Pushing the Limits
Dear Patient Readers:
Individual issues of themail are getting about as long as practical,
and this one may be stretching it as it is. What is your pleasure: 1)
longer issues, 2) more frequent issues, or 3) more heavily edited
messages? Are you willing to have your messages cut even shorter? Please
let me know privately, not necessarily for publication, if you have
strong feelings about this.
Gary Imhoff
themail@dcwatch.com
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Redistricting Uproar in Columbia Heights
Elizabeth McIntire, elizabeth@innercity.org
I'd be interested to know if the ANC Redistricting Task Forces
appointed by the Ward Councilmembers are doing hatchet jobs on
neighborhoods elsewhere in the city as they are proposing to do in
Columbia Heights. Or is no one paying attention , assuming all those
battles were won/lost in the ward redistricting? In any case, the
council issued a “guideline” directing task forces to try to
equalize the number of Single Member Districts within the ANC's. Since
the ward populations have been equalized, that would mean approximately
36 commissioners per ward, divided into 4 commissions of 9 members each.
How many neighborhoods fit that arbitrary standard, citywide?
What they propose for Ward One is to move the boundary between Mt.
Pleasant and Columbia Heights to 14th Street, instead of 16th, divide
the existing ANC 1A so that four SMD's would be merged with Mt.
Pleasant. The remaining SMD's would be joined to a newly configured ANC
with the Georgia Avenue SMD's from ANC 1B, in order to strengthen the
representation around the "common interests" of Georgia
Avenue.
Columbia Heights, a neighborhood whose heart is 14th Street, will be
divided in three parts at the most critical time in the long-delayed and
long-debated redevelopment of our commercial corridor. Commissioners who
live farther away from 14th Street will have a greater say than someone
who lives on 14th Street. Oh, yeah, two of the other guidelines were: do
not dilute the voting strength of minorities, and respect neighborhood
cohesiveness.
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The Mayor's office still refuses to release details of the
reorganization that took place last week in the Executive Office of the
Mayor. But the staff shuffle has resulted in three new positions in the
Office of the Chief of Staff. For those who need to know the players: 1)
Joy Arnold is now Deputy Chief of Staff for Community Affairs. Arnold
will handle “external activities” for the Mayor and oversee the
Office of Public Advocate (now renamed the Office of Community Outreach)
and the Neighborhood Action Initiative. Arnold, 28 and a Ward 4
resident, owes her new position to the lobbying of Norm Neverson, head
of the Ward 4 Democrats and chair of the Democratic State Committee. 2)
Gregory McCarthy, who formerly was Director of the Office of Policy and
Evaluation, is now titled Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy and
Legislative Affairs. 3) Elizabeth Valencia, who had served as an aide to
the former Chief of Staff, Abdusalam Omer, has become the Deputy Chief
of Staff for Operations. And, as of last Friday, the DC Office of Boards
and Commissions was informing all callers that the head of the office is
no longer Ronald King, but Acting Director Jackie Randolph.
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I suppose I understand the concept that a host country should bear
the cost of a World Bank meeting. I just don't understand how the cost
is allocated. It appears that about $16M is going to paid by US
taxpayers as a whole, meaning that each person in the US will pay about
6 cents. The remainder, about $13M, is going to be paid by D.C.
taxpayers, meaning that on average each of us in DC is going to pay
about $25 to support this international meeting. We may not get
representation in Congress, but we are sure important when there is a
bill to be paid. Anyone have any suggestions about how I can get my $25
worth?
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Twice in the past week, two protest vandals groups pasted their
notices in DC public space in the middle of the afternoon-in broad
daylight on a Saturday and a Thursday. And those are just ones I
happened to see. You have to admire their justified contempt for the DC
government. Of course, other protest groups have also pasted notices in
the past week. So till October the pasted notices will continue to go up
and the city will spend millions for the “convenience” of World Bank
Pooh-Bahs and spend nothing to keep our city looking clean and livable.
Then after October, the annual Neiman-Marcus fur protesters will paste
notices on a more or less weekly basis for the next six months! At least
the fur protesters have the decency to lurk about and paste in the dark
of night.
Over years of removing graffiti, no graffiti vandal has ever bothered
me. Removing illegal notices, vandals have threatened me with assault,
mutilation, and death. Some people are fanatical about their need to
trash our city. I’m hardly the first resident with simple goals and
good intentions to be beaten down by the vast unyielding indifference of
the DC government. Although I do have to deal with the additional
embarrassment of having helped to draft and elect a certain Mayor. On to
other battles, rats….
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Serious Information Management Problems at DMV
Mary Farrell, Mjfanc6b03@aol.com
[To Mayor Williams] I have a Kafkaesque tale to share with you. I
requested your help by E-mail last week in resolving a problem I was
having clearing an outstanding moving violation from my traffic record
at the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). After several days had passed
and I had received no assistance from your office, I tried sending an
E-mail message directly to DMV. Within fewer than 12 hours, someone from
their computer office called me with a phone number. It was in fact the
wrong phone number entirely, but I appreciated the gesture.
After several calls, I finally reached someone at DMV who understood
my problem and what needed to be done to fix it. She told me a
remarkable story. DMV has three separate computer systems incapable of
communicating with one another. So the same data must be manually
entered in all three systems. What's more, it is not considered DMV's
responsibility to make sure that the data is entered consistently in all
three systems, it is the responsibility of the individual citizen, who
must take his records to three different offices to make sure that the
same data is entered at each of them.
I was told that it wasn't enough to go to K Street, NE to pay my
ticket. I must now take evidence that I paid it to another office on C
Street, NW. Or, if I wished to mail my receipt and an elaborate package
of related evidence, I should enclose a $5.00 check, the price to be
paid for not going to C Street, NW in person. No one informed me of any
of this when I paid my ticket! Isn't this marvelous? Doesn't it sound
precisely like a Russian novel? Could you please instruct someone to
transmit information to DMV's C Street, NW, staff that my ticket
(#937173042) has been paid. It is completely unreasonable to ask me, or
anyone else, to go to two offices in two different parts of town to pay
the same ticket. I anxiously await your reply.
###############
Serious Information Management Problems at
DMV, Part II
Sherryl Hobbs-Newman, shnewman@dc.gov
[To Ms. Farrell] I want to apologize for the outdated computer system
that we have all had to deal with for so long. As I am sure you are
aware, DMV has suffered for a long time with a system that cannot handle
the volume or the need for accessibility from many sources. It has left
this agency with a reputation of inefficiency and with long lines and
unhappy customers. As I write to you today, however, I am happy to tell
you that hope is near. We are currently designing and testing our new
system, Destiny, and look forward to it being up and running in the
Spring of 2002. It has been designed to be the most advanced in the
nation, with many more features and capabilities than what we have now,
namely a way to ensure that all of our files are integrated and can
communicate with one another.
I can assure you that in my two year tenure here, nothing has had as
big a priority as getting our system stabilized and updated. We see
great promise with the latest and most state-of-the-art technology that
we are developing, and we look forward to our customers being able to
access our services online, get all of their transactions done in one
place, and being able to get quick and reliable data by phone. While I
would never say that it will alleviate all of our concerns, it will go a
long way toward making the process more efficient and less
time-consuming. Please stay tuned as we begin our information campaign
about our new system and what it can do for us all. In the meantime, we
will be contacting you by phone to speak about your current problem.
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Serious Information Management Problems at
DMV, Part III
Mary Farrell, Mjfanc6b03@aol.com
[To Mrs. Newsman] Thank you for your call and note of August 24. I am
delighted to learn that DMV is getting a new computer system in 2002.
The question is what will be done in the interim about the system of
unreason that requires District citizens to compensate with their own
time and money for the city's information management failures? What will
be done to ensure that we are not running hither and yon, compiling
dossiers of documentation, and writing $5.00 checks in order to prove
that tickets are paid? When such information can be sent electronically
from one District office to another, why would you require people to go
to two different places in two different quadrants of the city to
complete the same transaction? And more specifically, can you please
arrange to have all your records reflect that Ticket #937173042 is paid?
If you need proof of this other than your own computer system, I shall
be happy to fax you a receipt. Thank you for your attention.
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Manhole Events (Smokers, Fires, and
Explosions)
Mark Richards, Dupont East, mark@bisconti.com
For as long as I’ve lived in DC I’ve had reliable service from
PEPCO and my bill hasn’t gone up dramatically — unlike California,
there haven’t been major fee increases. I can only remember the lights
being out for more than a few minutes once in the middle of the night
— the darkness from lack of street lights woke me. I imagine that the
underground cabling is quite reliable, and isn’t knocked out by storms
and trees, etc. The 17th and Q Street, NW, manhole that exploded and
shot flames over 10 feet into the air happened while I was away. PEPCO
explains the problem: http://www.pepco.org/news_frms.asp?file=news_manhole_problem.htm
The Cairo, a half block from the blast, sustained a broken front window.
Now, every time a street is blocked in the neighborhood or something,
people stop and wonder if it’s another manhole event. I visited the
Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) web site http://www.epri.com
to see what they’re doing. EPRI is an association of utilities and
others where interested parties pool their resources to study issues,
problem solve, develop new technologies for electric utilities. A number
of utilities have been monitoring and conducting technical research on
manhole events, and several technical reports are available from EPRI
for a fee. There was an EPRI manhole event workshop in August 2000 in
Pittsfield, Massachusetts — 12 electric utilities participated. EPRI
posted the meeting minutes on their site (my compliments for sharing the
information), http://www.epri.com/attachments/239889_ugws0800.pdf, PEPCO
apparently has 57,000 manholes in DC. They categorize manhole events as
smokers, fires, explosions, and stream related. The events — occurring
in primary and secondary cables — have been mainly caused by joint
failures, cable faults, a couple third party intrusions and elevated
gases. PEPCO reported that after the six Georgetown explosions in 2000,
there was 104 minutes of TV media coverage and increased government
involvement to improve emergency response, prevention, and safety. The
PSC ordered PEPCO to increase their manhole inspection rate to 10,000
per year and provide more detailed reports. PEPCO filed a report with
the PSC on July 21: http://www.pepco.org/news_frms.asp?file=news_manhole_kit.htm.
A task force from DC EMA made recommendations to the Mayor that were
adopted. There was also joint public oversight hearing by Consumer and
Regulatory Affairs and the Committee on Public Works. DC apparently
charges PEPCO an annual fee of “about 17 cents per linear foot for
overhead and 33 cents per linear foot for underground facilities” for
street repair.
There is a facility in Lenox, Massachusetts for creating and studying
manhole explosions and other things. PEPCO and EPRI conducted tests on
three manhole designs — a solid cover, a 28% cast iron slotted cover,
and a 47% galvanized steel cover. The meeting report says the galvanized
worked best to disperse the gases that apparently collect and explode if
exposed to a spark or enough heat. One question I’ve had is what kinds
of gases are being vented through the new manholes with slots? A number
of technologies are being developed to monitor gases to provide an early
warning. Companies are concerned that procedures to locate underground
cables are followed, to avoid breaking them or the insulation. There is
new equipment to help with underground mapping, including the “Ground
Penetrating Imaging Radar” (GPiR). PEPCO was examining whether or not
to replace “PILC cable,” which is apparently quite old. The problems
in Georgetown apparently weren’t related to PILC, however. PEPCO hired
ABB to review their design and engineering practices, and PEPCO
developed an electrical model of the Georgetown network, both primary
and secondary systems. The report says PEPCO “has placed greater
emphasis on equipment failure analysis function (forensics, performance
tracking and trending, root cause analysis).” There is another EPRI
manhole event workshop coming up August 30-31, 2001, in Washington, DC.
Some members of the previous workshop expressed the feeling that they
needed to be even more proactive on this issue rather than reacting to
events. I’m just glad to see that PEPCO and other utilities are
comparing notes, carefully examining the issues, and upgrading the
transmission system before someone gets hurt -- such will likely cause a
firestorm of media coverage and fears. The whole subject of electric
transmission is interesting in light of customer choice/competition. I
wonder whether the underground transmission system will continue to be
owned by PEPCO or how that will work as competitors attempt to lure
PEPCO customers away.
###############
I was sorry to see the discussion peter out on
abandoned/foreclosed/auctioned/uninhabitable housing units around DC. My
best guess is that there are still about 5000 of them and that they are
a major source of all the diseases still infecting DC, and a major
potential source for economic recovery. I surely would like to know more
about them, where they are (actual addresses), who owns them, why they
can't be renovated, why the higher property tax on them was removed, are
they in DC's new GIS system, etc. I would greatly appreciate any serious
inputs from any of themail's audience to my e-mail address above.
References to prior studies, exposes', horror stories, etc. would also
be welcomed. I hope to make it a major study for my NARPAC web site if
some faster moving real-time activist group doesn't beat me to it.
Thanks for taking the time to help me keep this deadly issue alive.
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Motorng in Canada
Ed T. Barron, edtb@aol.com
Finally found the cool weather in Canada we were seeking after two
weeks of very unseasonably warm weather in most of the places we have
been. In Edmonton a few days ago it was over 90 degrees while the
temperature in D.C. was only 76. So much for the warm clothes we
brought. But here in Jasper the temp has been as low as 40 degrees at
the top of Whistler Mountain, and we were well prepared.
The courtesy extended to pedestrians crossing at corners where there
are no traffic signals or signs disappeared in Montreal (no surprise)
and it was DC-like in Toronto, as well. In both Winnipeg and in
Edmonton, however, the drivers were, once again, very courteous to
pedestrians, as they were in Halifax.
In the tourist Meccas of Banff and Jasper, in the Canadian Rockies,
motorists can find lots of free parking in both cities. There is a ban
on meters and paid parking, so the cities provide ample parking for the
tourists who are all here with cars. The motorists are very courteous to
pedestrians here, but in the little town of Jasper there is so little
traffic it does not matter. Our final test of motorist courtesy to
pedestrians will be in Vancouver next week. Other perks up here include
a much lower cost of dining out, even in these tourist towns. A very
good meal, with beer and dessert, in a nice restaurant will cost about
$35 (US $) per person. A far cry from the cost of eating out in major
cities in the US Almost tempting to buy a place in these parts (which
would cost a lot less than a vacation spot in most popular US vacation
areas.
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As a student of this rather arcane subject, I was pleased to see the
recent piece on the history of the DC sewer system and the attempt to
link the past with the present. You may be interested to know that much
of the flooding in the Florida Avenue area may be linked to the infamous
Northeast Boundary Trunk Sewer, a huge brick sewer begun in 1878 and
extending from as far west as 13th and Florida, all the way down Florida
Ave. past RFK Stadium, to Swirl Facility and the Anacostia. This single
sewer is by far the Anacostia's single largest polluter at what is now a
combined sewer outfall number 19.
The other largest sewer is probably the B St. Trunk Sewer, actually
the paved over and redirected remains of the old Washington Canal
running down Constitution Avenue. It now dumps sewage into the Potomac
River during rains at combined sewer outfall #20, located in the seawall
just upstream from the Memorial Bridge. While Boss Shepherd did
construct a fair number of sewers, some commentators have observed that
they were very poorly constructed, often had little or no slope to them,
and most were abandoned later. They did, however, work well enough in
reverse to convey sewage back ups into hundreds of basements in downtown
Washington during the flood of 1889. This flood may have led to a
convening of a Presidential Commission that led to the first
comprehensive sewer plan in 1907.
Hopefully, the flood of 2001 may spur an needed upgrade of the
antiquated system. The Water and Sewer Authority has proposed a plan to
stem the sewer overflows that have been plaguing the Potomac, Anacostia
and Rock Creek for years. Hopefully, with help from the federal
government, we can begin the job of upgrading a sadly outdated sewer
system.
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Are the Washington Post and Microsoft
Business Partners?
Phil Shapiro, pshapiro@his.com
In surfing to the Newsweek.com web site I find myself being
redirected to http://www.msnbc.com Since Newsweek is a subsidiary
of the Washington Post, does that make the Washington Post
and Microsoft business partners? If so, are there any ramifications for
objective reporting on Microsoft issues? Just curious.
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Inspector General in themail
Michael Bindner, mbindnerdc@aol.com
Our moderator wondered whether anything was untoward in the Mayor's
possession of the IG report on the fundraising scandal. The answer is
no. By law, the Inspector General sends the Mayor and the City
Administrator advance copies. This raises the question, of course, of
what has come of other IG report recommendations.
[This would seem reasonable except for two things: although the IG
reports to the Mayor, the DC Code doesn't require giving the Mayor
advance copies of IG reports about him, and the City Administrator isn't
mentioned in the Code at all; and the Mayor hasn't claimed that the IG
legitimately sent him an advance copy of the report. — Gary Imhoff]
###############
Gary Condit & the Case for Retrocession
Tom Matthes, tommatthes@earthlink.net
DC Police are being criticized for their handling of Chandra Levy's
disappearance, and ridiculed for repeatedly saying Gary Condit is not a
suspect, but the time has come to ask how many city police chiefs or
county sheriffs in the US would do better under the circumstances. Mr.
Condit is one of the de facto 535 city managers of the District and his
refusal to resign his House seat is an ongoing conflict of interest. The
failure of the House to even consider expelling him is a disgrace to the
nation. Mr. Condit abused his congressional authority by having an
affair with a federal intern; that is all the House needs to know to
act. Congressman Gephardt, finally, has talked about throwing Mr. Condit
off the House Intelligence Committee, but what about his ongoing
influence over justice in the capital city?
This sad case is a striking example of why the Congress, which ought
to be keeping its mind on vital national and international issues,
should not be in the city management business. It no longer needs to
control such a large city. The obvious solution is to strike the best
possible agreement to give most of it back to Maryland (retrocession) as
quickly as possible, but there's nothing to prevent advocates of
statehood or special status (as discussed by Timothy Cooper) from
discussing the improper power of Gary Condit, and his amoral colleagues,
over the affairs of DC.
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Once again, I don't know if Mr. Matthes is being disingenuous or is
just misguided in his beliefs about the status of D.C. (“On DC
Statehood and the Constitution,” August 23). Let's start with a full
quote from the Constitution. Article I, Section 8: “The Congress shall
have power . . . to exercise exclusive legislation in all cases
whatsoever, over such District (not exceeding ten miles square) as may,
by cession of particular states, and the acceptance of Congress, become
the seat of the Government of the United States, and to exercise like
Authority over all places purchased by the consent of the legislature of
the state in which the same shall be for the erection of forts,
magazines arsenals, dockyards, and other needful buildings.” The first
observation to be made is that there is no defined size that the
District must be, except that it can't be larger than ten miles square.
It doesn't have to even exist, because the creation of the
“District” is plainly “permitted” by the Constitution, not
“mandated” by it, as Mr. Matthes seems to assume.
In addition, the District was reduced in size once already, in the
1840's, when the Virginia portion of the District was retroceded to
Virginia upon the consent of Congress, Virginia, and the District
residents then living in that portion to be retroceded. If I understand
Mr. Matthes' argument, that retrocession was illegal and any subsequent
Congress has every right to nullify that retrocession and reassert
control over the entire "District" at any time -- because the
Constitution doesn't permit Congress to retrocede any portion of the
District. However, that argument is clearly wrong. Congressional control
of the District, as the Constitution explicitly points out, is no
greater or lesser than its control of any federal property, including
military bases and national parks. Although the Constitution created a
government of enumerated powers, it's ridiculous to think that Congress
can't retrocede, sell, or otherwise dispose of Federal territory just
because the Constitution didn't give it the explicit authority to do so.
That argument is not only unprecedented, but it is in direct opposition
of the Supreme Court's interpretation of the Constitution, which has
never questioned or struck down Congress' sale of Federal property from
the earliest days of the Republic. Congress has complete authority to
reduce the size of the District at any time, down to the White House,
the Capitol, and the Supreme Court, or even eliminate it, if it so
chooses. The land thus excluded from the “District” would then be
eligible for Statehood like any other Federal Territory (which was the
status of the majority of States before they became states. And all of
this (cession of most of the “District,” which is then admitted as a
State) can be done simultaneously by simple legislation — no
Constitutional Amendment necessary.
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Statehood by Law
Kurt Vorndran, kvorn@nteu.org
I am puzzled as to why any doubt exists as to the authority of
Congress to grant statehood to DC, should Congress so choose. Article
IV, Section 3 gives Congress the power to admit new states. Some have
made an issue of the clause that “no new state shall be erected within
the jurisdiction of any other state” but notice this does not say
“formerly within the jurisdiction of any other state.” DC is not
within the jurisdiction of Maryland.
As to Article I, Section 8, clause 17, it says Congress may create a
federal district not exceeding ten miles square. Some have suggested a
federal enclave makes statehood easier as the federal district is only
given a maximum territory, no minimum. I would also point out the
Constitution is permissive in the creation of a federal district (“may
create”). Therefore, Congress could elected to do away with the
federal district altogether.
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CLASSIFIEDS — EVENTS AND MEETINGS
Historic Holt House Walk, August 29
Wanda Bubriski, wbubriski@yahoo.com
Join the Holt House Preservation Task Force of the Kalorama Citizens
Association for a one-hour sunset walk around Holt House, located on the
grounds of the National Zoo overlooking Walter Pierce Park in Adams
Morgan. Learn about this early 1800s house, its condition and the
preservation process, as well as about its links to 19th-century
industry along Rock Creek and to the history of slavery in the nation's
capital. Meet at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, August 29, at the west side of
Walter Pierce Park, by picnic tables under the trees, entrance off 1900
block of Calvert Street. NW, (east end of Duke Ellington Bridge/Metro
Bus turn around). Free. No reservations required. Rain or shine. For
more information, call 232-6113.
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ANC 3C Public Meeting Monday, Aug. 27
Cliff Rohde, ANC 3C06, cliff3c06@yahoo.com
Advisory Neighborhood Commission 3-C, will have a public meeting on
Monday, August 27, 7:30 p.m., at 2nd District Police Headquarters, 3320
Idaho Avenue, NW. Agenda items include: presentation by Washington Gas,
WASA, and the People's Counsel regarding utility rate increase requests;
swearing in of 3C03 commissioner Robert Martin, by Councilmember Phil
Mendelson; ANC Redistricting, including discussion of 3C single member
district boundaries and separate Woodley Park ANC; discussion with Mr.
Jeremy Nurse, Mobilization for Global Justice, regarding potential for
demonstrations in Woodley Park during World Bank/IMF conference now that
meetings have been relocated downtown; consideration of outdoor cafe
permit for Mr. Chen's, Connecticut Avenue restaurant; and consideration
of actions to better protect mature trees during construction
activities. Tregaron will not be on the August agenda because HPRB has
decided not to consider the subdivision application at its September
meeting.
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CLASSIFIEDS — HELP WANTED
Ophelia's House Is Looking for an Executive
Director
John Vocino, vocinoj@gao.gov
The Board of Directors of Ophelia’s House is looking for a dynamic
person to serve as executive director for this young organization.
Ophelia’s House is an organization by, for, and about young women. Our
mission includes providing a safe space for teen girls to obtain support
that will help them advance in school, become leaders and role models in
our communities, and eliminate the factors that threaten their success.
This position offers an amazing opportunity -- we have secured funding,
a strong board, and a core group of participants. The Executive Director
serves as chief executive officer of Ophelia’s House, reporting
directly to the Board of Directors. Responsible for implementing the
policies of the Board, as well as for alerting the Board to areas where
clear policy positions are or will be needed. Responsible for working
with the board to develop the strategic and operating plan for the
organization. Oversees the development and implementation of all
programming activities.
Prefer MA or BA in Social Work or related field with three to five
years proven work experience with teen girls and/or youth programs.
Proven capacity to lead and mentor young girls, work independently, and
raise funds to build a safe supportive place where young women can
flourish. Management and supervisory experience. Program development,
implementation and evaluation skills. Strong organization, communication
leadership and interpersonal skills. Spanish-speaking a plus. Please
submit a cover letter outlining your interest and specific
qualifications, resume and the names and phone numbers of three
references. Applications can be submitted via mail or E-mail. Salary:
$28k. Contact Leslie Sargent, Ophelia’s House, c/o All Souls Church,
1500 Harvard Street, NW 20009. E-mail opheliashouse@aol.com.
###############
CLASSIFIEDS — FOR SALE
Our office are moving, and we have two brand new office panel (used
for cubicles) to sell. They are covered in mauve colored fabric and
measure 5' x 6' (HxW) each. We also have approximately 1250-1500
clipboards with pens that were used for canvassing at a rally we held.
Again, in perfect shape. Will sell individual items for best offer. Must
provide your own pickup by September 7. Please contact Matthew Kessler
at matthew@stand.org if
interested.
###############
CLASSIFIEDS — CAUSES
Oppose the Death Penalty
Jason Ziedenberg, Center on Juvenile and Criminal
Justice, jzdc@cjcj.org
As the first federal capital trial of a Washington, DC, resident
continues, a broad coalition of District leaders and community members
have united to stop the use of the federal death penalty in DC. The
group, comprised of religious leaders, civil rights advocates, voting
rights activists, murder victims¹ families, death penalty opponents and
other area residents, opposes the US Department of Justice¹s imposition
of the death penalty on District residents, whose emphatic rejection of
this sanction was expressed by a 2-1 margin in a 1992 voter referendum
and in a nearly unanimous 1997 D.C. Council vote.
Members of the Coalition are actively planning upcoming events in the
District, including a “Rally for Rights” at Freedom Plaza at 5 p.m.
on Tuesday, September 11, preceded by a weekend of public education. For
more information about these and other upcoming events, please contact
Lisa Greenman at the Coalition to Stop the Death Penalty in D.C.,
457-0800, or E-mail CSDPDC@aol.com.
###############
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