DCentric

Good morning, DCentric readers! Happy Friday!

“They built barricades on U Street and placed riflemen atop the Howard Theatre.” “Washington’s riot was sparked by bogus rumors of a “Negro fiend” raping white women. A mob of unemployed whites, many of them veterans of World War I, gathered to seek revenge, rampaging through D.C. for two straight nights. After several African Americans had been lynched or severely beaten, the black residents of Shaw decided to make a stand. They built barricades on U Street and placed riflemen atop the Howard Theatre. White streetcar passengers were thrashed to bloody pulps, and white pedestrians were picked off by sniper fire.” (shaniohilton.wordpress.com)

Space for homeless tight, D.C. family shelter limits eligibility, puts some in hotels “Hoping to avoid last year’s disastrous overcrowding at the District’s shelter for homeless families, the city has made it harder to get into the shelter and has begun paying for hotel rooms for a small number of families. Families seeking shelter are being carefully screened, and only those found to have no alternative are eligible for one of the 145 units at the Southeast Washington shelter, said an official with the D.C. Department of Human Services…The practice of using hotels for emergency shelter for the homeless fell out of favor under Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D).” (The Washington Post)

Our formerly homeless friend Donna moves onward “After years of service, our relationship with Donna deepened when we became her Representative Payee. This means that Bread for the City became the recipient of her disability benefits; we paid her rent and bills; and we worked with her to manage a budget. Three years ago, with the help of a Bread for the City case manager, Donna moved into her own apartment for the first time in more than a decade. She’s been living there happily since, and recently got her own cat named Nina…We are proud to say that, as of the new year, Donna has “moved on” from our Rep Payee program.” (breadforthecity.blogspot.com)

Is Bryan Weaver D.C.’s Bill Clinton? “No, but at-large hopeful Weaver did just nab Minyon Moore, who used to be director of White House political affairs under President Clinton, to be his campaign chairwoman…”Weaver says Moore was a mentor to him when they both worked at the DNC in the 90s. He says she’s going to help with campaign strategy, particularly with his get-out-the-vote effort. LL’s no political strategist, but has been told more than once that in these low-turnout special elections, GOTV efforts are key.” (Washington City Paper)

3 teens, 2 men charged in slaying of D.C. resident Latisha Frazier “A District teenager orchestrated the slaying of Latisha M. Frazier by luring her to his apartment and ordering his friends to beat and choke the woman before trying to dismember her in the bathtub, according to charging documents filed Thursday in D.C. Superior Court…Documents filed Thursday by prosecutors gave new and horrifying details in the attack on Frazier, whose body has not been found…According to the documents, Sweet told detectives that he suspected Frazier, 19, of stealing $200 from him.” (The Washington Post)

How Chicago’s using the web to reunite 519 Snowpocalypse-stuck cars with their owners “Unlike New York City, which became infamous for destroying its own vehicles during its blizzard, city officials set up this website to let owners know where they could find their towed cars and trucks. The city will even provide enough free fuel to get off the lot if the vehicles ran low while trapped. While the passengers stranded on a Chicago bus for nine hours Tuesday night didn’t enjoy the experience, no one was hurt or injured in the shutdown. Chicago isn’t a place that tolerates civic helplessness in the face of a little snow, something other cities might take notes on.” [Ed. note: Ahem, D.C.] (Jalopnik)