From shock to action, Ward 8 residents rally around longtime DPR employee

WASHINGTON — People in Southwest DC are voicing their concerns after learning about a longtime Department of Parks and Recreation employee being moved to another recreation center. 

Residents say this is about impact on the youth — they’re talking about someone who worked at Bald Eagle Recreation Center for 26 years and created several programs for kids. 

Shock quickly turned into motivation for more than 40 people in Ward 8, voicing their concerns about a DC Department of Parks and Recreation employee who’s been reassigned to another location. 

“You (are) talking about recreation, where there needs to be relationship, where there needs to be engagement,” former athlete under Marc Williams, Jimmy Jenkins said. 

People like Jimmy Jenkins met Marc Williams at a young age and credit his programs for putting them on the right track for success.  

“I met him at 16,” Jenkins said. “The opportunities that he presented to my community at the time which was Douglas, we didn’t really have no rec center, no basketball court at the time.”

Now there’s concerns about who will run programs like the late night “Shoot Hoops Not Bullets” basketball league he started 18 years ago to help keep kids off the streets. 

“We don’t have relationships, we don’t have people who you can trust or understand our community and Marc is that guy,” Jenkins said.

“He feels bad he’s being moved, but he’s going to comply,” Councilman Trayon White said. “We going fight for him.” 

White spearheaded the demonstration advocating for Williams to remain in Ward 8 during DPR’s Hype Night event on Friday, where we also engaged with the program director.

“We make staff moves all the time," Department of Parks and Recreation Director Thennie Freeman said. "We don’t speak on personnel changes but we send our resources where they’re best needed.” 

“We should not be making unilateral decisions about personnel because that’s community," White said. "That’s impact. It breaks the moral of the community when they know a loving, caring person like that has been removed.” 

White believes this reassignment came after Williams made a post online about bad treatment towards some of the kids — but DPR would not say what led to this decision. 

White says he will continue to work to make sure voices and concerns about Williams being moved are heard all summer long.

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