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Some district residents say terrorism thoughts always close on Independence Day

People in Washington D.C.’s Tenleytown neighborhood discussed their opinions Thursday regarding the potential terrorist attacks on July 4th, fearing the nation’s capital could be a target.

Brittany Jones, 24, admitted that she is not one to celebrate the Fourth of July, but said she would fear the chance of terrorist attacks.

“When you think about fireworks and gunshots, you can’t really determine what’s what,” Jones said.

“I mean, yeah, I wouldn’t want to go down there, because then that would make me a target,” Jones continued about the festivities on the National Mall.

The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security released a joint bulletin June 26 titled “Holiday Celebrations Remain Attractive Target,” citing the likelihood of ISIS to attack large celebrations during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

Despite the warning, Haley Sayre, 23, is planning on celebrating at the National Mall with her friends.

“I mean, it’s scary,” Sayre said. “The people that are supposed to protect us the most are warning us about a terrorism threat, and that’s what scares me the most.”

As a Massachusetts resident who has never witnessed a fireworks display, Sayre is excited. However, she is still uncomfortable about the situation and noted the 2013 Boston Marathon attack struck close to home.

Sayre answered that she normally would not go to watch the fireworks because of the heightened risk of attacks, but pressure from her friends has made her want to go despite the risks. Government security warnings are a help to some.

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Fireworks over the National Mall in Washington D.C. Photo courtesy of the National Park Service.

The National Park Service said on its website that visitors will be screened at all entry points to celebrate July 4.

Jones appreciates the warning and security: “They should, just to be giving people a heads up, just in case something did happen.”

Others, like Sayre, have mixed feelings. “I don’t really think it’s right for them to scare us, but I think if they do think something is going to happen, they should let us know.”

 

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Feminism surges but some thinks there’s no need

P1000417A modern resurgence of feminism and belief in gender equality has sparked controversial discussions on whether or not feminism is necessary in today’s society.

In interviews conducted in the Washington, D.C. area, conflicting ideas about the importance of feminism emerged. Opinions on certain topics were agreed upon by all, specifically the wage gap in America between men and women.

“Women of color are paid even less than white women and I think that’s wrong,” said Michelle Nowak, 19, an advocate for the Human Rights Campaign.

The oppression of women of color and the struggles they face in particular were also touched on by Mone Williams, 21.

“I don’t think that any other race or gender can do anything better than another,” Williams said.

Modern feminist issues go beyond the wage gap, also encompassing the right to have an abortion and raising awareness about the hyper-sexualization of women, especially in advertising and the film industry.

Throughout history, feminists have worked to gain women’s rights and become equal with men, their most well-known success being in the suffragist movement to gain women’s voting rights. When asked about the future of feminism, of the 10 people interviewed, all believed that feminists will continue to fight for their cause.

Dr. Nicole Cox, a professor of mass media at Valdosta State University in Georgia, believes that both raising awareness about feminism and spreading the goals of the movement are vital to ensure it continues to grow.

“I think that it’s more accessible for the younger generation,” Cox said. On the topic of complete gender equality, Cox added, “I don’t think it’s going to happen in the next five years, but maybe 10 or 15.”

A few people interviewed did not believe that feminism in today’s world is necessary, or believed that those who advocate for it and call themselves feminists are too intense in their endeavors.

“Feminists just tend to take it a little far,” said 19-year old Dana Foley.

The majority of those interviewed, however, viewed feminism and its goals in a positive light, although most agreed that the struggle for equality is far from over.

“I think the movement itself has a real challenge in terms of defining what it wants,” said Jermall Keels, 19. Later, he added, “I think our generation is just a really social movement-driven generation.”

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District residents tense, concerned as Navy Yard goes on lockdown

AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin
AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin
AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin

Reports of a possible shooter and hours-long lock down Thursday at the Washington Navy Yard left many residents in Washington D.C. concerned, according to interviews.

A couple of hours after initial reports of a possible shooter flooded social media and metropolitan news sites, authorities gave the all clear. But, that didn’t stop residents from feeling confused or concerned about what was happening in the southeastern part of their city at the Navy post that was the site of a mass shooting in September 2013.

“After hearing about all of these shootings, people become desensitized,” said Sajlaya Henson, 27.

Metropolitan district police announced shortly after 10 a.m. no gunmen were on scene and no shots had been fired.

Leonaro Roy, 27, stood behind the counter at a Tenleytown smoothie shop. He heard the initial buzz on Facebook.

“This is very concerning considering it was the second time it happened,” Roy said, before police had released updated details.

On Sept. 16, 2013, former Navy veteran Aaron Alexis, 34, opened fire at the Navy Yard killing 12 people.

The former shipyard is currently the ceremonial and administrative headquarters for the U.S. Navy and operates for the Chief of Naval Operations, according to its website.

The Navy Yard is not the only place on U.S. soil to experience events such as mass shootings; they have become a trend in America’s headlines over the last several years.

This has become a leading point in the bipartisan debate, striking debate and heated emotions on both sides.

On one side, proponents of gun control argue the weapons industry needs to be regulated to ensure these occurrences cease. Citizens are calling for action and turning to officials to make changes.

Melissa Hoghtlin, 55, said: “Why aren’t we doing anything about gun control?”

 

 

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Some District residents think Trump’s run “hilarious”

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Donald Trump (Photo Courtesy Associated Press)

Businessman and reality show host Donald Trump’s 2016 Republican presidential bid stirred strong emotions among District residents who, two weeks after his announcement, found a Trump White House unlikely.

“I think it’s stupid,” said American University student Emily Smith, 19. “I honestly just think he’s running for the publicity of it.”

Trump, 69, announced his intent June 16 to run for the Republican presidential nomination during a press conference at Trump Tower in midtown Manhattan. The 45-minute speech, featuring Trump making provocative statements on immigration policy, has been watched nearly a million times on YouTube.

“When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best,” Trump said in the press conference. “They’re sending people that have lots of problems and they’re bringing those problems with us. They’re bringing drugs, they’re bringing crime, they’re rapists.”

Since his controversial campaign announcement, both NBC and Macy’s have cut ties with Trump in the respects of his television show, The Apprentice, and clothing line, Donald J Trump Collections.

Many interviewed this week in Washington D.C.’s Tenleytown neighborhood and on the campus of American University said Trump’s launch remarks were troubling but also noted his lack of a clear policy plan worried them, too.

Dan Bell, 21, found Trump’s candidacy comical.

“I think it’s hilarious,” Bell said. “It makes my day.”

Dan Bell’s sister, Amelia Bell, 24, added that America under Trump would be “like the Hunger Games,” referring to the popular dystopian fiction trilogy written by Suzanne Collins.

Both of the siblings expressed interest in voting for Hillary Clinton in 2016.

Rachel Nadelman, 38, took a break from an afternoon jog to answer questions about Trump’s candidacy.

“I don’t think in the end that anybody would really vote for him because he doesn’t have any substantial policy plans,” Nadelman said. “While he can speak in racist language because he’s not trying to get donors, overall he’s not going to get much of a following.”

 

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Washington Framers’ Workroom: a 34-year legacy

WASHINGTON– She has met Jane Fonda, worked on commission from the White House and has been entrusted with the care and safety of priceless works of art by famous artists such as Marc Chagall and Rembrandt. Who is she? Not a celebrity, but instead the friendly owner of Washington Framers’ Workroom, a mainstay of the Tenleytown community for more than 30 years.

Gana Browning has been working at the shop since its opening in July 1981. Browning said three friends from Philadelphia, who owned and operated framing stores there, approached another one of her close friends, who recently left a job in the Carter administration, about starting a framing store in the Washington area. The interior design and construction was all done by Thomas Morris, who continues to work, and as the original owners and friends retired or passed away, Browning became the sole proprietor.

Browning said that since the Tenleytown-AU Metro station opened in 1984, development in the neighborhood has been slow but steady. Although interest in building high-rises and large construction projects exists, the neighborhood association has made a strong effort to slow development.

But through all this change, Browning says that “the community has supported us.” Although four other framing stores have since opened in Tenleytown, the competition is friendly. “We support each other,” said Browning.

One special service that Washington Framer’s Workroom provides is a do-it-yourself framing service. “Customers feel like they can accomplish something,” said Browning. With a wide variety of materials for the customers to use, from the Wizard computerized mat cutter that cuts a multitude of shapes to the 250 moldings of wood and metal, the possibilities are endless.

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Map by Laris Karklis, reprinted with permission

With a staff of eight, we have a “much bigger staff than most frame shops,” Browning said. Each employee has the ability to do every responsibility, from operating the cash register to working with the Wizard and the touch-up counter.

The frame shop itself evokes a familiar feeling of home, with the walls covered in personal art, and wicker chairs in the front with houseplants as accents. Personal wall art is displayed up and down the walls of the frame shop. “Almost every single one of [our employees] are artists,” says Browning.

There are six certified Master Picture Framers within the business, which makes them the only frame shop on the East Coast with this specialized training, she said. She herself is a former master, but had to cut back because of arthritis.

Throughout the years, Browning said that she has framed unusual items. A customer came in with “a bun from the head of somebody’s mother and we made a shadowbox,” a display box for items too large to put in a traditional picture frame, Browning recalled. “Nobody wanted to touch it.” Other oddities include Turkish daggers and a gun in a shadowbox on display in the shop.

And the famous customers? Browning smiled and began vividly describing what Jane Fonda looked like the day she walked into their small store: 4-inch heels, skinny jeans, perfect hair. “Her daughter, Vanessa Vadim, went to American University,” said Browning.

The shop frequently has customers of political significance, as well as visitors in newscasting professions, including James G. Watt and Arch Campbell.

Despite these famous customers, most of Browning’s business comes from the community. “We’ve had two or three generations of repeat customers,” Browning said. With the store’s 34th anniversary coming up next month, Washington Framers’ Workroom is poised to be a staple of the neighborhood for years to come.

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A community fixture: the Tenley-Friendship neighborhood library

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Librarian Megan McNitt shows off the collection of magazines. Photo by Giovanna Scirrotto

WASHINGTON — In the cosmopolitan age of the Internet and smartphones, the printed word has seemingly been suffering an agonizingly slow death — as devices for reading such as e-books are becoming ever more popular, libraries have had a hard time of it. But in the neighborhood of Tenleytown, this is simply not the the case. “The library is really engaged in the community,” says Karen Blackman-Mills, the library’s branch manager. “We host a lot of community focus groups.”

The Tenleytown library has actually become an enormous fixture in the community during an era where most libraries’ usage has plummeted. The library is a hugely popular study destination for college students, who enjoy the usage of the study rooms and the 20 powerful computers arrayed around the library. Local families also come for the children’s read-alongs every day. In fact, the Tenleytown library has such popular children’s events that there are tickets to reserve spots. The library sees “easily 100 or more upstairs every day,” whether they are looking for a quiet study space, or simply perusing the library’s literary collection of thousands of books, Blackman-Mills said.

Karen Blackman-Mills shows off one of the summer reading programs. Photo by Giovanna Scirrotto.
Karen Blackman-Mills holds one of the summer reading programs for children. Photo by Giovanna Scirrotto.

It is these local families who comprise the majority of the library’s business. Children’s books are the most circulated, and the library’s staff tries to develop a love for reading and knowledge in the children of the community.

The library’s status as a community fixture is not new. The two story building on Wisconsin and Albemarle, originally constructed in the 1960s, underwent extensive renovations in 2011 to become more technologically advanced and environmentally friendly, a controversial move at the time. Features added include a green roof, solar panels and a reduction in water for sewage by 49 percent. These innovations, among many others, make the library 27 percent more energy efficient than a comparable building.

The  $16 million renovations, while expensive, had a dual purpose: representing the community’s liberal values, which include an interest in protecting the environment, and saving money in the long term, she said.

“If you can save $1 million in utilities a year…it’s amazing,” says Megan McNitt, one of the adult librarians. Additionally, the library felt pressured by the community to renovate due to problems presented by aging materials at the nearby Cleveland Park library. “People become very attached to their neighborhood library…a lot of people even come from other towns,” says McNitt.

The ultra-popular children's literacy program in session. Photo by Giovanna Scirotto
Strollers line the wall while the popular children’s reading program is in session. Photo by Giovanna Scirrotto

Indeed, while the library is a fixture for the Tenleytown community, it remains a public space, open for anyone’s use. People from nearby towns in Virginia and Maryland often come to the library, and enjoy the same level of access as anyone from Tenleytown; they are even able to get library cards. When checking out books, the current policy is that they have no late fees for children’s books, and coming soon library-goers will not be required to pay for any books they lose.

Whatever else the future may hold, McNitt believes that the Tenleytown library will only continue to have an immensely positive impact on its community. She is also confident that the library will remain successful in the face of competition from e-readers, and she will “expect the unexpected,” she said.

 

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Views on Tenleytown crime mixed as theft rises slightly

WASHINGTON- Citizens and visitors in Tenleytown expressed mixed views on crime as theft increased by a small amount in the past year, according to interviews and Metropolitan Police figures.

Theft crimes from July 2013 to July 2014 increased to 119 from 107 during the previous year in an area 1500 feet from Tenleytown’s center, according to Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police Department figures.

On Monday, people stepped around shattered glass outside the Best Buy store on the corner of Wisconsin Avenue. Police line tape was put up on the sidewalk outside the store. A police officer near the scene would not comment on the incident.

A shattered window of the Best Buy on Wisconsin Ave.
A shattered window at the Best Buy on Wisconsin Avenue on Monday, July 7.

Trey Polston, a 25-year-old baseball coach at Woodrow Wilson High School, hasn’t experienced crime since he moved to the area in August 2013 and said he doesn’t know any one who has. But, Polston did say he feels slightly uneasy when encountering a homeless person.

“Usually on the bench, there’s usually a guy, or two, but they don’t really mess with us too much or anything, you know? They’re just trying to live themselves,” Polston said.

In contrast, a Tenleytown native sees another group as a threat to safety: high school students. Although police statistics didn’t reveal the specific ages of crime perpetrators Carlyn Hackney said teenagers in the area can be a “potential threat.”

“Just ’cause they’re rowdy, you know, and they’re always up here in the masses,” said Hackney, a 24-year-old nanny who grew up in the area.

Amanda Corvelli, a long-time employee at American Valet, had a similar perspective to Hackney.

Corvelli has witnessed Woodrow Wilson students fighting after school and seen people stealing from the Wisconsin Avenue CVS store.

Despite those incidents, she said Tenleytown is still a safe area, especially compared to other metropolitan neighborhoods.

“I mean there’s crime, but there’s crime everywhere,” Corvelli said.

 

 

 

 

 

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The bands play on: Fort Reno concerts start after controversy

Fort Reno Park concert stage readies for performers after controversy nearly stopped it. Photo by Brenda Vega.
The Fort Reno Park concert stage readies for performers on Monday, July 7 after controversy nearly stopped the annual event. Photo by Brenda Vega.

The decades-old Fort Reno concert series kicked off Monday after security costs threatened to cancel the annual community event this year.

The event, which has been held annually since 1968 and takes place at Fort Reno Park in Tenleytown, was abruptly cancelled June 26, generating backlash from community members and a plea to reopen from D.C.’s Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton.

But, concert organizers and the National Park Service reached a compromise that has the concert back on this week to the satisfaction of locals like Owen Kibenge who thinks it’s a great community event.

“I think that it adds color to our community,” said Kibenge, 39. “I like hearing the bands play.”

Kibenge believes that community events, such as the concert series, are important to create close ties among the people in the Tenleytown area, which is in Northwest Washington, D.C. Kibenge also stressed the need for these social occasions which serve as important family events, while at the same time serving the needs of the community.

“One hundred percent, we need those community events,” Kibenge said. “They attract a diverse crowd of people.”

And Kibenge feels the diversity that community events attract is beneficial to Tenleytown. Others agree.

A change.org petition filed to allow the concert to continue reached 1,500 signatures within two days of the cancellation. And a Twitter campaign using #savefortreno garnered other passionate responses. One Twitter user wrote: “So glad that so many people worked so hard to #savefortreno. It is by far my favorite DC institution.”

But other Tenleytown residents were unaware of the event and the controversy surrounding its cancellation.

Menelik Walker, 22, an employee at Whole Foods in Tenleytown, hadn’t heard about the community concert series.

“I find it odd,” Walker said, about the apparent lack of advertising for the concerts. An email sent Monday to the concert organizers was not returned.

Walker believed it was strange he hadn’t heard people discussing the events at Fort Reno Park, and felt it was surprising he hadn’t heard anything from social media, or through traditional advertisements like fliers.

Haddy Gale, 22, another employee at Whole Foods, said she missed advertising and information about the concert, too.

“I hadn’t heard about it,” said Gale, who works but doesn’t live in Tenleytown. “People that live here might hear from friends but I don’t know.”

For those who do attend and look forward to the annual event, the Fort Reno concert series has become a part of local tradition and serves as a platform for feeding the creative need of the community.

“Music is the cup of wine that feeds the cup of silence,” Kibenge said. “I want to drink music all the time.”

 

 

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Health care costs and access still an issue, worry in D.C.

pharmacist
Rosaline Ngachie in a CVS pharmacy in Tenleytown, D.C.

WASHINGTON- Alex Epperly is a doctoral biophysiology student who enjoys learning about the human body and health.

However, when it comes to a health care plan, he believes it is a political game.

“I think they’re (Congress) playing softball too much with insurance companies,” Epperly explained. “Too much back and forth.”

Sunday marked the first day that Epperly would no longer be protected by his parents’ health care plan. He is on his own now, paying for his cheaper plan that would only protect him in cases of like a severe car crash or a heart transplant, he said. Starting Monday, he began paying $200 a month for the health care plan that only covers catastrophic illnesses.

Like Epperly, most people interviewed in Tenleytown on Monday, agreed that the biggest problem with health care is that the people who need it most, can’t afford to get it, leaving some nervous about the future.

Some 16-year-olds like Jauan Durbin know a great deal about the battle for affordable, effective health care. Durbin, who typed on a computer in the local Tenleytown Library, expressed his worries that he would not be able to afford an adequate health care plan. He believes Congress represents health care companies’ best interest, not the people.

Durbin has heard of the Affordable Care Act, sometimes referred to as Obamacare which allowed people to stay longer on their parents’ plans, and is insured by his parents. However, once he turns 26, he doesn’t know if he is going to pay for health care or not.

“It should be my choice to pay or not to pay,” Durbin said. “People should just mind their own business.”

On the corner of a busy Tenleytown street sits a CVS pharmacy where Rosaline Ngachie, 49, works as a pharmacist. She meets with many ill patients daily, and comes across few who are without health insurance.

“Half of the time they are covered and they get sick,” said Ngachie.

When asked about how the people without health insurance pay, she said “We give them a discount card.”

Many people frequent the pharmacy in CVS for all sorts of reasons.

“We can usually predict what people will need before they come in,” Ngachie said. “Allergy season is big and after big holidays you have Pepto and heartburn.”

When asked whether everyone should have health care, Ngachie replied, “You should because you never know what will happen to you unless you have a CT scan of your body.”

Other people in Tenleytown have a slightly different take on health care.

Nan Ivy, 66, grew up in Atlanta, Georgia before moving to Tenleytown.

When she was in her 20s, Ivy lost her parents’ health coverage and went for an extended amount of time without any kind of health insurance because it was too expensive.

“In Atlanta there’s a hospital that’s tax-funded,” said Ivy. “I went there whenever I was sick and couldn’t go to a doctor.”

Once she got a steady job, things improved for Ivy and after a while her job provided her with the health insurance that she needed.

Now she faces a new problem with health insurance.

“I have a daughter,” said Ivy. “She lives in Florida and she didn’t get Obamacare. I told her to, but she didn’t listen.”

Ivy had a difficult time trying to speak about the topic because it was so upsetting to her.

“She’s so sick,” said Ivy. “She’s so sick and no one will help her. I don’t know what to do.”

People like Ivy’s daughter, who is in her late 20s, struggle on a daily basis without health insurance, and even though they may be ill, or in need, no one will help them because they aren’t insured.

Ivy is “disgusted” by the lack of health care assistance in the U.S.

Ivy said, “Senators and congressmen get free health care and I don’t know why we can’t.”

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Got $1 million? Tenleytown cost of living on the rise

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A Tenleytown home in Northwest Washington, D.C.

WASHINGTON— Workers in Tenleytown agreed the cost of living has increased to a rate unaffordable for the average American, according to several interviews conducted Monday.

Menelik Walker, a Whole Foods employee, said he is concerned about the high cost of real estate. According to realtor.com, home prices in Tenleytown can exceed $1 million.

“They’re beautiful homes, but I don’t know if it’s affordable,” Walker said.

The cost of living in Tenleytown, an area south of Chesapeake Street and north of Van Ness Street, is 68.5 percent higher than the average Washington cost and 98.3 percent higher than the average national cost, according to areavibes.com.

Michael Warner, an American University alumnus who sells newspapers to raise money for the homeless, said that prices of homes and necessities are similar to the extravagant costs of New York City and residents here need a high-paying job and good education to afford cost-of-living expenses.

“You have to be educated to live in D.C.,” Warner said.

Maria Harris, a worker at the Tenley-Friendship Library, said that living in Tenleytown is an acquired taste due to the high cost of living but says she still sees economic diversity.

“It’s all over the place,” Harris said. “There are people who are wealthy and others who are poor.”

Warner and Harris both agreed that even though the cost is high, the location in Northwest Washington, D.C. is convenient. Harris explained that Tenleytown is a “vibrant” place to live, and that there are many places to go and activities to keep anyone from boredom.

“Necessities are within walking distance,” Warner said. Teneleytown is an “excellent place to live.”