ABCDE METRO sunday, august 8, 2010 LOCAL HOME PAGE 77, 9 a.m. 89, noon 92, 5 p.m. 80, 9 p.m.
Obituaries Harold M. Keshishian, 81, could weave stories about rugs and carpets and the people and places that produced them. C6
The Daily Gripe Have a problem in your neighborhood? You vent, we get some answers. Go to
PostLocal.com.
VIRGINIA
Loudoun deputies struck Two members of the motorcycle unit are airlifted to a hospital with serious injuries after being cut off by an oncoming vehicle trying to turn left. C10
‘This is family history’ Quander reunion brings descendants of slaves to Mount Vernon
by Kevin Sieff
living space. About two centuries and twelve genera- tions ago, Brantley’s relatives lived in a dank cabin like this one, working the fields of George Washington’s pristine 8,000-acre residence. On Saturday, for the first time, her family
C
returned en masse to the Northern Virginia landmark as the Mount Vernon Ladies’ As-
arol Brantley moved quietly around a re-created slave cabin on the Mount Vernon estate, trying to imagine how eight people could share a single bed and a closet-size
sociation hosted a reunion for 120 of Brant- ley’s relatives, all descendants of slaves owned by the first U.S. president. “For us, this isn’t just American history,”
Brantley said. “This is family history.” As well as having ties to the estate’s slaves, Brantley’s extended family members, the Quanders, are also related by blood to one of George Washington’s nephews, experts say. For the Quanders, their connection to
Washington is at the heart of familial lore. It’s a history they celebrate and lament but continue to pass on.
XIAOMEI CHEN/THE WASHINGTON POST
Gloria Tancil Holmes reflects on the many changes related to how people confront the issue of slavery in American history.
Quanders from all over the East Coast toured the estate, gathering around a me-
reunion continued on C10 Tennis academy in Columbia Heights helps youths aim for success
Women, children killed over a debt, sources say
by Matt Zapotosky and Rick Rojas
Two drug couriers from Texas
have been charged with first- degree murder in Friday’s shoot- ing of two women and two young children in a squalid Prince George’s County apartment, po- lice said, and law enforcement sources added that the killings stemmed from a drug debt the women failed to pay. Prince George’s Police Chief
Roberto L. Hylton said Saturday that Darrell Lynn Bellard, 43, shot the four victims execution- style, firing multiple bullets into each one, and that T’keisha Ni- cole Gilmer, 18, blocked their es- cape. Bellard, of Dickinson, and Gilmer, of Texas City, were both being held. “We believe that this was a drug relationship that went very bad,” Hylton said. “Just the cold- ness of this execution, it’s very troubling.”
RICKY CARIOTI/THE WASHINGTON POST
Coach Sal De Leva encourages Sarah Garcia, 5, as she hits the ball during a practice session of the Pancho Gonzalez Youth Tennis Academy. Sponsored by the Latin American Youth Center in Columbia Heights, the program provides an outlet for the participants. “It is more than tennis,” De Leva says. “This is going to help them with opportunities. Tennis is just a vehicle.” Story, C3.
Illegal immigration stirs Va. GOP again
Ariz. law prods leaders despite risk of offending Hispanic voters
by Anita Kumar
richmond — Virginia Repub- licans who had backed away from the hot-button topic of illegal immigration the past couple of years, concerned that the hard-line approach could backfire at the ballot box, are embrac- ing the issue once again.
Republicans were emboldened after Ari- zona legislators passed a tough new law, even more so when the Oba- ma administration, in a rare move, sued to pre- vent the most contro- versial sections from taking ef- fect. “The open-border crowd
doesn’t just exist in Arizona,” said Del. C. Todd Gilbert (R-Shenan- doah), who is outspoken in the legislature against illegal immi- gration. “We are definitely fight- ing the same fight they are.” Corey A. Stewart (R-At Large),
chairman of the Prince William Board of County Supervisors, kicked off a campaign to bring an Arizona-like law to localities across the state. Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli II garnered nation- al headlines last week when he is- sued an opinion that allows police to question the immigration sta- tus of anyone stopped for any rea- son.
And Gov. Robert F.
Del. C. Todd Gilbert:
“Fighting the same fight”
McDonnell (R), who rarely mentioned ille- gal immigration during his campaign last year and instead made an unprecedented push to court votes in immi- grant communities, is asking the federal gov- ernment to train and deputize state troopers so they can make legal- status checks and refer individuals for depor- tation.
Virginia, already
known for some of the nation’s toughest policies on illegal immi- gration, has attracted the atten- tion of the same national groups that helped Arizona craft its law. It appears on their list of top 10 targeted states.
But it remains a tough issue for GOP continued on C4
Displays of grace and disgrace after Sister Denise’s tragic end
W
e all knew the haters would froth when it turned out that the
alleged drunk driver involved in a Prince William County crash that killed a nun was an illegal immigrant. The marvel was the response of the victim’s fellow sisters at the Benedictine convent in Bristow, near Manassas. It took them only a day to express forgiveness, and they did so directly to the driver’s parents. They also pointedly urged the rest of the world not to exploit the tragedy for political purposes.
ROBERT McCARTNEY I’m in awe of the nuns’ attitude
of grace, but I’m not pious enough to follow their advice. The death of Sister Denise Mosier on Aug. 1 illustrates key issues in the immigration
mccartney continued on C4 XIAOMEI CHEN/THE WASHINGTON POST
Maria Martinelly, right, the mother of suspect Carlos Martinelly-Montano, held in the nun’s death, said she tried to keep him from drinking. With her are his sister Mayra and brother Josh.
Huge teen fight on Metro ‘frightening,’ rider says
Three face charges; D.C. official again pushes earlier curfew
by Ann E. Marimow and Martin Weil
Billy Fettweis of Capitol Hill was planning to catch Metro home after a late dinner at Gal- lery Place on Friday when he got caught up in a massive brawl that officials say involved as many as
70 people, led to three arrests and put four people in the hospital. “It was very frightening. We
didn’t know what was happen- ing,” said Fettweis, 24, whose companion was pushed out of a train car and knocked to the ground. “Who were these peo- ple?” Metro Transit Police have
charged three District teenagers in the fight that began at the Gal- lery Place Station about 11 p.m., continued on the train and spilled onto the platform for the
Green and Yellow lines at L’En- fant Plaza Station. It is unclear how many people in the crowd were fighting. The Gallery Place neighbor- hood in Northwest Washington has become a popular hangout for teenagers, and the D.C. police department has enhanced its presence in the area. D.C. Council member Tommy
Wells (D-Ward 6) said he thinks the answer is an earlier curfew. District residents 17 and younger have to be off the streets by mid-
night in the summer. Wells pro- posed an 11 p.m. curfew for peo- ple 15 and younger, but most of the council members opposed the move, with some saying that it could lead to profiling. “Curfews do have an impact, especially in that area. I wish I had been able to get enough of my colleagues to vote for it,” Wells said Saturday. “It gives the police one more tool to help ensure that young people are not out doing
fight continued on C3
Killed were Dawn Yvette Brooks, 38; Mwasiti Sikyala, 41; Shayla Shante Sikyala, 3; and Shakur Sylvester Sikyala, 4. Brooks was the mother of the children, and Mwasiti Sikyala was their paternal aunt, author- ities said. All lived in the 6800 block of Third Street in the Lan- ham area, where their bodies were discovered about 3 a.m. Fri- day in a garage apartment amid piles of trash and debris. Police said they still do not know why the family was living in such horrid conditions — in a dilapidated apartment above a garage with no toilet, running water or air conditioning. Police said they have removed tons of trash from the property and found containers of human feces. Hylton said investigators want to know why they would live like
Darrell Lynn Bellard, 43, and T’keisha Nicole Gilmer, 18, are charged with first-degree murder in the execution-style killings. Police identified them as drug couriers from Texas.
0 MILE
Greenbelt Park
GOOD LUCK RD.
RIVERDALE RD.
410 295
3RD ST.
410
VETERANS PKWY.
MONT. MD. CO.
VA.
FAIRFAX CO.
450
GENE THORP/ THE WASHINGTON POST
CHARLES CO.
that when it appeared they were profiting from the drug trade. In addition, the family appears
to have roots in Prince George’s. Online county records indicate that the Sikyala family has owned the Third Street property since 1993.
A woman who said she was a
relative said the family was not transient and did not live in filth. “We are a proud family,” the wom- an said. “We are from a foreign country, and we respect our- selves.” She declined to give her name. The woman said that the fami- ly had immigrated to the United States from Congo and that one of the slain women had an 18- year-old daughter who would soon be starting college. “We are really hurt, and we
arrested continued on C4 D.C.
PRINCE GEORGE’S CO.
450 Detail
A.A. CO.
1/2 95 495
Two women, two children found dead
AUBURN AVE.
RIVERDALE RD.
C DC MD VA S
JOHN KELLY’S WASHINGTON
Out on a limb It’s not easy being green — trees in the District can live as short as seven years. But activists have a plan to expand the canopy and create more stewards for the trees we do have. C3
Texas pair held in four slayings
in Pr. George’s ATTACK CALLED DRUG-RELATED
CAL. CO.
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