‘Flashback’: 40 Years of D.C. Pride
• June 4, 2015

Pride in Washington has come a long way since local gay activists put together a one-time event to promote and celebrate lesbian-gay-bisexual-transgender identity in 1972.
Those organizers pushed the boundaries in an age when gay sex was illegal and gay federal employees were fired for being gay — based on rationale that they were “perverts,” and therefore, security risks. They likely couldn’t have imagined the strides our country, or the world, would make with gay rights over the next 40 years.

But the purpose of the event hasn’t changed. “Every Pride is someone’s first Pride. When it’s your first Pride and you’re just coming out, you really need that mix of the political and celebratory,” says Chip Lewis, Capital Pride’s communications director.

Over the decades, however, a small demonstration has evolved into a spectacular slew of events drawing hundreds of thousands of visitors — not to mention hefty corporate sponsorships from mainstream companies and participation by traditionally conservative groups like the Boy Scouts of America.

Pride became an annual event in Washington starting in 1975, first led by community leaders like Deacon Maccubbin. For several years, LGBT-centric organizations like Whitman-Walker organized the event. In 2008, volunteers formed the Capital Pride Alliance to keep Pride traditions alive, as Whitman-Walker struggled financially.

Since its founding, Capital Pride has done more than just continue Washington’s lesbian-gay-bisexual-transgender traditions. The organization and its volunteers have ushered in a new era of Pride in the District marked by broader attendance, new sponsors, more floats, parties, festival themes and a gala celebrating prominent supporters of gay rights, like this year’s honoree, former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder.

“For me what’s exciting is the continuing growth of excitement and energy around the event and what our community produces for Pride,” says Capital Pride Executive Director Ryan Bos. Chatting about this year’s celebration, his eyes light up, his fingers tap and he twirls the piece of candy in his mouth. (Bos keeps a jar full of Laffy Taffy, Dum Dums and other treats in his office at all times, FYI.)

Bos is particularly pumped for this year’s theme of “Flashback,” laughing as he describes how eager he is to see how the theme “manifests itself at the parade and opening party at Arena Stage.”

Capital Pride is planning for attendance in the hundreds of thousands for this June’s festivities. Parade highlights include color guards from the U.S. military and the Boy Scouts, and floats put on by several local schools and faith-based educational groups. Bos says, “We try to create a place for anyone who wants to participate.”

Lewis, a holdover from Whitman-Walker and the organization’s gay-history buff, notes the changing face of Pride sponsors. Lewis says, “A few years ago, our primary sponsors were beer and vodka companies like Budweiser and Absolut. Now there are a lot more banks.” In addition, Bos points out that Northrup Grumman, a major security and defense company, is sponsoring this year’s events in honor of the repeal of “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell.”

Some have come to think Pride is just an excuse for massive partying, but Lewis disputes this, “Every time you bring the community together, you want to remind them that even though we’ve made progress, there’s still a lot that needs to be done.” He and Bos mention that transgender issues, LGBT homelessness, bullying, HIV and elderly people returning to the closet in assisted living are issues that still encumber the gay community.

“‘Don’t Ask Don’t Tell’ is the only LGBT issue that has been completely resolved nationwide,” states Lewis. That said, “When you bring people together who live every day under fear of discrimination, and bring them into a safe space, they’re going to want to have fun.”

Both Bos and Lewis see D.C.’s Pride celebrations reaching a larger audience than just the gay community. Bos says Pride in the District has become more than a celebration of gayness. “It’s not ‘I’m gay and I’m proud.’ It’s that ‘I’m happy for whoever you are and whatever you are,’ and there’s no need to label it.”

As for those who haven’t experienced Pride yet, for any number of reasons, Bos says, “Just come watch and you’ll be amazed by the sheer diversity of people in the community who are just excited to be who they are.”

The Latest Issue of The Georgetowner
• June 2, 2015

$13-Billion Budget Treats Georgetown: Hyde-Addison, Canal Fix, New Barge, Bridge Lighting — and Gondola Study
• June 1, 2015

The 2016 D.C. budget, totaling $12.96 billion, has “something for everyone,” as Mayor Muriel Bowser and Councilman Jack Evans said during the annual meeting of the Citizens Association of Georgetown.

Just hours after the District Council approved the biggest budget ever for D.C., Bowser, Evans and CAG officials and awardee gathered May 27 at Sea Catch Restaurant, which is next to the C&O Canal on 31st Street. In fact, the canal did well by the budget: $3 million is slated from D.C. for a general reconstruction and a new cannel barge with matching funds from private sources.

Included in the budget was $35,000 to the District Department of Transportation for a study looking at running an aerial gondola over the Potomac River from Georgetown to Roslyn, Va. This popular favorite of an alternative mode of transportation grabbed headlines immediately with local news outlets. Additional money for the gondola option is required from Arlington County.

More importantly for Georgetown, however, the Hyde-Addison Elementary School construction is now scheduled for June 2016 — $9 million, to start, for a cafeteria and gymnasium. More money will be available in the next budget, as the school project will take two years. This change from a later start time of 2017, which was lamented by Hyde parents, was largely due to persuasion from Councilmembers Evans and David Grosso.

Also, in the budget is funding for lighting projects which will illuminate the undersides of Key Bridge and the Whitehurst Freeway, both of part of beatification programs advocated by the Georgetown Business Improvement District as is the concept of an aerial gondola.

Meanwhile, the council did turn down Bowser’s budget proposal to raise sales taxes and parking garage taxes, but tickets for an expired parking meter will increase from $25 to $30.

Police Name, Search for Suspect in Woodley Park Murders
•

D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department named Daron Dylon Wint, 34, a suspect in the May 14 murders of Savvas Savopoulus, his wife, Amy Savopoulos, their son Philip, and a housekeeper, Veralicia Figueroa, at the Savopoulus home in Woodley Park.

Because of DNA left on a crust of pizza and a criminal record, Wint matched the forensic evidence.

“He is wanted pursuant to a D.C. Superior Court arrest warrant charging him with Murder One while Armed,” MPD reported. “He is described as a black male, approximately 5’7” in height, weighing approximately 155 pounds.”

Wint is suspected of being in or around New York City, especially Brooklyn.

“Right now, you have just about every law enforcement officer across the country that is aware of his open warrant and are looking for him,” said MPD Chief Cathy Lanier at a midday press conference May 21. “Even his family has made pleas for him to turn himself in.”

“For residents of the District who are rightfully scared and want answers as to why and how this family may have been involved, we want to give you as many answers as we can,” Lanier said. “What we can tell you right now is that we do believe there is a connection between the suspect in this case through the business. So right now it does not appear that this was a random crime.”

Wint is reported to have worked as a welder for American Iron Works in Hyattsville, Md., where Savvas Savopoulus was the CEO. Wint had gone through Marine Corps boot camp but left after five weeks.

On May 21, CNN reported: “On Thursday, U.S. Marshals and NYPD detectives questioned a woman believed to be Wint’s girlfriend, according to two law enforcement sources involved in the investigation. The sources said the girlfriend, who lives in Brooklyn, told authorities that she spoke to Wint and that he was planning to turn himself in.”

The May 14 murder of Savvas Savopoulus, 46, and his wife, Amy Savopoulos, 47, as well as their 10-year-old son, Philip, who attended St. Alban’s School, and a housekeeper, Veralicia Figueroa, 57, has shocked friends of the family, which lived blocks away from Washington National Cathedral and the home of Vice President Joe Biden. After the attacks, the Savopoulus house — valued at $4.5 million — in the 3200 block of Woodland Drive NW was set on fire. The suspect or suspects fled the scene with $40,000 in cash, obtained from Savopoulus.

Savvas Savopoulos and his wife Amy were known around town and were involved with school and other social benefits. The couple’s two teenage daughters were at boarding school at the time of the murder and are safe.

A June 1 funeral service is planned for Savvas, Amy and Philip Savopoulos at St. Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral on Massachusetts Avenue. The remains of Veralicia Figueroa will be sent to her native El Salvador after a funeral here.

Mystery Cannonball Jumper to Celebrate D.C. Pools with Mayor Bowser
•

D.C. public pools will open Saturday, May 23, at the start of Memorial Day weekend and the unofficial start of summer. The mayor usually helps to publicize and jump-start the fun the day before the opening by jumping into a pool as the press looks on and reports. This year, however, the new mayor, Muriel Bowser, will demur to another diver, yet to be announced.

The Department of Parks and Recreation will officially open all District DPR 18 outdoor pools, 24 spray parks and four children’s pools, as well as 11 indoor pools on Saturday and advises: “As part of a tradition of D.C.’s mayors launching DPR’s outdoor pool season, Mayor Muriel Bowser will visit the Banneker Pool. DPR has a mystery jumper scheduled to cannonball into the pool.”

The opening kick-off event will be at Banneker Pool, 2500 Georgia Ave. NW, 3:45 p.m., Friday, May 22. On hand will be Mayor Muriel Bowser, DPR Acting Director Keith Anderson and Department of Health Director LaQuandra Nesbitt, M.D. For complete information on DPR’s facilities, operating times and other details, visit dpr.dc.gov.

Mayor Bowser to Join Citizens in Honoring Evans, Downs, Kuno, Others
•

Mayor Muriel Bowser will speak at the annual meeting of the Citizens Association Georgetown on Wednesday, May 27, at the Sea Catch Restaurant on 31st Street.

Along with its election of officers, CAG will present its annual awards for 2015.

The Belin Award will be presented to Barbara Downs “for her expert and dedicated work in preserving the historic character of Georgetown.”

Sachiko Kuno will be honored with the William A. Cochran Award for “exceptional efforts to protect and enhance the community’s parkland and architectural resources.”

The Charles Atherton Award will be presented to Ward 2 Councilmember Jack Evans for “exceptional service by a dedicated public-sector professional for outstanding work preserving and protecting historic Georgetown.”

“The Martin-Davidson Award to businesses that have contributed significantly to the community will be presented to Foley & Lardner LLP.,” according to the citizens’ group.

In addition, CAG noted: “There will be a special appreciation award presented to Georgetown University’s Lauralyn Lee and Cory Peterson for dedicated and distinguished service to the Georgetown community. Diane Colasanto will be honored with a special appreciation award for her years of sustained and significant work on CAG’s Public Safety and other neighborhood programs.”

At the meeting, CAG will also elect its officers and directors for 2015 and 2016: “The slate is Bob vom Eigen, president; Jennifer Altemus, vice president; Barbara Downs, secretary; Bob Laycock, treasurer and elected directors Karen Cruse, Hazel Denton, Hannah Isles, and John Rentzepis. Treasurer John Richardson will report on the financial condition of the organization.”

The May 27 reception and annual meeting will be hosted at the Sea Catch Restaurant, 1054 31st St. NW., which is housed in a former warehouse next to the C&O Canal as well as a punch card factory that collected date for the 1890 census. Herman Hollerith’s Tabulating Machine Company was headquartered in the building. That company merged with others to become IBM, thus making the 31st Street building, the “birthplace of the modern computer.” A plaque on the building installed by IBM commemorates the technological milestone.

The reception begins 7 p.m.; program starts 7:30 p.m. Afterwards, a special $35-dollar dinner for CAG members is offered. (For more information, call 202-337-8855.)

Other Suspects Possible in Quadruple Murder; Funeral Set for June 1
•

As prosecutors maintain that others may have been involved in the May 14 murders of Savvas Savopoulus, his wife, Amy Savopoulos, their son Philip, and a housekeeper, Veralicia Figueroa, Metropolitan Police continue to look for evidence at the Woodland Drive mansion that was set on fire after the homicides.

“Well, there had to be some connection between when Wint worked there, like, 10 years ago. So, there has to be some connection to someone that Wint knows that’s working there now that was able to give the details to know about the money and that they could get the money delivered to the house,” former prosecutor Deborah Hines told WUSA9 News.

Also, the so-called assistant who dropped off $40,000 to the Savopoulus home May 14 was somewhat inconsistent in his testimony, those close to the case told news reporters.

On May 21, U.S. marshals and officers from the Metropolitan Police Department arrested Daron Dylon Wint, 34, the prime suspect in the May 14 murders at the Savopoulus home in Woodley Park.

Wint is due in court June 23.

A massive manhunt ended on the 1000 block of Rhode Island Avenue NE. “A police helicopter joined the pursuit from above, and officers eventually got between the two vehicles in northeast Washington. Wint surrendered without a fight and showed little emotion as he, three other men and two women were taken into custody,” according to the Associated Press. One of those arrested was Wint’s brother. The scene on Rhode Island Avenue involved about 25 vehicles.

“Just got him,” announced MPD Chief Cathy Lanier around 11:30 p.m., May 21, of the person accused of multiple slayings, which Mayor Muriel Bowser, called “an act of evil.”

After tracking Wint to New York and back to D.C., the fugitive task force detected him near a Howard Johnson hotel in College Park, Md., and followed a sedan and box truck into the District. Police also found at least $10,000 in one of the vehicles and did not rule out other possible suspects in the crime.

According to the New York Post, Wint took a taxicab from Brooklyn to D.C. to escape police: “He’d been staying in his gal pal’s Canarsie apartment since Sunday — but wasn’t concerned about getting caught until he was named as a suspect Wednesday night, a law enforcement source said. Wint was ‘shocked’ by the warrant for his arrest, the source added. He called his parents in Maryland, then hopped in a livery cab, forking over hundreds of dollars to get back to D.C., the source said.”

Wint was arraigned May 22 on a charge of first-degree murder while armed.

After the dramatic arrest of the suspect, accused of a heinous crime which attracted local, national and international attention, the Savopoulos family offered a statement: “While it does not abate our pain, we hope that it begins to restore a sense of calm and security to our neighborhood and to our city. We are blessed to live in a community comprised of close circles of friends who have supported us and grieve with us. Our family, and Vera’s family, have suffered unimaginable loss, and we ask for the time and space to grieve privately.”

Because of DNA left on a crust of pizza at the crime scene and a criminal record, Wint matched the forensic evidence, and the pursuit began.

“He is wanted pursuant to a D.C. Superior Court arrest warrant charging him with Murder One while Armed,” MPD announced May 20. “He is described as a black male, approximately 5’7” in height, weighing approximately 155 pounds.”

Wint is reported to have worked as a welder for American Iron Works in Hyattsville, Md., where Savvas Savopoulus was the CEO. Wint went through Marine Corps boot camp in 2000 but left after five weeks. He is also an ex-convict.

The May 14 murder of Savvas Savopoulus, 46, and his wife, Amy Savopoulos, 47, as well as their 10-year-old son, Philip, who attended St. Alban’s School, and a housekeeper, Veralicia Figueroa, 57, has shocked friends of the family, which lived blocks away from Washington National Cathedral and the home of Vice President Joe Biden. After the attacks, the Savopoulus house — valued at $4.5 million — in the 3200 block of Woodland Drive NW was set on fire. The suspect or suspects fled the scene with $40,000 in cash, obtained from Savopoulus.

Savvas Savopoulos and his wife Amy were known around town and were involved with school and other social benefits. The couple’s two teenage daughters were at boarding school at the time of the murder and are safe.

A June 1 funeral service is planned for Savvas, Amy and Philip Savopoulos at St. Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral on Massachusetts Avenue. The remains of Veralicia Figueroa will be sent to her native El Salvador after a funeral here.

D.C.’s Memorial Day Parade Is Special, but Also One of Many
•

Every year, people on a special day are drawn to the long blocks of Constitution Avenue.  People come in families, or singly, or two-by-two, they come from all over the country and the world, and from the past, standing, sitting by the curbs, under the lavishness of trees offering cover from the sun, they come against the backdrop of the big monuments, the historic places not far away, the home of the president, and the president frozen as sculpture.  Not far away is Lincoln, is the World War II Memorial, is the shiny dark wall of names called the Viet Nam Memorial, is the Korean War memorial, is the FDR memorial, is the lonely World War I memorial.

It was once again National Memorial Day in Washington, and people gathered for the annual National Memorial Day Parade.

The National Memorial Day Parade is different here, of course, because of all that history, articulated in time and space every day here.   But if you close your eyes, or see only some things, and hear the music, the marching bands,  you might hear the everywhere of this occasion.  In hundreds and thousands of places all across these United States, everyone is doing some version of the same thing, big and small, elaborate and as simple as a baby carriages and tanks, batons flung high in the air, everywhere.

It is, I think, helpful to think of the parade that way, as one among the many, not so much the most important one, but the one here and now amidst all these memorials and memories, about the fallen soldiers, about the men and women who encapsulate the heart, the soul and idea of service to country.  The parade, here in history land, tells us that Americans have been sacrificing, persevering and fighting on this soil and the sod and sand of lands around the world for a long time.  This country was born as an idea, but created in the aftermath of war.

In the long Memorial Day Week, the parade is powerfully old fashioned and all at once both minuscule and grand.  After the roar of Rolling Thunder, the solemnity of speeches and the ceremonials, presidential and military at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the parade is a kind of bas relief commemorating the lives lost and the battles fought—but also the why of it all, home and hearth, guns and roses, those absent and those present  here on earth.

Perhaps the commonest of ingredients in this Memorial Day—presented on a warm Washington day, full of deft breezes—are the bands—those marching bands from all over, including here (Ballou) to assumedly distant schools chosen who saved up for the trip.

So, these musical bands—the flag-waving girls, the trombones, the bandleaders, the drummers and the furried hats, stepping high—came from where we all come from: home.  From Hampton High School, Pennsylvania,  the Ohio School for the Blind Marching Band,  the Franklin High School Band from Pennsylvania,  the Secaucus High School Band from New Jersey, the West Platte High School Band, from Missouri, the Shiner High School Band from Texas, the Bartow High School Band from Florida, the Henry Ford Marching Band from Michigan, the Pride of Morristown Marching Band from Indiana, the Deer Park High School Band from Texas, the Gateway High School Band from Pennsylvania,  the Mulberry High School Band from Florida,  the Springfield Marching Band from Massachusetts, the Cumberland Valley High School Band from Pennsylvania, the Havelock High School Band from South Carolina, the Kennedy Marching Band from Michigan the Ocoee Marching Band from Florida, the Mariposa Unified Grizzly High School Band from California,  the Childon High School Band from Pennsylvania, the Liberty Technology Magnet High School Band from Tennessee  and the Everett High School Band from Massachusetts.

Marching  bands are the core ingredients of parades, especially at Memorial Day Parades—they’re about tomorrow, tomorrow, which a young princess type was singing on the curb.  They, more than anybody, are the reasons soldiers end up sacrificing and go off to wars.

There were other things in passing—that parade of soldiers from all our wars—who knew there were so many—the pointed hats and fifes of the Revolution, the bunched up dark blue of the Union soldiers and the musicians as Confederates, who did not play Dixie, Buffalo soldiers and young boys dressed like doughboys, and the dwindling veterans of World War II, riding in classic cars, waving a wave to cheerful, heartfelt applause and the carload of men in World War II bomber jackets, jaunty caps and wave, the essence of greatest generation flyboy cool, and there was music, the Smashing Pumpkins and a country star and special guest, actor Joe Mantegna, who plays a serial killer hunter on television’s “Criminal Minds,” but who was here in honor of his uncle WWII vet Willy Novelli.

There was a Washington Nationals float, and the running presidents were there—and is it just me or is the Abe guy beginning to look more and more like Bryce Harper?

Someone who looked like General Black Jack Pershing was there, and military dignitaries of lofty rank were there, and women dressed in the bustled dresses of the Civil War, and jeeps from the big one, still seeming to smell like gasoline came by, and the riderless black horse,  and an ace from the Viet Nam War, and folks playing music of the 1940s, as it mixed in with our most hallowed songs—“God Bless America,” indeed, and “The Battle Hymn of the Republic.”  It was not so much martial, but our way of living, then and now, that was coming by, right before our eyes. 

You could imagine this happening everywhere across the country—small towns by a lake, in the suburbs, way out West, in the Rust Belt and the oceanside places along the Gulf and the magnolia streets of the South.  

You can imagine, as batons spin high into the air, the sun catching them bright and confident. You can imagine all the losses that went into that moment, in the here and now, the wounds that were taken, the aftermath never gone, the different way life went because of them.
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Weekend Round Up May 21, 2015
• May 26, 2015

Attend an Info Session to Become a Georgetown Ambassador

May 21st, 2015 at 05:00 PM | Event Website

The Georgetown BID is opening a new Georgetown Visitor Center this spring, and we need people like you to volunteer as Georgetown Ambassadors. Ambassadors will assist visitors by giving directions, answering questions, and making recommendations.

Come to one of our information sessions and chat with Georgetown BID staff and find out more about this volunteer opportunity!

Light refreshments will be served, and drink specials will be available.

Address

The Alex at the Graham Hotel; 1075 Thomas Jefferson Street NW

Culinary Garden Summer Music Series

May 22nd, 2015 at 06:00 PM | Free admission | harrimansdining@salamanderresort.com | Tel: 540.326.4070 | Event Website

One Friday each Month

Friday, May 22 – Come out for the first of our Culinary Garden Summer Series featuring Jazz Musician Marcus Johnson and FLO wines.

Friday, June 26 – Meet the Chef Jamie Leeds, learn about Stonestreet Estate Vineyards& their wines and sling back local Rappahannock oysters.

Friday, July 24 – Find the perfect
pairings between Napa Valley’s Duckhorn Vineyard wines and farm-to-table food.

Friday, August 28 – Stay tuned!

Address

Salamander Resort & Spa; 500 North Pendleton Street; Middleburg, VA 20117

Welcome to St. Tropez! A White, Blue & Pink Affair

May 23rd, 2015 at 06:30 PM | $20-$30 | info@blacknightevents.com | Tel: (202) 681-9560 | Event Website

BKE proudly presents its 5th edition of the Fashion and Art series on May 23rd

Welcome to St. Tropez! A White Pink Blue affair, Get ready to enjoy a stylish Spring evening and dive deep as we present the Fashion Music art from the French Riviera .
The event will feature a “fashion in motion installation” with an art exhibit.

Address

The Manor; 1327 Connecticut Ave

Spanish Conversation Club

May 26th, 2015 at 11:00 AM | Free | julia.strusienski@dc.gov | Tel: 202-727-0232 | Event Website

Looking to grow, revive, or begin to develop your Spanish skills?

Join the Georgetown Neighborhood Library this May for weekly casual conversation hours, led by instructor Luz Verost.

Address

Georgetown Neighborhood Library; 3260 R St. NW

Glendalough Whiskey Dinner

May 28th, 2015 at 07:00 PM | $60.00 | marycatherinecorson@rira.com | Tel: 202-571-2111 | Event Website

The Whiskey Room at Rí Rá Georgetown Presents Glendalough Distillery Dinner + Tasting.

Thursday, May 28th at 7:00pm, $60 per guest includes Poitín Cocktail Hour with Charcuterie and Irish Cheese Selection, Three Course Specialty Menu and Glendalough Whiskey Pairing.

For event information and ticket purchase, please contact marycatherinecorson@rira.com

Address

3125 M Street NW

Georgetown Rabbi Sentenced to 6 1/2 Years for Voyeurism
• May 21, 2015

Barry Freundel, former rabbi of Kesher Israel Congregation at 28th and N Streets NW, was sentenced to six-and-a-half years in prison for voyeurism by Senior Judge Geoffrey Alprin of D.C. Superior Court May 15, according to media reports.

Over a period of years, Freundel secretly videotaped dozens women during a ritual bath at the Georgetown synagogue.

The 63-year-old Freundel received 45 days in jail for each of the 52 counts of voyeurism. Prosecutors had asked for a sentence of 17 years in prison. The former religious leader also received $2,000 in fines and taken into custody upon his sentencing.

Freundel once led Kesher Israel, a modern Orthodox synagogue, at 2801 N St. NW, five blocks from his former home, owned by the congregation. He was arrested at the O Street house on Oct. 14, 2014, by the Metropolitan Police Department.

Since 1987, before being fired last year, Freundel had been with the synagogue, which counts among its members former Sen. Joe Lieberman and Treasury Secretary Jack Lew.