Elevators are a daily part of life for many District of Columbia residents, with many multi-story office buildings and large universities across the city.

While most people trust they are functioning properly with inspections happening on a timely cycle, inspection records tell a different story.

250 records were analyzed from 12 different universities across the District, including American University, Georgetown University, and George Washington University.

The records revealed hundreds of violations including recurring issues and expired certificates. But just as eye-opening, the records revealed missing inspection reports for recurring years.

According to the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs, some common issues found during inspections are expired certificates, faulty phones, and broken alarm bells.

When inspections fall behind, these issues become more common.

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, elevator inspector Joe McAnulty said inspections fell behind for many independent elevator inspection companies.

“The pandemic pushed everything behind,” McAnulty said.

Due to building closures, inspectors had a harder time getting in to complete inspections. Public safety also played a role in these delays, with most elevators leaving no room for the CDC’s recommendation of 6 feet of social distance in between inspectors.

Many records demonstrated this flaw in the system, with both American University and George Washington University missing records altogether from 2020 and 2021.

The DCRA specifies that elevators must be inspected twice a year, with few exceptions.

The certificate of inspection must be renewed every 24 months and displayed in the elevator to inform the public that each unit is up to date.

McAnulty said that when inspections fall behind, more issues tend to arise.

“Things fall through the cracks. I don’t think inspections get the attention they need,” McAnulty said.

Some of the most commonly found in records from 2018-2021 were recurring violations of the same unit, lack of timely repairs of violations, and missing certificates.

Two of the most frequent violations were broken phones and alarm bells, both issues that McAnulty said can be life or death.

When reaching out to independent elevator inspectors in an attempt to fill the holes where records were missing, they responded that records cannot be provided until they are reported to the DCRA.

Neither District regulators nor the team of outside inspectors hired to review elevator safety could provide an answer if inspections were skipped.

McAnulty said this is another process that has drastically fallen behind during the pandemic as well.

He said missing records don’t necessarily mean that the inspections didn’t take place, but the public has no way of knowing without the records available to hold them accountable.

Evan Taylor said she was shocked to hear about some of the oversight after she was stuck in an elevator years ago.

“For 6 months I only used the stairs. I was afraid I was going to get stuck again,” Taylor said.

When Taylor was stuck, she tried to use the emergency phone to get out, and it did not work.

Taylor said she looks for the certificate of inspection and wonders if the phone works every time she uses an elevator.

Inoperable phones tend to be one issue that is recurrent in many elevator inspection records, with many violations popping back up year after year.

One record showed a phone at Georgetown University was deemed inoperable in 2018, in the 2021, the phone proved still unworking.

Taylor said she feels strongly that inspections are kept up to date after her traumatizing experience.

“I think it’s important for people to know that what they are getting into is safe. I think it is important that the things that people use every day and put their trust into are being inspected,” Taylor said.

After a violation is found in an elevator, the DCRA designates 30 days to ensure that it is fixed.

Multiple records show that often, these reinspections take months to correct, despite the designated time frame.

At Bay Atlantic, a record in 2021 found a variety of issues like broken alarm bells and disconnected phones. Though the inspection agency has 30 days to fix the issue, records revealed that it actually took more than two months to resolve the issues, creating a dangerous environment for users.

Michael Warren is another frequent elevator user who was frightened to hear about these problem areas and that the DCRA fell behind during the pandemic.

“There is an assumption that we make when an elevator appears to be in use that it is safe,” Warren said.

As a fitness center employee at the University of the District of Columbia, Warren said he uses the elevators daily to move equipment and get to the gym that is several floors down.

Warren also emphasized the importance of working elevators for his colleagues that have a mobility issue.

“A lot of people with disabilities rely on elevators when they can’t maneuver stairs and escalators,” Warren said.

Warren said he would like to see these inspections pick up across the board to ensure the safety of the people who use them.

“It is critically important that these things are maintained and maintained well.”

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His job is to keep children safe on their way to and from Ross Elementary School. But Thomas Tate is doing much more than that for the community.

Tate said he came out of retirement to work as a crossing guard after he asked his daughter to find him a part-time job to get him out of the house.

“She couldn’t have found me anything no better,” Tate said.

Tate said he tries to greet every person who crosses his path, focusing extra time on those who walk by without a smile.

He said the people that he interacts with are adding years to his life.

“I don’t consider it a job,” Tate said.

Tate said he often has people stop to take pictures with him and tell them about their lives on a daily basis. He said the connections he’s made are invaluable.

Tate said he’s always liked people and he’s been able to connect with community members from all ages and backgrounds.

“I’ve always been this type of person. It takes a person like me to deal with the public,” Tate said.

With traffic deaths spiking in the District, and 2021 being the deadliest year in over a decade, Tate’s job is more important than ever.

Though it may seem like he prioritizes greeting people on the street, at the end of the day, he’s there to protect his community.

“That is the most important part of the job. Keeping the children safe,” Tate said.

Fourth-grade student Olivia Link said she looks forward to chatting with Tate on her way to school.

“It is a nice way to start the day,” Link said.

Olivia’s mom, Alisoun Meehan said she allows her daughter to walk to school, knowing Tate is there as a check-in point.

She said she feels comforted knowing there’s a friendly face there.

“Part of the journey to get to school is to say hi to Mr. Tommy,” Meehan said.

At 82-years-old, Mr. Tate said he isn’t sure when he will retire, but he will continue to stand on the corner for as long as he can.

Mr. Tate said he feels truly blessed to have the opportunity to connect with the community and show people some kindness.

“What goes around comes around,” Tate said.

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For the Afghans who made it to the United States, a long journey of resettlement and integration lies ahead.

The Afghan Resettlement Report looks at the journey of evacuees fleeing Taliban rule in Afghanistan, how they are navigating the U.S. government resettlement system, and how they are being welcomed by nonprofits and local communities.

This podcast was reported and produced by the graduate broadcast journalism students of American University’s School of Communication.

Thank you to the local experts who shared their time and knowledge with the reporters of this podcast:

Mark Greenberg, Senior Fellow at Migration Policy Institute
Hannah Tyler, Research Analyst at Bipartisan Policy Center
Monika Evstatieva, Senior Producer of Investigations at NPR
Glenn Luther, Former Photography Instructor in Afghanistan
Rep. Abigail Spanberger, (D-VA) (Statements from House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on 9/13/21)
Noah Klose, Community Outreach Manager at Homes Not Borders
Billy Coleburn, Mayor of Blackstone Virginia
Lea Ruscio, Field Operations Lead for Team Rubicon
Kenneth Speicher, Parishioner at United Methodist Church
Timothy Young, Press Secretary for Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service
Huneressa Fariad, translator from the All Dulles Area Muslim Society
Taliha Masroor and the rest of her family, owners of Bistro Aracosia

Supervising Faculty: , SOC Professor 

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But as he pedaled through the intersection of New Hampshire Avenue and S Street NW, near Dupont Circle, a car raced through the intersection. The boy was out of arm’s reach of his mom, just two feet away.

The car struck the front of Nathan’s bike, throwing him to the ground, his head hitting the side of the car as he went down.

He walked away with only scratches and bruises. But other children haven’t been as lucky.
Nathan was one of four children hit in crosswalks in less than four weeks in the District.

In September, a car struck and killed 5-year-old Allison Hart in a crosswalk as she was riding her bike through Brookland, triggering more calls for action.

Hey , today I commissioned an urn for my 5-yr-old killed in a crosswalk. What did YOU do today to make our streets safer for vulnerable users? How about demanding reciprocity w/MD, VA? 1/2

— Jessica Hart (@jlrhart)

In her testimony before the Transportation and Environment Public Roundtable, Allison’s mother, Jessica Hart, expressed her fury at the current situation.

“It is past time to do something about traffic violence in D.C., and everyone here today should be furious about the number of preventable deaths in our city,” Hart said at the roundtable.

Nathan’s father, John Means, said he feels the pain of these other families, and is one of many people calling for immediate changes.

“It is that kind of traumatic moment that puts so much in perspective,” Means said.

Traffic deaths continue to spike in the District, with , a statistic that doesn’t account for close calls or unreported accidents.

According to a recent District Department of Transportation , the streets around Ross Elementary School, where Nathan attends school, have had accidents including pedestrians and cyclists at every intersection in the area between 2015 and 2019.

Though the fight for safe streets is recently ramping up, calls to change streets have been long-existing throughout the District.

There has been criticism of Mayor Muriel E. Bowser’s , which holds the goal of ending all traffic deaths in the city by 2024.

Vision Zero was launched six years ago, but traffic deaths have increased since 2012, despite the plan.

Means called the intersection where his son was hit “dangerous,” with unclear signage and no plan in place to slow down cars.

“We are allowing our neighborhoods to be thoroughfares instead of neighborhoods for children,” Means said.

Means is one of several community members actively calling for changes to streets in order to ensure they are safe for pedestrians of all ages.

In the short term, Means said he hopes to see repainted crosswalks, curb extensions and other plans to slow fast-moving traffic through residential neighborhoods like the one Nathan was hit.

Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Matthew Holden has also been vocal about the issue of street safety since he became a commissioner.

He said the current crop of ANC commissioners has made this a key issue, seeing as pedestrian and cyclist safety are at peril in the area.

Holden said he thinks that a mixed-use area like Dupont Circle with both residential streets and commercial strips creates clogged traffic and issues for both pedestrians and drivers, but he is dedicated to finding a way for them to coexist.

Holden said his ultimate goal is to eliminate all traffic accidents, but it is particularly important to ensure that children aren’t being hit.

“It is sad when anyone gets hit by a car, but when a kid gets hit by a car, it is particularly sad,” Holden said.

He said the recent tragedies involving children have shaken up the community as a whole.

Holden said the commission has been working to identify which streets have been overbuilt and is working to find ways to make them more pedestrian-friendly.

“We need to think about how we can turn back streets over to our pedestrians,” Holden said.

Some of the proposals that Holden suggested were raised crosswalks or cobblestone streets to slow drivers.

DDOT Transportation Planner Regina Arlotto said street safety has become a top priority for the department in the wake of the recent spike in accidents involving children.

Arlotto said the team is currently reviewing the intersections that have been prone to accidents.

In the short term, they are adding high stability crosswalks with more reflective paint and curb extensions that force cars to be a distance away from pedestrians and cyclists.

Arlotto said undertaking street safety is a “real balancing act” when weighing engineering concerns to put in infrastructure that benefits pedestrians.

She said DDOT has received some backlash from some members of the community, but at the end of the day, they are working to make the streets safe and accessible for everyone.

“It is hard for car drivers to understand that the mission of DDOT is not just to plan for vehicle traffic. Our mission is to create safe, public travel spaces,” Arlotto said.

While Means is happy to see some of these changes go into place, he also thinks that Vision Zero is not as fast or as drastic a plan that needs to take place in the District.

“This requires a pretty drastic and city-wide emphasis.”

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The Institute for Policy Studies awards a annually in honor of human rights champions Orlando Letelier and Ronni Moffit, who were assassinated by a car bomb in 1976 on the orders of Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet.

The celebration included traditional music played by members of the Black Fraternal Organization of Honduras and other Garífuna attendees.

The crowd danced and sang along to show their appreciation for the award and to support members of the Garífuna community.

The Black Fraternal Organization of Honduras fights for human rights by giving a voice to Garifuna people, the matrilineal people who are both Indigenous and Afro-descent.

For decades, the Garifuna people have faced historical injustices in their struggle to gain autonomy, in addition to social, economic, cultural and territorial rights.

As well as battling human rights,  also seeks to find legal defense of ancestral Garífuna territory, by assisting communities in three cases and four petitions before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.

General Coordinator of the Black Fraternal Organization of Honduras Miriam Miranda accepted the award at a ceremony on Oct. 13 and said it was important to highlight the work of the Black Fraternal Organization of Honduras.

“This recognition of our work by IPS will help advance our cause in defense of the collective and human rights of our people,” Miranda said.

Miranda said she found it important to bring the community together again today to showcase their hard work leading up to the award.

The Black Fraternal Organization of Honduras member Miriem Herrera said the recognition gives other members of the organization a chance to recognize the impact they’ve had.

“We want them to see their work and efforts have made an impact,” Herrera said.

Emilia Boddes attended today’s celebration in honor of her family members who have experienced the trauma that comes for many Garífuna people in Honduras.

She said that despite today’s celebration, there is still a lot of work to be done within Honduran communities.

“If we do more events like this more people might come around to help,” Boddes said.

Boddes said the celebration is all about bringing community awareness about what the Black Fraternal Organization of Honduras is doing for the people of Honduras and the struggles they face. 

“This is the only way we can fight. In unity, we can fight together,” Boddes said. 

Though the District does have a community of Garífuna people, Boddes said there are much bigger committees in New York but she hopes they can strengthen the community in Washington, D.C and worldwide. 

“It is letting the world know about our organization,” Boddes said.

Members of the organization and community members alike traveled from different locations to attend the celebration.

The celebration included a traditional tribute to Orlando Letelier and Ronni Moffit and to the Institute for Policy Studies for their award. 

Herrera said it is common in Garífuna culture to communicate with people who have passed through a musical ceremony. 

“We are inviting them to be a part of their own celebration,” Herrera said. 

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Owner Farid Nouri said he is as much a “music aficionado” as a business owner, and he takes pride in having dreamt up the idea for the lounge with his partners.

“We had a dream to open a dance club based on our taste and interests,” Nouri said.

The lounge was the first of its kind in the area when it opened in 1995 in Dupont Circle, providing the area with a range of world-class DJ talent and live music.

Nouri said he was in negotiations with his landlord about renewing his lease when the pandemic hit — leaving him with a clear choice.

After nearly 25 years, he closed the doors in March 2020, fearing what a post-pandemic market might look like.

Out of 250 businesses in the Dupont Circle area, 25 businesses inside the  closed their doors during the pandemic.

Colleen Hawkinson, executive director of the Dupont Circle BID, said she thinks despite the closures, Dupont Circle was one of the luckier neighborhoods, gaining 10 new businesses during the same time period.

“The recovery has been less painful and quicker than other neighborhoods,” Hawkinson said.

Hawkinson said while many areas across the city suffered due to loss of commuter and tourist revenue, Dupont Circle continued to market to the people who live in the neighborhood.

“Dupont Circle is not just a commercial neighborhood,” Hawkinson said.

Hawkinson said the BID was proactive in helping save the neighborhood by adding streateries that allowed businesses to provide outdoor seating to restaurant diners.

Between October 2020 and September 2021, the neighborhood welcomed two streateries and five other restaurants expanded outdoor dining permits, making the area more appealing for visitors during the pandemic.

When the District lifted its outdoor gathering restrictions earlier this year, Hawkinson said the BID also put on more than 20 outdoor events to increase foot traffic in the neighborhood, benefiting business owners.

While some businesses closed their doors in the wake of the pandemic, others contributed to growth in the area by opening new outlets.

Jason Berry, co-owner of KNEAD Hospitality and Design, owns and operates 13 storefronts across the District, Virginia and Maryland.

Berry’s restaurant was one of the 10 businesses the BID gained, opening in Dupont Circle in June 2021 during the heat of the Delta Variant surge.

Berry said he and his partner had their eyes on the location before the pandemic when they lived a few blocks away from the storefront on Connecticut and R Street.

“It was a place that we always coveted and loved,” Berry said.

When Bareburger went out of business, Mi Casa moved in, filling a need in the community for a sort of “upscale TexMex experience” that offers food from the American Southwest.

Since they conceptualized the restaurant, Berry said he and his partner have faced numerous challenges, including short staffing and a slower opening process due to increased construction and design time.

Despite the complications during the opening process, Berry said the restaurant has been well received by the community now that it’s open.

“This industry is defined by resilience,” Berry said.

He said opening a restaurant during the pandemic brought a lot of mixed emotions, and is sympathetic to other business owners who struggled.

“It is a big wake-up call to everybody in this industry that no matter how good of a job you do, you never have 100% control of what is going on,” Berry said.

That’s a reality Farid Nouri recognizes.

When he closed Eighteenth Street Lounge, Nouri said he knew he couldn’t operate his business at the full potential with capacity restrictions and routine safety checks. But he kept the possibility of another location.

“I had a lot more options than other businesses in Washington,” Nouri said.

Now that vaccines are available and nightlife is coming back, Nouri has decided he will reopen the lounge in a new location next year after pandemic restrictions are lifted.

Nouri emphasized that he will continue to be flexible because of the ever-changing nature of the pandemic, and he doesn’t plan to open the lounge until he can safely and effectively provide the nightlife experience that he thinks the lounge deserves.

Like many business owners, Nouri said the pandemic motivated lots of adjustments for him, but at the end of the day, he is grateful for the opportunity to reopen.

“It ended up changing a lot of things for me,” Nouri said.

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Cadario said his “whole house started to shake” when construction began on Pepco’s Capital Grid Project.

Cadario is one of about 15 residents along T Street who are collectively facing close to $1 million in damages to their homes due to vibrations caused by the project.

Pepco, the primary energy provider in the area, said they proposed the Capital Grid Project to strengthen the energy grid in the District. focuses on the upgrade of three electrical substations and the development of a new substation to serve an area experiencing rapid development. It also includes the addition of a 10-mile transmission line to connect substations and increase power flow.

One of these transmission lines was installed on T Street, from . The construction left homes with cracked plaster, displaced bricks and other issues as a result of vibrations caused by large trucks and digging on the street.

The Office of the People’s Counsel announced Monday that in response to residents’ frustration, it is launching a formal investigation into the damage caused by the excavation.

The petition, if passed, will investigate if Pepco’s construction practices that damaged homes were “imprudent.”

Pepco is continuing to monitor the complaints and their contractor will work with community members on insurance claims, according to an email from spokesperson Jamie Caswell.

Caswell also said after receiving feedback from the community, Pepco will update its construction plans for historic districts.

“With every project, both Pepco and our contractors performing work are actively engaged with the local community to incorporate feedback and make adjustments, if needed, as this work progresses,” Caswell said in an email.

In response to the statement, T Street resident Betsy Miller said the problem is much larger than the issue of communication on Pepco’s behalf.

“As a community, we have appreciated the professionalism of the workers and ombudsman who have been courteous and responsive to our outreach, however that does not address or excuse what appears to be a grievous lack of basic precaution at the beginning to prevent the damage of these historic buildings,” Miller said.

Residents are currently in the process of receiving insurance offers after filing claims with Pepco earlier this year, said Cadario.

According to residents, the original claim put forward by Pepco’s contractor wasn’t sufficient to cover the cost of fixing the damage to homes.

Residents have received multiple bids from contractors and are currently in negotiations with Pepco.

Cadario said the destruction could have been avoided if Pepco had a plan specific for protecting the neighborhood.

“Once they decided they’re going down T street, somebody should have done due diligence about the construction techniques that were appropriate in an area with houses with brick facades,” Cadario said.

Kyle Mulhall said he is one of several T Street residents who expressed concern about the project when it was first introduced. He said he asked from the start to ensure the project be approached with caution due to their historic homes.

“We were told at the time they would be monitoring these structures, but we quickly realized this was not the case,” Mulhall said.

Aside from the damage, Mulhall said the nature of the year-long project was frustrating for residents. He said they lost access to parking and had to deal with loud construction site noises while working from home.

Mulhall said T Street is known for having homes of a historic nature, and the street has a weight restriction for heavy trucks in efforts to preserve the area.

However, Mulhall said he witnessed large trucks maneuvering through T Street for the duration of the project.

“It was as if we became an earthquake zone for 12 months,” Mulhall said.

Pepco plans to finish construction on T Street next year before they move on to the next portion of the project.

The entirety of the Capital Grid Project is set to be finished in 2023.

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With a lack of handicap parking spots, the corridor of streetearies, bars, cafes and businesses makes it hard for people who have paraplegia like Rogers to get around. So instead, he parks in a loading zone.

Rogers has been outspoken about the recent transformation of 17th Street parking, bike and driving lanes.

He said he is looking out for the next person with mobility issues who struggles to find accessible parking spots in the area.

“I have been doing this for 40 years. I have been fighting accessibility for a long time,” Rogers said.

17th Street has always been host to a network of “shareability” issues, with narrow streets causing tension between the retailers, pedestrians and vehicle traffic, according to many local residents.

During the pandemic, more people began walking, biking and running throughout the city, sparking a conversation surrounding potential improvements. Formerly, the street had only a narrow one-way bike lane going south, with no room for bikers to safely ride in the opposite direction.

DDOT transformed the corridor entirely in July by adding space dedicated to streetearies, a shared through-traffic lane southbound and a single protected bike lane northbound. While these changes improved the area for pedestrians and bikers, they reduced street parking and loading zones.

Three months later, it seems few people are happy.

People gathered in front of the Safeway on 17th Street on Friday, protesting the bike lane and demanding a comprehensive review, a study of alternatives and a public presentation of the ongoing bike lane plans for the rest of the street.

Some protestors held a sign that read “NO BIKE HIGHWAY ON 17th!” citing high-speed cyclists as one of the primary issues the bike lane creates.

Former 2B ANC Commissioner Aaron Landry said he oversaw the project for the reverse bike lane when it was proposed by the DC Department of Transportation in July of 2020. Landry said DDOT took the perspectives of many stakeholders into account and came up with a compromise for all people involved. While he said it isn’t the perfect solution to some of the issues on 17th Street, he said it accommodated most of the people that held stake.

“The overall result is a much safer and lively street, and I’m really proud of the work we did to help make 17th Street safer,” Landry said.

The strip along 17th Street is part of a within the District of Columbia to improve its streets by adding an . Though the plans are motivated by increasing bike transportation, the lanes affect more than just bikers.

With 17th Street being a host to many streetearies, local businesses and other staples, the replacement of street parking with a bike lane affects the entire East Dupont community. (Heidi Kirk / 91����)

Dupont East Civic Action Association President Nick Delledonne has been one of the most outspoken voices in the community against the bike lane. Delledonne said he thinks the bike lane has caused a host of issues, including dangerous streets for pedestrians due to high-speed cyclists. Delledonne said he fears that someone might get hit by a fast-moving bike while trying to cross the street.

“We don’t want anyone to be injured. The protected bike lane causes a hazard for the residents. It is really dangerous,” Delledonne said.

Another issue that Delledonne raised with the bike lanes was the removal of parking spaces to accommodate them.

One of the local businesses affected by the lane is Cairo Wine and Liquor. Owner Howard Aaronson said he’s not against bike lanes in general but said he thinks that 17th Street would be better off without them. He said he thinks the space could be better utilized by parking spaces for his customers.

“It is affecting our customers because there is no place for them to park,” Aaronson said.

While the street does have loading zones in place, Delledonne said they aren’t well marked or plentiful enough to support the number of businesses that are receiving shipments on any given day.

Cairo Wine and Liquor Owner Howard Aaronson said his truck drivers risk getting a ticket every time they bring a shipment due to the lack of loading zones. Additionally, they struggle to pull out of the designated zones for lack of space. (Heidi Kirk / 91����)

Ariton Ishmali echoes the same concern. He said he is bike-savvy but doesn’t dare ride on 17th Street for fear of being hit by a car or a high-speed scooter that is improperly using the lane.

“I am a biker, but if I come this way, I am looking to kill myself,” Ishmali said.

Despite these skeptics, other bikers said they think the lane is a huge improvement to the area and makes the community a safer place for bikers, drivers and pedestrians alike.

Daniel Adler said he thinks the lane doesn’t just benefit bikers but makes the community an overall more accessible place for people to live. Adler said he sees more locals out and about since the changes to the strip made it a more vibrant spot for people to gather together.

“It made the street more friendly for people. We have taken a public space that was previously dedicated to cars, and we have converted it into a space for people,” Adler said.

Stephen Marencic uses the lane to bike to work. He said the changes have improved his commute astronomically and even makes him feel more comfortable biking with his kid.

“I have been hit several times [before the changes],” Marencic said. “The lane gives me more confidence in biking around the neighborhood.”

But Adler said he thinks there is still work to be done on 17th Street. He said he thinks the community could benefit from raised crosswalks and clearer signage. Despite these suggested improvements, he said he thinks the configuration is overall benefiting the community and not causing a hazard for pedestrians.

Despite some opposition and calls to action, DDOT is still moving forward with a bike lane extension. The Advisory Neighborhood Commission for the Dupont Circle Neighborhood passed the extension plans at its Sept. 9 meeting.

The extension runs from T Street NW to Florida Avenue and will be installed in the coming months.

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