A 1940s photo of a gasifier attached to a car (l). "Mayor for Life" Marion Barry. Photo: Bettmann/Contributor (Getty) and Michael Williamson/The Washington Post via Getty Images
We're still waiting for the "gasifier" to save us, 18 years from Friday after Marion Barry promoted the giant contraption as some sort of magical pollution zapper.
- Yeah, that sounds weird. In 2005, Barry ā along with comedian and activist Dick Gregory ā unveiled the machine at a parking lot in Southeast.
Flashback: "The contraption looked like something that would incite a call to 911," the Washington Post wrote. "Metal pipes and wires led to a two-story-tall black metal chimney, which led to more metal pipes that were connected to electric motors and high-tech doodads and dials."
- Its inventor said it could use waste to create electricity and drinking water.
ā”ļø "This is not a sham," Barry claimed.
Alas, nothing seems to have come of it. Its unveiling was marred when Barry got into a yelling match with Rev. Willie Wilson, who denounced D.C. stationing the machine across from his iconic Union Temple Baptist Church.
Get more local stories in your inbox with Axios Washington D.C..
More Washington D.C. stories
No stories could be found
Get a free daily digest of the most important news in your backyard with Axios Washington D.C..