Coming off of two blog posts on Public Housing and Gentrification in DC, I decided to take my camera down to Southeast. It was at Thurgood Marshall Academy, a public charter school that serves a 99 percent African American students and 70 percent free or reduced lunch  – where I would ask what it is like to use your education to stay off the streets.

Hear what the students had to say in Anacostia’s Academy: Southeast Gets Smart.

Next, check out this blog post I wrote for Media Future Now, a group that meets monthly in DC to talk about evolving communication tools with 21^st century techniques like mobile technology and constant connectivity.

I wrote about the Street Team Super Tuesday project where MTV had 23 of my colleagues report live from polling places, caucuses and rallies using mobile phones. “Mobile Tech Connects Young People to Politics.”

I was slightly stressed out last Monday. I didn’t have a story yet (for my weekly MTV submissions) and was under the methaphorical gun. Then I remembered the public housing two blocks down. I had always been curious, so I decided there was no time like the present. I watered down my outfit, threw an audio recorder and pen in my bag, and headed to the streets.

To friends and family when my video launched.

“This doesn’t just close out a month when I (determinedly) worked through each weekend, it signifies a milestone in my Street Team tenure. I am half way through this journey. My production skills have greatly improved, but more than that, I think I found what a friend and mentor advised I do back in January.

“Erica, Humanize this War.”

With that advice, I thought – and continue to think, about the way to do it. For this video, and over time, I talked to dozens of Veterans. Read every article I could. And through conversation, absorbed anecdotes — about a confusing and unorganized war – from intelligence officers, artillery soldiers, explosive specialists and more.

Here is my video, Mission Possible.”

Hey Everyone. Let me catch you all up. It’s been a busy three weeks and because of it I have a very cool development to share with you.

Though I”ll do a specific post for Erica-America a little later, here is what I did for MTV this week. It was origianlly posted on THINK, along with a short video — and serves as a brief introduction to the time I’ve been spending with a young group of DC based Veterans.

Young Surge in Anti-War Movement

Three Sundays in a row, at 4:00PM, I would pack all my gear, strap the tripod to the pack’s side and summon my inner EricaAmerica to come out and play. Thank karma she did, which made those afternoons of metro rides and shooting the shit with young Iraq Vets not just educational, but also a lot of fun.

This group house, by some measure, is the Real Real World. A place stocked with fruit snacks and beer , testosterone and girls. But in an UnReal World sense, these co-existors were more than just age-similar. They had all served in Iraq or Afghanistan since 9/11 and upon return, joined a fast-expanding group called the Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW). The house, on the Northeast side of DC, is not only their bunker, but the central headquarter for the business of IVAW’s grassroots operations.

I had my first dose of IVAW in action back in March, when I attended the Winter Soldier event. [see my video here] I was taken back by the candid, powerful, testimonies about the U.S.’s occupation in Iraq. I realized as I walked around the confernece exactly what IVAW was doing — reporting the war from the eyes and ears of a very young, elite graduation class. A class that received educations at the University of US Occupies Iraq and are now taking their diplomas to bring attention to what they call a criminal occupation and use of force.

There is a 22-year-old freckled Embassay Guard. A 19-year old college junior. A southern farmer with flow hair and a jewish political theory student. They are unlikely messengers. But they keep coming back with a message.

Over the three Sundays I went to the IVAW Group House, I listened for those messages. I captured three tapes, about five interviews and a whole lot of b-roll. While I kick off the process of importing, editing and producing it, I thought I’d share with you all this little sound bite from former Marine, Adam Kokesh. Kokesh has his own blog and attends Graduate School at George Washington University. In Iraq, Adam served on a Military Affairs team, which, he told me, “means we’re the guys shaking hands and kissing babies.” During the tour he also set up a store front to pay Iraq famliy grievance checks.

“Historically unprecedented,” he said. “We are actually paying people for losses.”

Here is the video…

Last Saturday was great. An afternoon I’ll always remember.

I produced a crumbled credential letter to get past security. I squeezed my pint-sized camera next to Reuter’s monster lens in the press bleachers — and I focused my camera.  Not everyday do you get to cover Hillary Clinton’s concession speech. It was a close, confrontational and critical Primary race — and I would be there to witness the end of it. I remember keeping my cool while thinking, this shit is going to be historic. 

 Originally posted to THINK.MTV.COM

Thanks to everyone who stopped to tell my camera their thoughts.  Definitely post a comment and let me know what you think about Clinton’s campaign, her endorsement of Obama or what her next steps might be.

On April 24th, Helen Thomas wrote in her weekly column, “if history repeats itself, the loser of this year’s presidential election will blame the news media.” [SEE FULL ARTICLE, "The Loser Always Blame the Media"]

With the recent case of Hillary versus Barack, Helen’s assessment was spot on.

Last Saturday I had a unexpected, and even scary, confrontation. I was interviewing demonstrators at the DNC Rules meeting and had spoken to about seven people on camera. All of them supported Senator Clinton and wanted the votes in Michigan and Florida to count.

After the interviews, I was getting b-roll when I saw a guy wearing an Obama sign. I hadn’t talked to any Obama supporters so I thought this would help round my story out. He said he would talk to me, so with that, we moved away from the crowd to a quiet area. And I started to roll the camera.

I didn’t know it, but this exchange, between me, “the media” and him “the Obama fan” would come to sum up the hostility Clinton fans have felt towards the media in this primary season.

Within a minute, Clinton fans spotted me talking to the lone Obama guy and lids started to flip. I was trying to focus on the interview but I couldn’t. Loud, confrontational slurs were being directed at me. I looked over and saw two aggressive Hillary fans only an arm length away from my camera. They started yelling into the lens “This is all your fault! You’re to blame! You and the media!”

To my silent and even confused look, they went on.

“Why are you interviewing this fool?…It’s always like the media to support Obama!”

I could hardly believe it. I mean, me? This is my fault? A million thoughts ran through my head. My heart raced. This was the second time during my MTV tenure as a one-man-band that my safety felt in jeopardy. Never during, but always after, I kind of love it. It really puts me in touch with how people feel.

Within a few seconds, two cordial Clinton supporters came over and walked them away. I turned back around and went on with the interview.

The story came back to me as the North Carolina Street Teamer, Carla Babb, wrote an article about whether or not the media had favored Obama over Clinton.

With that experience fresh in my mind, here’s what I think.

To Helen’s point, the loser (and the campaign supporters) might always blame the media. But as I experienced, the assertion that my work somehow reduced (or on the flip, improved) a candidate’s political standing, while quite complimentary, is not at all true. At least I don’t think it is.

But to the Democrats as a whole — hostility, especially directed at each other, is retro active in securing the November election. It would behoove Senator Clinton to make that known to her supporters. The finger-pointing, not always aimed in the right direction, digresses party unity.

And oh yeah, one more thing. I’m not the mainstream media. I’m a citizen journalist. SNAP.

I’m a magnet to events with young demonstrators huddled by doors of buildings they aren’t allowed in. And over the last five months, some of the most fun I’ve had is when I couldn’t get in. Instead, I’ve needed to immerse myself in the crowd, buck up and start asking some questions.

Afforded no press badge, it’s all I can do - and perhaps, exactly what MTV’s wanted us to do. Reducing us amateur journalists to nothing more than one of the crowd, tests us to meet people we otherwise might not, and spotlight different takes on the issues and election. After all, each voice matters.

This Saturday, about 300 people gathered outside of a DC hotel to protest equal voting rights - most in regard to the MI and FL primaries.  But after interviewing about eight people - I began to think about the bigger picture. What were they all saying? What did they have in common? And here’s what I came up with.

Each person, in some way shape or form, had an experience that left them, a relative or friend, feeling disenfranchised by our voting process. Whether they were turned away for not having the right ID or frustrated by the hanging Chad issue of 2000 - these people were pissed. Well, pissed - but also passionate. From a bright 17-year-old to a 35-year-old D.C. resident without a vote in Congress, each sent me the same message: this voting system is broken and we need to fix it.

Here is my video from the event that day. I hope I fairly represented the many voices I heard and in some way, inspire you to think that hey, this really does matter.

As one soldier told me, “Erica, it’s a fast and furious world.” That it is.

This week’s video draws from footage from the Winter Soldier event last March and brings into the story the shortcomings of the GI Bill, in particular what it offers soldiers for education. As I reported for MTV, three former Presidents, a dozen U.S. Senators and fourteen Nobel Prize winners went to college on the GI Bill. The last time it was updated was back in the 80s, when we were at peace, not war, and soldier were less likely to serve multiple deployments and then choose to move on.

From my work on Veteran issues I’ve heard a lot of talk about why they joined. Some did out of patriotism, and felt, after 9/11 it was their undisputed duty. Others, and perhaps the most common thread I’ve heard, is the cost of education. A shot at a four year university that they otherwise wouldn’t be able to pay for.

I can trace my fascination with GI’s, the cost of education and war, back to Indiana University. For three years, my next door neighbor was ROTC. From our manicured front lawn, I would watch my peers walk in and out of the former Fraternity house. In uniform and up with the sun, they would practice marching orders and do endless push-ups. A part of me felt sorry for them, perhaps not rightfully so, but still — because I wondered if a commitment to our armed forces was their best option to pay for a four-year university.

Not long after those careless afternoons, the war broke out. I remember having profound realizations that several of those students — soldiers — would now be sent to fight a war. And I questioned. Were they recruited – in a bigger picture by the Pentagon – with the knowledge a war was on the brink? And Is college tuition the new draft?

Today, 57 Senators are supporting a large increase to the GI Bill for public university tuition. In a letter I obtained from the Senate, Defense Secretary Robert Gates asked Senator John McCain, who is on the fence, to consider how the bill might hurt retention.

“The Department estimates that serious retention issues could arise if the benefit were expanded beyond the level sufficient to offset average monthly costs for a public four-year institution.”

Here’s my video. Hope you’ll check it out and let me know how Congress should approach GI Rights while we fight two wars and send soldiers on multiple deployments.

Quick Disclaimer: No one is perfect, especially EricaAmerica. I misspelled “Sergeant” at 1:26. Take total responsibility, but am so tired from I am calling it a day and putting the effort into research. I totally need an editor. One man band life is hard. 

So just what is a civil liberty and why should we care?

For my 23rd birthday, my Dad sent me a copy of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. In it, he wrote, “To Erica, Wash. D.C. From Dad 5/8/07.” Today, I carry it around in my Street Team backpack. I don’t know, it just feels right. If I’m ever in a bind and need to remind the force that I’m just doing my job, I’ll have backup. That’s right, I have rights. And I’m not about to let them be chipped away.

As much as my friends joke with me, we do. We all have rights. And though at times it sounds a little silly (dependent on when you yell out the statement, just ask my colleagues) there is never anything outlandish about the term, “I have my rights.” But today, more than ever, it’s important to realize what those are because they are being chipped away and justified.

So what are our rights? Well, when it comes to the First Amendment, we have the right to freedom of speech, press, religion, assembly and petition. We are also protected under the Bill of Rights to equal protection under the law (regardless of race, sex, religion or national origin), the right to due process, and the right to privacy.

When I went out and interviewed people last Monday about civil liberties and what they thought, I was up against the wall. Some of the responses were reiterations of the administration. “Well, in terms of national security, if it’s necessary, I’m OK with it.” Really? “Ok, I thought.” But once this war on terror is over, you’ll still have lost those rights. Are you OK with it then? More importantly, are they being taken away for the right reasons?

While 21-year old Iraq Veteran, Paul, aims to add normalcy back to his life, the war transcended on Washington, DC. At the start of the sixth year of war on Iraq, March 19, a mix of people gathered within an ear shot of the White House to demonstrate dissatisfaction.  Join me as I explore how courage and activism bridge unlikley partners in the fight against US Occupation of Iraq.

Decision to Desert: Part I
My MTV Profile

“Under the gun! Can’t talk. Call next week.”

That’s the voice of Helen Thomas. No, it’s not 1973, and no, Helen’s not in a bustling newsroom. Still, there’s something so retro and iconic about the way she tells me she is under the gun. It reminds me of a time when newsrooms were filled with smoke, not women, and fingers typed as fast as possible to break the next big story. 

Something I’ve learned about Helen, and is evident in this quote, is every article she works on is breaking. She writes only about what she thinks you should know. And for a person who absorbs as much intelligence — and harnesses decades of unprecedented access to power– that’s an impossibly complicated task. Yet somehow she sifts through it all — the gaggles, the memos, the talking points and the distractions.

I’m going to start something new and post her weekly columns. Though Hearst distributes it, and they own over a dozen papers (San Francisco Chornicle, San Antonio Express, Albany Times Union) it’s rare that anything but the Falls Church News Press, a small paper south of DC, runs it. And now, because what Helen knows, I think we all should, Erica-America does.

Helen Thomas: War Is Not The People’s Business

WASHINGTON — Back in President Lyndon B. Johnson’s worst days when he was grappling with the Vietnam quagmire and raucous anti-war protests at home, he said that in the big decisions about war and peace: “The people should be in on the take offs as well as the landings.”

Tell that to President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney, who apparently could care less what Americans think — except every four years at election time.

Cheney made that clear in an intriguing interview with ABC News on his recent Middle East trip. Despite the difficulties surrounding the unprovoked U.S. invasion of Iraq five years ago, Cheney insisted, “It was the right thing to do.”

When the interviewer told him that two-thirds of Americans say the war in Iraq is not worth fighting, Cheney scoffed.

The administration would not be “blown off course by the fluctuations in public opinion polls,” he vowed.

Cheney went on to claim that Abraham Lincoln would never have succeeded in the Civil War if he had paid attention to polls.

White House press secretary Dana Perino later indicated that Bush was on the same page.

Asked about Cheney’s remarks to ABC, Perino said the Bush administration realizes its popularity polls are very low (30 percent) “but largely that’s because of people being unhappy about the war, about the fact that it has gone on five years. . .and we’re aware of that.”

She added that both Bush and Cheney have long believed the reason they are leaders is because they do “not chase popularity polls but. . . hold themselves to a standard that requires people not to like them.”

She went on to explain that the administration would like people to support the president’s decisions but that such a hope is “unrealistic” in time of war.

“And while we’re not able to change public opinion, we have to follow a principle,” she said, “and stand on principle.”

Reminded that she was saying, in effect, that the people had no say about the war, Perino replied that they have “input” every four years, adding: “And that’s the way our system is set up.”

As long as Congress cowers sheep-like and does not retrieve its constitutional power to declare war, an imperial Bush-style presidency will prevail.

The war against Iraq was built on falsehoods — weapons of mass destruction that did not exist and ties to al-Qaida that were a fantasy. The administration used these phony rationales to scare the American people into fearing a threat from a third-world country.

Since the administration’s original propaganda has now been revealed to be bogus, Bush has resumed his claim that it was necessary to rid the world of a tyrant, Saddam Hussein — a friend of the U.S., incidentally, in earlier times.

His aides remain loyal to their chant that Iraq is “the central front in the war on terrorism.”

Any port in a storm seems to be the strategy of White House spin-masters.

Determined to ignore the reality that the war is a debacle and the killing will go on, Bush last year came up with the “surge” theory of dispatching 30,000 more troops to Iraq in hopes of bringing Iraqi submission.

There has been a lessening of violence in Iraq. Could it be that there are fewer attacks on American troops because we are paying huge sums of money to Sunni Iraqis to persuade them to stop attacking Americans and instead go after al-Qaida?

Gen. David Petraeus, the U.S. commander in Iraq, and Ambassador Ryan Crocker will leave Baghdad in May to report to Bush and Congress on the status of the war and talk about a timetable for a drawdown of more troops — or even propose a pause in withdrawals.

Next November, the American voters will decide on a new president. Before then, reporters will be remiss if they fail to nail the candidates on whether the views of the people on questions of war and peace will count with them.

Tonight was Ivan Scott’s memorial service. I only got four hours of sleep the night before but there wasn’t any question I was going, so I bucked up and walked down to the Catholic Church on 24th and Pennsylvania. Ivan, who went to Princeton, served in Korea and then went on to cover wars as a CBS radio correspondent. I was fascinated by his nine lives and asked him what it was like reporting from a war zone.

“There is nothing more thrilling than having bullets buzz by your head and shells flying in the air. It’s the only place a reporter should be if they want to cover the news.”

For many reasons I believed and admired him.

But let me back up for just a second.  I met Ivan, Helen (Thomas), (Rahubir) Goyal and Connie (Lawn) at a dinner last May 17th. I’ll always remember the date, the moment, the evening. In many ways it changed the course of my life. It also confirmed my direction towards journalism in a profound way.

The dinner, which I won’t get into now, had me sitting right across Helen. Thankfully, my Aunt Debi was there, who served as the perfect generational liaison. I asked Helen if we could have lunch sometime and she said “Sure. Give me a call and we’ll have a Coke.” And that’s how it all started.

My First Memorable Conversation with Ivan

At one point, Helen and Debi danced off to the bathroom together and I was left at the table with Ivan. In his seersucker suite, brown rimmed circle glasses and warm smile, he turned to me and got serious.

“You know, young lady, she’s a legend. She’s a legend in this town.”

I looked at him a bit shocked. He was looking out for Helen like a sister, a member of his family and for a second my enchantment faded. I understood. And although I barely knew the extend of her history, I agreed.

“Yes, I know.”

Ivan went on to take me under his wing, taking me to drinks and dinners, allowing me a rich conversation where I could ask anything about his life, history, war, and relationships. He was, by all means, a mentor who went beyond the call of duty.  Last week, after a brief illness, he passed away. 

Ivan’s Memorial Service

When I walked into the church, I noticed Helen was in the back sitting alone. I decided I’d sit next to her, but first went over and lit a candle. Somehow through my tenuous spirituality, I asked my Mom to sit with me for strength. Funerals, as I know, bring unpredictable, and sometimes, unwelcome emotion.

I went over and slide down the pew with my street team backpack. Helen smiled and welcomed me. After a minute, she broke the silence.

“I didn’t even know. I was away,” she said.

Her make-up was done and her hair curled. There was a sadness about her so I didn’t really say much.

After the ceremony I watched Tony Snowe walk up to her, who had just consoled Ivan’s wife, to give her a friendly stroke. It was a moment of grief for all those around us, but in particular, I thought, to Helen, who had lost a friend who took with him so much heart and knowledge about her life.

She kept an eye on me as we walked out the Church and said in a low voice, “Let’s go get a coffee or a drink.” She extended her hand for me to hold, and told me, “I’m still wobbly from the long flight (from Dubai).”

So I escorted her, through fans of people (I know this because of the nervous compliments people came to give her) and to the curb where, a man who had sat behind us, offered us a ride. During the ceremony she had turned to him, a Navy officer at the Pentagon, and said, “You have a wonderful voice.”

We went to the Tabbard Inn, the last place I had met Ivan, and had our usual gin and vodka. I told her all about the Winter Soldier event.  She was on my every word, especially when I told her about Conscientious Objector, Camilo Mejia.

“He said,” I told her, “that it is difficult being a CO in the military. But that ‘war, is the best argument against war.”

She smiled and looked very pleased. “That’s an incredible quote.”

On our way out, she had barely made it to the steps when she went into a rant about White House Press Secretary, Dana Perino.

“Torture…torture…’we don’t torture’ she says….’we don’t torture?!’ Please!”

Helen didn’t know it but a couple was standing behind us. They couldn’t get through as Helen had paused to finish her rant. I made eye contact to let the woman know to go the other way around.

I figured she had no idea who Helen – or I – for that matter was, and would be on her way. Instead, she walked down the steps and positioned herself in front of Helen.

“Ms. Thomas, I have never been in your presence before. My husband and I were so pleased when you walked in… and…I…I just wanted to say Thank you, for everything you’ve done.”

Helen, as if almost granted these moments by sheer reparation of her age and societal contributions, lit up, like every other time a person thanked her.

“Thank you so much. Thank you so much,” she gently and sincerely said.

Before the woman could walk two steps away, Helen got back to what she was saying to me.

“ ‘Torture…’ We don’t torture! What do you mean, ‘we don’t torture?!’ ”

“Helen,” I said with a big smile, “you sure don’t miss a beat!”

She paused and let out a big laugh.

“I guess I don’t!”

And in that moment, Ivan, a person who knew how to laugh despite the realization that everything in the world is not always right, was in some way there.

Last night I went to the 17th Street Cafe to watch the Primary returns and met some hip (re: word of the night) politico bloggers from spots like DC Drinking Liberally, The DC Concierge and The Seminal.

I also picked up some new tips, like using the web site Utterz, which allows for real-time phone interviews to be streamed across the web. Jill Foster, avid Utterz enthusiast, showed me how it worked. Here is an interview with me and The DC Concierge creator, Shana Glickfield.

Here is my latest video for MTV. After I went to Sen. Clinton’s foreign policy speech last Monday, a colleague at Spectrum asked me, “So did you talk to the other press? A lot of the time, that’s how they get all their stories.”

The answer is, I hadn’t. Not because I didn’t want to, but because I was executing under an impossibly quick lunch break. Still, I was glad I didn’t have the chance. Here’s why.
 
In the days to follow, I watched headline after headline talk about the foreign policy speech I had been to as a “blistering attack on Obama,” and the “start of Clinton’s 5 Point Attack.”

Really?

Sure, she might have alluded to Obama’s willingness to meet with dictators at one point, but she only mentioned his name once.  The way I saw it, in the least mean-spirited manner (and most self-serving) possible, it was all about her credentials. It was a candidate, who is desperately trying to get back to what had worked.

But what had worked? As I watched the speech a half dozen times over the week, I noticed a familiar common thread to her rhetoric and campaign. Bush-Bashing. That Monday in DC, she did enough of it to re-piss off every Democratic ear in the nation.  That is, if they’re still listening.

Last week the government recognized DC by giving the city its’ personal mint on the quarter. Last week the District of Columbia, the only city the the country who’s people do not have Congressional representation, submitted three designs, each with the words “Taxation without Representation” included.  All three were rejected. Check out the political cartoon Tom Toles from the Washington Postdrew in response.