September 14, 2011 | 4:24 PM | By

Can a Bridge Fix D.C.’s Unemployment Divide?

DDOT / Flickr

The current 11th Street Bridge will be replaced with three spans.

The divide between communities east and west of the Anacostia River is as tangible as the river itself. So can the way to bridge that divide be as tangible as, well, a bridge?

Enter the 11th Street Bridge Project, a massive $300 million reconstruction effort that will provide a faster connection between Ward 8, where unemployment rates have reached nearly Depression-era levels, and portions of the city with lots of jobs.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood praised the project, saying it’s an example of how public construction puts Americans to work. (So far, 380 have been employed through the project.) Mayor Vincent Gray said the bridge will help chip away at the city’s high unemployment. The bridge jobs themselves aren’t all going to Ward 8 residents, an issue that’s sparked protests, much like ones at St. Elizabeth’s, another Ward 8 redevelopment project. But even if redevelopment construction jobs go to people in affected neighborhoods, they aren’t a permanent solution to high unemployment.

One way to address high and uneven unemployment is improving transit options. As it stands now, getting across the Anacostia River to where most of the city’s jobs are located can be a long or costly undertaking, and there are some fixes in the works. DC Circulator, a cheap and quick way to get around, will start running buses across the Anacostia in October. Bike advocates are encouraging residents to explore cycling as a low-cost and more reliable way to commute. And despite past low usage, Capital Bikeshare has installed more stations in Wards 7 and 8 to improve access. And then there’s the 11th Street Bridge.

But a bridge alone won’t be enough to cross D.C.’s unemployment divide. Experts say better job training programs and education are also needed. It’s just that improving those things is more complicated and time consuming than building a bridge.

FILED UNDER: Public Transportation, Redevelopment, Unemployment
September 14, 2011 | 3:56 PM | By

“Metro to introduce new Metrobus Route 74 connecting Southwest Washington with Downtown”

How nice, to have more options for getting around the city!


Operating seven days a week, the new Metrobus Route 74 will connect residents in Southwest Washington—including residential areas south of M Street SW—to Waterfront entertainment and shopping, and major attractions and destinations such as the National Mall, Smithsonian Museums, the United States Navy Memorial, Verizon Center and Gallery Place-Chinatown and the Washington Convention Center.

— www.wmata.com

September 14, 2011 | 11:30 AM | By

“Census: D.C. Has Third-Highest Poverty Rate”

The District’s poverty rate is bleak, ranking well above the national average. But there is some good news: the percentage of D.C. residents without health insurance is lower than the rate for nearby states and for the nation as a whole.


According to the report, the poverty rate in the country rose to 15.1 percent. That’s 46 million people in the U.S. living at or below the poverty line. It’s also the largest total number since the bureau started tracking poverty in 1959.

Even worse, the poverty rate in D.C. ranks third in the nation at 19.9 percent, behind only Mississippi and Louisiana.

— wamu.org

September 14, 2011 | 10:56 AM | By

Brightwood Beats Back Walmart

Flickr: Racineur

According to Lydia DePillis at the Washington City Paper, preservationists who wish to stop Walmart from coming to their neighborhood are now trying to throw history in the retailer’s path:

In a classic last-ditch anti-development tactic, the “Brightwood Neighborhood Preservation Association,” headed by Ward 4 Thrives member Verna Collins, has submitted a landmark application for the Car Barn that now sits on the site of the Walmart planned for upper Georgia Avenue.

One of the comments under DePillis’ piece included concerns about gentrification, displacement and the digital divide:

It’s a brilliant move, really. These people are already doing everything they can to price the long-time residents out of the real estate market. So now they’ve banded together to prevent them from having access to cheaply-priced products. In the final stroke of genius, they’re using the digital divide to take advantage of the older, original folks in the neighborhood who probably don’t even realize this fight is happening.

FILED UNDER: Around the City, Brightwood, Digital Divide, Gentrification, Walmart
September 14, 2011 | 7:28 AM | By

Tasty Morning Bytes – Attacking Obesity, Transgender Hate Crime Sentencing and Georgetown Wins Rankings Race

Good morning, DCentric readers! And now for some links:

Attacking the Obesity Epidemic by First Figuring Out Its Cause “I passed five fast-food and family restaurants in one long block, including one that advertised a ‘Texas-size breakfast’ of three scrambled eggs, two fried potato cakes, a buttered croissant and a choice of three sausage links, three ounces of ham or four strips of bacon — enough to produce a Texas-size heart attack, and for $1.99. Americans are not known for resisting such temptations, especially if money is tight.” (The New York Times)

Unemployment Math – Ta-Nehisi Coates “The black population in DC covers a huge swath of economic life, from the 25% unemployed in almost entirely black Ward 8 to the President sitting in the oval office. The demographic profile of the white population, on the other hand, is much more skewed, and reflects–as you said–the substantial educational, social, and other differences between the median white person in DC and the median white person elsewhere.” (The Atlantic)

Sentencing in McDonalds Transgender Beating “Teonna Brown pleaded guilty last month to first-degree assault and a hate crime. Prosecutors have said they plan to ask for a prison term of five years at her sentencing Tuesday. The beating at the McDonald’s in Rosedale in April attracted national attention after a video of it was posted online.
people.” (NBC Washington)

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September 13, 2011 | 2:15 PM | By

How to Get Money For Your H Street NE Business

Elahe Izadi / DCentric

Many bars and restaurants have opened up along H Street NE in the past few years, but few retail options remain.

D.C. has just unveiled the application for a grant program that gives money to new or existing retail businesses along the H Street NE corridor. There’s about $1.25 million available for the program, and the first wave of applications is due by Oct. 26.

As we’ve noted before, the program is intended to boost retail along the commercial strip, which has seen a wave of gentrification. Many new bars and restaurants have opened up shop while daytime foot traffic has been minimal.

Longtime businesses can apply to the grant, as long as the money isn’t for liquor stores, barbershops, hair salons, phone stores, bars or restaurants. Eligible businesses include stores selling home furnishings, clothes, groceries, books, art or “general merchandise goods,” with special consideration to those with “innovative retail elements.” There are other stipulations in the application, which can be seen below:

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FILED UNDER: Around the City, Gentrification, H Street NE, Small Business
September 13, 2011 | 1:22 PM | By

Five Facts About Race, Poverty and Health Insurance

Adam Bartlett / Flickr

Poverty rates have reached their highest levels since 1993, with 1 in 6 Americans living in poverty in 2010, according to new census data released today. But not all groups have been affected equally.

Here’s what we’ve gleaned from the latest U.S. Census Bureau data dump, which includes information on the racial groups most likely to live in poverty, be without insurance or see drops in household income:

Who had the lowest poverty rate? Whites.

White people had the lowest poverty rate in 2010, at 9.9 percent. The percentage of whites living in poverty didn’t change much between 2009 and 2010, but household income did drop slightly.

Which group is hit hardest by poverty? African Americans.

We know the black middle class was particularly hit hard by the recession, but it’s not just the middle class that’s feeling disproportionate effects. More than a quarter of African Americans live in poverty, and the rate is rising faster than that of any other group.

Which group saw the biggest increase in the uninsured? Asians.

The percentage of Asians without health insurance increased to 18.1 percent, while it remained relatively stable for whites, blacks and Hispanics. However, Hispanics are still the most likely to be without insurance; nearly 1 in 3 don’t have coverage.

Are naturalized citizens less likely to live in poverty? Yes.

The poverty rate for immigrants who have become U.S. citizens is 11.3 percent. But that rate is more than double for the foreign-born who haven’t become citizens.

Who has the largest household income? Asians.

Households headed by an Asian had the largest median income in 2010, at $64,308, which is more than double the amount for African Americans. The median household income for whites was $54,620 in 2010. Measuring median income gives a more accurate picture of the state of a particular community because it controls for the very poor and the very rich — so people like Oprah and Bill Gates can’t skew the picture.

 

FILED UNDER: The People, Black Middle Class, Census, Health Insurance, Poverty
September 13, 2011 | 12:36 PM | By

“Diversity: It’s Not Just for Dinner Anymore”

But food-based diversity is pretty cheap. Getting advice on picking out fresh fish or which spice will complete a meal, while useful, isn’t quite the same as diversity in the classroom or an office. It’s all well and good to celebrate the diversity of the region and the city—and food is a huge part of the reason—but real diversity, where people develop empathy for those who are “different,” is still pretty hard to come by.

— www.washingtoncitypaper.com

September 13, 2011 | 7:25 AM | By

Tasty Morning Bytes – A Raise for Metro, the Problem with Soul Food and Perverting Black History

Good morning, DCentric readers! Ready for some links?

Metro workers to receive 3 percent raise this week "Wednesday will be a special payday for thousands of Metro workers. Most of the transit agency's employees will be seeing a 3 percent boost in their paychecks as the first step in the resolution to an epic wage fight with the transit agency. Then next month, they will get even bigger checks as they are slated to receive lump sum payments for retroactive raises from the past two years." (Washington Examiner )

Go easy on the soul food "Soul food is a romantic part of black life that should be revered and remembered. It’s a treasured heritage that can be traced back through the heyday of the Black Belt to the Great Migration to our time of bondage. But for too long, that heritage has been a crutch, an excuse to deny we are suffering an obesity crisis. It’s not our fault we are overweight, we say. It’s the food we grew up with. It’s 'cultural.' Good eatin’ is good livin’. Livin’ good, but not for long." (suntimes.com)

How Personhood Mississippi Perverts Black History to Fight Abortion "Personhood Mississippi is using the infamous Dred Scott decision of 1857 to convince Mississippi voters to outlaw abortion in the state via a November 9th ballot initiative called Amendment 26. As we all (hopefully) know, Dred Scott was an enslaved African-American who sued his so-called master for his freedom. The case went all the way to the Supreme Court, which ruled that Scott and every other black person in this country had no right to sue in federal court because his blackness made him a non-citizen." (colorlines.com)

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September 12, 2011 | 3:04 PM | By

Jobs Bill and D.C: How Locals Could Benefit from Obama’s Plan

Bill Pugliano / Getty Images

President Barack Obama in Detroit over Labor Day delivered a speech about creating jobs. He unveiled his jobs plan three days later.

While President Barack Obama is busy selling his jobs bill, D.C. could certainly use some help. The District faces an unemployment rate higher than the national average, and it’s at Depression era levels in the predominately poor and black wards of the city.

Here’s what may be in store for D.C., according to the White House, which has released state-specific provisions of the $447 billion bill:

  • Extending unemployment insurance for 5,500 District residents.
  • The establishment of the Pathways to Work fund to train and place low-income residents. It could benefit up to 400 adults and 1,400 youth in D.C.
  • Retaining or hiring 500 teachers and first responders using $45.1 million.
  • A possible $20 million to rehabilitate foreclosed and vacant District homes (which are concentrated in Wards 5, 7 and 8).

All of this is in addition to plans to cut business payroll taxes, intended to encourage hiring, and the infusion of $387 million to fund D.C. transit projects.

But before you get too worked up, keep in mind that the bill as it stands might not get passed. The White House wants the entire bill to get congressional approval, while Republican leaders have signaled they would support parts of the plan.

FILED UNDER: Around the City, Education, Government, Public Transportation, Obama Jobs Bill, Unemployment