The Washington Examiner features two articles today about Shiloh Baptist Church and its detrimental impacts on the Shaw neighborhood:
1. Four Shaw properties condemned, which states that "In the next two weeks, the church will be required to install permanent roofs, fix brickwork and masonry, install gutters and down spouts, and clean the interiors" on the four recently condemned buildings, and "If Shiloh does not make the necessary improvements, DCRA will be authorized to do the work and then file a lien against the properties for the cost."
2. Shiloh has strained past with local business owners which unfortunately paints the issues surrounding the Church's neighborhood-harming activities as rooted in gentrification, stating, for example, that Shiloh's attempts to thwart the liquor licenses of new restaurants on 9th Street has "pitted new residents, who want to see economic development, against Shaw’s historically black community."
17 comments:
What exactly does condemned property mean?
"In the next two weeks, the church will be required to install permanent roofs, fix brickwork and masonry, install gutters and down spouts, and clean the interiors."
I don't see how the above statement is possible unless they do the work without permits. Two weeks is not a long time.
Leroy Thorpe, a former Shaw ANC commissioner, said he can’t blame the church. “You’ve got the newcomers who’ve come to the community who are dividing the community along racial lines in an effort to push people out,” Thorpe said Thursday.
HIGH-larious. Suburban church owns ghetto properties the city finally gets around to tearing down and it's the NEWCOMER'S FAULT.
Wow. This type of attitude is just amazing to me. I've tried to put myself in their shoes, and I just can't seem to do it. The newcomers want to revitalize the community, black or white it doesn't matter. Safer streets, economic prosperity, employment opportunities...how can this be bad? I really don't get it. I'm a renter here and have never considered buying until this last week. I changed my mind because Shiloh is finally getting called out.
Omar - very good question. I don't know what permitting hoops would be necessary for the church to comply. On the other hand, the church has apparantly had months (or really decades) to do something, so maybe this is just their final notice effectively saying that DCRA's about to step in and charge them for the repairs.
Monkey - yeah, I figured it wasn't even worth mentioning the idiotic quote from Leroy (http://leroythorpe.com/), who's hypocritically continually playing the race card.
And the properties cannot be torn down as they are historic.
Great, exciting decision, Apollo!
last I checked, boarded up an dilapidated buildings and trash strewn lots does not a community make.
Nice to see a monkeyerotica post here. Usually have to read DCist for that.
I was really happy to see this article on the front page of the Examiner this morning. I hope this is a sign that things are finally changing here, or at least a sign that the mainstream media in DC has finally decided to shine their light on the corruption in Shaw.
@apollo: well put. I find it hard to believe that people could be against safer steets, economic prosperity, and a more livable Shaw too, but this is what happens when you have corrupt officials in power that do their best to polarize a community and turn it into a black/white issue.
check out this O Street Market story in Wash Business Journal today...
http://washington.bizjournals.com/washington/stories/2007/05/21/story5.html?page=1&b=1179720000%5e1463784
DCist picked up the Shiloh story too:
http://www.dcist.com/2007/05/18/shiloh_baptist.php#more
With all the news about Shilo today I found myself doing a little searching on the internet. I eventually found my way to the church website and then to Pastor Wallace's website (from a link from the church site). Interestingly, his site is nothing more than a bunch of paid advertsing links. Oddly interesting is a link to "singles." That leads you to a bunch of singles weblinks, including ones for "horny" singles. Wonder what the congregation would think of that! And he is worried about what a restaurant with a liquor license does to our moral values! If you have a chance check it out, quite amusing. http://www.wallacecsmith.com/
I just watched the WJLA story from a couple of weeks ago when the condemnation signs were first posted on the Shilo buildings. Does anyone find it odd that none of the congregants were willing to talk on camera, but according to the reporter most of the congregants they spoke to said off camera that they wanted the church to do something about the buildings and work to rebuild the relationship with the neighborhood? Yet, they were unwilling to state their views publicly? Are we dealing with a church or a cult? Seems like the way to move forward on this is through the congregation, not church management. If enough church members push church management on this issue than maybe, just maybe, something will get done. Also, has anyone questioned Mayor Fenty on this issue?
fox 5 news this evening (thanks ray)
http://www.myfoxdc. com/myfox/ pages/News/ Detail?contentId =3251163& version=2& locale=EN- US&layoutCode= VSTY&pageId= 3.2.1
and more:
http://www.examiner.com/a-735544~Fenty__Redevelop_Shiloh_properties_in_Shaw.html
Now the mayor's involved!!! That should help light a fire, if one can even be lit under these people....
Question: If Shiloh doesn't comply with the orders, a lien is filed, and if Shiloh doesn't pay it, can a sale be forced?!
DC does have the authority to buy the properties and offer the owners a fair price (they don't need the owners compliance to do this). Now if the City/Mayor have the political will do this is another story. The Church finally responded with the same crap they have said all along. "Senior Housing", well your crap is not going to work anymore fellas. If that is the case, you better get working!
@ monkeyrotica
Leroy Thorpe... “You’ve got the newcomers who’ve come to the community who are dividing the community along racial lines in an effort to push people out,”
you gotta love it that it's THE NEWCOMERS who are doing all of the dividing along racial lines, dontcha think?
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