According to D.C Public Schools Deputy Press Secretary Ashlynn Profit, the study will determine whether Banneker High School’s current facility will be a good spot for a middle school.

Banneker High School is slated to move into the former Shaw Middle School property, closed in 2013 following low enrollment.Ěý

The study will also look at other sites in the neighborhood that could house a future middle school, Profit added.Ěý

“The feasibility study will include looking at both the current Banneker building and the Garnet-Patterson building – which is located in the Shaw neighborhood,” she said.

Controversy arose in the Shaw and Logan Circle communities over the summer when Mayor Muriel Bowser and D.C. Public Schools Chancellor Lewis Ferebee moved forward with the Banneker relocation plan.

City and school officials authorized moving Banneker High School into the Shaw Middle School property despite not having any middle schools in the area. A and a this year had promised an alternative future for the middle school site.

ĚýIn addition to the move, D.C. Public Schools and the Department of Parks and Recreation have decided to allow Banneker High School to use the park space next to the property.Ěý

According to Profit, a memorandum of agreement between DCPS and DPS will allow Banneker to use the property for programming such as sporting-related and recreational events.

Ěý stated in a June article that under federal law, charter schools in D.C that are considered high performing and financially stable get first dibs at vacant public schools.

Coincidentally, Banneker High School fits most of those requirements since it is a charter school that has the highest standardized test scores and advanced placement in the District, according to U.S. News Ranking .Ěý

But residents say they feel betrayed by the District school system because they believed a renovated middle school was near certain.

At an Advisory Neighborhood Commission meeting in October, Commissioner Jason Forman proposed reopening Shaw Middle School in Banneker High School’s soon-to-be vacant location by 2021. Now Forman says he is unsure whether his ward’s efforts were in vain.

“Since our proposal has no time limit attached to it, technically the mayor never has to look at it or get back to us, which could be problematic,” he said.

According to a DCist’s , some of the City Council members made a similar proposal earlier this year for a school swap between the middle school site and the high school site.

D.C. Public Schools Press Secretary Shayne Wells said the school system is still deciding how best to satisfy the neighborhood’s request for a middle school. He added that D.C. Public Schools wants every student in the district to be suited with the best academic opportunities.

“We are still exploring all our options in that aspect,” he said. “We have a mayor and chancellor that wants the best educational options for students,” Wells said.Ěý

In addition to exploring options, Wells also said that, during Banneker’s building process, he wants the community to remember that they are vital too and that he wants their input on what they want out of a future middle school.Ěý

“Along the next two years, the community will be included in the outlook, academic facets and overall process,” he said.

Jason Clock, an ANC commissioner for education, supported the decision to move Banneker to the middle school and directed anyone in the neighborhood who was upset with the decision or wanted a new middle school to speak directly with the mayor.

“I trust in Mayor Bowser to make the right decisions if they felt it was right then it probably was, and it’s been long overdue and if there’s anything you feel like you want changed, just talk to the mayor. She is open to listen,” Clock said.

A held in September, finalized Banneker’s spot at Shaw Middle School.Ěý

At the event, someĚý people had their own ideas of ways to accommodate the residents that wanted a new middle school in the neighborhood.Ěý

Rhonda Henderson, a Banneker High School alumna, said the neighborhood should scout for buildings and use Banneker’s old location as an option. She even proposed that the students could just stay at Cardozo High School in Columbia Heights where the middle schoolers in the area are currently being sent for school.

However, Mo Maraqa, a dog owner and volunteer at the Shaw Dog Park, took what the D.C. Public Schools said in providing the community with a middle school with a grain of salt. He said City Council was dishonest and lost his trust.Ěý

“They told me they weren’t going to make many changes to the dog park and, next thing you know, they tell me they are going to shut it down and make it smaller,” Maraqa said referring to the city’s plan to reshape the dog park upon renovating the Shaw Middle School property. “Maybe the middle school would be better suited to the area, but, once again, they weren’t very transparent.”Ěý

ĚýAccording to Evelyn Boyd, president of the Logan Circle Community Association, there was never supposed to be a negotiation when a middle school was promised for the area.Ěý

“I think it is a bad decision to build a charter high school instead of a neighborhood middle school,” Boyd said.

The post What’s next for a middle school in Shaw? first appeared on 91ÇŃ×Ó.

Just last month, two teens were hospitalized after a shooting in Shaw, and, in September, 19-year-old Tahil Byrd was gunned down by a bicyclist near Shaw-Howard University Station.

The violence got so out of hand that the Metropolitan Police Department had to host two separate emergency meetings addressing the gun violence that was occurring in the area.

According to a Metropolitan Police Department crime map, there were 118 violent crimes in Shaw in September and October this year —Ěýa 22% jump from the 92 reported from the same time frame last year.

While some of the crimes decreased, like sexual abuse and homicide, a majority of the crimes ended up increased, comparing the two time frames.

Some of the crimes that led to the increase were assaults with a dangerous weapon, robberies with guns and robberies without guns.

The Community Reacts

The MPD’s Communication Representative Kristen Metzger said the Third District police have started to make their presence known while also building resources in the community.

“MPD’s Third District has increased their foot patrol in Shaw neighborhood after the recent violent incidents that have occurred,” she said. “The goal is to have a presence in the neighborhood, make as many contacts with residents in the area and let them know they can come forward with any information.”

Metzger also said the department is building a community outreach team within Shaw and Logan Circle where people can come forward with tips or leads. She also added that the MPD has found the source for most of the recent violence.

The police are ineffective. They don’t prevent violence or anything and it’s not their jobs to prevent violence since they are already a part of the ongoing problem.

“These violent incidents usually stem from petty arguments that get escalated to where a gun is introduced,” Metzger said.

But ANC Commissioner Teresa Edmondson unflinchingly said that relying on the police to keep the residents safe is isn’t the solution since they have a hand in the problem.

“The police are ineffective. They don’t prevent violence or anything and it’s not their jobs to prevent violence since they are already a part of the ongoing problem,” Edmondson said.

She later advised that the only solution to the uprise in violence was more community involvement.

“People need to talk to each other and get to know each other,” she said. “We need to just be more neighborly in general.”

Shaw resident Peter Casey said he usually felt safe in his neighborhood until all the violence started happening consistently. He said he now feels vulnerable and has a high level of concern about the safety of his family and neighbors.

He said he understands the police are under a lot of scrutiny and thinks they are doing the best they can with the situation that was presented to them.

“I think the police are doing what they can. The police officer’s role of policing is limited, they can’t be everywhere at once and as long as there is conflict and guns we will never have peace,” Casey said.

According to Casey, change must start with young people. He said the community needs to invest in youth if they ever want to see an end to all this lawlessness in the future.

“The community needs more programs that help the young generation de-escalate from similar cycles of violence,” Casey said.

The post Recent violence in Shaw has left residents fearful first appeared on 91ÇŃ×Ó.

This is the Nationals’ first time in the World Series, and many residents feel like they have a stake in this series.

One long-time fan John Atwood remembers when the Nationals were called the Senators. Win or lose, he said he’s still proud of his team and has been waiting for a moment like this for a long time.

“When I was a kid, I went to the Senators games in the late 1960s before they left for Texas,” he said. “For them to gradually rise to the point where they finally made it to the World Series it’s something I and Washington baseball fans have been waiting for for a lifetime.”

D.C. resident Michael Holler said the Nationals have never been the team favored to win and thinks they still have time to make a comeback.

“If we end up losing, that’s a tough one. I mean I think kind of going into this series is that we were the wildcard coming in, there is an element of the kind of like the underdog vibe,” Holler said.

While all the hype seems to be revolving around the Nationals, the Washington Capitals had a historic run last year that resulted in their first-ever championship title in the Stanley Cup.

And a similar feat happened much earlier this year with the Washington Mystics when they won their first-ever championship, but many D.C. residents didn’t seem to care as much.

D.C. resident John Atwood said the Mystics deserve a lot more recognition than they received.

“I’m disappointed. You know they won the title here in D.C. I do think they deserved a better reaction then they got,” Atwood said.

The Nats will face the Astros in game six of the series tonight, in Houston.

The post Everyone seems to have Nats fever, but what about the Mystics and Capitals? first appeared on 91ÇŃ×Ó.

The 14th Street location will be Amazon’s second brick and mortar store in the District, following the launch of their bookstore in Georgetown in 2018.

Amazon has not commented on what the store will contain, leading to assumptions that it will be similar to Amazon Go stores — locations where customers can use Amazon’s mobile app to buy items.

Logan Circle resident Roy Alexander said Amazon’s new store may have a few short-comings, but in the end it would provide more benefit for the community as a whole.Ěý

“I know many people will have an issue with the Amazon because of gentrification in the neighborhood, but Logan Circle is a very liberal community,” Alexander said.Ěý “The new Amazon will have a positive affect in the community because we are lacking quality stores and could use more jobs in the neighborhood too.”Ěý

Similarly, Jahan Zaman, a Logan Circle resident, said the pros of Amazon being built in the community will vastly outweigh the cons.

“The disadvantage is that pricing on property value will go up and drive people out who can’t afford that higher rent, but it will definitely have a positive effect because anytime you have a company that big it’ll end up giving back to the community,” Zaman said.Ěý

Zahman also added that the store will help residents who may not be tech savvy or would prefer not to use Amazon’s web-based service.Ěý

On the other hand, Logan Circle Resident Sam Kirchman said he doesn’t think bringing Amazon to the neighborhood will be a smart idea for the community.

“It’ll have a negative effect on the community because it will be edging out local businesses and taking more than contributing, on top of that they have a business model that doesn’t support human resources, so by them coming here we are not getting any more jobs either,” Kirchman said.Ěý

ANC commissioner Janice Ferebee said the Amazon is just a continuation of an ongoing challenges of gentrification that’s happening in D.C. Ferebee also added that the Amazon had the potential to price out some of the smaller stores in the area, thus elevating the rent of businesses in that area forcing smaller businesses to leave.

“This is just a continuation of the gentrification process and the Amazon coming is just adding to it,” Ferebee said.

Local businesses weigh in

Pernice Harrington, sales associate and communication representative at Logan Hardware, said the new Amazon store will negatively affect their store, as well as the sense of community they have worked to establish for over 20 years.Ěý

“They will be offering services that we offer, but offering them at a bundle prices,” Harrington said. “It’ll be harder for us because we are a smaller business.”

Sarah Applegate, manager at Lou Lou, an accessory boutique store, said the new Amazon storeĚý will not have a positive impact on the Logan Circle local businesses.Ěý

“I don’t see it bringing customers in, i think it will just be competition to all the small businesses in the area,” Applegate said.

But according to West Elm furniture Sales and Communication Representative Scott Gresham, a lot of good will come about from Amazon coming to the neighborhood. He also said the store will attract a lot more people, thus bringing in more revenue, but it would also be a nightmare for smaller businesses.

“It can potentially drive business into this area and help bring more people to the neighborhood which is what we want,” Gresham said. ”It is only going to be a problem for the smaller businesses which sell similar products because Amazon will probably price at a lower rate.”

Gresham cautioned, however, that the new Amazon had the potential to take away from the community aspect that is important to most residents in the area.Ěý

“Those of us in the neighborhood like the older businesses, and after being in the area so long we don’t even see them as our competitors anymore, but with Amazon coming things could change,” Gresham said.

The post Ready or not, Amazon is coming to 14th Street first appeared on 91ÇŃ×Ó.

More than 100 witnesses expressed mixed feelings Thursday about a bill decriminalizing sex work in the District. They shared their comments at a grueling, eight hour public hearing at city hall hosted by the Committee for Judiciary and Public Safety.Ěý

The Community Safety and Health Amendment Act was first proposed in 2017 but is now being reintroduced by council-members David Grosso and Robert White, Brianne Nadeau and Anita Bonds. The bill would fully decriminalize sex trade within the District, including acts of pimping, purchasing sex and operating brothels.ĚýĚý

D.C. Councilmember David Grosso said the bill will help empower sex workers by giving them more possibilites, like extra funding, medical assistance and housing opportunities.

“The approach that we are taking is about giving sex workers more safety options not fewer,” Grosso said.Ěý

Grosso also said the bill will increase the task force assigned sex-related issues and the budget allocated to assist sex survivors.

Ěý“We know one of the best ways to fight human trafficking is by funding people’s basic needs,” Grosso said.Ěý

According to Anthony Green, an ANC commissioner, the bill is a means of survival. He said many of the people involved in sex work are minority groups that have been rejected from a normal means of making a living. He said people who oppose the bill are thoseĚý lucky enough to have never had to turn to sex work.

“These people are pushed out of communities with little to no choices. People who are complaining about the bill are people looking out of the blinds of their house who have never been a part of that life,” Green said.Ěý

Ěý Tamika Spellman, an advocacy associate at Helping Individual Prostitutes Survive, was a former sex worker —Ěý as young as 16 when she started. She said America is already selling sex in different facits, so sex work should not be illegal. She also noted that sex work was a means of providing for her loved ones.Ěý

“Sex sells in almost every product, so why is the selling of sex illegal,” Spellman said.Ěý

On the other hand, pastor Allen Smith said the decriminalization bill will bring about anarchy and leave young womenĚý vulnerable.

Jasmine Ortiz, CEO of SAFE Network, Inc., an advocacy organization for those who have been victims of trafficking, is a former prostitute who was sold by her family to a pimp at the age of three. She said she was in opposition to the bill because it encourages the exploitation of kids.Ěý

“No child dreams of being a victim of trafficking,” Ortiz said.

ANC Commissioner Christopher Hawthrone said he had no immediate decision on the bill because he blames other societal issues for implementing this problem. the issues stemmed from another field.

“I do not have a side on this bill, but the reason we have this problem is because issues are not being brought up and the systems in place have failed us a whole,” Hawthrone said.Ěý

According to D.C Council Communications Rep Erik Salmi There will be a long break between the hearing and committee vote.

The post DC Council hears emotional testimony about bill decriminalizing sex work first appeared on 91ÇŃ×Ó.

Commissioners and residents discussed the decriminalization bill that was first written in 2017.

The was then introduced by council members David Grosso and Robert White. The legislation of the bill would fully decriminalize sex trade within the District, including acts of pimping, purchasing sex and operating brothels.Ěý

Mayor Bowser said she doesn’t support the bill and is working with the Shaw and Logan neighborhoods to handle the concern. She added that the profession itself is dangerous.

“I have never supported the bill. I am working with communities right now to help solve this problem. We will continue to work with MPD on this joint effort. A lot of sex work is just not safe for sex workers and the communities,” Bowser said.

Bowser also said the D.C. government has certain plans in place like funding to fix public housing and funding towards District of Columbia Housing Authority to help sex workers find a way out of the sex work industry.

“If sex workers are looking for a way out, they can reach out to my team. We have programs and people that would be more than open to help,” Bowser said.

According to former ANC Commissioner Helen Hawk, the proposal needs to be vetoed immediately. She said prostitution is starting to become more common and children should not be vulnerable to it.Ěý

“One morning my neighbor was walking her dog and 10 women were soliciting. Veto the bill. People can’t sleep and children shouldn’t be exposed to this type of stuff,” Hawk said.Ěý

Similarly, ANC Commissioner Kevin Sylvester said decriminalization won’t solve the problem of sex work in the neighborhood. He also said many kids live in the community and questions what example is being set for them if sex work is promoted.Ěý

While most residents and ANC commissioners were in agreement of vetoing the bill, a District-based organization called Rights 4 Girls offered their own critical thoughts.

Yasmin Vafa, executive director for Rights 4 Girls, said she is opposed to the sex decriminalization bill’s current layout because it gives power to the exploiters.

“The decriminalization bill has nothing set up and has no regulations. It will legalize and support men pursuing girls like in Nevada and people will suffer more. People like me who work in this industry know you’re giving more power to the exploiters,” Vata said.ĚýĚý

Rights 4 Girls is a human rights organization in the District that advocates for the dignity and rights of young women and girls, so they can live a life free of violence and exploitation, according to the organization’s website.

According to Vafa, the best approach would be partial decriminalization or the . This plan proposes that sex workers are cleared of their criminal record so they can get jobs. The plan also calls for large fines against those who exploit sex workers, with the money being allocated back to the workers. And, the Equality Model provides health care to help sex workers find a way out of the sex work profession.Ěý

“We hope D.C. Council will take their words to heart and enact partial decriminalization, preventing more trauma and prioritizing the safety of our District’s most marginalized women and youths,” Vafa said.Ěý

The post Sex work stirs trouble in Logan Circle first appeared on 91ÇŃ×Ó.

Aysha Ghadiali, a Logan Circle resident who was hit by a car last year while crossing the traffic circle, said the incident left her with broken bones, trouble chewing and in a wheelchair for months. Ghadali also noted that the neighborhood needs to make more changes faster.

“Some changes are happening, but safety needs to improve in Logan Circle,” she said.

Similarly, Janice Ferebee, an ANC commissioner and member of the Pedestrian Council, said the walk signals need more time and are not convenient for elderly pedestrians. As a pedestrian, she said, people have to watch and be aware of your surroundings while crossing.

She said the ANC’s Public Space and Transportation Committee made a request to the District Department of Transportation to do a study that could result in longer walk signal times. Ferebee also added that, in neighborhoods near Logan Circle, the same problem is present.

“Thomas Circle is dealing with the same issues. The walk signals don’t give enough time for people to get across and cars get reckless,” Ferebee said.

According to District Department of Transportation, there are where bicyclists and scooters are not permitted to ride. Ward 2F (Logan Circle) is one of them.

During the same ANC meeting, transportation committee members said they requested a different traffic study from DDOT pertaining to accidents involving pedestrians and bikes.

Committee Vice-Chairman Harrison Grafos, a bicyclist himself, talked at length about how vital protected bike lanes are and how the implementation of them in the Logan Circle area is needed.

Somer Atawneh, a Logan Circle resident who bikes frequently, said he sometimes rides the sidewalks when they are not congested, but he tries to take advantage of alleys and other routes if possible. He was also steadfast in saying that pedestrians always have the right-of-way in any situation.

“Road is your primary, but the sidewalk is for pedestrians, so let them have it,” Atawneh said. “Keep up with the cars if you want. If the sidewalk is busy get off the bike.”

Uniquely, Cecily Robbins a Logan Circle resident who uses a wheelchair, said she rides her wheels in the bike lane even when the bike lane can be unclear at times because when she rode on the sidewalk the presence of her wisping by would startle pedestrians. She also claimed that all wheels need to stay off the sidewalk.

“If you are in an area where there are established sidewalks use the bike lane,” Robbins said.

On the other hand, ANC Commissioner Janice Ferebee does not want to see any scooters or bikes riding on the sidewalk crowded or not, but she does support better bike lanes to prevent these forms of mobile transit from using the sidewalk.

“Pedestrians have right of way, I should never hear a bell ringing to tell me to get out of the way,” Ferebee said.

Among the various issues within the community, District officials have decided to build the first ever protected bike lane in the District starting at 14th and N streets.

According to the project website, the developers of this , hope that the finished product will improve mobility and pedestrian safety on a grand scale.

The post Residents want longer crosswalk times, bike lane protection in Logan Circle first appeared on 91ÇŃ×Ó.