I wonder what can be done if the real issue is police enforcement. We’ve had two Chief’s of Police within the last 5 years with vastly different styles. There is a police presence, although we all may disagree on what level is approriate; the police are around. And finally, there seems to be a will in the neighborhood to fix the problem.

I guess the elusive answer is to the question of how to enforce enforcement, if you will.

If the dealers would sell drugs in their house or in a less conspicuous and loud fashion, so that it doesn’t bother everyone in the neighborhood, I would have no problem. Apparently concern for their neighbors is beneath them.

My problem is not a moral one. I couldn’t care less what they or others take to get through the day. I care that my neighbors and I do not matter enough to have a useful police response. If these morons pulled this shit in Cleveland Park, they would be in prison so fast it would make their heads spin. Having screaming idiots in front of my house every night also does not make me too happy.

What if we did the same for some substances which are currently considered illegeal? It would help cut down on the criminal activity and be subject to some level of regulation.

While mentoring in the DC public schools may or may not help anyone, it certainly will not help in my situation, while police arresting the drug dealers and having them evicted from their property would definitely help my situation. I doubt it would help theirs, but I do not think that anything would. Nor do I care to help them if I could.

Being poor and black in DC is extremely tough, but it should not be a blank check justifying any sort of behavior. Most of my neighbors who are also upset at the lack of response by police to these drug dealers are also poor and black. They seem to manage not to deal drugs on the street all night just fine.

Have you ever considered what it would be like living in an arrangement like they have?
They come home to their mom who is probably hooked on drugs or alcohol… their apartment is probably old and poorly lit… they get yelled at all the time by their family and they think they are worthless.

They don’t see that they have other options in life because after a decade and a half or more of being considered a hopeless case they have come to accept their fate.

If anyone wants to do anything about this problem I’d say start volunteering in the DC public schools and offering these kids hopes and dreams at a young age.

For my part, I see MPD arresting a fair number of people, but there’s no incarceration beyond a couple hours, and certainly no long-term counter-dealer operations. I no longer simply blame MPD, but rather ANCs, and our lack of congressional vote, which means that the larger law enforcement agencies like FBI and US Marshals don’t consider us important. DC is thus a haven for multi-jurisdictional criminals, who in other parts of the country (ie states) are pursued with great zeal.

Also, I see MPD as woefully understaffed. They have about 3500 officers if I’m not mistaken. Which broken into three shifts and a certain amount of administrative and jail-tending leaves paltry few on the streets. Don’t even talk to me about the Federal law enforcement guys, they are security guards at best who seem to only shoot homeless every now and then. Again, this is an ANC and Mayoral issue. The folks who built us a baseball stadium. Twits.

If anyone has the Bat-Signal, throw it up!!!!

I realize of course they are just selling drugs somewhere else, but if keeping them in jail doesn’t work, then I am happy to have them leave my neighborhood.

My situation is specific, but if the dealers in my neighborhood were arrested and they lost the house they live in, there would be a significant drop in drug dealing on my street. The market they serve would undoubtedly be served by another dealer, but it is extremely unlikely that they would deal on my street.

This may not not reduce drug dealing in Columbia Heights as a whole, but it certainly would not cause it to grow. Like you said, all you can do is separate yourself from the people causing the crime and blight. I do not expect any of them to undergo a conversion. Frankly, I don’t care what they do as long as they do it far away from my house.

I guess I’ll have to get off my ass and go visit them. Doesn’t it usually work the other way ’round?