city
4 / June 10, 2005
Ethiopians Call for Free and Fair Elections
By Abebe Feleke and Selamawit Legesse
with notes from Mead Notkin
Thousands of Ethiopians in the D.C
metropolitan area staged a thunderous
demonstration outside the State
Department on May 26 calling for the
US to seriously monitor and save the
election process in Ethiopia, which, they
said, was marred by wide ranging fraud,
rigging, irregularities and tampering by
the incumbent regime in Ethiopia.
Some demonstrators who support
the Coalition for Unity and Democracy
(CUD) and United Ethiopian
Democratic Forces (UCDF), the two
main opposition parties contending for
power, accused the ruling party,
Ethiopian Peoples Revolutionary
Democratic Front (EPRDF) of trying to
cling to power by stealing the election
results. Other demonstrators simply
wanted to see free and fair elections in
Ethiopia.
The demonstrations chided the
Zenebech Tadesse, 70, of
Silver Spring Maryland, par-
ticipating in her first political
demonstration Thursday in
front of the State
Department. Supporters of
the opposition party are
protesting possible tallying
fraud by the ruling EPRDF
party in this week's national
election in Ethiopia, the
third in the nation's history.
Official election results
expected Monday. Photo By
Mead Notkin
regime for an early claim of victory,
before ballot counting, and for deliber-
ately delaying the announcement of pro-
visional results. Some Ethiopians who
were at the rally took this opportunity to
renounce ethnic division amongst them-
selves.
Participants of the rally, representing
every sector of the Ethiopian
Community, presented a letter expressing
their concern to Anne Simon, Ethiopia
Country Officer with the State
Department. Simon acknowledged the
demonstrators and stated that the United
States is watching the election process
very closely.
Chairman of the 2005 Ethiopian
National Election Coordinating task
force Mr. Solomon Bekele said to the
Washington Spark, "Currently, opposi-
tion supporters and ballot observers are
being abducted, intimidated, harassed
and imprisoned by the authorities with
CITY SECTION WASHINGTON SPARK / JUNE 10, 2005
Washington Spark / Issue no.
11
12
13
14
Law
Housing & Homelessness
Health
Calendar
Edited by y Selamawit Legesse and Mead Notkin
the harmful objec-
tive of obstructing
the election result."
He further stated
that the state media
has muzzled the
views of the opposi-
tion by imposing a Organizers of the
ban on their press rally address the
releases and activi- crowd. Photo
ties, while only Courtesy of
allowing the regime www.ethiopia
to propagate its basis first.com
and out right lies.
One of the par-
ticipants in the
demonstration, Mr.
Eskender
Alemayehu, said that
America should
stand for Ethiopian
people. "President George Bush, in his Washington Spark that the task force Union, African Union, and Carter
second term inauguration speech, prom- would keep conducting its peaceful Center, who are monitoring the whole
ised for those of us who are living in struggle. "In addition to our effort here process. The EU observer's mission
tyranny and hopelessness, that the in the US, we are committed to express expressed "regret" at the way Ethiopian
our problem Electoral Board was counting and releas-
so that we ing votes as well as the bias of the only
can see the government owned broadcasting media
formation of in treating news and press releases relat-
legal govern- ed to the election in favor of the ruling
ment which party.
is loyal to the On May 19, the Carter Center
rule of law. released a report on the organization's
We are plan- observation of the Ethiopian election.
The Center reported that it "deployed 50
ning to coor-
dinate similar international observers from 17 countries
demonstra- to seven regions." The preliminary state-
tion in ment indicates that the Carter Center
London, found that "some irregularities in proce-
Rome, dures did occur, the most notable being
Stockholm, that ID cards were not always checked.
Paris, and in While officials consistently asked for
other major voter cards, they failed to be equally dili-
cities of gent on the presentation of ID docu-
Europe." ments... ballots were not all counted and
marked before openings. Limited
United States of America would not There are some international observer accounts of underage voting were
ignore our oppression or excuse our teams in Ethiopia, including European reported."
oppressors." Mr. Eskinder went on, say-
ing, "USA and the rest of the interna-
tional community should warn the ruling
party to avert full-scale violence by invit-
ing rival opposition groups to dialogue."
The elections generated tremendous
excitement in Ethiopia, a nation of 71
million in which 25 million were regis-
tered to vote and of those 90 percent
turned out on election day. They were
left with enormous tension and frustra-
tion pending the finalization of the ballot
counting.
The demonstrators also condemned
Ethiopian government's imposition of a
state of emergency in Addis Ababa and
its surroundings for a month after the
May 15 election as an illegal action to
cover up the forcible alteration of the
election result in favor of the govern-
ment. Mr. Solomon Bekele told the

Activists Challenging Guantanamo and Gonzales, Still Seek Justice
Members of the DC Anti War Network protest the confirmation of Alberto Gonzales
as U.S. Attorney General outside the Supreme Court.
Photo Courtesy of Brendan Hoffman
By Pete Perry
Three Washington peace and justice
activists will soon be returning to DC
Superior Court to learn their verdict in a
trial stemming from a February 9 protest
at the US Supreme Court.
The three were protesting the abuse
of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay,
Afghanistan and Iraq, and the confirma-
tion of Alberto Gonzales as attorney
general. Gonzales is the author of a gov-
ernment memo stating the U.S. govern-
ment was not beholden to the Geneva
Convention on the treatment of prison-
ers of war when detaining individuals in
the "War on Terror."
David Barrows, Pete Perry and
Mitchell Potts were initially charged with
unlawful entry when they refused to leave
the lower steps of the Supreme Court.
The government, however, changed
the unlawful entry charge, which requires
a jury trial, to a violation of a 1949 law
prohibiting certain kinds of protests and
Observer's Notebook: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
By Michael Shiferaw
Edited by Mead Notkin
From an email, Tuesday, June 7
Let me tell you what I know about the
elections in a manner as free of bias as I
am capable. The official report of the
electoral board is still pending while com-
plaints of fraud are being investigated.
The board is forming committees com-
posed of both the complaining parties and
the accused at the disputed stations, and
international observers have been invited
to monitor the process. The official elec-
tion results will be announced after the
board has made a final determination on
the complaints. If the complaining parties
are not satisfied with the fairness of the
investigation, the board has declared they
are free to pursue their claims in court.
The tentative results have the EPRDF
with 301 of the 524 seats in parliament,
enough to form a government, and the
rallies on the property of the US
Supreme Court, four days before the trial
began on May 2. The new charge, from
US Title 40, Section 6135, has a lesser
maximum penalty and therefore did not
call for a jury trial.
"By switching the charge so soon
before the trial, the government put us at
a disadvantage," said pro-se Defendant
Potts. "We were preparing for a jury trial.
… Through this entire process the gov-
ernment has acted in bad faith."
If convicted, the defense plans to
challenge the law as a clear violation of
the US Constitution's First Amendment
during the appeal process.
During the protest, Barrows and
Potts took part in street theater, by por-
traying themselves as torture victims
wearing black hoods, sitting in stress
positions with their hands behind their
backs. Perry stood next to them holding a
sign and asked onlookers if this type of
treatment was justice.
During the trial pro-se defendants
opposition with approximately 170 seats,
but both parties are claiming victory. The
outcome of the election will be deter-
mined by the investigation, the assessment
of the foreign observers, and whether the
competing parties accept the result or not.
At present there is a heavy air of stress and
tension in Addis Ababa, and people are
afraid.
In terms of the unofficial result, the
organizational structure of the govern-
ment is such that each administrative
region is autonomous. In the capitol city
of Addis Ababa, one such autonomous
region, the opposition has won all twenty-
three seats in congress. In fact, the oppo-
sition has won a majority of seats in most
of the larger cities. The EPRDF has con-
ceded this and declared that it is ready to
hand over power when the time comes.
This means the capitol is to be adminis-
tered by the opposition while the federal
government is to be headed by the
Law
Barrows and Perry testified they had the
good faith belief that their actions were
legal: petitioning a redress of grievances
as stated in the First amendment. Since
the matter they were protesting had to do
with the violent maltreatment of prison-
ers, a clear violation of the US
Constitution's Eighth Amendment, they
felt the proper place to express them-
selves was on the property of the
Supreme Court.
US Attorney Miriam Valloy ques-
tioned the intentions of the pro-se defen-
dants. "With civil disobedience you will-
fully break a law and face the conse-
quences."
During her May 4 judgment, Wynn
agreed with the defense that the first
clause of the statute, mentioning parades,
processions and assemblages, did not
apply to the three activists.
The second clause of Section 6135
remains in question. The law states one
cannot "display a flag, banner or device
designed or adapted to bring into public
notice a party, organization, or move-
ment" while on the property of the
Supreme Court. Wynn said in her opinion
the sign and the two black hoods were
devices designed to further an issue, or
movement.
"We were not promoting any move-
ment, we were asking the court to uphold
the Constitution," Barrows said. "The
anti-torture movement in this country
ended with the passage of the 8th
Amendment in 1789."
Another witness in the three-day trial
was Harold Nelson, a member of the
Torture Abolition and Survivors Support
Coalition (TASSC), which is planning a
large rally to draw attention to the use of
torture of various governments around
the globe on June 26 in Lafayette Park.
EPRDF. This is not a normal and easy
practice for a country like ours. The oppos-
ing parties are so at odds that it seems
unlikely they will be able to cooperate and
hold the nation together for the next five
years. It's uncertain if the nation will
remain intact, let alone move towards a bet-
ter future. I say this from what I see in the
attitudes of the leaders of both parties,
especially from the opposition that seem to
want all the cake or none at all. The oppo-
sition and their supporters seem irrational-
ly bitter towards the EPRDF, so that peace-
ful coexistence may be difficult if not
impossible to achieve.
Right now we are waiting for the conclu-
sion of the investigations and the
announcement of the official result.
[Prime Minister] Meles has banned demon-
strations in order to prevent violence from
breaking out and events from spinning out
of control. The opposition claims the
prime minister has violated their constitu-
WASHINGTON SPARK / JUNE 10, 2005
11
Recent reports in the media have con-
firmed that “sadistic, blatant, and wanton
criminal abuses” (Taguba Report) have
been committed against Iraqi detainees by
U.S. personnel.
TASSC calls on the United States
government to:

Ensure the protection of all its
detainees from any form of torture or ill-
treatment.

Release all documents in its posses-
sion related to abuse of Iraqi detainees and
make public all subsequent reports of
investigations upon their completion.
TASSC calls on Congress to pledge that all
hearings on this subject will be open to the
public.
Please contact your representatives and
senators and urge them to insist on public
disclosure of all documents related to
abuse of Iraqi prisoners.
U.S. Capitol Switchboard: 202-224-3121
For the White House Comment Line:
202-456-1111.
The President’s email address is:
president@whitehouse.gov
Please contact Harold Nelson with your
information: Harold@tassc.org
More information can be found on the
group's website at www.tassc.org.
Barrows, Perry and Potts are sched-
uled to appear before Judge Wynn June
30 at 2:30 p.m. at 500 Indiana Avenue.
tional right to protest, and are even going
to court to sue him.
In the latest news the situation is deteri-
orating. On June 6, four hundred univer-
sity students protesting and shouting
through the fence of their campus were
detained by the police. There is a state of
agitation and excitement in the city.
Violence seems a real possibility, and the
police are on the alert to maintain order
and control. People do not seem to take
this positively. The city is so full of sol-
diers that it is reminiscent of life under the
Derg, the ruling committee from 1974 to
1987. Our future now hinges on how the
electoral process plays out and whether
both sides will accept the result.
Michael Shiferaw is a writer and architect liv-
ing in Addis Ababa. He is the author of a
recent study on the legendary Ethiopian poet and
novelist, Tsegaye Gabremedhin.
CITY SECTION
12 Housing and Homelessness Edited by Allison Barnett

More Affordable Housing On The Way

the waiting list only. It does not
guarantee that you will be
offered housing assistance,”
states the DCHA website.
While people are on a waiting
list, they are offered no support
and are expected to continue to
be homeless. Even if a person is
living in a shelter, many have
limitations on the number of
days they are permitted to stay.
Organizations like
Healthcare for the Homeless,
part of Unity Health Care Inc.,
are aware of these realities and
provide services to those in
need. By driving a mobile unit
around DC and stopping at
various sites, Healthcare for the
Homeless tries to reach as
many as they can.
“Starting around 6:00pm
Monday through Thursday, and
Fridays starting at around
8:00am, the van can be found
Manager of Health Care for the Homeless John Craig and driver Everett Delph work provide health in the streets of Washington
services from their Unity Health Care Mobile Unit on 24th and G. Photo by: Allison Barnett © 2004 providing medical care and
referrals,” the Unity Health
By Allison Barnett Business Journal, HUD deemed the pro-
Care website states.
gram “ineffective.” The DCHA states on
Driver Everett Delph said the program
Steps toward developing more afford- their website that Hope VI was “remark-
helps people obtain health insurance,
able housing in DC are finally being taken. ably successful.”
provides social services, and does any-
According to Director of Non-Profit The changes in Housing Production Trust
thing to support the homeless. “We
Housing and Economic Development Fund usage would make it possible for
should reach out to the homeless
Amanda Huron, housing activists, the developers to use local money in this man-
because there is a lot of it out there.”
Mayor and the City Council are planning ner.
to change the Housing Production Trust Creating affordable housing is only a
Fund to make developing affordable hous- first step. There are still major barriers for
ing in DC more efficient and large scale. eligible people to apply and obtain the
“The Trust Fund is there for developers housing that will be made available
to use to build affordable housing, and is through the Trust Fund.
targeted to the residents with the greatest People who want to apply for housing
housing needs,” Huron told the
Washington Spark.
The DC Housing Authority (DCHA)
plans to build hundreds of mixed-income
apartments in the Sheridan Terrace prop-
erty over the next two and a half years.
There are many more under construction
right now that will be completed in the
To become a “Friend of the Trust Fund”
next few years, according to Huron.
and endorse the Housing Production Trust
The changes to the Trust Fund will help Fund, email sphipps@mannadc.org
get these affordable housing projects fin-
ished sooner, and to create many more. To donate to Unity Health Care and
“The problem with the Trust Fund right Healthcare for the Homeless, go to
now is that the Department of Housing www.unityhealthcare.org
and Community Development is notori-
ously known for being inefficient, and the
available funds for developers were not can go to the Client Placement Division,
being spent,” Huron said. “But there is a located at 1133 North Capitol Street NE,
new director now who will get things on Suite 178, between 8:30am-3:45pm
track and bunches of people are working Monday-Thursday.
to reform the way the department works.” But there are problems for people
The changes being made to the depart- applying who live in shelters, transitional
ment, as well as to the Housing housing, or are homeless on the street.
Production Trust Fund usage, are especial- Applicants should expect to be on a long
ly important because there will no longer waiting list, and the DCHA will not
be federal funding for large scale afford- inform applicants how long they can
able housing projects in 2006. expect to wait. Where an applicant stands
Huron said that the Department of on the waiting list is determined by many
Housing and Urban Development (HUD) factors.
is eliminating Hope VI, a program “The District of Columbia Housing
designed to tear down distressed buildings Authority has waiting list selection prefer-
and redevelop them with affordable hous- ences for certain situations. Indicating a
ing. According to the Washington preference affects where you are placed on

CITY SECTION WASHINGTON SPARK / JUNE 10, 2005


Gates Foundation Increases Global Health Funding,
Highlights Where Progress Needs to be Made
By Justin Orndorff
At the opening session of the World
Health Organization’s annual assembly
March 16, Bill Gates advocated for the
world’s “historical chance” to eradicate
serious diseases. On behalf of the Bill &
Melinda Gates Foundation, Gates,
founder of Microsoft and recent honorary
knight, promised to more than double his
funding, to total $450 million, in order to
combat 14 major health challenges—
including improving child vaccines, creat-
ing new vaccines, controlling disease-
transmitting insects, improving nutrition
and drug treatment and improving techno-
logical conditions in developing countries
for more accurate and helpful health IT
for patient records.
The Foundation announced the increase
in funds earmarked for the Grand
Challenges in Global Health, administered
by the National Institutes of Health, to
support researching diseases which dispro-
portionately affect members of develop-
ing nations. “We are not doing enough to
deliver the solutions we do have, and we’re
not spending enough to find the solutions
we don’t have. As a result, millions of peo-
ple die every year. This doesn’t tell a flat-
tering story about humanity, but the story
isn’t over. In fact, the story is starting to
change,” said Gates.
“There is a tragic inequity between the
health of people in the developed world
Sources, from page 8
5.. Khagendra Thapa, Ph.D., "On Nepal:
Elected Criminals and Grand Corruption in
Politics," Peace Journalism, June 2005,
http://peacejournalism.com/ReadArticle.asp?
ArticleID=2692
6. Patrick Hogan, "Human Rights Crisis in
Nepal: the View of Dinesh Praisan,"
Washington Spark, May 11, 2005,
http://www.washingtonspark.org/page_imag
es/May11th2005/World_May11th2005.pdf
7."Draconian Laws to Curb Media," Kantipur
Online, 20May 2005,
http://www.kantipuronline.com/kolnews.php?
&nid=40615
8. Charles Haviland, "Nepal's Rising Vigilante
Violence," BBC News, March 14, 2005,
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/
4346597.stm
9.Chitra Tewari, "India Delivers Arms to
Nepal,"
Washington Times, May 14, 2005,
http://www.washtimes.com/world/20050513
-104752-5094r.htm
10.Somnath Ghimire, "100 Day Anniversary
of King Gyanendra's Executive Power,"
Nepali Post, May 21, 2005,
http://www.nepalipost.com/english.html#80
Public Health
Approximately six million people die each
year due to HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and
malaria—translating to over 16,000 needless
deaths each day.
It is estimated that 45 million people will
become infected with HIV/AIDS between
2002 and 2010. 29 million of these new
infections can be prevented with adequate
access to prevention and treatment pro-
grams.
In 2003, 8.8 million people fell ill with TB,
2 million people died.
Malaria killed at least a million people in
2004—with 90% of these fatalities children
and 90% from Sub-Sahara Africa.
and the health of those in the rest of the
world,” Gates continued. “I am here to
talk about how the world, working togeth-
er, can dramatically reduce this inequity.
Never before, have we had anything close
to the tools we have today to both spread
awareness of the problem and discover
and deliver solutions.”
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation,
founded in January 2000 from the merger
of the William H. Gates and Gates
Learning Foundation, seeks to promote
greater equity in the areas of global health,
education and public libraries. The
Foundation has donated over $1 billion in
grants to the United Negro College Fund,
$750 million to The Vaccine Fund and
$126.5 million to the International AIDS
A Brief History of Nepal
By Kirt Undercoffer
Nepal is the world’s only Hindu king-
dom and is composed of various ethnici-
ties and religious identities dominated by
the Hindu majority Newaris.
Nepali identity begins with the Kirati
people in the 7th century BC. They estab-
lished a kingdom in the Kathmandu valley
which continued until 200 AD.
200 AD saw the invasion of the
Licchavi from India, bringing Hinduism
which largely replaced Buddhism, and
ushered in a classical period of Nepalese
art and architecture.
The Licchavi were succeeded by the
Thakuri dynasty circa 879 AD. Nepal
endured several centuries of invasion
until the rise of the Malla dynasty, which
saw a renaissance of Nepali art and cul-
ture. Several independent city-states
were established including Kathmandu
and Patan. The Malla dynasty reached it's
height in the 15th century.
The rulers of Gorkha, west of the
Kathmandu Valley, conquered the Malla's
in 1768 and established Kathmandu as the
capital. They began a brief period of
expansion ending in 1792 following their
defeat in an invasion of Tibet.
Vaccine Initiative. The Foundation has
contributed over $3.5 billion in grants to
global health organizations.
In many cases, the global health situa-
tion has grown increasingly fragmented
and inaccessible over the past 15 years.
These rates have all increased in recent
decades due to many factors—among
them the commodification of drinking
water and the gradual dwindling and
increasingly-expensive health care run by
multinational corporations (both affecting
the areas of prevention and treatment).
Each of these diseases can be prevented,
but not without conscious change in the
hearts and minds of policymakers, trade
organizations and the power of grassroots
organizations.
One such partnership, The Global Fund
to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria
(founded in 2001), has received over $4.7
billion in funds guaranteed through 2008.
Despite the large sum, the Global Fund
remains vastly in need of financial help.
Many countries have followed suit with
the US’s recent reduction in funds, which
cut its 2004 donation by $200 million from
the previous years’ $550 million sum.
Other donors have not kept their word
after initial pledges.
Despite the recent cuts, the US remains
the Global Fund’s largest contributor—a
fact that may shackle the Fund to US pol-
icy interests, particularly in areas dealing
with treatment for sex workers and
Following a brief war with the British,
the 1816 Sugauli Treaty established
Nepal's present eastern and western
boundaries. Jung Bahadur seized power
after 1846, establishing himself as
prime minister for life and taking the
title of Rana. The Ranas later became
hereditary and ruled from Kathmandu
though the following century.
With the British withdrawal from India
in 1948, the Ranas' lost their chief sup-
port. Civil unrest followed eventually
resulting in the accession of King
Tribhuvan as ruler in 1951. His govern-
ment was comprised of Ranas and mem-
bers of the
Nepali Congress Party. King
Mahendra, successor to King Tribhuvan,
established a partyless system with the
prime minister and a large percentage of
the national assembly appointed directly
by the king.
King Birendra assumed power in 1972
but continued the partyless system until
violent protests in 1989 prompted him to
dissolve his government, legalize the
political parties and invite the opposition
to form a government. This began the
WASHINGTON SPARK / JUNE 10, 2005
Edited by Justin Orndorff 13
increasing abstinence-only programs.
However, increased international funding
to the Global Fund would insure that it
remains the strongest independent fund-
ing source for the problem of AIDS, TB
and Malaria in developing countries.
Estimates published in the journal
Science suggest that $9-12 billion is need-
ed each year to address HIV/AIDS, tuber-
culosis and malaria. The Global Fund cur-
rently sponsors and closely monitors over
300 programs with an estimated 100 pro-
grams to be added during the course of
this year.
Donate to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS,
Tuberculosis
and Malaria.
http://www.theglobalfund.org/en/donate/
Or in writing payable to:
United Nations Foundation
Attn: Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB &
Malaria
Dept. 344
Washington, DC 20055-0344
serious establishment of democracy with
the Nepali Congress Party and the
Communist Party of Nepal sharing
most of the votes. Establishing democracy
in Nepal has proven to be a difficult task,
complicated by a poor economy, illiteracy
and an ethnically fragmented population.
The Maoist rebellion, beginning in 1996
and concentrated in Western Nepal, posed
further challenges.
June 2001 saw the massacre of the
Nepaili royal family by Crown Prince
Dipendra in an alleged family dispute over
the queen's disapproval of Dipendra's girl-
friend. Dipendra was nominally king for
two days until he died of self-inflicted
wounds. Consequently Prince Gyanendra,
brother of King Birendra ascended to the
throne. King Gyanendra has dissolved the
government at least twice and seems to
have had even less success with quelling
the Maoist rebellion than his brother. Of
late the Maoists have extended their
war sporadically into 74 of Nepal's 75
districts, while essentially establishing con-
trol of seven districts.
CITY SECTION
14
JUNE
June 10
Provisions Library Hosts Workshop
by PEN
Provisions is proud to announce this year's
DHARMA AND DIVERSITY workshop, June
10-12, 2005. The workshop is entitled Culture
Clash: Journeys Out to the World & Down to
the Self, and features Literary Award Winner
Faith Adiele, English Professor at the University
of Pittsburgh and author of MEETING
FAITH: The Forest Journals of a Black
Buddhist Nun. To register contact:
Provisions Library
1611 Connecticut Ave NW, Wash DC, 20009
202-299-0460
Official Capital Pride 2005
Opening Party at Cobalt
Friday June 10, 10 p.m.-3 a.m
Come let loose and be proud, with a few hundred
of your friends! Featuring music all night by
world-famous DJ DAVID KNAPP (Roxy/Twilo
/Limelight/NYC/Atlanta) and hosted by Miss
Lena Lett and Miss Capital Pride 2005. .. 21+ w/
ID, cover. For more information visit:
www.cobaltdc.com and ww.madtizzy.com
June 11
DC Premiere of the New Film:
22/8: The Jeff Luers Story
Saturday June 11, - 7pm
$5 donation to benefit Jeff Luers
In Solidarity with the June 10-12 Weekend of
Resistance for political prisoner Jeff "Free" Luers:
www.freefreenow.org
June 2005 marks the five-year anniversary of
Oregon environmental political prisoner, Jeff
"Free" Luers. Jeff was sentenced to more than 22
years in prison for burning three Sport Utility
Vehicles (SUVs) at a car dealership in Eugene,
Oregon, and on attempted arson charges. Jeff set
fire to SUVs to call attention to climate change
and to protest oil wars and environmental
destruction. He was well-known to law enforce-
ment because of his involvement with national
forest protection (starting an occupation of a
controversial old-growth timber sale in 1998),
anti-police brutality activism (documenting ram-
pant police abuse in Eugene), free food programs
in a local park and his teaching of self-defense to
women. Since his imprisonment, Jeff has contin-
ued to be extremely active in prison and fight
oppression with his words and inspiration.
June 12
Annual Capital Pride Parade
Sunday June 12, Washington Park.
Line Up 9:45 AMStep Off at 11:30 AM.
This year's Parade will be even bigger! This year's
parade route starts at Sprague Place, goes out to
Washington Avenue, down to Lark Street, all the
way to Madison Avenue, onto Willet Street and
back into the park at Hudson Avenue at which
time a full day of celebration will begin at the fes-
tival grounds. Come watch the parade and then
join us in Washington Park immediately after for
the start of our Annual Pride Festival.
June 16
Framework Panel Four: Artist as Activist
Friday June 16, 6:00pm-8:00pm
Provisions Library
Light refreshments. This event is free and open to
the public. Please join us. Transformer, in partner-
ship with Provisions Library, is pleased to present
Artist as Activist - a panel discussion focusing
on the artists, artwork and curatorial themes of
two current exhibitions:
We Could Be Heroes
May 21 - June 25 at Transformer, and
On the Subject of War
May 4 - June 26 at Provisions Library.
CITY SECTION WASHINGTON SPARK / JUNE 10, 2005
City Cale n d ar
June 17
Global Protests at Embassies
Two days before the "arrest yourself" events on
June 19th, we are calling on individuals and
groups around the world to organize mega-
protests in front of embassies of Burma's military
regime. Where possible, we call on individuals and
groups to conduct peaceful civil disobedience
aimed at disrupting the activities of the
embassies.
In Washington, DC activists will "deliver" 6,000
birthday cards (in honor of Aung San Suu Kyi's
60th birthday) signed by people living in the
United States to Aung San Suu Kyi. If the
embassy refuses to accept the cards, we may leave
them in a ceremonious heap on the front steps.
http://www.uscampaignforburma.org
The Autobiography of Medgar Evers
Friday June 17, 6:30 pm
Karibu Books
The Mall at Prince George's
Myrlie Evers-Williams along with Manning
Marable will discuss and sign The Autobiography
of Medgar Evers. Medgar Evers was one of the
greatest leaders of the civil rights movement - and
for that, he was assassinated. This June marks the
42nd anniversary of his death. There has been
much written on Martin Luther King, Jr. and
Malcolm X, but until now, Medgar's story, in his
own voice, has not been told.
June 20
Hiroshima/Nagasaki Never Again!
The Nagasaki-Hiroshima Peace Committee
is conducting their third annual essay contest
to send a national capital area youth to represent
the Committee at the World Conference
Against the Atom and Hydrogen Bombs in
Hiroshima and Nagasaki Japan.
The Committee has been working since 1980 to
break the silence about the tragedy that took
place in 1945, when our own government explod-
ed two atomic bombs on the Japanese at the end
of World War II.
The Committee seeks a mature youth (age 17-26).
He or she must compete in an essay contest by
submitting a 700 - 1,000 word essay emphasizing
our message of Hiroshima/Nagasaki Never
Again! Abolish Nuclear Weapons!"
The deadline is June 20, 2004. The person cho-
sen as delegate will have all travel and other
expenses covered and will give several talks
and/or speeches on the subject. The Please send
essays and correspondence c/o:
John Steinbach
7615 Lake Drive
ManassasVA 20111
(703)369-7427
June 23-27
June 30-July 4
SMITHSONIAN
FOLKLIFE FESTIVAL
11am.-5:30pm daily
5:30pm-9pm evening events
A celebration of contemporary living traditions.
The Festival typically includes daily and evening
programs of music, song, dance celebratory per-
formance, crafts and cooking demonstrations, sto-
rytelling, illustrations of workers' culture, and nar-
rative sessions for discussing cultural issues. The
Festival encourages visitors to participate - to
learn, sing, dance, eat traditional foods, and con-
verse with people presented in the Festival pro-
gram. www.folklife.si.edu/CFCH/folklife
June 25 and 26
DC Caribbean Carnival
Banneker Park
$5 admission, Parade free
DC Caribbean Carnival is one of the fastest grow-
ing Carnivals in North America.
To date, all of the participating groups have been
local to the DC Metropolitan Area, comprising of
representatives from every Caribbean country.
The carnival has enjoyed support from several
local, national and family-owned businesses. The
highlight of the Carnival is the annual parade,
which includes twenty-two colorful bands of mas-
queraders accompanied by the sweetest, most
infectious music, will be dancing up a storm down
Georgia Avenue from Missouri Avenue, NW to
Banneker Park, NW across from the campus of
Howard University.
www.dccaribbeancarnival.com
June 29 - July 2
STARVIN' FOR JUSTICE 2005
12th Annual Fast & Vigil
to Abolish the Death Penalty,
at the U.S. Supreme Court
9:30pm - Last Supper: The Last Supper will take
place at "Taverna The Greek Islands," which is
located at 305 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE, just down
the street from the Library of Congress, and only
three blocks from SCOTUS. They know who we
are, they like us, we have a reservation, we can
order off the menu again this year, there will be
plenty of choices for vegetarians, and to quote the
boss, "We will take care of you." Plan to spend $8
to $15, not including drinks.
http://www.abolition.org
June 30
ERIK SAAR and VIVECA NOVAK
INSIDE THE WIRE
Politics and Prose
5015 Conn. AveNW, Wash DC 20008
(Penguin Press, $24.95)
Army sergeant Erik Saar's description of the sexu-
al interrogation tactics used on prisoners at
Guantanamo shocked the world when it was
leaked to the Associated Press in January. In col-
laboration with journalist Viveca Novak, Saar
details his experience as an enthusiastic volunteer
in the War on Terror who witnessed torture and
abuse at the prison camp.
Closing
On the Subject of War
Location: Provisions Library
1611 Conn. Ave NW, Suite 200, Wash DC 20009
202-299-0460
Closes June 26th
How much can we know about war?
This exhibition of contemporary art raises dilem-
mas of recording in pictures the atrocities and
absurdities of war. The artists not only document
war but lead us to confront our own relationship
to these horrifying realities.
Our calendar is just the tip of the iceberg!
This calendar may include listings from the following websites:
Activist Events:
http://activistevents.org
Metro DC Committee of Correspondence:
http://www.dccofc.org
DC Calendar of Events:
http://app.calendar.rrc.dc.gov/directory.aspx
DC Independent Media:
http://dc.indymedia.org/
U.S. Campaign for Burma:
http://www.uscampaignforburma.org
Capital Pride:
http://www.capitalpride.org/flash/index.html
Edited by Jennifer Holder
Please send community announcements & event info to:
calendars@washingtonspark.org
Due to space limits we can't guarantee that we can
print every item, but we'll try!
Ongoing
Annual Summer Film Series
Wednesdays June 9th to July 21st. 12:00 PM
Institute for Policy Studies,
733 15th Street NW, Suite 1020
Foreign Policy In Focus is proud to announce its
annual summer film series.
Generation X-Saddam.
A Film By Shelly Saywell,
First Run/Icarus Films
Q&A with Anas Shallal, Iraqi Dissident and Co-
Founder of the Mesopotamia Cultural Society and
Peace Cafe. This timely and eerily prophetic film
weaves together the lives of several Iraqis both
just before and just after the US-led war to topple
Saddam Hussein. Examines the historical implica-
tions of US foreign policy towards Iraq and how
the chaos following the war has impacted the lives
of Iraqis from across economic, social, and politi-
cal spectrums. This a free event, with light refresh-
ments. For more information, contact
Adam Waxman
202-234-9382
adam@ips-dc.org
The Sudan Campaign
Weekdays at noon
2210 Mass Ave., NW
The Christian Solidarity International (CSI)
demonstrations and arrests continue at Sudan
Embassy. The Sudan Campaign calls for daily
demonstrations and nonviolent civil disobedience
at the Sudanese Embassy, 2210 Massachusetts
Ave., NW, in Washington, D.C. at noon to Stop
the Genocide and Free the Slaves. The demonstra-
tions call for humanitarian intervention Darfur
and opposition to genocide in Sudan.
Call 202-498-8644 or
www.darfurgenocide.org
Women in Black Vigil
Every 3rd Wednesday 6:30-7 pm
Martin & Patrick Sts., Frederick, MD
WIB does a silent vigil mourning all violence the
third Wednesday of the month. Wear black, but
bring no additional signs.
Call 301-834-7581 or
wibfrederick@mizmail.com
Picket At The Embassy Of Haiti
Wednesdays 12 noon - 1:30pm
Embassy Of Haiti
2311 Massachusetts Ave. NW
Democracy activists are under brutal attack in
Haiti or in exile. Political prisoners fill the jails,
executed bodies fill the morgues and families flee-
ing persecution sleep each night in a different
place.
Free All Political Prisoners In Haiti!
Stop State Sponsored Terror In Haiti Now!
Contact Epica at 202-332-0292,
or by e-mail at alternatives-usa@epica.org
www.epica.org
Karibu Books:
http://www.karibubooks.com/
Washington Peace Center:
http://www.washingtonpeacecenter.org
The Abolitionist Action Committee:
http://www.abolition.org
Politics and Prose:
http://www.politics-prose.com/
D.C. Caribbean Carnical:
http://www.dccaribbeancarnival.com
Provisions Library:
http://www.provisionslibrary.org

Photoblogger Group’s
Debut in DC
As DC Flickr regular John Windmueller
put it, “what started as a ‘hey, wouldn't it
be cool if...’ question has grown into a
real event that's going to happen thanks
to the enthusiasm, creativity, and work of
lots of DC Flickr folks.”
Flickr—for those not yet in the know—is
an online photo management and sharing
program that functions more like a cyber-
space community of photography enthu-
siasts, collectors of vacation snapshots,
and everything in between. And the “real
event” is a photo exhibit (physical, not
virtual) featuring select works by about
two dozen regular members of the
Washington DC/Metro Area Flickr
group, a club of sorts that is slowly but
surely expanding from the world of inter-
net message boards to in-person meet-ups.
Naranja Mecanica, Erick Adali
T Street Traffic Light, Matthew Bradley
Photography Edited by Brendan Hoffman 15
The Mall, John Ulaszek
The Washington DC/Metro Area group
includes about 340 members; the group
“photo pool” is a repository of more
than 3000 photos that anyone can browse
or search by key words. It’s open to the
public, so if you live in the DC area or
have some great photos of the area you’d
like to share, log on and join in.
Target Opening Date: June 25, 2005;
should remain up for viewing for about
two weeks.
Location: El Tamarindo restaurant, 7331
Georgia Ave. NW, Washington, DC
For more information: Erick, (202) 291-
0525 Some of the photos in the exhibit
will be available for sale.
For more information about Flickr or to On the Potomac, Jennifer Foley
open a free account, visit www.flickr.com
Birds in Flight, Matt Billings
WASHINGTON SPARK / JUNE 10, 2005 CITY SECTION