Business

#DontMuteDC Movement Coalesces Around Famous MetroPCS Store

WASHINGTON INFORMERS — For nearly a quarter-century, the MetroPCS store on the corner of Florida Avenue and 7th Street in Northwest kept residents and passersby alike jamming to the sounds of go-go, over time solidifying its status as a staple of authentic, homegrown culture, especially as gentrification displaced countless residents and businesses in the Shaw area.

Published

7 years ago

April 18, 2019

Sam P. K. Collins

By Sam P. K. Collins

For nearly a quarter-century, the MetroPCS store on the corner of Florida Avenue and 7th Street in Northwest kept residents and passersby alike jamming to the sounds of go-go, over time solidifying its status as a staple of authentic, homegrown culture, especially as gentrification displaced countless residents and businesses in the Shaw area.

That may no longer be the case, however, as T-Mobile’s corporate office recently told the local MetroPCS branch to cut off the music, allegedly in response to complaints from residents in nearby condos about the volume.

Upon hearing this news Monday, local activists, go-go aficionados and others rallied against what they considered the latest assault on their way of life.

“When I left school, I would fall asleep in my mother’s car and get woken up by the music at MetroPCS,” said Tyrell Brunson, a local producer and alumnus of the now-shuttered Gage-Eckington Elementary School.

Brunson counted among the more than 50 participants at a protest in the parking lot of the CVS Pharmacy across the street from MetroPCS on Monday evening.

Brunson, who said Backyard Band influenced his sound, said a Twitter post by award-winning producer Tone P spurred him into action Monday. He and several friends gathered in the parking lot and listened as Tone P, Kymone Freeman of We Act Radio, DJ D-Money, Swamp Guinee, Dusty of Tru Expressionz and countless other musicians and activists spoke on the microphone about the MetroPCS’ impact on their lives.

“I went to go-gos from the age of 14 until the city tried to eliminate it,” Brunson, 28, said. “This is a bigger issue than the music. They’re shutting down our culture. A lot of people are here. I understood the strength in numbers, and this won’t be the end of it.”

Donald Campbell, who owns the MetroPCS branch under Central Communications, reportedly received threats of a lawsuit from nearby residents about the music blasting from the store’s speakers. The orders from T-Mobile’s corporate office followed Campbell’s several successful appeals to the D.C. government to maintain the status quo.

#DontMuteDC creators and Howard University students Julien Broom eld and Asia Grant make their voices heard at the intersection of 7th Street and Florida Avenue in northwest D.C. (Photo by: Ja’Mon Jackson/WI Bridge)

On Monday, he politely denied a request for an interview, asking that The Informer instead email him a list of questions to be answered later.

By Tuesday morning, more than 29,000 people have signed an online petition circulated under the auspices of the #DontMuteDC movement.

Later that day, the Take Ova Band, also known as TOB, had been scheduled to perform in front of the Frank D. Reeves Municipal Center in Northwest in a show of solidarity with the go-go community. Campbell hosted a press conference Wednesday morning, and Check-It Enterprises and We Act Radio scheduled a town hall discussion for the following day.

D.C. Councilmember Brianne Nadeau (D-Ward 1) also entered the fray, sending a letter Monday to Kathleen Ham, T-Mobile USA’s senior vice president of government affairs, asking that the corporation reverse its order and honor the DC Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs’ determination that no noise violations had occurred.

Later that evening, Nadeau and fellow Councilman Robert White (D-At large), a fifth-generation Washingtonian, spoke words of support to their constituents.

“Go-go is something that we need to hang on to as MetroPCS keeps that alive,” Nadeau said. “I live just up Georgia Avenue and see people getting some music and jamming out. Ward 1 is vibrant and diverse and we love music.

“It’s not the government that shut this down,” she said. “Now we just have to figure out how to restore music in the corridor. We have to do more work in our communities and help people appreciate what we have.”

Since 1995, Campbell’s MetroPCS store has garnered a reputation as one of the largest retailer of cellphones in the D.C. area and a provider of go-go music. At one point, Campbell opened four locations, including one on 4th and R streets in Northeast next to a barbershop owned by the late Polo of go-go band TCB.

For Dusty, founder and frontman of the Tru Expressionz Band, 7th Street and Florida Avenue has a different level of significance for him as an entrepreneur and go-go fan. He reflected on what the current battle meant for go-go bands and the industry at large.

“The spot [across the street from the MetroPCS store] used to be the late-night spot with the photo booths,” Dusty said moments before addressing the demonstrators at Monday’s protest.

In recent years, Tru Expressionz, which Dusty started as a teenager, has kept bands grooving at Peace Lounge near Howard University and Fire Station 1 Restaurant & Bar in Silver Spring, Maryland.

“Even though you got new folks coming in, you got people who live and are from here,” Dusty said. “It’s about the store, but in general, this is one of the only sections of the city where we got street music. We can’t let that go.

“We just got to continue doing go-go shows on a bigger platform and push the music in a different way,” he said. “You got cover bands in different areas making money. So even if your band is doing radio covers or making original music, we can still push our genre. We can’t limit our music when we are so powerful.”

This is article originally appeared in the Washington Informer.

Sam P. K. Collins

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Arts and Culture

IN MEMORIAM: Oakland Dance Legend Reginald Ray-Savage, 67

Savage lived his life as tribute to the teachers who had shared their wisdom on art and life with him. With a palpably genuine enthusiasm and desire to bring out the best in people, and pass the torch to the next generation, he poured into his students, as his teachers and mentors had into him. His infectious energy, love of life, and generosity of spirit inspired countless souls, both inside and outside the dance studio.

Published

4 hours ago

June 24, 2026

Oakland Post

Reginald Ray-Savage brought the old-school teaching techniques he learned in the Katherine Dunham Dance Company to the youth at the Oakland School for the Arts in 2003. Courtesy photo.

Special to The Post

Reginald Ray-Savage – dancer, choreographer, and beloved teacher, mentor, and inspiration to many – passed away on May 17. The Oakland School for the Arts dance instructor was 67.

Born Reginald Ray, Jr. in St. Louis, Missouri, on Sept. 5, 1958, he formally adopted the name ‘Savage,’ to honor the great Archie Savage, his mentor at Katherine Dunham’s Performing Arts Training Center where his dance training journey began in East St. Louis, Illinois.

He soon started dancing professionally with Katherine Dunham Dance Company, making dance a way of life. His grit, tenacity, and notorious work ethic brought him scholarships to train at multiple prestigious dance institutions, including The Ailey School (NYC) and Ruth Page School of Dance (Chicago), under the direction of acclaimed ballet instructor Larry Long and Dolores Lipinski-Long.

He danced with several companies including Joel Hall Dance Company, Ruth Page Ballet Chicago, Lyric Opera, Chicago City Ballet, American Festival Ballet, and touring productions of “Music Man” and “A Chorus Line”.

In 1989, Savage moved to Oakland where he started teaching seven days a week, amassing a devoted following that was attracted to his no-nonsense, impassioned, and effective old-school teaching style.

In 1992, at the insistence of his committed core of students, he founded Savage Jazz Dance Company (SJDC). Over a span of 30 years, Savage produced more than 100 original works, and tour SJDC nationally and internationally, performing at Casa del Jazz in Rome to a packed house and rave reviews—the first dance company to receive such an invitation.

Savage built SJDC into one of the Bay Area’s most respected dance companies, creating a signature style known for its combination of disciplined training, blended with rich artistic musical expression, and raw energy.

In 2003, Savage joined the Oakland School for the Arts as chair of the School of Dance. Over the next two decades, he created, built, and maintained a strong dance program, recognized, and respected by other dance institutions for forging well-trained and resilient dancers and human beings.

The depth of Savage’s tough love and care, and the skill of his teaching and mentoring are reflected in the careers of his students who have gone on to dance with the San Francisco Ballet, Martha Graham Dance Company, Mark Morris Dance Group, Janet Jackson, Ariana Grande, and companies across the globe.

Mark Kitaoka, a photographer hired by Savage in 2016, posted a living eulogy on the dance instructor.

“When I see the self-pride he builds in his students I am constantly impressed that people like Savage still exist in our ‘meme’ society,” Kitaoka wrote. “The kids he mentors are fiercely loyal to one another and I’m certain his methods teach each of those kids to put aside social status, race and gender and is replaced by solid loyalty for other souls.

“What Savage contributes to our world cannot be completely summed up in a few meager paragraphs but can be seen in the countless lives of those he has touched. Because of him, our world, and the world of the future is both a richer and better place.

Reginald Ray-Savage will forever be missed, remembered, and lovingly quoted. He is survived by his beloved wife, Alison Hurley, his sister, Sonia, and his brothers, Pierre, and Andre. May his inextinguishable spirit and impact live on in all the lives he touched.

Oakland Post

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Activism

NCBW-OBAC Champions Black Women Entrepreneurs at Business en Blaque Expo

Aspiring entrepreneurs, small business owners, and financial professionals gathered for a day of education, networking, and community engagement. Participants attended workshops and panel discussions covering Business Literacy 101, wealth-building strategies, and entrepreneurship fundamentals.

Published

4 hours ago

June 24, 2026

Oakland Post

NCBW OBAC President Shari Wooldridge, moderator Jennifer Hammock, Eva Allen of Full Belly Bakery, Samantha Wise of Tip Top Shape, Ashley Harvey of Phoenix AI, Michelle McQueen, owner of Town Fare and Lucy Blue, at the "Business en Blaque” Entrepreneurship Workshop and Small Business Expo at Oakland's Executive Inn & Suites. Photo by Carla Thomas.

By Carla Thomas

The National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Inc., Oakland Bay Area Chapter (NCBW-OBAC) strengthened its commitment to economic empowerment through its 2026 Sisternomics initiative, offering free financial literacy and entrepreneurship resources aimed at advancing financial independence among Black women.

As part of the initiative, the “Business en Blaque” Entrepreneurship Workshop and Small Business Expo was held Saturday, May 23, at the Executive Inn & Suites in Oakland.

Aligned with the national theme “Resilient. Resourceful. Ready.,” the event highlighted NCBW-OBAC’s ongoing efforts to close economic gaps and expand opportunities for Black women.

One featured session, moderated by Jennifer Hammock, included panelists Eva Allen of Full Belly Bakery, Samantha Wise of Tip Top Shape, Ashley Harvey of Phoenix AI, and Michelle McQueen, owner of Town Fare and Lucy Blue. Panelists shared candid insights on their business journeys, including both successes and challenges.

McQueen and Blue emphasized the importance of maintaining clear financial records. “It’s important to know where you stand financially so you can make adjustments when necessary,” she said.

Ashley Harvey of Phoenix AI encouraged entrepreneurs to leverage AI tools such as ChatGPT and Claude to streamline operations and save time. She also stressed the importance of consistency in marketing. “Just put it out there. We’ve got to get over ourselves,” she said, noting that pre-scheduling social media posts can improve efficiency.

Wise echoed that sentiment, highlighting the value of consistent engagement. “I post two to three times a day because people want to be engaged, and your post doesn’t have to be perfect,” she said. She also shared that her faith continues to guide her work and purpose.

Allen spoke to the role of passion and community in entrepreneurship. “Baking is my passion, and it’s great to build community,” she said.

In addition to educational sessions, the Small Business Expo showcased local Black-owned businesses, creating a platform for visibility and support. The event fostered meaningful connections among attendees, speakers, and vendors.

Anita Russell of Working Solutions provided guidance on accessing capital, encouraging entrepreneurs to be prepared and intentional. “Do your homework, know your ‘why,’ and do not marginalize each other,” she said.