Readers will want to check out the latest
Old Town Crier article by local historian and civic leader Sarah Becker. It's about the upcoming decennial Census: what the numbers really say about our neighborhood and the curious persistence of Jim Crow in the 21 century.
30 comments:
An extremely interesting article.
The City's past outright segregation of public housing is abhorrent. The City Council's perpetuation of that policy (on a de facto basis now rather than a de jure basis), however, is truly shameful. The decision to approve Bland unanimously was a disgrace and each and every council member should be ashamed of their cowardice. I can only hope that they'll do the right thing and sell Adkins and the other public housing projects in PG outright, rather than continue to segregate African Americans in substandard housing and schools.
And lest they fall back on the tired excuse that ARHA made the decision, not them, we all know that's not true. Can anyone say Resolution 830? Can anyone say bridge loan? Can anyone say reappoint Miller unanimously?
Thought so. City Council, the public housing crisis is YOUR responsibility.
Great article.
But saying that "the total number of public housing units is protected by law" does not make it so.
Resolution 830, which we all know establishes the total number of public housing units the City wants to make sure continue to exist within its boundaries, is not a matter of law. It is simply a "resolution" representing the sentiment of a former City Council. That no subsequent Council has had the stones to modify certainly does not make it "law".
The City Council can pass resolutions for a wide variety of things that it can un-resolve any time it wants.
For anyone who has never read Res. 830, here is a link to a document the Growler posted several years ago.
http://www.parker-gray.com/pdfs/Miscellaneous/Resolution_830.pdf
Becker was always a diplomat. What our lame brain council does not get is that Braddock and Clarendon are not one and the same. Clarendon is located in north Arlington Arlington's public housing in south Arlington. The mixed income cr-p doesn't sell. Look how Route 1's award winning fire house is now advertised. It's a real estate bomb! If Donley's bank underwrites any of this planned chaos we'll vote him out too.
Thanks for putting into writing what I always suspected. The fact that this is a biracial neighborhood doesn't bother me. Jefferson Houston school does. It's like President Obama. He had a white mother and a black father so he's black. If the issue isn't racial purity then it's class.
"Thought so. City Council, the public housing crisis is YOUR responsibility."
Thanks so much for this blog. Finally, a place where people can learn the truth about the City's public housing.
Most City residents who don't live near ARHA properties think the City has no control over these trash-strewn eyesores. Here, they can learn that the public housing projects have been intentionally put (and kept) there by the City Council. I think most City residents would be stunned to learn that the City had the opportunity to make ARHA sell Bland (and Glebe!) outright and finally clean up the area around Braddock Road, but they chose not to take advantage of the opportunity. And most City residents would be stunned to learn that we actually import low income people to Alexandria from places such as PG County and DC to fill our public housing units.
And all this would be OK, if the projects helped people. But those of us who live nearby know that the opposite is true. We house low income people in a small section of the City, send their children to a subpar school, and foster a culture of dependence.
I have to say I think Jefferson Houston is the number one problem in this neighborhood. If you have grade school children or younger it is burden either deciding how not to send your children there or defending your decision and trying to help the school (and anyone who says JH doesn't need help is either insane or lying). Even if you don't have children, or they are grown, JH is a problem because it has a large effect on our property values. The fact this school is failing in such a dramatic manner in an affluent area like the 22314 zipcode is unfathomable and needs to be explained and fixed. OK not explained, we all know why, just fixed. This is the one fact that Mayor Euille can't run from, its not racist to demand that this school succeed in the midst of so much education and wealth. If we can "support" resolution 830 we can support successful schools.
"If the issue isn't racial purity then it's class."
Maybe you underestimate Miller's want to exercise political power. Until Hamer retires and Miller's generation goes lily up not much will change. It was and is a d-mn stupid Council.
According to a Michael Pope story on WAMU radio this morning, Englin wants to make it harder to keep people out of public housing. You can listen to it on WAMU's website. One obviously elderly resident is quoted saying that people shouldn't be barred just because they had "disagreements" with others on public housing property. We all know what that means. Here is the only text that I could find there:
Virginia Bill Could Change Public Housing Rules
January 11, 2010 - By Michael Pope
Virginia Delegate David Englin plans to file a bill in Richmond today that could change how safety rules are enforced for public housing residents in Alexandria.
Englin says it's too easy to be barred from public housing and there should be a way to challenge each decision before it goes into effect. But commissioners who oversee the projects say the rules are necessary.
Carlyle Ring is a member of the Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority...
"Englin says it's too easy to be barred from public housing and there should be a way to challenge each decision before it goes into effect."
Geez we have a dumbsh-t, bleeding heart liberal as State delegate. How many additional residential police officers does the fool plan to underwrite? He must need ph votes to win.
"Virginia Delegate David Englin plans to file a bill in Richmond today that could change how safety rules are enforced for public housing residents in Alexandria."
WHAT?!?!?!?!?!? Is he out of his mind??? Even Roy Priest would be against this asinine idea. Who put him up to introducing this bill?? Surely, this was not something the genius thought of on his own. Anyone know the back story?
""Virginia Delegate David Englin plans to file a bill in Richmond today that could change how safety rules are enforced for public housing residents in Alexandria.""
Perhaps someone should ask David Englin whether he cares about the safety of public housing residents who are conceivably protected by the barring of other residents. And where are the apologists and screechers on this one?
This Englin story is another example of a feel-good, lets be nice type story where Mr. Englin clearly doesnt understand or perceive the consequences for his actions.
I am sure he has good intentions but then so did the writers of Resolution 830. And look where that got ALL of us.
Perhaps we could have the bill-signing for Delegate Englins legislation be completed at Adkins at 10 PM on a Saturday this summer. I would be happy to set up logistics for David's visit. We would love to be graced by his presence since I have yet to ever see him go anywhere near a public housing project to worry about "resident" safety in my 9 years in Alexandria.
---""Virginia Delegate David Englin plans to file a bill in Richmond today that could change how safety rules are enforced for public housing residents in Alexandria.""
How on earth could he believe that this is a good bill? Has he never driven over to Bland or Adkins?
"What the numbers really say about our neighborhood and the curious persistence of Jim Crow in the 21 century."
Its an example of the surrealness of Parker Gray. The numbers, trends, and population of Parker Gray clearly say one result. Certain Council members and City bureaucrats live in la-la land and believe another result.
And only one group of people get hurt in the end by living in fantasyland.
"Who put him up to introducing this bill?? Surely, this was not something the genius thought of on his own. "
Is it possible, based on the recent ARHA meeting where Melvin Miller blew up at Roy Priest because some of his friends are banned from public housing, that the esteemed ARHA chairman put Englin up to this, to make an end run around Priest?
"The City Council can pass resolutions for a wide variety of things that it can un-resolve any time it wants.
"
The problem of Resolution 830 is that it attached race to a civic issue (public housing). Once that was done, it was lights out to ever getting it reconsidered or revoked.
Now it exists in some ethereal world where Mayor Euille and Chairman Miller and some do-gooders in Alexandria who live nowhere near public housing think its just like the invention of sliced bread while everyone else looks at it as plain bad public policy.
The results are right there for everyone to see, plainly and clearly. The Mayor sees one thing, we all see something else.
"What our lame brain council does not get is that Braddock and Clarendon are not one and the same. Clarendon is located in north Arlington Arlington's public housing in south Arlington."
What they also dont get is Arlington has no public housing authority and voted down the idea of forming one in recent election tries.
Arlington has no brick and mortar public housing units yet they are light years ahead of Alexandria in providing for their poor and needy citizens.
"According to a Michael Pope story on WAMU radio this morning, Englin wants to make it harder to keep people out of public housing."
Listen to the audio on the WAMU radio website. Its basically a bill that creates a hearing system for anyone who has been banned from public housing to have the ban adjudicated by god knows who. Then they can appeal the decision to another god knows who body if they believe they have been treated unfairly.
I just love how Delegate Englin calls this an issue of people being treated like "chattel" and an issue of poor people being denied their rights.
I thought people had a right to live in a neighborhood free of crime Delegate Englin. Please show us an example of a situation where a poor person is denied their rights when it comes to public housing bans.
The audio of David Englin and his proposed bill is here:
http://wamu.org/news/10/01/11.php#31486
Its clear from hearing him talk that he has little to no clue what goes on in public housing in Alexandria.
I always enjoy when people comment anonymously on legislation they haven't read! The Housing Authority Barment Due Process Act would not prevent ARHA or the police from barring criminals from ARHA property. However, it would ensure due process before a person who has not committed a crime can be barred from visiting their children and parents who live in ARHA housing.
Anon 03:31 - You apparently haven't made it to any of the regular community outreach events I've been hosting in Alexandria's public housing neighborhoods over the past five years. Sign up at http://www.davidenglin.org/subscribe and I'll make sure you're invited to the next one.
"However, it would ensure due process before a person who has not committed a crime can be barred from visiting their children and parents who live in ARHA housing.
"
Mr. Englin, there is a critical hole in your argument. Trespassing is a crime. Its not a "citation". If I entered private property in Old Town I would be cited for trespassing and fined/asked to appear in court.
How does that make any sense to you? And why do you think Chairman Miller is the best person to adjudicate a citation? Why not a judge in Alexandria court?
"You apparently haven't made it to any of the regular community outreach events I've been hosting in Alexandria's public housing neighborhoods over the past five years."
Since this neighborhood has the majority of public housing units I'd say your advertising is poor at best carefully targeted at worst. Why not haul you butt to a civic association and accept the facts like a man?
You apparently haven't made it to any of the regular community outreach events I've been hosting in Alexandria's public housing neighborhoods over the past five years."
Mr. Englin,
You apparently haven't made it to any of the city's quality of life meetings where the majority of issues reported are directly related to areas where public housing is located. There are obvious spikes in crime, littering, loitering, theft, disorderly conduct, etc (not to mention the felons... ask the questions) - it seems like you are just trying to make APD's jobs harder. You may be surprised to hear this, but even residents of public housing trying to get by have the right to feel safe. Curious that you do not live anywhere near public housing...
Anon 9:31 - I regularly visit with civic associations throughout the City. In fact, I send a letter each spring to every association in the 45th District requesting an opportunity to attend a meeting and speak with and hear from the members. Please feel free to let your civic association leadership know that you'd like to ensure they respond to my letter (which they will receive in late February / early March) and book some time for me.
Anon 9:20 - You're confusing the criminal charge of trespassing (which is always adjudicated in court) with the issuance of a No Trespass / Barment Notice, which is an ARHA policy violation and therefore adjudicated by ARHA. (Note that a No Trespass / Barment Notice gets a person placed on a "barment list" and then a subsequent visit to ARHA property results in a criminal charge of trespassing.) The proposed legislation creates some due process before a person is placed on the barment list per ARHA policy.
Sounds like the West Old Town Citizens Association needs to issue an invitation to Mr. Englin. Seems he's only been getting Mr. Miller's side of the story.
Mr. Englin,
How dare you lecture those of us who live near public housing about not attending your political outreach events! Who do you think you are, exactly?
Perhaps we were busy at a civic association meeting, or attending on of the millions of hearings, charettes, and public meetings over the past decade that actually held potential (however unrealized) for improving our community. Progress has been made. In spite of people like you who don't live here and don't get it and feel compelled to prove it.
Your bill is ridiculous. Your attitude is insulting.
Among other things, under your proposed bill ARHA is expected to:
1. Deliver a copy of a "no trespass" policy to every resident once a year.
2. Provide a hearing for every person cited for a violation in front of an ARHA official.
3. No barement order can be effectively enforced until the subject of the order is served written notice. Seriously? Someone is supposed to go out and FIND the person at issue and serve them?
4. Every three years ARHA would have to review everyone on the barment list and remove anyone who hasn't violated the policy again.
Again, are you kidding?
Did an intern write this? It is so profoundly ill considered that I am tempted to check the calender to make sure it isn't April Fools Day.
Point me to someone who was banned from ARHA property that didn't deserve it. I dare you.
You are the one trying to solve a problem that doesn't exist for political reasons. Don't complain about the strong reaction you get from us.
Mr. Englin,
Who do you think you are looking out for? HUD wants stricter oversight and supports scattered site housing based largely on crime statistics. Don't you think there would be more support for public housing if community members felt infractions would be dealt with swiftly and judiciously?
Mr Englin,
Instead of listening to the residents, just gather the facts. Look at the police records of those on the barment list (you can request it under the FOIA). Then, tell us that those on the barment list aren't deserving.
Just once, I'd like to see our elected and government officals look at the FACTS instead of basing decisions on all the story-telling that goes on in this city.
"Just once, I'd like to see our elected and government officals look at the FACTS instead of basing decisions on all the story-telling that goes on in this city."
Wanna bet Lenny Harris is somehow involved? How many of his cousins are on the list?
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