The Other Washington
A look at life in the ‘other’ Washington DC which is poor, black and disenfranchised.
Reporter: Josh Rushing
Most people know Washington DC as a city of power and privilege. It is home to some of the most iconic structures of power worldwide like the White House and the Pentagon. As capital of the US, it also houses some of the world’s most influential people.
In reality, Washington is a city of opposites. Beyond the white gleaming buildings and tourist hot spots is the “other” Washington – poor, black and disenfranchised. For every one of the 42,000 resident lawyers in the city, there are two people living in poverty.
Seventeen-year-old Kevin Gonzales is one of those people. He lives in Anacostia, a downtown neighbourhood of the city where crime and poverty are everywhere you look.
Kevin is homeless. He was thrown out of his mother’s house to make room for her new boyfriend, and he has never met his real father.
Kevin used to be a drug dealer, but he now has a girlfriend and a baby daughter to look after. He is trying to make positive changes for their futures, but it is not easy.
Josh Rushing follows Kevin as he struggles to make a better life for himself, and the ones he loves – but it is not easy in a place like Washington DC.