00:00:05.080 - 00:00:16.100

November 18, 2023. Could you please tell me your name? My name is... Oh, do I look at you or do I look at the camera? The camera's fine. My name is Juan Benn Jr.

00:00:17.540 - 00:01:40.440

And do I have permission to record this interview? Yes. In your experience, how has the community changed over time? So, that's an interesting question that I might not be the best person to ask that. I'm not from DC. I'm not from this area. I've only lived in this neighborhood for a little over a year. But in that year I have seen, I have seen changes. I've seen new developments. I've seen, I see people moving in and out all the time. I'm a walker. I love to go on walks So I'm you know all up and down these streets over here and I do see a lot of people moving, a lot of development, a lot of new buildings and like re-what's a-what's the word called? Like, not reconstruction, renovations of homes being like renovated and turned out to be whatever. Yeah, I've definitely seen that. And like within the past year, the building right next to my apartment building, so I stay on New Hampshire, which is just down the street, and when I moved in it was, you know, it was kind of abandoned, just like this old church that, you know, the owners just kind of let go. And since then, just recently, I think the people that own my building, they bought it and now they're about to turn it into condos. So that's just one change that I've seen for sure.

00:01:42.380 - 00:04:12.780

Do you think that there's been anything lost as a result of these changes? Um, yes. Um, so like I said, I'm a journalist and so I've been doing a lot of reporting today, just talking to people, just asking them, you know, what, what today, being Celebrate Petworth Day, how important this event is not only to local businesses, but to the community. And a lot of different people that I've talked to have talked about exactly what you had just said, how this area might be diverse, the neighborhood might be diverse, but it's losing its diversity at the same time because of gentrification. And when we see not only like the makeup of the people of a community change, that's also reflected in the businesses that are in that community, and also to the stories that are gonna be shared in that community. I think that's why it's really important what you all are doing, it's very important because one thing that I've heard repeatedly from Black residents, not only in this neighborhood but in other neighborhoods in DC is that once someone leaves and once someone is pushed out, it's very hard to come back. And at the same time, when like people aren't here, they're not here to talk about their experiences and talk about their stories. So I think stories are lost when, you know, people are pushed out and when neighborhoods are changed. I think that the businesses and the services that were once offered to those people are also lost when neighborhoods change. And do you think there's been anything gained as a result of the changes? So I don't know if I can necessarily speak to what's gained because I don't know if I have enough experience being here to see what was before and what it is now. What I can see, I guess, just from my experience, is the results, right? Is the changed neighborhood and what's, you know, happening now. And I've talked to people and they said, you know, DC used to be a place where, you know, once the streetlights came up, don't walk around. That there were some places that you just don't walk around. And while that may be, you know, the case in some areas still, because things have changed, you know, maybe it is a little safer to walk around and there are more some hipster kind of businesses and different kinds of places that I do like, you know, around here. But I don't know if I could speak to0, too much about what's gained.

00:04:15.060 - 00:06:44.360

Has there been anything in the area that makes you feel part of the community? I love events like this. Events like this make me feel like, oh, because I do live in Petworth. I'm a resident of this community and I really love Petworth. I think that it's, there's so many trees over here and you know, it's very residential. And when I walk around, I try to wave. I always like wave at people, you know, who are like sitting out on the porch or whatever, and people wave back, they'll tell you good morning. And that's like one thing that I'm from the South and that's very real. Like, you know, when you walk by someone, you say hello. Like, that's just like how it is. When I came up here to DC, it was like the biggest culture shock to me was that people just don't talk to each other. And when, you know, people are responsive and when people are friendly, that makes me feel like a part of this community. And also to individual businesses and individual people here, like Michelle from Cookieware right across the street. Like, she wants people to come in and wants her business to be a place of community. And she's very, very nice. And so many people I've talked to, we exchange numbers and they're very friendly. We're talking about this and that and that. And you can build community with other people, which makes me feel a part of this place. Do you have a favorite memory from your time here at Petworth so far? Favorite memory? I don't know if it's my favorite, but a fond memory I have was Open Streets, D.C. That was just a couple of weeks ago or a couple of months ago. And they closed down Georgia Avenue. And on that day, I interviewed Michelle from Cookieware for this story I was working on and then after, you know, walked around the businesses and I kind of you know didn't really get a chance to enjoy all the businesses that were closing up as I was walking around but I walked all the way up Georgia Ave from here to like Walmart and then I biked all the way down Georgia Ave to SOB, School of Business at Howard University right on Georgia. And it was a beautiful day and the sun was like coming down and setting. It felt like such a movie moment and I was like, wow, I really love this place and love being here. And I'm just really happy, you know, that I got out of Tennessee and I came up here for school and I get to enjoy this community and this place.

00:06:46.720 - 00:10:31.520

In five years from now, what would you envision for Petworth? Oh my gosh, in five years from now, I can only imagine how different this community will look because, you know, that's the thing about gentrification and development and stuff like that is that a place can change and look so different in the span of one to two years, like so, so quickly. And for instance, for-for-as an example, on Georgia Avenue, right next to the school of business on Howard's campus was a apartment building that Howard owned and then right next to it was another apartment building and both of them were, you know, just, you know, I don't want to say desolate, but they're kind of run down, they weren't doing anything with it, and Howard sold those properties to some developer, and they knocked one of them down, rebuilt another one, and now it's at the point to where, you know, just two years ago, like that block looked so different, but now, like, it's a completely different block, and you walk down and it just looks, just different. It's new buildings and everything. So in five years, I can imagine the same for Petworth. We'll see probably a lot more of just, you know, those modern looking houses to replace the row houses and historic homes that are in this neighborhood. You probably see less diversity in the people that live here. And I hope, I really hope that that doesn't affect the small local businesses, and in particular, a couple black-owned businesses on this street, because as I said before, like when diversity and the makeup of a neighborhood changes, it has a direct effect on the businesses that are in that neighborhood. And so I really hope that we don't lose some of these places in here in five years. And is there anything that you'd like to add about the neighborhood that I haven't addressed? I don't know. I think the thing that surprises me about this neighborhood is like how surprising it was to me. Before I lived off campus in DC, you know, I never really... Okay, actually, I'll say this. Before I came to live in DC for school and moved here for school, I didn't know DC was once called the Chocolate City. I had no idea that it was once a majority Black city and I had no idea that it had communities like this, residential communities, neighborhoods outside of the Smithsonian and like the National Mall and like all those you know historic and like the monuments and stuff and the government. Before coming here I just really thought of DC as the nation's capital. And that's where the president lived, that's where the White House is, but there's... If you just go like five blocks east of any of those places down there, you're gonna really see what DC is. I was talking to somebody today and they said, this is DC, the monuments, the White House, that's Washington. And I think one thing that maybe I urge you to consider and just to think about is like, this is DC and the people that live in these neighborhoods that are at events like this, that's who make up what this place is. People that work in, you know, work for the government, that work for all these federal jobs, they have a place to go back to, and it's probably in one of these neighborhoods, you know what I'm saying? So, yeah, just that these people make up DC and make up who it is and like this is the real DC. And so that's why I just love what y'all are doing and I'm happy to support and like share my, you know, perspectives as a transplant and someone that came here. It's not a native, but I really love this place. I love this community for sure.

00:10:31.700 - 00:10:36.240

Well, thank you so much for taking the time to sit down and do this interview. Of course, of course.