Over the past several weeks, more than 100 displaced residents of 1433 Columbia Rd have been picking up what remains of their belongings: children鈥檚 toys, mattresses, clothes and food.

A woman was seriously injured on Sep. 20 when her gas stove accidentally exploded, forcing the evacuation of the building. The explosion damaged multiple living units.听

Many tenants have been staying at the Hotel Arboretum over the past month under a free city emergency shelter program.听

However, the Wash has confirmed that after this week, the hotel vouchers are scheduled to end on Thursday, Oct. 17, and the residents must find somewhere else to live.听

Tenants approached by 91茄子 were hesitant to offer comment about the housing issue, however, an member working on it said they are “not doing well.”

The building, without repairs, is in no condition to safely house anyone, according to the Department of Buildings (DOB).

Through an ongoing investigation, 91茄子 uncovered 37 Notices of Infraction recently filed against the owners of the Columbia Rd building. The fines total $45,675 so far.听

The post-explosion citations include failure to provide a rented dwelling unit with a device designed to provide security for the occupants and property within, failure to tightly secure the lock on entrance doors to dwelling units or sleeping units and/or failure to maintain locks and building poses imminent danger to building occupants or those in close proximity due to explosives, explosive fumes.听

鈥淟andlords must obey District law by providing properties that are safe, habitable, and livable. Our goal is to work with property owners so they fix violations. DOB is ready to issue the permits to the Landlord to do the necessary repairs and until that happens, the building unfortunately must stay closed,鈥� the DC Department of Buildings wrote to 91茄子 in an emailed statement.听

Based on public records and confirmed by DOB, a safety inspection of the facility was not documented in the five years before the accident.

Carlo Perri, ANC Commissioner for 1A03, told 91茄子 that the living conditions were 鈥渞eally terrible鈥� before the explosion. Perri said he based that on a conversation with one of the tenants. He heard sinks were clogged, tenants needed to buy five-gallon buckets to shower and use their toilets and plumbing was leaking from upper floors to lower floors,

鈥淭he building managers never fixed it, despite formal complaints from residents,鈥� he said. 鈥�… It鈥檚 possible that this person willfully neglected preparing this property. If that鈥檚 the case, then an investigation will reveal those battles and prosecute them.”

On Wednesday, Oct. 9, in an ANC meeting for Columbia Heights, the committee unanimously voted to allow an investigation into the living conditions before the Sep. 20 accident.

The resolution will call on the D.C. Attorney General, “to investigate and prosecute any negligent wrongdoing and enjoin lawful property owner(s) and their agents to remediate the physical disrepair of the property expediently and provide any gap assistance required to the displaced residents.”

Until building owners fix safety issues, it will remain uninhabitable.听

The , working with , has conducted testing and found leaks in the gas lines throughout the building. Neither gas nor electricity will be restored to the building until gas lines are fixed. Repairing the gas falls under the property owner鈥檚 responsibility.

DOB said that, generally, a property owner will have 60 days from the date of receiving the Notice of Infraction. In this case, several of the infractions are labeled 鈥渓ife safety hazards鈥� and require immediate abatement.听

DOB informed 91茄子 that the owner(s) acknowledged receipt of the Correction Order and informally told DOB that there was a plan to return the property to habitability. DOB has yet to receive a plan.听

Until the facility undergoes extensive repairs, and the city signs off on them, residents will not be allowed to return.

The (OTA), the agency in charge of providing technical advice and other legal services to tenants regarding disputes with landlords, is supposed to be working to find the displaced tenants new places to live, but it has not specified what the relocation looks like. Perri said it has not been made clear to residents what will happen to their apartment as a result of them moving out; they have only been granted access to pick up their belongings.

According to records from the DOB, 1433 Columbia Rd has 30 inspection violations listed in 2018. These violations include failure to maintain all fire and smoke stop doors in operable condition, failure to install an approved carbon monoxide alarm in the immediate vicinity of the bedrooms in dwelling units, failure to correct cracked or loose plaster, holes, decayed wood, water damage and听 defective surface conditions and failure to properly install and maintain plumbing fixture in working order. These are in addition to the dozens of safety violations handed out after the explosion.听

91茄子 requested comment and information from the building owners listed in the citations, Herminia and John Steininger, but has not received a reply. 听

The OTA, has not responded to requests for comment, and the Arboretum Hotel has declined to respond.听

According to Noah Gray, the Chief Communications Officer for DC Fire, the explosion occurred when the occupant turned on the stove, which had a known gas leak. Gray also stated that their part of the investigation is completed.

According to the fire officials, a woman inside the apartment was transferred to the hospital in serious condition. Due to medical privacy, the department was not able to verify if that condition has changed.听

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The new bill made its way to Mayor Muriel Bowser鈥檚 office after the D.C. Council approved it on Oct. 18. Bowser has until Nov. 21 to act on the measure.

If the major signs it, the bill then goes to Congress for review.

Ward 1 Councilmember Brianne Nadeau sponsored the measure.听

鈥淭he District of Columbia has long been a place that has welcomed immigrants into our community, and it鈥檚 time to allow for their full participation in our institutions,鈥� Nadeau said in a .听

On this chilly morning, some voters at Columbia Heights Educational Center were completely opposed.听 One of those voters was Winston Brown.

听鈥淭hey shouldn鈥檛 vote,鈥� Brown said. 鈥淭hey are not citizens. You got to be a citizen of the United States in order to vote in the United States. You come here, you work, and you got to live, but you shouldn鈥檛 vote here.鈥澨�

Voter Natalie Boyd agreed 鈥淭hey should wait until they are citizens. They would get the benefits before being a citizen,鈥� Boyd said.

However, others were more precautious.听

鈥淚 incline to be okay,鈥� said Columbia Heights resident John Salsby.听

And some encourage this opening to noncitizens. Lance Swinton, a teacher at Columbia Heights Educational Campus, said he supports the bill. 鈥淚 feel like if they occupy the space, they should be able to have a say in who makes changes,鈥� Swinton said.听

Lizzy B. agreed, saying, 鈥淚f you are here legally, if you are not American but you live in this area, then local elections certainly you should have an influence.鈥� She declined to offer her last name.

Most of those who spoke to 91茄子 said they were not aware that the bill made its way to Bowser鈥檚 desk.

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Vendors welcome the bills, introduced by Ward 1 Councilmember Brianne Nadeau, but say they hope the effort doesn鈥檛 stop there. These vendors say they need a path toward a license.

The smell of fresh empanadas, the loud music from temporary stands, and the call to buy coconuts or papaya are impossible to ignore when exiting the Columbia Heights Metro station. Street vendors became part of the neighborhood鈥檚 landscape through the years, and two bills could make them permanent.听

The full council will hold a public hearing on both bills Nov. 16 to hear the voices of anyone interested in these bills.听

Under current law, street vendors may not sell on the sidewalks without a license or a permit. They face a maximum of 90 days in prison and a $500 fine if they do not comply with the license requirements.听

would decriminalize unlicensed street vendors in D.C. and remove criminal penalties for violating vending regulations.听

鈥淒ecriminalization is a lazy legislation,鈥� said Matt Geller, the founding president of the National Food Truck Association. 鈥淲hat we need is a pathway to permits.鈥澨�

He said that decriminalization doesn鈥檛 change anything except helping unlicensed vendors avoid being arrested. However, he acknowledged that a bill to give street vendors the possibility to get permits is complicated and challenging, as several agencies would need to find a middle ground.听

鈥淲e need a license to sell without worries,鈥� said Miguel Perez, a street vendor on 14th Street. 鈥淲hen the cops come to the corner, everyone runs, and for me this is not right.鈥� Although he is retired, the money he receives is not enough to survive. Perez said he sells to pay his $1,800 rent and to cover the expenses of his disabled wife.

鈥淲ith a license, we would be happy,鈥� he said.听

Nadeau also introduced a companion bill, . The bill would create two types of licenses, an individual and a vending zone manager license, according to Nadeau鈥檚 听

Both bills would allow for a managed vending zone in Columbia Heights, which would ensure everyone could enjoy the offerings of the vendors while still being able to access the sidewalks and other businesses along 14th Street, the councilwoman said in an email. She agreed that this bill would be a pathway to permits.听

14th Street is known to be the heart of Columbia Heights and a place with various street vendors. Because many are not registered, a precise number of street vendors is not available.听

An incident in 2019 led Nadeau to introduce the two bills. A 10- and 15-year-old were confronted by the police at 14th Street, leaving one of them injured. A video became viral and revived the debates around decriminalization and vending permits. These bills would prevent negative police encounters, Nadeau said in

鈥淏ecause of that, I stopped selling for a while,鈥� said Salvador-born Maria Cruz. 鈥淚t scares me to fall into the immigration because I don鈥檛 want it in my record.鈥�

Cruz said wakes up every morning at 1 a.m and prepares food based on yucca, platanus, corn, and packs up fruits such as melon, papaya, and mango. She also said she supports more vital legislation for street vendors, and these new bills could be a start.

鈥淲e need formality,鈥� said Chris Rodriguez, who sells Argentinian empanadas. 鈥淪ome stands are big and others smaller, we need to be all equal.鈥� He said he has been selling every Friday and Saturday for four years at 14th Street. He is not afraid of the police, he said, and he will just follow what the mayor decides.听

Both bills still have a long way to go. After the public hearing this November, they have to go through a final reading, mayoral review, and a congressional review to end up, maybe, as a law.

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These owners know that one themed month is not enough to compensate for the losses caused by COVID-19. But, the month is just one of many ways they hope to bring in new business.

Hispanic Heritage Month started on Sept. 15 and will last until Oct. 15. This is a month to celebrate and recognize Hispanic culture and history. And it comes at a great time, as Hispanic-owned businesses are still trying to recover from the impact of COVID-19.

鈥淐OVID-19 slowed everything down. We didn鈥檛 close, but we changed our hours. We used to open the whole day, now we just open in the evening,鈥� said operations manager William Martinez of Tequila and Mezcal, a Mexican and Salvadoran family-owned bar and restaurant in Columbia Heights, in D.C.鈥檚 Ward 1.

It鈥檚 hard to say if it will go back to normal, but Hispanic Heritage Month is an opportunity to bring in new customers after the COVID-19 loss, Martinez said. 鈥淭here is a new wave of customers to show support during the Hispanic Heritage Month.鈥�

The U.S. government started the Paycheck Protection Program in April 2020 to help small businesses pay their employees, said Walda Yon, a chief executive at the Latino Economic Development Center. LEDC also started loan programs to help Latino businesses pay their rent, she said. However, only 3% of Latino business owners had access to total funding through PPP, compared to 7% for white owners, according to a study by Marlene Orozco and Inara Suman Taraque.

鈥淐lients were not here. They simply went back home,鈥� said Yon.

And Columbia Heights was not spared. The neighborhood is the heart of the Spanish-speaking Latin American population in D.C., with 22% of residents identifying as Hispanics, which is the highest number in the city, according to US Census Bureau figures. District Bridges, a nonprofit organization that aims to help businesses in a large portion of Northwest D.C. to thrive, said that Columbia Heights had the largest number of Hispanic restaurants in Ward 1, with 13 different options.

鈥淚 wish I could do more,鈥� said Amanda Monaco, Main Street manager of Columbia Heights and Mount Pleasant for District Bridges, about Hispanic Heritage Month.

She helps Latino business owners to develop their businesses.

This ranges from helping fill out government documents to advising them on how to promote their businesses. This summer, the group launched workshops on how to create promotional websites. In the next few months, District Bridges will keep on reaching out to Latino business owners to ask them what they need, she said.

So far, Hispanic Heritage Month hasn鈥檛 changed the number of customers visiting Mi Casita Bakery and Deli, explained Brigitte Galicia, the restaurant鈥檚 cashier. Customers have passionate conversations in Spanish on the restaurant鈥檚 terrace at the corner of a street.

鈥淲e welcome everyone, Black, white, Hispanics,鈥� said Deisi Aleman, a Honduran employee of La Caba帽a Restaurante at Columbia Heights.

The Mexican-Salvadoran restaurant skipped over Hispanic Heritage Month, as it already painted its windows with Halloween themes. Aleman said there will be 鈥渁 big happy hour鈥� during the weekend of Halloween. Tex-Mex fajitas, pollo con tajadas and margaritas are very popular and are expected to be widely served during Halloween, she said.

After Halloween, the neighborhood will have another event to attract visitors. Small business owners are encouraged to decorate their stores as Columbia Heights’ Main Street will be part of D.C. Holiday Lights from Nov. 18 to Jan. 8. District Bridges鈥� Monaco hopes that it will promote the businesses of Columbia Heights outside Ward 1.

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鈥淚鈥檓 using the drop boxes because it鈥檚 super convenient,鈥� Yu said. 鈥淭his is the way I think it should always be done.鈥�

The D.C. Board of Elections released a of drop box locations Oct 5.

鈥淓ssentially, we determined that it was a good dispersal and that it covered the city in a fairly effective way by putting them in front of libraries where everyone knows where that is,鈥� Public Information Officer for the D.C. Board of Education Nick Jacobs said.

This is the first time that D.C. has used drop boxes. The D.C. Board of Elections decided to add the drop box option due to the coronavirus pandemic. Residents voiced concerns about how they could vote while also following social distancing guidelines.

Jacobs said that drop box ballots will be counted as they are received but no official tallies will be released until Election Day.

91茄子 talked to seven District voters in the Columbia Heights neighborhood. Some, like Yu, would like the drop boxes to become a staple of elections to come. Others utilized the option due to health concerns. Yet, there are still some that prefer going to a polling station and voting on Election Day.

A safer option for some

, voters should prepare for long lines on election day and consider alternatives to voting in person at voting places.

COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, spreads via respiratory droplets released when people talk or breathe, which is why the CDC cautions against spending time in small, enclosed spaces with many people.

If voting in person, the CDC encourages voters to wear a mask and keep good social distance from other voters.

Although many voters cited the pandemic as a reason they were using the drop boxes to cast their ballots, Yu said it was overall a more convenient option.

He’d like to see the process of voting become easier. He said Election Day should be a national holiday, voters should have more time to vote and he鈥檇 like to see drop boxes become a staple of future elections.

Maria Foust, a divorced ex-military spouse, also decided to use the ballot drop boxes for convenience and for safety precautions. Originally from Zacatecas Mexico, Foust became a U.S. citizen 20 years ago.

鈥淭he drop boxes are convenient,鈥� Foust said. 鈥淔or me, it鈥檚 important to vote, especially now.鈥�

Other voters prefer using the drop boxes because of pandemic related concerns.

鈥淚 think the lines are going to be really long and I don鈥檛 want to be inside an enclosed space with a bunch of people for a long, long time,鈥� said Jennifer Parker, who is a nurse and Columbia Heights resident. 鈥淚 feel like that鈥檚 when you get coronavirus.鈥�

Parker was casting her ballot with her husband, Matthew Parker, outside the Mount Pleasant Library in Ward 1. This is not the first time Jennifer Parker has voted absentee, but it is her first time using a drop box.

The pair said they preferred the drop boxes due to recent cutbacks to the U.S. Postal Service. According to a created by the New York Times, mail delays are becoming more apparent across the country. According to The Times鈥� reporting, even mail over short distances, which usually takes two days to deliver, is being delayed a day on average.

The delay is why Matthew Parker said they were concerned their ballots wouldn鈥檛 reach polling stations in time to be counted if they submitted by mail.听

鈥淓very vote counts,鈥� Matthew Parker said.

鈥業 want to go in and press the button鈥�

Although many residents are using the drop box option, others see in-person voting as an important ritual 鈥� one they would like to take part in.

Armonte Butler, who is 25, has not decided if he鈥檚 going to vote in person or use the drop boxes.

鈥淏ut I鈥檓 thankful to have both choices,鈥� Butler said.

Butler, who currently works for a nonprofit organization, said that he voted by mail when he was in college, but wants to experience going in-person to vote.

His great-grandmother, who is 82, told Butler recently that she is going to go to the polls to vote on Election Day.

鈥淪he told me she鈥檚 going in-person because at one point due to stigma, discrimination, and racism she was not allowed to vote,鈥� Butler said. He has noticed a 鈥済enerational voting pattern鈥� in his family.

Butler said his mother also will be voting in person, though she has received an absentee ballot.

鈥淪he doesn鈥檛 trust the drop box,鈥� he said. 鈥淪he told me 鈥業 want to go in and press the button.鈥濃��

This year鈥檚 election cycle has made Butler more aware of his family鈥檚 voting habits and the importance of black people participating in elections. Butler now checks in with his friends and family members to make sure they are registered to vote.

Like Butler, ANC representative for 1A05, Cristine Miller prefers the option to vote in person but is unsure if she will go to the polls this year. She said she also doesn鈥檛 feel comfortable using the U.S. Postal Service.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 want to take any chances of it getting mixed in or lost or sent to the wrong address,鈥� Miller said.

Miller spent most of her life living abroad and often used the mail-in option which is why she wants to experience the tradition of voting in person. She said that her international experience has greatly shaped the way she participates in voting.

Dotti Love-Wade, the Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner for 1A11, also decided to vote by using the drop box system. She and her husband submitted their ballots in a drop box in front of the Columbia Heights Shopping Center on 3100 14th Street NW.

鈥淚 wanted to get my vote out early and set an example for my community,鈥� Love-Wade said.

Love-Wade said by using the drop boxes, she feels it is a secure way to vote and it takes the pressure off of the postal service and lines on election day.

Love-Wade said she knows a few young people who will not vote this year and doesn鈥檛 understand why they are not voting.

鈥淭hey don鈥檛 see how it matters.鈥� she said . 鈥淏ut they do believe in Black Lives Matter and I asked them 鈥榟ow can you separate the two?鈥欌��

Love-Wade was able to persuade her daughter鈥檚 boyfriend to register to vote this year. She said she鈥檚 trying to talk to more young black people about the importance of voting but they 鈥渟eem so disconnected.鈥�

Today is the last day for D.C. residents to register to vote online, by mail and to update their voter registration. Early voting will begin on Oct. 27, which also happens to be the last day residents can request for an absentee ballot.

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