image uploaded by alancleaver on Flickr
Two Sunday crimes that have alarmed many in the community — a seemingly unprovoked, vicious attack on a woman walking from Harris Teeter around 3 PM Sunday, by one among a group of four young men, resulting in substantial facial injury and the unrelated shooting of a man nearby — has prompted the First District Police to add more uniform and tactical officers to patrol the area around 12th/13th and Pennsylvania Avenue SE through to I Street SE as detectives investigate. MPD-1D is increasing its deployment around the area in question starting Tuesday night, it said.
A shooting around Potomac Gardens near sunset and the attack on the shopper in proverbial broad daylight, while many people, including police patrols, were out and about, have shaken some members of the community, including MPD-1D Commander David Kamperin, who stated on the listserv, that “these two random attacks are disturbing and this type of violence should shock the conscious within this safe community.”
“We have had some valuable information from witnesses and hopefully we will be able to identify the assailants shortly,” Kamperin added.
According to one person close to the crime involving the lone female, she was walking from Harris Teeter toward 13th Street SE. “She was right near Mangiolardo’s (the longtime Italian sub shop). She had a bag in each hand, and was walking past four teens, when one of them punched her in the face. There were no words exchanged, and no apparent provocation.” This person, who asked to not be identified, noted what was witnessed:
“One teen ran across the street to G [Street SE] by La Lomita. Two teens walked casually up the Penn toward 13th and G, turned left on 13th, then went into Potomac Gardens. The only description I can give is for one of the teens. He was a stocky, black male, about 16 years-old, stocky, 5’4″ 175 pounds, hair was in short twists, wearing blue jeans with a large cuff and a black jacket. He had on a tight black skull cap. I did not see which teen punched the victim, so I cannot say that this particular teen is the one. I just know that I have seen him around a lot, and I recognized him,” this person alleged.
The female victim is recovering but did not lose teeth, as some listserv reports suggested, at least according to one account, although the injuries sound worse.
“I spoke to a friend of hers tonight,” said one person. “She is still in the hospital, and is undergoing surgery tonight for a broken jaw (it was broken in 2 places). Imagine that from a single punch. When we first happened upon her, we thought her teeth had been knocked out, but that was not the case. Her jaw was just in pieces. I can’t imagine what pain she was in, poor girl,” this person said.
At the scene, passers-by were able to assist the young woman and help her with her injury and getting her insurance card from her purse. There was no apparent robbery motive involved.
Another person, who heard the woman scream from Frager’s, up the street, also was walking by when the second incident, a shooting, occurred at around 4:30 PM– 5PM Sunday in the 1200 block of I Street SE.
Lt. Christopher J. Micciche cautioned against “speculation as to where the perpetrators of these heinous crimes may reside,” on the MPD-1D listserv. “The rumors I have seen circulating via email thus far are not accurate, nor in accordance with the information we have at this point. Also, I would discourage any speculation that these incidents portend some pattern of crime increase, or a ‘crime wave’,” he stated. In fact, violent crime, property crime, and overall crime is down significantly-as compared with 2009- throughout the First District, as well as in PSA 106 and PSA 107, according to Micciche.
Police invite anyone who wishes to discuss these and other matters of interest to come to its PSA 106 Community Meeting on Thursday, December 2nd at 7 PM, Tyler Elementary, at the corner of 10th and G Street SE.
Liz,
Thanks for the article. There was talk last night on one listserv that there was yet another unprovoked attack on a woman walking alone–remarkably enough, the reports said that this attack occurred in almost the very same spot.
Have you heard any news of this?
Kathleen
If the cops can’t take care of it, maybe citizens should. In NYC the cops are actually out on the streets, not in doughnut shops feeding their faces.
Shut down Potomac Gardens NOW Vince Gray and Tommy Wells.
Agree with FJ. Nothing but trouble brews from Potomic Gardens. If you can’t respect what you basically been given for free, then get out of the neighborhood.
I’m not shocked nor surprised…. Unfortunate as it may be, it’s only a matter of time before the old crime-riden DC returns. What’s to be expected when there’s poverty within a supposedly gentrified community….
Also, the Papa John’s on 11 st se was robbed last week.
How does one get on this listserv?
More reason to move to, I’ve seen more and more of these “youths” causing trouble and running their mouths around Capitol Hill lately.. The other day 10 of these “people” walked into the DC mart on F & 9th hararsing the Asian clerks because of their ethnicity, dropping F and N bombs and trying to intimidate everyone. I’ve also had two “youths” jokingly reach for my iPod when I was jogging the other day… Unfortunatley there’s nothing anyone can do about it. DC caters to this sort of behavior and they are welcomed with open arms by the garden variety liberals that run this town – who glorify failed social programs. The only way to get rid of this behavior is to price them out of the community across the river. This has been a problem for decades, and no one will solve it (it can be solved). G’town had the right idea not letting metro build a station near them.
/And they will get away with both of the above crimes.
/sad but true.
What listserv and how can new residents of the are become of a part of it?
Ever walk by 8th and Penn SE? These punks hang out there and make a mess of the whole place waiting for the bus. Police need to step up patrols and get rid of these types. Is this racial profiling, YES – its the same racial group causing the trouble – get over being so damn PC, and get them out of our neighborhood!
Wow, Todd. If you feel this way, maybe you should move. And by the way, Georgetown residents did not oppose Metro — it was never planned to go there.
http://www.welovedc.com/2009/10/13/dc-mythbusting-georgetown-metro-stop/
@ John. The listserv is here http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MPD-1D/
This past Saturday at approximately 3pm I witnessed a black teenager on E St SE between 8th and 9th picking up rocks from the sidewalk and randomly hurling them. One narrowly missed me and I heard the rocks hitting cars.
Yesterday evening on while exiting the Eastern Market Metro, there were four DCPD cops in the Metro station drinking coffee and talking! Really? You have nothing better to do than talk to your co-workers and break the no beverages in Metro rule.
Close Potomac Gardens, please, Mr. Wells.
These kids need to be removed from this neighborhood. 16 year olds doing this with parents condoning it, I’m sure. I’ve seen that. Poverty and blackness is the worst combination for making and maintaining a civil society. Why is that? Clearly I do not lump all blacks into this but poor blacks in urban areas are insane disasters. Education is the way out or huge talent as a creative person or an athlete but that is rare. And unfortunately they say they value education in lip service but in practice they do not whatsoever. I’ve been an educator in these parts, left because it was an impossible task. They need to want it, not me, I learned. And I have found they do not really want it.
Not quite in line with the general discussion here, but Georgetown didn’t block a metro stop:
http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post.cgi?id=423
This is outrageous – as is the attitude of the cops and some of the residents, as if we should just all accept this because it’s an urban area. Black male teenagers are the perps, and as long as they are allowed to run wild wihtout any consequences for their actions this will keep happening. And to hell with anyone who thinks pointing it out is racist – it’s as plain as the nose on your face. And should Cap Hill ever be terrorized by gangs of white Girl Scouts, I’ll say the same thing about them.
@biebitz –
Sad but true… that’s the only reason capitol hill is remotely habitable – all powerful gentrification .
75% of this city is a leper colony – and has been for decades, yes DECADES, because people don’t want to face the facts. I’ve lived here for only 4 years and have heard the same issues and problems discussed… and no one wants to address them..
Capitol Hill would be thriving if it wasn’t for tolerance of the activity around Potomac Gardens, the bus stops like the one at the Potomac Avenue metro, and the anti-gentrification mantra of the many people who voted for Grey.. who don’t see this city as the Nation’s capitol, but as a city that they are losing to successfull people who strive for success and a better way..
/apologies for grammar
Stop blaming the police for these little bad ass kids animal behavior. I live in one of the worst parts of the city and the police do a great job, its the courts fault for treating these little animals like children instead of the scum that they are. Officers cant take a coffee break?! The truth is violence can happen anywhere at anytime, its really easy to blame the police when things are going bad, but how many of you actually praiser them when they do a good job or give them information when a crime happens? Stop whining and start putting your anger to good use and put some pressure on the Mayor and the US Attorney Office to punish these punks instead of just slapping them on the wrist! Thank you MPD for all you do!
The image of rogue bands of Girl Scouts hurling cookies at Hill rowhouses is too much to handle.
At least the cops could eat those girl scout cookies while taking their “well deserved” coffee breaks.
I had to laugh at the unprovoked incident. Seeing how I’m one of those that would laugh when I see folks trip or fall.
The streets are taking back the CHOCOLATE CITY!
At least Council past a law that removes the sanctioned veil of secrecy for these young punk thugs terrorizing DC week after week. The comings and goings of the violent DYRS 900 should be public information so we know what are neighbor’s kids have done and where they live. This random act of terror is not new, these kids have been beating lone white women for years now.
Folks who are up in arms should be,. However, if you live in 1D, as I have for three years after moving here from decades in Fairfax, I’ve seen outstanding performance from MPD. No donuts, no coffee, but a constant presence and real attention to individual situations and tips. If you want FACTS, join the MPD yahoo listserv (see http://mpdc.dc.gov/mpdc/cwp/view,a,1242,q,565764.asp). Second, for those folks attacking “liberal” DC residents for supporting this crime, it’s the residents — of all races and income levels — who have been working hard with MPD to get the crime rates to tehir lowest levels in decades. If you want to help, join your informed neighbors as part of the solution, and get out there on the neighborhood walks and attend the meetings. If you want to just complain, than keep it to yourself. We have a lot of work to do to get this town to the low crime rates we all want, but we all have to play a role.
@Start Your Own Gang – You are the problem. Whether you are white (trying to be funny and ironic) or black (and trying to inject irreverence to cause anger), you clearly don’t appreciate the immensity of the problem. It’s not “these people are unfixable so they should take back a city and drive it into chaos and pain”, it’s: there’s a civil problem here that cannot be remedied without inner-city black people dropping their racism (some of the worst racists out there, especially toward Asians whom they find easy targets), stop blaming white people, stop indoctrinating victimhood and start taking responsibility for their lives and others’ lives, especially their children, like these teens. I say these kids need to be removed not to oppress them but to save them from jail or worse. BUT if they refuse to find a better way then I have no more sympathy left and whatever happens, happens. That’s, whatever happens, I would not fight it. It’s too exhausting to fight something that is as stubborn and angry as all that. I’ve seen many well educated black people turn away in fear or play into it because it’s just so overwhelming to do anything else. They can’t change it, I can’t change it. And all it will ever be is a damn shame. Yes, many Africans Americans were brought here as slaves but since their emancipation, civil rights, a black president to break the final glass ceiling, there are zero excuses because they are in the only country in the world which makes such a hardy attempt to advance black education, black social mobility and black happiness. No other country does that to this extent and for that level of prosperity. None. No other. And still they throw shit. Hopefully shit-throwing will wane and things will change.
So let me see if I understand: my tax dollars are going to pay for public housing such as Potomac Gardens. Some residents at Potamac Gardens return the favor by selling drugs and randomly attacking us? Here’s an idea: let’s not fund Potomac Gardens anymore. Would this be unfair to those in Potomac gaardens who are honest citizens? Sort of, but on the other hand it is even more unfair to be attacked. Potomac Gardens is a community – all in that community have some degree of responsibility for the actions of others in their community. Stop looking the other way and do something about the drugs and violence. Otherwise we should stop paying our tax dollars just to have a haven for drugs and violence.
I’m pretty sure Tommy Wells’ office monitors this website and our listserve and is seeing the comments about his lack of action.
TW – you want walkable streets and to improve the community? Prove it. Take some real action on PG. It does not have to close, but it should be redeveloped and converted to mixed income. This has worked for other projects in DC and would a great benefit to the majority of PG residents who deserve better. The prison-style housing project is a relic from when urban planners didn’t know better, why protect it?
From THIH comment policy:
We reserve the right to delete any comments we find defamatory, abusive, illegal or otherwise offensive
From @Start Your Own Gang
“I had to laugh at the unprovoked incident.”
I would seriously hope this abhorant comment would meet the THIS Comment Policy standard for offensiveness
This whole thing makes me sick, personally. We have a subset of disenfranchised youth who are taking it upon themselves to terrorize a wonderful community. That area has always been a problem, so maybe DC police should have a permanent presence at Potomac Ave Metro. I appreciate that the police can’t be everywhere, but that metro stop seems to be the center (or close to the center) of this activity. While closing Potomac Gardens is a palatable idea, it is not realistic in the near term, as the property is federally owned. In the meantime, I plan on carrying a small can of orange spray paint with me. At least then, if I become an unfortunate victim of these hoodlums, I can be sure to leave a very visible mark on them. Small consolation if I suffer a broken jaw, but at least the police would have an easier job identifying them.
How about mandatory drug tests for all public housing residents/beneficiaries? Might as well expand that to those obtaining food stamps too. No pass, no free rides!
A note from DC Police Chief Lanier, as posted on the MPD-1D listserv:
“I know there is currently a lot of concern within the community surrounding the recent violence on Pennsylvania Avenue. Rest assured, stopping this violence is a top priority for MPD. We cannot tolerate such acts!! We are working this from many angles. First, we are increasing our footprint in the area with both uniformed and non-uniformed officers. Secondly, we are coordinating closely with the DC Housing Police and they have committed to paying closer attention to the area immediately surrounding Potomac Gardens.
Towards the longer term, we are collaborating with the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) and other government agencies to ensure we hold all parties that are contributing to these crimes accountable for their actions. If our suspects are receiving government assistance, we will leverage that. There are strict laws, specific to public housing, that promote awarding housing to “responsible individuals” who do not pose a threat to the community.
Bottom line, we will send a strong message that we will not tolerate an environment of fear and will work with our sister agencies to ensure that households with members contributing to this violence are put on notice.
Cathy Lanier
Chief of Police
@b, you are correct, but it’s not just StartYourOwnGang who has come very close to crossing the line in this thread.
We encourage all of you to comment, but please keep it civil.
Elizabeth, we have heard the same old song and dance from MPD and our local politicians over and over. “Nothing to see here, we are working on it, etc…” Yet the problem persists. You can see open air drug purchases every evening at PG, literally 5 yards in front of the DCHA authority car. If I can see them, they can see them. I’ve actually been standing there w/ an MPD officer when we witnessed one. I asked if he saw it, and he said, “yep, but there isn’t much we can do about it as the cash goes in one side, they go into the building and where we can’t see the actual exchange and the drugs go out the back side of the building.” Seriously, I find it hard to believe if they wanted to address the issue they couldn’t figure out a way to stop it.
Also, there are what appear to be a ton of MPD of camera equipment on poles in the center courtyard of PG. It’s hard to see from the street, but you can see them if you look. They obviously aren’t in use, are dummies, or are not monitored. The only other explanation is MPD’s folks can’t afford HBO and rather watch their own version of “The Wire” live each night.
I’m glad to hear the police plan to increase presence in the area starting tonight. This is reassuring. It’s not a long-term solution, but at least we know there’s some acceptance that we have a problem, and it’s not just random or rowdy kids.
My husband and I were a few of the first people on the scene on Sunday to help this poor woman. We are beyond outraged by these incidents and are tired of hearing from our officials and the police that Potomac Gardens has nothing to do with it. Either it needs to be made safe for everyone, or it needs to GO NOW.
We are tired of living in fear in our own neighborhood. Feel the same?
1.) Go to the next PSA 106 Community Meeting on Thursday evening, at 7pm, at the Tyler Elementary School at 10th & G St SE. Tell them that Potomac Gardens MUST be made safe or it needs to be gone from our community.
2.) Print this letter out, sign it, and send it via snail mail to Mr. Wells and the rest of the folks CC’ed here. We are working on another letter to the DC Housing Authority which owns Potomac Gardens.
Councilman Tommy Wells
1350 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Suite 408
Washington, DC 20004
Dear Councilman Wells,
As a resident of this community, I am deeply concerned about the increased crime in the blocks near Pennsylvania and Potomac Avenues. All the neighbors in our building, the surrounding areas, and throughout our community are impacted by senseless violence, attacks on peaceful people going about their day, and the brazen disregard for the law which now occurs on a seemingly regular basis.
According to many reports, suspects commit a crime and then take refuge in the fenced off Potomac Garden development (bordered by 12th and 13th Streets and Pennsylvania and Potomac Avenues) to avoid the police. This puts the vast number of law-abiding citizens living at Potomac Gardens and surrounding areas, as well as those visiting and shopping in our neighborhood, at risk. Police officers in Washington, D.C., do an admirable job but simply appear to be stretched too thin to patrol an area as densely populated as this corner of Ward 6. Thus, petty mischief like throwing rocks at pedestrians, goes unresolved allowing it to escalate into more violent crimes due to a perception of lax enforcement.
Within the past few months, several of our community members have experienced violent muggings, including two women who had several teeth knocked out, and another who was assaulted and robbed by four teenagers. Recently, two 13 year old children shot themselves while playing with a handgun behind Jenkins Row. During the spring and summer, we saw increases in armed robberies, some involving perpetrators as young as twelve years old, others involving an assailant in a ski mask. You might dismiss these as ‘incredibly stupid acts’ done by teenagers acting ‘without judgment in a group,’ as you did on Fox 5 the night of Monday, November 29, but I believe the incidents above are a pattern that has continued in our neighborhood for far too long.
As our representatives to the city, increasing the safety of Ward 6, particularly the area between 11th and 17th Streets, must be a top priority on your agenda and insist the city’s police department respond immediately and appropriately. I am asking that a police officer be stationed at the nearby neighborhood park on 13th and Potomac where many drug transactions and a recent shooting have been reported to police, at least on temporary assignment for the benefit of everyone in the area. The residents at Potomac Garden and this community deserve increased patrols in the neighborhood. We love Washington, D.C., and we call this neighborhood our home. The current situation has become untenable and we’re sure you would agree that violence such as this is an obvious roadblock to our shared goal of a ‘livable and walkable community.’ Please help us, the citizens of Ward 6, make this neighborhood a peaceful, livable, and safe place to call home.
Sincerely,
cc:
Mayor-elect Vincent Gray
Reeves Center
2000 14th Street NW
4th Floor
Washington, D.C. 20009
Chief Cathy L. Lanier
Metropolitan Police Department Headquarters
300 Indiana Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20001
ANC Ward 6B
David Garrison Chair
8 4th Street, SE
Washington DC, 20003
Seriously guys! This discussion can be conducted without the bigotry.
THANK YOU @8thStreeter
I’m getting sick just reading some of this angry,
bigoted discourse.
People want to side step issues of racial profiling and gentrification but the truth is that those exist in every major city. NYC did not clean up it’s inner city by ignoring them – they just focused on enforcing the laws and making the police force responsible and accountable. MPD has a thankless job to be sure…but it is without argument that it is one that could be done better than it is currently. MPD reacts with presence for relative moments following incidents like these and then go back into a lax cycle of indifference. That may be acceptable for employees of a local grocery store or department store – but it is not acceptable for the police force. Things will not improve under Vince Gray.
The unusually crazy comments here probably come via the story on NBCwashington.com, which contains a link this blog.
Is there a 3 strikes law in DC? 3 violent felonies and you’re out?
Wow. On Sunday I hopped a bikeshare up to H Street Playhouse for the close of War of the Worlds. How did I miss this insanity?
I recently moved here from Brooklyn and I agree with previous posters that the MPD does not have enough of a presence on the streets. In NYC, you see police everywhere, subway, sidewalks, on foot. It makes a big difference. I live near Lincoln Park but I shop at Harris Teeter and the area makes me nervous. I have noticed some thugs checking out my car as a drive out of the parking lot heading towards 13th. BTW, I’m a black female and I don’t feel safe near Harris Teeter. I agree that the projects have to go and I am all for gentrification!
These crimes make sick. The comments make me even sicker. People have to be cautious about their underlying racist ideals. Residents of the new “Hill” sound as if they may have a privledged attitude. Comments like, “Send them across the river” , or “Poverty and blackness is the worst combination for making and maintaining a civil society” are truely disheartening. Residents beware of yourselves.
Certainly not the usual people commenting on this post….
In any event, I understand that the knee jerk reaction to blame MPD is often misguided, but at the same time, is Chief Lanier just realizing that Potomac Gardens is a problem? The area we are talking about is not actually that big—maybe from 11th to 15th & Penn, and two blocks north and south. Can it really be that hard to effectively patrol that area?
I also wonder what policing techniques are being used. It’s apparent to everyone who is paying attention that 99.7% of these crimes are committed by black teenagers who usually congregate in packs. The police should be dispersing them every chance they get.
to Sad –
Your mentality is what allows degradation and social ineptitude to exist…
You have to be realistic and address REAL problems with REAL solutions… I travel abroad frequently and am always amazed by the relative respectful behaivor of the youth in the Singapore nation…
DECADES OF SYSTEMIC POVERTY AND VIOLENCE IN DC, DECADES!!!!
YOUR PARTY IS OVER, THE BUMS LOST!!!!
@SAD You quoted me and I should clarify. I refer to blackness not with regard to a racial group but to the inner-city mentality of what being “black” is. It is a myth which is continuously acted out. It is a mentality and it produces these crimes (against black people, against white people). It is not a skin color or a race. Just like that website about the oh so perfect things that “white people like” produces a myth about whiteness. These are ideas and both are detrimental. Blackness and Whiteness can be acted out by any person of any race. Look at comedians – it is a regular part of the American comedy dialectic. American Blackness is an idea that is 40 odd years old or so – American Whiteness is even older and provoked American Blackness into being, reflecting Whiteness back to itself in a way that Whiteness could never otherwise be seen. American Blackness culminates in the worst hip-hop culture has to display (most of hip-hop is a cultural necessity and art but over the years much of it has been pure degradation) with an origin in the sectors of the Black Power movement that became hateful (there’s a reason Malcolm X was first for black power, then backed off – he was insightful to know that black power was a necessity but also realized it needed to be controlled – just like whiteness). The extreme mentality is detrimental to a civil society. Blind (ignorant) so-called black power and blind (ignorant) so-called white power are heinous vehicles for intimidation and hatred and entitlement to violence, to say nothing of their uncivil results. Whiteness prides itself on the cultivation of a “pure” society to the absolute exclusion of any other(s) and in the past this has produced heinous results; Blackness is its antithetical twin and often produces heinous results, like a woman getting her jaw broken for no reason, as if there should be one. Anyway, it is a worthy conversation which never happens.
Me laughing at the situation is probably not as offensive as some of these comments that happen to mention race/color/ethnicity.
@Start Your Own Gang
As much as I disagree with most of the ugly and unwarranted comments on race/color/ethnicity, at a human level a defenseless person was brutally assaulted for no apparent reason. She presented nothing the perpetrator(s) wanted other than an easy target for their sadistic fun. It’s really sick to find ANY humor in that, regardless of the victim’s skin color.
This viciousness and cowardly attack could have just as easily been perpetrated against someone’s 90 year old grandmother, a mother toting newborn twins, or an adolescant. Real funny
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40450463/ns/us_news-life/
we here in DC should be moving away from a Clockwork Orange world and do what Chicago is doing.
If they can do this we can also.
FYI
to all of those newbies who are shocked by PG and the crime- you should have been here 15- 20 years ago- it made today’s crimes look paltry. Heraldo Rivera did a special segment on PG back then, which, along w/ Cabrini Greens, was considered the most dangerous housing project in the entrie USA. The difference- we put up a gate and instituted ID checks at PG- while in Chicago they took the bull by the horns- gave the responsible welfare folks portability and made Cabrini mixed use, mixed income. We have practically turned PG into a historic designated complex- and if we haven’t look out- I wouldn’t put it past some moron in the CHRS to elevate it to great architecture and try to preserve it .
PG should be torn down and mixed use, mixed income , market rate development should happen there- and it will bring in needed tax dollars. This is what is essential for any healthy city. The suburbs should bear a larger role in the social dysfunctional and their needs. These suburban folks come into the city to volunteer but would never allow these services or mutants around their homes or precious children- so we in the city have to tolerate it. Look for Grey to keep it the way it has been.
The racist drivel on this blog makes me embarrassed to call many of you my neighbors.
Fand12
This discussion has nothing to do with racism.
Your obviously content with the alarming increase of violent crime on Capitol Hill. Therefore, I’m embarrased to call you my neighbor..
So I won’t. Again, DC has had this problem for decades, it’s time for a realistic assesment of the reason behind the problems and a solution..
Not more of the same because your afraid of reality.
I guess it’s no surprise that none of these newcomers could give a damn about what happens IN Potomac Gardens to it’s residents, visitors, police etc, daily, as long as nothing happens to their lily-white asses. Yes, I bought race into it….well, just bathed in the lake of race-baiting that was here when I arrived…but are you against crime, in general or just against crime when it happens to you and your upper-crusty brethren? Seriously…
What the guy above described as “thugs checking out his car ” could, more than likely, be explained away as any Black Guy looking his way. He sees all Black Guys as thugs and they’re always out to get you, at every moment aren’t they? :-/
We welcome you here and hope you can contribute something towards making our city even greater but suggesting that MPD break up and disperse groups of Black youth simply because you “feel nervous” or “uneasy”, really? I see you on the subway, you all are ALWAYS uneasy whenever there are more Blacks than White…lol
I realize 99.5 of you who move to the “gentrified” parts of my city grew up in homogenous cities and areas where Whites were the majority but either you can live in a multicultural, multiracial city among those who may not be as wealthy or connected as you or you can go back to where you came from.
Thanks and goodbye
Anon – Same question…Are you for putting up with crime in your city as long as they dont happen to you? Your probably not as inclined to quickly better a problamatic situation when these crimes are not happening to you as you walk down your streets. I bet you would be a bit uneasy walking down your streets if the day before a group of opposite race teenagers cold clocked you…it goes both ways.
NYC passed more strident anti-loitering and other petty crime laws — giving police more tools to engage and thwart crimes before they can happen. DC hasn’t been able to pass such ordinances because of opposition from advocacy groups who use the city as “protest grounds” for various causes… (fearing that being arrested for an offense such as loitering would infringe on free speech rights). I think its time the city re-evaluate the need for these laws, and take example from the success of NYC.
@Anon – if you read closer you’ll see the person who described “thugs checking out my car” is a self-identified black female. And…when an angry white person assaults a black person (even when it’s not obviously racially motivated), black people come out en mass to protest – as they should. They don’t protest when it is white on white crime. Why would they? They are not involved in that. Makes sense to me. White people can do the same. And call it what they will. Just as black people do. That’s the license of free speech.
Black on black crime is just as bad and indicative of the same entitlement to violence as there is in this case. The young girl from Maryland who was recently found stabbed to bits in a trash can is only one of many tragic examples. Did her killer feel more entitled to that violence because she was black? That no one would notice? Young black guys kill each other over sneakers or name calling. It’s horrible. But the black community has to deal with it definitively or it will continue. A permissive or look the other way attitude will always make it worse and make people not involved not care.
Race in and of itself has nothing to do with it – it is only injected into myths that have become mentalities assigned and maintained by groups. Lily white rich people have the same problem with the myth of whiteness and it is just as insidious. Read The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin. Well, here we have The Fire Next Time just in reverse and on a much smaller scale but no less problematic. Do you like that white people seem nervous on the subway? You “lol’ed” at that. Is that some sort of pride? Why might they be? Wouldn’t you rather make an attempt to change that rather than laugh at it and expect them to somehow figure it out on their own?
The worst thing for the Potomac Gardens residents would be to shut it down or to be patrolled like a war camp; obviously these people need help and financial support which the community pays for, but when this kind of random violence stems from a place and everyone knows it, either that community must rise up and deal with those among them who are perpetrating them or the city must step in. What else could be done? Build great schools and regenerate a real value of education would be best but we’ve seen how difficult that can be.
The listserv some of the comments request info about is
newhilleast@yahoogroups.com
MPD (Metropolitan Police Department) also has a listserv
mpd-1d@yahoogroups.com
For what it’s worth I want to state that the language in my first post was racist and wrong. The mentality is a disaster, not the people. Just like the KKK mentality is a disaster. Wealth or poverty and whiteness (as defined in my previous posts: exclusion, entitlement, the illusion of superiority) is just as inept at building a civil society. The myths of blackness and whiteness is the racial disease in this country and we all suffer from it even those who never have racist thoughts or feelings – do they exist? Wealth, race and education determine nothing. Not all poor blacks or poor whites suffer these issues, just as wealthy blacks and whites can suffer them. I was being very self-righteous but I feel strongly about needless violence. It’s the violence that brings out the irrational anger. These are tragic events and it’s hard for me to make sense of it at first without making extreme judgments. It’s a bad flaw.