Tag Archives: Washington DC

Iconic D.C. Restaurant Ben’s Chili Bowl Struggles To Remain Open Amid Coronavirus Crisis

Ben's Chili Bowl Celebrates 55 years in Business

Source: The Washington Post / Getty

Ben’s Chili Bowl is one of the iconic landmarks of Washington, D.C., and the world-famous restaurant has enjoyed measurable fanfare for over six decades. But like many other eateries and businesses nationwide, the owners are struggling to stay afloat amid the coronavirus pandemic that has gripped the region.

Virginia Ali, who founded the restaurant alongside its namesake and her late husband Ben Ali, spoke with local news outlet WUSA 9, sharing how they’re combating the loss of business and the new realities experienced by all in the face of the COVID-19 disease.

Ali shared that Ben’s Chili Bowl has managed to stand despite several sweeping changes in the city since it first opened in 1958, including the riots that turned much of the famous U Street corridor into barren land in its wake. Ali’s daughter, Vida Ali, shared with the outlet that the region-wide stay-at-home orders have forced Ben’s to close two of its locations, keeping its flagship U Street operation open for pickup and delivery orders.

“We had to close every restaurant except U Street,” Vida Ali shared during a Skype interview. “So loss is 100 percent at every restaurant. What we found in just trying to keep U-Street open and trying to keep team members employed, we’re keeping it open at a loss.”

The outlet shared information regarding a survey issued by the National Restaurant Association that highlights the impact coronavirus-related shutdowns are having on that business segment. Thus far, the survey states that three percent of restaurants nationwide will shutter their doors permanently. If the shutdown continues through April, that number could grow to 14 percent.

Ben’s Chili Bowl and other business owners are able to apply for the Federal Paycheck Protection Program, which is part of the CARES Act, to help themselves stay afloat during this economic downturn.

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Source: HipHopWired.com

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D.C. Dummies: Washington Shuts Down Wharf After Social Distancing Rules Violated

Life in the SW quadrant, in Washington, DC.

Source: The Washington Post / Getty

As the nation wrestles with the spread of the novel coronavirus and flattening the curve of COVID-19, a gathering this weekend was a spectacular failure in preventing more potential cases. Washington, D.C.‘s popular Wharf area was packed with people not observing the social distancing rules thus getting the operation shut down.

Nestled in Washington’s Southwest section, The Wharf has been a hot spot for years for those looking to buy fresh seafood and other goods. In recent times due to the rapidly gentrifying region, it has also become part of the city’s nightlife and dining scene with several establishments erected in the past few years. Photos of the crowd began surfacing on social media, sparking shock and anger and the negligence of not only the patrons but the people serving the public as well.

As reported by local outlet NBC 4, Mayor Muriel Bowser issued an order that vendors at the open-air Municipal Fish Market at The Wharf will have to close down. Travel to the area will be allowed for residences and workers in the region according to a statement from the Wharf Community Association.

The vendors will be allowed to operate once they share their plans with the D.C. Restaurant Association officials on ensuring that social distancing rules are observed.

The latest numbers provided by the city note that 1,097 cases reported with 19 deaths. There isn’t a record of hospitalization as the city hasn’t provided those numbers. In comparison, Maryland has reported over 4,000 positive cases and 91 deaths, with Virginia reporting nearly 2,900 cases and 54 deaths.

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Source: HipHopWired.com

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Crank Committee: City Council Holding Public Hearing To Make Go-Go Music Official Music Of D.C.

US-GENTRIFICATION-ENTERTAINMENT-SOCIAL-MUSIC-GO-GO

Source: ERIC BARADAT / Getty

The city of Washington, D.C. united under the banner of its homegrown musical genre Go-Go with the hashtag #DontMuteDC, this after what appeared to be an attack to silence the artform.  Today, the City Council will hold a public hearing this afternoon in an attempt to officially name Go-Go the official music of the Nation’s Capital and hopefully aid in the rapidly colonized gentrifying city in maintaining some of its original flavor.

In a New York Times op-ed from Dr. Natalie Hopkinson, the Howard University professor positions several points in the piece that support the myriad number of reasons why Go-Go music deserves to be recognized as the sound of Washington.

From the op-ed:

In April, residents of luxury apartments in the gentrifying, historically black U Street area complained about the noise from a Metro PCS store that had been known since the 1990s for playing loud go-go music. When the music was turned off in the wake of a threatened lawsuit against T-Mobile, which owns Metro PCS, thousands of residents took to the streets to protest, using the digital battle cry #DontMuteDC to spread their message. More than 80,000 people signed a “Don’t Mute DC Go-Go Music and Culture” petition I created with the activist Ronald Moten. John Legere, T-Mobile’s chief executive, tweeted, “I’ve looked into this issue myself and the music should NOT stop in D.C.!”The store turned its music back up.

But the go-go music, culture, community and economy were in a state of emergency even before this particular attempt to silence the music. Washington has been gentrified faster than any other city in the United States. More than 20,000 black Washingtonians were displaced between 2000 and 2013. Music education has been stripped from many schools. The Metropolitan Police Department’s “go-go report” of where bands were playing helped criminalize go-go culture. Curfew laws in the 1980s targeted go-go venues but excluded movie theatres and venues for European performance art. The city’s Alcoholic Beverage Control Board has been cracking down on go-go club owners since the 1990s.

City Councilman Kenyan McDuffie has introduced the legislation that will go heard today at 4:00 PM EST at the John A. Wilson Building, which houses the office of Mayor Muriel Bowser and the City Council as well.

It is a fascinating piece from Dr. Hopkinson and rightfully details why Go-Go music should have the honor and distinction of holding the title of Washington, D.C.s official music. Read the full op-ed here.

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Source: HipHopWired.com

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Inmate Who Was Assisted By Kim Kardashian Released After 23 Years

DC Youth Rehabilitation Act

Source: The Washington Post / Getty

An inmate who served 23 years at a Washington, D.C. jail has now been released. Momolu Stewart received help towards gaining his freedom by way of Kim Kardashian‘s efforts and he is no doubt grateful for the assistance.

In a profile on Stewart from Oxygen, Stewart, now 39, entered prison after the New Year’s Day shooting of Mark Rosebure. Stewart’s co-defendant, Kareem McCraney, was released in 2018 with both men benefiting from the Incarceration Reduction Amendment Act.

While behind bars at the DC Central Detention Facility, commonly known as the D.C. Jail, Stewart became a part of the Georgetown Prison Scholars under Dr. Mark Howard, who praised Stewart’s transformation from a street tough to a man who wants to contribute to society.

Stewart seemed extremely humbled by Kardashian’s assistance as evidenced by his chat with Oxygen.

“She has the ability to believe in others when the conventional aspect of things would be to shun ‘em,” Stewart said.

Kardashian penned a letter on Stewart’s behalf that explained his violent and troubled childhood, which included his mother killing his father when he was six-years-old thus becoming part of the street life in Washington.

Stewart will be featured in the upcoming documentary Kim Kardashian West: The Justice Project which will air on the Oxygen network.

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Source: HipHopWired.com

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Eating On DC Metro While Black: Author Natasha Tynes Snitched On Metro Employee Eating On Train, Twitter Dragging Is Exquisite

Washington METRO

Source: Bill Clark / Getty

Author Natasha Tynes is enduring a dragging of immense proportions after she took time out of her commute in Washington, D.C.’s Metro system to bother a Black woman. Tynes was miffed that an employee for the transit authority was eating breakfast on a train and took to social media to blast the woman, but folks on Twitter called foul in unison over Tynes’ unfair attack.

Tynes, who we should note is a non-Black woman of color, identifies as Jordanian-American, works for the World Bank and the IFC as its social media lead. In a now-deleted tweet, Tynes took a photo of the Black woman Metro employee and tagged not only WMATA, the lead authority for the service, but also snarky blog Unsuck DC Metro, which used to be an irreverent look at the transit system’s myriad issues but now mirrors the same tone as some of the gentrifying young white professionals infiltrating the region.

In the past 24 hours or so, Tynes appears to be close to losing her book contract and publishing deal, this after she offered perhaps the weakest non-apology apology tweet ever before locking her account. However, Twitter is keeping up the pressure and we’ve collected some of the responses below.

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Source: HipHopWired.com

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