May 10, 2011 | 9:00 AM | By

Tasty Morning Bytes – Waitress Threatened Haynesworth, Muslim Americans and Black Civil War Re-Enactors

Good morning, DCentric readers! Here, enjoy some links:

How to Go Green? Look to D.C.’s Ledroit Park “Located a little over a mile north of downtown D.C. and bordering Howard University, LeDroit Park was once a planned, architecturally unified, and carefully landscaped suburb carved out of rural land. Founded in the second half of the nineteenth century, it has been home to a number of prominent African Americans, including such luminaries as Ralph Bunche (United Nations leader), Edward Brooke (U.S. Senator, Massachusetts), Mary Church Terrell (a co-founder of the NAACP), and Walter Washington (D.C.’s first mayor). The neighborhood features several prominent murals and an African-American Heritage Trail.” (The Atlantic)

D.C. schools plans to cut 660 jobs “D.C. school officials told 660 teachers and school staffers that their jobs have been scrapped for the upcoming school year, blaming fluctuations in enrollment and school finances. “Given reductions in many local school budgets for 2011-12, approximately 660 employees across the school system received excess notices this week, effective at the end of the school year,” said Fred Lewis, a spokesman for Acting Chancellor Kaya Henderson.” (Washington Examiner )

Haynesworth manager said waitress threatened player over size of tip “In the court filing, prosecutors said they had interviewed “numerous” witnesses present during the alleged incident — including some identified by Haynesworth’s defense team — and none mentioned a verbal altercation. Prosecutors also reminded Bolden of Haynesworth’s sworn statement to investigators, in which he said that other than ordering food, “I did not talk to the waitress.” Haynesworth also allegedly told investigators the waitress was upset with him because he rejected her advances.” (The Washington Post)

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May 9, 2011 | 4:16 PM | By

How To Encourage Biking East Of The River: First, Don’t Tell Everyone

Courtesy of Eric Gilliland/Capital Bikeshare

Students listen to WABA instructor Sarah Miller explain how to check a bike before going for a ride.

About 10 people mounted pedal-less bikes and coasted downhill in front of the Anacostia Library on Saturday.

Once they had their balance, they earned one pedal. Then, two. Within an hour, almost all were riding bikes, thanks to two Washington Area Bicyclist Association instructors.

Some of the students in WABA’s adult riding class, like 59-year-old Mary Buckley, hadn’t been on a bike since childhood. Others, like 32-year-old LaStar Matthew, had never learned how to ride a bike in the first place.

Over the past three weeks, WABA has offered free classes instructing adults on how to ride bikes and how to ride them confidently in the city. But usually whenever the organization advertises such classes, which are enormously popular, “our core contingency follows us,” WABA executive director Shane Farthing said. People from Northwest D.C., or even Maryland and Virginia, fill up the classes rather than the Ward 7 and 8 residents the classes are intended to serve.

So this time around, WABA limited its advertising to posting fliers and other materials around the neighborhoods where the classes were to be held. And it worked: although the turnout was comparatively low, as expected by WABA, the participants were mostly from the neighborhoods. The last class had the highest turnout. Matthew saw a flier posted at her bus stop. Others found out at the library or via word-of-mouth.

The outreach is part of Farthing’s goal for the year. He wants to push bike advocacy in Wards 7 and 8, and WABA is doing it through grassroots methods such as these classes, setting up mobile bike shops and sending bike “ambassadors” to ride daily East of the River and encourage cyclists living in the neighborhoods.

“Especially where economic conditions are a little tougher, I think having a bike is a way to remove that expense of a car” or remove the uncertainty of depending on public transportation, Farthing said. “[Biking] is such a solution to all of the problems there, but until you have enough folks riding, you don’t have enough of a demand to get the facilities to make it safe.”

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FILED UNDER: Around the City, Captial Bikeshare, East of the River, WABA
May 9, 2011 | 12:11 PM | By

Combating Anti-Muslim Stereotypes Through Art

Last week, co-blogger Anna John reported on how D.C.’s South Asian Muslims reacted to the death of Osama bin Laden. Afshan Khoja, a Muslim of Pakistani descent, told John:

“When I heard the chants of ‘U-S-A, U-S-A,’ I felt fear. I don’t understand why, but I wanted to lock my doors. This morning I heard about vandalism and graffiti at a mosque. Between yesterday and today, three people have already asked me why the Pakistani government didn’t know that Osama was in Pakistan for years – I don’t know!

“The fact is, regardless of this news, none of that has stopped. This may be a significant blow to a terrorist network, but for a Pakistani Muslim living in the U.S., I’m not sure if it changes anything.”

Crescent Moon Nights

A group of young Muslims in D.C., aware of the negative stereotypes against them, started a monthly open mic five years ago in an effort to build bridges across cultural and religious divides. WAMU’s Matt Laslo reports that Crescent Moon Nights is still going strong. Co-coordinator Tahir Amin Kayum tells Laslo:

“Pretty much it is different people of all backgrounds, cultures and nationalities, for them to come, express and share on the open mic,” says Kayum. “So we have featured artists for the evening, and we have various artists just come up, poets, singers, rappers, whatever, just coming up to share from different backgrounds.”

FILED UNDER: Culture, Delightful City, The People, Crescent Moon Nights, Islam
May 9, 2011 | 8:49 AM | By

Tasty Morning Bytes – Tax Migration Myths, College Access Success and a Bike Trail Attack

Good morning, DCentric readers! Start off your work week with some zesty links:

Fact: Income Tax Migration is a Myth "The Mayor’s income tax proposal has been met with resistance from some Councilmembers, who fear the flight of higher-income residents. The researchers quoted by NPR find that this concern is not backed by real-life experience: “[T]axes [have] essentially no impact on causing people to leave a state,” according to Jeff Thompson of the Political Economy Research Institute at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. This is because high-income residents, like all residents, have ties to their communities — jobs, family and friends, investments — that are unlikely to be shaken by a modest change in taxes." (dcfpi.org)

A college connection for D.C. students "The D.C. College Access Program,which sponsors a citywide network of advisers who help students with college admissions and financial aid, is a rare example of sustained success in the perennially troubled city school system…Program officials say their work in the past decade has contributed to a doubling of the college attendance rate for the city’s public schools, to 61 percent of high school graduates. That is near the national average of 69 percent. The estimated share of those students who finish college within five years has climbed from 15 to 40 percent." (The Washington Post)

Albert Haynesworth Is Just Not That Into You "Yes, we're sure the waitress wanted the biggest bust of the NFL in the last two years…The same NFL player who tried to stomp on Dallas Cowboy Andre Gurode's head (without the helmet) when playing for the Tenessee Titans in 2006 is so desirable. The same man charged with road rage in February and has Redskins fans publicly demanding that he be traded for his poor performance, matched only by his poor attitude, is a catch. Not to worry, Haynesworth; black women are not losing sleep over you." (The Root)

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May 6, 2011 | 2:16 PM | By

Aldi Won’t Accept Government Subsidy Payments

Johannes Eisele/Getty

Aldi has plans to open a store in Northeast D.C., but customers won’t be able to use federal Women Infants, and Children program subsidies to purchase groceries there. The Gazette reports that Aldi doesn’t accept WIC payments because the store sells Aldi brands only:

A spokeswoman for the ALDI grocery chain said federal government guidelines governing the Women Infants and Children program precludes them from taking payments from customers enrolled in the program because the guidelines require that those customers buy only certain national brands of food. The chain offers its own brands of food, the spokeswoman said.

… ALDI will be unable to offer WIC because of its reliance on its own brands, a spokeswoman for ALDI Inc. said.

“We have explored ways for the WIC program to work within our operational structure,” spokeswoman Julie Ketay wrote in an e-mailed statement. “However, since the majority of our grocery products are under our own ALDI select brands and are not national brands, unfortunately, we simply don’t qualify within the program’s current guidelines.”

WIC is meant support low-income women, children and infants, and part of the program includes food subsidies. Aldi is known for selling low-cost items, something the German-based grocer is able to pull off in large-part because it only sells Aldi brands. Its reputation as a cheap grocery store has led to some debate over the type of clientele that would be attracted to the D.C. store, which is being built in a gentrifying area. But those using WIC subsidies may find themselves patronizing the nearby Safeway instead.

FILED UNDER: Around the City, Aldi, Supermarkets
May 6, 2011 | 1:06 PM | By

Fired Chipotle Worker Miguel Bravo Speaks

Yesterday, I covered a local protest against Chipotle. Approximately 40 people marched down Irving Street NW to the fast food chain’s Columbia Heights location on 14th Street. Miguel Bravo, one of the fired workers, addressed the crowd. Check back for comment from City Council members and Chipotle’s Communications Director, Chris Arnold.

FILED UNDER: Around the City, Columbia Heights, Immigrants, Politics, Protests
May 5, 2011 | 5:49 PM | By

Fired Workers March on Columbia Heights Chipotle

Flickr: Mr. T in DC

Heading to Columbia Heights to see the the latest protest against the firing of Chipotle workers.

A coalition of leaders, activists, religious organizations and community groups in the Washington D.C. area will soon descend on Chipotle’s doorstep…They intend to gather at 5 pm at The Sacred Heart Church in Columbia Heights, at which point those in attendance will march to the store in a powerful expression of protest against the disgraceful actions of Chipotle Mexican Grill.

According to the change.org article “On May 5th, (Cinco de Mayo, no less) fired workers will team up with everyday citizens to restore the inherent dignity and worth of all individuals in our communities”. Cinco de Mayo commemorates the Mexican army’s unlikely victory over the French at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862.

This will be the second protest for the workers at the Columbia Heights Chipotle who were allegedly fired over documentation issues.

According to DCist.com, the workers said the firings occurred during a 30-minute break and when they came back from the meeting their replacements were already wrapping burritos. New allegations by the former employees say Chipotle hasn’t compensated them for back wages and won’t meet with City Council Members Jim Graham and Michael A. Brown, who marched for the workers in the first protest.

Check back tomorrow for an update.

FILED UNDER: Around the City, City Council, Columbia Heights, Food, Immigrants
May 5, 2011 | 3:56 PM | By

Geronimo’s Great-Grandson On Bin Laden Code Name

F. A. Rinehart/Getty Images

Chief Geronimo of the Apache tribe of Native Americans photographed in captivity in 1898.

Geronimo’s great-grandson slammed the U.S. government Thursday for giving Osama bin Laden “Geronimo” as a code name.

Harlyn Geronimo submitted testimony to the Senate Commission on Indian Affairs for its hearing today on racist stereotypes of Native Americans. In his statement, he demanded that President Barack Obama or Defense Secretary Robert Gates give:

a full explanation of how this disgraceful use of my great grandfather’s name occurred, a full apology for the grievous insult after all that Native Americans have suffered and the (removing) from all the records of the U.S. government this use of the name Geronimo. Leaving only for history the fact this insult to Native Americans occurred in all its pity.

As we pointed out yesterday, some Native Americans feel particularly insulted by this code name given that indigenous Americans serve in the military at disproportionately high rates. Harlyn Geronimo is himself a veteran, having been a soldier in the Vietnam War. What’s more, so is his father, who Harlyn says served during World War II and was on Omaha Beach during D-Day.

See more of Haryln’s testimony below:

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FILED UNDER: History, Geronimo, Harlyn Geronimo, Military, Osama bin Laden
May 5, 2011 | 1:41 PM | By

In Photos: Mount Pleasant 20 Years After the Riots

The Mount Pleasant riots began on May 5, 1991 after a police officer shot a Salvadoran immigrant. Last week’s Metro Connection took a look at what happened during those two tumultuous days, and today’s Kojo Nnamdi show featured a discussion around the legacy of the riots for D.C.’s Latino community.

The riots, which also spilled over into Columbia Heights, left a lasting mark a neighborhood that has changed dramatically in the past 20 years. We take a look at Mount Pleasant today:

FILED UNDER: Around the City, History, Kojo, Metro Connection, Mount Pleasant riots
May 5, 2011 | 11:09 AM | By

Go-Go In D.C.’s Neighborhoods: Soon To Be a Thing of the Past?

Flickr: Steven Snodgrass

D.C. street musicians play go-go, but full-fledged city shows are becoming more and more scarce.

This post comes to us courtesy of Anne Hoffman, an intern producer for the Kojo Nnamdi Show. Nnamdi will discuss the past, present and future of go-go at 1 p.m., Thursday.

“If go-go stopped, I don’t even know,” says musician Sweet Cherie, “it would be like Armageddon or something.” But go-go, for some the heartbeat of Washington D.C., the city’s answer to a regional sound, is losing territory. For many years now, go-go venues have been shut down inside D.C. due to club violence and liability issues, pushing the music further out into the Maryland suburbs like Prince George’s  and Charles counties. Meanwhile punk rock, another D.C. musical mainstay, is not experiencing the same bad luck.

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FILED UNDER: Delightful City, The People, Go-go, Kojo Nnamdi Show