New 6D Commander Accepted, Not Welcomed
by Valencia Mohammed

Commander Robert Contee sits in his neatly arranged office, reflecting on his past endeavors with the DC Metropolitan Police Department. Although he has a somewhat young looking face, he is not a newcomer to the police force.

Contee landed an appointment as police commander of the Sixth District where he needed to gain the respect of residents who were accustomed to being catered to by the former hierarchy in the two wards.

“When we called, the last commander responded quickly,” says longtime community activist, Johnnie Mae Scott-Rice.

The last commander of the Sixth District, Robyn Hoey, was abruptly removed from his position and demoted two levels by the new DC Chief of Police, Cathy Lanier in April. Hoey was demoted to captain of the DC Central Cell Block. The “unjust” and “humiliating” demotion led Hoey to file suit in federal court.

“I understand that my decision to change the command of the Sixth District came as a surprise to many residents. However, as chief of police, I must put commanders in place who will provide the best leadership possible,” says Lanier. 

Several residents expressed that they did not want to become part of the new mayor’s political game. They wanted service; the same level of service as Contee’s predecessor delivered. Hopefully, Contee could handle it.

“Contee seems to be intelligent. His persona is that of someone willing to work with the community. We have no squabble with him. I wonder if he clearly understands what he walked into,” says Scott-Rice.

Alva Burke and her family have lived on 55th Street for decades. “I can't tell any real difference yet. Everything that Hoey was doing before, the new commander is doing," says Burke.

About the demotion, Burke says, “I don't know what happened, but it seems to be an internal fight. We are just caught in the middle. I hope when it is all over we can have Commander Hoey back, and the new person can go somewhere nice, too.”

Contee joined the Metropolitan Police Department as a police cadet in November 1989. He became a sworn member of the department three years later and quickly rose through the ranks, achieving the rank of sergeant in 1997, lieutenant in 2000 and captain in January 2004.

Acting Chief of Police Charles H. Ramsey promoted Contee to commander in charge of the second police district in August 2004. Commander Contee was transferred to the special operations division in April 2006, where he was responsible for overseeing tactical patrol, special events and traffic safety functions.

“I replaced Chief Lanier after she went to Homeland Security,” says Contee.

Commander Contee has completed the Management College at the Institute for Law Enforcement Administration and the Senior Management Institute for Police of the Police Executive Research Forum in Boston, Massachusetts. 

Contee is a command official who believes in continued education in his discipline. Currently, he is studying police science at George Washington University.

“I chose Commander Robert Contee because he is one of MPD’s finest, and I chose him with the needs of the community in mind. Commander Contee grew up in 6D, has family in 6D. His finger is on the pulse of that community, and he will serve residents well,” says Lanier.

Contee says the precinct has already begun some new tactical procedures such as addressing late night prostitution in the Eastern Avenue corridor off the Interstate 295 expressway.

“This prostitution area has been going on for quite sometime. The residents want to put a stop to it, and so do I,” says Contee.

While Contee conducts the afternoon roll call, the officers listen intently as the commander explains some new procedures underway.

"He's a good man,” said one officer, rushing out the door.

Ward 7 Briefs
by Gabriel Pacyniak

Grant Opens Door to Watts Branch Clean Up
A $500,000 grant from the federal government will fund a major restoration of the 1.75 mile Watt’s Branch, the stream that runs through Marvin Gaye Park to the Anacostia River.

“This stream restoration is really key to improving the water quality. Right now, we have a real problem with erosion and sewer leaks,” explains Dennis Chestnut, coordinator of the Watts Branch Community Alliance. “Ultimately this is going to help to improve the water quality in the Anacostia River.”

The District’s new Department of the Environment will use the funds to redesign the stream channel to minimize pollution and plant 28 acres of buffer plants that will filter stormwater pollutants from entering the stream. The stream restoration is scheduled to start this summer.

The grant is funded by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the US Environmental Protection Agency. Watts Branch was one of eight tributaries chosen in the Targeted Watershed Grants Program, which funds efforts to reduce nitrogen and phosphorous and sediment pollution to the Chesapeake Bay.

The District is also planning to relocate sanitary sewer system crossings of the stream, place stormwater reduction technology on Nannie Helen Burroughs Avenue, and has already begun a $3.1 million project to improve the Marvin Gaye hiking and biking trails. Washington Parks and People will implement a model native-tree planting program and enlarge a volunteer and community engagement program.

Washington Parks and People also won four grants totaling $75,000 for its ongoing improvements to its Riverside Center at 3200 Foote St., NE. Located adjacent to Marvin Gaye Park, the center was formerly Barnett's Crystal Lounge and the scene of Marvin Gaye's professional debut as well as the recent Marvin Gaye Music Festival. The grants will support façade improvement, solar panels, heating and cooling replacement and other green upgrades. The grant funders were the office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development, the energy division of the DC Department of the Environment, the Local Initiatives Support Corporation and Whole Foods Market.

For more information, please contact Dennis Chestnut at 202-345-5693, or e-mail dchestn@msn.com.

NE Performing Arts Group Will Lose Space, Aims to Build Art Center
Ward 7’s youth-focused Northeast Performing Arts Group has learned that it will lose its 10-year home at 3431 Benning Road, NE, and is now hoping to raise funds to build a permanent Ward 7 facility.

NEPAG director and founder Rita Jackson says the group “is being displaced by gentrification.” The building NEPAG rented from is scheduled to be redeveloped in two years, she says.

“For the past 28 years … I have dedicated my life to making a positive environment for our young people,” says Jackson in a statement. “It is imperative that no young person who needs NEPAG is ever turned away. Hopefully, [through fundraising] we will ensure that NEPAG has space for any young person who needs a safe haven.”

The organization will be hosting a series of fundraisers, beginning with the “Dynamic Gospel Explosion,” with the goal of raising $4 million to build an arts center in the ward. Jackson acknowledged it was an ambitious goal, saying “it will take major corporate sponsors and an outpouring of community support to generate [the] dollars needed to break ground for a new center.”

This year, youth from the organization put on a musical – “The Lion King Reloaded” – that won rave reviews. NEPAG also operates a before- and after-school program and a program that brings artists into Ward 7 classrooms. 

The Dynamic Gospel Explosion, a “spiritual celebration,” will be held June 16 from 6 to 9 p.m. at Suitland High School’s Annabelle Ferguson Auditorium, located at 5200 Silver Hill Road in Suitland, Md. The goal of the 2007 celebration is not only to generate funding for the NEPAG Arts Center, but also to introduce the public to talented local gospel performers that are motivated to actively make a difference in their community, says Jackson.

For more information about the performance contact: the Northeast Performing Arts Group/NE Outreach Youth Center at 202-388-1274 or nepag1@aol.com. For donation information visit their Web site at: www.nepag.net.

Sign of the Times Opens Fort Dupont Ice Arena Exhibit
Ward 7’s Sign of the Times, responsible for iconic Ward 7 murals such as the portraits of black history figures at Benning Road and Minnesota Avenue, will be opening a new art exhibit for area youth at Fort Dupont Ice Arena.

“Having a place for young artists to exhibit is important because it lifts there self-esteem and gives them a sense of pride,” says James Greggs, the organization’s director. “Especially during these times when young people are getting such bad publicity.”

The exhibit, “Visual Expressions,” will feature poetry and photography by Ward 7 youth who have been working with the organization. This exhibition is partially underwritten by the Philip L. Graham Fund and United Black Fund.

Now celebrating its 37th anniversary, the Sign of the Times Cultural Workshop and Gallery is a not-for-profit, community-based, year-round cultural arts center.

In 1972, Sign of the Times opened Mrs. Powell’s Art gallery, the first art gallery in the community, providing a cultural showcase for children’s art, emerging artists, group art exhibits and cosponsored exhibitions with Fondo Del Sol, the Smithsonian Anacostia Neighborhood Museum (now the Anacostia Community Museum) and the Smithsonian African Museum of Art (now the National Museum of African Art). Sign of the Times has also conducted “Art Awareness Workshops” in the majority of the DC public and charter elementary, junior high, middle and senior high schools in the community.

This summer, Sign of the Times will also host its 34th summer workshop program in partnership with the DC Department of Employment Services, SummerWorks, for youth 14-17 years of age who have registered for the 2007 Summer Jobs in the arts.