Thousands of immigrant children, men, and women detained inside secured facilities by the United States Customs and Immigration Enforcement Agency have contracted the COVID-19 virus.听 According to ICE documents, at least eight have died while awaiting decisions on asylum or deportation.听聽

Detainees across the country have also filed other health related complaints regarding abuse in ICE detention centers, poor living conditions and medical neglect.听

Currently, there are over 16,000 detainees in ICE custody. Since the pandemic, 6,471 detainees in ICE detention centers have tested positive for the coronavirus.听

In Virginia, the Farmville detention center is one of several locations where the percentage of those incarcerated who had tested positive for COVID-19 approached the 50% mark.听

Farmville, in December, officially reported one related death and 339 confirmed cases, 49% of their population.

According to advocates, detainees are often packed in jail cells, making the Center for Disease Control’s social distancing guidelines practically impossible to enforce. The crowded conditions led to several outbreaks over the summer.

Katy Murdza, immigration justice advocacy manager at the (AILA), said back in June, they filed a formal complaint with the Department of Homeland Security after receiving 17 health-related complaints from different individuals at 11 detention centers across the country.

“We were hearing about a lack of personal protection equipment, failure to test, failure to isolate people that were infected or may have been infected, failure to provide treatment to people who were symptomatic,” Murdza said. “It’s just a continuation of what we had been hearing for years. “

The United States reached 244,000 new in the second week of December. As colder weather approaches, Murdza said her client’s worry has turned into fear.

“I’ve spoken to people in detention who believe they likely may die before they’re released just because of the absolute lack of preventative measures,” Murdza said.

The Department of Homeland Security declined an interview regarding their management of the spread of Covid-19 in their facilities.听

Instead, DHS sent a statement that included, “ICE released over 900 individuals after evaluating their immigration history, criminal record, potential threat to public safety, flight risk, and national security concerns,” The statement also said. “The same methodology is currently being applied to other potentially vulnerable populations currently in custody.”

Murdza said they continue to see detainees with health conditions that put them in high-risk categories, not released from detention.

A Pennsylvania-based AILA attorney, who asked that her identity be withheld from publication to ensure her comments would not impact her client’s cases and safe living conditions, believes ICE鈥檚 changes won’t fix the problem. Instead, she thinks preventing the spread of any illnesses in ICE detention centers should start at the border. She said that being packed in what some call 鈥渋ce boxes鈥� is where the disease quickly spreads.

“They’re sick, but it’s because of the United States government. When they come here sick, it’s because we made them sick,” the attorney said. “As soon as my client crossed the border, she was separated from her kids and put in the icebox.”

In a circumstance similar to the COVID-19 outbreaks, the attorney said that one of her clients, who had high blood pressure, was detained during a massive flu outbreak. Her client, who wished to remain anonymous, escaped violence and abuse from her husband and local Tiawanna gangs. They reportedly threatened her life after witnessing a murder, only to face more inhumane treatment in the states.

“She sat in there without her blood pressure medication because they threw it away for over ten days,” the attorney said. “They keep it 55 degrees, the lights are on for 24 hours a day, and they get maybe a burrito here and there.”

After calling several times to check on her client, the attorney said once she made it to the detention center, she found out her client had a blood pressure incident and still was never given any medication.

This was not the only instance where she feared for one of her client’s lives. The attorney said she also represented an 18-year-old boy who required a higher level of care. She called officials at his detention center to ensure he received the necessary treatment.听

“I would constantly ask for a high level of care, and it would get denied. I tried to find out who the physician was working in the facility,” the attorney said. One of the attorney’s biggest concerns is that the quality of physicians that ICE hires is not up to par.

“One thing I’m really curious about is their practices in hiring physicians because this physician was a local one, and I couldn’t find any information on him,” she said. 鈥淚 tried to call his office, and he could not be found. All he had was a listing on Google.”

The 18-year old reportedly told his attorney about fears he would die in the ICE detention because doctors were not providing him proper medical care. After sharing that, the young man said he was later punished for revealing his issues.

“I called and expressed that he needs a better level of care again, and he was placed in solitary confinement for a week,” the attorney said.听

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Alex Clark, physical education teacher at Dunbar High School and founder of , an organization using mentoring and sports training to reach young people of all ages, realized the dilemma kids were facing and went on a hunt to find bikes and funding to start his Stay Prime biking program.听

鈥淛ust staying in the house and thinking that you鈥檙e going to stay out the way and not get in trouble is easier said than done when you have so many distractions in your face,鈥� Clark said.

Through the program, every Monday and Wednesday afternoon since Sept. 14., kids in the Petworth community and surrounding areas meet up at Dunbar high school to cycle to different locations in the District.听

Sky Mabry,17, junior at DHS, said riding with her Stay Prime family is more than just riding bikes 鈥� it has given her a new perspective on life.

鈥淚t鈥檚 actually really fun, and it鈥檚 basically like an escape from reality, just riding a bike and feeling the wind blow past you,鈥� Mabry said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 eye-opening and life-changing.鈥�

Student Sky Mabry, on how the program has impacted her:

Every week Clark creates a new route for the high schoolers to bike, and recently they biked their longest trail from Dunbar to Anacostia Park and back.听

Clark also encourages an overall philosophy for the cyclists called H.E.A.R.T., which stands for humility, effort, ambition, respect and teamwork. At each meetup, he focuses instruction on one of those five words, coaching the students through what it means and how to apply it to their daily lives.

鈥淭he kids are not just learning about cycling and about themselves but learning valid communication skills and networking skills that are going to help them propel as they journey throughout high school and into their professional lives,鈥� Clark said.

Clark also said the program helps improve their fitness and physical ability, but the kids look at it as an opportunity to be better. Eighteen-year-old student-athlete Chris Mateo agrees.

鈥淚t helps me stay in shape but actually coming to this program makes you feel motivated like I can do anything and it keeps me busy,鈥� Mateo said.

According to the Metropolitan Police Department, since 2019, there has been a 20% and a 5% increase in assaults with a dangerous weapon in the District. After two kids from DHS were killed last year, Clark said he knew he had to do something within his organization, specifically for kids at DHS and in high-crime and -poverty neighborhoods surrounding Dunbar, such as Sursum Corda and Saratoga.

鈥淥ne kid had just graduated, and he got shot on a Monday and he was leaving to go to Temple University on Thursday,鈥� Clark said. 鈥淭wo days later, we had another kid who got shot and killed. He was going to be a senior this year and worked his butt off to get back on the football field because he was ineligible last year. He was just trying to make the best of his life.鈥�

Clark began his program by introducing it to his students as extra credit. In just a short time, Stay Prime has increased its cycling participation by at least 30% and now has a total of 120 kids in the biking program. Clark’s success may be due to his character.听

“He’s courageous to start a program like this, not knowing if people will show up or not,鈥� Mabry said about Clark. 鈥淗e’s persistent. He tries to get people to come out just to experience it no matter what.”

Clark said he had received a great deal of support from volunteers and created partnerships with organizations such as and to teach kids about bike safety and how to fix bikes. But Clark said his most prominent supporter has been Dunbar High School Principal Nadine Smith.听

“My principal has been monumental in this whole process. I’ve never dealt with a leader in my entire career that has supported me as much as she has,” Clark said. 鈥淪he texts and emails me all the time to see how we can make this better.”

Stay Prime wrapped up its first cycling season on Nov. 18 with a socially distant end of season celebration at DHS. The program will resume on March 15. The next step for the organization is to get more exposure, engage with city officials and get funding to expand the program.

“The next challenge for our program is to make it bigger and be into more schools,鈥� Clark said. 鈥淪o that we can challenge more students.”

Student-athlete Chris Mateo, on how he views Prime Ability mentor Alex Clark:

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Federal officials were set to execute Hall in Terre Haute, Indiana. However, the U.S. District Judge Tanya S. Chutkan due to concern about the method of execution at the last minute. Hours later Thursday night, his execution resumed.

After a 17 year hiatus, the Trump administration resumed federal capital punishment in July. Hall is the eighth federal execution since.

Abraham Bonowitz, director of , who organized the vigil at BLM Plaza and aims to abolish the death penalty, said “the government can’t be trusted to make these types of decisions.”

“As soon as you give the government the power to kill, they end up using it very disparagingly, so they pick who to kill by race and class,” Bonowitz said.

However, Bonowitz is confident there won鈥檛 be any more federal executions for the next four years once President-elect Biden takes office.

“They’re committed to abolishing the death penalty, so at the very least, they won’t be killing any more people, at least judicially,” Bonowitz said. “We hope that Congress will shift enough that we can pass legislation to end federal executions in the military too.”

The vigil was also live-streamed on social media where hundreds of viewers enjoyed singing, prayers and speeches from those affected by the death penalty system.

, singer and activist, said one of her motivations for abolishing the death penalty comes from knowing people who are currently on death row.听

“Innocent people have been executed like Sacco and Vanzetti, the historic cases, and therefore we can’t be making mistakes with innocent people,” Murphy said.听

One of the speakers at the vigil was Art Laffin, a murder victim’s family member. Although Laffin lost his brother, he doesn’t believe in the death penalty. He said it only creates a cycle of violence.

Hall is the second Black man to be executed by the Trump administration and Laffin believes that Black people, especially poor Black people, are deeply affected by the death penalty.

“We’re on Black Lives Matter Plaza to say Black lives matter and if we take seriously what God commands us to do we have to stand for our brother Orland Hall and others like him facing execution,” Laffin said. “The death penalty is never the solution, ever.”

During the vigil, Laffin also read Hall’s redemption letter and implored everyone to read it, including government officials.

“It’s something that everybody should read. If Attorney General Barr, who claims to be a Catholic and Christian, and Trump were to read Orlando’s statement, how could they permit him to be killed?” Laffin said. “It’s all for political reasons.”

In Hall’s redemption letter, he spoke about the fear he had going into court to face an all-white jury. Several individuals, including activists on social media, voiced their concerns that racism played a significant role in Hall’s death penalty.

It is undeniable that Orlando Hall’s trial was tainted with racism. That alone is reason enough to stop tomorrow’s scheduled execution. As courts have recognized, blatant racism in the legal system is like a poison that kills public trust. We must demand better from the system.

鈥� Sister Helen Prejean (@helenprejean)

In a Twitter post, the day before the execution, Helen Prejean, a death penalty activist and author of Dead Man Walking and The Death of Innocents, stated “It is undeniable that Orlando Hall’s trial was tainted with racism. That alone is reason enough to stop tomorrow’s scheduled execution.”

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Owner Matt Croke said a group had bought out the restaurant for a bar mitzvah in addition to three other parties that weekend. But after the pandemic hit, all the events were canceled.听

鈥淚t鈥檚 gone,鈥� Croke said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just sales that you鈥檒l never see again.鈥澛犅�

Restaurants in the United States have lost $165 billion since March, according to a study by the . The same study estimated the sum will total $240 billion by the end of the year.

鈥淚t鈥檚 kind of like being dunked in a pool, and you can kinda see the air, you might get a quick breath of air then it鈥檚 back down again,鈥� Croke said.

There have been 11.3 million COVID-19 cases in the United States since the beginning of 2020. Washington, D.C., has seen 19,309 cases, with Ward 4 leading the District with 3,505 of the illness.

In Phase 2 of D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser鈥檚 reopening plan, restaurants are allowed to operate indoor dining services at 50% capacity, but Croke said he wasn鈥檛 comfortable with allowing diners inside the restaurant. Instead, Moreland鈥檚 Tavern has relied on outdoor dining, take-out and now delivery services.听

鈥淚t鈥檚 kind of like being dunked in a pool, and you can kinda see the air, you might get a quick breath of air then it鈥檚 back down again,鈥� Croke said.

Winter ahead

Croke said that Moreland鈥檚 Tavern may begin to offer limited indoor seating as the weather gets colder in addition to winterizing the outdoor dining area.听

Moreland鈥檚 Tavern received $6,000 from the District鈥檚 program, which assists local restaurants in outfitting their outdoor eating spaces for winter. Croke said his restaurant will use the grant money to buy heaters, tents and other necessities for the outdoor space.听

Croke said even though the grant helps with the initial costs of winterizing his space, there will be some long term costs like increased electricity usage and the cost of propane for gas heaters, if they should use gas.听聽

Peter LaPuma, associate professor of environmental and occupational health聽at George Washington University, suggests that electric heaters are a safer option.

鈥淧ropane or kerosene or anything that鈥檚 going to burn a fuel need not be in the tent at all as a heat source. There is carbon monoxide poisoning and a variety of other related issues,鈥� LaPuma said.

With health in mind, Moreland鈥檚 Tavern will continue to take phone numbers of those who eat on the patio to notify them if there鈥檚 ever an outbreak at their restaurant.

on 3rd Street in Petworth also received funds from the District鈥檚 grant program. But Owner Jay Butler said there is a possible downside to a continued emphasis on outdoor seating — longer wait times.听

鈥淲e ran into some days where people wanted to sit on the patio, and it鈥檚 an hour wait, or so,鈥� Butler said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 expected that as winter picks up and more people come in that one of the restrictions is the number of seats we have on the patio given that we are social distancing.鈥�

Despite his concerns, an increase in foot traffic inside the restaurant this past weekend gives Butler a reason to believe people are becoming less fearful and more likely to take a risk.听

鈥淭here was definitely a big fear in the beginning of people leaving their house, let alone a restaurant and now even with the spike which is almost twice what it was in April or May, you still see people coming out,鈥� Butler said.

The risk factor

LaPuma, the GW professor, said pandemic fatigue could have contributed to an increase in customers willing to eat inside. He said he wouldn鈥檛 recommend someone risk their health so close to a vaccine becoming available in the next few months.

鈥淚f you鈥檝e made it this far, you鈥檝e made it nine months without being sick,鈥� LaPuma said. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e already three-quarters of the way, why would you blow it now?鈥�

LaPuma said things like maintaining stable social circles in addition to masks and keeping social distance are still important. He worries that outdoor dining may give people a false sense of security and encourage people to add additional members to their social pods.听

Despite this, restaurant owners like Butler and Ana Quinones, co-owners of the on Upshur Street, said they rarely have issues with customers complying with the CDC regulations.

鈥淥ur customers have been awesome. They always comply with face covering and social distancing when they come in and they keep coming, they don鈥檛 stop,鈥� Ana Quinones said.

Quinones鈥� approach to winter weather is to winterize her space with a custom tent and heating like others who received the grant. However, while planning for the winter she鈥檚 thinking of her employees if D.C. goes back to Phase 1.

鈥淲e鈥檒l continue with delivery and maybe with our own private delivery service rather than the apps and balance out employees,鈥� Quinones said. 鈥淲e鈥檒l have one employee at a time to balance out our shifts.鈥�

Although hoping for the best, Quinones is almost certain things will change this winter.

鈥淚t鈥檚 going to slow down. It鈥檚 definitely going to slow down, so we鈥檙e just bracing ourselves and preparing,鈥� Quinones said. 鈥淥ur employees know they could be cut, so we told them to save their money.鈥�

Whether the District goes back to Phase 1 or implements another local lockdown will likely be determined by the number of cases.听

LaPuma said encouraging results from both early vaccine trials indicate that restaurants will see improved foot traffic next summer. In the meantime, LaPuma said restaurants should try to stay afloat this winter with outdoor dining, takeout and delivery.

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However, many businesses near Pennsylvania Avenue have boarded their doors in fear of civil unrest.听

On Oct. 29, during a press conference, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser expressed her concerns of protests potentially becoming unruly in the District, and protester Esm猫 Matthews agrees.

鈥淚 voted for Biden, and if Trump wins I don鈥檛 think it鈥檚 going to go well it鈥檚 going to be extreme unrest in this city and across the country,鈥� Matthews said.听

However, optimistic protesters like Estrella Lopez believe it will be the opposite of chaos.

鈥淚鈥檓 here to pray for the White House because I believe in prayer and I think my prayer is going to move mountains and Joe is going to take over the White House,鈥� Lopez said. 鈥淓ven if he doesn鈥檛, something good will still come out of this election.鈥�

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“In 2016, a lot of people my age, race, and gender were like 鈥楬illary is going to win,鈥� completely convinced she was going to win,鈥� Edgerly said.

Edgerly, a 29-year-old Petworth resident, used her disappointment over the outcome of the 2016 election as motivation to get involved during the 2020 election.听聽

In February, she decided to volunteer virtually by making calls and sending postcards to potential voters in swing states, which she said came in handy because shortly after, COVID-19 hit.

鈥淭he campaigns started before COVID, so they didn鈥檛 involve anything about voting by mail just to vote on Nov. 3,鈥� Edgerly said.

However, reaching out to potential voters isn’t the only way young people are getting involved in the 2020 election. In D.C., election officials say over 6,000 first-time poll workers signed up to work the polls.听

Michael Bennett, Chairman of the D.C. Board of Elections, said Gen Z and especially Millennials have shown up in record numbers to volunteer this year. In fact, due to the pandemic, many young volunteers have replaced seniors who have historically worked the polls.

“I walk through training classes, and 25-40-year-olds are the largest age groups who showed up to work the polls,” Bennett said.

Bennett said a significant reason for the massive turnout in young voters and volunteers might be due to the protests this summer.

Edgerly agreed. She said social injustice such as police brutality was a reason she got more involved in this year鈥檚 election. It鈥檚 also a reason she made sure to vote this year.听聽

“I just felt like I couldn’t do the same exact thing and expect a different outcome,” Edgerly said. “That was one side of it. The other was聽protesting this summer with the Black Lives Matter movement after the memorial of George Floyd.”

In this year’s election, Millennials and Gen Z voters will equal Baby Boomers, and According to a study by , 64-77% of them disapprove of how President Trump is handling his job.

Maxima Molgat,18, A freshman at Georgetown University who voted for the first time this year, said with our nation’s current state, it felt good to finally have a voice.

“This country right now, in 2020, it’s become extremely divided with the pandemic, Black Lives Matter movement with everything that’s going on, we need someone to come in and unify the nation,” Molgat said.

Molgat said she was so excited to be a part of what could be a change for the United States she even recorded a video of her mailing her ballot back to her hometown and posted it on social media.

It鈥檚 still too early to tell how an increase in youth voter participation will affect the upcoming election. But Amy Cohen, executive director of diversity, equity and inclusion at George Washington University in Washington D.C., said she鈥檚 noticed an uptick in both election activism and participation.听

Cohen is the chairperson for, a nonpartisan coalition that promotes voter registration and participation, said she has seen large amounts of social media engagement centered on voter registration.听

“This year it has exploded because that’s how we’re able to reach young people that are at our university but also young people who are outside,” Cohen said.

Cohen said that organizations such as , Michelle Obama’s organization, the and have also contributed to an increase in youth voter engagement.听

The GW Votes coalition鈥檚 goal is to have 65% of their students vote in the 2020 election. However, Cohen said she won鈥檛 know the numbers until after the election through reporting by the, which will have statistics by the number of voters across the country and by colleges.听

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Schneider is the owner of , a neighborhood news blog, which is the sponsor of the parade. Although Petworth has had a few Halloween parades in the past, Schneider said this year the community requested it, so the outlet sent a survey to parents last month to see if they had any plans or suggestions.

Schneider said the main takeaway from the survey was parents 鈥渨anting to ensure that kids could still enjoy Halloween considering the chances of a normal Halloween鈥� are slim.

The parade will take place at Sherman Circle, starting at the Critten street entrance and ending at Illinois Avenue.听

On Facebook and Twitter, Petworth News posted the link to reserve free tickets. Tickets allow kids dressed in costume to march alongside their parents in the parade and receive a sanitized bag of candy at the end.

Schneider said the reservations were a way to see how many people would attend the event. More than 100 parents registered 150 children within an hour of Schneider posting the registration.

Once sold out, Schneider decided to reopen registration, which sold out again by the end of the night. Petworth News capped participation at 425 people.

Unregistered people aren’t allowed to walk in the parade and bystanders will not be permitted in order to maintain social distancing. But residents are encouraged to watch from their porches.

The Petworth News Socially Distant Halloween Parade is officially “sold out” of free tickets!

Volunteer to help set up, direct participants, enforce social distancing & clean up at the end!

Or… Donate to cover costs:

鈥� Petworth News (@petworthdcnews)

However, with such a large crowd, Schneider said his main focus is COVID-19 safety, which is why participants will arrive for one of four time slots to avoid overcrowding.听

It will take each group no more than 10 minutes to complete their march and collect their candy, Schneider said. Then, the next group will begin.

Dr. Caleb Alexander, professor of epidemiology at John Hopkins Bloomberg School of public health, said Halloween celebrations can be done safely, but more people will pose a more significant challenge.

He said the most important principles are ensuring events take place outdoors, maintaining social distance and wearing masks.

Schneider said his event adheres to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines. Volunteers will be sure everyone is wearing a mask and are six feet apart.

Petworth resident and parade volunteer Clara Botstein said safety will not be an issue at this event.

“I know a lot of kids in the neighborhood look forward to it,鈥� Botstein said. 鈥淎nd it’s the kind of event, based on what I’ve been reading, you can do safely.”聽聽

The modifications to the parade are an example of how the pandemic has upended everything from education to work life and now how we celebrate holidays too. Some Petworth residents have opted out of handing out candy in the name of social distancing. Others, like Botstein, are building a candy chute to limit the number of physical contact residents receive from each other.

鈥淚 think people will give some cheer and try to provide candy safely to the kids,鈥� Botstein said. 鈥淚 do think people are stepping it up given the conditions and the fact that people have been in the house a while.鈥澛�

Botstein plans to attach cardboard boxes together to make a makeshift pipe and then slide the candy to children who will be waiting on the other side.听

Julie Wineinger, Lulabelles Sweet Shop owner, will offer other alternatives. Located on Upshur Street NW, the shop has partnered with the Fourth Ward Mutual Aid to provide 150 candy bags for those who come for grocery pickup at the location.

鈥淚鈥檓 a pretty strong believer that businesses who are working in the community should be helping and serving those people that are also helping you by coming into your business,鈥� Wineinger said.

Wineinger will also give out candy bags for anyone who swings by the shop on Saturday in costume. She said the kids in the community deserve it after the year they’ve had.听

“They’ve given up school, they’ve given up a lot of things, even just socializing and being out, so this is just a small thing to give them something special and safe.”

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The Department of Parks and Recreation said only rec centers with the most amenities will reopen in Phase Two. But even after almost three years of planning and renovations, the Petworth Rec Center is not complete, and residents still can’t enjoy the outdoor amenities.

In 2017, Mayor Muriel Bowser passed a $2 million to the Petworth Recreation Center. The budget was specifically allocated to a playground, basketball court, field and a new splash pad.

Sarah Gabriel, a member of the community group , which pushed for several changes, said the rec center is unwelcoming. She said she hopes Petworth will get the opportunity to renovate the interior as well in the next couple of years.

“Our youth, especially the teenage kids, need a building where they feel it represents how they’re cared about,” Gabriel said.

The Department of General Services had five meetings before the start of renovations, the last being on Dec. 3, 2019.

Gina Toppin, deputy director of DPR, said the meetings consisted of feedback from the community on their needs and what changes they wanted to see.

In February, Gabriel and other active community members pushed for a last-minute renovation.

After plenty of community feedback, they thought it would be best for kids鈥� safety if DPR used engineered wood fiber instead of poured-in-place rubber on the playground.

“A study came out in D.C. showing the high levels of lead that had been found across the city in what they believed was in that rubber surface,” Gabriel said.

The playground was expected to reopen on Memorial Day. However, renovations didn’t begin until May 11, though community members expected it would open by the end of summer.

Some community members were told the delay in reconstruction was because of their last-minute request.

However, Toppin said capital plans take time and that there weren’t any obstacles in getting renovations complete at Petworth Rec Center, not even from COVID-19.

“Based on the rec centers that were under construction, under renovation and those that we have planned, we don’t have any great challenges right now with funding or any interference,” Toppin said.

Residents and parents like Alice Mckeon weren’t surprised by the wait.

“Everything seems to take a long time in D.C.,” Mckeon said.

Though Gabriel believes the park is much needed, she said she admits that the deadline was a bit ambitious.

“Traditionally, DPR rec centers don’t meet their construction timeline. I think we all had a feeling it wasn’t super realistic,” Gabriel said.

Despite the lengthy timeframe, Toppin said her team is 鈥渃onfident that the mayor is dedicated to recreation in the District.鈥�

The field and playground are scheduled to be completed by the end of the month, but Toppin said it will be unusable until the end of the year, when the grass is fully developed.

Gabriel said she believes it鈥檒l be worth it.

“We need an outside space to safely engage in our neighborhood, and I think it will be huge to have a nice space to do that,” Gabriel said.

In the meantime, Mckeon and other parents have been taking their children to play at Sherman Circle, Parkview playground and other nearby parks and fields.

Although there is no definite date for the rec center’s reopening, Petworth residents don’t have to miss out on programs this fall.

Program registration started on Oct. 1 and all centers are open to anyone who lives in the District.

“We do not limit registration within the District. We prioritize District residents to use our amenities, but I could go to a rec center in the southeast if I wanted to or in upper northwest,” Toppin said.

Toppin suggested that Petworth residents take advantage of or rec center, both of which are less than a mile from the Petworth rec center.

The two are larger centers in the area that offer interactive programs such as cheer, boxing, after-school meal programs, learning hubs and .听

Fall Program registration is live!Fitness centers and indoor pool reservations are available for DC residents. Reserve your spot at select locations to open for programming and limited services on Tues., Oct. 13. Register today

鈥� DC Parks &Rec #WhereFunHappens Safely (@DCDPR)

DPR officials aim to make the District鈥檚 return to programs as safe as possible by promising frequent wipe downs on high-touch areas by rec staff and the Department of General Services.

Toppin said that in keeping with Phase Two guidelines, guests must wear a mask and be registered to come into the building. She encourages people not to come early to their program. There will also be a separate entrance and exit when possible and no locker room use.

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The D.C. Comprehensive Plan is a 1000-page document outlining the city鈥檚 approach to development over the next few years. ANC 4C Commission member, Kim Varzi, calls it “the layout and future of how D.C’s going to be planned, how the land is going to be used.”

Varzi said the resolution is a big deal because D.C.’s parks, playgrounds and natural areas could diminish since there’s always cause for development and housing density.

The ANC 4C made amendments in 2016 and February of 2020. Other ANC commission members made amendments in 2019. The plan was last updated by Mayor Muriel Bowser in April.

In their most recent resolution on Sept. 9, the ANC 4C supports changes suggested by Empower D.C. and the D.C. Grassroots Planning Coalition. Both organizations have held several meetings and received plenty of feedback from the community.

“The planning coalition has worked endlessly because they want to make sure these vulnerable populations are heard,” Varzi said.

The resolution points out several lines in the plan that commission members unanimously agree are insufficient.

Rent control

Since 1985, the number of rent controlled units has decreased by 38% leaving D.C. with 80,000 presently. Owners are selling and turning buildings into condos and apartments that many residents can’t afford. The Comprehensive Plan describes rent control as a tool to prevent permanent displacement.

However, several loopholes in the plan have displaced residents who have lived in their homes for decades. For example, buildings that are built after 1975 do not have coverage.

Renee Bowser, a member of both , a nonprofit organization that works to strengthen D.C.鈥檚 lowest income communities, and ANC 4D, said rent control is one of Petworth’s most common issues.

Varzi has also witnessed new developments that permanently removed members from the Petworth community.

“I have a neighbor that rented for 30 years, and the owner decided to sell the home. Where is he going to go?” Varzi said.

Over the last 10 years, many residents in the Petworth neighborhood like Daniel Frankhuizen have noticed a big jump in rent prices.

Frankhuizen is back in Petworth after living in New York for the last couple of years and finding affordable housing was not as easy the second time around.

鈥淚 feel like I had to look pretty hard to find it, but I found a pretty affordable one,鈥� Frank said. 鈥淏ut I don’t think that’s the norm for Petworth. I feel like I found an outlier.鈥�

The median rent for a one bedroom apartment in Petworth is $1,631, according to Zumper. That’s an 8% decrease since last year. However, in 2017, Petworth reportedly had some of with a median of $1,920.

The goal is to maintain rent control as a tool to ensure that older units are affordable. Still, the current language in the Comprehensive Plan provides lukewarm protection, according to the ANC4C’s resolution.

“If we want to save the city for people who have been here long-term, we have to make sure the development is equitable and does not push out poor people, working-class people, Black people and Latinx people,” Boswer said

Public housing

Currently, about 51,000 households can afford rent that is no more than $900. The language in the Comprehensive Plan does not guarantee public housing for those residents, which is why ANC 4C and other community organizations aim to change verbiage in Policy H-1.1.7 from 鈥渟hould鈥� to 鈥渕ust.鈥�

For example, the plan 鈥渕ust鈥� require action on maintenance, preservation and redevelopment of existing public housing and the building of additional public housing to accommodate the District鈥檚 extremely low-income.

The government fully funding repairs and renovations of deteriorating public housing units are just one of many changes the Planning Coalition hopes will be implemented.

“We can go $1.4 billion in debt to build the national stadium, but we can’t just give money to fix up public housing, so we have to incentivize the developers to do it,” Bowser said. “There’s something wrong with that.”

Housing for the homeless

In 2015, Mayor Bowser adopted and made changes to the strategy.

The goal of this plan was to make homelessness in the District a rare sight by 2020. However, many families won’t move into their new home until 2021.

Frankhuizen believes homlessness should be the first thing the Mayor tackles.

鈥淚 was biking over on 8th street, and I just saw so many tents over there. I’ve never seen so many tents in that area. It’s a big problem,鈥� Frankhuizen said.

Building 2,000 permanent units for the homeless and 4,000 units for temporarily homeless residents is the main piece of the Homeward DC strategy that the Planning Coalition recommends to be implemented in the Comprehensive Plan.

Changes suggested by ANC 4C also include D.C. Council making a clear difference between homeless, rent burden and cost burden populations in the Comprehensive Plan.

Zoning appeals

In 2019, a by the Institute on Metropolitan Opportunity lists Logan Circle, Petworth, Shaw and Columbia Heights to be some of the most gentrified neighborhoods in D.C.

Commissioner Bowser said developers are trying to “loosen the zoning rules by up-zoning the land, and the problem with that is it pushes people out.”.

The planning coalition is fighting for community-led developments where residents can vocalize what they need in their neighborhood, from libraries, parks, affordable housing and the ability to push back on projects that don’t serve their community.

According to their resolution, wherever the Comprehensive Plan references the “private sector,” ANC 4C commissioners would like language such as, “including community-led equitable development entities” to be included.

Will amendments make a difference?

Despite all of the proposed changes to the Comprehensive Plan, commissioner Varzi believes that once changes are set in stone, they will need a committee to see that the resolutions are followed through.

“People are able to slide through things. Making sure these changes are followed is the hard part. You鈥檇 have to have an organization making sure the changes are being followed through,鈥� Varzi said.

On the other hand, Commissioner Bowser said the amended plan will provide residents with protection if they should ever need to use it in court just as local organizations have done in the past.

“What we’re trying to do is put particular elements in the Comprehensive Plan particularly in the housing element, economic development and land use element so that people will have those as tools to hold on to and fight for community-led equitable development,” Commissioner Bowser said.

D.C. Council will meet on Nov. 11 and 12 to consider resolutions made by ANC 4C and other community organizations.

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