Article in Afro American

[One of many responses to a recent thread on area listservs. The original article in question is here]

I am a second generation DC resident who has lived in the Petworth area for plus 50 years. I would first note to new residents that the Afro [newspaper] has been the paper of record for the Afro-American community from beyond the dawn of the twentieth century, when the general press ignored Black news except for Black on White crime. Secondly, I think there is a new dynamic in action with our new changing neighborhoods. What used to be be ignored because it affected only the black community is now being confronted. There is no reason that anyone should tolerate open air drug markets, simply because "that's the way is".

I might know Little Joe on the corner who's being dealing for 10 years since he was 12. I might know Miss Mary, who is his grandmother and allows Little Joe to live and deal from her home. Miss Mary has been good to the neighbors, goes to church and is such a lovely person. But there's Little Joe and his hustle, his posse, the trash, and the criminal activity - car break-ins, street robberies, home invasions - that occur when criminals feel safe. And Little Joe says, "I know Mr Brown got hit upside the head and in the hospital. That's a shame! What you looking at me for?"

I saw the Afro article as one part in a conversation, which Bill Cosby started on Black Community Values and Behaviors in America. Because our communities in DC are now mixed ethnically, Little Joe and Miss Mary's situation is no longer just "us black folks not airing our business or compassionate tolerance - what else can the poor boy do?". This conversation will continue. And things will get better.

Ken Johnson

Comments

[JM]

Joe, Kevin - thanks for the thoughtful replies. I agree things are on the upswing overall, and that most neighbors are aiming for the same goals. Maybe we'll leave it at that and focus on constructive work.

MV - Uh, I think this entire discussion (including the Afro-American article) is about race and class. Maybe you can send me a private email explaining why my perspective (alone) is "racist".

[mv]

it just annoys me when people like jm use these blogs as a venue to vent their racist views

[Joseph Martin]

JMasek ("JM"), I have to disagree with your comment about "racial vitriol" getting worse. That hasn't been my own experience. On the contrary, I have asked long-term neighbors on many occasions how they feel about the new faces, many white, in the neighborhood. The response in every case is along the lines of "Great! People buying here and moving here means they're investing in the neighborhood." On many occasions, I've also had some of the very old seniors, 75 plus years old, say things to the effect, "Life is about change. When I moved here 50 years ago, I was the first African American on the block. So what's the big deal?"

Does that mean there isn't the occasional wise-ass kid or adult? Of course, not.

I value Petworth precisely because there is a powerful sense of community here, people of different ages and backgrounds, sharing common interests in a very pleasant part of DC. The wonderful, helpful response of my neighbors immediately after the storms two weeks ago was yet another example of that.

The welcoming community of neighbors is here if you want to be a part of it. Ignore the occasional bad apples. Better yet, try to win them over.

Joe Martin
ANC 4C09 Commissioner
202-309-1817 cell

[Kevin Morton]

Come on kids, let's relax. Yes, Petworth has a lot of room for improvement, but what neighborhood in DC doesn't have issues. Since moving to DC 15 years ago, I've lived in Adams Morgan, Kalorama, Dupont, LeDroit Park, and now Petworth. Without a doubt, Petworth is the friendliest of them all. Although I've been living in Petworth for only 3 years, I have already see a marked improvement in the neighborhood. The crime trend in downward, the neighborhood is generally cleaner (although the litter bugs were busy this week!) and the DC Government seems to be paying more attention to our concerns.

So, I'll hear no more talk of moving to the 'burbs, right?

Kevin

[mv]

JM: what makes you think a mixed neighborhood is necessarily safer? check out the crime statistics in dupont circle and tell me how safe that "mixed" neighborhood is. continue to listen to that siren call, why don't cha

[JM]

Frankly, there are a lot of folks in the African-American community who would rather live in a crime-ridden black neighborhood than see it turned into safer mixed neighborhood. This of course is thoroughly racist, although it is rarely labeled as such.

I wish I could be optimistic, but I've lived in DC for 10+ years, and I only see the level of racial vitrol getting worse. Increasingly I hear the siren call of the far suburbs...

[Joseph Martin]

There's an ongoing dialogue about this on many of the Petworth & Ward 4 websites, such as 4D Neighbors:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/4D-Neighbors

JM

[Doug]

Hear, hear to what Ken said. Change in the composition of our neighborhoods is not bringing new expectations of what the quality of life should be. Those values of peace, safety, and looking out for each other have been long-time residents of communities, just like the people who have lived there. What seems to be changing is more people are getting together and saying what they are no longer willing to tolerate. And, they are doing something about it.

I am a fairly new resident of Petworth (moved here about 3 years ago). There are differences in class and economic status that overlay some of the low-grade tensions about race. But for the most part it seems (at least to me) that people who invest their time and energy in being part of the neighborhood treat each other with dignity and respect. I know there are some folks who pretty much don't talk to their neighbors, and that comes from both sides sometimes. So, having deep-rooted issues like drug dealing, poorly maintained schools, and the myriad problems that make us crazy in a way gives us something to rally around and fight against together.

I for one am very optimistic about what is happening in DC, even though many things are very troubling. The biggest challenge from where I sit is to get residents engaged and active in the problems that affect them most, whatever they might be. We seem sometimes to be too ready to sit and take it, whether it's property taxes, gun play in front of our homes, or no programs for our youth. I'm thinking of organizations like the Washington Interfaith Network, the Alliance of Concerned Men, all the ANCs, and other civic associations that do organizing, write politicians, and sponsor community events. We do need to work on bridging the digital divide, and I hope we never forget that face time with our neighbors is the best way to build relationships.

Thanks for enduring my little rant.
Doug

[AR]

Mr. Johnson -

Thank you for your response. In some ways this is a difficult issue, but in other ways it can be boiled down to a very simple statement: Regardless of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, etc., we all have a right to a safe community. We all live in this community together - stray bullets don't differentiate between race or socioeconomic status.

AR