Peoples' Property Campaign presentation Tuesday night

Paint isn't enough to hide disinvestment on Mt. Pleasant Street, NW, Washington, DC.

From Andrew Willis:

Displacement, Diversity & Development: Our Place in Changing Neighborhoods (panel discussion)

Parts of the District have undergone rapid change in recent years and some areas, particularly Ward 1, have experienced an influx of new residents. Less obvious are those who have chosen or been forced to leave, and the conflicts over restaurant/bar zoning, "zero tolerance" policing, affordable housing and homeless shelters that often erupt between neighbors, or alongside new development.

The panelists will share their perspectives on the forces behind the changing human geography of the District and what conscientious residents can do to stay informed and contribute to preserving real diversity in our neighborhoods, followed by audience discussion. Childcare will be provided by the DC Childcare Collective - please contact Andrew Willis or 202 277 5262 if you will be needing childcare.

Tuesday, July 25, 7pm
La Casa -- 3166 Mt. Pleasant St NW (Columbia Heights Metro)

Panelists:

Asantewaa Nkrumah-Ture is a longtime community activist who has lived in the District for 22 years and currently resides in Ward 6. In October 2004 she was evicted from her apartment residence of 18 years, which gave her a first-hand experience with the politics of condo conversions and the loopholes in tenants rights law.

Natalie Avery is a native Washingtonian and has lived in Mt. Pleasant and Columbia Heights since 1990. She is a cofounder of Stand for Our Neighbors, a community group dedicated to raising awareness about the impact of immigration and welfare reform on neighborhood residents, and Youth Action Research Group, a youth organization dedicated to engaging young people in action research and organizing around issues that impact their families and peers. She also helped establish RadioCPR, a community-based radio station dedicated to broadcasting the voices, music and ideas exiled from mainstream radio and neighborhood listservs. Her next dream: starting a year-round cooperative free school.

Nigel Okunubi is a native Washingtonian and has worked with many local nonprofits which promote youth leadership, violence prevention, or work with "at-risk" youth. In addition, Nigel has dedicated himself to working with other professionals in helping young men examine and redefine the traditional definitions of what it means to be young men through life skills programs. In October 2005, Nigel along with 6 other young men from the Adams Morgan community began a small accountability group that helps financially, spiritually, and emotionally support each other and other urban communities, and together launched his family's real estate investment company, W. Annham Properties, L.L.C. and became the owners of two investment properties.

Patrick Lincoln is from a small city in rural Virginia where he was involved in community organizing primarily around police and prison issues. He has lived in D.C. for six months, where he moved to live with his partner and work for Men Can Stop Rape. He is also involved with D.C. Area Books to Prisons and his Columbia Heights apartment building's newly-forming tenant association.

Index Keywords: public-assets; housing; urban-revitalization