Hyattsville Life and Times August 2008

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County created slot to manage energy consumption by Hannah Kim

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espite a hiring freeze, Prince George’s County last month created a new position designed to reduce energy costs for the county and enhance environmental benefits through reduced energy consumption. Karl E. Berntson was tapped to fill the energy manager position. Berntson, who started his new position on July 21, will be responsible for analyzing how the county can efficiently purchase energy and determine where energy reductions can be made. It is expected that his work will save the county hundreds of thousands of dollars a year. The position was approved by County Executive Jack B. Johnson because of the expected net savings, said Brad Frome, legislative aide to County Councilman Will Campos (D-Dist. 2), who initially advocated for the position. In the short term one of Berntson’s goals is to negotiate contracts with energy service providers the counts is about to enter into, Frome said. The contracts cover about 10 buildings and are expected to generate a good amount of savings. An energy audit will also be created to determine where the county spends its energy dollars and to shed light on where future reductions could occur. The baseline created by the audit will also help measure if the proposed reductions are having the necessary impact. From 2000 until last month, Berntson worked as Chief of Energy Products and Services for Maryland where he handled energy performance projects that generated guaranteed savings of over $190 million. Prior to work-

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Vol. 5 No. 8

Hyattsville’s Community Newspaper

August 2008

Shakespeare brings laughter to Magruder Park

by Jessica Wilson

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Hyattsville Life & Times PO Box 132 Hyattsville, MD 20781 PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID Permit # 43 Easton, MD 21601

espite the humidity and high temperature, the lawn at Magruder Park was packed as residents turned out for this summer’s Shakespeare in the Park on July 17. As part of the Maryland Shakespeare Festival, laughter was on tap with the Merry Wives of Windsor for the 23rd season of Shakespeare in the Park in Prince Georges County. The program is put together by Park and Planning and normally, Magruder Park is the where the first performance takes place. “Usually [we have] anywhere from 250 people to about five or 600,” Seal said. “It depends on the weather.” Seal said that last year, rain threatened so the performance was moved indoors to the gymnasium at St. Jerome’s School, though the rain never came. “We’re really lucky in Hyattsville to get this performance,” said Joanne Mood, Director of the Department of Recreation and the Arts for the city of Hyattsville.“It doesn’t go everywhere.” The group of performers is based in Frederick, Md. Dressed in Shakespearian costumes that appeared to be warm for a hot summer night, they kept their energy high and kept the laughs coming. The play focused on Sir John Falstaff, a newcomer to the town of Windsor. He was once famous, but is now down on his luck and devises a scheme to make some fast cash. By

writing love letters to two townswomen, Mistress Page and Mistress Ford, he hopes to woo them and walk away with money from their husbands. The two women compare notes and come up with their own plan make Falstaff look a fool. Falstaff is played by the hilarious Steven Hoochuck, with Mistress Ford and Mistress Page played by Becky Kemper and Shannon Parks, respectively. “There’s a loyal group that shows up,” said Joanne Mood, director of

Hyattsville's Department of Recreation and the Arts. “I think people are surprised the first time they come how professional it is.” Hyattsville residents aren’t the only ones turn out for the performances. People come from all over the area. People of all ages filled the lawn where a full moon was shining down, many with picnics and blankets. Children and adults alike made mad dashes to an ice cream truck that showed up to cool the audience

off on the hot, sultry night. The park is scheduled to get an electrical upgrade that would allow for groups that do not have a generator to bring their performances, Mood said, adding she isn’t sure when that upgrade will take place. But until then, residents can look forward to another midsummer’s night when the words of Shakespeare fill the air in their own backyard, next summer.

Band of brothers Local Masonic group lends helping hand by Sarah Nemeth

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hen Armstead Williams sits for a game of Bingo with his fellow residents at Rollingcrest Commons, he is participating in one of America's time-honored traditions, dating back to the days before Americans were Americans. But the B-52s Williams is most familiar with were in Japan during World War II, and the reward he receives from Bingo Night is more about the spirit of brotherly unity than prizes and accolades. As a member of Prince Hall Masonry, Shelton D. Redden Lodge #139, Williams, 79, offers his fellow Rollingcrest residents a bit of hope on what could be otherwise dreary days. “The people here, they enjoy seeing the brothers coming because they always have a little encouragement,” Williams, who has been a Mason with this group for 5 years, said.

“There’s so much to learn in being a Mason,” he said. “I should have joined earlier.” As a marshal, Williams escorts Masons of equal or higher ranking of the lodge into meetings and ensures that any rabble rousers are escorted out of meetings. The lodge, which meets at Rollingcrest Community Center on Sargent Road, seeks to make for-

BAND OF BROTHERS continued on page 8

Included: The August 13, 2008 Issue of The Hyattsville Reporter—See Center Section

Hyattsville Life&Times | August 2008

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Opinion: Courting Sarah by Sarah Nemeth At the risk of sounding a bit too much like Carrie Bradshaw, the true-life columnist from the TV show “Sex and the City,” I’m going to splay out my dating life in

print this month. Some names have been changed to protect, well, nobody, but the body is all true. Right now I’m sitting on an ugly, overstuffed chair with my feet propped up on the dog, staring at the dart board on the wall, wondering why I struck out again. That’s thrice in the past year. My older sister, while once trying to be supportive, plastered a postcard onto my bedroom wall. It read: “I’m Flypaper for Freaks.” One I met randomly at a coffee shop. Two found my profile online. One took me to a four-star restaurant. One I had coffee with in Culpeper,Va. The other one - I don’t even want to

think about what he wanted. Dating, or courting, is such an awful experience for singles (I imagine it’s even worse for those who aren’t single!) While driving into Beltsville the other day, my roommate and I decided it would be better if you could “Build-A-Boy,” similar to the Teddy bear creating store. You pick the right qualities, right character, right morals and values, and the right personality. And Bing! One freshly baked boyfriend. Oh, if only someone would patent our idea. Today’s dating world is like the TV show “Let’s Make a Deal.” You just never know what’s behind door #1.

The singles galaxy shrank with the advent of online dating (Singlesnet.com; eHarmony; Match.com). First it was chat rooms, then the big guns came in, blazing a trail of tears for any unsuspecting single thinking she (or he) would find the perfect mate through a computer screen. Sure, there are some happy couples that met online, but they probably didn’t meet Parker, the semistalker I met late last year. He was one of those close people that Seinfeld talks about. He just got way too close, way too fast. They probably also didn’t meet Norbert, a great, un-date-able guy. He caught me a baseball while he was enjoying a game one evening; brought my dog a bone when he picked me up for our first official date. After nearly a month of talk-

ing on the phone and online, we thought we were ready to meet. Except, when we met, there was no chemistry. Despite the sun setting over the gorgeous Annapolis Harbor, the perfect cuisine and interesting banter, there was no click. (I mean, what do you do with a guy who shows up at your house wearing a rope belt that could be wrapped around him twice? You graciously get into the car, let him treat you to an elegant evening, and pray that he doesn’t embarrass himself anymore than he already has). Right? Since it became popular, I’ve been averse to meeting a potential mate online. I prefer running into Mr. Right while canoeing on the Pocomoke. To date, that tack has served me well.

a mosquito repellent for humans a mixture of soybean oil, water and dishwashing liquid). Another advantage of garlic spray is that it doesn’t harm fish. Dr. Cain joins Mr. and Mrs. Minnowhaven and Joe Fox-Glover of the HSS in recommending a fish pond to help keep down the mosquito population. This sounds counterintuitive because standing water is just what mosquitoes like best, but the advantage is that the mosquitoes are lured to a place where the larvae they lay will soon disappear. Resist the temptation to stock your pond with koi, which are beautiful but don’t really eat many larvas and are themselves tempting to raccoons. However, if you love koi, you could add other creatures able to peacefully coexist with them but better at devouring larvae. Cheapest, most plentiful and most effective are minnows, tadpoles and goldfish feederfish. So even if raccoons do make a few raids on your pond, periodic

replacement cost is nominal. For further discussion, please come to the next meeting of the Hyattsville Horticultural Society at 10 a.m. on August 16 at City Hall, 4310 Gallatin St.

Miss Floribunda

(YATTSVILLE ,IFE 4IMES

A community newspaper chronicling the life and times of Hyattsville

Mailing address: PO Box 132, Hyattsville, MD 20781 Hyattsville Life & Times is published monthly by Hyattsville Community Newspaper, Inc., a 501c(3) nonprofit corporation. Interested reporters should send their e-mail addresses to the editor to be reminded of deadlines and receive internal news. Articles and news submitted may be edited. The deadline is the last week of the month for the following month’s issue. Letters to the editor and opinions are encouraged. For all e-mail correspondence with HL&T: news, features, tips, advertising and business write to hyattsvillelifeandtimes@gmail.com. To submit articles, letters to the editor, etc. , e-mail Hyattsvillelifeandtimes@gmail.com. For inquiries re advertising rates or to submit ad copy please email to Hyattsvillelife@Yahoo.com.

Dear Miss Floribunda, I am proud to report that my back-yard organic vegetable garden is doing fine, and I am harvesting all kinds of tomatoes, squash eggplant and beans. My problem is that it is agony to do so because of mosquitoes. These are brazen and come out in broad daylight. I’ve looked all over for standing water but don’t see any and can’t figure out where they could possibly be breeding. I don’t want to use poisons or messy emulsions. What can I do? Eaten Alive on Emerson Street Dear Eaten Alive, The only mosquito that comes out before dusk and can breed in almost no water is the dreaded Asian tiger mosquito. It was unknown in our country before 1985. Because we’ve had regular rainfall this summer it can find enough water within

leaves or in moist indentations in the lawn. I consulted with Dr. R. Cain again, who suggested using garlic spray on these blood-suckers. Spray the area in and around your garden some morning during a dry period (Two days before rain is expected is ideal). Garlic spray kills mosquitoes on contact without hurting honey bees or other beneficials.Application during a dry spell allows the plants to absorb the spray and emit an odor that repels the mosquito but which humans can’t detect after a few moments. Dr. Cain said mosquitoes can detect odors 10,000 times better than we can. In fact, they can find us by the odor of carbon dioxide we give off (This prompted me to ask the doctor if you could use the spray on yourself to repel the little vampires. I was rather disdainfully informed that if the creatures were really vampires they wouldn’t come out in the daytime and would avoid the mirror-like surface of standing water. The doctor recommended as

Questions may be sent to floribundav@ gmail.com. Miss Floribunda is the collected wisdom of the Hyattsville Horticultural Society compiled and edited by Victoria Hille.

Letter to the Editor

Fish tale I’m writing you in response to an amazing find reported in your local paper.The paper may be small, but the size of the snakehead fish (28”) is not! As a tributary to the Anacostia, the Northwest Branch poses a serious risk to the fragile ecosystems of the

LETTER continued on page 3

Sarah Nemeth, Executive Editor 240.354.4832 or betweensundays@gmail.com Ashby Henderson, Photographer Production, Electronic Ink Writers/Contribtors Colleen Aistis John Aquilino Keith Blackburn Steve Clements Bert Kapinus Michael Martucci Hugh Turley Board of Directors Christopher Currie Matthew McKnight Tim Hunt Bert Kapinus Sarah Nemeth Circulation: Copies are distributed monthly by U.S. Mail to every address in Hyattsville. Additional copies are distributed to libraries, selected businesses, community centers and churches in the city. Total circulation is 7,500. HL&T is a member of the National Newspaper Association.

|THE PUBLICATION DEADLINE for articles and letters in the September issue is Friday,August 29th. |

Hyattsville Life&Times | August 2008

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Commentary and opinion on history & politics

What do you think?

Hugh’sNews

We want to hear from you! To submit articles, letters to the editor, etc., e-mail Hyattsvillelifeandtimes@gmail.com.

Learned helplessness by Hugh Turley

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he front-page article in the Washington Post featured photographs of happy dogs. Over a year after being rescued from Michael Vick’s dog fighting operation most of the pit bulls had been rehabilitated and many adopted. My godson informed me one of the dogs in the photographs was not a pit bull but appeared to be a grey-

LETTER

continued from page 2

Potomac and the Chesapeake Bay. Fishing in the Northwest Branch typically produces catches of bluegills, other sunfish, and, if lucky, a medium or large bigmouth bass. After spring stocking, there are rainbow trout. Because these trout are not native, if not caught early, they will die from the higher water temperatures starting in late May or June. Along with the native species, the trout provide a robust diet for snakeheads which are alpha predators. These non-native snakeheads evolved to thrive in the tropical temperatures of Southeast Asia.They can even move over land from one body of water to another. They can slither and crawl through wet grass in a way similar to eels. I believe that we should immediately start to curb the threat by any

hound. The article made no mention of any greyhounds. It is interesting that a greyhound should appear in the photo because greyhounds suffer a similar fate. Dog fighting and dog racing both involve prize money and gambling. Vick’s pit bulls were bred to fight and those that lost or would not

HUGH'S NEWS continued on page 9 means possible. A more aggressive electro-shock survey in all the tributaries could not only provide statistics on native species, but would help to remove any snakeheads found. An educational campaign could encourage sport fishermen throughout the region to catch and not release snakeheads. Because they have a popular history as a food fish, snakeheads have been imported live for Asian restaurants. These fish and those discarded my misguided aquarium owners are thought to be some sources for these exotic fish finding their way into our native waters. There should be laws prohibiting importation of live snakehead fish. If these regulations are already in place, they should be more strictly enforced. Bruce Hutton Mount Rainier

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Great restaurants, great food, great location! by Olivia Overman

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elcome,welcome,welcome,” is the greeting you will receive when you call or visit Hyattsville’s newest barbecue and seafood restaurant, the Carolina Kitchen Bar and Grill. Preceded by a reputation for great soul food and barbecue, the restaurant opened its doors in Hyattsville about a month ago and has already served 37,000 customers. Located on America Boulevard at University Town Center, Carolina Kitchen is one of the many new restaurants offering Hyattsville residents “really, really, really, really good food,” said owner Lance London, who was raised in Prince George’s County. As for the types of dishes offered, London describes everything from barbecued spareribs and short-ribs, North Carolina barbecue, fried lobster tail, rockfish with crabmeat to jerk chicken, only to name but a few. Along with lazy summer days comes the scent of seasoned chicken, steak, hamburgers hotdogs and sausage wafting through the Hyattsville hills. But for those who do not have a grill or barbecue pit in their backyard, the area offers options to satisfy the craving for a cookout. Famous Dave’s, a nationwide barbecue restaurant, confirmed by the city’s planning committee to open at the Mall at Prince George’s in late fall, will add another great dining location to the list opening up in the area. Hyattsville is an “explosive”

place to be right now, London said. It is going through a “metamorphosis of sorts [and] the people are coming” to enjoy it,” London added. With summer in full swing, people also have the option to spend their evenings outside trying some great tasting food at the monthly Summer Jam festival held at City Hall. The event is sponsored by Outback Steakhouse and is the place to be if you are looking for grilled food without ever even having to own a grill. Shiney Mani, a resident of Hamilton Street, enjoys barbecuing during the summer months, but does not often get to indulge her taste because she does not have a grill at her house. Instead, she finds other ways of

feeding her hunger for barbecue, like attending a cookout at a friend’s house or stopping at Famous Dave’s in Bowie. Last month, she and a friend attended a Summer Jam, where she dined on a steak burger and a cold libation. “I think it’s awesome,” Mani said of the event. “It means a time to relax, socialize, eat some good food, drink some good wine, chill and have some good conversation.” The next Summer Jam is scheduled for Sept. 5 at 6:30 p.m.

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Local resident hits the silver screen Filmmaker premieres first feature film by Jessica Wilson

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’ve got to make a movie before I’m 31,� Francis Abbey said. And that is exactly what this local writer/director did. Abbey spent all but two years of his life living in Hyattsville. He attended grade school at St. Jerome’s School, and graduated from DeMatha Catholic High School in 1995. “It’s been my dream since high school to make a feature film,� he said, claiming Quentin Tarantino as one of his early inspirations. Abbey had planned on being an architect, but realized when taking an architectural drawing class at DeMatha, it wasn’t his strong suit. So he went on to the University of Maryland to study criminology and Spanish and found himself working for UMTV while studying, and then later after graduation. Three years later, his passion took him to Savannah, Ga. to study film at the Savannah College of Art and Design. In Savannah, Abbey started acting in other filmmaker’s projects, though he says he was actually a very shy person. When he returned to Hyattsville, Abbey’s film experiences in Savan-

nah allowed him to connect with local filmmakers in the area, paving the way for the his new feature, “Boxing Day�, which debuted at the AFI Theater in Silver Spring on August 7th. The film focuses on Emmy Towne taking her boyfriend, Darryl, home to meet her family on the day after Christmas. Emmy does not have the best track record for introducing new boyfriends to the family, and is concerned that Darryl will be strike number three. But her main concern is how they will handle the fact that Darryl is black. Abbey said it’s like the movie,“Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner� with his wry, modern spin. He said having lived in a racially diverse area was an influence on the film. Abbey wrote the film with some of its performers in mind, having worked with most of them before. The idea started with Demetrius Parker Sr. and Bridget Devlin Burke who play the roles of Darryl and Emmy respectively. Taking into consideration the actors’ abilities, Abbey said he started to write the story around them. No stranger to screen writing strong scripts, Abbey’s screenplay “Pennsyltucky� took fourth place out of 2,000 entries in the 2006 Utah-based Slamdance Film Festi-

val’s screenplay competition. Abbey’s style in “Boxing Day� is more invention, where he wrote developed an outline to allow the actors to do some improvisation during scenes. Shot in just 80 total hours at various locations in the Washington, D.C. area, Abbey reached out to friends, family and into his own pocket for funding. He raised the money from friends, including former DeMatha classmates, he said. Could his home town of Hyattsville ever be the subject of a future film? “I love that Hyattsville is trying to become an art friendly area,� he said. “At some point I’d love to shoot something in Hyattsville. I’d love to put Hyattsville on the map for something.� Abbey said he hopes to have a future showing at the University of Maryland. In addition to Parker and Burke, the cast includes Jim Murphy, Victoria Hartford, Jenna St. John and Danny Gavigan. For information about future showings of “Boxing Day�, visit the film’s website at www.boxingdaymovie.com. “Boxing Day� is rated “R�.

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From the Hills by Tim Hunt

Good time had by all

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he usual tranquility of a hazy win for the residents, especially chilsummer evening at the Duck dren who perhaps for the first time Pond on Wells Parkway was get to meet a police officer, ask his shattered on July 16th as Hyattsville [or] her name, ask about their job hosted its second Family Fun Night and put a face with a name. It’s a win of the summer. for the officer who has the opportuWith neighborhood children in nity to get to know the residents and control of the horns and sirens of find out what’s going on, both good emergency vehicles, it was about as and bad in the local community. It’s a wild a time as one could legally have win for the community and the dein a public park. partment as these Hyattsville Ward 3 get together at types of encounAdults and children alike enjoyed the University Hills Duck Pond on from 2 ters build trust and having hands-on p.m. - 3:30 p.m., Sept. 13. Please RSVP to understanding and contact with gar- Krista Atteberry (katteberry@hyattsville. hopefully result bage trucks, street org) or Anthony Patterson (apatterson@ in a better police sweepers, fire hyattsville.org). [and] community trucks and other National Public Lands Day ceremony partnership.� emergency vehi- at the University Hills Duck Pond is Indeed, those cles.The Hyattsville scheduled for 9:30 a.m., Sept. 27. who attended were Police Department thrilled by the elecwas also on hand with a cruiser and tric atmosphere in a casual setting. Many a Segway. Refreshments were served residents, including this writer, had the and activities for the children were opportunity to ride a Segway for the provided by the city’s Department of first time. Anxiety and humor were in Recreation and the Arts. full supply as neighbors built up the For Police Chief Douglas Hol- courage to take turns on the device. land, the enjoyable evening also “I can’t look!� was the reaction of came with a practical side. Malvina Bhatia-Guerin as her dad “We try to take advantage of every took a spin on the Segway. Then it opportunity we can to participate in was her mom’s turn.“This time I realevents that allow our officers to in- ly can’t look!� Seeing friends, making teract with residents in a casual, non- hats, and climbing on the trucks were threatening atmosphere,� he said. the highlights of a good time had by “It’s a win-win-win situation. It’s a Malvina and her brother, Milan.

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BAND OF BROTHERS continued from page 1

ays into the Hyattsville community through volunteerism with three groups: the elderly and sick; the disenfranchised; and with youth, said Kevin Stephen, a junior warden of the lodge.

They have helped with community clean ups and Hyattsville’s Summer Jams, he said. “We’re trying to set an example for the entire community [to show that there are] upstanding men in the area and we’re out there,� Stephen said. “We see ourselves really as being go-to people for the city in places

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where it makes and he is now For more information sense,� he said. Master of the on the Prince Hall lodge. Freemasonry, a “A lot of the Shelton D. Redden fraternal, non-repeople that I Lodge #139, visit ligious organizaknow who are www.sdr139.org tion, is predomiMasons, are upnately comprised standing men,� he of black men, but it is open to men of said of his choice to join the group. any creed or color. “There [are] many people my age Samuel T. Daniels, Grand Master doing this [whereas] other groups of the Most Worshipful Prince Hall were older men.� Grand Lodge of Maryland and its JuAll said, the goal is to “make good risdictions granted Shelton D. Red- men better,� Hughes said. den Lodge #139 a charter in OxIt also helps to break down comfordshire, England on July 11, 1981. mon misconceptions about others, Many members were shipped to Stephen said. other assignments or stations due to “To see a collection of black men their military careers and the lodge who are achieving gentlemen is was later disbanded. In 1992 the against stereotypes,� he said.“You start Hyattsville Study Club was formed to say, ‘These guys are really tight,’.� with the necessary number of Masons That claim is what led Jonathan and a charter was granted on Dec. 11. Gentry into Masonry, whose favorite Meetings were originally held at aspect of the group is the fellowship Bright Light Baptist Church in Ta- he has with the other men involved. koma Park, then in District Heights “There are not a lot of places and eventually back into the Hyatts- where you can share an experience ville area. The lodge moved again with someone and then develop and began to meet at New Dawn very intimate relationships,� he said. Baptist Church on Riggs Road and “When I have problems, I don’t neceventually to its current location, essarily go to the guys that I’ve always Rollingcrest Commons. hung out with, but I go to my brothBrent Hughes, originally from ers. You can’t put a dues stipend on Lynchburg, Va., has been involved that.You can’t put a price on that.� with the Hyattsville Masons for four years. His grandfathers were Masons

PG ENERGYcont. from page 1 ing for the state, Berntson worked at several firms as an engineer as well as in consulting and executive capacities. Campos pushed for the slot close to two years ago when he questioned how the county government, a large energy consumer, can save money when energy costs are high. After researching and looking at other jurisdictions such as Alexandria,Va., Campos proposed the position to the County Council. “The position will pay for itself several times over,� he said.“As we all know, the price of energy has been going through the roof.The price the county pays for energy is no exception. By reducing these expenditures, the energy manager [position] will pay for [itself] as well as save the taxpayers hard-earned money.� James Groves, a member of the Hyattsville Environmental Committee, sees the creation of the position as a step in the right direction. “The new Prince George’s County energy manager position was a great first step in bringing our county to where it needs to be in the battle against global climate change,� he said. “While the role of this position is fairly limited, I’m hoping it will branch out to cover more ground, such as legislation aimed at reducing carbon emissions by offering tax incentives to businesses and residents who cut their carbon output.�

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HUGH'S NEWS continued from page 3

fight were destroyed. Dogs were beaten, shot, hanged, drowned and electrocuted. The dogs were fighting for their lives. Greyhounds are bred to run for their lives. When an injury or age slows their speed a dogs days are numbered. The economics of dog fighting and dog racing are very similar. Both are based upon probability. The more an owner breeds, the greater the chances that one will be a champion. The others are expendable, and, indeed, most are dis-

Page 9 pensed with mercilessly. According to the Humane Society of the United States, in 2003 alone, an estimated 7,500 to 20,000 greyhounds were euthanized because they could not run fast enough. Dog racing is legal in almost every part of the nation. The Humane Society reports there are greyhound tracks in 15 states with 16 tracks operating in Florida. Dog racing is not our worst national disgrace. Prominent psychologist, Martin Seligman, is renowned for his theory of “Learned Helplessness.� As an experiment Seligman randomly administered severe electric shocks to caged dogs. The

torture was inescapable. He discovered the random mistreatment of the dogs destroyed them emotionally to the point where they did not even try to escape when given the opportunity. Some might argue that such experiments are necessary to benefit man. How? According to Jane Mayer in her recent book Dark Side, Seligman became associated with the CIA after 911. Seligman claims a talk he gave in 2002 at a naval facility in San Diego was to help U.S. servicemen resist torture. However, James Mitchell, a CIA contractor, cited “the use of Learned Helplessness in handling detainees.�

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Mayer tells what happened when Mitchell arrived at a black site to question terror suspect Abu Zubayda: “Mitchell announced that the suspect had to be ‘treated like a dog in a cage,’ informed sources said. He said it was like an experiment when you apply electric shocks to a caged dog, and after a while he is so demoralized he can’t resist.� The Soviet KGB was able to get innocent people to confess to crimes they did not commit. As Martin Seligman surely knows, human minds, like dogs’ minds, can be diabolically and systematically destroyed. Jose Padilla, a U.S. citizen and former hotel busboy, was accused of

being “the dirty bomberâ€? and imprisoned for 3 ½ years as an “enemy combatant.â€? During that time he was reduced to a compliant nodding vegetable. Padilla is now serving time at the Supermax prison in Florence, CO. Michael Vick is serving time at the Federal Penitentiary at Leavenworth, Kan., the greyhound racing industry continues to prosper with its dark side out of the public spotlight, and Martin Seligman is a respected member of society and past president of the American Psychological Association.

Hyattsville Life&Times | August 2008

Page 10

PoliceBeat Standoff with suspected rapist ends in suicide On July 23, 33-year-old Mark Antonio Humphries, a suspected serial rapist, barricaded himself inside a Hyattsville apartment at the 4200 block of Oglethorpe Street. A standoff between Humphries and police lasted several hours and ended when police heard a gunshot. Humphries, who had shot himself in the head, was taken to the hospital and died later that night. Humphries is suspected of raping nine women, some he may

have met on Craigslist. On Aug. 5, another standoff, this time just outside the city limits on Toledo Terrace, also ended in the death of the suspect, this time the fatal wound was inflicted by police, reports said. Genete Brook, 29, died at a hospital while being treated for gunshot wounds. The incident began the previous night when police responded to a report of gunshots at an apartment complex near The Mall at Prince George's. When police arrived, the man also shot at them, police said. Police secured the area and tried to negotiate with Brook, who refused to come out of the apartment, but fired at police. Later on, Brook came out of an apartment

window, carrying a handgun, and tried to run away. Officers on scene fired at him and struck him.The incident is still under investigation.

Crime reports online, in near real time Hyattsville City Police Chief Douglas Holland recently announced a new program to keep the community updated on crimes, available through www.crimereportscom. This information will be available in near real time, making the data accessible to officers, other nearby police departments, media and the community. The site will be updated daily. This service is free and you can sign up to receive e-

mail alerts when new information is added about incidents in your neighborhood. Crime data can also be viewed in a map-based format. Information includes: type of incident; date and time it occurred; and location. The City of Hyattsville’s Web site will soon have a direct link to www.crimereports.com.

Police Open House planned for final ‘Jam’ of the season The Summer Jam on Sept. 5 will include an open house for the Hyattsville Police Department. Tours of the police facilities at City Hall, 4310 Gallatin St., are available and officers will be on-hand to answer questions and provide information about the department.

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Students in Prince George’s County public schools system again had unprecedented achievement levels on the Maryland State Assessments (MSA) according to recently released 2008 MSA results by the Maryland State Department of Education. Every grade level, every subject and every subgroup has seen a rise in scores year over year. Outpacing the state improvement rate were aggregate elementary school improvement in all subjects. To find out more about the results, visit www. pgcps.org.

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Hyattsville Life&Times | August 2008

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Hyattsville Life&Times | August 2008

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