, she’s part of the Anthropology department here at American University. I thought her name sounded familiar and then I realized that she had been on my favorite NPR program ever, Morning Edition, to discuss the Real Housewives of D.C. with Neda Ulaby, back in August.

Back to The Atlanta Post. Reading this piece made me want to talk to Dr. Prince, myself:

What are you working on now?

I’ve done research over the last five years and right now I’m writing for my book which is about how Washington DC is changing demographically and how African-Americans are affected by the changes, how they are interpreting the changes and how they are responding to the changes. The African-American population in DC has been gradually decreasing since the 1970s.

What an amazing potential resource for DCentric (seriously, thank you to NG for this link).

More:

How do you integrate your personal insight into your research?

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FILED UNDER: The People, American University, Gentrification, Race and Class
November 9, 2010 | 2:11 PM | By

It’s easy to be a critic, when English is your first language.

Santa Fe Nachos, Dos Coyotes, Davis, California

One of the things I miss most about Northern California is the Southwestern restaurant, Dos Coyotes. Please note: I did not say “Mexican” food. I fully admit I want some sort of “inauthentic” dish which contains spicy salsa, black beans and an obscene amount of cheese. That’s a pretty basic want, but it’s difficult to fulfill here in D.C. When I worked near K Street, I’d go to Pedro and Vinnie’s burrito cart and 80% of the time, I’d be satisfied; unfortunately, it’s not open for dinner or on the weekends. So I often end up at…Chipotle. I know. It’s not real, ethnic food. I know.

But it’s spicy and across from my house, so I go. When I do, the staff switches to Spanish while asking for my order. Years ago, I was fluent in it, so my accent is decent and I can bust out these impressive sentences every so often…but I’m much more likely to be left staring at the ceiling, agonizing over a verb I can’t remember. The 14th Street crew doesn’t mind this, in fact they exhort me to keep practicing. I do, because it’s kind of them to help me, but also because it is a potent reminder of how privileged I am.

I speak English.

It’s not my first language, but I speak it as if it were and I don’t take that for granted. When some dolt on the street compliments me by telling me something like, “You’re Indian? You speak good English for an immigrant!”,  I smile a wan smile and reply that I was born to immigrant parents in California, where English is often spoken.
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FILED UNDER: Around the City, The People, Food, Immigrants, Little Ethiopia, Race and Class, Race and Ethnicity, Shaw
November 9, 2010 | 10:57 AM | By

Metro’s “Grab-bag of Good Ideas”

laffy4k

Metro Center

After the escalators at L’Enfant Plaza malfunctioned ten days ago, injuring several people, I worried about how safe they were. The Greater Greater Washington blog has obtained a copy of the report that WMATA commissioned on elevator and escalator maintenance. Their verdict? It’s not good:

Quite simply, the escalator report is not well done. It doesn’t specify the specific goal of the audit, and ends up being a grab-bag of several findings, many positive and many negative…If the brake issues were a real concern to the consultant, the report certainly doesn’t reflect that. They are buried between recommendations for better housekeeping and for better training in the Maintenance Management System.

This gets to the heart of the real problems facing Metro. As we have repeated on several occasions, Metro’s fundamental flaw in both maintenance and safety is its inability to proactively prioritize action items based on how much an issue contributes to downtime or risk of injury.

Instead, Metro creates grab-bags of good ideas, pursues them in no particular order, and then when a major incident occurs reactively spends mountains of money addressing the immediate causes of that incident. Metro is doing the same here, by now testing the brakes on every escalator in the system.

Not everyone can afford to keep a car or live somewhere where they can walk to everything they need; people depend on Metro. It’s disheartening that WMATA is unable to prioritize access to safe transportation over housekeeping. I love a clean station, too. But when I spent the better part of a year with my mobility impaired, limping in a brace, a sparkly floor meant nothing to me if I had to pass a broken elevator and then stumble down a broken escalator to enjoy it.

FILED UNDER: Public Transportation, Access, Metro, WMATA