Photo by Hamzat Sani
Two women donning gear from the local non-profit Empower DC arrived at a demolition event at St. Elizabeths today with a sign that read “Stop Displacement… Don’t Move!!” along with the tags #occupybarryfarms and #BFTAA.
The protesters arrived ahead of Mayor Muriel Bowser, who eventually took an excavator to one of the two buildings that will become the new home of the Washington Mystics and a practice facility for the Wizards.
But before the mayor was able to mount herself into the construction vehicle, she had to out-talk the women’s screams about displacement and lack of investment in public housing.
The $55 million sports arena, which will be 90 percent funded by taxpayers, was announced in the fall. Since then, the city’s sports and convention arm, Events DC, has met with the community to discuss concerns and plans for the complex. And the demolition event was meant to serve as the ceremonial beginning of what the administration has called a “catalytic project.”
But before the event commenced, the women spread their banner behind the mayor’s podium at the site of the former psychiatric hospital. Shortly after, they were ousted by dozens of men, some of whom were D.C.’s ward liaisons—individuals responsible for connecting community members with the mayor’s office. As police officers joined the men in blocking the activists, they yelled “this is harassment… get off of me!”
Photo by Hamzat Sani
Photo by Hamzat Sani
When the mayor finally took the podium, she touted the project as a “significant economic development.” The 5,000 seat venue is projected to produce $90 million in new tax revenue over 19 years, attract more than 380,000 annual visitors per year, and produce more than 900 temporary and permanent jobs for nearby residents, among other benefits, the mayor said.
She also added: “Some may scream and some may shout, but I’ll be back. I’m going to invest, I’m going to keep our promises and it won’t be just today, it’ll be everyday.”
But the protesters aren’t the only ones who have expressed skepticism of the proposed facility. When the mayor announced the deal with Wizard’s owner Ted Leonsis last year, some Congress Heights residents said it would overshadow entrenched problems of crime, homelessness, and school quality without addressing them. “They need something that’s going to bring real jobs here, not a special-events center,” longtime resident William Riley, 42, told The Washington Post. Some Mystics supporters even shared the lack of enthusiasm, telling ThinkProgress that the move from the 20,000-seat Verizon Center to the 5,000-seat arena “shows a real lack of confidence in the Mystics and their fans.”
The sports and entertainment facility is part of the first phase of development, which also includes 60 townhomes, 250 mixed-income apartments, a 171,000-square-foot office building with 47,000 square feet of integrated retail, a retail courtyard, and 100 underground parking spaces.
Phase I infrastructure is scheduled to be completed in July 2018. The arena is scheduled to open in September of 2018.
When all is said and done, the completed St. Elizabeths renovation will house 1.8 million square feet of offices, 206,000 square feet of retail, 1,300 residential units, and at least two hotels in Congress Heights.
