Chaos Rules at the ANC Meeting
Chaos ruled at the 5C Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner meeting last night, at least for a while.
Rashidi Christian, an outspoken member of the Edgewood Civic Association, sounded off at least three times against the Fairfield project. Fairfield is a very large (535 unit) proposed residential and commercial complex to be located near Eckington Place and the New York Avenue Metro. The Fairfield representative said that the amentities package was now at $160,000, but Christian was adament that Fairfield had not met with the Edgewood C.A. in good faith.
Christian was particularly concerned that, in his view, Fairfield would be marketing the residences as a "childless community." At some point, Commissioner Tom Fulton (5C-03) stated that "as the only openly gay public official in Ward Five, I find [Christian's] line of questioning offensive." Christian began yelling in response.
Eartha Isaac chimed in: "Will the respresentative from Eckington say anything" about the project? Perhaps she referring to Commissioner Jones, who was silent throughout the meeting, until her brief Treasurer's report.
Commissioner Marshall R. Phillips, Sr. (5C-08) then stated that he was annoyed that Fulton repeatedly brought up the fact that he was openly gay at meetings. Fulton adamently denied this, and said that the record would support him. I believe Mr. Christian was still yelling.
At this point, the meeting descended into chaos. A few minutes later, James D. Berry, Jr. (5C-01) brought the meeting back from the brink with some conciliatory words that brought applause from the audience and both Phillips and Fulton.
Harry Thomas, Jr., the winner of the Democratic primary for the Ward Five City Council seat, spoke for about five minutes at the end of the meeting. He mentioned that he will be hosting a breakfast for all ANC commissioner candidates in the near future to talk about the role of the ANCs. I definitely plan to attend.
Thomas is hoping to develop a plan to make the ANCs, police, and civic associations work together better. He added that "We must treat our police officers like human beings," particularly in light of the heavy schedules the officers have been enduring lately.
After Thomas finished his speech, Commissioner Robert V. Brannum (5C-04) demanded that Thomas's remarks be stricken from the minutes, because the remarks were political. I think Brannum may be confusing his role as commissioner to be nonpartisan. The ANC meetings are a public forum for the exchange of ideas, including political ideas. Thomas's speech certainly wasn't partisan, but it wouldn't have been a problem if it had been partisan, so long as his opponent (nonexistent at this point on the Republican side of the aisle) is given the opportunity to speak as well.
posted by Kris Hammond @ 9/20/2006 09:07:00 AM
19 comments
19 Comments:
Fun stuff. I heard Marshall Phillips said the following to Tom Fulton, "Gay Gay Gay. Every meeting that's all you say. Gay Gay Gay."
I know it's not funny. But I can't help but laugh at the bizaare it is.
What a joke! This is so sad. I was going to head over there late last night, when I got in from the office. I am so glad that I did not. Sad. Sad. Sad. Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. Can't we all just get along?
Ahhhhhh...kangaroo court at it's finest.
i thought the fairfield project was in eckington, not edgewood.
Sean--
You raise a good point. According to Wikipedia, Edgewood's boundaries do not extend south of Rhode Island Avenue. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgewood,_Washington,_D.C.
The ANC required Fairfield to meet with a civic association whose boundaries are arguably far away from the intersection of Florida and New York Avenue. Of course Edgewood Civic Association can define its boundaries however it sees fit, but arguably its land claim encompasses all that Eckington Civic Association claims it represents.
Kris
better not let the Tenleytown civic association hear about it or they may have something to say about it too.
i kid. i kid.
I'm surprised political entities in Maryland aren't weighing in on the Fairfield project. Perhaps they're waiting for the caravan of buses full of Catholic curchgoers from throughout the Northeastern US to arrive before they chime in.
I did not "demand" the comments of Mr. Harry Thomas, Democratic candidate for DC City Council, Ward 5 to be removed from the record. I strongly recommended Mr. Thomas' comments not to be included because they were in conflcit with the non partisan status of ANC Commissions. Yes, ANC Commission meetings are open to the public. However, Commissioners during official meetings MAY NOT engage in or support partisan political speech or activity. The United States Office of Special Counsel has issued two opinions stating ANC Commissioners, as public officials, are "covered" under the federal Hatch Act. Both the Office of the DC Auditor and the Office of the DC Attorney General have indicated ANC Commissions may not support nor provide any forum, actively or passively for any partisan political speech or activity. Having had my own face to face conversation with an attorney from the Office of the United States Special Counsel, please understand Commissioner Brannum is not confused on this issue. I hope this helps to clarify the matter.
rbrannum@robertbrannum.com
Comissioner Brannum:
"Demand"
vs.
"Strongly recommend"
I would say they are close enough in spirit to leave it alone. Splitting hairs.
Though I certainly do welcome you to the debate. However, this time, please don't refer to views that aren't the same as yours as almost "EVIL" (refer to ANC5C.org's June 20th Meeting Minutes for that hyperbole).
That sort of overblown rhetoric amounts to shouting down your opponents, and I saw the video of your testimony in front of Orange's committee in your attempt to roadblock the Firehouse project. It was indeed a ridiculous attempt to ROAD BLOCK it, and thankfully you weren't successful.
"I saw the video of your testimony in front of Orange's committee in your attempt to roadblock the Firehouse project. It was indeed a ridiculous attempt to ROAD BLOCK it, and thankfully you weren't successful."
I saw it too; I was astonished that anyone would make the claims that Mr. Brannum was making. People I know who reside thousands of miles away from DC are indeed aware of the plans for that firehouse. Some long-time residents like Mr. Brannum are opposed to the firehouse because of their own innate biases which manifest themselves as FEAR.
It is human nature to be resistant to change, even when that change is for the better. But to make misleading comments on the record, when the record is being *digitally recorded*?! Astonishing.
I suspect that Mr. Brannum will have a friend in Sinclair Skinner...
My comments were not made to split hairs, but rather to be factually correct. Also, I was not puttimg up any road blocks to the development of the Old Fire House, I was attempting to open the debate for everyone in the "community." This is the same thing I tried to do with the debate on the St. Martin's project. When this community was overrun with drugs and gun violence, I did not run away, rather I stayed in this community. For this, I had my life and that of my family threatened by drug dealers in this community. I and others walked the streets to make this community clean and safe for old and new residents. Too often, I have suffered, and again here, while a select group of people in this community falsely accuse me of saying things I did not say, and doing things I did not do. There are people in this community who purposely mischaracterize my community service accomplishments and attribute my good works to other people. There are people in this community whose homes I helped to clean after the floods who have never spoken to me to say thank you. I have spent all of my life, including my military career and community service life to fighting racism, bigotry, sexism, and homophobia from white or African Americans.
I love God too much and I believe in the true meaning of community to go around this neighborhood's streets and alleys dividing people, hurting people intentionally or accusing people falsely.
Finally, whatever I may have done or said I always put MY NAME to it. I did not do it "ANONYMOUSLY".
rbrannum@robertbrannum.com
"God God God", that's all I hear when Commish B. speaks: "God God God"
Does He talk to you directly? Or through your toaster?
"Too often, I have suffered, and again here, while a select group of people in this community falsely accuse me of saying things I did not say, and doing things I did not do."
On the issue of the Firehouse, the testimony of false accusations towards Ms. Susan Cheng is right there, digitally recorded.
As far so people falsely accusing you of things in your community, I can't speak to that.
But I can speak to the fact that YOU falsely accused Ms. Susan Cheng of not reaching out enough. Yes, that's a subjective statement, but, among other things, you accused her of not responding to your emails. I seriously doubt you can prove that. In sum, I know that you purposefully painted a false picture of the Deputy Mayor's Office's outreach.
I also know that you referred to an email that was rightfully questioning your testimony as "almost evil."
That's all there in the public domain.
So, while you allege that you suffer from it--you also perpetuate false accusations. And that's just pulling from public documents.
That's not to say that you have your heart in the right place as far as building community, helping your neighbors, fighting crime etc. I think we are talking about ideological differences.
I believe you feel that there is such a thing as "forced gentrification" going on in this part of Ward 5, and it is your mission to fight it.
I feel that there is private capital coming into the area simply because of the wonderful architecture, the location, AND the hard work of many long time residents in fighting crime. In my view, that is not "forced gentrification.*"
However, it's my hope that while the ideological differences on "forced gentrification" are major, and the resentment towards your efforts regarding the firehouse are real (and valid), we can still work together on the basic things that our community still screams for---that is making it clean, safe, and welcoming to all residents. So, I hope this debate stays friendly. After all, it's great to have you participate on this blog.
*Now, for some background on the term of "forced gentrification," I'll turn to Exhibit A below, from the Washington Post:
---------------------
Living With Gentrification
Saturday, October 29, 2005; A21
In his Oct. 23 Outlook article, "It's a Change, Not a Conspiracy; The City Is Gentrifying. Live With It," David Nicholson demonstrated how wrong he is concerning gentrification. He needs a spiritual awakening about the negative impact of what I believe is forced and, yes, planned gentrification. Across America, as in Bloomingdale, there are concerns about gentrification and displacement.
Opposition to gentrification is not about rejecting new neighbors; rather, it is about resisting a small, vocal group of new residents who lack respect for other residents and "older" neighbors. Many D.C. residents lived in the District when it was a challenge. They did not flee to the suburbs; they fought and persevered through the lean and mean years of the 1980s and '90s. They have a right to participate in the District's economic rebirth and rejuvenation.
African American neighborhoods and others, notably those with many seniors, should not be sacrificed so that "well-to-do whites with their Starbucks coffee and Volvo station wagons [can] move in." No neighborhood should lose its legacy and have its community spirit hijacked by those unaccustomed to and uncomfortable in an urban racial environment.
Community revitalization and low- and moderate-income housing can coexist. But forced gentrification masks realities of race and income. If Nicholson is advocating a conversation about race, it is about time. What should not happen, however, is a wine-and-cheese social talk about gentrification.
The District should be a place where all residents, regardless of race, who have lived here for years or even days can live, work and socialize together in clean, safe neighborhoods. It should be a city united, where everyone respects each other and values diversity. The District needs a strong and diverse middle class. Forced gentrification should not be welcomed but resisted.
-- Robert Vinson Brannum
Washington
The writer is advisory neighborhood commissioner for the area that includes Bloomingdale and is a former president of the Bloomingdale Civic Association.
Commissioner Brannum,
Thank you for contibuting your responses here. I agree with you that people should post their comments under their own names if they can do it. I allow anonymous comments in order to encourage discussion, but reserve the right to delete such comments.
As for your comments about the Hatch Act, I am familiar with it as well. I called the D.C. Office of Attorney General to get their thoughts (keep in mind that the federal Office of Special Counsel enforces the Act).
It's a grey area. The attorney I spoke with basically agreed with my statement that "so long as [Smith's] opponent . . is given the opportunity to speak as well," it is really not a problem. At worst it would be de minimus violation. ANC Commissioners could host a political event where all candidates are given a chance to speak. The only possible problem here was that it was an ANC meeting.
What you should be much more concerned about is that your name not appear on a partisan fundraising invitation as a sponsor. Has that happened? You cannot solicit anyone for partisan campaign contributions at any time, whether on or off the job.
Finally, there are good arguments that the Hatch Act should not apply to ANCs. Until the law changes, we'll all have to just do our best.
Kris
Commissioner Brannum,
what is this "forced" and "planned" gentrification?
Also, i have not seen the famous video. Can you explain your opposition to the plans for the firehouse?
There is a troubling aspect, in my opinion, to the notion you expressed in the following:
"African American neighborhoods and others, notably those with many seniors, should not be sacrificed so that "well-to-do whites with their Starbucks coffee and Volvo station wagons [can] move in." No neighborhood should lose its legacy and have its community spirit hijacked by those unaccustomed to and uncomfortable in an urban racial environment."
In the countrapositive, it would sound like a white supremist being wary of african americans entering their "white neighborhood" in the 60's. Are we in our urban setting really 50 years behind the times?
Okay, that should be the end of anonymous comments for this particular post. My intention with this post was not to beat up on Commissioner Brannum. I thought his strong recommendation at the ANC meeting to not include Harry Thomas's comments in the minutes unintentionally made it appear that Thomas had done something wrong. So I just disagreed with his approach.
To say something positive about Commissioner Brannum, he is definitely one of the best-dressed members of the Commission. In that respect, he takes a professional approach to the ANC.
I also think he made a couple of well-received jokes during the meeting. We could use more levity and less anger at the ANC meetings.
Kris
"Thou shall not bear false witness against thy neighbor."
"Praise the name of Jesus."
Commishioner Brannum,
I suspect that my long time neighbors view me as a "newcomer from the suburbs", despite the fact that I do not drive a Volvo or have any desire for a Starbucks nearby.
However, I have lived in DC for nearly 15 years total, and I came here from a working class neighborhood in New York City. I assure you, "urban" DC is not something I need to equip myself for after growing up in NYC.
Yet if you meet me, you'll think that I'm just another white gentrifier from suburban MD or VA, just as my neighbors do. Open your mind and see people for who they are; not what they appear to be.
We need to overcome what I call the "Archie Bunker Culture" that permeates DC - no matter what the Archie Bunkers look like.
Alan
As someone who is very interested in the renovation of the firehouse, i too, would love to hear why Commissioner Robert V. Brannum, or anyone opposes the project.
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