CITY SEEKS TO KEEP EMPOWER DC OUT OF BARRY FARM DEMOLITION “DEVELOPER’S MEETING” Residents Given 1 Day Notice, Told Meeting is “Residents-Only” The DC government has scheduled yet another late- notice “developer’s meeting” to advance the planned demolition and gentrification of the Barry Farm community, this time scheduled for tonight at 6 PM at Bethlehem Baptist Church, 2458 Martin Luther King Jr Ave SE. Residents received notices on their doors only yesterday informing them of the meeting which specifically states “residents only” in an attempt to limit the organizing efforts of the Barry Farm Tenants and Allies Association (BFTAA) which is allied with Empower DC. The last developers meeting, on June 4th, was shut down by residents chanting “we shall not be moved.” The city arrogantly claimed those residents were not acting on their own accord, but were directed by Empower DC. Empower DC is a membership based organization that supports the self-advocacy and organized power of communities like Barry Farm. Residents of Barry Farm are members of the organization. The city has underestimated the fact that Barry Farm residents are keenly aware that the city has demolished 9 public housing properties to date, and that loss of affordable housing has contributed to the rise in family homelessness. Over 600 homeless children are currently residing in the DC General Shelter. The demand for housing that is affordable to DC’s lowest income residents is so great that over 70,000 families were on the waiting list for housing when the DC Housing Authority closed that list in April. Yet data reported by HUD shows that the DC Housing Authority has kept half of its public housing units vacant since 2009. “The city wants to evict us all and demolish Barry Farm, but all we need is a remodel and a fix up,” said Michelle Hamilton, Barry Farm Resident and Empower DC Member.
Posted on: Wed, 19 Jun 2013 19:21:34 +0000
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