washingtonpost.com - Colbert I. King Archive

Candor Takes a Beating at Oak Hill

Colbert I. King — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 00:00:00 EDT

The D.C. Council held hearings this week on youths who are released from the Oak Hill detention facility before they are ready to rejoin the community -- an issue I have addressed in several columns.

Young Deaths That Diminish Us All

Colbert I. King — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 00:00:00 EDT

The discoveries of the bodies of two girls encased in ice this week and of the decomposed bodies of four sisters earlier this year raise questions that go to the heart of what we mean when we speak of community.

Hanging With the Palins? Not for Me.

Colbert I. King — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EDT

I still listen when Bill Clinton speaks, and this week the former president got off a few lines that really got me thinking.

Back to Basics in Banking

Colbert I. King — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Before becoming a journalist in 1990, I spent nearly a decade in commercial banking.

The Lapses Behind a Killer's Rampage

Colbert I. King — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EDT

A sentence of four consecutive life terms in prison ensures that Anthony Kelly will die in jail. He deserves nothing less.

Empty Promises to D.C.'s Most Vulnerable

Colbert I. King — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EDT

The scene was depressingly familiar: the D.C. government called on the carpet by a judge frustrated with the city's failure to meet the terms of a consent decree.

A Suicidal Choice for Clinton Supporters

Colbert I. King — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EDT

I get the part about feeling disappointed and bitter. I can even understand their impulse to sit this one out. After all, this was supposed to be Hillary Clinton's time.

More Deaths -- and a Promised Review in D.C.

Colbert I. King — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EDT

From the Aug. 15 Post: "Police yesterday captured a District man who escaped from Cheltenham Youth Center in Prince George's County on Sunday along with two other detainees. Maryland state troopers and D.C. police said they arrested 18-year-old Demarco E. Smith in the 700 block of 24th Street NE in the District."

Memo From a Poison Penn

Colbert I. King — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Say you find yourself seated on the train behind two white supremacists who are beside themselves over the possibility that Barack Obama could become America's first black president.

Paying the Price for D.C.'s Juvenile 'Supervision'

Colbert I. King — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EDT

By the end of the robbery spree during the early hours of June 4, four innocent people in the District had fallen victim to holdups.

A Youth Agency That Needs to Open Up

Colbert I. King — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Phyllis Woods, crying softly, was being comforted by two co-workers as I left the building where she works on Trenton Place SE.

In the Wrong Hands

Colbert I. King — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT

In May, three teenagers placed in secure detention at Oak Hill Youth Center by D.C. Superior Court judges were taken to a cookout at the Northwest Washington home of Vincent Schiraldi, director of the Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services.

A Tragedy That Is Ours to Stop

Colbert I. King — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT

"It starts with teaching our daughters to never allow images on television to tell them what they are worth, and teaching our sons to treat women with respect, and to realize that responsibility does not end at conception, that what makes them men is not the ability to have a child but the courage to raise one."

The Unkindest Cut

Colbert I. King — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT

If the Rev. Jesse Jackson has trouble with something Sen. Barack Obama has said, why does Jackson wish to have the senator from Illinois neutered?

Two Speeches, Two Truths About America

Colbert I. King — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Sen. Barack Obama's speech on patriotism this week at the Truman Memorial Building in Independence, Mo., stands in sharp relief to Frederick Douglass's Fourth of July oration before the Rochester Ladies' Anti-Slavery Society in 1852. The two men's remarks, touching on loyalty, race and the country's moral foundation, underscore the difference 150 years has made in the life of our nation.

Tainted Money For D.C. Schools

Colbert I. King — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EDT

What to think about the nonprofit D.C. Public Education Fund created by Mayor Adrian Fenty? It is supposed to have a good purpose: raising funds in the private sector to help the public schools with their operating budgets.

The Thugs Win the Case

washingtonpost.com — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 12:28:12 EDT

There's one group of District residents absolutely unfazed by today's U.S. Supreme Court ruling shooting down the District's strict handgun ban: the dudes who have been blowing away their fellow citizens with abandon since the law was put on the books 32 years ago.

A Heretic's Advice To Obama

Colbert I. King — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Today, I shall commit an act of heresy so offensive to cherished Washington beliefs that revocation of my citizenship in the nation's capital is quite likely to follow.

Checks and Imbalances in D.C. Finances

Colbert I. King — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Is there something in the water in the D.C. chief financial officer's office that makes some employees fool around with what's not theirs?

A Week of Wonders

Colbert I. King — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EDT

This is the kind of week that might blow Alexander Crummell's mind.

Handouts and Hands Out

Colbert I. King — Sat, 31 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

When I think about the performance of folks in city hall, I repeat to myself, in a soothing tone, a slightly abridged version of French psychologist Émile Coué's positive autosuggestion: Every day, and in every way, the D.C. government is getting better and better.

Let Us Remember Them

Colbert I. King — Sat, 24 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Have I got news for you!

What D.C.'s Elves Do With Your Taxes

Colbert I. King — Sat, 17 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Jolly old St. Nicholas came to town early, landing at the John Wilson Building on Tuesday to give presents to a select group of D.C.-based organizations. Santa bestowed his largess in one night, thanks to his elves -- the mayor and D.C. Council -- who packaged the gifts from the city's unwitting taxpayers.

A Building That Speaks to Us

Colbert I. King — Sat, 10 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

In his recently released book, "Becton: Autobiography of a Soldier and Public Servant," retired Army Lt. Gen. Julius W. Becton Jr. delves into his tumultuous tenure as chief executive of D.C. public schools in the late 1990s. Chapter 19, "My Toughest Challenge," should be read by anyone interested in a firsthand account of life in a D.C. school system firestorm.

The Next Willie Horton

Colbert I. King — Sat, 03 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Some events in a presidential campaign turn out to be so pivotal that they can end up influencing the outcome. Examples that come to mind include:

Farrakhan's Pennsylvania Admirer

Colbert I. King — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EDT

The old Irving Berlin tune "The Song Is Ended (But the Melody Lingers On)" captures the aftermath of Pennsylvania's Democratic primary -- with a twist. The contest is, indeed, over. But the tune that's slow in parting is more of a sour note than a sweet sound.

Old Lessons For Obama

Colbert I. King — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EDT

In this year's contest for the Democratic presidential nomination, Barack Obama has been taken to school by Hillary Clinton and the Republican right wing. The New York senator and her GOP allies are giving him lessons in politics' dark side. Whether he's learning anything remains to be seen.

The History in Our Town

Colbert I. King — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Today the missus, my mother-in-law and I will get gussied up and return to my old neighborhood in the District's West End for an annual black-tie gathering of close friends and our special guests. It also will be a time for some of us to marvel at -- or gripe about -- how much our city has changed in our lifetimes.

What King Would See Today

Colbert I. King — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EDT

April 4, 1968, was a day when black people didn't feel much like singing "God Bless America." It was an ugly time made worse by a sense of despair too deep for words. Somebody had killed the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

A Battlefield Called Wilson High

Colbert I. King — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 00:00:00 EDT

"Security at Wilson High to Be Tightened" announced a headline in The Post's March 21 Metro section. More stringent measures were being put in place after 13 students were arrested because of two fights that week, the story said.

Why Obama Stands With His Church

Colbert I. King — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 00:00:00 EDT

All they wanted to do was pray with the rest of the congregation. But that was asking too much.

Two Errant New Yorkers

Colbert I. King — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Reminded that it was he who had appointed a judge who displeased him, New York Mayor Fiorello La Guardia replied, "I have made a lot of good appointments, and I think I am good. But when I make a mistake, it's a beaut."

Another Failed 'Farrakhan Test'

Colbert I. King — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 00:00:00 EST

Frequent readers of this column know that I'm not one to start trouble. But this is the political season; scratchy topics are part of daily reporting. So let's return to a figure prominent in last week's column: Nation of Islam minister Louis Farrakhan.

A Double Standard on 'Reject and Denounce'

Colbert I. King — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 00:00:00 EST

With the crucial Ohio and Texas Democratic primaries only three days away, this might not be the best time for Illinois Sen. Barack Obama to slip away to ponder what he has gotten himself into. The temptation, though, would be understandable.

Truth the Clintons Can't Handle

Colbert I. King — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 00:00:00 EST

Today, it's almost an article of faith among pundits and pollsters that Hillary Clinton can't win the African American vote because Barack Obama has that bloc sewn up.

Who Couldn't Find Deidrick Johnson?

Colbert I. King — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 00:00:00 EST

"A custody order is essentially a bench warrant for a juvenile."

The Running-Mate Roundup

Colbert I. King — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 00:00:00 EST

We still have a ways to go before the Democratic and Republican presidential nominations are officially decided. But it's not too soon to start thinking about the selection of running mates.

A Teen Released, Nine People Shot. Why?

Colbert I. King — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 00:00:00 EST

The following disturbing report appeared on Page B4 of The Post on Jan. 12: "Five teenagers were wounded in Southeast Washington yesterday in a drive-by shooting, D.C. police said. The shooting occurred about 4:30 p.m. in the 2600 block of Douglass Road. The wounds were not believed to be life-threatening."

Billary's Adventures in Primaryland

Colbert I. King — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 00:00:00 EST

"Be what you would seem to be -- or, if you'd like it put more simply -- Never imagine yourself not to be otherwise than what it might appear to others that what you were or might have been was not otherwise than what you had been would have appeared to them to be otherwise."

Will We Ever Help the Children?

Colbert I. King — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 00:00:00 EST

Two-year-old Rafael Pearson is profoundly disabled. He suffered catastrophic brain damage when he was beaten and shaken by a foster parent in whose hands he was placed a few days after being born, in the fall of 2005, with traces of cocaine in his blood.

No One to Watch Over Them

Colbert I. King — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 00:00:00 EST

"I will set shepherds over them who will care for them, and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall any be missing, says the Lord."

Outfoxed In the District

Colbert I. King — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 00:00:00 EST

Excerpts from the transcript of a videotaped deposition of a former Howard University Hospital emergency room physician, conducted Aug. 3, 2007:

Our Ride Through 2007

Colbert I. King — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 00:00:00 EST

Here we are, three days away from turning the final page on 2007. What a ride. To those who remained on board for the entire journey, a heartfelt thanks. To those who boarded, didn't care for the direction and leapt off, sorry. Hope you'll take another look next year.

A Mother's SOS

Colbert I. King — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 00:00:00 EST

Derrick Fuller, an 18-year-old committed to the D.C. Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services by the D.C. Superior Court last December, was arrested in Miami-Dade County this week on a domestic-violence charge stemming from an altercation with his wife, Latoya Alston, a 32-year-old DYRS correctional officer. I have noted their relationship, which reportedly began more than a year ago, in two previous columns. Fuller was wanted by D.C. police under a custody order when the couple married in August in Virginia.

A Farce Known as Youth Rehabilitation

Colbert I. King — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 00:00:00 EST

From an incident report filed Aug. 10 by a correctional officer working at the D.C. Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services' Oak Hill center:

Love Fest for a Troubled Agency

Colbert I. King — Sat, 08 Dec 2007 00:00:00 EST

This week's D.C. Council oversight hearing on the Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services should have been advertised for what it was: a performance of "Vinny and His Defenders."

Youth Supervision, D.C.-Style

Colbert I. King — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 00:00:00 EST

A bare-bones Washington love story: She met him on the job. They fell in love, got married and set up housekeeping.

Red Flags the D.C. Council Ignored

Colbert I. King — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 00:00:00 EST

Credit-taking and scapegoating are staples of a D.C. politician's life. But every now and then, our lawmakers outdo themselves.

Indifference That Can Kill

Colbert I. King — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 00:00:00 EST

"My own view is that it is very unfortunate, but people steal."

D.C.'s Corruption Affliction

Colbert I. King — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 00:00:00 EST

Ten years ago, The Post published an editorial, headlined " Dept. of Finance and Rigmarole" [March 6, 1997], that addressed the error-prone D.C. Department of Finance and Revenue and its boneheaded mistake in revoking the homestead and senior-citizen exemptions of nearly 5,000 homeowners. The department compounded the error by sending out whopping real property tax increases, which scared thousands of elderly residents half to death.

When We Were Young

Colbert I. King — Sat, 03 Nov 2007 00:00:00 EDT

The year 1954 held anxious moments for parents of children entering high school, at least in my D.C. community. That year, the Supreme Court declared legal segregation in public schools to be unconstitutional.

A Sad Toll Within Juvenile Justice's Realm

Colbert I. King — Sat, 27 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT

What's known about those D.C. youths who are shot and killed, mourned, and then dropped from the news?

Who's Minding Troubled Youths?

Colbert I. King — Sat, 20 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT

Excerpts from an Oct. 9 police statement filed in the Criminal Division of D.C. Superior Court:

Is D.C. Soft on Juvenile Offenders?

Colbert I. King — Sat, 13 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT

"In the first case, I was walking with my friends when I saw the girl by the bus stop. I walked with her for about ten minutes; I was asking her name. We were walking towards her house and stopped. I unzipped my pants. She said get off me. At first I thought she was playing, so I didn't stop, but then she pushed me away and got mad; she went home. I zipped up my pants and then left."

Speedier Juvenile Justice -- but at What Cost?

Colbert I. King — Sat, 06 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT

Three stories and a heads-up for the nation's capital.

Coming Soon: The Real Schools Battle

Colbert I. King — Sat, 29 Sep 2007 00:00:00 EDT

If you are among those District residents who cheered Mayor Adrian Fenty's takeover of the public school system, it's time to tighten the old chin strap and gear up for battle. The Fenty administration is about to go to war.

Three Wrongs to Right

Colbert I. King — Sat, 22 Sep 2007 00:00:00 EDT

Three conflicts; three outcomes, with only one positive. That about sums up my feelings on the "Jena 6," the dust-up over the West End land deal and the Jim Moran controversy.

Jim Moran's Mouth, Again

Colbert I. King — Sat, 15 Sep 2007 00:00:00 EDT

What is it with Jim Moran? The nine-term Democratic congressman from Northern Virginia can't seem to keep his head on straight when it comes to talking about Iraq and the reasons we have ended up over there.

Fred, Did We Really Know You?

Colbert I. King — Sat, 08 Sep 2007 00:00:00 EDT

Far be it from me to start trouble, but former Tennessee Republican senator Fred Thompson, the presidential candidate who portrays himself as a conservative outsider capable of reforming Washington, is playing down his kinship with this town. Thompson may campaign as a steadfast son of the South, but he is really one of us.

Peas in a Disingenuous Pod

Colbert I. King — Sat, 01 Sep 2007 00:00:00 EDT

Idaho Sen. Larry Craig and Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick have more in common than you might think. Hold those groans. How, you may ask, can these two men, separated by age, race, and ideological and social circumstances, be placed in the same camp?

The Quarterback Who Won't Come Clean

Colbert I. King — Sat, 25 Aug 2007 00:00:00 EDT

Until Michael Vick and three other men were charged last month with running a dogfighting operation, the Atlanta Falcons quarterback was, to me, just another physically gifted, highly paid athlete in the National Football League who, through his behavior on and off the field, was helping to ruin the game.

Rhee vs. the Central-Office Hydra

Colbert I. King — Sat, 18 Aug 2007 00:00:00 EDT

It is a large and powerful creature. Known by many names (most of them unprintable in a family newspaper), it bears the official title "Central Office of the D.C. Public Schools."

When Life Knocks You in the Nose

Colbert I. King — Sat, 11 Aug 2007 00:00:00 EDT

All the talk in the baseball world this week has been about Barry Bonds's capture of the title " home run king." And rightly so.

At the Root of the Violence

Colbert I. King — Sat, 04 Aug 2007 00:00:00 EDT

" 'Little Man' James, we hope and believe, represents the outer limits of this city's nightmare."