Ronald Hanna

Afraid of the Darks Ronald Hanna

In the heart of Washington, D. C. there is an ongoing conflict. It is simmering just below the surface most days, and periodically boils to the surface late at night with unexpected, often violent outcomes. The conflicting personalities are as diverse in social background as they are in physical appearance: the historic blacks of the Shaw and Adams Morgan communities, and the "new gentry," most young, most white, many gay. The community's conversions are nearing completion, with the last generation of the historic residents unable to keep up with soaring property values, disappearing rental properties, and the continuation of gun- and drug-fueled violence which for so long has plagued these communities. But many are determined to hold on, and the younger ones, fueled by need, some by greed, and many by hatred, do what they feel is necessary to "get paid."