ANC 3/4G-05 Update 11/26
Hello Good neighbors!
I hope your Thanksgiving was hearty and joyous.
My commisioner good thanks goes out to the Legation Street neighbors who came together recently to address crime on their street. If you heard the laughs, saw the smiles, and felt the goodwill at the gathering it would be hard to imagine the serious nature of the meeting. Coming together, supporting one another, getting to know each other, and binding up the social capital in our communities is one of the best things we can do.
I recently viewed and hope to screen Join or Die, a documentary about our democracy and the work of Robert Putnam around social capital. If you would like to help, please reach out.
Crime is a very real concern. The ANC has been in constant conversation and meetings with DCPD representatives.
This is an active Google doc you can check with recommendations around crime prevention. Big recommendations are as follows...
-Alert day time workers about increased robbery and break in threats.
-Leave nothing valuable or even valuable looking in your car.
-Report everything suspicious to the police.
I'll add a personal recommendation: let's not give way to fear and allow that to influence policy. The ACLU of DC has issued a warning about new Council crime legislation and it's worth considering.
Most things in a city are connected. Too many crimes are committed by young people. Good teachers, mentors, coaches, and schools are able to direct kids towards a better path. But those educators won't stick around without being treated with respect or paid fairly in an increasingly costly city.
ANC 3/4G unanimously passed my resolution in support of the Washington Teachers' Union request for contract negotiations. Please add your voice:
-Sign the WTU petition for a contract negotiation.
-Email the Chancellor of Education in DC, the Deputy Mayor of Education, and the Mayor and urge them to get a negotiation started.
-Ask your parent organizations at our schools to show their support
Thanksgiving is also owed to several SMD-05 residents who examined the bio-retention beds issue, gathered their neighbours, and gave notice of their requests to DDOT. The ANC will vote on two resolutions around this issue on Monday.
If you can make the hybrid ANC meeting on Monday at 7pm, please do.
We will discuss the Civic Core survey results that can be found here. We also expect to meet soon after in a special meeting to discuss and vote on a resolution to be included in the Civic Core request for proposal. I still welcome your input and feedback.
As the Civic Core issue is debated there will be questions of cost. A DC Fiscal Policy Institute report estimated that without Statehood we lose over 3 billion dollars of revenue. Revenue that could be directed towards housing, education, or anything we deem worthy. We already pay more federal taxes than 23 states, and more per capita than any state.
If you are traveling over the upcoming holidays, consider asking friends and family in the represented 50 states to ask their politicians to take the DC Statehood Pledge. Support is growing, but like patriots of the revolution we've got to spread the word of no taxation without representation.
If you have feedback, questions, requests, or suggestions for ANC work we are always happy to hear from you. That's our job. Please connect.
-Email and Phone number below if you would like to make an appointment to talk or meet.
You may also want to connect with your Ward 3 Councilmember:
-Ward 3 CM Frumin Constituent Services
Thank you all and I hope to see you on the Avenue.