Charles Allen, Jack Evans on Ward Two Parking for Shaw Residents

Emergency legislation to allow Shaw car owners to retain their Ward Two parking privileges went down to defeat on June 3, but that's not necessary the end of the matter. Charles Allen, Democratic nominee for the Ward 6 City Council seat, pledged to re-introduce legislation if elected. However, messages on Twitter indicate the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) is already replacing resident parking signs in Shaw.

Newly-installed parking sign in Shaw

Meanwhile, DC City Councilmember Jack Evans (D-Ward Two) told Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 2F/Logan Circle why he opposed the bill.

Shaw residents were redistricted from Ward Two to Ward Six as a result of the 2010 census. Since that time, they have been able to retain Ward Two parking permits. They wish to continue to do so -- see SALM blog posts of June 2 and May 14.

Allen at 6E/Shaw

Charles Allen visited the regular monthly meeting of Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 6E/Shaw on June 3 -- a few hours after the emergency legislation was defeated by a voice vote. The purpose of Allen's visit to ANC6E was to "say hello and listen in", he said.

Allen reported the failure of the emergency legislation. However, he said, the the bill would be re-introduced this session as permanent (i.e., not emergency) legislation, and there was a possibility that it could pass in this manner.

If it does not pass, Allen promised to re-introduce the legislation if he is elected to the DC Council in November.

According to a DC Council web site faq page, "An emergency bill is a proposed new law or an amendment to existing legislation that takes effect immediately and is effective for 90 days.  Because it does not follow the committee process, a vote of a super majority (9) is required for an emergency to be considered."

The path of permanent legislation is slower and more complicated, including potentially a visit to the US Congress, but it will not require a super majority. See an explanation here.

Signs already changing

About four hours before the emergency legislation failed in the DC Council, a Shaw resident reported on Twitter that Ward Two resident parking sign were being replaced with Ward Six resident parking signs. A DDOT worker said the sign change was being fast-tracked, the resident wrote in a separate tweet.

Rachelle Nigro, ANC6E Commissioner for the area in question (district 04), instructed the resident to take and send a photo of the sign in question -- see above. Nigro said she had sent an email to DDOT Director Matthew Brown about the matter.

Evans at 2F/Logan Circle

Jack Evans was at the regular monthly meeting of ANC2F on June 4. His main purpose was to talk about the recently passed city budget, but he touched briefly on the parking bill. He said he understood why Shaw residents wanted Ward Two parking passes.

"I understand wanting to continue to park in neighborhoods that you used to be able to park in," Evans said. "But the purpose of residential parking passes is to park in a residential neighborhood. And, frankly, this neighborhood would have been impacted by having people from Shaw parking in a residential area."

Evans' position might be, in part, a result of trying to park near his home in Georgetown.

"I can't even find an illegal parking spot," he told ANC2F.

Other matters discussed by Evans and ANC2F at the June 4 meeting will be the subject of one or more future SALM blog post.

Ward Two Parking for Shaw Residents: Lobbying on Both Sides

Tomorrow (June 3), DC Councilmember Tommy Wells (D-Ward Six) will put forward a resolution that will enable an estimated 1,100 Shaw car owners -- although resident in Ward Six (see map below) -- to retain their Ward Two Residential Parking Permits.

Formerly Ward Two, now Ward Six

Rachelle Nigro, representative for district 04 on Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 6E/Shaw announced the initiative on her Facebook page May 30. She asked her constituents to call the offices of all members of the DC City Council to express their support of the bill, called the ANC 6E Residential Parking Permit Exception Emergency Declaration Resolution of 2014. 

Also on May 30, Nigro sent tweets to DC Councilmembers David Grosso (I-At Large), Jack Evans (D-Ward Two), Mary Cheh (D-Ward Three), and Kenyan McDuffie (D-Ward Five), urging them to vote for the resolution.

The neighborhood was formerly a part of Ward Two. It was redistricted into Ward Six after the 2010 Census. Residents successfully resisted a previous attempt to change their parking permits. See the SALM blog post of May 14 for more details. 

Meanwhile, neighboring ANC 2F/Logan Circle is mobilizing against the plan. At its regular monthly meeting on May 14, voted unanimously to send a letter to the DC Council "making the Council aware of ANC 2F’s opposition to all proposed or pending legislation that would grant Ward 6 residents the ability to park in Ward 2."

Shaw Car Owners Ask to Retain Ward Two Residential Parking

"This issue is not dead yet," said Rachelle Nigro of Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 6E/Shaw. "We'll fight to the very end for my constituents."

Ward Six, north of New York Avenue

The issue is the residential parking permits (RPPs) of about 1,100 car owners living north of New York Avenue NW in Shaw, surrounded on three sides by other wards (see map). Up until 2011, these car owners lived in Ward Two. As a result of redistricting, they now live in Ward Six. They have lobbied successfully to retain Ward Two RPP up until now. Currently they are resisting an attempt by the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) to change the street signs in their area so that they will be required to have Ward Six stickers on their windshields to park on the street.

Nigro said the majority of people in this area wished to retain Ward Two residential parking permits. She said she would need to have some organized show of support, like an online petition, to demonstrate this.

The ANC passed a resolution at its regular monthly meeting May 6 asking the city council, and specifically Councilmember Tommy Wells (D-Ward Six) to introduce the necessary legislation to implement this. The resolution passed with one vote against, by Commissioner Marge Maceda (district 05).

Ashamed of Ward Six?

Earlier, during the debate, Maceda asked Nigro: "Are the people in your area ashamed of being in Ward Six?"

"No, it has nothing to do..." Nigro began.

"It certainly is," Maceda said.

A member of the audience resisted Maceda's tendency to interrupt.

"I've been living in this neighborhood all my life...," the audience member began.

"And it's changing," Maceda said.

"Excuse me, let me finish," the audience member said. "One of the things that's happened now is this new little piece of carve-out. If I go one block east, I'm in Ward Five. If I go one block north, I'm in Ward 1. If I got four blocks west, I'm in Ward Two. I can't even go to a restaurant, my cleaners, and park there anymore."

At the end of the debate, Nigro said of the request for legislation: "If it works, great. If it doesn't, we will just move forward as Ward Six, but at least we're trying our best."

Who needs Georgetown?

ANC6E Chair Alexander Padro (district 01) said he expected City Councilmember Jack Evans (D-Ward Two) to oppose the legislation because he doesn't want more people parking in Georgetown.

"We don't need to go to Georgetown anymore to go to restaurants and clubs," an audience member said. "We've got our own neighborhood now. We just can't park there."

ANC6E has a Youtube channel, on which it posts its monthly meetings in their entirety. The discussion on this matter can be seen on video 00048 here, starting at 5:15.

See a current map of Ward Six from the D.C. Office of Planning here.

(Map from D.C. Office of Planning website)

March 7 Shooting in Shaw: MPD Youtube Video of Persons of Interest

D.C.'s Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) has released a video on Youtube showing two persons of interest possibly connected with a March 7 shooting at Fifth and Q Streets NW. At a community meeting last night (March 20) at KIPP DC Public Charter School (421 P Street) in Shaw, the MPD shared information about the case and urged members of the public to come forward to aid the investigation, particularly people who were walking around the neighborhood at the time immediate prior to the shooting at 8:45pm.

The video, from the night of the shooting, is below. If you have trouble viewing it, find it in the MPD Youtube channel here.

Detective Scott Guthrie of the MPD reviewed the public facts of the case. Two 22-year-old men were shot at the intersection of Fifth and Q Streets. The victims survived and were released. The victims did not reveal the identity of the shooters. Guthrie said the two victims do not reside in the area but "have ties". Police are looking for a slim African-American, between 6 feet and 6 feet 2 inches tall, who was seen fleeing the scene, in connection with the case.

There have been no related incidents since then, Guthrie said. As a result of increased police presence in the area in the days following the shooting, a man was arrested for carrying a concealed weapon, but there is no evidence this arrest has any connection to the shooting.

The police took questions from the roughly 30 members of the audience. There were many details the police said they could not reveal, for example, placement of video cameras, number of shell casings found, and possible criminal backgrounds of the victims.

Someone asked if the shooting was gang-related.

"Everybody jumps to that conclusion," Detective Kenneth Arrington said. "But we haven't established any connection."

Some people complained about local policing. One person said police can be "very disrespectful".

"The residents here do not trust the police," said another.

Toward the end of the meeting, mayoral candidate and D.C. City Councilmember Tommy Wells (Ward Six) appeared. Wells did not comment or ask the police any questions. 

Anyone with information about the incident is encouraged to contact the MPD at 202-727-9099 or via the MPD text tip line 50411.

Raising "the Tommy Wells flag" at the Ward Six Candidates Forum

Charles Allen and Darrel Thompson, candidates in the April 1 Democratic primary to replace mayoral candidate Tommy Wells as Ward Six representative, met for a forum in the basement of Watha T. Daniel Library (1630 7th Street NW) in Shaw on March 12. The forum was moderated by Andrew Lightman, publisher of MidCity DC and other hyperlocal news outlets.

The candidates were urged to take off their ties.

The candidates agreed on many things. For example:

• There is an ethical crisis in DC government.
• They support new legislation on campaign contributions.
• They want to improve public transit in Ward Six.
• They will not seek outside employment if elected to the DC Council.
• They are against neighborhood preferences for charter schools.

"These wonderful men are very well behaved," Lightman said at the beginning of the evening. Throughout the forum, the candidates spoke respectfully to one another and the general tone remained civil.

Tommy Wells: absent but present

The most discordant note was when Thompson accused Allen of either adopting or rejecting the legacy of Tommy Wells according to political expediency. Allen has been Wells' Chief of Staff for more than six years.

"You can't raise the Tommy Wells flag when it helps you and lower it when it doesn't," Thompson said.

Thompson cited two instances when he thought Wells was insufficiently attentive to his constituents. The first involved the former Shaw-Southwest Circulator Bus, which discontinued service in 2011.

"It got yanked largely at your mentor's [i.e., Wells'] request," Lightman said.

Allen said he would fight for its reinstatement.

"You were there when we lost Circulator in the first place," Thompson said.

The second involved a question about increased demand for "walk-to" neighborhood schools.

"That's a difference between Tommy and me," Allen said. "I'll be a stronger fighter for neighborhood schools."

Thompson said Allen should have started fighting sooner as Chief of Staff.

"You have the ear of your boss," Thompson said.

The Culture of Corruption

The forum took place at the same time as Mayor Gray's State of the District address, and Gray's recent problems were a subject for discussion. In answer to a question about legislative initiatives to curb corruption, Allen suggested a complete elimination of corporate contributions.

As it stands now, a limited liability corporation (LLC) in D.C. can donate to a campaign, so people can and have anonymously established multiple LLCs to enable large but quiet donations.

"When someone is able to give once as themselves, and once for each corporation, that's wrong," Allen said.

At another point in the evening, Allen said: "The way you make sure you have accountability is that you have one name on the check."

Thompson did not come out for elimination of corporate contributions, but instead said "the [D.C. city] council should have some say so."

"We should hold corporations responsible," Thompson said.

Later, Thompson said, "We need new fixes and legislation. This comes back to integrity and character."