[WardFive] Sharing --

Dear Community,

 

Just wanted to share --

 

So I came in the door yesterday to a very excited daughter.  I saw that she had a large egg shaped blank craft in her hand so I asked her what it was -- she exclaimed,  

 

"It's a surprise -- then like all 4yr olds who can't keep a secret - excitedly rattles off - I am going to make you a bday card and decorate the easter egg for father's day -- and it's a surprise!!"  So I chuckled as I hug her and said -- WOW!! You are going to make me a birthday card and decorate the easter egg for father's day -- all at the same time? -- all for my bday?-- and it's going to be a surprise - right?  And she said with a straight face, YES!! A Surprise -- just for you!!  And then as I put her down, there was about a 10 second silence and she said exicitedly -- Daddy, Daddy, Daddy -- Look at me twirl!!  Of course, just to keep my attention.  As excited as I am to see her so happy and doing her dance twirl, she does not knowin how fearful it is for me for her "twirling" on a Tiled Floor with her socks. 

 

As I was laughing with her, I realized -- and in my head, I said - this initial jumbled/mixed up greeting when I entered the door was a really a familiar scene. Then I realized - I just experienced this over the last few weeks with the Brookland Middle School scenario and how DC Govt. rolled out their plans and said -- Look everyone, you asked for this and we responded just like you asked!! And as they "twirled" about with all the beautiful architectual drawings, co-attached, co-use of Turkey Thicket and all the "benefits", not much was said about the drawbacks and no detail were available about the CO-USE.  

 

We get this bomb thrown on us about Co-locating with Co-attached building which they knew about for a long time and never said anything.  And all the agencies were affronted when we pretty much all except the few ones who planned it) flipped out.  I guess, like happy dogs, we the community should just be so excited that they were going to make the place look nicer and home values would go up.  Well, this was a perfect example of a Steak and Potato dinner served on the lid of a trash can!!

 

The amount of confusion that this issue has brought into the midst of a community sounds like a 4 year old planned the roll out.  (Now I am not referring to Curricullum -- which I am sure is great, or the fact that we need Middle Schools in Ward 5 -- which shouldn't have been given away in the first place -- but just the co-mingling of the sites, the co-use of the locations without a MOU for shared use, and the roll out itself and the deceipt of trying to fool us that WE -- THE COMMUNITY -- chose this site.  Maybe, when a four year old has good intentions and ackwardly puts things together --- At least we can laugh when they say it -- because we understand that they are 4.  When adults with years of experience and heads of departments have to be continuously encouraged to be forthcoming and communicate, that is REALLY disrespectful.  Not minimizing anyone -- but come on -- when almost everyone in a room tells you something is "crazy", it just doesn't fit, it will be disruptive to a Rec. Center, we need certain assurances, maybe it just might be and some MOU's need to be in the presentation.

 

Really, using the addage -- this is about the kids -- is horrible when you have given away everything (schools) that rightfully belong to the kids and now you have to take something that has evolved to benefit the entire community from prebirth to 100+year olds, and now make it a guilt trip that it is "about the kids".  Well it is about the kids, but because of the current usage of the facility by the overall community, this has to be a true Co-Use if this to occur.

 

Back in my home, my daughter continues to interact with me -- So, about 10 minutes later, I am eating and she pops up next to me with something hidden behind her back and says -- Daddy, close your eyes and open your hand.  I follow the directions and she puts a plastic red bell pepper in my hand and she says, open your eyes -- so I play along and say, and she places something in my hand and says, open them.  I proceed to and said, what is this? She says in an all believable tone (just like the representatives from DC Govt.) -- it's a telescope. A telescope? - I said, and she looks me in the eye and said YES -- see, right here, you press this button -- see, it's a telescope.  Of course in this scenario, I have to play along and say -- Oh yes, it is a telescope!! (mind you - this is just a simple plastic red bell pepper).  Crazy as this sounds, my four year old has just used her imagination to press the stem on a plastic bell pepper and turn it into a telescope.  Makes sense to me!!  Now, if she was an adult, I would ask her some real detail questions on use and where the lens were but since she is 4, I can humor her and play along.

 

So, at that moment, I realize that -- only a 4 year old with "something hidden behind her back" (agenda) in her hands can tell you "I have a surprise -- and when you open your eyes and clearly see it is a plastic red bell pepper in the palm of your hand but she tells you that it is a telescope and shows you a button to press that you know is the stem of the pepper, presses it, and expects you to see exactly what she sees ---- in her imagination -- a telescope.  I knew exactly what I had to say to make a 4 year old feel pretty smart -- That's an awesome telescope (school) -- even though I knew that -- the heck it wasn't.  But since it the issue would vanish in a few seconds with a laugh and giggle, it didn't matter.  Not so with this School/Rec. Center.

 

Then she comes back in a few minutes and did the same trick (kind of like the DC Govt. came back two weeks later) with something again hidden behind her back.  This time, when I opened my eyes and said "what is this? -- she said a music box -- "you press this button and it plays" -- listen, as she puts the same Red Bell Pepper to her ear.  Of course, with my 4 year old daughter, when she shows me the exact same thing and creatively says "it's a mucic box", I have to play along and say "Yes darling, I hear the beautiful music!! and just laugh with her. 10 seonds of listening of imaginary music and it is over.

 

Like I said, only a 4 year old can do that to grown folks and we instinctively appreciate the "creativity" with what would otherwise be a really really crazy thought process in the adult world.  In the adult world, when this scenario happens -- we question the heck out of it and because it has long term ramifications and effects (good and bad), we slip into the analysis of the overall situation.  But, here is the crazy part -- why do educated adults look really puzzled when we have Concerns, Objections, Ask for Clarifications, Ask for Details, Ask for MOU's, Suggest other Locations.  The answers we get are so infuriating and seemingly deceptive that we are all exausted to the point of verbally "stoning" folks when they just propose something like they are because we are being ask to compensate for the fact that they have given away all of our schools -- just a few years ago --- oh that's right -- without THINKING a few years ahead. And when we see the same/similar pattern with the recent school closures, we are wrong again.  The situation here is that European Americans are affected and has joined forces -- with the school closures in Ward 5, 7 and 8, we didn't get that support and lost that opposition.  Interesting how two schools in Ward 1 and bordering 2 got saved and worked through. 

 

And I don't blame the folks doing the presentation but the folks behind the scene placing them in the line of "fire".  Those behind the scene can't see few years ahead other than to hide the fact that they have been planning to Co-Locate this School and Rec. Center for some time now.  And now, we have to  -- most everyone has got to be Stupid because we don't agree with certain folks and crazy decisions of fitting a square peg into a much smaller trianglular shaped space  -- literally -- we are looking at all square items trying to fit into a triangular shape space that will have a baseball diamond and a football field overlapping each other so we can't host two events at the same time at a Future State-or-the-Art facility!!!  That sounds like that 4 year old jumbling events together again while hiding something behind the back.

 

Now, we are talking about not coming up with $3 - 4 million for undergroung parking to facilitate a separation of fields.  Unless they are planning short term -- they should be amoritizing this encroachment over the next 50 - 100 years as an investment into providing for space that is not available to a site fitting for a State-of-the-Art (Futuristic) Middle School.  As a matter of fact, they should definitely undergrounding the Parking to be used by both the School and the Rec. Center and purchasing the 3 houses on Shepherd Street to complete the maximization of the overall site. 

 

Will they ever learn? -- Didn't they just get rid of Middle Schools here without Compassion for our Kids, their safety, their parents and their time?   How many Schools did they "lease" away over the years and DCPS didn't have a Middle School here -- and now, we are paying the price with the snatching of our Rec. Center.

 

And before anyone says anything, CLEARLY the Rec. Center has evolved into a facility for many folks -- not just kids!! Especially since DC is pushing this healthy living, swimming, aerobics, sports, etc.  Really -- they are not planning for the active lifestyle that they are preaching -- not when a school site really stops being utilized at about 6pm.  And then to tell us that we won't be able to use the School facilities -- gym, auditorium with the same ease of prior to build agreement because we are no longer attaching the Co-location.  Like I said -- they want to share if they need something from the Rec. Center but not the other way around. So, really -- this is not about the kids to them -- it is about them putting a school on a Site that historically been a Rec. Center / fields so that they can free up space at other locations for development.  Even if UDC is still at Backus, they can't afford to keep it there -- as they have said -- no matter if certain leaders want a "Community College" to evolve outside of the Main Campus just a train ride away.  

 

As to the plans, the Football/Soccer field needs to be untop of the Parking Garage (that both DCPS and Rec. Center users can utilize) and there needs to be a bike trail, (roller skating, etc.) for kids, a skateboarding site as well as real bleachers on the Football and Baseball fields with Scoreboards -- and any leasing of these sites to outside schools (Catholic and Carroll, etc) needs to be a separate fund for ADDITIONAL (not to be combined with current funding) funds for our KIDS Programing.   

 

And I wish someone would open their mouth and say that I don't care about the kids -- I wish that they would have that conversation -- because, I am one of the few who who loses business and "friends" because of fighting for kids.  Hell, I was told three times in the last week that I would be able to get more business or maybe even a job if I didn't argue with folks.  Well, I don't know what else is left but be upset if it takes a Council Member to continuously ask grown folks to communicate and listen to what we want to see presented.  I am glad that I have Mohandas Gandhi who gave up a Legal Profession to make a change for 300 Million people as an Idol.  Hell, I am also apprecitive that I have a Marcus Garvey and a Walter Rodney as balance stem in my education. 

 

If we are going to do this, if we really have to make this site a Middle School that was Promised as a Elementary School, we should do it RIGHT and do it so that it doesn't interfere with the Rec. Center -- build the underground parking, buy the 3 houses and keep as much of the Rec. Center Property separate so that folks who want to utilize it throughout the day can do so without hinderance.  Put the School on the Current School Property and allow them to utilize certain aspects of the Rec. Center via a MOU and not make the Rec. Center the Tennant at the will of DCPS. 

 

It is an absolute WRONG site if they are not going to put the necessary effort to subsidizing for an improper lot size by at least undergrounding the parking lot and possibly acquiring the 3 small houses on Shepherd Street.  A Must -- sign the necessary MOU's are done to limit the smothering control of the DCPS (the new Landlord) so that folks in the community can utilize the Rec. Center and it's site during the day -- that is as long as we keep control of the Rec. Center.  A trade of usage -- for usage during school of certain parts of the Rec. Center facility (8am - 3pm) for after School let's out at 3 -- inclusive of the New School's gym and Auditorium. 

 

Please don't get me wrong -- I understand clearly that most/all the folks working at these govt. agencies are Intelligent and experienced folks -- but I have to say that there has got to be some folks in the community who are Intelligent as well and have lots of experience to share -- and how you may feel that we think that you are not as valuable as you are, we get the same feeling from you when there is this type of dog and pony show. How difficult would it have been to have this conversation over the last year in the planning stages? 

 

You see, this is how deep the craziness goes -- I see a missed call from Rae Zapata on Friday at 1:08pm.  I return the call on Saturday in the morning when I wake and I am told by her that she didn't call me.  When I said that I am looking at my phone and I have a missed call from your number, she tells me that she doesn't even have my number and she didn't call me.  Now, how the heck do you have a conversation with someone like that who will put a Bell Pepper in your hand and tell you it is a telescope and if you don't agree with her (DC Govt.), you have just become the crazy one.  Like I said, dogs know what post to urinate on and she can get loud with some folks because she might think that she intimidates them but she is not intimidating to me.  I wish she would as me that question she was loud with Ralph with about working with our youth -- I wonder what youth she works with myself?  Like I said, Ward 5 ain't getting Three Middle Schools when only One was asked for because she made it happen.  Not in a Million Years.

 

Go ask a "Loan Shark" for $1000 and see if they give you three if you don't colletaral or have something they want.  DCPS is acquiring land while they sell and lease theirs.  Well -- this is the "Chicago" part of the city -- PIMPING ain't going to be easy over here and along with the STABLE" of Past Vocal/Community involved Residents, we have us some WHITE "_________"  now, so you will have come correct and pay extra -- we want those corporate "perks". We are tired of being "PIMPED".

 

The difference in this city vs others is that we are making the mistake of trying to build like all other cities when we have the land/available space to actually be a "Suburb" type city -- a breathing city -- we are unique in this manner but somehow, folks just want us like any other City!!!!

 

Don't care who doesn't like me and while I do care about opportunities and $$$ lost or losing, I hope my daughter, the other kids in the community and the community as a whole benefits. 

 

Rob Ramson

 

PS.  I must remind folks about Luke C. Moore and its advanced TEEN/ADULT alternate high school students and travelling on the same or similar train/bus schedule with our young children --- ESPECIALLY our young GIRLS.  Also, I want to make sure that if and more than likely, when an incident does occur because of Middle Schoolers from all over hanging out at Turkey Thicket, don't say that you weren't advised of the additional funding and programming that would be needed at this site.  At least,if they were leaving school from Bunker Hill MIDDLE School or Backus, there would be some organic time delay because of distance to Metro.  

 

-
R. Ramson
3744 12th Street, N.E.,
Washington D.C., 20017
202-438-5988

"We must become the change we want to see" - Mohandas Gandhi-
(Together, for a Brighter Tomorrow)




 

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