What would you rather have in downtown Washington, a homeless shelter or a $6.2 million art museum? Mayor Anthony Williams attempted to exchange the former for the latter this fall, closing down the Randall School emergency shelter in Southwest Washington in order to sell it to the Corcoran Museum of Art. The homeless men who had previously stayed in that shelter would be bussed away from downtown every night to St. Elizabeths Hospital, a shelter in Southeast. The city’s policy seems to be out of sight, out of mind. That needs to change: It’s time for the District to put its citizens before outside tourists and investors.
The plan was met with a round of criticism from homeless advocates, seven of whom occupied and “re-opened” the shelter in protest for a few days before being arrested by the police for unlawful entry. Following the protest and questions about the viability of the new shelter, the D.C. council subcommittee on property management tabled the plan to sell the building.
Once again this decision raises questions about the Mayor and council’s priorities. While his administration has again and again promised more money for schools and social services, delivery has been slow.
Despite this rhetoric, the Mayor has focused most of his energy on the rapid revitalization of the city’s economy- raising the bond rating, creating new development with the MCI Center, and now his plan to bring baseball back to the city. While this is all well and good, the true test of the mayor’s character isn’t bringing business back to the city: it’s what he does with the new prosperity.
When it came time to bring baseball back to the city, the Mayor was quick to propose a public financing plan to raise taxes on business and float a $450 million bond. $80 million in community funding has been cut from the bill, and the community is unlikely to see any large public funding from the project for at least three years. The real question is, where was the willingness to make deals and raise taxes to finance the social services the city needs?
People, and especially the disadvantaged, need to be this government’s first priority. Education, health care and indigent infrastructure in this city are crumbling, and the results can be seen in the city’s crime rate. D.C. has become a haven for real estate developers; it’s time for the District to become a haven for its citizens.
