Beltway Area Indymedia

On July 13, dozens of angry district residents filled the ANC 2A meeting to express outrage at the recent abuse of emergency legislation at the hands of council member Jack Evans. In a sweetheart deal at the 11th hour, Evans gave away the West End Library, Fire Station and Police Station (some residents could care less about the police...but care about the land it stands on) to developer Eastbanc, also known as the "King of Georgetown."

Outraged residents came to the hearing to put Evans in his place. As Evans tried to spew his lies, the people were on hand to correct him.

On July 18, Jack Evans and representatives of Eastbanc were first protested outside and then jeered inside the Foggy Bottom/West End ANC meeting on the proposed sale and demolition of West End Library.

Although Eastbanc is offering to build the library first(before demolition), they have a history in West End of broken promises, Last time they build something there, they promised to rebuild the movie theater they demolished. They never did. They promised street-level retail, but it sat emply for five years after two eyars of construction dust and noise.

Today, Tuesday, July 10, at the Committee of the Whole Meeting of the DC City Council, City Council Members Jack Evans (Ward 2) and Kwame Brown (At-Large) will push emergency legislation to sell the West End Library and Special Operations Division properties in the West End neighborhood. In addition to being a blatant misuse of "emergency legislation", Mr. Evans and Mr. Brown want to sell, without any public input, a library to the notorious developer Anthony Lanier, of Eastbanc (affectionately known as the 'King of Georgetown'). Lanier has sought to buy much of the property, successfully, in the area of Square 37 in the West End Neighborhood.

On Friday, June 29th, DC Superior Court Judge Bruce Beaudin ordered that no demolition of the Benning Library, abruptly closed in 2004 without community input, shall take place before July 20th, 2007. On that date, the involved parties will appear before Judge Retchin to argue more of the merits of the case. Community members had sought a temporary restraining order (TRO) and preliminary injunction to prevent the demolition of their library.

Concerned and outraged members of the community, including Dorothy Douglas (Chair of ANC Commission 7D), Rick Tingling-Clemmons (ANC 7D05), Betty Diggs (concerned community member), Eddie Rhodes, Cynthia Payne-Davis (President of Central NorthEast Civic Association), and Jane Zara (ANC 1D01) were forced to take legal action, after being consistently shut out of matters relating to their library. The Benning Library was closed in 2004, along with the Anacostia, Tenley, and Watha T. Daniel (Shaw) branches, supposedly for renovation, and without community input.

Audio:3 min 47 seconds

On April 25, Mayor Williams was the guest of honor at a UDC-sponsored dinner, even though he tried to close UDC in 1999! Due to his continued involvement in public land privatization, Empower DC called for protesters to counter his message.
When Williams arrived, he visibly screwed up his face on having to walk by the "Rat" signs based on DC rat control posters-the ones showing HIS head on a rat's body.