District Matters

Great Loss for DC

noreply@blogger.com (Adam Clampitt) — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 15:10:00 +0000

Local activist, Mike Shor, died on Saturday of a massive stroke while vacationing in New Mexico. Not only was he a fighter for progressive causes through DC for Democracy, the Ward 3 Democrats, and DC for Obama, but for most of my life he was my very dear friend and mentor. It was just a few weeks ago that Mike stood with me in the freezing cold at the Tenleytown Metro Station doing morning visibility for my DC Council campaign. He held a meet-and-greet for me a few months ago and was also going to be my Ward 3 campaign coordinator.

Mike’s impact, however, reached beyond any political cause. He was one of the most giving, honest and caring people I have ever known. I come from a small family, and so did he. When I was young our families were so close that they essentially merged. For as far back as I can remember, we have spent nearly every Christmas Eve and Thanksgiving together. During those holidays, Mike and I always separated from our small group of friends and family for one on-on-one conversation in which we attempted to solve the world's problems. In those conversations, Mike's passion for service became part of who I am, as it also became a part of the countless numbers of people with whom Mike worked side by side in his activism. That will be his great, ongoing contribution to our community. Each of us will continue to do his work because of the passion he gave us.

Mike dedicated his life to making life better for those who were less fortunate. It was his commitment that gave many of us hope that we will some day cure DC of poverty, illiteracy, class divisions and other pressing social problems.

Mike leaves behind his partner, Irmgard Hunt, as well as his daughter Sarah, grandson Gus, and sister Rachel.

If you would like to show your appreciation to celebrate Mike’s life, please send contributions to DC for Democracy with a note in remembrance of Mike Shor to the following address:

DC for Democracy PAC
P.O. Box 65691
Washington, DC 20035-5691

If you would like to send a card or gift to Mike's family, please mail to the following address:

Mike Shor c/o Susan Clampitt
13 9th Street, SE
Washington, DC 20003

Open Primaries for DC

noreply@blogger.com (Adam Clampitt) — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 14:12:00 +0000

Democracy in the District should not be a question. Sadly, it still is. Though DC has been denied full and appropriate representation in the federal government for 218 years, the District has enjoyed increasing degrees of local democracy for thirty-five years. Yet, remnants of a broken system remain denying 17% of District residents the right to vote in primary elections. This is because DC law forbids independents from participating in primary elections and forbids parties from determining who can vote in their primary elections. This unconstitutional measure must be overturned and that is why I applaud the efforts of Councilmember Catania (At Large) for his introduction of the Open Primary Act of 2008.

Without question, it is the prerogative of the parties to determine how their District residents will select their respective nominees, but DC government must not make this choice for them. I believe open primaries provide the best method for allowing all District residents to select the competing candidates for the general election. Regardless of one’s political affiliation, we can all agree that this year’s presidential candidates are among the most impressive in years, and many analysts agree that independents have been a key factor in producing such an excellent selection.

Reform Will Add 10,000 Additional Police Hours

noreply@blogger.com (Adam Clampitt) — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 19:47:00 +0000

Fighting crime and creating a safe environment for residents is a top priority for any DC official. So where was the outrage when DC’s murder rate went way up in 2007?

Over the past year, I spent countless hours speaking with the police, community leaders and members of DC government lobbying solutions to help make DC’s streets safer. This includes reforming our arrest booking system, otherwise known as “papering.”

What most people don’t know is that anytime an MPD officer makes an arrest, s/he must spend hours filling out paperwork and then appear in federal court first thing the next morning to present it to a magistrate. This is because DC has no court system of its own or an independently elected Attorney General and cannot have these arrests processed as quickly as other states. The result is that too many criminals are released since the police do not have the time to uphold this costly bureaucracy. This system costs DC government $5 million annually in overtime and puts the public at risk. With such a system is it any wonder that crime is going up?

The best way to fight and deter crime is to get more officers out from behind their desks and onto the streets. That is why I lobbied for the solutions that I did and as a result of those efforts and the efforts of Councilmember Tommy Wells, we now have a task force that is working to reverse this faulty system. I can only hope that soon we will have a government that lets cops do what they are supposed to do – patrol the streets to keep us safe.

Republican Carol Schwartz has been in office since 1974, and she should know better than anyone that when crime goes up, the entire District suffers. But instead of working overtime to lobby and find new ways to support our police officers, she has been content to let a broken system continue.

Reward and Retain High-Performing DC Teachers

noreply@blogger.com (Adam Clampitt) — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 16:04:00 +0000

School Chancellor Michelle Rhee and Mayor Adrian Fenty are on the right track in improving school maintenance and construction, reducing bureaucratic bloat, and helping students raise their academic achievement. But our schools remain in crisis, in part because longtime opponents of reform continue to block innovative ideas and bold thinking.

Republican Councilmember Carol Schwartz is one such stubborn obstacle to change. I commend Mrs. Schwartz for her 34 years on the school board and DC Council, but her record shows she has contributed little beyond an unwavering opposition to innovation and new ideas. She is either too conservative or too complacent to fight for the changes we need to improve our schools.

Great schools are impossible without great teachers, and one of DC's challenges is retaining high-performing educators in our classrooms. The District has the highest teacher turnover rate in the region, losing talented teachers to Maryland and Virginia every year. Our Teacher Brain Drain deprives DC's kids of the best and brightest, the mentors they need to thrive.

That is why I will work with Chancellor Rhee to create a $2 million High Performing Teacher Fund to reward our best educators with annual bonuses for extraordinary accomplishments and dedication. We can keep these great teachers working for DC children by rewarding excellence and providing incentives for professional growth -- just as the most successful companies do in the private sector. We demand that educators be professionals, and we should reward them as such.

It's time to end the Teacher Brain Drain. With innovative ideas and strong leadership, we can overcome the challenges that face us and make Washington the world class city it can be.

Schwartz’s Do-Nothing Conservatism No Longer Works for DC

noreply@blogger.com (Adam Clampitt) — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 23:55:00 +0000

This election year offers voters a chance to choose between the same stale options and constructive, innovative change. Just as the historic candidacies of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are showing a new direction for our nation, the District also needs new leadership with new ideas and a commitment to change.

Mayor Adrian Fenty, Councilmembers Tommy Wells and Mary Cheh, and School Chancellor Michelle Rhee have started that process. But many of their most inventive ideas face a wall of resistance from entrenched forces that oppose all change. Republican Councilmember Carol Schwartz has made her career out of stubbornly defending failed policies for more than 34 years.

I commend Ms. Schwartz for her long service in DC government, but over three decades in public office she has become too either complacent or too stuck in the politics of the past to fight for the changes we need. Her do-nothing ideology led her to oppose our smoke-free restaurant law, oppose Mayor Fenty's education reforms, and oppose equal marriage rights for same sex couples. The only thing she seems to be for is more of the same.

DC deserves better. We can end the Teacher Brain Drain by setting aside $2 million to reward and retain top-performing educators in DC schools, and by creating a fund to support teachers who want to live and work in our city. We can fight crime by implementing my 10,000 Hour Plan, a simple bureaucratic fix that will free up 10,000 additional police hours each year at little or no cost. We need an elected attorney general to aggressively prosecute crimes that occur, and be answerable to the public. A $1 million fund will keep police officers living and working in the city they serve and protect. And we can defend our middle class by creating a public-private partnership to help any resident at risk of losing his or her home because of a job loss or other life-changing event.

Our environment demands aggressive protection. We should emulate world capitals like London and create a downtown congestion zone. This innovation would reduce the number of cars and SUVs from the suburbs that foul our air, relieve gridlock, and provide more funding for mass transit, bike lines, and trails. We should offer financial incentives to encourage residents and taxi fleets to switch to hybrid vehicles, and to convert the city's entire non-emergency fleet to low-emission vehicles within five years.

Instead of sitting idly by while millions of dollars are stolen by corrupt city employees, we need a council member who will ask the tough questions and hold bureaucrats responsible for honest, competent, and courteous service to the public. With proper oversight, we can ensure that every office of the DC government works for the people.

Simply put, DC residents deserve better.

For the next three weeks, I will be away from Washington, DC fulfilling my annual commitment as an officer in the US Naval Reserves. As my responsibilities allow, I will stay connected by elaborating through entries to this blog on my proposals for change.

I'll be back on the campaign trail later this month, and I look forward to a spirited debate about how we can work together to build on our successes and overcome our daunting challenges. Together, we will make Washington the world class city it can be.

A Day to Remember

noreply@blogger.com (Adam Clampitt) — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 03:04:00 +0000

On a day honoring one of our great leaders in the history of this nation, I submitted an op-ed to the Washington Afro-American, the leading paper serving the black community in DC. Here it is:

A Dream Half Completed
By Adam Clampitt, Candidate for DC Council – At Large

As unpopular and lamentable as it is to admit today, skin color still determines the quality of life enjoyed by too many District residents today. Washington, DC remains a city with dual identities. There is the public Washington visited by millions of tourists each year, seen on television throughout the world and taught as the seat of democracy to school children in this country and abroad. Washington, DC, is a city of leaders, talent, wealth, prestige, and monuments. But there is also the Washington that you and I encounter every day -- one of de facto segregation, neglected communities, and underappreciated constituencies with unequal opportunities. There are many reasons for the current condition, but one unfortunate truth is that decades of failed policies, missed opportunities, and management inadequacies have short-changed our neediest citizens.

As we celebrate the birth of an American hero, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., we can say only that we have fulfilled half of King’s dream. The racial issues that have plagued the District since its inception persist to this day. King would remind us, free and equal do not go hand-in-hand, and though one was achieved, we must work to assure the fulfillment of the other. New action and leadership are required to overcome these inequalities, lift up the middle class and transform Washington into the world class city it should be. I believe this starts with improvements in public education.

The words of Earl Warren still ring true today, “In these days, it is doubtful that any child may reasonably be expected to succeed in life if he is denied the opportunity of an education.” With Blacks 30 percent more likely to drop out of school than their White peers, and more than one third of all DC Public School children expected to drop out, we are in a serious crisis.

I support strongly the reform efforts being led by Mayor Fenty and Chancellor Rhee, but I also believe we must go further than the suggestions of the Master Education Plan. Undoubtedly, we should always encourage the pursuit of a college education, but we must realize this path works for some, not all. We will never combat this exodus effectively until we create an educational environment that works to the benefit of every student and honors each for their potential to succeed. This requires us to acknowledge that not all students need attend college to live fulfilling and productive lives.

Walt Gardner of the Los Angeles Unified School District has made an apt case for the need to reintegrate vocational training into the high school curriculum. As non-college-bound students progress thru the system, college-centric programs of study unnecessarily isolate them and cast their talents aside. As a result, scores of smart, talented students whose career pursuits lie outside of college become frustrated and exit the system. A reintegration of vocational programs of study would result in significantly lower drop-out rates. Moreover, trade unions and businesses should be encouraged to partner with such programs at local schools to provide mentoring roles for these students, better training them to join the workforce. As a former member of Mayor Marion Barry’s Summer Youth Employment program, I know first hand the positive effects that private partnerships with education can bring.

Additionally, we must encourage all parents to be involved in their children’s education. Schooling is only one component in educating our children. A supportive home environment is just as vital to a student’s success. The Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy in Las Vegas, Nevada, has become quite well known for its model of required and observed parental involvement through its “Commitment to Excellence.” Such involvement creates a model for a more involved, more sustainable community. Indeed, as a result of this program one of the country’s worst-performing school districts in Las Vegas’s poorest neighborhood has become one of America’s most vibrant schools and communities.

Creating such engagement in our local communities to provide true equality and opportunity can reverse the effects of neglect and rebuild Washington’s human capital. Our neighborhoods can equal our monuments as Washington’s greatest attractions. New leadership must address the circumstances of economic injustice that make Dr. King’s dream only half fulfilled.

The Young Victims of HIV/AIDS

noreply@blogger.com (Adam Clampitt) — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 04:12:00 +0000

The AIDS epidemic in the District of Columbia continues to gain much attention, and much of the effort to curb its spread is focused on sexually active adults. In many cases, children are victims, as well. Not only can they contract the virus at birth, through transfusions or other means, but many of those who have been spared infection carry the burden of childhood with mothers who are HIV positive. Caring for our youngest victims and educating them in self-protection and prevention is vital to reduce HIV/AIDS cases for the long term.

Last week, I met with Pediatric AIDS/HIV Care, Inc. They are an organization dedicated to mentoring and caring for children under the age of 18 who have been affected by HIV/AIDS. Run by a dedicated and passionate group of professionals, the organization provides day care, after school programs, including art classes and computer training, as well as psychological counseling. They recently purchased a house in Shaw called which is the central location for all of their services.

Caring for children affected by this epidemic helps prevent retransmission, improves self-confidence and reduces the stigma associated with HIV/AIDS. As part of our comprehensive efforts to tame this epidemic, we must focus on the young people who need our help. It is imperative that we support greater funding for HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention programs for children.

Early Retirement A Good First Step

noreply@blogger.com (Adam Clampitt) — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 11:45:00 +0000

Today, Mayor Fenty announced plans to offer early retirement incentives to more than 5,000 District employees. This action is an important step to ensure that we make room for a new generation of leaders in our city while continuing to take care of those who have served for years.

I have been knocking on doors in all eight wards of DC over the past few months, and one of the most frequent questions I get from residents is "What will you do to make our government actually work for the people?" It's a question that is extremely important to our future. We have a bloated workforce in the District government. Many employees proudly serve and do their jobs well every single day. But there are many who have lost the passion that they once had for serving residents.

The only way we will truly be efficient and effective is if we increase the number of performers in our government and trim those who are no longer working for the taxpayers. Early retirement is one step, but we need to look at other options, as well. Better methods of evaluation, rewards for good work, and penalties for under performance are all options that I believe should be on the table. Residents of DC deserve the best. The more effective and passionate our government workforce is, the stronger our city will be and fewer instances of corruption will occur.

An Oak Hill Thanksgiving

noreply@blogger.com (Adam Clampitt) — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 18:00:00 +0000

Last Thursday, most of us spent the day eating turkey and watching football; appreciating all that life has given us. But for 250 children, Thanksgiving was spent behind bars at the Oak Hill Youth Center, the District's juvenile detention facility. On Thanksgiving Day, I visited Oak Hill with Jauhar Abraham, CEO of The Peaceoholics. We were allowed to share Thanksgiving dinner with the residents of the facility.

Never before in my life have I felt so much pain. Just days before, a riot broke out in one of the buildings, and several of the residents were still confined to their cells. The tension in the air permeated everything and everyone. I realized that Oak Hill is not a place that rehabilitates inmates, it seems to create more anger. This was validated when Jauhar from the Peaceoholics told me that 90 children who were released from Oak Hill were later murdered. This is the face of juvenile justice in the District, and it continues to foster the cycle of violence that plagues our city.

Oak Hill is symbolic of the challenges that we face as we move forward in the District of Columbia. For years, Oak Hill has been ignored and children have grown up to become either criminals or a statistic. Finally, Mayor Fenty is working to change the facility and I support efforts that will improve the environment so we can have the best possible chance to rehabilitate our youth and welcome them to contributing to the continuing progress that our City needs.

This will not be easy. It is clear that the approach to this issue over the past several decades has failed. It will require fresh ideas and energetic leadership on City Council to find a solution and support Mayor Fenty's efforts. Anything less is unacceptable.

Toxic Trains Too Risky

noreply@blogger.com (Adam Clampitt) — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 01:18:00 +0000

Last week, a CSX Train carrying coal derailed and crashed into the Anacostia River. Fortunately, there were no casualties, and the relatively benign coal caused little environmental damage. But suppose the train cars were filled with a toxic substance? We may have been faced with one of the largest environmental disasters in the history of our city. This accident should serve as a warning and actually brings back memories of an incident in 2005.

After a tragic toxic spill in Baltimore, the City Council moved to pass a bill that rerouted trains carrying dangerous substances. The bill has not been implemented because of lawsuits by CSX and the federal government. But this accident should serve as a reminder to keep pushing as hard as we can to ensure that our railways are safe and our environment is protected.

My opponent in my upcoming City Council race, Carol Schwartz, opposed the rerouting of toxic trains, despite overwhelming public support to pass the bill. Her decision to oppose the bill was based on the costs of fighting the lawsuits. But how high a price would we have paid if those trains last week were carrying fuel? It's not enough to rely on CSX to make their own decisions. As residents, we need to fight on to ensure that our safety and our environment are protected.

DC's Poorest Residents Crying for Help

noreply@blogger.com (Adam Clampitt) — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 21:51:00 +0000

A report released today by the DC Fiscal Policy Institute has confirmed what many of us have feared--the gap between rich and poor in this city continues to grow. The situation has become so severe that only Atlanta and Tampa have higher income inequality. An article in yesterday's Washington Post shed light on the human side of the issue, discussing the gradual shift in constituent services among our Councilmembers. In the past, constituent services focused on potholes, trees, crime and other city government issues. Today, we are seeing an increase in the number of residents looking to elected officials for financial help, including rent, utilities, and even funeral payments.

The constituent-service funds overseen by Councilmembers can alleviate many of these needs, and I am a huge supporter of their use for those in severe crisis. Unfortunately, the money can provide only temporary emergency assistance, not help for our neediest constituents to build better lives for themselves. Long-term projects such as school reform, vocational training, the improvement of UDC, and health care access are all essential to offering greater opportunity for our neediest residents to live decently.

The changing needs of residents as referenced in the Post article should be seen as the canary in the coal mine. If we do not find long-term solutions, the problem will escalate, causing future expenditures to spin out of control. Sonn, the constituent service funds will be used up.

Health Department Shake Up

noreply@blogger.com (Adam Clampitt) — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 00:37:00 +0000

Mayor Fenty's citywide shake-up continued last week with the firing of Gregg Pane, the director of the Health Department. While Pane came to DC with excellent credentials, health problems in the District persist, and I applaud the Mayor for his aggressive approach. Unacceptable levels of infant mortality, HIV/AIDS, diabetes, obesity, asthma and now even staph have combined with an access problem in poor neighborhoods to create a real emergency. Just as with our school system, it is time for drastic change.

I hope that Mayor Fenty looks to cities around the nation for qualified health professionals and best practices when choosing a candidate. Whether it is New York City's successful HIV/AIDS prevention campaigns or California's proposed health care plan, we need to look to other regions and cities to find solutions that work elsewhere. We also need to seriously examine the bureaucracy to make sure that DOH employees are performing adequately and that we have the most qualified and dedicated employees.

Furthermore, I believe that the new director of DOH needs to improve response in the event of a large public health outbreak. This is a real possibility and an unprepared government can prove deadly. Washington, DC, can and should be an example to the rest of the country of quality heath care and health care emergency services. We residents deserve it. should demand it, and should hold our public officials accountable.

The School Libraries Project

noreply@blogger.com (Adam Clampitt) — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 05:39:00 +0000

More than a year ago, I became involved in the School Libraries Project (SLP), a non-profit supported by the Capitol Hill Community Foundation as well as DCPS. Realizing that the disrepair of our public schools included the libraries, a group of concerned parents on the Hill took matters into their own hands and began raising money to renovate the libraries in neighborhood schools such as Brent, J.O. Wilson and Peabody. On October 24th, the final library will be complete, capping a multi-year effort that highlighted the commitment of an entire community to solve a serious problem.

As good as this project is, it serves only one neighborhood and eight schools. Thousands of children around our city deserve to have quality libraries. SLP is one of the few public school successes ocurring before the launch of Mayor Fenty's aggressive school reform plan. IT is also one that needs to be expanded.

Parents and residents in neighborhoods all across the city have a great example in SLP to see what their own schools can become. I encourage you to visit SLP and see for yourself. It truly is a model we should strive for as a city. My hat goes off to Todd Cymrot, Suzanne Wells, Catherine Townsend and many other parents who made this vision come to life.

Violence on the Rise

noreply@blogger.com (Adam Clampitt) — Sun, 07 Oct 2007 04:50:00 +0000

In a blog posting from several months ago, I mentioned the concerns held by Fraternal Order of Police President, Kris Baumann, about the coming surge in DC violence. It appears that the surge is upon us, as children are being murdered nightly on the streets of DC. Each child that loses his or her life is a piece of DC's future that disappears. The surge in violence saddens me, but also makes me more determined to fix our city.

Last night, I attended the Peaceoholics annual awards benefit. Jauhar Abraham, the CEO and co-founder of the Peaceoholics, who is also a close friend, gave an award to one of the greatest success stories of youth turning their lives around. The infamous Choppa City Girls terrorized Anacostia just last year. The girls were sisters and attended Anacostia High School. Businesses, bus drivers and other students lived in constant fear of attacks by the gang.

One day, the girls were introduced to the Peaceoholics. Through the mentorship offered by Jauhar and other co-founder, Ronald Moten, the girls went from causing violence to preventing it. It was the Peaceoholics that made them realize the futility of their behavior. Jauhar took them under his wing and even brought them to North Carolina to visit various universities and worked closely with the schools to ensure that the girls would be accepted. Now, two of the sisters are attending Shaw University in Raleigh and frequently come back to DC to work side by side with the Peaceoholics to fight violence.

Jauhar and Moe are special people. Our city owes them a debt of gratitude for all the good work that they do every day. The Choppa City Girls are just one of countless Peaceoholics success stories. They are a prime example of a community coming together to save our children. Let's salute them!

HAA Fails Again

noreply@blogger.com (Adam Clampitt) — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 18:55:00 +0000

More than 70,000 condoms have been returned to the DC government by community groups due to defective packaging. This revelation continues the ongoing inability of the HIV/AIDS Administration (HAA) to effectively prevent the spread of sexually transmitted diseases. While New York City can distribute millions of defective-free condoms per month, here in DC we are unable to provide just a few hundred thousand over the course of a year, with many of those needing to be returned.

What will it take to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS in the District? The first step is to put quality controls and distribution systems in place to make sure condoms are getting to at-risk populations across our city. The Fenty administration is working tirelessly to improve HAA, but things are not moving fast enough in my opinion. Each time a resident of DC contracts HIV, we have failed as leaders.

I encourage all of you reading this blog to make your voices heard. Send an email or letter to the mayor telling him you want more to be done to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS.

The Importance of Quality Administration

noreply@blogger.com (Adam Clampitt) — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 06:20:00 +0000

DCPS Chancellor Michelle Rhee is working around the clock to improve our schools and give children in the District the same educational opportunities that students have in our surrounding suburbs. In a recent YouTube video, she discussed her frustration with our schools, describing the disconnect between the quality of education and the perception of the problem held by many parents. For example, she discussed a school with only 10 percent proficiency among students, but the main concern of the parents was the potential closing of the building.

Examples such of this are very troubling, because lack of understanding about the state of our education system can lead to increased barriers when Ms. Rhee is trying to make drastic changes. The biggest challenge she faces now is her attempt to remove underperforming administrators and reorganize the structure of DCPS. Certain residents have protested her attempts to fire hundreds of current DCPS employees, but while the political battle turns to protecting jobs, the kids continue to be neglected.

Ms. Rhee has an excellent plan to reform our schools. Our focus must remain on giving students the best education possible. I urge residents of DC to work together to support Ms. Rhee in her endeavour. She deserves the chance to succeed, and we need her to be successful.

DC's Greatest Epidemic

noreply@blogger.com (Adam Clampitt) — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 06:31:00 +0000

DC has serious health care problems. Finding ways to increase access, improve quality of care and upgrade facilities present big challenges to our city on an ongoing basis. But a scary epidemic is in our midst; and surprising little is being done to stop it. HIV/AIDS infects approximately one in 20 DC residents, and perhaps even more. It is not a problem faced only by the gay community or the African American community, as many believe. HIV/AIDS is a threat to all of us. Unfortunately, the DC HIV AIDS Administration (HAA) has been ineffective in curbing the spread of the virus.

Residents are not getting tested at the rates they need to be; there is little public education about prevention and treatment; the city is not tracking those with HIV/AIDS to help prevent its spread; and non-profit organizations paid by the District to help fight the epidemic are not held accountable for their performance. This must be fixed.

Last week, I met with David Mariner from DC Fights Back (http://www.dcfightsback.org/) who helped me understand the complexity of the epidemic in the District and brought me up to speed on some of the necessary solutions.

HAA must function at a higher standard. We need increased public awareness to educate residents about prevention and risk. We must do a better job focusing on prevention. For example, New York City distributes up to five million condoms each month. DC has been unable to distribute 250,000 condoms over the past eight months. This is unacceptable. Treatment and care also must be improved, and this requires partnering with non-profit groups with expertise, but we must also hold them accountable.

While DC has a higher HIV/AIDS rate than any other state in the union, we are lucky to have organizations like DC Fights Back to help educate our leaders and find concrete policy solutions.

A Healthy DC

noreply@blogger.com (Adam Clampitt) — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 17:52:00 +0000

Nearly one in four children in DC is overweight. That means we have the largest number of obese kids in the United States. With the growing epidemic of obesity in this country, this is not a statistic we District residents should be proud of. We are killing our kids, and it's only going to get worse if we don't do something about it.

Changing eating habits is not an easy task. Companies offering fast food and junk food spend billions of dollars every year advertising to children and their parents. Healthy foods are often not available in certain neighborhoods of this city. There is not enough emphasis placed on physical activity. This can all be changed, but it must be done with parents, schools and government working together.

My mother raised me on a healthful diet. Because I learned the value of nutrition at a young age, I naturally watch my diet now that I am older. And I will do the same with my children, making sure that they learn good eating habits. Parents and other adults must take an active roles in giving kids the tools and the knowledge they need to stay healthy.

Government and business can contribute, as well. We need to do more public awareness and outreach campaigns in our poorest neighborhoods. Messages directed to parents and children should encourage healthy eating and physical activity. Businesses should offer healthy options for residents as well, giving them the opportunity to eat right. Finally, our schools must to do more to promote a healthy lifestyle. This means better nutrition education, more rigorous PE and the removal of all junk foods from school. With a bit of imagination, school kitchens can provide delicious, nutritious, and well-balanced meals, without increasing costs.

Let's give our kids a head start and give them the tools they need to live long and healthy lives.

The Gap Widens

noreply@blogger.com (Adam Clampitt) — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 14:00:00 +0000

District Matters is back after a month-long hiatus. Though I haven't posted in the past few weeks, my crusade to make this city a better place for everyone has been ongoing throughout the summer.

As many of you know, keeping a strong and vibrant middle class in this city is a passion of mine. It is key to maintaining a strong and healthy tax base and will secure the long-term finanical health of our city. But a middle class must be about more than finances. A strong middle class must concern itself with the matter of human decency. When I read the data today from the U.S. Census Bureau about the widening income gap between blacks and whites in DC, I was extremely disheartened. The latest figures show that whites earn a median income of $89,000 per year while blacks earn only $34,000. The numbers don't lie; we have a problem on our hands.

This income disparity cannot be cured overnight. But the DC government can do its part to help level the playing field. We need quality schools, improved job training, quality health care and improved constituent services. DC residents in all income categories bring value to this city; we must provide possibilities for those with fewer opportunities to shine. I am committed to finding concrete policy solutions that will enable all residents in Washington to live productive, decent lives. DC is a family, and we must behave as such.

Health Care for Kids

noreply@blogger.com (Adam Clampitt) — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 11:38:00 +0000

Ensuring that our children have access to quality health care is just as important as providing an excellent education. While many kids have insurance coverage, many do not have access to decent facilities or the resources to get to a doctor's office. Wouldn't it be great if we could bring decent medical care to our kids instead of forcing them to travel to a facility?

I have been studying the concept of community schools. This approach takes a holistic approach to caring for children, and ensures that additional services of benefit to our kids are provided at their schools. Health care is one of those services that every child needs to have as part of their upbringing. If DC public schools provided adequate health care, like a physician assistant on site, for example, the quality of care our students receive could increase dramatically. Parents would no longer have the stress of figuring out how to get their kids to the doctor--and how to pay for those visits-- and increased regular check-ups would prevent escalating illness and the use of hospital emergency rooms for non-emergencies.

While I have not yet done the cost-benefit numbers, I think we can take existing funds from Medicaid, the Department of Health and from other sources to fund school-based health care. In the long run, it would not only save us money, but would provide a much-needed service for our children and families in desperate need of accessible, affordable, quality care. What do you think about this idea? I would really like some feedback.

WIN with Affordable Housing

noreply@blogger.com (Adam Clampitt) — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 14:02:00 +0000

Last night I attended Affordable Housing Accountability Night organized by the Washington Interfaith Network (WIN). WIN is comprised of a group of churches in DC dedicated to political action and the improvement of our city. Their Vote Neighborhoods First campaign centers around creating vibrant and livable neighborhoods that can be enjoyed by all residents regardless of income. The evening centered around a speech by Mayor Fenty about his commitment to affordable housing and his progress and plans for the creation of affordable units across the city.

With support from WIN, Mayor Fenty has embarked on a mission to provide 14,000 "Nehemiah" homeownership units, which are deemed affordable to residents with incomes ranging from $20,000 to $75,000. What was so impressive about the evening, was that the Mayor's plans were not just plans, they were already actions.

The vast changes in our city have caused many long-time residents to be priced out of the city. Through increased rents and property tax assessments, owners and renters alike have been forced to move to more affordable areas outside the District. This just isn't right, especially for those that have been DC residentss their entire lives.

There are some positive stories. though. For example, Ms. Brenda Jordan, who spoke at last night's event, started the Pleasant Park Tenants Association to organize neighbors and purchase their building when threatened with an owner who wanted to convert all the units into condos. But this is only one case, and not all residents can afford to do the same thing that Ms. Jordan and her neighbors did.

We must ensure that a certain percentage of all units in this city remain affordable and available for those with limited financial resources. Residents who do not want to leave our great city have the right to live here and participate in our urban renaissance.

Kenny Barnes is a True Hero

noreply@blogger.com (Adam Clampitt) — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 15:05:00 +0000

Kenny Barnes is an amazing man. He is the President of ROOT, Inc., which stands for Reaching Out to Others Together. This group is dedicated to ending violence in our city and creating peaceful and safe communities. ROOT's mission is to ensure that communities, police, faith- based organizations, media, business and others all need to work together if the violence epidemic is going to be stopped. In a way, this is very similar to Hillary Clinton's "It Takes A Village" theme. His inspiration for ROOT came from a very tragic circumstance.

On September 24th, 2001, his son was brutally murdered in Ward 1. He was shot in cold blood by a 17-year old. While Mr. Barnes was devastated, he was driven to find his son's killer, and worked tirelessly with members of the community to bring the perpetrators to justice. He found witnesses, worked with the police, and followed a trail that ultimately led to an arrest and conviction. None of this would have been possible if Mr. Barnes had not sought out and engaged members from across the community.

This experience led Mr. Barnes to start ROOT. If he could engage the entire community to find a killer, why not engage the same community to prevent violence before it happens? Churches, businesses and others can and should provide mentorship services to youth and offer ways to turn them away from violence. Mr. Barnes has had resounding success with his endeavor and is a true hero to his city.

To improve our lives here in DC, we must all work together. Government must encourage residents to get involved. Residents must hold their government accountable. Non-profit organizations can complement these efforts and help provide services that the government cannot. Teamwork is the only way we will solve our city's ills. Mr. Barnes has proved it.

More Thoughts on Health Care

noreply@blogger.com (Adam Clampitt) — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 00:34:00 +0000

A couple days ago, my mother had an accident. She fell down the stairs, broke her wrist and suffered other bruises that have caused extensive pain. She called me at work right after it happened and I rushed home to take her to the hospital. We went to the Sibley Hospital emergency room. After hearing about the state of Greater Southeast and after watching the movie Sicko, I was prepared for the worst.

I was surprised though because the care at Sibley actually turned out to be great. We were in and out pretty quickly, with my mom wrapped up and all the tests complete. But we were lucky.

What this experience accentuated was the disparity of care our city. Even with the same insurance carriers, care can differ based on neighborhood and hospital. A human life is a human life, regardless of economic status. Everyone deserves the quality care that my mother was lucky to receive at Sibley Hospital. We must all fight to ensure that there are facilities east of the river and elsewhere that provide the same level of care.

Holiday Week Fireworks

noreply@blogger.com (Adam Clampitt) — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 13:57:00 +0000

The spectacular fireworks display at the Washington Monument on July 4th provides a night of family fun and celebration. But all across the city, legal and illegal fireworks are being ignited. From open fields to front porches, crackles can be heard constantly throughout this holiday week. For most, it's all in good fun, but let's remember how dangerous fireworks can really be. I saw a report from Christopher Metzler on the MPD 1D listserve this morning highlighting some disturbing behavior:

For about the last 30 minutes, a group of seven b/m teenagers have been
going up into people's front yards or on their porches, mounting bottle rockets
and shooting them off, running away, and returning three minutes later to do it
again. Also part of the entertainment includes shooting the bottle rockets
at people's houses and cars. I've called 311 a couple of times; no police
have been by as yet.

While this behavior is inexcusable, it's also disconcerting to see that there has been no response by the police. Personally, I debate whether this should actually be a 911 call as opposed to 311. The possible injury/damage that can be caused by these fireworks, as well as the trespassing that is occurring, seems to be pretty serious. It's up to all of us to keep on our police to make sure they enforce the law. It's also up to us to make sure our young people have other activities to do that keeps them from being mischievous.

If anyone has seen anything similar on their blocks, please feel free to post them here.