"The residents in that area have spoken to me about their concerns for safety of their children and for the future of their neighborhoods," said Brazil, D-At large, in a statement. "They are rightfully outraged and I share that outrage. The people of the District must not become victims of another poorly conceived deal."

Mason, Statehood Party-At-large, said she could not support a prison at the site without the approval of the residents. She called for public hearings on other possible sites as well as an investigation into the management of existing facilities in the District operated by Corrections Corp. of America (CCA), which is vying to build and run the penitentiary.

Catania, R-At-large, declared his opposition in a letter to the D.C. Zoning Commission chairman, citing the recent unanimous vote against the facility by Advisory Neighborhood Commission 8D. The proposed site is within the ANC’s boundaries.

Other council members said they were simply supporting Allen’s recent decision.

Eugene DeWitt Kinlow, leader of a resident coalition opposing the prison, said he hopes the weight of the council members’ written testimony will persuade the D.C. zoning commission at its Nov. 12 hearing not to zone the land for a prison, as requested by CCA, the nation’s largest private corrections company.

The prison, planned for a 76-acre parcel known as Oxon Cove on the Maryland state line, would house men, women and youths classified as medium and minimum-security inmates. The site includes the area used as a D.C. vehicle impoundment lot and the area known as D.C. Village.

Prison supporters recently opened an office at 3115 Martin Luther King Ave. SE to serve as headquarters for gathering community support, said Hannah Hawkins, a prison supporter and child care professional who lives in the ward.

Plans for the CCA prison began in 1995, but opposition forces have only recently gained momentum as residents of Anacostia and neighboring Prince George’s County, Md., learned more about CCA’s plans for what its officials call "a corrections and rehabilitation facility."

Until recently, some people thought the prison was a done deal. Earlier this year, D.C. City Council unanimously passed several pieces of legislation authorizing a private prison in the District. All 13 members of the council signed letters in support of a prison in the District that were sent to the director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, the federal agency which is expected to award a contract in the coming months. An announcement of the contract was originally scheduled for Sept. 1 of this year. The announcement has been delayed indefinitely, according to Bureau of Prisons spokesman Todd Keith. He would not say why.

Supporters of the prison, including Mayor Marion Barry Jr., say it will create jobs for D.C. residents and bring tax revenue to the city. CCA also has pledged to start a $1 million revolving loan fund to support local minority-owned businesses.

Joe Johnson, a D.C. businessman and CCA board member, said he had not heard of the council members’ opposition to the prison. He said prison supporters are moving ahead with preparations for the Nov. 12 zoning hearing.

Copyright 1998, The Common Denominator