Our History

In the late 1970s, DC City Councilman H.R. Crawford was sent to investigate a camp of people living under a bridge near Georgetown, Washington, DC.

When he visited the site, Councilman Crawford was astonished by the ingenuity of the people living there and the community they had built. They rigged up an electrical supply for lighting and cooking, and generously invited Councilman Crawford for a fried chicken dinner made on a hot plate and served with coffee.

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