Barry's acolytes said the root of his support is more tangible. James Bunn, 62, the owner of a Congress Heights barbershop for 34 years, said Barry has connected with residents by visiting their apartment complexes and talking with them. "It's not what he did or didn't do. It's about the intent," Bunn said as he sat in his cubbyhole of an office, with a view of Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue. "His intent was to make sure that the little people had a say."
Absalom Jordan, a Ward 8 advisory neighborhood commissioner, agreed and said Barry is an advocate for the poor as Williams and the development community are seeking to transform the ward into a pocket of prosperity. As he drove past new housing, Jordan complained that most of the properties are too expensive for longtime residents.
Arnita and Chris Smith, with their children, Christopher Jr., 5, and Cheyenne Victoria, 1, say they are concerned about Marion Barry's attitude toward Ward 8's emerging middle class. The Smiths live in Wheeler Creek.
(Marvin Joseph -- The Washington Post)
|
_____D.C. Government_____
•
Kwanzaa Arrives to a Growing Following (The Washington Post, Dec 27, 2004)
•
For Travelers, Bagfuls of Sorrows (The Washington Post, Dec 27, 2004)
•
A Ringmaster in Perpetual Motion (The Washington Post, Dec 27, 2004)
•
D.C. to Pay Penalty, Use Stanford Test Again (The Washington Post, Dec 25, 2004)
•
More Stories
|
| |
|
"Who speaks for poor folks? Who speaks for the disenfranchised?" Jordan asked. "We're in a struggle for the heart and soul of the city. He's going to get up and fight for us."
For developers, Ward 8 is among the last places in the District with available land, and signs of impending change are omnipresent, from the empty lot where an office building is planned in historic Anacostia, to the former site of Camp Simms, where a developer envisions luxury homes and a supermarket. On Mississippi Avenue, construction is underway on an 80,000-square-foot arts and recreation center that is to be the home of the Washington School of Ballet. Three public housing complexes were razed, including Frederick Douglass and Stanton Dwellings, which are being rebuilt as a federally subsidized, mixed-income development similar to Wheeler Creek, where the Smiths live.
At the same time, Ward 8 still has more residents living in poverty than anywhere else in the District, and its unemployment rate is twice that of the city. And although the crime rate has dropped in Southeast and across the District over the past decade, the number of homicides in Ward 8 has crept up more recently and remains among the highest in the city.
Barry acknowledged that the ward remains a work in progress but said the new projects suggest that the momentum is shifting even as work remains. "You've got to change the paradigm," he said. "We've got to change the mood."
His ideas, he said, include stiffer penalties for crimes in which guns are used and pressure on landlords to clean up dilapidated properties. He grew most animated when describing his vision for "Barry's Boutique," a storefront he plans to offer used clothing and furniture in exchange for patrons joining "Barry's Brigade" and performing community service such as reading to children or sweeping streets.
Barry said he was particularly pleased with the idea of calling the place a boutique, saying it will add a touch of Georgetown to Southeast. "I'm a visionary," he said, leaning his head back and cackling. "I'm teaching values here."
