Concepcion on Washington Being Corrupt

“I am originally from Spain. I came to New York in the 1960's. I have had a lot of difficult situations in my life. I left New York because of abuses and threats to me. No one would help me so I came to Washington. When I came here, I had nothing and found a job taking care of Eunice Shriver's wardrobe. The Kennedy family didn't help me either and, with the money I made there, I started printing fliers and then moved out in front of the White House in 1981 to protest the injustices happening to me. 

"To me, Washington is corruption and the Zionists are responsible for everything. Jewish people practice Torah and Talmud. They are waiting for the Messiah and are forbidden to have a state until the Messiah comes. Zionism is the biggest problem in the world today. They are destroying this country. As the administration changes, nothing changes. We have the same people, the same Nazi police and the same Zionists who control this nation. I’m not against the Jews, but against the Zionists.

“Out here, the police bother me all the time. I have been arrested and beaten and told to be silent. With all of my time here, I have no relationships with the police. They are all Nazis and Zionists. Today, there was a Chinese group demonstrating for human rights in China and the police were depriving my rights here. So much contrast, China asking for human rights help and a policeman on a bike harassing me. 

"This place is my home. I live here, but have many rules. We can’t move more than three feet from our tent. It is hard, especially when you have to go to the bathroom. To make money, I paint peace rocks. Now, I can’t paint because of the weather so it is difficult and rely on donations from tourists and friends."

Read more about Concepcion's history here. 

Josh on the Little Pieces of the Puzzle

“I was technically born in D.C., at Sibley Hospital, but I grew up in Kensington, Maryland and have lived there all my life. While Maryland is home, D.C. is home, too. D.C. has always been a big part of my life. As a kid, I came down to the museums. As I got older, I started going to the 9:30 Club, in the old location at 930 F Street Northwest, to see shows. My first show at the club was Shudder to Think. I don’t know exactly when it was, but probably sometime in high school. My sister was dating a guy who took us down to the show. From then on, I went to shows at 9:30 whenever I could. This was a really unique place. I had been to see the 80’s and early 90’s hair bands at Merriweather Post Pavilion and the Cap Center, but this place was simply hundreds of sweaty, dirty people going crazy. It was a nice change of pace and there was something about it that just spoke to me. I knew that when I was old enough, I wanted to get a job here.

“When I started at the University of Maryland, my parents gave me a hard time about getting a job. In the student newspaper, there was an ad looking for campus security staff with the words ‘size or experience a plus.’ I had no experience whatsoever, but I went in and got hired because I was big. I’ve always been bigger than everyone else. When you are the biggest guy around, you can either be a bully or go in the opposite direction and develop a slow fuse. I made a conscious decision as a young person to not abuse my size. Hurting someone is the last thing that I want to do. It turned out this was a good mindset for this work. Remember, we are not bouncers, we are door staff here.

“Just before I turned 21, I was coming down to 9:30 for shows all of the time and started talking to everyone. I made a good of impressions on people. I helped break up a couple of fights when I wasn’t even working. One time, I had my septum jewelry ripped out and was bleeding all over the bathroom and wouldn’t let anyone else clean it up. I went and asked for more paper towels so I could clean it up myself. That stuck in their heads. I was technically hired before I turned 21, but I think that’s just because they wanted to shut me up so I would stop asking them for a job! Three days after my 21st birthday, I worked my first show. That was over 12 years ago.

“This place is a family and we have a lot of love for each other. This is the antithesis of a chain. The 9:30 Club is in the walls and the stage, it’s in the people who work here and those who come to listen to the music. It’s a unique environment built on 30 years of history. There is no way to replicate that. After 12 years, I am honored to be able to work here and help people have a good time. If I see people leaving happy, that is a reward for me. It’s a little thing, but if you make one person’s night a little bit better then maybe the next day they go and do something great. It is the little pieces of the puzzle that all add up to something cool. I think that is what this place is all about.

“You know, this city is so divisive with politics, race, sexuality, and religion. All of that goes away when people come in here and the lights go down and the music comes up. Everyone has a good time together. That’s what this city is about, that togetherness with the goal of having a good time. Maybe the next day everything goes back to how it was, but for those few hours in the house that I help take care of, we create a spot where something amazing happens every night. That is pretty cool.

“One last thing, I always tell people that if they want to talk to me, just come and say, ‘Hi.’ A lot of the time, people see me here and get intimidated, but I am not going to bite your head off. Don’t be afraid to come up and say hi to me or the other people here. We are people, too.”

The 9:30 Club is located at 815 V Street NW.

Brenda on Loving the Redskins

"I grew up in Baltimore and went to the Briarwood School for Women in Connecticut to take a two-year college course in the legal field. After school, I went back to Baltimore, but it had changed for me. I was ready for a new city. I worked as a secretary in a law firm in Baltimore for a few years and then moved to D.C. in 1975. Most of my career has been spent in the field of law. In D.C., I worked at Williams and Connolly for 21 years. I left there to to work for a Federal District Court Judge who was a former partner in Williams and Connolly. I left her in 2006 to work in the Executive Branch. You know, I really miss the law and still read the Legal Times online. I witnessed so much history with the law firms. I worked on the Hinckley case and Oliver North. Most of what we did was white-collar crime, which I really liked. I don’t have a master's degree, but I have been around the block a little bit. I have been fortunate enough to meet a lot of people, including Presidents Bush and Obama.

"One of the greatest things about working for Williams and Connolly was that, at the time, Edward Bennett Williams, the founder of the firm, was also the owner of the Washington Redskins. At the time, he also acquired the Baltimore Orioles. Well, he couldn’t have major stock ownership in two major teams so chose to give up ownership of the Redskins. Before he did that, I was able to purchase season tickets through Mr. Williams because any employee could buy tickets, all you had to do was ask him. So, I did, and have been a season ticket holder since 1981. That is when I became a real Redskins fan. As I am from Baltimore, I was, and always will be, a Baltimore Colts fan. I was really angry when they moved to Indianapolis. In my heart, they are still the Baltimore Colts. I still follow them and they remain my true love, but I love the Redskins, too.

"Now, I have a daughter who is 27 and a die hard Redskins fan. I can’t do the cold, but she is out at the stadium no matter how cold it is. She absolutely loves the Redskins. For Christmas, I gave her a Redskins key chain, socks, toothbrush, pajamas, earmuffs, cap, coat, and tennis shoes. I have had my tickets since 1981 and will probably turn them over to her. I have been through so much with that team that I will never let the tickets leave my family. I remember my proudest moment was when they won the Super Bowl in 1982. I was working at the law firm and they let us go to the parade. It was raining and I was still out there. Meeting some of the Redskins was like meeting God! My saddest moment was when Lawrence Taylor took out Joe Theismann and the death of Sean Taylor. He was just too young.

"Now, it is pretty depressing to be a Redskins fan. I only went to two games this year because they weren’t playing good enough for me to go sit in that parking lot for two hours trying to get out of the stadium at the end of the game. But, I don’t care if I miss every other game, I will never miss opening day at the stadium. People are so ready for football, I know that I am. I feel like you can explode when football season is back. I get so excited. To me, that is the number one best day of the year, opening day. I am hoping that Shanahan, the new coach, will bring renewed hope and spirit to the city of Washington."

Hatim on People Knowing His Country

"I grew up in Sudan. My father was a university professor. He is retired now. My mother is an art teacher. I grew up in a typical, sometimes overprotective, Sudanese middle class family. I had to study all week and could only go out on the weekends. After high school, I continued to live with my parents. In our culture, we don't have that concept of leaving the home after school. I enrolled in medical school in Sudan and came to the U.S. to do additional medical training. My brother lives in Houston and tried to get me to live there. When I went there, I didn't like it. I started to travel around the U.S. looking for another city. I came to D.C. and this was it. Now, I am studying medicine and working in a hotel at night. There is a degree of discrimination in transferring my medical degree here, but it is natural. It is fair that you give priority to those in your own country. 

"This city is great. Here, people know where I am from. In Texas, people used to say to me, 'Sudan, where is that?' Or, they would ask if I was one of the Lost Boys. In D.C., people know my country. This place is so diverse and intellectual. You see the best of the best of every culture. You meet almost anybody and they can engage you in a deep conversation on politics or the economy. There are a lot of enlightened people in D.C. 

"Still, this place is not perfect. I like to joke about some of the things that happened to me in D.C. I met a girl who had spent time in Africa and we were talking about Nubia, the region where I am from in Sudan. One of her friends wanted to join our conversation and asked me where I was from. When I said Sudan, she said, 'Oh really! Oh my God, you must be better off here.' I was really shocked and angry. I said, 'What a horrible thing to say to somebody. Nobody is better off out of their country. I am here to pursue a career and then I want to go back to my country.' Another myth is that everyone in Sudan is impacted by Darfur. Sudan is the largest country in Africa and Darfur is the size of France. France is huge! It's like something happening in New Orleans and your family lives in D.C., but people still ask if your family is okay. I don't blame people and appreciate the interest, but I joke about it. 

"The other big shocker for me was meeting African-Americans. They assume that because I am African we have a lot in common, but I found out that we don't. When they find out I am thirty, they ask if I married. I am not. Then, the next question is usually if I have children. This is outrageous to me because in our culture if you are not married, you are not supposed to have children. Still, despite all the differences, what makes me happy about D.C. is that people know my country." 

Jason on Staying Involved in Political Life

"I've had three lives in Washington. I came here 30 years ago to work on Capitol Hill. I started out as a press secretary on the House side. I did that for two-and-a-half years or so and then went back to journalism, which is what I had been doing before I moved to Washington. I worked as a correspondent and columnist for a Connecticut newspaper. Then, I started a news service and did some freelance work. I did that for five years or so and then was lured back to the Hill. I was offered a job as a press secretary for Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT). I did that for a few years and that grew into being his chief of staff.

"After a total of seven years on the Hill, I figured that I wanted to try something else. I was still pretty young and had a new family and wanted to make a transition. I wanted to do something that was less carrying the coat for someone and more doing things on my own. I didn't want to do what a lot of people did, which was to leave the Hill and make money. So, I thought that I would work for a cause. I didn't have any one particular cause singled out, but looked around and talked to some people who talked to some people. I ended up getting offered a position with the American Jewish Committee (AJC), an organization I had had no contact with. It was a cause, or I should say multiple causes, that I had had some contact with. And it was an introduction to a community with whom I had had very limited contact. Before AJC, I worked for a Senator who was more involved in Latin America than the Middle East.

"But, I liked the people and the spirit of the place. It was an intriguing possibility to run the D.C. office of an organization that was based someplace else. There was a certain range of autonomy and a broad range of issues on which to work. The organization has stature and the position made sense to me. I took the job never realizing that I would be sitting here 18 years later still talking about it. This is a position that has allowed me to write, do politics, dabble with policy and stretch into diplomatic areas, which is fascinating and sometimes frustrating. The job provides limitless possibilities to help and learn from people and move policy.

"This job continues to be a merging of interests and talents that I have developed over my life. The work that I do keeps me involved in political life. And I live on Capitol Hill, which is a great place to live and to stay involved in political life, also. I have the same house that I bought when I was married 25 years ago or so. I raised a family here. I grew up in the suburbs of Long Island and always assumed that the only place to live was New York. It was the center of the universe. But, I learned that Washington was actually a great city. It is smaller and okay, at two or three in the morning there are not as many things do to as Manhattan, but the quality of life here is great. The rich-poor disparities are not as big as in New York. And I like the sky and green of Washington. The only problem is that the school system is not so great. But, I really love Washington and I love the Hill."

Learn more about the American Jewish Committee here.

Noor on Being a Builder

"Every person comes from somewhere and is going somewhere. Most of them don’t understand that true happiness is in the journey, though. Along the way, life presents us with a number of tests so that we can arrive at who we are. Some people become givers and some become takers, some build and some destroy. But, history shows us that the greatest people were builders. People like George Washington Carver, Frederick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln, Benjamin Franklin, and George Washington. They built this society and invented things. We need to follow them and not let people tear this society down.

"Within the city, we have a whole lot of people who make and give out the law. All we need is the golden rule to get on the right track and lead the world. In time, we will arrive and I believe that there is a lot of learning that we can do through Islam. Now, with Islam, they talk about the terrorists, but in this city you have the greatest militia of police anywhere in the world. Here, you have the FBI, the CIA, and all kinds of police you don’t even know about. I have lived in this city 61 years, all of my life, and have seen people terrorized on a daily basis by those here to protect them. Unless we become builders and love one another, we can’t live in harmony."

Paul on Real Talk DC

"I grew up in Southeast, Anacostia and Congress Heights, those two sides. Now, I am a youth advocate and peer educator. I represent the youth in Southeast and educate my peers, kids from 13 to 23, about HIV and AIDS. I talk to them about how it is contracted and how to avoid it. I am also an entertainer. I rap and sing. I can't really dance, but I try. 

"I got started with this because one of my friends told me that there was a campaign call Real Talk DC that does peer education, passes out condoms, and gets people tested. I figured I would get involved because I like doing things to help people. This is also important to me because I actually know people who are HIV positive and I wanted to learn exactly, you know, as much as I can about it to help them and help people that I don't know. 

"Before this, I ain't really know about this stuff. First time I had sex, I was 12 and the girl was 18. And nope, I did not use a condom. I learned all of my moves from watching Real Sex on HBO, but didn't know anything about HIV and AIDS. My way of staying clean was only messing with a girl if she looked like she was clean. To me, that was enough. I really didn't know. I mean, I graduated from Anacostia High School and we never talked about HIV at school. To be honest, there is a lot we didn't learn at that school. First time that I used a condom was when my older brother told me to. That's what got me using those. 

"Now, I live this. I talk to my family and friends about this all the time. I be messing up the mood when people be talking about something else and I just cut them off and talk about condoms. But, a lot of people be afraid to talk about sex. You talk about sex and people don't want to hear it. On top of that, when you try and get people tested, there is a stigma. You know, you must have something if you are being tested. But, that is not the case. People are getting tested because they want to make sure they don't have something. The other stigma is that parents don't want to acknowledge that their children are having sex. And then there are all of the rumors about sex. If you have black nails, you have AIDS. If you are real skinny, you have AIDS. The government is pocking holes in condoms. There is a cure for AIDS. You can just get AIDS without HIV. There are a thousand myths that I hear every day. I believed them, too, until I got educated." 

Learn more about Real Talk DC here. Hear Paul's music here. 

Denise on Making a Living out of Art

"I have been selling at Eastern Market since 1992. In some ways, the market hasn't changed that much although there are more imported items for sale now. Otherwise, the street wasn't closed off and most of the vendors were up on the plaza. When I started, people from outside the area used to tell me this place was full of crime and someone once told me it was the worst part of D.C. Even before they revitalized Eastern Market, I certainly never thought it was the worst neighborhood in D.C. Most of these people had never been here, but because of the Southeast label, so many people just assumed it to be the ghetto. It had its rough times, for sure, but you see how it has changed now. Just look at the kinds of people who are coming to and living around the market.  

"When I started, I was selling hand-made journals and paper products. I knew a lot of people who were artists or made jewelry, but they did it as hobbies and for their friends. Many people don't think about making a living out of art. I don't remember the exact point when I thought about converting my art into a job, but I just always knew that I wanted to do it. At some point, you should just do what you want to do and see what happens. It has been hard for me at times because D.C. is an expensive city, but when I need, I supplement my work here by bartending or waitressing. Otherwise, I am out here most every weekend. I mean, today is windy and 29 degrees and I am still out here. Although I have to say that 20 degrees is probably my breaking point. 

"You know, it is hard to make a decent wage when you are selling your own art work. But, I think that Eastern Market is a unique market because many artists and painters can make a living selling their things here. When you say market, many people think it is a place where you spend $2 on something. Here, there are a lot of people who understand the quality of handmade stuff and are ready to put down some money for a quality item. So, it's unique in that sense." 

Dr. Blues on the New Vegas Lounge

“I was a young man when I came to D.C. in 1949. I first worked as a stone setter at the Washington National Cathedral. After a number of years, I decided to go into business. In 1967, I ran a grocery store at 14th and Belmont. Then, the riots happened in 1968 and I bought this place shortly after that. I have been in this location ever since. The New Vegas Lounge has gone through some changes. It was a restaurant, then it was a strip joint, and then I turned it into a rhythm-and-blues club, but it has always been family-owned. I used to go to Las Vegas a lot, so that’s how I got the name.

“Before the riots, there was a car parts place, drugstore, liquor store, and plumbing store on this block. After the riots, everyone moved out. I was here for about ten years with almost no other businesses on this block. I shared the block with a lot of vacant lots and street people. I went through a lot then. It was tough. But, I stayed open because the guys who let me have this place, two brothers from Detroit, told me to hold on and pay them when I could get the money. So, I stuck around and waited out the bad weather. And things started turning around with time.

“To me, the most interesting thing about this place is its position in history. This place started as a family business and became a national legacy. The New Vegas Lounge is known throughout the world for its music. It has become a point of heritage for this city. When you look at how many things transitioned around this place because of the riots and reconstruction of the neighborhood, this place remained. The New Vegas Lounge also gives you a view into musical history. I have seen everyone from James Brown, B.B. King, Wilson Pickett, Stevie Wonder, Crosby, Stills and Nash, Aretha Franklin, The Temptations, War, and Teddy Pendergrass play here. You name ‘em, they’ve been here. This is the spot where people performing in other places around town would just walk in to say hello to Dr. Blues and get up on stage for a few minutes and play. Some of the most famous musicians have played to audiences of only 15 people.

“I am an entertainer, too, and have been singing for a long time. I learned to sing coming up in the church. I sing some of my own songs and then I sing the classics. I know how to sing most anything. I picked up the name Dr. Blues along the way and that name has since been made famous. I’ve played overseas and around this country. You name the place and I’ve been there. I even had a contract in Las Vegas for this past New Year, but I couldn’t go because I had to entertain my people here in D.C. This place means so much to me. Everybody likes this place. You will never hear a bad word about the New Vegas Lounge. If someone gets out of line, people will say, ‘Hey, don’t mess with the New Vegas Lounge. This is our home.’

“Going forward, we will remain a family-owned rhythm-and-blues club. We have been in business for forty years. In that time the whole city changed. Big changes, you know what I mean? It’s good. Someone needed to finally come to this neighborhood with some money after the riots to make some changes. You know, I don’t get a lot of the clients that I had 20-30 years ago, but we get lots of new people and still play the music that people like to hear.”

You can hear Dr. Blues and the Out of Town Blues Band playing at the New Vegas Lounge at 1415 P Street NW.

Sierra on Being Herself and Being Happy

"I was born in Colorado and moved here when I was four. I cried and cried when I got here. I called my Mom and said, "How could you do this to me!?' In Colorado, you don't see homeless people, you don't see trash or a lot of poverty. When I got here, it was another planet. I mean, my first memory of this place was the smell. This place stank! But, there were nice things, too. I had never been around so many different kinds of people and things. Everything here was new for me: the bodegas, the metro, the bus, the hair and the style. I still think that the metro is the greatest thing to ever happen to me. I don't ever want to get a driver's license!

"Growing up here, I went to a number of different schools and my Mom eventually decided that I needed more structure and sent me to Holton-Arms, a private school in Bethesda. That place was not for me, though. My mind was too all over the place. I really started to find myself when I came to Duke Ellington School of the Arts.

"You know, I honestly don't have that many friends around my neighborhood in Southeast because it has always been hard for me to fit in. This sounds kind of cliche, but sometimes I don't feel black enough. When I went to Holton-Arms, I was one of the blackest people there. But, when I was in my neighborhood, I still did not feel black enough and I went through a couple of stages of trying to be blacker. You know, dressing like a hood rat or acting differently, but that wasn't me. I realized that I had to worry less about what people thought of me and more about what I think of myself. I still struggle with that because identity is perceived as something given to you by other people. That's not true, though, you have to control your own identity.

"Now, I feel like me. I am a junior studying literary media and communications and feel like this is the right place for me. I still go back-and-forth with my identity, but I am much more comfortable with who I am. This school gave me a pride in who I am and what I do. I appreciate this school so much because it allowed me to be happy. I thank D.C. for helping me find Duke Ellington, which helped me to find myself."

Sierra, right, is pictured with a classmate on top of the Duke Ellington School of the Arts' "soapbox."

Kasai on His Parents

"I'm seven and in the second grade. What I like most about Washington is my parents. We live together and play together all the time. We have a tennis court in our backyard. My Mom is pregnant now. Soon, we'll be able to play doubles!

"I also like living close to my school so that I can ride my bike there and get exercise. In school, I am learning about production. You know, how to build all kinds of things. I am also learning Chinese. I don't have a Chinese name yet, but we are going to pick one soon. I really like my school."

Kasai, right, is pictured with his cousin, Alannah.

Gregory on Seven Marathons on Seven Continents

"I have been fortunate to have two great jobs in a row in this city. First, I worked as Mayor Williams' Deputy Chief of Staff. When we came in, the mayor did not have control over most of the government. We had rotary phones and nothing worked. When you look at this city almost twelve years later, I have tremendous pride in the progress. Then, I went over to the Nationals and became the Vice President of Government and Municipal Affairs. I am not a sports person by training, but I believe that the stadium has the capacity to be an incredibly positive civic expression for this city. Every world-class city in America has a baseball team. It is part of the American tradition. We have had a whole generation of kids who grew up without a baseball team after the Senators left. That changed with the arrival of the Nationals.

"You know, there is an impression that D.C. can't do anything right, but, lo and behold, the ballpark was built on budget and in record time. The stadium has the capacity to mix people of all colors, ages and incomes like very few places in this city. Sometimes, you see three generations of a family coming to a game together and you realize that you are helping to create memories. I remember vividly going to see baseball games with my father. I think that the ballpark has the capacity to do that for this city.

"While I work in baseball, my other athletic passion is running. I started running marathons in my forties. In 2002, I was training with Phil Fenty and he had an extra entry for the Marine Core Marathon. With six weeks' notice, I decided to enter and then got hooked. Marathons are a great way to see a city. When you live in D.C. for almost thirty years and then you run a marathon here, the perspective is totally different. First of all, when you run and are not driving, you become very aware of how far things really are from each other. Also, you see things from the middle of the road. Normally, you view things from one side or another, but how often do you have the luxury of seeing the vista of a city and its streets from the middle of the road? Also, when you go east of the river, you realize that it is the first time that many people are going to Anacostia. I had been there before, but many of the runners hadn't. There are some beautiful parks and neighborhoods over there and the people are so friendly. I would hope that the marathons encourage people to go back to visit those areas.

"My own marathon running has taken me all over the world, including, most recently, to Antarctica. Now, I have run seven marathons on seven continents. There is a really special feeling when you travel to these international cities and meet people from all around the world. You are all equal. You don't need to speak the same language because for 26.2 miles you are all doing the same thing. There is such camaraderie.

"In Antarctica, other people were there for their country and I wanted to be there for D.C. I wanted to do it for the running community here and to represent our city. I wasn't sure if I was the first D.C. resident or not to do it; there remains some dispute. It was an incredible experience. The race that I did has been run by fewer than 80 people. I had no idea it would develop into such a big deal, and I was surprised to see that the Washington Post article written about me made the front page ahead of Obama winning the Nobel Peace Prize! I guess my story appealed to people's sense of adventure. What does a middle-age guy do to be different? I recognize that I got all of this attention because I have a passport and means to travel. My reason for going was not solely about athleticism, but about the unknowing part of someone's mind that wants to do something different and seek out adventure."

Gregory is pictured with his medal from the 2009 Antarctic Ice Marathon. Read about Gregory's trip to Antarctica in the Washington Post here and here.

Councilmember Phil Mendelson on Maintaining D.C.'s Openness

"I have always been interested in government, which I inherited from my mother and her side of the family. My mother ran for City Council twice in the suburb of Cleveland Heights, Ohio, and lost each time. She was also active in the League of Women Voters. Her mother had been active in the Michigan League of Women Voters and served as its president. I thought that Washington was an interesting place and came here for college. I majored in political science and was involved in student government. I originally thought that I would go into the federal government, specifically Congress, when I graduated. Before I finished college, though, I moved to McLean Gardens, which had a very active tenant association because it was going through a series of battles with the landlord. The landlord wanted to evict everyone and redevelop the land with enormous rent increases and condominium conversions. Each time, the landlord was unsuccessful because the tenants were active. Through my involvement there, I got interested in D.C. politics and have been involved in D.C. issues, community activism and D.C. politics ever since.

"My involvement with McLean Gardens led me to the Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC), where I served for twenty years. I got involved in zoning issues and promoting reasonable development in neighborhoods rather than allowing a private developer to redevelop a neighborhood without regard to a larger plan or context. Probably the most noteworthy struggle I was involved in with the ANC was the redevelopment of 4000 Wisconsin Avenue in the late 80's and early 90's. Along with a few other people, I organized a community organization that went to court and significantly altered the approach, or lack of approach, toward the planning of that space. The building eventually got built, but there were a lot of changes that we forced. From there, I went on to run for City Council.

"A striking thing about being on the City Council is that there is a lot of interesting legislation that gets passed and that does not get all that much attention. When I was first elected to the City Council, I authored and got through the Council the Urban Forest Preservation Act, also known as the Tree Bill. Environmentally, it was a big step forward for D.C., although I think what was ultimately passed wasn't as strong as it could have been. Still, it does a lot for the environment, specifically our trees.

"But, D.C. issues like the gun-control legislation get more attention because they are national issues. That's big-time stuff in terms of media attention, but it may not necessarily be the most important legislation for D.C. I am pleased with what we did with gun control because it's a very controversial issue. We were able to build a consensus and get through the Council, in light of the Supreme Court decision, terms that respect what the Supreme Court ordered, but, at the same time, constitute possibly the strongest gun control law on the books. We are far more restrictive in terms of weeding out people who will potentially misuse guns in violent ways than any other city. We have some other measures in place to weed out the more dangerous guns, like the cheap Saturday-night specials. We also have a renewal provision that will continue to keep our registration procedures up-to-date. After the Supreme Court decision, the police had to go and dust off gun procedures that hadn't been used in thirty years. In the process, they learned that the police had no clue where most of the people were who had received the 30-40,000 gun permits issued before the gun ban. It was rather embarrassing. Now, I think that we're making progress and have alternatives that are pretty good compared to other cities.

"Reflecting on my time here, there is one other observation that strikes me abut being in D.C. This city, because of the federal presence, is much less open than it used to be. There are far more restrictions on the ability to travel around and go into places.

"The most obvious example is Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House. I think that's a metaphor for the direction this city has gone in, which is unfortunate. The city spends more time being frightened and, in its fear, restricts its citizens rather than remain open. That openness has always been a hallmark of this city. You used to be able to walk onto the White House and Capitol greens and have a picnic. We have slowly chipped away at that, which is unfortunate. Some of it, though, is pervasive across America, as we think we need to make things ever more inaccessible to protect ourselves against crazy people and terrorists. The remarkable thing about crazy people and terrorists is that what motivates them will motivate them to work around the restrictions we put in place. We ought to look at different approaches towards dealing with them. Rather than seal off areas and search people, let's look at alternatives that deal more directly with those threats and maintain the openness that has been a trademark of our society."

Councilmember At-Large Mendelson was first elected to the City Council in November 1998. He is the Chairman of the Committee on Public Safety and the Judiciary and is a member of four additional committees: Health; Housing and Urban Affairs; Human Services; and Libraries, Parks, and Recreation. Along with representing the Council at the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, he is also the Immediate Past President of the Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations (AMPO). Learn more about Councilmember Mendelson here.

Giulia on Seeking Adequate Mental Health Care for Her Son

“I still can’t quite wrap my mind around how this city has impacted my story. I am sixty, divorced and live on Capitol Hill in a very nice neighborhood. My kids went to nice private schools. I run a good business. My husband worked for Congress. We had every reason to believe that our children would go to college, get married and have wonderful lives. We had no reason to think otherwise. I never gave poverty or mental illness a thought. It just wasn’t in my life. Then, my son was diagnosed with schizophrenia. 

“My son was good looking, popular, very well adjusted and a great student. People referred to him as the perfect prom date. In the fall of tenth grade, he started showing signs of mental illness. He started to ask me if I thought there was something wrong with his brain. He was really struggling in school and began to look odd. The psychiatrist said he was having social problems. The doctors said he would be fine, but he didn’t look fine to me. With time, he became more remote. He lost his affect and ability to smile and interact socially. He would hear voices and have delusions. Shortly after he turned 16, he drank a lot of wine and cut both of his wrists. When they took him away, he was screaming, ‘If you had to live like this, you would want to die, too.’ When I went to visit him, he really wanted to die. He asked me to just let him die. What do you do when your 16-year-old kid tells you he wants to die? We pretty much forced him into medical care. The medicines haven’t done much to help with his hallucinations. He doesn’t know what day or time it is. It has been like that ever since he was 16. He is 27 now.

"For nine years, I have cared for my son because this city does not provide adequate residential care for the mentally ill. My son has Blue Cross Blue Shield and if you look on page 17 of our policy it says, 'These services are provided unless you have mental illness.' They provide emergency hospitalization only and then you are shown the front door and given a map with D.C. shelters. There is a group home, but they are overcrowded and you have to be somewhat motivated to live in that environment. My son's condition is such that he doesn’t comprehend what you are saying to him. That is how ill he is. He can’t sleep at night. He makes strange noises all the time. His behaviors are totally inappropriate. He’s not a good candidate for a group home. And the shelters, have you seen those places? They are pretty rough. When you have mental illness and you’re paranoid it is pretty difficult to tell someone to sleep in a shelter with 50 other guys.

"I just don’t know where my son is going to live if he doesn’t live with me. I buy his food, feed and cloth him and look after him. I am the only person in his life. I would love to work, but how am I going to leave him? He can’t fix his own food. When he tries to cook for himself, he leaves the stove on. I don’t think I have the energy to come home from work and clean up after him and cook and then start over the next day. Now, I spend my days taking care of him, trying to run a business, and campaigning a lot around the District because I am doing this all by myself with no help from the city. I have met with everyone at the Department of Mental Health, Medicaid, the District Courthouse. I thought I may be able to sue them for the lack of care, but supposedly they are not breaking any laws so I can’t take them to court. I haven’t gotten any real help from my city government. I am still shocked that this city provides no viable options for residential care for the mentally ill. People don't realize what it means to suffer from mental illness. We focus on voting rights, but what about the people who are dying in the nation's capitol from lack of proper health care. We can’t imagine how many people commit suicide because of mental illness. 

"One of the problems with this illness is it is hard to get people to do what they need to do. I need help to get my son to realize that he needs help. Then, I need to put him in a place that is respectful. Not just five people sleeping in a closet with rotten food, but a beautiful environment where people want to go for care. There are some very good private rehabilitative places, but they are phenomenally expensive. I could move to Vermont where they have good state-run care, but I don't know anybody there and I believe that my place of residence should provide these necessary services to its citizens. 

"I would love to speak up more and have a podium, but I am so tired. I don’t know where people like Martin Luther King got his energy. I don’t want to spend my time traipsing around the city government and seeing if people will give me five minutes of their time to help my son. The bottom line is that it is exhausting. I resigned myself to the fact that this is what I am going to do for my life, but I worry about what will happen when I die. Now, I can’t have a social life. I mean, what are the chances of getting someone to marry me? My daughter is a teenager and doesn’t have people over. She tells friends that her brother is off at college. My oldest daughter is doing well. She lives in Alexandria and would love to have a life without mental illness and she does. She doesn’t really put in any time or energy into her brother. Even his father hasn’t had him over since he was 16. 

"I’d love to change the world, but part of me wants to tell my son to leave and move off to a cabin in the woods by myself. That’s what I fantasize about. I am so tired and everything has been so hard. It seems like it would be a great relief to have a simple life where I am just responsible for myself. I have watched my son go into comas and seizures and try to kill himself. I don’t know how to get the strength to keep at it year after year with no help. I keep at it because I love him. What keeps me going is that I have a lot of compassion for him. I talk about how hard it is for me, but that is nothing compared to what he is going through everyday."

Gianni Moto on the Sushi Bar

"I've always been cooking. I started working at a French restaurant when I was fourteen. I worked in sushi restaurants as well, but I never got a chance to make sushi until I came to D.C. I always wanted to do it and finally got an opportunity at Sticky Rice. I am half-Japanese and half-Italian, so we were living this whole fusion lifestyle before the word became popular. We have been eating udon noodles and spaghetti at the same table my whole life. 

"In D.C., I was able to cross paths with people who really inspired me and are not making the typical forms of sushi. I learned everything I know here. Still, sushi is still really young in this city and we, as a city, are still working to bring high-end, diverse and interesting sushi to this town. My inspiration will always come from the old-school Japanese chefs in Japan and New York. These guys are crazy alcoholic nuts, but amazingly talented. We need to bring more of that here. I would love to see more straight up, old-school Japanese places in D.C. Now, you see that there is a blending of the Asian restaurants where Chinese restaurants will serve sushi and Thai food. But, there is nothing like a sushi bar in a traditional Japanese place. 

"Here, if you come sit at the sushi bar, we do our best to get people to try sushi and introduce them to new and interesting flavors and textures. Look, a lot of people are still grossed out by the idea of eating raw fish. When you think about it, it sounds kind of strange in our age of over-processing. But, that makes working in an open sushi bar that much more interesting. We are always coming up with stuff and being inventive. I spend my time looking around this city and the world for ideas and inspiration. And, I always come back to my family roots as inspiration on how to mix diverse cultures and flavors into my food."