Danny Harris is a DC-based photographer, DJ, and collector of stories. In September, he launched People’s District, a blog that tells a people’s history of DC by sharing the stories and images of its residents. Every day, People’s District presents a different Washingtonian sharing his or her insights on everything from Go Go music to homelessness to fashion to politics. You can read his previous columns here.

“I grew up in Lansdowne, Maryland, in a house that I believe to be haunted. I was about 11 when my parents and I started noticing a lot of activity there. The cat would attack things that weren’t there. We heard hammering noises in the basement. I would go to the top of the basement stairs and it would stop. As soon as I left, it would start up again. The one that really pushed me over the edge was hearing a large crashing noise coming from the basement that sounded like broken glass. I went downstairs and there was nothing there. That pretty much convinced me that the house was haunted. I asked my neighbors about the former tenants of our house. One was a carpenter who died, which is probably where that hammering sound come from. That was my first investigation.

“I then joined the military and did 20 years of service. I got out at age 38 and was not ready to retire. The experiences from my childhood really stayed with me, and I contacted the head of the D.C. Metro Area Ghost Watchers (DCMAG), Al Tyas, about joining the team. He was retiring and ended up giving me the team in 2006 after we did a few investigations together. The D.C. area in particular has a lot of folklore and history around hauntings. Some people believe that Abraham Lincoln haunts the White House. There is also supposedly a demon cat near Congress that predicts doom. Since joining DCMAG, I’ve had some pretty intense investigations. Getting my hair pulled by a ghost was my first physical encounter with a spirit. You just don’t believe that it is happening, but, after a while, you get used to it. Each spirit has something that he or she can do particularly well. Some can pull hair, some can talk, and some can make footsteps. I even played hide-and-go-seek with the ghost of a child once.

Continues after the jump. Read Full Post

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Danny Harris is a DC-based photographer, DJ, and collector of stories. In September, he launched People’s District, a blog that tells a people’s history of DC by sharing the stories and images of its residents. Every day, People’s District presents a different Washingtonian sharing his or her insights on everything from Go Go music to homelessness to fashion to politics. You can read his previous columns here.

“I am a preacher’s daughter from Whitefish, Montana. I grew up in barns, and we would go out on stampedes and round up the young bulls in the spring and castrate them. I saw the force of life from a very young age and was taught not to flinch. Education was a huge emphasis in my family, and there was always that push to seek knowledge. I definitely credit the area where I grew up for a lot of the qualities that now make me a Dominatrix, like hard work, education, and loyalty.

“When I tried to break into the Dominatrix scene in D.C., no one would give me an opening, which is how I ended up stripping out on the Eastern Shore. During that time, I went out to San Francisco for S&M training and really benefited from the networking. I found people whom I could call when I had questions as a young Dom. Three weeks after my Dad died, I put up an ad on Craigslist as a Dominatrix. One of the major reasons I do this work is because I know that my father was submissive. I know that if he had understood himself, he’d still be here today.

“When people don’t accept who they are on whatever level, whether sexual, social or personal, they can do a lot of damage to themselves because of how unhappy they are. I just want every father, mother, daughter, and lover out there to be able to know who they are and honestly communicate that to their partner, whether it is vanilla sex or extreme kink. If someone is coming to me to induce a feeling of shame because they don’t feel comfortable with what they desire, they need to seek a psychotherapist, not me. I only want to play with people who are comfortable with their desires and embrace their identity. I screen people using extreme intuition and patterns. When you are in the business long enough, you learn who the wankers are and you can point them out in ten seconds. Continues after the jump. Read Full Post

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Danny Harris is a DC-based photographer, DJ, and collector of stories. In September, he launched People’s District, a blog that tells a people’s history of DC by sharing the stories and images of its residents. Every day, People’s District presents a different Washingtonian sharing his or her insights on everything from Go Go music to homelessness to fashion to politics. You can read his previous columns here.

“I’m 33. I was born in the Dominican Republic and came to the U.S. in December 1983. My family first came to New York and then we settled in Hyattsville, Maryland. I have been doing construction since I left high school in 1995. I did general labor, demolition, asbestos removal, whatever. Being out there in the field, I was exposed to a lot of the injustices that people in the work force deal with, things like poor or no pay and mistreatment. I am fortunate because I am bilingual, so I could speak up for co-workers who didn’t speak the language. There were a few times when I would be let go for speaking up, but the way I look at it, I am not going to let anyone disrespect me or my co-workers.

“My whole time in construction, I was never in a union. I don’t have a pension or insurance, none of that. With my health, I always just crossed my fingers. I got hurt a few times and always had to pay out of pocket. Back then, I didn’t know about the unions. It’s not like contractors were telling us about our rights. Their bottom line was making money. The last thing many of them wanted was for us to have the knowledge that if we joined with our co-workers, we could have what they had — a contract. No job gets done in this city without a contract, yet we never had one. Part of that may be that union density in D.C. is not like New York. Here, there isn’t that mentality where your Dad and Granddad were in the union.

“When I was given the opportunity be an organizer, I said, ‘Heck, yeah.’ Now I’m able to give back. I spend a lot of my time in the field talking with people. I have been in their shoes, so I know how to relate to them. I think that it’s important to even the playing field. If you want your community to thrive, you need to give your community the resources and options. Without options, people unfortunately turn to other means. Continues after the jump. Read Full Post

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Danny Harris is a DC-based photographer, DJ, and collector of stories. In September, he launched People’s District, a blog that tells a people’s history of DC by sharing the stories and images of its residents. Every day, People’s District presents a different Washingtonian sharing his or her insights on everything from Go Go music to homelessness to fashion to politics. You can read his previous columns here.

“I first came to D.C. in 1991. I really just fell in love with the city. Before D.C., I was working in a costume shop in Philadelphia. When I came here, I worked at Backstage when it was still in Dupont Circle. Eventually, we moved to a bigger space in Southeast and then I bought the store from the original owner. Before us, there really wasn’t a supply house in the District of Columbia for either theater books or dance wear. We are also one of the few places where you can do custom costume orders. You can come in with a sketch and we will build it.

“Theater and art are things that I have always loved. I also did a bit of acting, but I stopped because I got too nervous at auditions. My love for costume design really picked up in college where I was able to combine my love of sewing with learning about the historical components of how things were made and the materials that were used at different times in history.

“In D.C., I have gone in directions I never thought I would go into with costume design, like working with lobby groups. These groups usually do not want the kings, queens, and renaissance style costumes I thought I would do when I first got into this business. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals asked us to make a broccoli costume. An environmental lobby group had us build smoke stack and tree stump costumes. Another group had me make large hamburgers and huge pill capsules stuffed with styrofoam pellets, as they were picketing places that used meats with antibiotics. Now, a couple of those restaurants say they will not use meats that have antibiotics anymore. I am proud of things like that. I feel like I played a part in something bigger.

“With costumes, I think that when people wear them, their personality can change. But I also feel that a lot of times, their personality has been there the whole time and they just don’t let it loose. In this business, I learn a lot about people and their behaviors. I can usually tell how long a couple has been together when they come in. A lot of newer couples want matching costumes where even the fabric has to be the same. Whereas couples that have been together for years are okay for one to go as Elvis and the other to go as a clown. They don’t have to match because they are more secure in their relationship. It is fun to figure people out through working in this business. There is definitely a psychology behind costumes.”

Backstage is located at 545 8th Street Southeast.

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Danny Harris is a DC-based photographer, DJ, and collector of stories. In September, he launched People’s District, a blog that tells a people’s history of DC by sharing the stories and images of its residents. Every day, People’s District presents a different Washingtonian sharing his or her insights on everything from Go Go music to homelessness to fashion to politics. You can read his previous columns here.

Scarlet O’Snap on the D.C. Rollergirls

“I grew up in Baltimore. Every Saturday, I used to skate at the Putty Hill Skateland, where the Charm City Roller Girls started. When I was younger, I was really athletic and then, in college, I basically did absolutely nothing until I joined the derby four years ago. That was around the same time that the league got started. One of my good friends lives in Chicago, where I went to undergrad, and started the Windy City Rollers. She said, ‘When D.C. gets a roller league, you need to join.’ I finally saw something on Craigslist and joined the derby because I wanted a different social scene. I really stuck with it because I liked the athletic part.

“D.C. used to have a derby league called the Washington Jets, which was a co-ed, banked-track derby league in the 70’s. I don’t know what happened to them, but what we do is obviously very different. Our league started after the Rollergirls TV series on A&E, but the whole movement began well before that. The Texas Roller Girls were really the first modern derby league. It was very theatrical and wrestling-like. Rather than a penalty box, they had a spank alley where you would get spanked. Now, it draws more athletic people who don’t want an alter ego on the track or all the theatrics. I am the same on and off the track. I do have a derby name, Scarlet O’Snap, but I’m kind of over it now. I wanted something recognizable and sassy, and thought it was really funny four years ago when I picked it.

“The thing that makes D.C. really different from other leagues is how transient of a city this is. It is hard to keep people on for more than one season. We have three home teams: Scare Force One, The Cherry Blossom Bombshells and the D.C. Demoncats. We did have a fourth team, the Secretaries of Hate, which we had to fold because we didn’t have enough people. We are also known as a conservative league around the country because we’re not all covered in tattoos, and we all have 9-5 jobs as lawyers and teachers, or work for non-profits. I don’t think there’s one person in this league who does not have a 9-5 career, whereas in other leagues, it’s more the counterculture: bartenders and artists. But that is not what D.C. is like at all. Continues after the jump. Read Full Post

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From left to right, Seshat, Dahvi, Carl, and Phina.

Danny Harris is a DC-based photographer, DJ, and collector of stories. In September, he launched People’s District, a blog that tells a people’s history of DC by sharing the stories and images of its residents. Every day, People’s District presents a different Washingtonian sharing his or her insights on everything from Go Go music to homelessness to fashion to politics. You can read his previous columns here.

Carl – “My name is Carl. Some call me Kokayi. I’m a native Washingtonian who was born and raised mainly in Southwest D.C., and partially in Mannheim, Germany. I’ve been to over 35 countries, all without being in the military, taught hip-hop clinics at prestigious universities, worked with the State Department doing cultural exchanges with my band, had two major label record deals in a foreign country, got nominated for a Grammy in 2009 — all while remaining in relative obscurity. I still work on music, but have a full-time job, mostly because I became a realist about my love affair with music and the realities of the modern music business.

“I’m a parent to two hilarious kids who are my therapy. I never thought that I’d be able to have kids. It was my biggest fear throughout my early 20’s. I feel blessed to be able to spend my time on this rock with them, watching them grow and seeing them prosper into great adults. Until I met my wife, I had very little belief in stable relationships. I wanted one, but didn’t believe they could exist for me. She helped redirect my life’s course and is my best: friend, critic, motivator, source of truth, and publicist, and is the one I’ve entrusted with my heart, fears and insecurities, all of which I know she would never harm intentionally.”

Seshat – “I was a small-town, country girl from the Eastern Shore. I graduated from a university in rural Pennsylvania and threw myself into an unknown city to live and intern at one of the largest homeless shelters on the East Coast. I created programs for the women residents, taught GED classes and worked the women’s floor. To say it was a life-changing experience is to put it mildly. Now, I’m a mama, wife, writer and playwright residing in Northeast D.C. I have a love for Ward 7. Our neighbors are friendly and look out for one another. We love walking. Our house is charming, which is a classy word for small. I hate that our only sit-down restaurant is Dennys, though I know that the new H Street Trolley will change all of that. Continues after the jump. Read Full Post

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Danny Harris is a DC-based photographer, DJ, and collector of stories. In September, he launched People’s District, a blog that tells a people’s history of DC by sharing the stories and images of its residents. Every day, People’s District presents a different Washingtonian sharing his or her insights on everything from Go Go music to homelessness to fashion to politics. You can read his previous columns here.

“I grew up in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. When I graduated from college, I couldn’t get into graduate school and rather than be drafted into Vietnam, I joined the Navy and went to Officer Candidate School. I spent a year watching the war and two years in Scotland as a diplomatic courier. I came to Washington in the early 70’s. I had G.I. money and went to get my MBA in computers at American University. My first job in town was in the information business. I was a paper boy and delivered the New York Times at 5 a.m. everyday.

“I always knew that I wanted my own business. I would sell hot dogs on the Mall if I had to. I started a few businesses that failed. Then, I became a consultant. Funny how when people fail, they become consultants! So, I started with a phone and a desk down at Foggy Bottom. I was getting free government information and selling it to Fortune 500 fat cats. It shocked me that a schmuck like me from Wilkes-Barre could make a free phone call and turn around and sell that information for thousands of dollars to some rich person who was too lazy to get it. It was basically a shoe shine business. People spend $5 to shine their shoes when you can get a $2 can of shoe polish at CVS that will last your whole life. That mentality is what this town is all about. After helping rich people for a number of years, I figured that I would spend the rest of my life helping the rest of the country find out how to get useful government information.

“Now, I look back on my failures and realize that they were the result of me not doing things my own way. I thought if I failed that I would have a permanent ‘F’ on my forehead, but people don’t give a shit. They are too worried about themselves. It took me a couple of failures to figure that out. When I started this business, I wanted to have fun. I figured that the worse that would happen would be failing again. When I started having fun, things became different. I realized that I was good at acting foolishly on television. My parents did not admit that I was their kid for the first ten years of my career! They wanted me to act like Henry Kissinger. I wouldn’t sell shit if I acted like that. Life is trying to realize who you are. The more you go through this education system, you are told to be like everyone else. We should be bringing out the best in everyone and encouraging people to do what they are really good at.

“To me, that is what the question mark suits are all about. About ten years ago, I was in a down cycle and bought a cheap suit and had someone embroider a question mark on it. I always wanted to have a suit like that. Had I been a teacher or accountant, I would have gotten the same suit. To me, the philosophy behind the question mark is that we live in a society where we have more accessible information than at any other time at history. You can go to Google and get a million answers. The answers are easy, it is the questions that are hard. I really believe that we need to struggle in life to ask the right questions.”

Learn more about Matthew Leskohere.

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Diamond, left, is pictured with her cousin Lavaya.

Danny Harris is a DC-based photographer, DJ, and collector of stories. In September, he launched People’s District, a blog that tells a people’s history of DC by sharing the stories and images of its residents. Every day, People’s District presents a different Washingtonian sharing his or her insights on everything from Go Go music to homelessness to fashion to politics. You can read his previous columns here.

Lavaya – “I’m seven. Today, my Dad is taking us to the president’s house and the Washington Monument and the library. I think a lot of work happens in the president’s house. He makes laws there that impact everybody. The president’s house is a big place that has two parts. One part for living and one part for working. I hear that each president gets to keep a room so that all the presidents can live together. My favorite part of Washington is Barack Obama. Did you know that he can speak seven different languages? He speaks English, Hawaiian and Illinois, but I forget the rest.”

Diamond – “I’m seven, too. I know that the president also has his cabinets. His cabinets are full of people who help him. The cabinets sit at the table with him and they coach him a lot. But, these aren’t cabinets like in a kitchen. In his kitchen cabinets, he probably has food and cereal and other good stuff to eat. My favorite part of Washington is Michelle and the kids. I think that Michelle Obama sleeps a lot because she is so tired after taking care of Sasha and Malia. I think that Barack and Michelle think their girls are really special and call them both angels.”

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Danny Harris is a DC-based photographer, DJ, and collector of stories. In September, he launched People’s District, a blog that tells a people’s history of DC by sharing the stories and images of its residents. Every day, People’s District presents a different Washingtonian sharing his or her insights on everything from Go Go music to homelessness to fashion to politics. You can read his previous columns here.

“I was technically born in D.C., at Sibley Hospital, but I grew up in Kensington, Maryland and have lived there all my life. While Maryland is home, D.C. is home, too. D.C. has always been a big part of my life. As a kid, I came down to the museums. As I got older, I started going to the 9:30 Club, in the old location at 930 F Street Northwest, to see shows. My first show at the club was Shudder to Think. I don’t know exactly when it was, but probably sometime in high school. My sister was dating a guy who took us down to the show. From then on, I went to shows at 9:30 whenever I could. This was a really unique place. I had been to see the 80’s and early 90’s hair bands at Merriweather Post Pavilion and the Cap Center, but this place was simply hundreds of sweaty, dirty people going crazy. It was a nice change of pace and there was something about it that just spoke to me. I knew that when I was old enough, I wanted to get a job here.

“When I started at the University of Maryland, my parents gave me a hard time about getting a job. In the student newspaper, there was an ad looking for campus security staff with the words ‘size or experience a plus.’ I had no experience whatsoever, but I went in and got hired because I was big. I’ve always been bigger than everyone else. When you are the biggest guy around, you can either be a bully or go in the opposite direction and develop a slow fuse. I made a conscious decision as a young person to not abuse my size. Hurting someone is the last thing that I want to do. It turned out this was a good mindset for this work. Remember, we are not bouncers, we are door staff here.

“Just before I turned 21, I was coming down to 9:30 for shows all of the time and started talking to everyone. I made a good of impressions on people. I helped break up a couple of fights when I wasn’t even working. One time, I had my septum jewelry ripped out and was bleeding all over the bathroom and wouldn’t let anyone else clean it up. I went and asked for more paper towels so I could clean it up myself. That stuck in their heads. I was technically hired before I turned 21, but I think that’s just because they wanted to shut me up so I would stop asking them for a job! Three days after my 21st birthday, I worked my first show. That was over 12 years ago.

“This place is a family and we have a lot of love for each other. This is the antithesis of a chain. The 9:30 Club is in the walls and the stage, it’s in the people who work here and those who come to listen to the music. It’s a unique environment built on 30 years of history. There is no way to replicate that. After 12 years, I am honored to be able to work here and help people have a good time. If I see people leaving happy, that is a reward for me. It’s a little thing, but if you make one person’s night a little bit better then maybe the next day they go and do something great. It is the little pieces of the puzzle that all add up to something cool. I think that is what this place is all about.

“You know, this city is so divisive with politics, race, sexuality, and religion. All of that goes away when people come in here and the lights go down and the music comes up. Everyone has a good time together. That’s what this city is about, that togetherness with the goal of having a good time. Maybe the next day everything goes back to how it was, but for those few hours in the house that I help take care of, we create a spot where something amazing happens every night. That is pretty cool.

“One last thing, I always tell people that if they want to talk to me, just come and say, ‘Hi.’ A lot of the time, people see me here and get intimidated, but I am not going to bite your head off. Don’t be afraid to come up and say hi to me or the other people here. We are people, too.”

The 9:30 Club is located at 815 V Street NW.

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Danny Harris is a DC-based photographer, DJ, and collector of stories. In September, he launched People’s District, a blog that tells a people’s history of DC by sharing the stories and images of its residents. Every day, People’s District presents a different Washingtonian sharing his or her insights on everything from Go Go music to homelessness to fashion to politics. You can read his previous columns here.

“I was a young man when I came to D.C. in 1949. I first worked as a stone setter at the Washington National Cathedral. After a number of years, I decided to go into business. In 1967, I ran a grocery store at 14th and Belmont. Then, the riots happened in 1968 and I bought this place shortly after that. I have been in this location ever since. The New Vegas Lounge has gone through some changes, it was a restaurant, then it was a strip joint and then I turned it into a rhythm and blues club, but it has always been family-owned. I used to go to Las Vegas a lot, so that’s how I got the name.

“Before the riots, there was a car parts place, drugstore, liquor store, and plumbing store on this block. After the riots, everyone moved out. I was here for about ten years with almost no other businesses on this block. I shared the block with a lot of vacant lots and street people. I went through a lot then. It was tough. But, I stayed open because the guys who let me have this place, two brothers from Detroit, told me to hold on and pay them when I could get the money. So, I stuck around and waited out the bad weather. And things started turning around with time.

“To me, the most interesting thing about this place is its position in history. This place started as a family business and became a national legacy. The New Vegas Lounge is known throughout the world for its music. It has become a point of heritage for this city. When you look at how many things transitioned around this place because of the riots and reconstruction of the neighborhood, this place remained. The New Vegas Lounge also gives you a view into musical history. I have seen everyone from James Brown, B.B. King, Wilson Pickett, Stevie Wonder, Crosby, Stills and Nash, Aretha Franklin, The Temptations, War, and Teddy Pendergrass play here. You name ‘em, they’ve been here. This is the spot where people performing in other places around town would just walk in to say hello to Dr. Blues and get up on stage for a few minutes and play. Some of the most famous musicians have played to audiences of only fifteen people.

“I am an entertainer, too, and have been singing for a long time. I learned to sing coming up in the church. I sing some of my own songs and then I sing the classics. I know how to sing most anything. I picked up the name Dr. Blues along the way and that name has since been made famous. I’ve played overseas and around this country. You name the place and I’ve been there. I even had a contract in Las Vegas for this past New Year, but I couldn’t go because I had to entertain my people here in D.C. This place means so much to me. Everybody likes this place. You will never hear a bad word about the New Vegas Lounge. If someone gets out of line, people will say, ‘Hey, don’t mess with the New Vegas Lounge. This is our home.’

“Going forward, we will remain a family-owned rhythm and blues club. We have been in business for forty years. In that time the whole city changed. Big changes, you know what I mean? It’s good. Someone needed to finally come to this neighborhood with some money after the riots to make some changes. You know, I don’t get a lot of the clients that I had 20-30 years ago, but we get lots of new people and still play the music that people like to hear.”

You can hear Dr. Blues and the Out of Town Blues Band playing at the New Vegas Lounge at 1415 P Street NW.

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Danny Harris is a DC-based photographer, DJ, and collector of stories. In September, he launched People’s District, a blog that tells a people’s history of DC by sharing the stories and images of its residents. Every day, People’s District presents a different Washingtonian sharing his or her insights on everything from Go Go music to homelessness to fashion to politics. You can read his previous columns here.

“I grew up in Auburn, Massachusetts. In 1991, I came to D.C. after graduate school as a Presidential Management Intern with the Office of Management and Budget. I thought that I would work here for a few years and then go back to Massachusetts. The longer I stayed, though, the more deeply routed I became. I met my wife here. We bought and renovated a house on Capitol Hill. We started a family here. Any notion of leaving got increasingly distant with time.

“Somewhere along the way, I got interested in this city itself and how to make it better. When Anthony Williams was appointed Chief Financial Officer for Washington, I was offered an opportunity to be a detailee in his office from my position in the U.S. Department of Transportation. When Mr. Williams became mayor, he asked if I would serve as CFO of the Police Department. Chief Ramsey had just come in from Chicago. There seemed to be so many exciting things going on at that time. With the Police Department, we were working on issues no less important than the safety of the citizens living in the nation’s capital. Still, I had no intention of staying with the city for longer than a few years. But, from the Police Department, I went to the D.C. Department of Transportation (DDOT), then Metro, and then became the City Administrator and Deputy Mayor. Now, I am back in the federal government as Treasury’s Assistant Secretary for Management, Chief Financial Officer, and Chief Performance Officer.

“One of the great stories from my time in the city is of the Circulator bus. Someone once described me as the father of the Circulator. I think that is an unfair description. There were so many people who had been working on this idea for a long time. There was the Museum Bus that cropped up in the 80’s then died, and the Blue Bus started by Ginger Latham, and the Georgetown Bid. The Blue Bus connected Georgetown and Dupont Circle. I mean, can you imagine two cooler destinations to go to and from? What was fascinating was that the bus served primarily workers in Georgetown. For them, the bus was a huge bonus because parking in Georgetown can be a nightmare and the transit connections can be unreliable. I used to joke that the bus schedule is a list of times that the bus will not come. This shuttle made it easy for people to get to work. The Blue Bus made it clear that there was a market for similar bus routes.

Continues after the jump. Read Full Post

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Danny Harris is a DC-based photographer, DJ, and collector of stories. In September, he launched People’s District, a blog that tells a people’s history of DC by sharing the stories and images of its residents. Every day, People’s District presents a different Washingtonian sharing his or her insights on everything from Go Go music to homelessness to fashion to politics. You can read his previous columns here.

Shannon – “When I moved here from Atlanta and started taking public transportation and walking around the city, I faced gender based public sexual harassment at least once a day. It was really scary. Last fall, I decided to do something about it and I took the advocacy training program at the D.C. Rape Crisis Center. That’s where I met Chai. We started talking about street harassment and realized that there was no venue in D.C. for people to talk about these issues. A lot of people don’t know that D.C. has one of the highest rates of gender based violence in the country. We wanted to bring people together to think about community solutions to the problem of harassment.

“We were really inspired by Emily May who started Holla Back in New York. Her blog’s aim was to create a forum for women to share stories about harassment. We contacted her and she shared her model and the name with us. We set up Holla Back DC! as a place for people to share their stories about harassment in D.C. We also offer workshops and training on street harassment for women and those in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) community. We believe in addressing the roots of this problem so we are doing youth outreach, too. Now, we are working to bring RightRides to D.C., which provides free rides to women and those in the LGBTQ communities on Friday and Saturday nights. We are also working with businesses to develop safe streets and safe stores where the staff are trained in dealing with street harassment and it is just a safe place for one to get away from a harasser.”

Chai – “We recognize that the medium that we use is not accessible to all individuals who are victims to this kind of harassment. Now, a lot of the stories that people share are from Northwest, but that does not mean that it is confined to that quadrant. We know it happens everywhere. We are trying to engage the victims, harassers and bystanders all around the city to better understand the problem in D.C. and work together towards a solution. Still today, a lot of folks don’t know that it’s not cool to catcall a woman. We get a lot of people telling us that harassment is the cost of living in the city. But, we see it happen in rural areas, too. Regardless of where someone lives or her socioeconomic status, a woman can feel disempowered when somebody says to her, ‘Hey baby, I want to have sex with you tonight!’ People change their walking routes and talk about how they feel differently about themselves when they are harassed.

“Look, we’re not trying to say that if it is consensual and both parties are cool with it, it is wrong. For example, a highlighted wedding story in one of the Washington newspapers this summer talked about a man who met his wife by hollering at her on the street. He said, ‘Keep doing that catwalk!’ She said, ‘Oh, you like it?’ That is literally the way it was written. It was street harassment that turned into dating then marriage. Again, we are not here to judge, but a lot of people may have been offended or scared by comments like that. While few individuals end up in loving relationships due to street harassment beginnings, the vast majority are unsuccessful and offensive to women. Some men write into our blog and say that street harassment is just a natural part of the male evolution and they can’t help themselves. My response is that given how unsuccessful of a practice it is, it should have died out through the basic laws of evolution long ago!”

Learn more about Holla Back DC! here.

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Danny Harris is a DC-based photographer, DJ, and collector of stories. In September, he launched People’s District, a blog that tells a people’s history of DC by sharing the stories and images of its residents. Every day, People’s District presents a different Washingtonian sharing his or her insights on everything from Go Go music to homelessness to fashion to politics. You can read his previous columns here.

“In 1982, I came to America at sixteen as a refugee with four of my younger brothers and sisters. At that time, my Mom was in Saudi Arabia and my Dad had recently died. I had a sister in Egypt, a brother in a Djibouti refugee camp and another sister in Greece. The whole family was scattered and I was the oldest one here and had to care for my youngest siblings all by myself. When we first came here, there were almost no Ethiopians in Minnesota. When we told our relatives where we ended up, they said, ‘Where is Minnesota?’ Nobody even knew such a place existed. Of course, the winter started and it was very tough. We also had the language barrier as I barely spoke English. Back home, we learned English from Ethiopian, Indian, Chinese, and Vietnamese teachers. When I first had an American teacher, no one understood what he was saying! We were making fun of him all of the time. We thought he had such a funny accent.

“In Minnesota, we were sponsored by a woman who helped refugees as a business. Before us, she sponsored 40 Cubans and made a lot of money off of them. She was working for the Church of God, which has good intentions, but she was just corrupt. She sponsored people and the church gave her money, but she did not give it to us. She would seek out donations, things from the garbage and other cheap things and give them to us instead of buying us the things we needed. She put us in a bad neighborhood, although bad neighborhoods in Minnesota are not like the bad neighborhoods here. We had clothes, money and maids in Ethiopia. In our life, we never had used stuff. We didn’t want it. We were in America and expected a better life. But, that was how we were introduced to America. When we finally realized what was happening and told people, they looked into it, but nothing happened to that woman. Later on, one of her sons went on to be a professional football player and she became rich. I have to laugh about it now. What else can one do?

“As she didn’t help us, we met another Ethiopian who helped me and put my brothers and sisters in school. As I started to take on more and more responsibility over the family, it became harder to stay in school. Remember, I was sixteen. I eventually left school and took three jobs to support everyone. But, with three jobs, I didn’t save a penny! Most of my money went to phone calls as I needed to talk with everyone from Egypt to Greece to Saudi Arabia to Djibouti.

“With time, I found ways to bring my family to this country one-by-one. Everyone is in America now except for two of my siblings who are still in Africa. Finally, when everyone was here and I was 20, I went back to school to be a pilot. I graduated before I got all of my licenses and then had to get a job. I told myself that I would make some money and then come back to get my commercial pilots license, but that never happened. After school, I got a job with FedEx in Minnesota and worked from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. as a manager. I had no time for anything else. In 1998, I transferred with my job to Washington, D.C. to be close to my two sisters who live here and to get away from the cold. When the opportunity came to leave my job and work in our family business, I jumped at it. In my life, I have worked enough for four people and needed a break! Now, my sister and I own Café Sureia in Brookland, which is named after my youngest sister. We make traditional American dishes, but add our Ethiopian spices to them. So, that’s the story of my life.”

Cafe Sureia is located at 3629 12th Street, NE.

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Danny Harris is a DC-based photographer, DJ, and collector of stories. In September, he launched People’s District, a blog that tells a people’s history of DC by sharing the stories and images of its residents. Every day, People’s District presents a different Washingtonian sharing his or her insights on everything from Go Go music to homelessness to fashion to politics. You can read his previous columns here.

“I teach English and coach freshman football at Gonzaga High School. My older brothers and every male cousin, that’s ten of us, went to Gonzaga. It will sound crazy, but not only did my brothers and I go to the same high school, we also all went to Gettysburg College. Like me, my older brother Chris came back to Gonzaga to coach and teach after college. This place gets into your blood and you want to give back to it. I never thought I’d be a teacher, but when I got the opportunity to come back to Gonzaga, I jumped at it. This school did so much for me in terms of taking a narrow-minded suburban kid and opening up my eyes to the fact that there are people who don’t get all they need in life.

“For me, this school is a great representation of DC. We get a diverse group of kids: city kids, suburban kids, rich kids and poor kids. When you get them all together in this place, it sorta wakes up kids to the fact that there is a world outside of their suburban subdivisions or their inner city apartment buildings. And I think with this school being in a tough neighborhood, kids are forced to see the hardships of urban living. Gonzaga is not in some beautiful suburb. When these kids walk into school ever day, they are walking by guys asking for money who have nothing. There is a soup kitchen across the street. Kids don’t need to learn about poverty when they see it every day. All kids need to have a perspective like this. These are going to be the future leaders of the world. How can you lead if you think that everyone is like you and has the same problems and the easy life that you do?

“One of the reasons I got back into coaching is because athletics are the best way to teach kids how to deal with adversity. And a lot of the kids coming to this school, even if they come from the best economic situations, are all gonna deal with or are dealing with adverse situations. Athletics is also a great way to bring kids together. I’m the head freshman football coach. These guys, from such different backgrounds, they come together right away on the field. Out here, privilege doesn’t matter, everyone is on the same team. It’s hard to explain what I see happen to these kids. In a short time on the field, they grow up both physically and mentally and learn to trust and depend on each other. These relationships last and being an alumnus of this school, the friends I met that first day of football tryouts are still my best friends. They will probably be the groomsmen at my wedding and the Godfathers to my children. Now, I get to watch these relationships develop among my athletes. Coming back to Gonzaga means a lot to me. This is s a really special place for me.”

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Danny Harris is a DC-based photographer, DJ, and collector of stories. In September, he launched People’s District, a blog that tells a people’s history of DC by sharing the stories and images of its residents. Every day, People’s District presents a different Washingtonian sharing his or her insights on everything from Go Go music to homelessness to fashion to politics. You can read his previous columns here.

“I was born in France and came to the United States in 1960. I came because I had a sister in North Carolina who suffered a tragic accident. I ended up in Washington because I had a friend here. Thirty years ago, my husband and I bought the Catania Bakery. Neither my husband nor I were bakers, but Grace Caruso, the former owner, taught me everything I know. For the last thirty years, we kept the place just as they did. We still make Italian breads using Grace’s recipes and deliver them to restaurants around the District, Maryland and Virginia.

“Back in 1932 when the Catania Bakery opened, there were Italian stores all along North Capitol Street. This was an Italian neighborhood. The Carusos used a wood burning over and delivered traditional Italian breads door-to-door. Most of the community here was from Southern Italy so it was the bread they knew from home. The Caruso family came from Nicolosi, which was at the base of Mt. Etna. Catania, the name of this bakery, is the name of the province in Sicily where Nicolosi is. You know the Italians, they can’t live without their bread so this place was a staple of the neighborhood. Now, most of the Italians are no longer here, they either died or went down south, but a few of them are still around. This bakery is the last remnant of Italian life on North Capitol Street. The Italians living around here and coming by are mostly older people. The newer Italian generation is more Americanized, but they will still come in on holidays to get some of our bread because they grew up eating at this bakery. We also do events with the Knights of Columbus, the Holy Rosary, Catholic Churches, and we used to do the bread for the big Italian convention in DC.

“The neighborhood started changing after World War II and becoming less Italian. Due to a number of reasons, the neighborhood really got bad. When we first bought the place in the late 1970’s, I never came at night because the neighborhood was so dangerous. It got better, but it is still a very dangerous place. We have children, but they are not involved with the bakery. Because of this area, my husband was not keen on having our children or grandchildren come here. We’ve had a number of robberies, some of them were big time robberies. My granddaughter used to come down and spend Saturday’s here with me ever since she was three-years-old. But, she was here during a robbery and her parents wouldn’t let her come down anymore. Now, I am here by myself. Danger is still here. But, we have been here for a long time and will stay. We are resilient. The neighborhood is getting better, but that doesn’t mean the bad elements are gone. At night, you wouldn’t want to walk around by yourself, but, the neighborhood is slowly changing with new families. Because of that, on Saturday’s, I started making and selling croissants out of the bakery. That is my French addition to this old place. Otherwise, it is and will remain Italian. You know, after all of this time here, I feel more Italian than French!”

Catania Bakery is located at 1404 North Capitol Street NW.

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