The Art of Activism: Anacostia residents protest against neighborhood blight

The Advoc8te took these photos this morning of storefronts on the 1200 block of Good Hope Rd SE (now home to the 5x5 "The New Migration"art installation) and the facades located at 1900 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Ave SE. As of 1:00pm the "Stop the Blight" and "Save Historic Anacostia" signage on the facades had been removed along with the "Caution" tape on one of the "New Migration" storefronts but the community art project/commentary on one storefront remains.

1200 block of Good Hope Rd SE

1200 block of Good Hope Rd SE

1900 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Ave SE

The community installations first went up on Sunday. These visual protests seem to be in response to the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities recent decision to keep the "The New Migration" 5x5 project in Anacostia, after promising to relocate the project in response to community opposition. Anacostia residents and business owners are telling The Advoc8te that they are "hoping to bring attention to the long-time problem of blighted and vacant buildings in Anacostia -- many of which are owned by DC government."

In an effort to be balanced, The Advoc8te is looking for the full statement from the Arts Commission on their reason behind keeping "The New Migration" installation in Anacostia. As soon as it is located this post will be updated. You can read a partial statement HERE on the Washington City Paper website.