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Groups clash over Congress Hts. school

(Published October 12, 1998)

By LUTISHIA PHILLIPS

Staff Writer

As rain tapered off outside the old Congress Heights School last Wednesday evening, tears flowed and temperatures rose inside. Members of the Congress Heights Initiative Coalition, ARCH (Action to Rehabilitate Community Housing), and residents of Congress Heights got into an emotional debate over how each plans to use the old school building.

The meeting — held Oct 7 in Liberty Temple AME Zion’s sanctuary, once the school’s auditorium — was the second one where the bidders were allowed to inform the community of their plans and ask for support.

The appointed Emergency Transitional Education Board of Trustees and the control board will make the final decision.

After each group gave a 10- to 20-minute presentation on its plans and the audience commented, the drama began. ANC 8C Commissioner Calvin Lockridge expressed disappointment that the groups could not unite to share the building.

"What disturbs me about this whole bidding process is that it’s going to divide this community," Lockridge said.

The ARCH group proposes to use the building for its vocational and building trades programs.

The Congress Heights Initiative Coalition — a collaborative of the East of the River Community Development Corp., the Washington Metropolitan Minority Con-tractor’s Association and Liberty Temple AME Zion Church, which already has space in the building — wants to use if for a community center.

The group described its plans as a "one-stop shop" which would house the ANCs, civic associations, after-school programs, a computer center and the church.

ANC 8D Commissioner Winifred Freeman said she thought a community center was the vision of all the groups. But she said ARCH President Duane Gautier reneged on plans to share the building.

According to a fact sheet distributed at the meeting, "it appeared (at the end of the first community meeting) that a majority of the leaders which were present, verbally agreed to meet and discuss a means to put forth a joint application for the ‘shared use’ of the school with the entire Congress Heights community."

"What you all are seeing tonight is not the truth," Freeman said.

Cornell Shelton, a contractor for almost 40 years and head of the International Vocational Training Institute that partnered with ARCH, charged that the ANCs and other community groups turned him down after begging them for money to train troubled young people in the community.

"No one else helped me when I used to come down here and pick these kids up in the back of my truck four days a week and teach them how to build," Shelton said.

"ARCH has saved a lot of our kids," he said. "Now who’s telling the truth?"

"What you are doing is wrong and you know it, " Freeman said, directing her comments at ARCH president Gautier.

"You’ve done a lot of negative things in this community," resident Mary Cuthbert said to Gautier, who shook his head quietly.

Immediately following Cuthbert’s statement, several ARCH students got up to defend their mentor and themselves.

"ARCH is the best training center in D.C.," said student April McGee. McGee’s statement became sort of anthem as the rest of the students testified about how ARCH affected their lives.

One young man told of how ARCH stopped him from using drugs and helped him achieve goals like going to college next year.

"Because of ARCH and by the grace of God, I will be attending American University next year," he said.

In response many of Liberty Temple’s worshippers applauded the accomplishments by the ARCH students but showed concern about their church remaining in the building. Under the coalition’s plan, the church would be renovated.

"This could be a place for everyone — the children and senior citizens," said Renee Sims. "Just don’t exclude Liberty."

At the end of the meeting, the groups offered final comments.

"We are willing to share space with ARCH but one person on the panel said they could not work with us," said William Lockridge, who represented The Congress Heights Initiative Coalition. And as if on cue, contractor Shelton got up and said he did not agree with Lockridge’s ideas and will never work with him.

"East of the River hasn’t done anything to put these little young black boys to work," he said.

At the same time McGee and Cuthbert got into a shouting match in back of the room. The confrontation ended when McGee – crying and shouting — was dragged out of the room by another ARCH student. "You all just think we’re bad," she said.

Finally one unidentified ARCH student, remembering the meeting was in the church, pleaded to God to forgive everyone and urged them to work together.

Copyright 1998, The Common Denominator