WASHINGTON — A prominent D.C. developer made headlines after getting a Presidential Pardon. Now, community leaders are hoping he’ll settle a land dispute that could threaten the future of D.C.’s Go-Go museum.
The property in question is called the Secret Garden, but it is well known to community members and city leaders who have been holding events there for the past 12 years.
Back then, Kymone Freeman of We ACT Radio led a team of young people in cleaning up the neglected and overgrown strip of land that sits behind their building in the 1900 block of Martin Luther King, Jr, Avenue, Southeast. The volunteers transformed it into a backyard garden and in the past 2 years built a deck and stage expanding the Secret Garden. They have fed the soul of the Ward 8 community in free programs, fashion shows, meetings, workouts and Go-Gos.
“This is the future home of the Go-Go museum,” said Ron Moten standing inside adjacent Check It Enterprises which is currently under renovation. “We will do culinary art programs, music and engineering programs and that outdoor space was one of 3 performance spaces we’ll have here and during COVID it’s so important to have that space.”
But Moten said he got a call that changed the landscape of what they always thought was theirs.
“We get a call from Douglas Jemal’s lawyer saying he owns the property and we need to vacate,” Moten recalled.
D.C. Developer Douglas Jemal recently received a Presidential pardon for unrelated wire fraud charges. Now, the business owners want Jemal to offer them some grace and recognize the investment they put into his property.
“Like Marion Barry told me in the last We Act Radio interview is that nobody gave us anything,” recalled Freeman. “Everything we have we took and so we are taking our rightful place at the table and if we don’t, we’re going to bring our own chair.”
“African Americans have nowhere like this in the city where we own something, we control something, and we pretty much give it to our people for free. We have nothing like that,” added Moten. “We’re getting pushed out. This is the last of what we have and anybody with a heart will pardon the garden and give us a fair chance just like somebody else gave him a fair chance.”
WUSA9’s Delia Gonçalves reached out to the developer and discovered a change of heart. Douglas Jemal wouldn’t disclose any details but after a period of uncertainty committed to a meeting this week, sealing the fate of the community treasure.
“I support Ron Moten and I support the Go-Go museum,” said Jemal over the phone Sunday evening. “We’ll work something out that’s amicable to both parties and the Secret Garden will belong to the community and the Go-Go museum.”
In the meantime, construction on the museum continues with hopes to open its doors by this summer.
