Florida Avenue Grill's Annual Good Will at the Grill Thanksgiving Community Breakfast

The Florida Avenue Grill in Washington, D.C. held it's annual free community breakfast for local residents, community leaders and locally elected officials. In partnership with the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless and Howard University's WHUR Radio Network, The Grill also provided bags of groceries and fresh turkeys on a first-come, first-serve basis. This event began a few years by Imar Hutchins, current owner of The Grill, which has the distinction of being the longest continuously operating Soul food restaurant in the country, having been founded in 1944 as a small family business.

Congress Heights Landlord Neglect

This week I was assigned by a local newspaper to shoot for an upcoming article on housing, development, gentrification, homelessness and poverty in the Nation’s Capital

There was particular focus on four residential buildings around the Congress Heights Metro Station along Alabama Avenue in Southeast Washington, D.C. that have been neglected by landlords for years -including no heat or hot water and no treatment for rodent infestation. In too many instances, it takes several phone calls to get even the most routine maintenance requests addressed. Residents have had to replace burnt-out hallway light bulbs on their own instead of waiting weeks for their landlords to do it. Security is also an issue as many of the empty apartments have been broken into and become havens for gang activity, including the use and sale of illegal drugs.

These mostly working-class, elderly and poor residents feel the neglect is intentional as part of a calculated plan to push them out in order to make way for new development.

#housingisahumanright #gentrification #development #congressheights #poverty #neglect #justicefirst #washingtondc

Ryan

Ryan. 22 years old. Construction Worker, Southeast, Washington, D.C. (Rodney Choice/Choice Photography/www.choicephotography.com)

Ryan. 22 years old. Construction Worker, Southeast, Washington, D.C. (Rodney Choice/Choice Photography/www.choicephotography.com)

Deliberate Face to F.A.C.E.: Is #UniversalHousing a Human Right?

Focus Attitude and Commitment to Excellence (FACE), a group of Street Sense artists and vendors joined the People for Fairness Coalition for a town hall style event at The Church of The Epiphany in Washington, D.C. Deliberate Face to F.A.C.E.: Is Housing a Human right? wants to bring attention to the issue of housing affordability by engaging local and national elected officials using the District of Columbia as an example and ensure that #UniversalHousing is a part of every Presidential campaign's platform.

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The Panelists included D.C. citizens who are homeless and formerly homeless, as well as experts and advocates from Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless, People for Fairness Coalition, ONE DC, and Empower DC.

The audience of housed and un-housed community members posed questions to the panelists regarding a universal human right to housing.

Sonia Gutierrez

President Emeritus and Founder, Carlos Rosario International Public Charter School

Sonia Gutierrez, President Emeritus and FounderCarlos Rosario International Public Charter School (Rodney Choice/Choice Photography/www.choicephotography.com)

Sonia Gutierrez, President Emeritus and Founder
Carlos Rosario International Public Charter School (Rodney Choice/Choice Photography/www.choicephotography.com)

Connie Jo and Lee Get Hitched!

Silverbrook Farm Bed and Breakfast, Hillsboro, Virginia

Dolores Huerta

Dolores Huerta at 2016 Democratic National Convention, July 27, 2016, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Rodney Choice/Choice Photography/www.choicephotography.com)

Dolores Huerta at 2016 Democratic National Convention, July 27, 2016, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Rodney Choice/Choice Photography/www.choicephotography.com)