91���� got to the scene about a half-hour after the Metropolitan Police Department, or MPD, issued an alert via Twitter for a robbery investigation on the 1500 block of Meridian Place NW. By that time, another group of officers was entering Sunflower House Corporation, the apartment building located at 1440 Meridian Pl. NW.��

ALERT: Robbery Investigation in the 1500 block of Meridian Pl NW. Lookout is for 3 Black Males, 1 armed with a rifle, and was last seen in a Gray Nissan

Have info? Call (202) 727-9099/text 50411

— DC Police Department (@DCPoliceDept)

Domestic assault��

The MPD arrested Elie Moussa, 64, for allegedly throwing a glass vase at a woman in a domestic dispute, according to the public incident report provided by Kristen Metzger, deputy director of the MPD’s Office of Communications.��

Moussa came out of the apartment building in handcuffs around 4:15 p.m., and the victim came out a few minutes later. She was wearing a sleeveless top and had gauze wrapped all the way up her left arm. Some blood was seeping through the bandage near her wrist.��

The victim was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, Metzger said.��

A man carrying GrubHub-labeled insulated bags went in and out of the building when a few police officers first entered it around 4 p.m. He said he did not know what was happening and didn’t hear what the police officers were talking about. He said he was an Amazon deliveryman and wouldn’t give his name.����

Robbery

A man was robbed on the sidewalk across the street from the Sunflower House Corporation apartment building around 3 p.m., according to the incident report.��

One of the alleged assailants had what the victim described as “a long black gun or a rifle” and held him against a fence with his right hand, keeping his left on the gun. He was robbed by two men, while a third stood lookout and a fourth drove the fleeing vehicle, according to the public narrative in the incident report.����

The man declared over $1,400 of items and cash stolen, according to the report. The robbers stole a full wallet, an iPhone XR, AirPods and a Gucci belt.��

Gerard Tyler, who has lived in the building for eight years and became board secretary during the pandemic, said police activity has diminished since MPD put up a camera that records the area from inside a secure, parked trailer.��

“I came outside to walk my dog when I saw all the police officers,” Tyler said. “I tried to call the director of the building and share some information, but [the officers] won’t tell me anything. They just said there’s nothing to worry about.”��

The parking lot across the street from the apartment building used to overflow with people who didn’t live on the block, Tyler said. He suspected many were drinking and using drugs.

Building resident Ashley Lowe, 36, said the same.

“But it’s been pretty quiet since they put the drone up,” she said. “The building itself is really quiet. Just the parking lot was the issue.”��

That “drone” is a , Metzger said. They are stationed around the District in hopes of combatting neighborhood crime.��

Metzger was unable to confirm when the trailer was installed in the Meridian Place neighborhood by press time. MPD’s does not have the 1400 block of Meridian Place NW on its list of areas with closed-circuit television trailers.��

A few other passersby, who only provided their first names, also said the block has been quiet since the MPD added the camera. Many praised the MPD for responding to incidents and maintaining order within the neighborhood.��

ANC 1A, which includes 1440 Meridian Pl. NW, sees .

The post Two violent crimes in one afternoon shake Columbia Heights neighborhood first appeared on 91����.

But the Department of Public Works, or DPW, is already , and leaves are sitting in wet piles after Monday’s rain, blocking walkways for longer than anticipated. Some residents say ��since a gust of wind can undo all their work, scatter the leaves and leave sidewalks littered with soppy foliage.��

“With leaf removal, [DPW has] to be careful about when and how fast they can do it with weather,” said Thomas Mangrum, a wheelchair-user.�� “If you try to go on the leaves with a wheelchair, it can cause your tires to spin.”

Mangrum is co-president of Project ACTION!, a disabilities advocacy group in Washington. He uses a motorized wheelchair for mobility and expressed concern with piles of leaves being left around the city for weeks.��

DPW advises against raking leaves directly onto sidewalks or into the street. DPW is asking residents to rake leaves into tree boxes near the front of their property, that way, a vacuum can come by during a scheduled pick-up and suck the leaves away.��

https://twitter.com/DCDPW/status/1332549782842302465?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Cesar Barreto, an Americans with Disabilities Act coordinator within the District Department of Transportation, said leaf piles bring about “valid accessibility concerns, as you can’t see a pothole, you can’t see if a sidewalk has a crack or you don’t know where the curb ramp is.”��

Barreto attended a with 91���� two weeks ago, which was hosted by the DC Multimodal Accessibility Advisory Council and addressed residents’ mobility concerns. He talked about curbside management and told 91���� afterward he recognized how leaf collection could be inaccessible.

Along with mobility issues, wheelchair-users – and other disabled and elderly residents – are unable to rake the leaves themselves. Without the assistance of neighbors or friends, many cannot clean their yards, per DPW’s request.

ANC 5B Commissioner-elect Colleen Costello sent a couple of to DPW asking how seniors and residents with disabilities would be expected to collect their leaves. DPW initially responded to say it doesn’t provide leaf-raking assistance.��

Sorry Colleen. We don’t provide assistance for raking leaves. We do partner with for snow season though.

— DC Department of Public Works (@DCDPW)

But when Costello followed up by email, DPW replied to say residents could use the “” program, for which disabled residents are eligible.��

The city’s website says this service is available for “residents who are physically unable” to collect and empty their own garbage and recycling containers. for this service require proof of disability from a physician.��

“There are still a few things about the program that are unclear to me,” Costello told 91���� via Twitter. “DPW’s FAQ says ‘current’ program participants can get help with their leaves. Does that mean new enrollees can’t? And if someone wants to enroll, the enrollment form requires them to submit proof of disability. Does that mean non-disabled seniors are ineligible?”

91���� sent DPW some complaints from residents with disabilities, asking for responses to their safety concerns. The city did not respond to these complaints and other clarification questions about leaf collection by press time.

Shaw resident Rachael Gass, a member of the disability community and a commissioner on the DC Commission on Persons with Disabilities, said residents in need should call the city’s 311 line to request raking.��

“I use them a lot. They’re really good at tagging for the right agency,” she said. “And many elderly people will benefit from this. Most are a part of our community.”��

91���� filed numerous public information requests to learn how many leaf-collection and sidewalk-cleaning requests were received and fulfilled since early September. The city did not respond to the requests by press time.

Gass has a variety of disabilities, she said, and her extreme allergies make raking leaves difficult for her. Her housemates helped her rake her yard this year.��

“I am not a wheelchair user, but being a part of the disability community, I have a lot of colleagues and friends who are,” Gass said. “I know if you leave piles or bags of leaves sitting out, you’ve made sidewalks inaccessible. I see this being on par with snow removal and keeping sidewalks clear in the winter.”��

Changed raking instructions create confusion

DPW printed and mailed a pamphlet in late October to residents detailing leaf-raking and collection instructions, which have since changed. The pamphlet asked residents to rake leaves into paper bags, which DPW said it would provide.

But the city later changed its instructions without sending a new pamphlet to residents. This internet-only announcement confused many.

I'm confused…I JUST got my paper brochure in the mail, and it says to bag the leaves. Did you make this change right after printing the brochures?

— Eliza Cava (@eliza_cava)

DPW sent conflicting information over Twitter, asking residents to check their mailed brochures for leaf-collection details while also saying paper bags were no longer needed. Numerous District residents replied with , and lots of .��

“The bagged leaf collection program was intended to minimize collection crews’ exposure to COVID-19 and encourage composting,” DPW wrote on their . “Resuming the vacuum collection program will help simplify composting operations and maximize employment opportunities.”

The post Disabled residents worry about leaf collection rules, delays first appeared on 91����.

and the , two advocacy groups that focus on community assistance over government intervention, plan visits to the Shaw, Foggy Bottom and NoMa neighborhood encampments each week. They aim to know the residents living there, address their needs and work to ensure they are met. Two Ward 2-area encampments currently need water in their hand-washing stations, and the third needs increased toilet sanitation.

“The hand-washing stations at the O Street and NoMa encampments don’t have water. The Foggy Bottom encampment is the only one with water,” activist Qaadir El-Amin, 41, said. “We check each week when we go out there, and O Street hasn’t had water for a while.”��

Reggie Black, the People for Fairness Coalition’s advocacy director, wonders if the issue is negligence “on the front line” or from the District’s Department of Health and Human Services, which he said manages the hand-washing stations and portable toilets.��

Washing with soap and water is one of the to keep yourself safe – and protect others – from the coronavirus, according to the CDC. If individuals experiencing homelessness cannot properly keep clean by washing their hands regularly – like so many can do in their homes – they can contribute to the spread of the deadly virus.��

“I look at these hand-washing stations every week. I check for water, and it doesn’t come out. I check for soap, and the soap isn’t there,” Black said. “Why are you allowing this hand-washing station to be this neglected?”��

91���� visited the Shaw-area encampment at O Street & New Jersey Avenue NW on Oct. 31, and a hand-washing station’s service record sticker indicated the last date of service was Aug. 3.

The District’s Department of Health and Human Services’ public information officer did not respond to requests for comment.��

Ward 2 Mutual Aid and the People for Fairness Coalition, or PFFC, promote community by “knowing your neighbor, and when you know your neighbor, you don’t hate or discriminate against your neighbor,” said El-Amin, who is a member of each organization.

El-Amin merged the work of the two groups in early October. They use monetary donations to buy supplies, which they distribute during their visits.��

The two groups bring toiletry and food donations to Shaw on Saturdays, NoMa on Sundays and Foggy Bottom on Fridays. Monetary and item donations allow the groups to make individual bags that include toilet paper, baby wipes, water bottles, first aid kits, snacks and more.��

Those living at the tent encampments on E & 20th Street NW want more frequent sanitation and a sturdier toilet, some said.��

“The port-o-potties we have are for events, while we’re using them every day. I see someone from the city come and clean them up only once each week,” Marianna Worthington, 59, said. She said she’s been living in the E & 20th Street encampment for almost two years. “I’m thankful for all that the city does to help us, … but we need working sinks and flushable toilets.”��

The PFFC wants the city to service each hand-washing station at least five times each week, Black said.��

Mutual aid in Washington

Ward 2 Mutual Aid began their work after – a nonprofit that runs Ward 6 Mutual Aid in partnership with many other organizations – donated thousands of dollars to the group. This money has gone toward food, masks and other supplies for homeless residents in the District. Without this donation to spearhead Ward 2 Mutual Aid’s work, the organization likely would not have identified the unserviced hand-washing stations and portable toilets.��

Serve Your City’s mission is “” emphasizing meeting people where they are and supporting them – with money, resources or even a listening ear – instead of “saving” them.��

“Everyone deserves not to worry about the basics. Housing and eating are human rights, and it shouldn’t be commodified for the privileged class,” said Maurice Cook, Serve Your City’s executive director.

“It’s a lofty goal, but we can do it over time,” Cook said. “Folks who are recipients of [our work] don’t have to worry about the basics quite as much, then they have more capacity to build and support others.”

Serve Your City partners extensively with Ward 6 Mutual Aid to combat socioeconomic issues in Capitol Hill and surrounding areas. The group recently organized an , highlighting Black and Brown individuals in children’s literature.

“We want to create a system that relies on your community instead of law enforcement,” said Nathan Park, 24, who volunteers with Ward 2 Mutual Aid. “When the pandemic hit, the thinking was not only how will we take care of ourselves, but how are we going to take care of everyone?”��

For more information or to learn how to get involved:��

Ward 2 Mutual Aid – w2mutualaid@gmail.com��

People for Fairness Coalition – info@pffcdc.org��

Serve Your City – info@serveyourcitydc.org

The post No soap, water in hand-washing stations at Ward 2 tent encampments first appeared on 91����.

Some say the division emanated from four years of the Trump administration, where the president failed to denounce white supremacy and systemic racism.

On one side are Biden supporters who think Trump has promoted fringe groups and focused on anti-immigration policies. On the other side are Trump supporters who think law and order translates into more police and decry some being called racist. In many ways the divide also played out in a debate over the economy vs. Covid-19.

Oregon natives Adelaide Robison, 20, and Laura Anes, 22, for example, are worried that the violence they saw in Portland after the George Floyd death will spread to several major U.S. cities. They talked about this while visiting Washington, D.C.

“Trump has made it so much easier for people with far right-wing beliefs to come out and say, ‘Hey, I am a racist,’” Anes said. “He’s made it a lot easier for people to be hateful.”

Kansas master’s student Rosie Mansour predicts that this divisiveness will trigger post-election unrest. “President Trump has called for his supporters to be more aggressive and more violent regardless of the outcome,” Mansour, 23, said. “So, if he wins, there will be rioting in support of him. If he loses, there will be rioting because they’re upset.”

Stores in Washington, D.C., are preparing for election-related troubles. Stores with boarded-up windows are even more prominent near the White House.

Robison said when the most powerful man in the country expresses a racist view, he gives permission to a specific group of people who think it’s acceptable to think that way. “He is the leader of this new movement of people that are very proud of things they shouldn’t be proud of.”

Anes says this is scary.

Anes, who identifies as queer, says she and her girlfriend have to be very careful not to draw attention to themselves. She believes the country has regressed.

Robison, her girlfriend, agrees.

“It’s so disappointing to me,” Robison said. “I don’t think everything was perfect, but I think everything was normal-ish. It’s disappointing that we’ve regressed so far.”

“I think that it will take a really long time before at least half of the country believes that that’s not the way things should be.”

Can the nation heal?

As the worries fester, Washington-area activists are already thinking about how to bridge the massive political chasm.

White Christian leaders need to spearhead this movement, said Iva Carruthers, general secretary of the Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference, a Christian organization within the African American faith tradition focused on justice and equity issues.

“I think it’s going to take leadership, particularly … white faith leaders, who are willing to move far beyond their comfort zones to confront, educate and advocate toward a demand for a new way forward,” Carruthers said. “It’s time for white people to step up and confront other white people.”

Policy, education and behavioral modeling can also promote national unity in non-faith circles and communities, Carruthers said.

But many are too hurt by Trump to see themselves truly uniting with his supporters. Arlene Holt-Baker, chair of the social-action group Community Change, said her faith teaches her that unity is possible and necessary. Still, so many feel the Trump Administration has put so many already-oppressed people in even worse situations.

“How can I shout hallelujah for my 401k when others are starving and they are naked?” Holt-Baker said. It’s difficult for me to understand how others can, as a Christian.”

Leaders of secular organizations – like Bread for the City, a nonpartisan nonprofit that serves low-income and disproportionately marginalized individuals in the District – feel the same way.

The country’s political divide has existed much before 2020’s Trump-Biden showdown, said George Jones, Bread for the City’s CEO. While grappling with the Trump Administration’s treatment of low-income individuals, Bread for the City is working to undo longstanding policies that have disproportionately impacted Washington residents.

“That this past administration represented a kind of slap in the face to what supposedly were the values of the country, so it wasn’t about different politics but this president himself,” Jones said. “It’s anti-leadership. To have our fellow citizens support him like that, I have hard feelings about the division.”

Politics should step aside

But environmental leaders like John Groutt feel that too much is at stake to squabble over political differences.

Groutt is a founder of the Wicomico Environmental Trust, a nonprofit environmental organization focused on issues impacting the greater Chesapeake Bay watershed.

“Whether you’re a Democrat or a Republican, your land is going to be flooding,” Groutt said. “Sea levels are rising on the eastern shores of Maryland, farmers aren’t able to grow good crops and climate change is bringing about brand new diseases. Everyone is going to be majorly impacted, and it doesn’t matter what your politics are.”

Climate activists feel the facts speak for themselves, and partisan politics around climate change are beginning to disappear – a good thing.

Sarah Greenberger, the National Audubon’s Society’s senior vice president of conservation policy, has led party-centered efforts to bridge thoughts that climate change is partisan. Audubon protects birds and their habitats in the United States.

“We’re solutions-driven, so we present the science and the facts,” Greenberger said. “It’s more productive to focus on the solutions, and people can come to different solutions for different reasons, and that’s OK.”

Mansour, a Kansas native, says unification starts in the White House. “We need to vote him out,” she said as the votes were being counted.

Americans say although the air at Black Lives Matter Plaza is filled with tension, it is also filled with hope and resiliency.

“What more do they want from us?” Eman Moore, 24, asked. “Cause we’ll keep going if we have to, goddamnit. For another four years, we’ll keep fighting.”

The post Turning hatred into healing first appeared on 91����.

The race is closer than early polls predicted. Republican nominee Donald J. Trump has a growing lead in the South, and Biden swept the west coast. Important swing states – like Pennsylvania and North Carolina – were too close to call. As midnight came and went, the country continued to wait.��

All polls are closed, and election officials are working tirelessly to declare presidential results as fast as possible. Tens of millions of votes are yet to be counted. It could take days to determine key states’ winners.��

In the meantime, let’s take a look at the candidates’ political histories.��

Joseph R. Biden, Jr.

Against the backdrop of a global pandemic, an economic recession, climate change, natural disasters and anti-police brutality protests, Biden characterizes himself as a hopeful unifier set on saving the nation’s soul.

“This campaign isn’t just about winning votes,” Biden said in his at the Democratic National Convention in August. “It’s about winning the heart and, yes, the soul of America.”

If he wins, Biden’s vice president will be Sen. Kamala Harris, D-C.A. Before naming her as his running mate, Harris attacked Biden on stage during a presidential debate for –an effort to desegregate schools–in the 1970s.

Harris, who is biracial, made history as the first Black woman and first Asian-American woman to receive a vice presidential nomination.��

Biden served as vice president under Barack Obama, the 44th president, for two terms. He was a Democratic senator in Delaware for 36 years, the fifth-youngest person elected to the Senate.

A Biden administration agenda��

A Biden presidency is slated to undo the work of the Trump Administration.

As president, Biden pledges to the Affordable Care Act to give all Americans healthcare access, the separation of children at the U.S.-Mexico border, the travel ban against people from Muslim-majority countries and re-enter the Iran Nuclear Deal.

He also promised to the World Health Organization and the Paris Climate Accord, which Trump pulled the United States from in November 2019. As the only country not a part of the agreement, the United States emits the second-highest amount of greenhouse gases, behind China.

Biden said that under his administration, Americans would be and able to access free coronavirus testing. He will also increase the production of masks, face shields and other personal protective equipment. He will create a and a .

Trump, who contracted COVID-19 in October, has repeatedly downplayed the severity of the pandemic. At an outdoor campaign rally in Swanton, Ohio, Trump told a crowd that the coronavirus “.”��

At a drive-in campaign rally in Philadelphia on Saturday, Biden, who has sharply criticized the administration’s handling of the pandemic, accused Trump of asking Americans to learn how to die with the coronavirus rather than live with it.

Donald J. Trump

If he wins reelection, Trump’s vice president will continue to be former Governor of Indiana Michael Pence, who has the White House Coronavirus Task Force since February.��

The second-term agenda

The Trump campaign unveiled a in late August. Aside from coronavirus-related goals–like creating a vaccine by the end of 2020 and returning to normal in 2021–Trump wants to expand the police force, block undocumented immigrants from receiving healthcare and welfare, launch Space Force and dismantle human trafficking networks.��

However, ideas like “build the world’s greatest infrastructure system” and “wipe out global terrorists who threaten harm to Americans” lack clear plans.��

Trump’s pandemic response

In the final weeks of his campaign, Trump has faced growing criticism for violating the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s guidelines prohibiting maskless rallies and events. A recent Stanford University linked over 30,000 COVID-19 cases and 700 deaths to his events.��

Trump, who has repeatedly downplayed the severity of the illness, was admitted to Walter Reed Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, after contracting COVID-19. He was discharged from the medical center three days after his doctors first his symptoms.��

Trump said Sunday he will fire Dr. Anthony Fauci, the country’s leading infectious-disease expert, when elected for his second term. He has continually mocked Biden for , wearing a mask at events and keeping distance between himself and others.��

First-term controversies��

Trump has come up against numerous controversies during his first term as president.��

According to recent New York Times reporting, Trump has paid during his first two years in office. Trump’s net worth since taking office from over $3 billion to about $2.5 billion.��

The Democrat-controlled House of Representatives, led by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Trump in December 2019 for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. The House accused Trump of using his power to solicit Ukraine into investigating Democratic opponents to discredit them. The Republican-controlled Senate did not vote to remove him from office.����

During his first week in office, Trump signed an banning refugees from seven predominantly Muslim countries from visiting the United States for 90 days, indefinitely suspending Syrian refugees’ entry into the country and prohibiting all other refugees from entering the country for 120 days. This decision was met with outrage. The House of Representatives this ruling in July.��

Before the presidency

Trump had never been in public office before taking the presidency. As a decades-long television star and real estate developer, supporters say part of the appeal is his background.

Trump profited off properties he owns or manages during his first term, and he his annual $400,000 salary each quarter to different agencies. Since the president is to be compensated, he took $1 a year for all four years.

The post Too soon to tell: 2020’s president still to be determined first appeared on 91����.

A program called – standing for mobilizing, organizing, registering and energizing – will air at the top of each hour until 9 p.m. At that time, a two-hour national program will air, filled with music, prayers, speeches from local interfaith leaders and testimonies from others.

Rev. Liz Theoharis, director of the in New York City and co-chair of the , came from New York to help organize the event.

“Folks here are singing songs, ringing bells, sounding the shofar and praying that every vote gets counted,” Theoharis said.

Interfaith volunteers flocked to the church early evening Tuesday to line its steps with thousands of small, plastic candles.

“We’re lighting 3,000 candles, which we hope are symbolic in leading us into the light,” said Arlene Holt-Baker, chair of . “Tonight, the steps of this church will shine so bright.”

The post Church urges prayer ahead of election results first appeared on 91����.

“We’re promoting a feeling of calm and unity, especially since we don’t know what to expect tonight,” prayer volunteer Heather Hurlburt said.

The volunteers had to electronically sign agreements to refrain from partisan support during their prayer shifts, according to the .��Prayer will be offered in different chunks of time across the District, pending volunteers’ availabilities, prayer volunteer Jessie Brewster said.

Alongside the smaller prayer groups dispersed across the District, an is occurring at the National Cathedral from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday.

The post Prayer stations pop up at polls across the District first appeared on 91����.

Devonte King, an 18-year-old freshman majoring in political science, called on the university to make Election Day a school holiday in a petition that drew over 300 signatures and from some professors. But Howard, which has 6,100 undergraduate students studying online due to the pandemic, will hold classes on Nov. 3, a university spokesperson told 91���� Tuesday in an email.��

King, who did not share the petition with officials, said he thinks the decision sends mixed messages.

“Our university has been encouraging us to be active in the voting process, so the fact that we have class goes against that,” King said. “Now, we don’t have the time to stand in line for hours on Election Day and vote.”

With Howard University alumna and vice-presidential nominee Kamala Harris on the ballot, King hoped more students would be energized to vote. He wanted the university to offer day-of support to make that possible.��

“Generally speaking, [the Black] community has felt neglected by both candidates, and it’s been more difficult than previous years for people to feel encouraged to vote,” said King, who is Black. “This petition might encourage people to even go out of their ways to vote if they don’t see the difference between the two [presidential] candidates and how they treat the Black community.”��

Some Washington-area schools will have classes on Election Day. Only two cancelled them.

named Election Day a university holiday earlier in October. Students have a day off from classes, and faculty and staff have a paid day off. did the same last week, following a .��

Students called for the cancelation of classes at in an editorial in the campus newspaper,�� but the school is set to continue synchronous online instruction on Nov. 3. Catholic University and Gallaudet University also confirmed classes would continue as scheduled. Websites for the University of the District of Columbia and George Mason University did not mention any change in class schedules either, but did not respond to requests for comment.

According to a spokesperson, Gallaudet University asked faculty not to assign deadlines or exams on Election Day, though the university remains open.��

Many colleges on the east coast are closed on Nov. 3, according to . Students nationally – such as those attending and – are still pressuring their universities to cancel classes on Election Day.

Campus programs encouraged registration, voting��

Howard University’s 2020 Day of Service, which took place in August, highlighted voter registration. The activities were organized by the Office of the Dean of the Chapel, according to a press release. Students were trained on phone bank and by-text voter registration initiatives in partnership with Rock the Vote. Students registered hundreds of citizens to vote, according to .��

Howard’s Department of Alumni Relations with When We All Vote, a nonprofit organization working to increase voter participation. The website helps students register to vote and learn about their ballots.��

Neither the Department of Alumni Relations nor When We All Vote responded to interview requests by press time.��

Wayne A. Frederick, Howard’s president, talked about the importance of voting during a last week.��

“It’s contradictory,” King said. “There’s an overall feeling that the student body has the responsibility to be active, but we don’t have off on the official day to vote.”��

It’s about�� ‘bringing awareness to the day’

King, who is completing his online semester from his home in Hinesville, Georgia, wanted to reach 300 signatures before sending the petition to university officials. He learned classes were remaining on Nov. 3�� – which he learned from 91���� – before he had the chance to send the petition to the Office of the President, he said.��

Other Howard University freshmen – who will be voting for the first time this November – said they signed the petition because they wanted a class-free day to help others vote.��

Shayla George, 18, will be skipping classes to be a poll worker, which her grandmother recommended she do, she said.��

“Unfortunately, I will have to skip my classes,” said George, who is from New Jersey but voting in Washington, D.C. “This is where my heart is.”��

She has English, Africana studies and political science classes each Tuesday and finishes her day at 5 p.m. Everyone in her classes will have to get to the polls early – and potentially miss class waiting in line – or go vote after class, if they are voting in-person on Nov. 3.��

Daylon Daniel, an 18-year-old taking online classes while living in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, wanted to use the free day to help his neighbors get to the polls.

“I know many people in my neighborhood don’t have the transportation to cast their ballots,” he said. “So, I would volunteer my car and spend the day driving.”��

Cameron Patterson, 18, thinks the university needs to cancel classes to show students the importance of Election Day. Patterson is from Ringgold, Georgia, but he is completing his online semester from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.��

“So many people are mailing their ballots this year, so the day isn’t really about standing in lines at polls – though a lot of people still need to do that,” Patterson said. “It’s more about bringing awareness to the day. Even if students don’t vote this year, they’ll know that their vote is so important that there’s a day off for them to do it.”

Election Day in Washington

The District’s , which was passed this year, requires Washington-area schools to grant students excused absences of at least two hours to vote in person at the students’ requests. These two hours, however, can be granted during an early voting period.��

If the student is ineligible to vote in Washington, the Act requires students to receive this excused absence to vote “in any election run by the jurisdiction in which the student is eligible to vote.”��

But it is unclear if the Act impacts students voting outside of Washington, a DC Council communications director said over email.

The post Howard holds classes as usual on Election Day, disappointing opponents first appeared on 91����.

The neighborhood’s ANC group began looking into the fires – and taking preventative measures to ensure they don’t happen again – after receiving emails and Tweets from neighborhood residents, Amanda Farnan, ANC1B’s community chair, said.��

Five dumpsters sit behind Busboys and Poets in a fairly hidden alleyway, and two of those dumpsters are unmarked, meaning they don’t belong to any of the nearby businesses. The fires occurred in April and September.��

“The fires weren’t the fault of any company,” Farnan said. “It was just a vigilante or someone who wanted to set the fire.”

But the D.C. Fire Department, or DC FEMS, found no reason to investigate the fire, since nothing about its cause pointed to illegal activity, Vito Maggiolo, a public information officer, said Tuesday.��

“There’s any number of reasons a dumpster fire can begin,” Maggiolo said. “Someone can throw a cigarette in there, or oily rags can self-ignite. Unless someone brings more information to our attention, we don’t take any further action.”

I asked DCRA to take care of this pile of garbage and dried Christmas trees two days ago. Today it caught fire.

— Shannon Sorensen (@shan_sor)

Sabel Harris, who lives in The Langston Lofts and can see the dumpsters from her windows, said the most recent fire occurred when a thrown-out couch was set ablaze. Harris is also for an ANC1B position in the upcoming election.

“The fire was huge,” Harris said, noting that the flames ripped bricks from the exterior of the apartment building.

The neighborhood’s response

In response to the chaos, ANC1B is garnering input from neighborhood residents, the Mayor’s Office, and nearby businesses to write up and send a letter to the Department of Public Works, or DPW, formally requesting two items: a camera – which they want DPW to monitor – to be installed in the alleyway overlooking the dumpsters, and a proactive cleaning of the area, Farnan said.��

“The fires have been in an alley where dumpsters are out of the public eye, so activity isn’t being watched by pedestrians,” Farnan said. “If an MPD officer or DPW agent wanted to monitor the dumpsters, they would have to sit in the alley.”��

On Sept. 29, the ANC led a community walk to bring government officials and residents together to discuss the fires and take preventative steps. Representatives from the Mayor’s Office, the Department of Health, DPW, and MPD attended, Farnan said.��

Staff members from Busboys and Poets attended too, along with a few neighborhood residents, Farnan said. Andy Shallal, the owner of Busboys and Poets, did not respond to interview requests.��

We are out analyzing the dumpsters & further hot spots for illegal dumping. Short and long term solutions are the topics of discussion.

On the walk: , , , , , , & more.

— ANC 1B (@ANC1B)

“The unmarked dumpsters … were marked for removal, so that is great and honestly something that wouldn’t have happened if we didn’t have that walk,” Farnan said. “Now, we have to follow up on that and make sure DPW actually removes them.”

DPW was unable to confirm this by the time of publication. An agency spokesperson said they would call 91���� by press time but never did.��

Installing cameras

DPW installed a camera over the dumpster previously, Farnan said, but it’s not there anymore, and she doesn’t know why. The ANC recommended a new camera get installed, and Anthony Moore, a community specialist within the Mayor’s Office, pushed the idea to the DPW, Farnan said.

Moore directed 91���� to the mayor’s press office, which did not respond to interview requests.��

There have been conversations within her apartment building’s homeowners association to install lights and cameras, but the installation process has not yet begun, Harris said.

Other businesses in the area discussed installing cameras, Farnan said, which would make the video footage private.��

These businesses could even advocate to turn the poorly lit, drive-through space into restaurant seating, Harris said. She said she wants a bistro-style patio to fill the large area so U Street Wine and Beer can hold outdoor wine tastings out of the shop.

“Why wouldn’t we reimagine and reuse this space?” Harris said. “Most of it is being taken up by two overflowing dumpsters that are very hazardous because they’ve caused a fire and damaged a building already.”

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Among other questions, the survey asked for ideas regarding future designs of the space, how often residents came through the area, and the kinds of events that passersby attended.��

Many residents and government offices see this location as one of the most important and critical intersections of the city, said Kevin Storm, the Office of Planning’s associate director of urban design.��

The Office of Planning, or OP, is working to see how and the use of space intersect at the 14th & U Street Corridor, Storm said. The Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development, or DMPED, works along the OP to complete this project.��

Storm highlighted the history and culture of the building, which is named after Frank D. Reeves, a lawyer and civil rights activist who fought to outlaw school segregation. Spontaneous protests, vigils, and cultural celebrations often pop up on the plaza outside of the Center, and the OP wants to accommodate for those events to happen with the city’s help.��

“The OP is trying to infuse how people use the space in front of Reeves and how it contributes to public life and the success of public space in the district,” Storm said. “The intersection is a focal point of the city for celebrations and protests, and we have to take those factors into account.”

This survey – which accepted responses from Sept. 15 to Sept. 30 – was done entirely online to take precaution amid the coronavirus pandemic, Storm said.��

In the past, the city has done mostly or entirely in person. Usually, 10 to 15 individuals from the OP will stand in the area and ask passersby about their use of the space, Storm said. For variety, questionnaires would be completed both morning and evening and on weekends and weekdays.��

“The survey responses will require an asterisk since we’re not asking people who are at that intersection seven days a week coming by during rush hour. But we have to do something to understand the space,” said Robb Hudson, a commissioner for ANC1B, which includes the 14th & U Street intersection.��

The survey’s responses

The survey received 4,447 responses, an “extremely high” number, Mekdy Alemayehu, the OP’s communications officer, said.��

The results of the multiple-choice questions will be aggregated in a report. Answers to the open-ended questions will be analyzed and summarized generally, Alemayehu said. The report will be posted on the OP’s website in the next few weeks.

ANC1B partnered with DMPED to workshop the survey questions to get the best results, Hudson said. While the survey received a high number of responses, some users felt that its length could have hindered some residents from completing it.��

“There were really good questions about space use, but they need to work on condensing the questions, so more people are incentivized to respond,” Clara McGinn, assistant manager of the 14&U Farmers’ Market, said. “The people who didn’t respond may have different points of view.”��

The 14th&U Farmers’ Market operates on the plaza outside of the Reeves Center every Saturday morning from May to November. Some of its employees did not know about the survey until they were approached by 91����. Others said that they enthusiastically it out when a market manager emailed it to them.

Many vendors told 91���� they want more garbage and recycling bins, as well as an always-open public restroom.

Next steps

Next, DMPED will release a request for proposal. This should be within the next month, Jessica Carroll, DMPED’s public affairs specialist, said.

DMPED will “” in choosing the organization that will take over the Reeves Center’s space, favoring organizations that are owned or controlled by individuals who are a “part of a socially disadvantaged population.”��

The NAACP signed a in June to use the Reeves Center as its new national headquarters, though Hudson said this does not mean that the organization will definitely respond to the request.��

“The NAACP is the exact type of business we want to have occupying that building,” Hudson said. “It’s the perfect match. A historic, perfect match.”��

The NAACP did not respond to repeated attempts for comment.��

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