The Langston Civic Association's liquor  license protest of Sylvia's Liquor continues to move forward even after the store's owner failed to appear at a  mandatory mediation with the Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration (ABRA) on Thursday, June 21, 2018.

The Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) Board which oversees ABRA and grants liquor licenses required that the store attend the session to discuss safety concerns.

Sydelle Moore attended the mandatory session to share issues submitted by neighbors about recent murders, drug activity, violent as well as sales of alcohol to minors. Although most ABRA protests end in a settlement between the store and the community, the owner's failure to appear makes this outcome unlikely.
 
Comm. Kathy Henderson (ANC 5D05) attempted to represent the store at the missed June 21 session. Henderson originally voted to protest the store's license on March 13, but ANC 5D lost the right to protest after she failed to submit paperwork or appear at a June 4 hearing. 

Henderson appeared at ABRA to request a new mediation date because the owner told her he was too busy to attend the mandatory session. Henderson, however, failed to provide documentation authorizing her to represent the store and is not an attorney, so she could not legally make requests on the owner’s behalf.
 
The June 21 mediation was scheduled several weeks in advance after the owner had already missed two non-mandatory sessions.
 
ABRA contacted the owner directly, after the missed session, but he has failed to reschedule. The owner did make an unscheduled appearance at ABRA alongside Henderson on June 25, but failed to notify ABRA or LCA and no mediator was available when they arrived.

​The ABC board will hold a final hearing to determine the status of the store's license on August 1, 2018. If you would like to testify, please contact Sydelle Moore at sydelle202@gmail.com or 202-681-6159 before Friday, July 13, 2018

The DC Tutoring and Mentoring Initiative (DCTMI), which partners with over 40 organizations across the DC metro area is interested in recruiting volunteers for this summer and the upcoming school year.

More than 2 out of 3 DC students (over 60,000 youth) read below grade level. Many more have other academic or non-academic needs. The group is trying to pair each of these students with a volunteer who can assist with academic and non-academic reading support for as little as one hour per week. 

Members of the Langston Civic Association met Tuesday night to discuss a variety of upcoming events in our community. 

Capt. Duncan Bedlion of MPD updated the community on recent crimes in the area and requested the association's support for an upcoming collaboration between DPW, DCRA and MPD to tackle vacant properties that have become haven's for drugs and other crime. The civic association's president, Sydelle Moore recently sponsored  a community walk-through to identify these properties and other ongoing issues with Mayor Bowser's Office of Community Relations and members expressed approval that MPD would be making an effort to address these concerns.

Community members also heard presentations from Community Mediation DC, received an update on RFK redevelopment and talked over the details of several upcoming projects and events in our community with the Anacostia Watershed Society.

Our association will be partnering with the Anacostia Watershed Society to do several projects this year including:

• Painting storm drain murals (See Other Murals and Share Your Thoughts)
• Professionally landscaping portions of 19th St. NE
• Hosting two free boat cruises for members of the community 
• Hosting a boating excursion for the children attending summer camp at the Patsy Hartsfield Center

Please keep an eye on our blog for additional details about these upcoming events. 

Please remember these drawing are not completed. They are just sketches. 

The new owner of the Food 7 Store also attended the meeting to share his plans for addressing some of the longstanding issues at the store and reaffirm his commitment to abiding by the terms set in our settlement agreement. Community members thanked him and then continued the conversation by discussing ways that Sylvia's Liquor could improve safety near the store. Everyone has until the end of the week to submit suggestions for a possible settlement agreement with the store. Learn more about what types of suggestions can be made and how to make them by reading our previous post on this topic. 

Mayor Bowser and Cm. McDuffie also sent representatives to offer updates on the budget and what their offices are doing to address violent crime.  You can read  about Cm. McDuffie's work on his website.

Come out this weekend to mark the anniversary of Langston Golf Course (2600 Benning Road NE) at the Langston Heritage Celebration. Langston Golf Course takes its name from John Mercer Langston, an African-American abolitionist, U.S. Representative from Virginia during Reconstruction, and the first dean of Howard University School of Law. The course was established in 1939, and at the time it was one of only two local courses where African-American golfers could play. GolfDC hosts the annual Langston Heritage Celebration to commemorate the rich history of African-American golf. It's a celebration of gratitude toward the course's community of nationwide supporters and a welcome to its future generation of golfers. The festivities will take place Saturday, June 9th from 12pm to 2pm. 

This family friendly event is open to the public, and you can even ride the DC Streetcar to get there.

Free Activities
· Event exhibits and golf gifts (12–2pm)
· Free full swing lessons at the driving range (12–1pm)
· Free short game lessons at the practice green (1–2pm)
· Visit with Langston historians & take part in the Heritage Trivia Challenge (12–2pm)
· Free fresh popcorn and face painting compliments of DC Streetcar (12–2pm)
· Nature exhibit of park flora & fauna compliments of the National Park Service (12–2pm)
· Free golf giveaways every 15 minutes (12–2pm)
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Special Offers (all day)
· Free frozen treat at the Langston Clubhouse Grille while supplies last (6am–7pm)
· Free range balls with 9H or 18H greens fee (6am–7pm)
· Discounted range balls -- small $2; med $4; large $8 (6am–7pm)