April 28, 2006
Evans Speaks Out on Church Parking
While some D.C. politicians have spoken out on the chuch parking issue, one has been surprisingly quiet on the matter -- Jack Evans, the council-member whose ward includes Logan Circle and Shaw. But as our newfound friends at Logan Circle Parking Problems pointed out to us, Evans has finally broken his silence on an issue that has politicians scrambling to find who they can stand to offend -- churchgoers or area residents.
Evans yesterday chose the residents. In his weekly newsletter to his constituents, Evans wrote:
Mayor Williams recently decided to delay the much-anticipated implementation of the Logan Residents for Equitable Enforcement of Parking Regulations Taskforce's recommendations. While we can continue to work on refining the Taskforce's recommendations, immediate relief is warranted. I urge the Mayor to take the first step and begin enforcement of the initial phases of the Logan Circle plan. The May 21 enforcement date for Logan Circle, which was agreed upon, is reasonable and should be implemented.Evans has often worked closely with Williams, though it is doubtful that he wil expend much political capital trying to convince the mayor to start enforcing parking laws on May 21.
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Yes, this is a positive step, but a baby step as far as Logan residents are concerned. Evans must now send a letter to the Mayor and cc DDOT and DPW as to his committment that parking enforcement needs to begin May 21. A newsletter that only goes to constituents is not much good if this is the only political capital he expends. Please keep up the pressure on Evans to do the right thing. We believe this pressure is the only thing that got him to move from his Washington Post opinion that the Mayor was right in convening a new task force.
Emergency legislation at the Council legislative session on Tuesday would get Evans major kudos.
I thought the Logan Circle Parking Problems blog did a wonderful job in showing the Evans newsletter for what it is ... a sad excuse for true leadership. Evans needs to state this in public. Write a leter to the Mayor, or demand action at the next DC Council meeting. Horrible.
Oh joy! Another church parking post! This one's SURE to resolve the issue once and for all.
I think there's a little glitch in this post, too. It states: Evans has finally broken his silence on an issue that has politicians scrambling to find who they can stand to offend -- churchgoers or area residents. ... Evans yesterday chose the residents.
But then it goes on to cite Evans' statement supporting parking enforcement as originally planned. Doesn't that mean he's "siding" with the residents, not offending them?
Jack Evans is good people.
Jack Evans is a wanker with no balls.
What he's doing is flip-flopping. Didn't he say in the Times' article earlier this week that he was with the mayor on this one? Maybe now he is just responding to residents' reactions to his comments?
Of course he is flip-flopping. He thinks by sending this out to his constituents in a constituent newsletter he will quiet the uproar, but not be faced with the backlash from church people who don't obey task force findings even though they participated and agreed to them. That is why we need to get his statement out in the press. I sent copies of the newsletter to Metropolitan Baptist and the Downtown congregations. I asked Wash. Times and Post reporters (voicemail) to followup on his changed vision, but don't know if they will. We need to continuosly call the numbers for the Mayor and Evans and Cropp and get this out in the media.
Jack called in to the Kojo on the DC Politics Hour with Kojo and Jonetta and publically stated he was for the residents. Audio available on the WAMU website
someone was shot this week at 10th and V. it makes me sick that such an intense community movement has come out of a parking situation, when violence is still clearly the number one issue in our neighborhoods. can we worry about parking after we tackle some REAL issues?
Well, it makes me sick that the police will not enfoce the parking laws equally. It worries me and makes me wonder how good these officiers are if they look the other way on some crimes. If they don't enforce or care about enforcing parking laws, what about what some call "real" crimes? I say parking is a very big issue cause it cuts to the heart of the real problems that DC is facing. Community trust in our government and elected officials.
Jack Evans looks very Hugh Hefner, Jr. in this photograph, no?
doubleonegative, you don't ignore the little issues because you have big issues. The little issues are indicative of the problems that exist that cause the big problems. When you have a local government who has more interest in its own p.r. and less interest in actually doing something about illegal activity---be it parking or shooting--you are going to have problems with illegal activity. Is it terrible that someone got shot this week? Most assuredly. But it isn't the only crime in the city, and it isn't the only way we can influence our polis to actually engage in the communities they supposedly provide leadership for.
robis and ms-- i completely understand your point(s) and agree with them. it just concerns me that our community has finally come together over something that's fairly trivial in the grand scheme of things. there is no doubt that the parking issue is a microcosm of the disconnect b/w citizens and our goverment, but it appears that our community is more interested in mobilizing over parking than it is violence. it's just that this presents an ugly portrait that the "new" residents of these changing neighborhoods are more interested in parking than the real safety of our streets. is that accurate? i don't think so...but it's certainly what is being projected.
I see your point double-o-negative. I think we can all agree that this city, despite getting better over the years, still have far to go till anyone is proud of how city officials and elected pols truly run this place. With that said, I think many people pick their battles and do what they can to improve life in the community. THe parking issue has been a negative aspect of DC life for too long and one that occurs far more often than killings in the Logan community. Although a shooting is far more serious a crime, I think the rare nature of them (in Logan) and the fact that people don't feel the police are as indifferent to that crime is a reason why the community presses so much on this issue. Plus, many people feel that if we don't force police action on this crime, then what about other more serious crimes?
I know I have personally lost alot of confidence in our police because of this issue. Thankfully I haven't had to make a call about a more serious crime, but if I did I wonder if they would respond quickly. They probably would but their indifference leaves doubts in my mind even if it is an irrational way of thinking.
I have a feeling doubleonegative has never been inconvenienced by being blocked in by out-of-state parkers. Plus, if we don't enforce the nuisance and quality of life crimes including illegal parking, public intoxication, public urination, prostitution, etc. what hope do we have that the larger crimes won't increase? Residents who bought in Logan, spruced up their homes, pestered politicans and MPD to crack down on prostitution, etc. have thereby decreased the overall crime rate. Don't believe that? Step a few blocks to the East, around 7th and Florida and see if you wanna live there.
I hate being the target of discrimination based on my lack of devote church attendance. If only I'd be reprieved for late meeting double parking or quick-nookie bus lane stopping.