Angie Rodgers is right. You should prepare to testfy before the Council on the disposition of the J.F. Cook School. However, your testimony should be in support of the community NOT the Latin American Youth Center (LAYC).
There has been overwhelming community opposition to this proposal of the LAYC…a proposal which will rob us of a major community asset. The community’s opposition has been voiced through resolutions passed by the Advisory Neighborhood Commission and Civic Associations in the respective area and personal statements made by residents in meetings and on the internet. The LAYC’s complete disregard of these resolutions and the community’s opposition are indicative of the behavior we can expect from them should they be awarded the school to set up operation in our community.
As I see it, although our neighborhoods are known by varied names—we are all one village—what affects one neighborhood in our community affects all neighborhoods in the community. Be mindful of the fact that problems to come with supporting the LAYC proposal for their acqusition of the JF Cook School will not be confined to North Capitol and P Street, NW. They will reverberate throughout the neighborhoods in our community.
So…let your testimony be to seize this once in a life time opportunity— for the school to be utilized to enhance the quality of life for those of us who have chosen to purchase homes and reside here. Let it be in support of the communtiy working with the city to use this property to create an environment that will enable the blossoming of North Capitol Street so it can become, in reality, the gem in our community that it is..the gateway to the Capitol. Now is our time!!
Bates Area Civic Association 
I agree. The homicide on the Unit block of P St, NW, just a couple of weeks ago (both the victim and the alleged shooter were 19 years old) makes it crystal clear that bringing in even more troubled young people from across Ward 5 and the rest of the city is not in the community’s best interest.
In general I agree that the LAYC development of the Cook School would not be best for the neighborhood nor the LAYC because of the already high number of social services in the area. We are at a very interesting cross roads now however, I believe the biggest threat to the LAYC project is not going to be local neighborhood protest but rather funding issues. The Council is in the midst of cutting budgets including a proposed cut to the MPD force of 250 people. It will be my position that the development of a LAYC project must be cut in order to preserve what safety there is in our neighborhood and hopefully to continue improving that level of safety. We should all write our Council member with such a statement: hthomas@dccouncil.us