Several fires set in the Hill East/Barney Circle neighborhoods in the last 30 days appear to be the work of a serial arsonist according to residents. The mostly-minor fires were clustered near Barney Circle and Lincoln Park. One fire was significant, destroying a construction trailer (above photo).
Residents say there have been several incidents over the past four weeks but most disturbing were three fires set in the early morning hours of Thursday, April 10. Those fires were set in the alley of the 1600 block of H Street SE and on Kentucky Avenue, SE near Lincoln Park. The most damaging was one in the 100 block of Kentucky Avenue SE which engulfed a construction trailer full of wood (see more on other locations below).
In addition to those locations, residents say there is evidence of a fire (scorched ground) along the RFK access road off Barney Circle/17th Street SE. Also, a resident of the 1600 block of H Street SE said leaves and debris in the alley of that block were set on fire within the past month.
One home owner called MPD to report that a security camera had recorded a suspected arsonist setting a trash can on fire in the alley of the 1600 block of H Street SE. In the process of filing a police report, the homeowner said that MPD officer called in the DCFD Fire Marshals who followed up and said they were aware of fires like this being lit around the neighborhood.
The homeowner emailed CM Charles Allen to make sure he was aware of the situation.
Asked for comment, Allen responded: “I appreciate the neighbors that brought this to my attention earlier today. Fortunately, no one was injured. I’ve connected with leaders at both MPD and FEMS this afternoon and I want neighbors to know that patrols will be on the lookout and the Fire Marshal is investigating fully. If anyone has security videos that might help ID the individual that set these fires, please share them with law enforcement or contact me directly.”
Here’s some additional information regarding the fires:
March 16, circa 9:00pm, alley of 700 block of Kentucky Avenue SE. Fence set on fire.
March 16, circa 9:00pm, alley of 700 block of Kentucky Avenue SE. Fence set on fire.
April 10, 3:56am, alley behind 1600 block of H Street SE. Trash can set on fire. No damage caused as the fire extinguished itself after about 3 minutes. Video footage captured, but due to angle it’s difficult to make out much about this person.
(No image available.)
April 10, circa 4:30am, 400 block Kentucky Ave SE. Trash left for bulk pickup in curb box was set on fire.
Thursday April 10, circa 4:40am. 100 block of Kentucky Avenue SE. Construction trailer set on fire.
Maman Joon’s Kitchen – Persian Kabob – Set to Open on Barracks Row
by Larry Janezich
Posted April 10, 2025
Friday night found Maman Joon Kitchen owner Kevin Ejtemai (at right) celebrating the pending opening of the third outlet of his restaurant chain, this one at 404 8th Street, SE, the former site of The Sweet Lobby. He has an outlet in Tenleytown and another in McLean.
In the kitchen, the grill was fired up for the first kabobs…
Staff packed them up…
and Ejtemai gave away free samples to passersby on Friday evening. He said he would probably continue offering samples tomorrow and hopes to formally open on Monday. Maman’s Kitchen – with no indoor seating – is carryout and catering only.
Here’s a look at part of the menu.
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CM Charles Allen briefing ANC6B last night on the DC Budget.
CM Charles Allen on Monday morning in Spirit of Justice Park behind the Longworth House Office Building where FreeDC volunteers gathered before heading inside to lobby Members of Congress. On Allen’s left are LaJoy Johnson-Law, Ward 8 State Board of Education member and Jacque Patterson, President of the State Board of Education.
CM Allen Says City Faces Tough Economic Choices
by Larry Janezich
Posted April 9, 2025
Tuesday night, Council Member Charles Allen gave ANC6B a sobering report on the current economic situation facing the city.
The city is facing two pressure points: The inability of the US House of Representatives to fix their mistake in forgetting to authorize DC to spend $1 billion of its own to fund its operational budget for personnel and city services. (If DC just went ahead and spent the money which has not been authorized it would be breaking the law.) Second, the projected $1 billion shortfall in revenues over the next three years resulting from the thousands of residents who have lost their federal jobs and the economic fallout therefrom as the result of the administration’s efforts to reduce the size of the federal government.
With respect to the first pressure point, Allen says he does not foresee the House acting to fix their mistake before it leaves for a two week recess at the close of business on Thursday. Cuts in personnel and services will not start immediately but the undetermined date is fast approaching when the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) will inform the Mayor that she has to start making cuts. The Mayor will have to submit a Supplemental Budget to the city council recommending those cuts. Allen says, “To cut $1 billion from a $17 billion budget will be devastating…it will mean furloughs, personnel cuts, cuts in city operations and bus and Metro service.” The police and fire departments will suffer hiring freezes – first responders could be furloughed. Public and charter schools will be subject to staff and operational cuts – an extreme example is that the school week could be cut to 3 or four days.
On Monday, Allen was part of the local advocacy group FreeDC’s call to action to lobby members of the House to pass the Senate-passed bill to fix the spending glitch which has been held for some three weeks at the Speaker’s desk. This means under House Rules, it will take a two-thirds vote of the House (288) to take it up for consideration, and a simple majority of the House to pass it. Though the bill has the support of the President and – reportedly – the chair of the House Appropriations Committee – it appears to be stalled by members of the Freedom Caucus. Some speculate that some House members want to place conditions on DC as part of an agreement to move the bill forward.
Allen’s team visited five Congressional offices. He said the Republican offices were polite but he did not detect a sense of urgency. He said he got a “warmer response from Democratic offices, but none of them felt like their hair was on fire about how this was a crushing and urgent problem”. By the end of the day, FreeDC volunteers had visited 283 members’ offices.
Regarding the second pressure point, Allen noted that the FY 2026 Budget process – which should have launched at the beginning of April – has not, because the Mayor is waiting on a resolution regarding the $1 billion being held up in the House which otherwise will have to be taken into consideration in the budget for the next fiscal year.
Assuming that gets resolved and the 2026 FY Budget process moves forward, it will have to take into account the CFO’s projection of $1 billion in lower revenue over the next three years resulting from a reduction in the federal workforce. That will amount to a cut of around $300 million in each of the next three fiscal years. Those cuts will come in the face of increasing costs. Allen said, “We are facing a difficult budgeting…..We will be reducing city services and I don’t like doing that….But if the budget is balanced on the most vulnerable it is not a budget I can support. There will be a reduction in services and benefits and every part of the city will have to be a part of what this tough moment will realize.”
On Wednesday, April 3, 1st Street and the sidewalk in front of the Supreme Court were occupied by rival activists – supporters and opponents of Planned Parenthood. The Court was scheduled to hear a case on funding for Planned Parenthood. Here’s a photo of demonstrators supporting defunding Planned Parenthood.
Those supporting Planned Parenthood, shown here, appeared to outnumber those opposed by about 6 to 1. Later that day, AP reported that the Supreme Court appeared divided over whether states should be able to cut off Medicaid funding to Planned Parenthood.
In June of 2022, CHC reported the closing for good of Congress Market at 421 East Capitol Street. The move came with the retirement of the owner. Now new life is being breathed back into the Market and a new owner told ANC6B Commissioner Jerry Sroufe that the store will reopen “soon.”
Shelves are being stocked, and it’s possible the store will open before it gets its liquor license – the ABCA placard says the hearing on the license application isn’t scheduled until June 9.
Stormy skies provided a backdrop for a photo op of the Southeast Library the last week of March.
Here’s another angle.
Here’s Triple Candies’ extension of last month’s installation featuring The Raft of the Medusa in the exhibit space of the former Li’l Pub, at 655 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE. CHC has unpacked it for your convenience:
Moechella (lower left) is a DC concert series inspired by the Cochella Festival, which according to Wiki, is an annual music and arts festival held in Indio, California, in the Colorado Desert’s Coachella Valley. The event features musical artists from many genres of music, including rock, pop, indie, hip hop and electronic dance music, as well as art installations and sculptures.
We. Construct. Marvels. Between. Monuments. (upper right) “An exhibition series held at the Portland Art Museum (2017 – 2019) encouraging audiences to think critically about how museums have traditionally granted access to art and knowledge, and what the future of the institution could look like.” Libby Werbel
La beauté est dans la rue. (lower right) “Beauty is in the Street” is a slogan from France, May of 1968. The poster depicts a young woman throwing a paving stone. Wiki.
The Week Ahead.
Highlights:
Monday – FreeDC volunteers lobby Congress on passage of bill to allow DC government funding for the rest of the fiscal year. (See “Capitol Hill Corner would also like you to know about:” below.)
Tuesday – CM Charles Allen is scheduled to brief ANC6B on the upcoming FY Budget.
Thursday – CM Charles Allen is scheduled to brief ANC6A on the upcoming FY Budget.
Monday, April 7
ANC6B Southeast Library Task Force will hold a hybrid meeting at 6:30pm.
The meeting will be held on the second floor of 700 Pennsylvania Ave., SE. Entrance is next door to Trader Joe’s.
Union Pub, Ethiopic Restaurant, Cane, Boiling Crab, Indigo, The 116 Club,
application renewals
Planning, Zoning, and Economic Development Committee (Mark Eckenwiler, Chair)
313 2nd Street NE. Historic Preservation Application of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church for concept approval, renovation and expansion of carriage house, razing two structures, landscaping.
Community Presentations DC Budget and other Ward 6 Topics of Interest
Councilmember Charles Allen.
Consent Agenda.
Alcohol Beverage and Cannabis Committee.
Recommendation: ANC 6A take no action on the renewal application of a Class C restaurant license with entertainment and summer garden endorsements at Granville Moore’s, 1238 H Street, NE .
Recommendation: ANC 6A take no action on the application for a new Class C Restaurant license with extended holiday hours, carry out and delivery endorsements at Tapori, 600 H Street, NE.
Community Outreach.
Recommendation: ANC 6A approve the revisions to the ANC’s Grant Application form, including ANC 6A coversheet, project report form, and closeout form to conform with the OANC guidelines for applications.
Economic Development and Zoning (EDZ)
Recommendation: ANC 6A send a letter to BZA to support special exceptions to combine five lots (2 facing H Street NE, 3 facing alley) and convert to a retail and eating and drinking establishment use an existing, semi-detached, mixed use at 355-1359 H Street, NE.
Recommendation: ANC 6A send a letter to BZA to support a special exception to construct a second story addition to a detached garage, in the rear of an existing, attached, two-story plus cellar, principal dwelling unit in the RF-1 zone at 917 Constitution Avenue.
Capitol Hill Corner would also like you to know about:
Monday, April 7
FreeDC Sponsored Event: 9:30am – 3:30pm.
Meet at the Spirit of Justice Park (South side of Rayburn House Office Building) at South Capitol and C Streets, SE.
Teams will visit offices of Members of the US House of Representatives to urge passage of the DC Local Funds Act being held at the Speaker’s Desk since March 18. The Bill has passed the Senate and is awaiting action by the House. The Bill would authorize DC to spend its ownrevenues for the rest of the fiscal year. It includes funding for schools, first responders, Metro, buses, etc.
Global Sounds on the Hill featuring Ethiopian Funk with Afro-Zen Allstars. “Their music exists at the place where African musical tradition connects with Jazz & Jam.”
An Anti-Trump “Hands Off” rallies occurred in all 50 states on Saturday. The “Hands Off” rally on the National Mall was centered at the Sylvan Theater but much of the Mall and the grounds of the Washington Monument was occupied by demonstrators. At 2:00pm the rally was scheduled to end and the crowd had begun to thin a little. Organizers had said it might go a bit longer.
There were streams of departing participants lining up to board the Metro at the Smithsonian stop and on Independence Avenue hundreds of people were headed for the Metro. But there was a sea of people still on the grounds of the Washington Monument and speakers were still addressing the crowd.
The crowd in front of the Sylvan Theater was so dense that organizers were stationed to direct people pressing toward the stage that it was too crowded and asked people who were approaching the stage to go back the way they came and climb the hill toward the Monument for a view of the theater.
From the base of the Washington Monument, one could see that the crowd extended toward the Capitol Building.
The crowd was multi-generational and the mood was friendly as people seemed reassured by the willingness of such a large number of protesters to turn out – a crowd much larger than anticipated by organizers. Originally, the number of estimated attendees was 20,000 – projected from the number of responses to organizers’ request that participants register. Later, organizers said the number of attendees was five times the expected number. It was apparent from the large numbers of people still on the Mall at 2:00pm that the expected number had been vastly exceeded.
Some wore costumes – including Abe Lincoln and the Statue of Liberty – or carried protest signs and banners and flew the United States flag as a distress signal.
There were individuals, couples, families, and groups of friends. There were a few people with dogs and a few couples with infants in baby carriages. There were small individual demonstrations everywhere throughout the crowd. Here’s some video of one of them.
The Eastern Market Community Advisory Committee met in Eastern Market’s North Hall Tuesday night.
Eastern Market Main Street Blasts DPR on Rumsey Design
by Larry Janezich
Posted, April 4, 2025
Wednesday night at the monthly meeting of the Eastern Market Community Advisory Committee (EMCAC), Chair Chuck Burger provided an update on plans to insist that DPR reconsider the design for the Rumsey Center. Burger said it was his understanding that CM Charles Allen would sit down with DGS for a “heart to heart” discussion to press for a design more closely aligned with the requirements listed in the Request for Proposals for the project.
Those requirements reflected the community desires which were subsequently detailed in a strongly worded letter to the city from Eastern Market Main Street (EMMS). Dated March 28, it took to task the DC Department of Recreation’s proposed concepts for the redevelopment of the Rumsey Center. The letter was addressed to Mayor Bowser and City Administrator Donahue with copies to DPR, DGS, Council Chair Mendelson, and CM’s Allen, George, and White.
The letter, appearing over the signature of Mary Quillian Helms, President of the EMMS Board of Directors, stated in part:
“The planned renovation of the William H. Rumsey Aquatic Center…is an exciting opportunity to rejuvenate an extremely valuable community asset…. In 2022, engaged community members and stakeholders convened to propose important community considerations to include in this rare, once in a generation redesign….Those included having a second floor and activating the C Street and/or alley-facing sides of the redeveloped building.
Some of the key suggestions from community members and stakeholders were to provide a second floor that would house space for multiple uses such as a community senior care facility and partnership with a nonprofit provider and to utilize the street level space for small business incubators to facilitate local, small business growth as well as address security and life safety concerns along those corridors.
Our engaged community was very disappointed to see that none of the three concepts proposed by DPR…contained a second floor or the activation of C Street SE. The presented concept plans barely contained multipurpose space at all, with a marginal expansion of the pool itself.
That the initial concepts acknowledged none of the community’s suggestions shows a disappointing lack of imagination and or understanding of the rare opportunity this redevelopment project offers the city, Capitol Hill, and the Eastern Market community. We at Eastern Market Main Street strongly urge that DPR/DGS reconsider the concept plans, for the good of the community’s economic health, public safety, and public recreation.”
In the ensuing discussion it became clear that the city can likely expect additional similar letters from the Eastern Market Community Advisory Committee, ANC6B, CHAMPS, and possibly, Capitol Hill Village.
MPD 1st District’s Community Advisory Committee met Tuesday night.
MPD’s First District. Blue dots locate the U.S. Capitol and RFK Stadium, respectively.
Crime Report: MPD Commander Colin Hall Reports on District 1
by Larry Janezich
Posted April 3, 2025
MPD 1st District Commander Colin Hall delivered the monthly crime report to the 1st District’s Community Advisory Committee Tuesday night:
He cited several high profile arrests MPD made in the past few weeks.
The 2023 homicide at the Cru Nightclub in 1300 block of H Street, NE, was closed with two arrests.
The ongoing investigation of the flagrant shooting last October at 1900 One-half Street, SW near the Watermark Buzzard Point apartments resulted in a recent arrest. The incident involved adults and juveniles and the expenditure of nearly 100 rounds. Hall said other suspects are being sought. A stray bullet from this incident wounded a pedestrian on Potomac Avenue, SE.
A second arrest was made in Eastern High School shooting of a student last November, closing out the case.
He also reported :
We’re seeing a 31% decrease in violent crime in the first quarter across the city and a 35% decrease in violent crime in the 1st District – that’s over the 15% drop ending 2024.
We continue pushing down robberies – there was a 38% decline in the first quarter in the 1st District, on top of a 47% drop ending 2024.
We had 20 burglaries in the 1st District so far this year – that’s plus 3 over last year. We follow up after every burglary with our outreach team to talk to businesses about cameras and alarms.
We shut down a crew linked to 21 burglaries throughout the city.
Theft from autos is down but increasing with the warm weather.
We are still seeing thefts of unattended vehicles. That was a problem in the cold but we’re still seeing it in warm weather. We urge using wheel locks and air tags.
We’re seeing tire thefts throughout the city and urge residents to be alert and call MPD to report suspicious activity.
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The Capitol Hill Art League (CHAL) opens its annual Open Call Art Exhibition on April 1st at the Capitol Hill Arts Workshop (CHAW) located at 547 7th Street, S.E. The show will be on display in the CHAW Gallery, from April 1 to May 30, 2025.
There will be an opening reception from 5:30-7:00 pm, on Saturday, April 5, at CHAW, where juror Glenn Kessler will discuss the selected artist works and award cash prizes.
Glen Kessler is an internationally collected and awarded artist as well as the founder of The Compass Atelier in Rockville, MD, Compass Art Center in Kensington, MD, and inventor of The Painters Compass Color Wheel. He is a life-long teacher, having taught at Maryland Institute College of Art, George Washington University, George Mason University, and others. In 2013 he founded The Compass Atelier in order to teach a cohesive curriculum of artistic study of his own design.
This is the Art League’s annual Open Call show which seeks entries from artists throughout the Washington Metropolitan Area, West Virginia, Delaware and Pennsylvania. This year’s call has produced an impressive array of art interpreting the theme “Landscape”.
In addition to viewing the art in person at the Arts Workshop, the art is available online on the Capitol Hill Art League website. See here for details on artists and their works:
Congressional Cemetery held its Spring Fair on Sunday, March 30, featuring more than two dozen vendors, an Introduction to Green Burial in the Chapel, a tour of historical trees and grave sites, and a presentation on Equinox Gardening.
Vendors included HCC Gift Shop, Adopt-A-Plot at HCC, The Roving Hare, Republic Restoratives, Chippin Pet, From Here to Home Essentials, Catalyst Hot Dogs, Second Story Honey, Black Radish Handmade, The Witch Wife Crafts & Treasures, Open to Being, Green Garden Vintage, Earth-Worker, Hands Along the Nile, Rough Seas Productions, Slow Drip Refashions, Paloma Vintage Designs, Amaya Accessories, Amethyst Alchemist Art, One Seed Designs, D’Bohomama, Necos Boutique, Great Mothers Garden, Solutions, and Folger Theatre.
Congressional Cemetery Associate Lily Buerkle presented the introduction to green burial. It involves, no embalming, body shrouded or placed in a casket of natural material, no grave liner or vault, lowering by hand or by device, a natural marker or a traditional head stone. This is an alternative burial for those not wanting a typical American funeral. Those funerals are – according to National Geographic – responsible each year for felling 30 million board feet of casket wood, 90,000 tons of steel, 1.6 million tons of concrete for burial vaults and 800,000 gallons of embalming fluid. The average cost in the DMV area is around $2000 to $4000. Green burials are allowed in any plot in the cemetery which is the only cemetery in DC which offers green burials. A helpful resource is the Green Burial Council: https://www.greenburialcouncil.org/
Sharon Metcalf, also an Associate, conducted a tour of historical trees and sites of the cemetery. One of the stops on the tour was at the memorial for Civil War photographer Matthew Brady, dedicated on September 17, 2022. This is of the back of the Memorial.
And here’s a photo of the monument’s striking front, surmounted by a sculptured raven and skull, referencing Brady’s photo of Edgar Allen Poe and featuring a selection of Brady’s photos.
A photo of the stop at John Philip Sousa grave. Sousa, known as the March King, became U.S. Marine Band leader in 1880 and served in that position for 12 years. He wrote over 100 marches (including the “Washington Post” and “Stars and Stripes Forever”), 10 light operas, and other works. Bands from around the world come to play at his grave.
The Circle of Life Tree-henge. The Circle of Life is a recent installation of land art or earth art which celebrates nature’s perseverance. The site comprises a 60 foot circle of linden trees aligned with the points of a compass and serves as an observation site of the sun’s path during solstices and equinoxes. It celebrates and pays tribute the natural environment, invites meditation and reflection, and offers an opportunity to record those thoughts in a journal kept on site. It was created by a group of friends interested in Congressional Cemetery and green burial in partnership with Congressional Cemetery and a testimony to those who choose green burial as a simple and sustainable end to their existence. For more, go here: https://bit.ly/42c1D2O
The Association for the Preservation of Historic Congressional Cemetery is a private nonprofit organization established in 1976 and dedicated to the restoration interpretation and management of Congressional Cemetery. It is a predominantly volunteer based organization relying on over 400 neighbors, history buffs, conservators, dog walkers, and armed forces personnel each year to help restore and maintain this national treasure. In 1979 Congressional Cemetery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and became a National Historic Landmark in 2011. For info on joining the association or to make a donation to help their cemetery, email staff@congressionalcemetery.org or go here: www.congressionalcemetery.org
The Week Ahead….
Tuesday, April 1
MPD 1D Community Advisory Committee will hold a virtual meeting at 6:00pm.
304-308 K Street, NE. Revised application of 304, 306, 308 K Street, LLC for a special exception for the residential use of an alley lot and an area variance from the requirements for creation of a new alley record lot, and an area variance from the lot dimension requirements and subdivide an alley record lot into two record lots, and to construct two semi-detached, two story, principal dwelling units in the RF-1 zone.
313 2nd Street, NE. Historic Preservation Application of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church for concept approval for renovation and expansion of an existing carriage house, razing of two structures (the current Parish Center and a single-vehicle garage), and landscape alterations.
Thursday, April 3
ANC6B Planning and Zoning Committee will hold a virtual meeting at 7:00pm.
DC Funding Bill Limbo as FreeDC Lobbies 379 Congressional Offices
by Larry Janezich
Posted March 26, 2025
Tuesday morning, almost 100 activists organized by FreeDC gathered outside the Rayburn House Office Building to hear FreeDC cofounder Alex Dodds’s instructions on how to lobby Members of Congress. The advocacy group is urging House Members to pass the DC Local Funds Act to restore DC’s ability to spend local money on local services for the rest of the fiscal year. Without this authority being restored, DC will be forced to reduce spending by over $1.1 billion over the next six months.
After receiving instructions and Member Office assignments, the activists – divided into teams of three – headed into the Cannon, Longworth, and Rayburn Buildings where they visited offices, left letters with the receptionist, and asked to speak to the Member or Chief of Staff. If neither was available, the visitors said they would wait until someone was available. The tactic for requesting a personal engagement and gathering contact info was often successful. At day’s end, 379 Congressional Offices had been visited. The FreeDC lobby effort is scheduled to continue today through 2:00pm on Thursday, with calls and visits to undecided Members.
The DC spending authority is routinely included in the funding bill which keeps the government running when the annual appropriation bills have not been passed (which is the case this year). The DC provision was apparently inadvertently omitted from the funding bill which passed Congress the week of March 11. The bill, without the DC provision, controversially passed the Senate with the help of 9 Democrats (including Minority Leader Schumer) plus Independent Senator Angus King who voted to cut off a filibuster against the bill. The funding bill then passed the Senate by a vote of 54 – 46, including support from Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire and Senator Angus King of Maine.
Schumer then immediately called up a “stand alone bill” to restore spending authority for DC, which passed unanimously and sent it to the House. The Senate bill is being “held at the desk” in the House while lawmakers decide how to proceed. It is uncertain when the House will take up the bill on the House floor, and lack of guidance from the Speaker’s Office, as well as the Office of Appropriations Chair Tom Cole, suggests that House Republicans may be considering attaching conditions on DC’s ability to spend the money. If any change is made to the Senate bill or if a new House Bill is passed, it would require further action by the Senate. President Trump supports the Senate bill as – reportedly – does House Appropriations Chair Tom Cole.
CAPITOL HILL CORNER 