Republic of Congo’s (Torn Up) Concrete Makes New York Times
16th Street and Riggs Place NW: The recently poured concrete at the Republic of Congo Embassy came up on December 19. (Luis Gomez Photos)
From Michelle Lancaster. Follow her and tell her your news on Twitter @MichLancaster or email her at [email protected].
Apparently, the squeaky wheel does get the grease. Or perhaps it often just has a better PR person? At any rate, Dupont Circle residents made so much noise about the decision by the Republic of Congo Embassy to pave their front yard that the embassy relented and began tearing up the concrete on Monday. (See No More Concrete at the Embassy of Congo.)
It took the DC Department of Transportation, the State Department and other local officials — along with neighborhood organizations — to make it happen. But now even the Grey Lady is in the picture. The New York Times story on Wednesday was after the Republic of Congo took corrective action with plans to replace the concrete with “bushes and mulch.”
The Dupont Circle Conservancy gets much of the credit in the article and the president is quoted a few times. The actual protests in front of the embassy were organized by the Dupont Circle Citizens Association.
The coverage of this squabble in the The Times means a few things:
- First, it is an extremely slow news week leading up to Christmas.
- Second, enough attention in local blogs can trickle up to the highest echelons of power (I’m talking about the State Department, not the The Times for any of you FOX News lovers).
- Third, be very careful if you want to build/renovate/alter anything in Dupont Circle.
The money quote in the article from the Republic of Congo’s ambassador, Serge Mombouli: “They asked us remove the pavement, and that is what we are doing,” he said. “I know that that will not look nice, but that for me is as far as it goes. If we are required to do more, we will lodge a strong protest with the U.S. government.”
Merry Christmas to you, too, Mr. Ambassador.
Previous Posts
- No More Concrete at the Embassy of Congo
- Pavementgate: State Department Smackdown on Congolese Embassy
- The Other Side on the B&B that Became a Cement Embassy
- Embassies, Trees, B&Bs: Be Careful What You Protest?
- SYMHM: Concrete, Lincoln and Vintage
- DCCA to Protest Congolese Embassy Over 16th Street Renovations
- SYMHM: ANC 2B Says No to Congolese Chancery
- Toutorsky Mansion Owners Apply for Chancery Use
