Marcus Hunt, Office of the Deputy Mayor’s Director of DC Government Operations for the DC National Guard, makes a presentation to ANC6B. Hunt has been billed in local media as “Director of the National Guard.”
Wednesday night, at its hybrid October meeting, ANC6B re-affirmed its decision not to place a discussion of the National Guard on the meeting’s agenda. The genesis of the proposed discussion was an offer from the Guard – via Marcus Hunt, DC’s liaison to the Guard – to help with beautification projects in ANC commissioners’ single member districts. The offer was sent to individual ANC commissioners across the city. Some commissioners suggested that since Hunt’s offer was sent to individual commissioners, the decision should be left to them, and as such, there was no role for the ANC in this matter.
Commissioner David Sobelsohn continued to push to hear from two individuals on the subject. First, from Marcus Hunt, who was billed as the Director of the National Guard, but who is actually an employee of the Office of the Deputy Director of Public Safety. He is the city’s liaison with the National Guard on the issue of beautification efforts. And while he is also a Lt. Col. in the National Guard he did not appear in uniform and is currently not acting “under orders.” Second, from ANC2G01 Commissioner Howard Garrett who authored a letter opposing Commissioners accepting the offer for the Guard to assist in beautification projects because that would “normalize” the Guard for tasks that belong to civilian agencies.
It is routine for the commission to provide a period for “Community Announcements” and it was the consensus of the commission that Hunt and Garrett could use this time to discuss the National Guard. Comments are usually limited to three minutes, but the Commission agreed to a motion to allow discussion at the beginning of the period and then subsequently set a time limit of 20 minutes.
As it turned out, the discussion lasted some 40 minutes, but produced little clarification on beautification possibilities as Hunt discussed his background, history of the Guards and its relation to DC, his job with the Deputy Mayor’s Office and some of the beautification activities the Guard has undertaken. He referred questions regarding the safety activities of the Guard to Master Sergeant Arthur Wright (who was not present), saying he could only speak at tonight’s meeting to talk about beautification.
During the Q&A, the meeting turned confrontational as some of the dozen community members attending in-person challenged the legitimacy of the deployment of the National Guard on DC streets – a subject on which Hunt could not comment. One member of the audience expressed his appreciation for the Guard’s presence in the community. Afterward, Commissioner Howard Garrett, appearing on-line, read a prepared statement reiterating the points of his letter (which many ANC Commissioners have signed) opposing requesting assistance for beautification efforts.
Following the discussion, Sobelsohn proposed two more motions. The first asked the ANC’s Public Safety Committee to make a recommendation about what commissioners should do regarding the Guard’s offer to help with beautification projects. When that motion failed for lack of a second, the second motion asked for a recommendation from the ANC’s Parks and Public Spaces Task Force. That motion also failed for a lack of second.
ANC6C meeting on October 8, 2025. National Guard Director Lt. Col. Marcus Hunt is at center. Chair Karen Wirt is top, center.
National Guard Director’s Q&A with ANC6C
by Larry Janezich
Posted October 9, 2025
National Guard Official’s Q&A with ANC6C
Wednesday night, ANC6C heard a short on-line presentation from Lt. Col. Marcus Hunt, DC National Guard Director of Government Operations, on how the National Guard connects to the DC community. The occasion was the ANC’s October meeting, conducted virtually and chaired by Commissioner Karen Wirt.
Hunt is the liaison between the Guard’s commander – Brigadier General Leland Blanchard – and Lindsey Appiah, DC Deputy Mayor of Public Safety and Justice.
In a 20 minute session ANC commissioners Hunt stressed the home-grown character of the National Guard, presenting them as neighbors who like himself live in the community. Commissioners heard how the Guard’s beautification program works, asked questions about what kinds of beautification assistance the Guard could provide and expressed concerns about the Guard’s role as a military presence in the city.
Hunt explained the current mission ordered by the President on August 11, has two components: Task Force Safe and Task Force Beautification. He said he was at the ANC meeting to discuss Task Force Beautification and that any questions on Task Force Safe should be submitted to National Guard Master Sergeant Arthur Wright, whose email he provided.
He said Task Force Beautification has three components: resilience, opportunity, and community and each of these components has two subsets: food/housing, youth/jobs, and help/safe and public spaces. He spent considerable time on the youth/jobs component and the Guard’s efforts to provide opportunities for and mentoring of at risk youth.
With respect to the help/safe and public spaces subset, in September Hunt had sent an email to all ANC commissioners in the city asking about neighborhood beautification projects and offering assistance.
On Wednesday night, Hunt emphasized that community requests for assistance must be filtered through ANC Commissioners (but apparently not through the full ANCs). Upon receipt of the request by his office it undergoes an assessment regarding whether it is something the National Guard can support.
Commissioner Jeremiah Foxwell began the short Q&A by asking about the limits of what the Guard could do, specifically if that would include acting as crossing guards on H Street to provide an element of safety for school children crossing H Street NE. Commissioner Daniela McInerney added to Foxwell’s question expressing resident’s concerns about armed National Guard in battle gear noting that “we have had the National Guard patrolling the streets around Ludlow Taylor Elementary School without the community being notified.”
Hunt replied that he wasn’t trying to deflect the question about patrolling streets but said that any question relating to Task Force Safe should be directed to Master Sergeant Wright. He added that what he could say regarding not notifying the community of a mission operation is that a lot of those are just not shared publicly for operational safety purposes.
Rather than giving Foxwell a specific response to the crossing guard question, Hunt said that “once I receive an email from an ANC commissioner inviting Task Force Beautification into the community to serve side by side with community members – that’s where we kind of lean forward – to go through our process to partner with the community.”
Just how “partner with the community” is defined is somewhat uncertain, but it implies personal interaction. Though not explicitly stated this appears to mean working alongside community members (for example in cleanup and other projects) which allow the Guard to engage directly with community.
Hunt added, “We have been very successful in the safe public spaces subset in responding to invitations from the ANC commissioners…a half dozen Ward 8 commissioners have invited us out…we have an event in Ward 4 this Saturday at Fort Stevens Park…we also have a bit upcoming with Ward 5 to do some community clean up and partnership.”
Commissioner Andrew Hayes addressed the resentment of the presence of the Guard on city streets felt by many residents. He acknowledged that some of the Guard are neighbors…“but at the same time I think it is unacceptable and not appropriate for our streets to be policed by people in military gear and I would really appreciate if you could take the message back that we would only be open – at least I personally would only be able to support assistance from the current beautification if those folks can work in (civilian attire)….”
Hunt replied that if an ANC Commissioner sends an invitation with requirements regarding – for example – community clean up in civilian clothes, “I believe that’s doable.”
It appeared that Hunt had limited his availability to 20 minutes, and Chair Wirt thanked him for appearing. He may not have still been online in the virtual meeting when former ANC6A Commissioner Drew Courtney summed up his own feelings which likely crystallized the mixed feelings many have about neighbors who are Guard members, Guard members sent from other parts of the country and the other federal law enforcement officers deployed in DC.
Courtney said, “I am so grateful for the service of our neighbors in the National Guard and I think one of the saddest things about these recent months has been the way that the politicization of the Guard has undermined some really good efforts. But I don’t think there’s any way right now that we can expect constituents to separate what we’re seeing from Guards who have been sent in against the will of our limited representatives from Ohio and South Carolina and from West Virginia, and the fact that this is so closely associated … with the raids that are really unconscionable being conducted by ICE…. I think we all underscore our gratitude for our neighbors in uniform but the respect for that uniform has been undermined by the political actions that have been taken by the president in this community and I think we have to recognize that.”
Photo Essay: Dedication of Hill Center’s New Gathering Space
By Larry Janezich
Posted October 2, 2025
Wednesday night, The Hill Center dedicated and celebrated the opening of its new community space – seating in the round for the Center’s outdoor activities and public gatherings. The space is named in honor of Hill Center visionary John Franzén. Franzén, who died in 2020, was one of the Center’s founding board members and a former president of the Old Naval Hospital Foundation which created Hill Center.
Some two hundred community members participated in the event. Radio host, author and podcaster Bill Press was the master of ceremonies and recounted Franzén’s efforts leading Congress gifting the former Old Naval Hospital to the District and the sites subsequent transformation into the Hill Center which opened in 2011.
Mayor Bowser had planned to attend, but the closing of the federal government disrupted her schedule. Press introduced the speakers which included Jennifer Cartland, President of the Hill Center Board of Directors; Ward Six Councilmember Charles Allen; Nate Franzén, a nephew of Johnathon who represented the family; and Mary Early, sculptor and juror of the six sculptures featured in the opening of the new sculpture garden.
In his remarks, Allen paid tribute to Franzen’s vision of community: “This is a space where you’ll run into friends whenever you come here…a place where the community can all come together. John saw value in creating this space…he talked about the power of community and wanted to be part of making that community. We are now a part of that effort and will carry it forward.”
Following the dedication of the space, Mary Early, sculptor and juror spoke to the dedication of the newly established Hill Center Outdoor sculpture garden and announced the Best of Show: “X and Why” by Luc Fiedler.
Here are the six pieces inaugurating the new garden display. The garden will feature a rotating exhibit featuring primarily local artists. The current exhibition will continue through March of 2026.
Left to right: Searching, by Nicholas Femia; Split Decision, by Todd Smitn; Repose, by Mimi Frank and Breon Gilleran. Roots in Black and White, by Dalya Luttwak; Acorn, by Kirk Seese; and Best of Show, X and Why, by Luc Fieller.
Herb Scott, founder of the Capitol Hill Jazz Foundation, and his band provided entertainment for the reception before and following the dedication.
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The wrought iron entrance to Congressional Cemetery, 1801 E Street, SE. The gate house is at left.
Anthony “A.J.” Orlikoff, Interim Director of the Association for the Preservation of Historic Congressional Cemetery
It’s easy to overlook the community building attributes of Congressional Cemetery. In truth, the cemetery is powerful unifying force on Capitol Hill.
CHC interviewed Anthony “A.J.” Orlikoff, Interim Director of the Association for the Preservation of Historic Congressional Cemetery: “Cemeteries need to be places of solemn contemplation of grief or mourning – they need to be that space – but what we’re seeing now across North America is cemeteries more as places of community, engaging people in different ways. There are a lot of reasons for that and it comes out of communities themselves organizing and using these places.”
We take cemeteries for granted until they fill up and are taken for granted. Their fortunes wax and wane, driven by demographics and other factors, and Congressional Cemetery’s history has been one of periods of prominence and affluence and then periods of decline.
Orlikoff says, “Congressional cemetery was in decline in the 1980s and when you look at the cemetery as a community building organization it really starts with a group of neighbors who lived nearby in the late 1980s that began walking their dogs here and they realized, ‘Hey, this amazing historic place that I’m walking my dog in is really overgrown and it’s dangerous and there’s open-air crime.’”
Asserting that this was not something they wanted in the neighborhood, neighbors began organizing the first group of community dog walkers and started thinking about raising money to hire a landscaper and about alerting MPD on some of the criminal activity on the grounds. As the conditions improved, the cemetery started filling with people who appreciated the green space and cared about the community. Orlikoff said, “And so it really was from this kernel of community that you can chart the activity that led to calls to Congress to save the cemetery and the later appropriation of funds.” Congress now provides matching funds for the Congressional Cemetery Endowment administered by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
And the dog walkers are now organized as the K-9 Corps. They have a committee made up of K-9 members which oversees the dog walkers’ use of the cemetery by the Corp’s 700 families and 1,000 dogs. Those families constitute the core of the Congressional Cemetery community, but equally important (though more loosely organized) are the component parts of the community within the larger community. This includes the large number of residents and visitors who attend and participate in the cemetery’s programs. Some of these programs are the Cinamatery (the outdoor summer movie screenings), 5k races (including the upcoming Dead Man’s Run), tours (including the upcoming historically theatrical outdoor Soul Stroll Tours), the Death Awareness program, the Bee Keeping program and the Book Club. In addition to the attendees, there are hundreds of community volunteers ranging from tour guides to Adopt-A- Plot volunteers to Association Board members.
There’s considerable overlap with respect to the contributions of volunteers and Orlikoff says, “You need to have harmony – you need everybody in the symphony kind of playing together or it’s just going to be 21 notes.“
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.
Orlikoff is a historian by profession and came to Congressional Cemetery after working as a contractor for both the Navy and Army at several military museums. He says, “I see myself as a history translator – someone who can help people find the meaning in those things that maybe otherwise could be inaccessible, and you do that through programming and education. So when I heard about the opportunity here at Congressional Cemetery for a Director of Programming position it was a perfect fit for me.” That was three years ago. When the then-Director of the Association Jackie Spainhour left last January, Orlikoff was named Interim Director by the Association’s Board. He says he is proud of his work since then, including supporting the team of professionals working at the cemetery even in areas outside of his expertise. He also counts the collective effort of the team in the World Pride programming this year, and especially becoming part of and getting up to speed on the newly initiated Master Plan – an expansive project to chart the next two decades of the cemetery’s future which had just launched when he took the job of Interim Director.
The Master Plan Initiative came about because one of the major issues facing Congressional Cemetery is the question of how to sustain the cemetery after running out of space – how to make it a place people will continue to want to support.
Orlikoff says that many cemeteries have to figure out how to keep the cemetery going with a model that is ultimately unsustainable once capacity for full casket site burial is reached: “How do you pivot – how do you change those revenues? What we’re trying to do is pivot and become more of a nonprofit model. And the strategy is to find ways to maximize what site space is left – because there’s not much (hundreds but not thousands of burial sites) – and then really adopt a nonprofit model that relies on programming and institutional giving and development.”
There are three primary components addressed in the Master Plan: storm water management (the cemetery has a drainage issue – never good in a cemetery), burial site expansion (including the development of columbariums for the interment of ashes), and enhancing the visitor experience (including things like gatehouse and chapel upgrade, signage, etc.).
The Board will continue seeking community feedback on the Master Plan throughout the process; the next community meeting will be October 15 at Christ’s Church. The Board is scheduled to receive a finalized Master Plan in February of 2026. After that, Orlikoff says, the Board will be undertaking several fundraising initiatives to realize the plan.
Orlikoff says of the cemetery, “It’s a place for people who love history – it’s a place for people who want to walk their dog. It’s a people place for people who love nature – it’s a place for people who want to attend our programs. But most of all it’s a place where living people want to come and gather. And we’re always going to be taking care of our first mission as a place of grief and solemn contemplation in mourning. We always have to remember that we still serve families. It’s our original mission. But cemeteries can be so much more than just that and I think that’s something that we’re really helping chart for North American cemeteries.”
The Association for the Preservation of Historic Congressional Cemetery is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit who realizes its mission in large part through charitable donations from individuals, foundations, and corporations. For more, including a calendar of events and programs and how to support, go here: https://congressionalcemetery.org/
Sunday, August 17, 11:30am on H Street, NE. Of all the federal law enforcement agents deployed on DC streets, the actions of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) – which falls under the Department of Homeland Security – have garnered the most negative attention. Masked ICE agents have executed aggressive enforcement actions and conducted many arrests. Video credit: Nicky Sundt
The Response: Local Opposition to The Occupation – Now Including National Guards from 6 States
by Larry Janezich
Posted August 19, 2025
Many readers of Capitol Hill Corner will be wondering how and where to invest their time and resources to respond to the Occupation of DC ordered by the Trump Administration.
This post, which will be updated, serves as a guide to local groups organizing on-the-ground actions designed to make visible and more effective the opposition of DC residents to the Trump Administration’s violation of DC Home Rule.
Background
On August 11, the Trump Administration invoked a statutory emergency power and announced a takeover of the MPD in the District. To augment this assertion of authority, the Administration deployed the DC National Guard as well as federal law enforcement, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Included in that deployment was the Department of Homeland Security, under which falls the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency. Since the August 11 order, six other states have responded to DOD request to send National Guard personnel to DC, including Ohio, West Virginia, South Carolina, Mississippi, Louisiana and Tennessee, totaling more than 1000 troops.
The Response
FreeDC has become the leading organization which is taking direct action to oppose the federalization of law enforcement and the deployment of National Guard to DC.
Free DC is a fiscally sponsored special project of Community Change, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, and Community Change Action, a 501(c)(4) tax-exempt organization.
The organization has teams operating in all 8 Wards and has a long history of advocacy for DC Statehood and in 2023 organized a campaign in response to Congress’s overturning the DC Revised Criminal Code Act. In 2025 it organized the response to the House of Representative’s refusal to routinely authorize the city to spend $1 billion of its own revenue for city services during the remainder of the current fiscal year.
Here are some of FreeDC’s recommendations about what to do to oppose the Occupation:
Organize: Sign up with FreeDC. Visit FreeDC’s website for a calendar of events, a link to merch, and news. Join specific campaigns and get involved. https://freedcproject.org/
Participate in FreeDC’s orientation presentations. Get training. Get educated. Know your rights.
Join the effort to lobby members of Congress in person, by email, or by phone.
Make FreeDC visible everywhere: Make signs and posters – wear t shirts and buttons. See FreeDC Official Merch here: https://bit.ly/41b8LwO
Stay informed. Join the FreeDC communication network.
Urge residents and elected officials: “Don’t obey in advance.”
Currently, FreeDC has no direct action planned.
Ward 6 Democrats have also launched several activities to respond to the gross violation of DC home rule, including:
Distributing info from the ACLU-DC, FreeDC, and the Migrant Solidarity Mutual Aid Network.
Urging residents to follow FreeDC’s suggested actions, including talking with your friends and family outside of DC and encouraging them to call their elected officials opposing the administration’s current efforts to take over law enforcement in the District.
Join the Monthly Statehood Committee Call on Wednesday, August 20. The Statehood Committee will share the latest on what’s happening in our community, discuss what we can do and work on a plan for what to do next.
Time: 6:30 – 7:30pm
Location: Virtual, Zoom link provided upon registration
Join Ward 6 Democrats, which is free to any registered Democrat living in Ward 6. The organization does suggest a one-time donation of $51 or a monthly donation of $6. Go here: https://www.ward6dems.org/
The Week Ahead…ZomTum Opens…& Some Photos From Last Week
by Larry Janezich
Posted August 10, 2025
Charles Kia’s New ZomTum Laos/Thai restaurant at 660 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE, near Eastern Market opened last Monday. The space was formerly occupied by Joselito. For more about the restaurant and to view the menu, go here: https://zomtumdc.com/about
The Week Ahead…
None of the political, community, or civic organizations regularly covered by Capitol Hill Corner is meeting this week.
One item of interest for the coming week:
Garfield Park- Canal Park Connector work begins on Monday, August 11, 2025. The Garfield Park-Canal Park Connector Project will improve the DDOT Right of Way underneath I-695 that provides access between Garfield Park and Canal Park. It will provide a new ADA-compliant pedestrian path, drainage, and grading improvements. Phase 1 of the work, located in the amenity area beneath the overpass will continue through January 2026. During construction the site will be closed to pedestrian traffic. A pedestrian detour will be in effect from the intersection of H Street SE and 2nd Street SE around Garfield Park using 3rd St SE & F St SE. The view shown above is the construction site seen from 2nd and H Street, SE, looking north into Garfield Park. To the left is the Virginia Avehue spur which deadends after a few hundred yards.
More of the Virginia Avenue spur – formerly the site of a homeless encampment which the city removed. The upgrade to the area under the bridge will incorporate the use of the area into the park. The upgrades will include repaving the existing skate park, the basketball court, and the new pickleball courts.
Virginia Avenue deadends beyond the construction trailer visible in the photo. This will be the site of pickleball courts funded by the DDOT and Washington DC Pickleball.
Here’s the site of the formen basketball court.
Here’s a rendering of the new court.
Here’s a view of the site looking west. Last week, this space held around 30 giant stone blocks each weighing a few tons. They were salvaged from their original purpose when they formed the arched entryway to the origina CSX Railway Tunnel. Last week, they were removed to the vacant cornor in front of Blackbird Salon at Virginia Avenue and 8th Street, SE. It’s unclear what plans the city has for them.
And here’s a rendering of the new skatepark which will lie west of the basketball court.
This project is separate from but is being coordinated with the Department of Parks and Recreation’s just completed renovation of Garfield Park project. Asphalt work and painting are weather dependent, necessitating a flexible timeline – the project could be completed as early as late Fall/early winter or as late at March 2026.
Hill East Development Disposition Map showing location of parcels to be developed.
Wednesday night, Daryl Thomas from the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Development (DMPED), gave an update on the development of Res 13 Phase II to ANC7D’s Committee on Economic Development and to Hill East residents.
Despite rumors to the contrary, Thomas assured that Res 13 Phase II “definitely is not stalled – we have been very much into a lot of infrastructure work on the campus. This work consists of engineering in addition to relocation of a major 72 inch sewer line.” The pipeline lies 40 to 50 feet below ground and extends from Massachusetts Avenue to Independence Avenue. He added, “… this sewer line is a precursor for all the remaining work that needs to be done. We have started the roadway design review. Once the sewer relocation work is done then the city can come in and we can start constructing the roadways that surround the development parcels …” Thomas said he expected the pipeline relocation to take a year.
In 2000 the city released RFPs for the Phase II redevelopment of Res 13. Phase II was divided into two different bundles, Bundle One (Parcels A, B-1, B-2, F-2 and G-2 – see map above), and Bundle Two (Parcels C, E. and H). Some parcels in Bundle One have been approved by the Zoning Commission and building design is underway. Bundle Two ran into infrastructure issues including the sewage pipeline and utility relocation, and that has forced them to redesign their first phase of building which has prevented them from going to Zoning for approval.
Developers hoped to break ground in 2024 but infrastructure and finance issues pushed that date ahead to 2025. Last night’s presentation suggested there may be another delay – at least in Bundle Two – until 2026 or later. Phase III (in yellow) is a planned third phase of the development which has not launched yet.
Thomas did not offer a projected timeline for completion of development on any of the parcels. None of the developers participated in the briefing.
Thomas also offered a status report on the status of Phase I, where two mixed use buildings have been completed. He reported that Sala Thai Restaurant, Duffy’s Irish Pub, and Alphabet Daycare have leased retail space in the Park Kennedy, one of the two Phase I mixed use buildings. One retail space remains. He said that none of the retail spaces has yet been leased in Phase I’s second mixed use building – The Ethel.
During the Q&A, Thomas was asked if development would be coordinated with construction of the proposed NFL Stadium on the RFK site and with construction of a new DC city jail. He noted that neither of those projects has been approved yet and once they are, DMPED would be working “hand in hand” with the developers of those projects.
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New Gathering Place at Hill Center – The new construction on the grounds of Hill Center will be seating in the round for community gatherings and the Center’s outdoor activities. According to Hill Center Executive Director Diana Ingraham it will be named in honor of Hill Center visionary John Franzén. Franzén, who died in 2020, was one of the Center’s founding board members and at one time was president of the Old Naval Hospital Foundation which created Hill Center. He was also one of the founders of the Ruth Ann Overbeck Capitol Hill History Project.
Here’s a rendering of the finished project – The pavilion was designed by Oehme, Van Sweden and is expected to be completed in June. A grand opening is planned for October. In addition to being remembered as a prominent community benefactor, Franzén had a long career in national politics as a media consultant for Democratic candidates, and progressive environmental groups and education organizations.
CM Charles Allen’s Community Office Hours – Friday morning, CM Charles Allen held community office hours at The Roost on Pennsylvania Avenue, SE. A contingent of Hill East residents showed up with questions about RFK. David Wyman (center left), who recently purchased a home near RFK told CHC that the biggest concerns of nearby residents are the parking garages cutting connectivity for the neighborhood to the Anacostia River and having large parking structures cannibalize potential development. He said that retail and commercial businesses and more housing should not come at the expense of parking.” (That’s ANC7D commissioner Ebony Payne in the orange top with back to camera.)
Update on Saint-Georges boulangerie near EasternMarket – A source familiar with the status of the development of the new French bakery told CHC that the project is back on track after getting temporarily derailed by an unreliable architect and a burdensome permitting process. New equipment is scheduled to arrive this week and the owners hope to open this summer – though it would not be surprising to see that slip into early fall.
The Flying Mexican on Barracks Row – The former Playa Ocho at 514 8th Street, SE, Barracks Row, is morphing into The Flying Mexican. The space has been occupied by a series of Mexican food restaurant since its days as the home of Capitol Video Sales.
Consulting Firm Will Move to Barracks Row – Speaking of Oehme, Van Sweden, here is a pair of photos of the landscaping firm’s former offices at 800 G Street, SE, and the status of the conversion into the new headquarters for the DC consulting firm, Capital Group, founded by Curtis Porter in 2011.
Friday Night Live on Eastern Market Metro Plaza – Friday night, dancers performed the Lion Dance on the Eastern Market Metro Plaza as part of Barracks Row Main Streets’ celebration of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. Photo: Deborah Hernandez
The Week Ahead…
Monday, June 2
ANC6D will hold an administrative meeting at 7:00pm to set the agenda for the meeting of the full commission on Monday, June 16.
Please contact the office at 6D@anc.dc.gov if you wish to have a link to view the Admin meeting.
Tuesday, June 3, 2025
MPD 1st District Community Advisory Committee will hold a virtual meeting, 6:00pm – 7:15pm.
424 7th Street, NE: Zoning Adjustment – Expedited-review application for a special exception from the rear-yard requirements to demolish an existing two-story rear addition and construct a two-story with basement rear addition on an existing semi-detached two-story with basement.
406 7th Street, NE. Zoning Adjustment Application for a special exception from the rear-yard requirements and a special exception from the lot occupancy requirements of to demolish the existing two-story rear porch and replace with an enlarged two-story with cellar enclosed rear addition to a semi-detached three-story with cellar.
605 Constitution Avenue, NE. Historic Preservation for concept approval to construct a third-floor addition to an existing one-story row dwelling with two-story addition.
Thursday, June 5
ANC6B June Planning & Zoning Committee will hold a virtual meeting at 7:00pm.
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.”
CAPITOL HILL CORNER 