GentrificationKills

 

Introduction/Definition/etc Body Conclusion Discussion Page History Page Statistics Page Views:  since creating on 20100718

 

Introduction/Definition/etc

 

Title from the graffiti in the area

north of Howard University and

up through Petworth Georgia Avenue

area, with some commentary on actual

experiences and witnessing...

 

20100718 12.00 noon Jerry

 

Body

 

What on earth brings a suburbanite

to the Petworth Georgia Avenue

area?  Short answer besides curiosity

(which almost [/ could have ]killed this cat):

A technical meeting, bike coop

(TheBikeHouse) and Bike Film Festival

BFF10

 

A couple of boarded up places along the

Georgia Avenue parts North of Howard

University had "Gentrification Kills"

spray painted on plywood,

in remarkably similar letterings...

 

Conversation at the Bike House,

a bike coop (to be briefly described in

another page TheBikeHouse)

saw it as a double edged sword...

 

My very limited understanding and

experience with DC Politics,

mostly revolved around my published

works with StreetSense

Fenty Closing Franklin Shelter

DCDMH:ItsNotOurPolicy

St. Elizabeths Concert Series

and more...

 

 

But transportation is usually involved too,

innovations like the new BikeSpace towards

north or rather east of the Convention Center,

yet unvisited :-(,

continues the trend of Bike Coops,

transit Centers around BikeStation

adjacent to the Union Station (Amtrak,

MARC, & VRE) some plans for similar

coming to the one north of King Street,

begins with a B? I usually confuse

with Brookland...,

MetBranchTrail opening ceremony between

Union Station area and Silver Spring

(visited the ceremony in the heat exhausted

from schedule and biking up, skipping the

riding the actual trail, back home to A/C & bed),

Commuter Tax comes into consideration,

increased Metro rider costs,

as a politician was canvasing the MetBranchTrail

opening and basically would not continue talking

with people unless they were District and certain

Ward residents...  That bothers me, as even if

I don't live in DC and never have, it doesn't

mean that I don't know people who do,

some homeless, so technically may not be taxpayers,

and the usual type of residents, but

the issues likely effect most area people

someway... Even if it is hearing of someone

shot in the South East, North East, South West

or North West parts of DC.  As the heat goes

higher (with recent warnings, and even an

3+ Richtor scale earthquake in Rockville?),

summertime activities late at night continue

to increase, afaict good and bad...

 

So sitting cautious and anxiously waiting

to get back to NoVA area home, to much

needed bed and rest,

on one of a series of recent visits,

4-6 young presumably African American guys

come to a bike rack on the MetroRail sidewalk

and start kicking it, possibly to break the lock,

and steal the bike, or some beef(s) with the

owner, or all people on bikes, I'm sitting there

with a bike helmet on (the easiest way to carry it,

and use bike sharing sometimes when in town),

the light sometime useful in traffic

even just crossing the street as a pedestrian,

what does that imply about what would happen

next, If I say I call 911 and report a crime

against the bike?, the policeman on a bike

had just been through,

and ambulances / fire trucks seemed to

be rather active along that stretch while

waiting and commuting...

 

What happens to an old white guy

when he confronts that deplorable action?

Gang kills come crazy formerly homeless guy,

presumably in the wrong part of town,

no news anywhere... ?

 

What business would bring me to that area,

except something counter to the wishes/

wants/ desires and business interests

of the former inhabitants?

 

Boarded up buildings are not uncommon

near where I'm at, failed businesses abound, 

turnover is high along the revitalization area

I try inhabiting/ surviving.

 

People conception of NoVA and the suburbs,

really I'm in South East (even though Fairfax County,VA)

I spend most of my time commuting to and from

other interesting places. My bike advocacy isn't really

in the jurisdiction that effects me the most,

even those organizations mostly meet too far

west in Fairfax County, FABB, is probably the biggest

if not only one..

just the neighboring one jurisdiction I have to commute through,

one way or another...

 

When on buses, admittedly as little as possible

after 6 or so guys surround me coming back

late at night from a technical thing in DC,

presumably wanting my laptop, bike,

and messenger bag perhaps seen in use on the

MetroRail with a friend whos left country

working here on a visa, and a Metro Police office

is on the grounds of that station,

no video cameras like at Petworth...

 

Drugs and violence, threats and outright hatred

are the norm.  Talk of police, prison, convictions,

nasty looks, plus lack of giving up a seat to a

disabled person (myself), perhaps because

it's an invisible disability (MetroAccess sent

a taxi that ran over my feet as I was getting my bags,

then lied about me, saying I didn't pay,

MetroAccess recently seen again in the news

for sexually? assaulting passengers,

the second reported and in the local papers),

even visiting a museum on short tour,

is now too much walking for me)....

I used to walk all day long with little

issues with my feet, when homeless years ago...

 

Who does Gentrification Kill???

The businesses and homes that reside there? 

And/or the people visiting and

in the backlash?

 

And Fenty (rumored to be corrupt)

and presumably others have likely profitted

by the change, developers getting access

to deeds, titles, zoning, and whatever processes

to make it happen.  Petworth with the green line

coming in recently, I can see the changes,

similar to those in Ballston, along the Orange

line corridor, and what planned stuff in Tysons,

to Dulles, and maybe some later lines extending

to Ft Belvoir or Inter County Connector/

Purple line up in Maryland...  The constructions

similar to American Revitalization Reinvestment Acts

in rural Pennsylvania I just visited,

some rumored to be fake, unnecessary,

and progressing so slowly, mob connections

or at least goldbricking and

possible corruption involved, though

I'm wondering about the capacities of the

bridges, upgrading to do heavy trucking/

loads involved in drilling for fractured natural

gases, and wind turbines in the

northern (and intentionally undeveloped

Endless Mountains) areas...

 

The oil business still trying to deal

with stopping and cleaning up

the Gulf of Mexico, seemingly

no different to Kuwait and the desert

sands in the Persian Gulf and

other overseas messes, but it's presumably

different when it happens on foreign

soil, or is it?

 

Bush's legacy may be 9/11,

Obama's the Port Au Prince,

and now Gulf of Mexico responses,

or lack thereof, tough times indeed,

and perhaps related to our need to guzzle gas,

drive SUVs, change things we have

little to no business doing?

 

Think about it, sit home in the

oppressive summer heats,

hear news reports of shootings in the

inner cities, death by wars,

and other bad news (not that this is good

news), and really think what we

as a species and culture is doing

to the world...

 

Or maybe I'm just tired, and sick

and should shut up, as the newly? moderated

(read censored BikeWashingtonDC yahoo

group, I've been involved with for over 6 years,

bailing when moderated, as we disabled

don't get heard, our time at the microphone,

in print, in blogs, in platforms and parties,

political and otherwise, because things

like the communication issues (autism

spectrum might have something to do with it,

lack of knowledge and information (read

digital / communication device),

two hour commutes (every MetroAccess

ride is given 2 hours to complete,

from the corner store, dry cleaning,

to across town...) and stigmas

and frequent needs and unmet needs...

 

So shut up, and here are 6+ guys who

hate your type, be it biker, disabled,

white, or whatever, who needs to live

like this?

 

Not that I'm suicidal, just trying to do

stuff that has meaning in my limited

life.  Bike culture and BFF10

were some of the most enjoyable

I've had, I don't agree nor like all of it,

RAAM Ride Across America race

3200+ miles in 7 or so days,

was painful to watch people purposefully

doing that to themselves, as were others,

BMX biker Mat H. (why can't I remember

names?) destroying his body going higher

and higher, the X Games ramps and he

just had to try it, despite a spleen,

Evil Kinevil (sp?) motorcycle guy

from my era jumping higher further and

faster, but still alive in the film to tell

the tales of what Mat does, he pauses

with wife and kid(s) to reflect,

even pro skateboarders biking across

New Zealand, some complaining

the whole way, mostly humorously,

camping, biking through headwinds and rain,

others biking Japan, and

city alley cat races through

Zoo competitions beating each

other bloody, to bike bowling,

coming down a hill on mostly small bikes

trying to take out 6+ roadside construction barrels,

the whole range of biking, cultural and artistic activities,

my favorites watching frame builders,

artistic peices  like Day Laborors,

a tired young bike messenger gets bright

idea to hire someone to bike him

around, outsourcing delivering

that my limited description doesn't

do justice, but it takes off,

to humorous levels even above Mat's

25 feet+ ramp records

and tickled my fancy,

the antidote to not scattering my

fathers ashes early this month,

but I can't afford to eat or socialize,

taking frozen water bottles into

federal buildings earlier in the day,

really some security thing or tourist trap?

Ionizing XRays on foods or oppression

and health risks for people with

any issues in this heat, some nice guards,

some more strict but at least polite,

the Capital building visitors building the

most strict, and I just bailed out

on watching some others eat

rumored outstanding desserts

an over eater probably shouldn't

be around anyway...

 

But missing meals isn't good

either, too poor to buy stuff,

convenience stores, or take out,

or trendy bars, what is left is just

seemingly blighted: liquor stores,

check cashing and  more blight,

not so different from where I live,

the colors of the skins of the majority

of people may be a little darker,

but the issues remain the same...

 

By comparison, Petworth Farmers Market

interesting in it's own ways,

TheBikeHouse clinic,

DangerousPies (so sweet,

and a young man delightful

to converse / banter with over hours

alternating to bike issues,

seeing more and more come out

even in the heat, coffee shops

providing music too, tea,

antiques, sheep skins and meat,

vegetables, an organic/ no spray place,

and eco friendly baby products,

hot sauces hawked/ pitched to

an amusing level, bakers of breads,

at least two besides the pies place,

fruits, berries, and I can't afford

them, but try to visit as many

farmers markets as possible

even while traveling/ commuting,

more on my list further up Georgia

Avenue almost to Maryland line

when I biked on Wednesday

20 miles UP HILL to NIH's

Science in Cinema at AFI

seeing the tail end of Candy

about drug addiction, heroin

in this case, young girl/ couple gone

bad, and somewhat recovering

and a researcher talking

in the annual free education

series, but costly art stuff

like Fringe, yet unexperienced,

even BFF10 at $33 or so for a

all 6+ programs festival pass,

I couldn't miss it, last years

Tour de Afrique,

Urban Bike Shorts with

Made in Queens (hundreds of pounds

of audio equipment on bikes

rolling through neighborhoods...),

and Brooklyn Bombers alley cat race you'd

have to see to believe,

so when will BFF make a bike

cable channel so kids and adults

can see at home bike culture,

like MTV did for music and arts,

direct to our homes, maybe best of DVDs

to display for those I'd like to share

it with, almost all of you reading

this and more...

 

 

.

Conclusion

 

Summary of experience or similar

 

Discussion

 

A place for feedback on the page presented

 

Page History

20100718 Jerry

• Jerry created this page to ...

 

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