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Lots of reports came in yesterday that one half of the heralded "green" arm of the city's Summer Youth Jobs Program, the Mayor's Conservation Corps, had hit the streets around town to pass out paper fliers that are designed to hang on people's doors, except that many of them just ended up as trash on the street. Head over to Scott's Take for the best coverage we've seen so far.
The irony of the message printed on the fliers was a bit too much to take for some residents: "The Mayor's Conservation Corps -- We're here to help clean and green your neighborhood!"
Scott makes the point that this message could have been disseminated through neighborhood blogs, listservs and local media without producing all that trash. A Conservation Corps spokesperson apologized in the comments, noting that "this was not the impression we intended to leave" and promising that "MCC youth have been instructed to go back through their neighborhoods today and remove any door hangers found on the street and sidewalk."
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Hey, at least they're keeping busy!
And not shooting each other.
As I walked to the AM Harris Teeter last night (I go to grocery stores alot, I guess), I saw these things stuck in people's windshield wipers. None were on doors. That likely explains why they're in the gutters - people just ripped them out and threw them to the side before driving away.
Even if the fliers did stay affixed to people's doors, it's hardly a "green" practice to print out hundreds of paper items that most people will toss in the trash without reading.
Not only that, but the Mayor's Youth Violence Task Force has left hundreds dead, mutilated, and burned beyond recognition. The death toll is catastrophic. We must bow to their wishes. If you can hear us, Your Highness, you must contact me!
Got 2 of them on the sidewalk in front of my apartment in EM yesterday afternoon, promptly went into "recycling" barrel
Our house near Eastern Market has been door-hangered thoroughly two days in row. Very high quality print job on heavy cardboard stock. Very low quality information--really, no information at all, except to deliver the headline "the Mayor's got a Conservation Corps."
This is an excellent early re-election campaign device for the Mayor! Way to go, Adrian!
At least they didn't shoot anyone?
Maybe.
Here's where you should forward your complaints:
Melissa McKnight
Director, Office of Partnerships and Development
DC Parks & Recreation
Email: melissa.mcknight@dc.gov
Phone: 202-671-1462
Fumb ducks!
i guess my argument would be that there is still a need for printed information around the city for those folks that aren't online to access the listservs and blogs. the problem really is that the kids didn't do the job properly. from the comments on Scott's Take, it looks like MCC is sending them back out to try to correct that.
The kids should be out cleaning up school yards, parks,
Metro buses, and cars. They should be helping out in soup kitchens and retirement homes. It's so simple, even a Caveman CHUD could do it.
DC has thousands of treeboxes stuffed full of cigarette butts, empty vodka bottles, human waste, chicken bones, labradoodle ca-ca, and now, Conservation Corps flyers. I can think of no better way of preparing today's youth for a lifetime of career humiliation than by spending the summer cleaning up after their "betters."
This message brought to you by the same folks who bring you the bright yellow "Summer Jobs for the Environment" signs gluded and taped to every streetpole in the city.
I've got a cooler full of popsicles in the basement.
and we wonder why congress won't let us run our on city!
I hate to keep harping on this, but can we please stop referring to this taxpayer-funded scam as a "Summer Jobs Program?"
In a real summer jobs program, you go out, find a local business that is hiring for the summer, apply, get hired, do actual work, and get paid. That is how I got my first summer job, and how most of the people in the country got theirs.
There is no reason the youth of DC can't go out and get hired on their own. And don't talk to me about the economy, walking to work today I saw three places with help wanted signs and this program existed a few years ago when DC businesses couldn't find enough people to fill their jobs.
For some reason, however, it was decided long ago by Mayor Barry that the youth of DC are simply not capable of actually going out and getting hired on their own, or working a full day for pay. Imagine if a white politician had suggested this! So now we have a program that takes tax money from people who actually work, and transfers it to teenagers who don't have to actually work, or even show up to get paid.
Meanwhile the teenagers do not learn any critical job skills like how to properly fill out an application, or how to dress for a job interview, or how to actually use the resources of the newspaper, internet, etc to find a job. As training for the actual job market, the program is a complete failure. But as a contributor to the welfare culture that is so pervasive in the city, it is an incredible success.
By the way, if you are business or agency that actually tries to participate in the program, good luck getting your new hire to show up on time, wear appropriate clothing, stay awake all day, and not spend hours texting his friends. And good luck trying to get rid of him or her.
Are you describing DC youth or the talent we can expect to see on "The Real World: DC"?
Honestly, I'd rather see them make an honest buck slingin' yay than to litter up my lawn or the sidewalk.
Agreed. They'd probably make a lot more money and learn a lot more about good, honest work ethics if they'd just do amateur porn. Is America ready for HardXXXore Conservation Whores: DC C*m Dumpster Edition? Maybe!
"So now we have a program that takes tax money from people who actually work, and transfers it to teenagers who don't have to actually work, or even show up to get paid."
So what is it exactly that is so confusing about social welfare programs? Sounds to me like you've explained it quite clearly. ;)
Lisa: But my parents are counting on seeing me dance! And I've worked ever so hard!
Vicki: I'm sorry, Lisa, but giving everyone an equal part when they're clearly not equal is called what, again, class?
Class: Communism!
Vicki: That's right. And I didn't tap all those Morse code messages to the Allies 'til my shoes filled with blood to just roll out the welcome mat for the Reds.
Lisa: [sigh] All right, I'll be the stupid curtain puller. [yanks the rope]
Vicki: Smoothly! [demonstrating] Pulla-pulla-pulla.
Lisa: [under her breath] I got yer pulla-pulla-pulla.
Maybe the City Council will impose a five cent tax on each and every politcal flyer - both paper and plastic.
I would tax the nude in my bed. No - not tax. What is the word? Oh - 'welcome'.
I say we put them on an island for a month with out
cellphones, computers, and other modern luxury items.
Let them fend for them selves. No camera crew or outside help. Just plain simple know-how. The survivors will tell tales of the ones who were weak and couldn't even survive one night without texting.
Send the real purty ones in them tight lil muffin top pants to me. I'll show 'em the REAL WORLD of DC Street Hustlin' 101. They'll call me MacDaddy Deep. Them Capitol Hill Aids know what I'm talkin' about. Yes, siree!
As another poster mentioned, these were pretty high-end handouts.
If it's business as usual, than this has little to do with a real social change effort and more to do with juicy design and printing contracts given to the businesses of political supporters.
At this rate, Fenty should just hire Christo to wrap the whole town in a goddamned colored tarp, give it a stupid name like "Untitled #2" and sell it to Bahrain. Oil-soaked pervert party over here! Woo! Woo!
Hopefully the Conservation Corps can distribute apology flyers tomorrow morning and spend the afternoon cleaning those up. This could turn out to be Fenty's most make work-ingest summer ever!
get them to pick up sunflower seed hulls from the Metro floor & used condoms from Irving
The kids papering our doors are all wearing matching blue T-shirts with Mayor Fenty's name on them. That conserves the Mayor's campaign funds.
Jaime - There may be an argument for getting information out in paper form, such as: where and what to recycle, upcoming local events, neighborhood cleanups, energy efficiency incentive programs, etc. But as far as I can tell, these doorhangers were content-free. The same message ("we exist") could be conveyed better through having the kids actually, visibly do something on the block. Or talk to people! I know, it's a dream.
Yesterday on my lunch break at Garfield Park I got to watch three members of the Conservation Corps. spray paint a giant human head smoking a joint on the wall behind the Skate Park, our tax dollars at work!
& yes. There was a flyer on the ground outside the gate and a few in the alley.
They really should be picking up trash.
I sent this to Melissa McKnight this morning.
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I live in SE DC, near the navy yard and was walking my dog last night at about 945, two youths, probably about 14-16 years old were walking around, one wearing one of the famous blue shirts of the conservation corp. They walked toward my building and spotted two of my neighbors. They hung out for a while figuring out if they wanted to approach them, then they did, and the one boy pulled out a square silver object, possibly a car stereo or portable harddrive, and asked my two neighbors if they wanted to purchase it.
This behavior doesn't surprise me living in the city, it is almost expected. But what does surprise me is the fact that the youths seem to have an affiliation with the Mayors Conservation Corp and does not show the DC gov't in a good light. On other occasions, when walking to work in the same neighborhood, there are groups of 10-15 kids dressed in the blue shirts, just walking around being very disrespectful and obnoxious. Cursing, walking in the middle of the roads and not getting out of the way for cars and dropping candy wrappers. This seems like a great program that I need to do more research on, but I wanted to get this email out and share my concerns. Perhaps the "Corp" could teach the kids some manners, morals and good values.
Concerned Neighbor,
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