UHOP Parade

I absolutely hate the UHOP. They have no regard for the neighborhood or the people that actually live here. They own buildings and refuse to take responsibility for improving them or the area. They march that band around all evening, disrupting the peace and blocking major traffic routes. They block traffic and roads without any notice, illegally restricting individuals access to their own vehicles and reserved parking spaces. None of their parishioners seem to have DC plates, most drive from wealthy MD and VA suburbs. Even their pastor lives in a mansion in upper Northwest. Where's the care and concern for fellow man?

Posted By Howard Marshall / At 5/28/10 11:42 AM

There have been numerous notices posted on the neighborhood listservs over the past few weeks notifying/warning the residents of the annual UHOP parade.

Posted By RobA / At 5/28/10 1:47 PM

I don't HATE UHOP but I agree about the inconvenience. The nighttime band practices HAVE gotten better and are less disruptive...or maybe I just not home enough anymore to care. I do hate the fact that M street will be blocked off tomorrow from 5th St to 7th, effectively making use of my vehicle impossible. I do hate the fact that starting at 8am I am going to have a giant tuba tuning up 4 feet away from my window while I try to sleep in for the first time in about 3 years. I wish they would close down their block and their block only (6th-7th) for events like this and keep their ruckus to that block since everyone on said block seems to be a parishioner. or maybe they can march to a parking lot and have their band stuff and a carnival there instead of on the sides of an already terribly narrow residential road.

Cue all of the people who say the parish was here long before I was....fine but if that's your reasoning we should be yileding to triceotops and pterodactyls

Posted By Melissa C / At 5/28/10 1:48 PM

Rob A: not everyone subscribes to a list serve or vists a blog. UHOP could have produced flyers to be disseminated warming folks or the inconvenience or posted signs around the effected areas. A few emails that have shot around does not constitute making an effort to alert the neighbors.

Posted By Melissa C / At 5/28/10 1:49 PM

Unfortunately, that's not the way that most events like the UHOP parade or even charity events and walks are "publicized". And unless you are on the directly impacted street(s), then they don't have to notify you. Sometimes events are large enought to garner newspaper coverage or information is passed out at ANC meetings and such, but other than that you are going to have to subscribe to the neighborhood blogs and listservs to see what the activites are in the neighborhood - both good and bad. In addition to the UHOP parade, we've had information about the robberies taking place on 5th Street NW and issues with WASA/DC and street repair discussed this week. More and more information is being dissemenated by the web ... DC agencies and our elected officials are active participants on the listservs and what they don't publicize, active residents pick up the slack - I'd recommend that you join the ones for your MPD District, MVSNA, and Shaw Neighborhood.

Posted By RobA / At 5/28/10 9:00 PM

I read this blog on a regular (usually daily basis) and there was no notice of this happening. Yes, I saw the no parking signs posted around the church, but I never park on that block, so I didn't bother to look at them. Plus, they have no parking signs up at least once a month or so for something. That is not notice to anyone that something is happening. It would be nice to know what days and what times to expect road closings, especially given that their members park in our neighborhood, so if we move our cars, we generally will lose our spaces becuase they take them.

Posted By Anonymous / At 5/29/10 10:07 AM

Here we go again. This event happens every year on Memorial Day weekend. If you haven't lived here for more than a year, fine, but those of you that have lived here know this event happens every year. We all live in a city, an urban area. Events happen, parades happen, streets get closed. There were multiple announcements and the MPD sent out a general announcement city wide via its email alert notification system. UHOP has done everything that was required of it by the city. It posted no parking signs in a timely manner, it received the permits and MPD assistance that it needs for the parade. Again, you live in a city. There are parades, festival, streets closed etc throughout the year. The diversity of this community is one of its strengths. It is really sad that we haven't realized that yet and use it to make this entire community stronger.

Posted By JohnD / At 5/29/10 10:24 AM

I gotta agree with JohnD here. The parade happens on the same weekend every year. Most folks in the neighborhood know about it already. In any case, it was also publicized on the 3D listserve. What do you want -- a personal call from the pastor every year? Mark it down in your calendar: Memorial Day. That should allow you to mimimize your inconvenience. And who knows -- you might even find yourself a nice spot in the parade route to sit down and enjoy watching folks from all over the east coast playing music and showing off their routines.

Posted By I-agree-with-John-D / At 5/29/10 5:10 PM

I know the parade happens every year.....fine. What is not fine is the fact that it just took me 25 minutes to go from 9th and M to 6th and M at 1230 in the morning. People EVERYWHERE parking all over the road in the middle of an already narrow street...people running in and out of traffic and no police support whatsoever. I can deal with the parade...the fact that UHOP has outgrown their space for events such as this leaving those involved no choice but to bleed into the residential neighborhood surrounding UHOP, one in which I'd say 90% of the residents have nothing to do with UHOP, is ridiculous. Fine if you church has been here for X number of years, but have some respect for those that live around you. This is';t your daddy's 6th and M anymore.....

Posted By mel c / At 5/29/10 10:18 PM

Right JohnD. But you made the point, IF YOU HAVE LIVED HERE MORE THAN A YEAR. There are a lot of people in this neighborhood who have NOT lived here more than a year. Or people who have, but have been away previous Memorial Day weekends. There are people who don't, and honestly have no reason that they should, know about this (and other UHOP) event.

Posted By Anonymous / At 5/30/10 8:14 AM

Just be thankful you don't live across from Dunbar playing field and have to put up with the parking mess 3-4x a week and all day on Saturdays and Sundays. I'd trade having to deal with UHOP once a year over the unannounced Dunbar schedules ANYTIME.

In the meantime, please join the MVSNA, ShawNeighborhood, MPD-3D yahoo groups so that you see news about the events taking place around the neighborhood that could impact your living in the area. The parade and impact were all discussed on those listserv.

If you're new to the neighborhood, great - welcome - but please make sure you take advantage of all the information resources available to you.

Posted By RobA / At 6/1/10 7:56 AM

Rob: I sympathize with you and it would be great if Dunbar, or the organizations that were using the field, were able to provide an advanced schedule. However, to play the other side, if the field wasn't getting used on a regular basis, people would be complaining that all that money was spend to refurbish the field and track and it wasn't being used and would call it a "white elephant."

Posted By JohnD / At 6/1/10 1:36 PM

It wouldn't be half as bad if it were DC residents using the field - but drive by any evening and all day on Saturday and Sundays and look at all the MD and VA cars parked along the street (legally and illegally). Our tax money went to renovate a field that is used primarily by the suburbs ... and I just recently found out that the soccer teams that use it on weekends don't pay a dime to Parks and Recreation for the use of the field. They're "friends of a friend"....

Posted By RobA / At 6/1/10 1:39 PM

The ANC's should at least announce it and address tax payers concerns, but since the ANC 2C Chair is in bed with church officials, it will never be addressed until she is DEFEATED. Elections are coming this year. ...

Posted By CCCA Prez / At 6/2/10 8:41 AM

I know this is late, but this isn't the first time I've seen people on here complaining about lack of notice and then being told it was all over the internet somewhere. I have to absolutely agree with Melissa. Fliers are a great way to disseminate information, and guess what? That means we are actually out in the community seeing or talking to other people, instead of sitting inside behind our computers typing about how we live here. I don't think actively warning your neighbors instead of passively putting information somewhere out there is the worst idea in the world.

Posted By mud / At 7/2/10 5:31 AM

Unfortunately - that's not always true - I pass out the MVSNA flyers regularly and I hardly ever come into contact with one of the neighbors/residents when distributing the flyers. I'm not doing it at strange hours - or during the typical work time-frame ....

There is no problem with spreading the information in several different ways ... just realize that some people are going never going to be happy that they weren't directly/personally notified about the event. [and that is not being directed at anyone in this comment string]

Posted By RobA / At 7/6/10 11:44 AM