April 20, 2006
Williams Addresses Church Parking
The church parking debate, once the province of irate residents and their neighborhood listservs, has gone mainstream -- D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams took it on yesterday at his weekly press briefing.
The Washington Times is reporting that Williams brushed the issue aside, claiming it was his right as the city's chief executive to arbitrarily enforce District parking laws. Claimed Williams:
There's a zone of discretion for the executive...especially when it comes to something broad and systematic. I think it'd be wrong for me to say 'I'm walking down the street and I'm going to give you a parking ticket that I won't give you.' But as a matter of broad policy it's a different question.Williams' dictate has filtered down to the Department of Public Works, which is charged with enforcing the city's parking laws and has of late had to pull an about-face on the church parking issue. Writes the Times:
City officials responded last month by announcing a new parking plan for the Northwest neighborhood that would add parking spaces and enforce laws against double parking beginning May 21. They said those laws would be enforced citywide beginning July 1. However, officials with the D.C. Department of Public Works (DPW) last month told The Times that parking laws must be enforced equally throughout a city and a policy dictating otherwise, such as the city's plan to enforce first in Logan Circle and then citywide, would be illegal. "We would never enforce in one place and not the other," said Mary Myers, a spokeswoman for DPW. "You have to enforce it everywhere." But Miss Myers said yesterday that "things have changed" and equal enforcement is no longer required because Logan Circle is being used as a public policy pilot program.We get it -- the law is the law except for the places the mayor says it's not.
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"There's a zone of discretion for the executive...especially when it comes to something broad and systematic."
Doesn't Mayor Williams' quote sound alot like PResident Bush's rational for domestic wire tapping and other discretionary things used in the war on terrorism? I mean any executive could claim discretionary authority and do whatever the heck he wanted. Isn't that one of the reasons we fought the Revolutionary War?
Ok, thinking about this some more at the state level legislative bodies do give governors the right to "fill in the details of legislation." The state executive uses his or her ordinance making power which is a type a of dicretionary authority.
In addition, in the wake of a natural disaster such as a flood or tornado, a mayor may declare an official state of emergency that empowers him or her to issue binding rules of behavior for a limited period of time. A curfew ordering persons to be off the street is an example of this. Although such orders are discretionary and the law of the land, they are limited, unusual, and termporary.
From what I can tell, neither the U.S. Congress or the D.C. City Council has given Mayor Williams any discretionary power when it comes to parking enforcement. His role is clear cut and defined not only by the law, but what the common law limits executive authorities to.
Everyone should send an email to Mayor Williams and city officials demanding that the city NOT delay its religious parking policy -- which merely calls for everyone, residents and parishioners alike, to obey the laws and respect the neighborhoods and communities -- and to proceed with the planned Sunday traffic enforcement, which is currently set to begin with warning notices on April 23 and ticket issuance on May 21. It is also recommended that you email all of your friends and colleagues and ask them to write in as well. The main point to make is that the "new policy" merely enforces parking regulations that have been on the books for years and creates a situation where everyone is treated equally AND that the existing situation and proposal by this coalition of churches unfairly and unlawfully provides greater rights to parishioners (most of whom, by the coalition's own admission, are from out of state) over and above tax-paying DC residents.
Your comments should be sent to Mayor Williams, William Howland (Director of DPW) and Michelle Pourciau (Director of DDOT) at the following email addresses:
mayor@dc.gov
William.howland@dc.gov
michelle.pourciau@dc.gov
In addition, the following email addresses should be copied:
douglas.noble@dc.gov
ann.simpson-mason@dc.gov
Ramona.Burns@dc.gov
ann.simpson-mason@dc.gov
george.carr@dc.gov
marco.santiago@dc.gov
charles.ramsey@dc.gov
Can anyone explain why this is the most heated subject of conversation on DCist lately? There must be a lot of brunch plans and errand running getting disrupted out there!
Nate, probably because the due date for enforcement is coming up and the mayor, DPW, and DDOT officials have all made comments recently on the issue. Also, isn't DCist the perfect place for DC parking issues to be mentioned and discussed?
To protest lack of enforcement I suggest that all of us frustrated with the church parking issue use the 9-12noon Sunday as a protest time. Take your car and double park it somewhere. If you get a ticket, say you were at a religious service. Block Tony William's drive way. Park-in the pastor of Shiloh baptist before he leaves in the morning (wait doesn't he live in Maryland), box in the tour busse lined up at 16th and H (and catch the service at St. John's).
Or triple park in the church-goers so they can't leave.
Where does Mayor Williams live?
Boo, I laughed when I heared where the Shiloh pastor lives.
As for a blocking in of the church goers' cars, I don't think that is necessary. Tons of progress has been made and I feel we are really close to finally ended this problem in the Logan Circle area. As for the rest of the city, I don't think you guys stand a chance unless you bitch load and long enough. Certainly what Logan residents found out is that city officials and political leaders do not care until you are crashing down their doors and getting press coverage.
His, "There's a zone of discretion for the executive...especially when it comes to something broad and systematic." comment must also apply to all those "shady" real estate deals he was/was not involved in that have mysteriously disappeared from the media's eyes. Why do officials fear the wrath of these churches so much?!
Impeach Williams?
In other somewhat related news frmo today's WaPo, a church group in Shaw - whose minister and parishoners also admittedly mostly do no live in the neighborhood in question - is trying to block a bar's liquor license. The church is in one ANC, the bar is in another (that, in the interest of full disclosure, begins across the street from the church), and the ANC commissioners where the bar is located voted UNANIMOUSLY to approve their liquor license.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/19/AR2006041902922.html
Here's a concept: I won't come out to Bowie and try to tell you what types of businesses can and cannot be located (and where) in your neighborhood, you afford me the same courtesy. Why does a group that does not contribute to the tax base of the neighborhood by business or residence even think it should have a say in this matter?
Elizabeth, they do it because they can. No elected offical wants to alienate the black vote so black churches carry a lot of political wallop. Plus, no one running for office wants to be seen as anti-church so they cowtow to these people. That gives the churches the power to discriminate based on race, class, and sexual orientation, all in the name of protecting the moral fiber of the community.
I loved the pastor's comments in the Post where he said it wasn't an issue of Be Bar being a gay establishment. That pretty much contradicts his quotes to the Blade.
I am Jewish, so I must have missed something about JC's life. Someone tell me where did JC say it was ok to exclude/hate gay people? Is it in the Bible or do these churches have a pipe line to G-d himself?
Elizabeth, I am a resident of Logan Circle and I can assure you there are a growing number of us that are fed up with these churches. We (the taxpayers/constituents) are treated like second class citizens by the political establishment/churches and referred to as “newcomers”, “gentrificators” and other choice words. To add insult to injury, we apparently must have non-residents of the district tell us what our morals should be, what businesses we can have in our neighborhood and what laws should be enforced (or not in the case of parking).
One way or another (voting, legal action, etc) … I hope these issues will be settled once and for all. Because the issues are old but the fact that many of us are not going to take it lying down any more is new and they don't like it!
MS, there is one particular breed of Christian that takes it as an article of faith that God is not just an omniscient creator, but also perfect in His wisdom. There's another type of "Christian" who believes God is a petty prick and vainglorious clown who created the universe only to fling dollops of poo at it in seemingly random fashion. I call this God "Booga Booga Foo Foo--Lord Monkey from the Moon." For more on this deity, consult the loony pastors who oppose Be Bar or take a meeting with someone like Rick Santorum.
hey MS just FYI
here are the Bible passages that are used when people teach that being gay is wrong.
Genesis 19:5,
Leviticus 18:22 & 20:13,
Romans 1:26-27,
I Corinthians 6:9,
I Timothy 1:9-10
however the translation and literal meaning of them has been widely disputed by scholars for many many years.
if you read further into romans, they say that gossips should be punished too. personally i know some god fearing church going folks that have turned gossiping into an olympic sport. so who are they to judge?
"he who is without sin may cast the first stone"
DCist Jason and Mellamella,
Thank you very much. I always wondered if anti-gay view points relied on the Bible or was a holdover from a more conservative era. I'll take a look at these passages Mellamella and see for myself. Good stuff.
ms, there's an excellent book called Same-Sex Unions in Premodern Europe by John Boswell, which reveals that hatred of gay people has not always been the status quo in Christianity. It's truly eye-opening stuff.
"Booga Booga Foo Foo--Lord Monkey from the Moon"
DCist Jason, I will NEVER stop laughing at this.
Frappin' brilliant.