Ward 1 Youth Update

Written by Isaiah McKnight & Blondell Terrell as a part of their SYEP project in
the Office of Councilmember Brianne K. Nadeau

Into the Mind of the Youth: A Ward 1 Survey

We conducted a survey about Ward 1 in several different
locations across the ward. Out of the nine people who answered
our survey, six of them actually lived in Ward 1. Three out of those
six had an idea of what 311 is, and all three were able to explain
that it is for requesting city services such as trash pickup, broken
branches, stop lights, etc. When we asked everyone what they
would change about their community, one person said they would
like to have more programs for the youth so they can stay out of
trouble. Another person said that the community should make
more stop signs. The majority of the people that we surveyed said
that they would like to reduce crime, change guns laws, and have
potholes fixed. There were two people who had lived in Ward One
their whole life. The other six people we surveyed said they have
lived there for 1-5 years. When we asked everybody if they would
recommend that someone who has never lived in DC move to
Ward 1, they all said they would. We asked them, Why? Two
people said that there are a lot of fun activities to do. Another
person said that the crime rate is really low. The six other people
said that the stores in Ward 1 are easily accessible. Then we
asked, What are your favorite things to do in Ward 1? We
received a mixture of responses such as, going to the library,
hanging out around the mall in Columbia Heights, playing
basketball at the recreation center, eating at the soul food
restaurant Oohhs and Aahhs, and staying around the community
they live in.

Youngins at the Mount Pleasant Library

Chris Devers, flickr.com

The second part of our survey was a True or False section.

We went around Ward 1 and we would tell people statements,
and ask them whether it was True or False. Here are the
results:
T: Kalorama was founded by George Washingtons cousins- 1
vote
F: Kalorama was founded by George Washingtons cousins- 6
votes
Out of the seven people who we asked these questions, 6 of
them said false, and 1 of them said true. False was the
correct answer, because Kalorama was founded by Anthony
Holmead, of the Holmead family. Not many got this statement
correct, but it was intended to be slightly tricky.
T: U Street was known as the Black Broadway in the early
1900s- 7 votes
F: U Street was known as the Black Broadway in the early
1900s- None
Out of the seven people that we surveyed, all seven of them
said true! This is the correct answer, and for any person that
is a Ward 1 resident, this should be easy enough to tell. U
Street was known as the Black Broadway because it was a
cultural center for African Americans.
For the last part of our survey, we went around with a list of
places in Ward 1, but one of the places isnt in Ward 1. Our
question was, Which one of these neighborhoods are not in
Ward 1? Here are the places:
A. Mount Pleasant - 2 votes
B. Adams Morgan - None
C. Dupont Circle - 3 votes
D. Kalorama-2 votes
E. Shaw - 1 vote
The correct answer is Dupont Circle, which is in Ward Two.
Three people got the answer correct, but the rest either said
Kalorama, Mount Pleasant, or Shaw. Shaw is a part of Ward
1, but part of the neighborhood is split up into Ward 2 and
Ward 6.

Have you heard of 311?

311 is a toll-free number that allows people in the District of
Columbia to request assistance with city services. It was designed
to make the publics interaction with their city services less
frustrating. 311 is open 24/7, 365 days a year. Reasons to contact
311 include potholes, tree services, illegal dumping, and other
public service issues. You can also use the number if your
scheduled service has been missing. You can contact them by
going on their website (311.dc.gov), mobile app (on Android and
iOS), or calling the number 311. If you call in, you will have the
chance to talk to a highly trained customer service representative
who specializes in answering all 311 calls. They will also give you
a tracking number so you would be able to track down when your
services will happen and if something goes wrong you can track
that number and report it.

Interview with Councilmember

Nadeau
We had the opportunity to sit down with Ward 1 DC
Councilmember Brianne Nadeau and ask her a few questions. We
asked the Councilmember what bills shes currently trying to pass.
Her response was that she is working on three different bills: an
ethics reform initiative, an increase of Department of Consumer
and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA) fines, and a Land Disposition
Transparency Act. The ethics reform will strengthen the Board of
Ethics and Government Accountability. It will do this by adding
two board members, as well as two additional staffers, to support
the ethical standards of the District. Lastly, this reform will close
ethic loopholes, and will be able to hold lobbyists, government
employees, and public officials accountable for breaking the rules.
The councilmember is working on a DCRA bill because she wants
to have the fines doubled for violations of the health and welfare
code. On top of that, she wants to double the fines for illegal
construction. The Land Disposition Transparency Act will bring
clarity to land deals by having the components of the land deals
posted online and providing more information about the process.
We then asked her what she thinks some of the biggest issues in
Ward 1 are. She replied affordable housing and homelessness,
because without affordable housing people are more likely to
become homeless. We also asked about her opinion on minimum
wage. She said she is proud of what we have done so far to
increase the minimum wage but she still thinks our work was not
done. Finally, we asked the Councilmember about Brianne on
Your Block, her community office hours. She started it back when
she was campaigning because she wanted to be able to invite
people out to talk, and people liked it because it is a great way to
connect.

Its going down, Im yelling 311!

Martin Gommel, flickr.com

Columbia Heights: The Center

of Ward 1
Moises Arias once said, It is nice finding that place where
you can just go and relax. In this article, we will be discussing
Columbia Heights, which is now one of the most influential
neighborhoods in Ward One, and how it went from a small
piece of farmland to a very popular venue in Ward One.
Columbia Heights was once a small tract of farmland on the
estate of the Holmead family. In 1727, the Holmead family
had received a patent from Charles Carroll, Lord Baltimore,
for a large part of land that eventually became Columbia
Heights. Before it was renamed Columbia Heights, the whole
parcel of land was known as Pleasant Plains. Anthony
Holmead, a British nephew, came to America to inherit the
estate in 1750. Before he died, he had named the tract
Pleasant Plains, and lived there until 1802. When he died, the
tract was split into two pieces, which became Mount Pleasant
and Pleasant Plains. Eventually, the northern part of Mount
Pleasant became a small village until the 1880s. The person
who first called the village Columbia Heights was Senator
John Sherman. In 1881, Sherman bought the village, along
with a bunch of land in the area, and renamed it Columbia
Heights in honor of Columbian College. Much of Sherman's
purchase was of Columbian College's land, which it sold off in
order to purchase a tract in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood,
where it moved in 1884 and renamed itself George
Washington University in 1904.In the early 1900s, Columbia
Heights became a popular site because of upscale
development. For example, in 1902, there was a huge
building boom in Northern Columbia Heights. There was a
mass production of residential housing, and eventually more
stores were founded. Columbia Heights became extremely
popular in the 21st century. With the opening of the Target,
Best Buy, and many restaurants, it has become a fashionable
neighborhood. The Columbia Heights Metro Station is at the
center of this development. The metro station was built in
1999, which was meant to revitalize DC, and bring in more
tourists and residents. The Metro Station is located in
th
Northwest Washington at 14 and Irving Streets. Columbia
Heights continues to grow today.