William Alston-El and Denise Rolark Barnes at a community meeting in 2013. All photos by the author.

In my half-decade as a reporter covering the Anacostia neighborhood I have attended nearly 400 meetings. On many occasions I’ve left one to run to another on the same evening. Some residents who’ve trundled through these meetings say there have been too many, with not enough results. Is there a better way, or is this necessary to get community input?

“All these meetings are pseudo-participation at their finest,” says Rev. Oliver “OJ” Johnson, a former ANC Commissioner who’s lived in Anacostia for 55 years. “Generally, the community never gets the feedback or follow-up reports from these meetings that we are promised.”

Meetings come from Advisory Neighborhood Commission 8A, Anacostia Coordinating Council, Anacostia Economic Development Corporation, ARCH Development Corporation, Anacostia Branch of the DC Public Library, DC Housing Authority, Historic Anacostia Block Association, Councilmember Marion Barry, Office of Planning, United Planning Organization, Metropolitan Police Department, DC Commission on Arts & Humanities, Cultural Tourism DC, Union Temple Baptist Church, Urban Land Institute, DC Department of Transportation, WMATA, Chief Financial Officer, Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development, DC Public Schools, and more.

Meeting fatigue is not a condition unique to Anacostia. Residents of Capitol Hill and other neighborhoods have been inundated with meetings for decades. Washington, for all that it lacks in local sovereignty makes up for the near endless opportunity to participate.

Most meetings happen in the immediate neighborhood or surrounding ones. But important meetings, which can determine the future of Anacostia, like with the Zoning Commission or the Alcohol Beverage Control Board, frequently occur outside of the neighborhood. Anacostia’s status as a Historic District adds an extra layer of regulation over building and renovations. There are more than 30 other Historic Districts in the city, with residents enduring a similar litany of meetings.

Johnson adds, “The meetings have slowly evolved over the decades. These meetings used to be about holding the city accountable and now they’ve become events on the social calendar. For people who’ve lived in the neighborhood for more than 15 years or longer, these meetings serve as reunions. I’ve seen people at meetings now in their mid-30s I first met attending meetings before they were in grade school because their parents initiated them decades ago. There’s a lot we may not have in Anacostia, but it’s not for a lack of meetings.”

A Mayor’s Agent hearing on the Big K development earlier this year.

New leaders restart the meeting process, frustrating longtime residents

While the cliche of Washington being a “transient city” holds true in certain sections of town, Anacostia and areas east of the river have a core of activists that have outlasted changes in local leadership.

“The community has had the same issues for decade,” says Angela Copeland, a resident of old Anacostia for more than two decades. “But, we get a fresh crew of bureaucrats every election cycle and start again from scratch. ‘What does Anacostia want/need?’ You can go crazy after a number of years having this same darn conversation.”

At many meetings, community members express their dismay at how the meeting was organized and presented. They offer statements, not questions. Some offer respectful critiques, while other residents lash out. Older residents often citicize the city for duplicating efforts; in reaction, newer people offer a willingness to do whatever is necessary to help the neighborhood revitalize.

Some people ask questions but are told it is not the correct meeting in which to ask that particular question. For example, at a Big K meeting, a resident will ask about the Anacostia streetcar. At an affordable housing meeting, a resident will ask about the CBE process for local businesses applying for government contracts. Confusion and disorientation often reigns.

A young professional speaks out at a community meeting.

On top of administrative turnover, in my 5 years covering Anacostia I’ve noticed an exodus of upstart activists, regenerated by a new wave of enthusiastic young professionals. In September 2009, I attended a meeting of the River East Emerging Leaders (or REEL). At least eight people I spoke to either no longer live East of the Anacostia River or have left the area entirely.

REEL continues to hold meetings. “Every time I go to one of their meetings they have a new Vice President or someone with a leadership title who I’ve never met before,” said one local business leader who spoke on condition of anonymity. “They interrogate me, asking who I am. I kindly tell them I helped support the formation of the organization.”

Can technology provide more ways to participate?

“Before I had a family, I used to go to meetings,” said Copeland. “It’s just harder for me to make the time, now. And, people get an attitude if you ask for an agenda in advance or minutes after or live social media interaction during or anything that attempts to break old molds. The old guard appears to enjoy keeping newer voices (I’m not a newer voice) out of the process by hanging on to old ways and dysfunction—namely lack of transparency.”

I’ve intermittently live tweeted public meetings on Big K, Barry Farm, and pending development. As a result I receive messages from residents who are unable to attend but share their thanks for documenting what is being discussed.

Although agencies maintain strict control over Anacostia meetings, leaving many to feel their participation is not valued, accessibility has improved over the years, Copeland said. “The joke for me is that the city used to hold meetings during business hours like the community didn’t work. The only people getting paid for their effort at the meetings were those who worked for the city.”

Kaya Henderson speaks to a community gathering including Councilmembers Anita Bonds and Marion Barry as well as clergy and commander of the 7th District Police Station.

Meetings play an important role

“Meetings are important,” Copeland, who is also the administrator of the Great Ward 8 Facebook page, wrote. “The most dedicated make the time and commitment and shoulder most of the burden. There are tools available (all kinds of meeting facilitation tools online, via phone) that could help spread the responsibilities. But, people have to want to let go of the control.”

One of the co-founders of REEL, Historic Anacostia Block Association, and current 8A ANC Commissioner Charles Wilson said that regular gatherings are invaluable to build a physical sense of community that trumps a digital community. “Monthly community meetings are important because it is an easy way to keep residents thoroughly informed of the issues and it allows them to communicate in person with each other. Email communication is great, but nothing beats the effectiveness of face-to-face conversations.”

When revitalization and development begin to arrive in Anacostia and the surrounding neighborhoods is uncertain, but one thing is for sure; the meetings will continue.