Comments on: Man Killed in Shooting in the 600 Block of Longfellow Street, NW http://www.princeofpetworth.com/2009/11/man-killed-in-shooting-in-the-600-block-of-longfellow-street-nw/ Welcome to the beautiful life Fri, 10 Feb 2012 05:08:08 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: ClaudiaH http://www.princeofpetworth.com/2009/11/man-killed-in-shooting-in-the-600-block-of-longfellow-street-nw/#comment-143304 ClaudiaH Tue, 01 Dec 2009 19:30:36 +0000 http://www.princeofpetworth.com/?p=9075#comment-143304 I live between 4th and 5th on Longfellow. I've been on my block for 7 years and I can definately tell you that the neighborhood is 1000 times better than it was 4-5+ years ago. I heard gunshots regularly back then, now the neighborhood is a lot more quiet and diverse. It's never going to be perfect sadly. I feel so sorry for this young man and his family. I live between 4th and 5th on Longfellow. I’ve been on my block for 7 years and I can definately tell you that the neighborhood is 1000 times better than it was 4-5+ years ago. I heard gunshots regularly back then, now the neighborhood is a lot more quiet and diverse. It’s never going to be perfect sadly. I feel so sorry for this young man and his family.

]]> By: Pennywise http://www.princeofpetworth.com/2009/11/man-killed-in-shooting-in-the-600-block-of-longfellow-street-nw/#comment-143176 Pennywise Tue, 01 Dec 2009 15:07:51 +0000 http://www.princeofpetworth.com/?p=9075#comment-143176 Great, I am demanding change. Now what? Great, I am demanding change. Now what?

]]> By: Ward4Resident http://www.princeofpetworth.com/2009/11/man-killed-in-shooting-in-the-600-block-of-longfellow-street-nw/#comment-143154 Ward4Resident Tue, 01 Dec 2009 14:23:46 +0000 http://www.princeofpetworth.com/?p=9075#comment-143154 Pennywise, I think what needs to be done is for citizens to really rise up and DEMAND change. This means that we have to accept tougher policing (something many DC residents have been historically against) and tougher laws. This is one reason you don't see this kind of crime in Georgetown or Dupont - citizens there DEMAND change when something heinous like this happens. Pennywise, I think what needs to be done is for citizens to really rise up and DEMAND change. This means that we have to accept tougher policing (something many DC residents have been historically against) and tougher laws. This is one reason you don’t see this kind of crime in Georgetown or Dupont – citizens there DEMAND change when something heinous like this happens.

]]> By: Pennywise http://www.princeofpetworth.com/2009/11/man-killed-in-shooting-in-the-600-block-of-longfellow-street-nw/#comment-142876 Pennywise Mon, 30 Nov 2009 23:06:16 +0000 http://www.princeofpetworth.com/?p=9075#comment-142876 No name, please tell us what to do. We can vote against Mendelson and Bowser and whoever else, but is there any way to bring the courts into this more forcefully? Is the only way to them through Mendelson? No name, please tell us what to do. We can vote against Mendelson and Bowser and whoever else, but is there any way to bring the courts into this more forcefully? Is the only way to them through Mendelson?

]]> By: Anonymous http://www.princeofpetworth.com/2009/11/man-killed-in-shooting-in-the-600-block-of-longfellow-street-nw/#comment-142870 Anonymous Mon, 30 Nov 2009 22:49:41 +0000 http://www.princeofpetworth.com/?p=9075#comment-142870 No name, this may be a really dumb question, but why is a callback number so important? No name, this may be a really dumb question, but why is a callback number so important?

]]> By: Not wanting to give my name for obvious reasons http://www.princeofpetworth.com/2009/11/man-killed-in-shooting-in-the-600-block-of-longfellow-street-nw/#comment-142801 Not wanting to give my name for obvious reasons Mon, 30 Nov 2009 20:29:03 +0000 http://www.princeofpetworth.com/?p=9075#comment-142801 "There was a shot fired last night in the vicinity of Taylor/Marlboro Pl. around 5 PM. The cops responded quickly but there has been no information shared about what transpired. More often than not it seems if the shots don’t hit a target the incident didn’t even occur and doesn’t merit inclusion in any of the police e-mails." Ask an MPD official via-email if the CIC reported shots fired. If they don't want to reveal that, ask for the narrative off the PD-251 for the report of "Sounds of Gunshots". "Call me crazy, but while I have no problem calling the police when I hear shots fired I’m not interested in having my easily googleable name attached to e-mails that are publicly available. I’m not particularly interested in making myself an obvious target. I guess I could create a fake e-mail address and name for use only on police list servs, but my frustration over the lack of information hasn’t reached that point yet." Don't e-mail 4th District about this and not call. Call 911 immediately and PLEASE leave a callback number. Sounds of Gunshots calls are relayed to units over the air ASAP and there's always a canvas. "West Kansas has a good point. This is not random violence but drug dealers killing each other. How exactly do you expect the police to stop these shootings?" We can't stop them all because there are only so many bodies and so much area to cover. Posting up on a street is only a band-aid because the problem individuals live there and because the court system is so fucked the same idiots are arrested constantly. I've picked up guys on felony warrants and found them with distribution-level drugs in their pockets and I hear that they're re-arrested inside of a few weeks for something equally stupid. We sit around just as pissed off about the justice system as you do. “There was a shot fired last night in the vicinity of Taylor/Marlboro Pl. around 5 PM. The cops responded quickly but there has been no information shared about what transpired. More often than not it seems if the shots don’t hit a target the incident didn’t even occur and doesn’t merit inclusion in any of the police e-mails.”

Ask an MPD official via-email if the CIC reported shots fired. If they don’t want to reveal that, ask for the narrative off the PD-251 for the report of “Sounds of Gunshots”.

“Call me crazy, but while I have no problem calling the police when I hear shots fired I’m not interested in having my easily googleable name attached to e-mails that are publicly available. I’m not particularly interested in making myself an obvious target. I guess I could create a fake e-mail address and name for use only on police list servs, but my frustration over the lack of information hasn’t reached that point yet.”

Don’t e-mail 4th District about this and not call. Call 911 immediately and PLEASE leave a callback number. Sounds of Gunshots calls are relayed to units over the air ASAP and there’s always a canvas.

“West Kansas has a good point. This is not random violence but drug dealers killing each other. How exactly do you expect the police to stop these shootings?”

We can’t stop them all because there are only so many bodies and so much area to cover. Posting up on a street is only a band-aid because the problem individuals live there and because the court system is so fucked the same idiots are arrested constantly. I’ve picked up guys on felony warrants and found them with distribution-level drugs in their pockets and I hear that they’re re-arrested inside of a few weeks for something equally stupid. We sit around just as pissed off about the justice system as you do.

]]> By: Ward4Resident http://www.princeofpetworth.com/2009/11/man-killed-in-shooting-in-the-600-block-of-longfellow-street-nw/#comment-142798 Ward4Resident Mon, 30 Nov 2009 20:17:40 +0000 http://www.princeofpetworth.com/?p=9075#comment-142798 It is very easy to stop these problems with very tough, concentrated policing and very tough laws. That's what they did in NYC and, essentially, it was what the city did when things started to go bad in other parts of NW (even under the Barry administration). Unfortunately, Pennywise is right - those of us living in Ward 4 are second class citizens as far as the city is concerned. We're not the wealthy folks over in Dupont or Georgetown. But many of us are hard-working residents who pay a lot in property taxes to live in the city. Despite what many people believe, not all the residents in these middle-class areas of the city are welfare cases. Rather, we are teachers, public safety officers, government employees, and other solidly middle-income professionals who just want relative safety and peace. For years we have complained about this crew in the Kennedy/Longfellow area and for years the police have admitted that they know these guys deal drugs and stash guns all throughout our alleys (I was present when some officers recovered some guns from behind my house once and it was frightening). How is it that the officers know all this, yet these thugs go on with business as usual? Something is terribly wrong when the police know there are crimes being committed yet do nothing. It is very easy to stop these problems with very tough, concentrated policing and very tough laws. That’s what they did in NYC and, essentially, it was what the city did when things started to go bad in other parts of NW (even under the Barry administration). Unfortunately, Pennywise is right – those of us living in Ward 4 are second class citizens as far as the city is concerned. We’re not the wealthy folks over in Dupont or Georgetown. But many of us are hard-working residents who pay a lot in property taxes to live in the city. Despite what many people believe, not all the residents in these middle-class areas of the city are welfare cases. Rather, we are teachers, public safety officers, government employees, and other solidly middle-income professionals who just want relative safety and peace.

For years we have complained about this crew in the Kennedy/Longfellow area and for years the police have admitted that they know these guys deal drugs and stash guns all throughout our alleys (I was present when some officers recovered some guns from behind my house once and it was frightening). How is it that the officers know all this, yet these thugs go on with business as usual? Something is terribly wrong when the police know there are crimes being committed yet do nothing.

]]> By: Pennywise http://www.princeofpetworth.com/2009/11/man-killed-in-shooting-in-the-600-block-of-longfellow-street-nw/#comment-142757 Pennywise Mon, 30 Nov 2009 18:44:42 +0000 http://www.princeofpetworth.com/?p=9075#comment-142757 WK I won't disagree on any particular point, but in that particular area (Kennedy --> Longfellow) you have an established group of violent guys. This isn't about esoteric solutions to vague societal problems, this is about bad guys acting with impunity. While not a solution to all societal problems, putting them away off the streets is a guaranteed life saver. Unfortunately, stopping guys like these is not a priority for our elected officials, who'd rather discuss the policy esoteria you mention. I'd say lets not discuss the vagaries of drug laws, lets stop incarcerating drug users to save space for violent bad guys. There has to be a middle ground between too much law enforcement and none, right? WK I won’t disagree on any particular point, but in that particular area (Kennedy –> Longfellow) you have an established group of violent guys. This isn’t about esoteric solutions to vague societal problems, this is about bad guys acting with impunity. While not a solution to all societal problems, putting them away off the streets is a guaranteed life saver. Unfortunately, stopping guys like these is not a priority for our elected officials, who’d rather discuss the policy esoteria you mention. I’d say lets not discuss the vagaries of drug laws, lets stop incarcerating drug users to save space for violent bad guys. There has to be a middle ground between too much law enforcement and none, right?

]]> By: Bonnie http://www.princeofpetworth.com/2009/11/man-killed-in-shooting-in-the-600-block-of-longfellow-street-nw/#comment-142751 Bonnie Mon, 30 Nov 2009 18:36:49 +0000 http://www.princeofpetworth.com/?p=9075#comment-142751 West Kansas has a good point. This is not random violence but drug dealers killing each other. How exactly do you expect the police to stop these shootings? The way these cases play out is that drug dealer a kills drug dealer b. All of the eyewitnesses who are friends with a or b then claim to have no knowledge of the incident and refuse to give the police information, making the murder unsolved. Instead, they turn to street justice and in turn drug dealer c kills drug dealer b, starting the cycle all over. Short of having a police officer stationed on every corner of the city, these killings are not preventable. West Kansas has a good point. This is not random violence but drug dealers killing each other. How exactly do you expect the police to stop these shootings? The way these cases play out is that drug dealer a kills drug dealer b. All of the eyewitnesses who are friends with a or b then claim to have no knowledge of the incident and refuse to give the police information, making the murder unsolved. Instead, they turn to street justice and in turn drug dealer c kills drug dealer b, starting the cycle all over. Short of having a police officer stationed on every corner of the city, these killings are not preventable.

]]> By: West Kansas http://www.princeofpetworth.com/2009/11/man-killed-in-shooting-in-the-600-block-of-longfellow-street-nw/#comment-142739 West Kansas Mon, 30 Nov 2009 18:19:01 +0000 http://www.princeofpetworth.com/?p=9075#comment-142739 Just how do we expect the police to fix this problem? If you have kids so screwed up that they are willing to shoot each other, no economically feasible policing regime is going to solve that problem for you. A generation of politically expedient "get tough on crime" measures has only led to the US becoming the world's top producer of prisoners. Meanwhile, we have no stomach for the things that would really reduce our violent crime epidemic. Things like reforming the puritanical drug laws that have created huge profits for criminal gangs. Or providing strong social supports to ensure that parents have the best possible chance to raise healthy, well-adjusted kids. Or perhaps even fixing our tax system to reverse the headlong rush towards ever-increasing income inequality that has atrophyied the middle class. The solutions are out there. They're just very, very, very unpalatable to the established political order. It's so much easier and safer just to pass tougher laws, hire more cops, and build more prisons: it might not solve the problem, but it's a surer ticket to re-election than actually facing the underlying issues. Just how do we expect the police to fix this problem?

If you have kids so screwed up that they are willing to shoot each other, no economically feasible policing regime is going to solve that problem for you.

A generation of politically expedient “get tough on crime” measures has only led to the US becoming the world’s top producer of prisoners.

Meanwhile, we have no stomach for the things that would really reduce our violent crime epidemic. Things like reforming the puritanical drug laws that have created huge profits for criminal gangs. Or providing strong social supports to ensure that parents have the best possible chance to raise healthy, well-adjusted kids. Or perhaps even fixing our tax system to reverse the headlong rush towards ever-increasing income inequality that has atrophyied the middle class.

The solutions are out there. They’re just very, very, very unpalatable to the established political order. It’s so much easier and safer just to pass tougher laws, hire more cops, and build more prisons: it might not solve the problem, but it’s a surer ticket to re-election than actually facing the underlying issues.

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