By OSWALD T. BROWN
WASHINGTON, D.C., July 30, 2021 — With the moratorium on evictions set to expire this Saturday, July 31, my stress level has increased exponentially, given the fact that I am still struggling to comply with a Court-ordered agreement in March to pay the back rent that I owe my landlord before June 1 to possibly avoid being evicted. Of course, I was financially unable to meet the requirements of the June 1 deadline, but I reached an agreement with my landlord to pay my monthly rent on time and make a payment monthly on the back rent that I owe over an extended period.
Last week, however, I found myself faced with a mentally debilitating situation, having missed paying my July rent on time, but PLP Leader Philip “Brave” Davis and R.H. Culmer, CEO of Jarol Investments Ltd. and CHANCES GAMES in Grand Bahama, each extended an “economic lifeline” that made it possible for me to meet my July commitment.
I am once again faced with a similar situation as the August deadline for next month’s rent approaches, but what I absolutely refuse to do is continue to publicly humiliate myself by “begging” for assistance on Facebook.
My decision in this regard has been galvanized by the public response – even from some individuals I respected – to my ill-conceived decision to publicly appeal to my “cousin” Sebas Bastian, who became a millionaire through the once-illegal numbers business, for financial help.
Obviously, I thought that our “family ties” would result in him responding positively, but my private emails and subsequent public appeal to Sebas on his Facebook page made me the object of scorn and derision by the ubiquitous “trolls” on Facebook who seem to revel in the misfortunes of other people.
I have regretted making this mistake ever since, and especially now that Sebas is flaunting his wealth by inundating Facebook on a daily basis with a barrage of photos of his world tour with and entourage that apparently includes several of his children.
Obviously, these are the sort of ostentatious values that apparently convinced Prime Minister Dr. Hubert Minnis to appoint this Numbers Czar as The Bahamas’ non-resident Ambassador to South Africa. Be that as it may, I really, really regret being humiliated in the manner that I was after appealing to him for financial assistance.
Having said that, the importance of living up to the agreement I made with my landlord to pay my monthly rent on time and make a regular monthly payment on the back rent that owe to possibly avoid being evicted resurfaced as a real problem with today’s news that The Biden administration “on Thursday called on Congress to extend a federal freeze on evictions set to expire on Saturday, arguing that its hands are tied by the Supreme Court.”
“The moratorium, essentially a nationwide ban on evictions, was put in place by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last September,” according to one news report. “In June, the Supreme Court voted 5-4 to allow the eviction ban to continue through the end of July but signaled in its ruling that it would block any further extensions unless there was clear and specific congressional authorization.”
According to ABC News: “Amid public outcry, House Democratic leadership was looking to possibly take legislative action by the end of the week, before legislators leave for a six-week recess, to extend the freeze until the end of December. Senate Democrats were also preparing legislation to extend the moratorium for the same duration, according to a Democratic aide.”
I certainly hope that Senate Democrats succeed in extending the moratorium to December because, as I have noted on more than one occasion in previous articles, choosing to live at 1000 M Street, S.W. when I moved back to Washington, D.C., from The Bahamas to become Press, Cultural Affairs and Information Manager at the Embassy of The Bahamas in 2013, I considered it a blessing for a die-hard Washington Nationals baseball fan like myself. I am just six blocks from Washington Nationals Stadium, and before COVID-19 I frequently attended Nationals games.
However, after my diplomatic appointment was rescinded following the change of government in The Bahamas in May of 2017, the Embassy ceased paying my rent, which was included in the terms of my contract. Consequently, since then I have struggled to remain financially solvent.
Another reason why living at Modern on M is a “blessing in disguise” for me is that I have a physical disability that requires me to use a walker, and there is a Safeway Supermarket, where I do my grocery shopping, a half-block from my building and a CVS Pharmacy, where I fill my monthly medications, also very close by.
Another reason why I have enjoyed living here over the past six years is that it has excellent security measures in place and is a very well-managed apartment complex, as indicated by the following email I received this afternoon:
EMAIL FROM MANAGEMENT OF MY APARTMENT COMPLEX
Greetings valued residents,
We are committed to taking the critical steps needed to ensure the health and well-being of our residents and team members. At this time Mayor Bowser has placed an order that effective at 5 am this Saturday, July 31st all those over the age of 2, regardless of vaccination status must wear a mask when indoors in public areas. The goal of the order is to limit the spread of COVID-19, including the Delta variant, and reduce exposure risk in effort to protect the health, safety, and welfare of all.
We would ask that when leaving your front door and entering the hallway corridors, elevators, or lobby areas, you treat these spaces as public and follow CDC guidelines and local official requirements by protecting yourself with a mask.
We’re relying on the guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and our local government to put into place practices that help in these efforts. The most effective tools we can suggest in addition to the mask requirement in order to slow the spread of COVID-19 continues to be by the following:
Social (physical) distancing
Reducing public gatherings
Limiting visitors to essential guests only
Sanitize surfaces
Washing hands frequently with soap and water
Wearing a face mask in all public areas (see CDC flyer Use of Cloth Face Coverings to Help Slow the Spread of COVID-19)
We believe these practices to be in the best interests of the health and well-being of our residents, team members, and the entire community. We realize that these measures can sometimes be difficult for each of us in different ways. Still, we thank you in advance for your understanding, continued patience and cooperation as we work together until conditions normalize.
As always, please feel free to contact us with any questions you may have. Thank you in advance for your cooperation.
Sincerely,
Modern on M Management team
CAPTION: MODERN ON M apartment complex on M Street, S.W., where I live.
