Page 32 - ARUBA TODAY

A32 FEATURE
Wednesday 25 OctOber 2017
Down and out in DC: What can be done about diplomatic dumps?

By ASHRAF KHALIL negative press coverage
Associated Press of the issue that he hopes
WASHINGTON (AP) — The will embarrass intransigent
large building at the cor- nations into action.
ner of 22nd and R streets “The shame factor is often
in downtown Washing- our most effective tool in
ton, D.C., sticks out like a getting these matters re-
wart in the otherwise up- solved,” he said.
scale neighborhood. Ply- The case of the former Paki-
wood covers the windows, stani consulate on R Street
sleeping bags and empty stands as a rare recent suc-
bottles litter the shuttered cess. But it’s also an exam-
doorways and head-high ple of how bad a situation
weeds sprout through has to get before the State
the asphalt of the empty Department will act. Sea-
fenced-off parking lot. groves said the Pakistani
For a solid decade, neigh- Foreign Ministry built a new
bors and local political embassy, moved its consul-
leaders complained bit- ar staff there and “in effect,
terly about the condition of walked away” from the old
the former Pakistani consul- building. After years of nag-
ate. But the city remained ging, and with the building
powerless to do anything In this Oct. 19, 2017 photo, the vacant Pakistani embassy is seen in Washington. becoming a magnet for
as long as the building was Associated Press squatters, Seagroves’ of-
classified by the State De- Amazon and The Washing- $100 in assessed value; for a The State Department fice finally delivered an ul-
partment as a diplomatic ton Post, recently bought vacant property, that rate doesn’t have a lot of op- timatum and a deadline.
property. That diplomatic a massive house there. increases to $5 per $100 tions either. Cliff Seagroves, When that passed, State
designation has since been The area’s most recent and if a property is judged acting head of the Office revoked the diplomatic
revoked, according to the prominent resident is Sec- by the city to be neglected of Foreign Missions, said status in February 2016 and
State Department, but the retary Of State Rex Tiller- or “blighted” the tax rate he’s largely bound by the let the city move in and
building still stands as per- son, whose department is jumps to $10 per $100 in as- 1961 Vienna Convention treat the property like any
haps the most egregious responsible for making sure sessed value. on Diplomatic Relations. other blighted building. By
example of an only-in-D.C. these diplomatic properties But that isn’t applicable for Revoking a property’s dip- June 2017, the property
phenomenon, where dip- are maintained. a diplomatic building. lomatic status is an extreme had accumulated more
lomatic protocol allows a The issue is particularly “If I have a vacant house step that could provoke a than $70,000 in tax debt.
string of abandoned build- frustrating for members of in the Shaw neighborhood diplomatic crisis and retal- That debt was purchased
ings to fester, untouchable the city council, who find that’s becoming a prob- iatory action against U.S. by an investment group at
and tax-free. themselves unable to use lem, I can call in the cops, properties abroad. a tax auction in July 2017,
“Residents, who them- the many instruments at clean it up, throw a fence “We have to balance (lo- giving the Pakistani govern-
selves are under obliga- their disposal for dealing around it and if necessary cal residents’ concerns) ment about six months to
tion to keep their properties with neglected buildings. seize it for unpaid taxes,” with making sure we’re not settle the debt or risk losing
in order, are complaining For example, the city has said City Councilman Jack making things harder for the property. The Pakistani
to me,” said City Council- a three-tiered tax structure Evans. “I have a lot of tools ourselves overseas,” Sea- government, in a state-
woman Mary Cheh, whose designed to compel land- in my tool box. But I don’t groves said. ment to The Associated
Ward 3 contains several lords to maintain their prop- have those tools available With limited options, Sea- Press, said that “a plan is
such problematic prop- erties. Ordinary buildings to me if it’s a diplomatic groves admitted that his of- being worked out” for the
erties. “Unless the State are taxed at 85 cents per property.” fice is often pleased to see building’s renovation and it
Department is really com- was working with the State
mitted to the issue, these Department and District of
countries can really string Columbia government “to
you along.” Cheh’s office amicably resolve the issue.”
has compiled a partial list However the Pakistani
of vacant and neglected statement also pointed out
diplomatic buildings and that all diplomatic proper-
she co-authored a bill call- ties are exempt from taxa-
ing for creating a compre- tion, a contention that
hensive citywide list. Viola- seemingly ignores the re-
tors on Cheh’s list include vocation of the property’s
properties owned by the diplomatic status.
governments of Serbia, Repeated queries as to the
Sri Lanka, Cameroon and why the building fell into
Argentina. Many of these such an extreme state of
eyesores are in some of disrepair went unanswered.
the District’s most high- While residents can claim
end neighborhoods. The victory there, the fight con-
Sheridan-Kalorama area, tinues. One block away,
where several are located, down R Street, the former
is home to former President Serbian embassy sits in simi-
Barack Obama, as well as lar disrepair with its diplo-
President Donald Trump’s matic status intact.
daughter, Ivanka Trump Some of these unused
and son-in-law Jared Kush- In this Oct. 19, 2017 photo, a demolition notice is displayed in the window of the vacant Pakistani buildings are unused for an
embassy in Washington.
ner. Jeff Bezos, owner of Associated Press understandable reason. q