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More Sadness

09 November 2009 9:00 AM | By Prince Of Petworth in Crime, Crime - Stories

A reader requested I post the above request for info about the terrible murder that took place at La Casa DeMorata Liquors.

56 Responses to “More Sadness”

09 November 2009 9:25 AM | voiceofreason Said:

What a tragedy. Another tragedy in a violent city full of them. Less liquor stores, less guns, more jobs, please.

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09 November 2009 9:29 AM | AA Said:

This is so tragic. My deepest sympathies to her family. I live in Brightwood and I keep hoping the DC govt will do something to revitalize the area. Less talk, more action.

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09 November 2009 9:32 AM | nate Said:

# voiceofreason Says:
November 9th, 2009 at 9:25 am

What a tragedy. Another tragedy in a violent city full of them. Less liquor stores, less guns, more jobs, please.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

No where in your post did you mention the people responsible for committing this murder.

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09 November 2009 9:39 AM | Chris Said:

The poster has the wrong date.

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09 November 2009 9:40 AM | Jay'O Said:

Anyone Notice MPD got the Date of the crime wrong?

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09 November 2009 9:41 AM | voiceofreason Said:

Nate, I implied it. It’s all of us.

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09 November 2009 9:55 AM | Divine Said:

So that’s why that block was closed off. That’s terribly sad.

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09 November 2009 10:10 AM | ontarioroader Said:

Accounts I read indicated she was shot after handing over the money and complying with the robbers demands. This really goes against the standard “do what the robbers say and you’ll live” thinking. My two thoughts from this – it annoys me that people give business owners flak for installing bulletproof glass, and in just about every other state/city the business owner would have been legally able to protect herself with a gun…not here though.

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09 November 2009 10:11 AM | intractable Said:

VoR, you blame the victim. Here’s an idea: “More liquor stores, more businesses and jobs in DC, fewer thugs.”

It’s not “all of us,” it’s the two f-ing punks who shot this poor woman and continue terrorizing our neighborhood with their sense of entitlement and their enjoyment of physical power over their fellow man.

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09 November 2009 10:13 AM | voiceofreason Said:

intractable, I respectfully disagree. what happens in our communities is a result of action or inaction on the part of every single person in that community. this murder is tragic, but the punks you speak of won’t go away until we all do something about it, rather than just blame the punks. we’ll just keep having threads like this periodically, as we do now.

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09 November 2009 10:16 AM | Anonymous Said:

“Why is it that there is a gun shop on almost every corner in this community? I’ll tell you why. For the same reason that there is a liquor store on almost every corner in the black community. Why? They want us to kill ourselves.”

-Furious Styles

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09 November 2009 10:19 AM | Anonymous Said:

Nate:

Understand that in the world of voiceofreason, as in the world of those that govern us so well here, all of us are responsible for the murder of this woman, not the person who pulled the trigger.

There are no individuals. There’s no personal responsibility.

In their mindset, it’s all collective and environment.

Listen long enough and the person who pulled the tirgger will be made out to be the victim.

Same collectivist B.S. lawlessness and disorder that got us here and perpetuates the same.

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09 November 2009 10:26 AM | Megan Said:

Rufina Hernandez was a good woman and her presence in the neighborhood was actually a positive one (even though she owned -GASP!- a liquor store!!). Business owners like her are the types of people we want to see succeed on Georgia Avenue- she was responsible and friendly to her customers and maybe most importantly she was making an honest living under circumstances that don’t always make that an easy task. No one from Councilmember Bowser’s office, the Mayors office or the city (besides our friendly beat cops) showed up to the candlelight vigil last night, which was a disappointment. This is a terrible loss for our community, and I hope that those in charge are aware that we aren’t going to let this slide by as just another comment thread about violence on Prince of Petworth.

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09 November 2009 10:30 AM | NAB Said:

Hey VoR, if you’re the one responsible for this crime, go turn yourself in.

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09 November 2009 10:37 AM | voiceofreason Said:

“There’s no personal responsibility.” I agree with this statement. There has been very little personal responsibility for our community taken on by all of us.

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09 November 2009 10:45 AM | Marcus Aurelius Said:

What the heck does this have to do with liquor stores in general? If these killers had rolled into Wonderland, robbed the place, and then killed a few people just for kicks, would the solution be “less yuppie bars”?

And while I appreciate the nod to Furious Styles, there is a big difference between DC and South Central L.A. There are no gun shops on every corner here. But yet there are still plenty of guns, at least in the hands’ of criminals.

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09 November 2009 10:49 AM | voiceofreason Said:

Wonderland, as far as I know, doesn’t contribute to perpetuating addiction like the liquor stores on Georgia Ave do. I don’t think that’s a fair analog.

I’m not blaming the victim here. The shopkeeper did nothing wrong and is a tragic, innocent victim of violence.

But collectively, we need to work together to create communities where there are more jobs than liquor stores, and more opportunities for choosing success rather than crime. We should use tragedies like this one to band together and do some real work, rather than just complain about thugs and police work.

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09 November 2009 10:49 AM | Jay'O Said:

Back to the point of this Post:

Did anyone else hear the cops say the suspects are probably from the neighborhood? I think they stated that they ran down Kenyon St.?!?! that’s a awefully long way from the 5400 blk of Georgia Ave.

Did I hear this wrong?

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09 November 2009 10:56 AM | Prince Of Petworth Said:

Here’s more info I just got in an email from MPD:

“Detectives assigned to the Metropolitan Police Department’s Homicide Branch are investigating a fatal shooting committed during an armed robbery of La Casa De Morata Liquor store, located in the 5400 block of Georgia Avenue, NW.

At around 9:00 pm on Saturday, November 7, 2009, officers assigned to the Fourth District responded to La Casa De Morata , located at 5421 Georgia Avenue, NW, to investigate the report of a shooting. Upon arrival, they located an adult female employee suffering from multiple gunshot wounds to the face and neck inside of the business establishment. DC Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department personnel responded to the scene and transported the victim to the Washington Hospital Center’s MedSTAR Unit where she was pronounced dead. The victim has been identified as 51-year-old Rufina Hernandez of Hyattsville, Maryland.

Reportedly, two suspects, at least one of whom was armed with a handgun, robbed the business establishment at gunpoint. After obtaining an undetermined amount of U.S. currency, one of the suspects then shot the employee before the culprits fled from the store.

Suspect #1 is described as a medium complexioned black male, 30 – 40 years of age, 5’8” tall, weighing 160 –200 pounds, wearing a flannel shirt, armed with a black handgun.

Suspect #2 is described as a dark complexioned Hispanic male, 30 – 40 years of age, 6’0” in height with a thin build, wearing a black hooded sweatshirt.

Anyone with information about this case is asked to call police at (202) 727-9099 or 1-888-919-CRIM[E] (1-888-919-2746).”

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09 November 2009 10:58 AM | hcfoo22 Said:

Jay’O, you probably heard Kennedy Street

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09 November 2009 11:03 AM | Jay'O Said:

VocieForReason: I agree with everything you’re saying.

I think the problem people have with you is because you don’t say much about the murderers. The “prevent the crimes before they happen” side of the equation is extremely important – More jobs, Better education, Less liquor stores, etc. But the other side: the “effective police work, effective court system, effective incarceration, and effective re-entry for convicts” is just as important.

You would save yourself and everyone else some grief if you acknowledged both sides of the equation in your posts. I say this assuming your comments are meant to be constructive and not just inflamatory…

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09 November 2009 11:05 AM | Jay'O Said:

Thanks hcfoo22!

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09 November 2009 11:09 AM | Neener Said:

I don’t like VOR, but in no way did they blame the victim, that’s just bizarre.

The definition of blaming the victim would be to say that she shouldn’t have been working in a liquor store. No one has said that, therefore no one blamed her. What college classes are you taking intractable?

This is just a sad story.

however, VOR, collectively we will have almost no effect on the number of jobs in the neighborhood. I live in DC and commute to work in multiple locations across DC, MD and VA as a consultant. That is the reality of work in 2009.

The question is this, do members of the Petworth community have the PhDs required to stay middle class in 2025? Because without a PhD you will be living in poverty.

There are HUGE amounts of nursing jobs at the Washington Hospital Center within walking distance of the entire Petworth area. “Jobs” aren’t the answer to anything. People starting their own companies would be closer to the answer. Those thugs need to sell me their landscaping services.

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09 November 2009 11:19 AM | quigley Said:

Shot her in the face. What animals they are.

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09 November 2009 11:32 AM | David Said:

Let’s look into the Harlem Children’s Zone model, which is being replicated with funds from the Feds (called Promise Neighborhoods). How can we esnure we are able to help start such programs across DC?

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09 November 2009 11:36 AM | Dirty Said:

Ha ha ha ha – “The question is this, do members of the Petworth community have the PhDs required to stay middle class in 2025? Because without a PhD you will be living in poverty.”

Dr. Neener – what a blatant and reckless generalization.

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09 November 2009 11:45 AM | voiceofreason Said:

David, I”m interested in learning more.

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09 November 2009 12:01 PM | JW Said:

VOR, I posted a link last week to the This American Life profile of HCZ.

http://www.hcz.org/press-a-publications

You can listen to it on the link at the bottom of this page. Pretty amazing what this guy is doing.

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09 November 2009 12:32 PM | Memphis Said:

A friend said that years ago memphis was having issues with robberies like this. They started placing folks armed with shotguns in the back room, so as the robbery went down, the perps were shot on sight. Go figure, armed robberies went down. Not to say that that would work here, or that armed robberies are that prevalent, but something to consider. Not!

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09 November 2009 12:33 PM | Eric B Said:

This is not a news item I expected to turn into an argument about statistical determinism. The account I saw on the evening news featured local patrons talking about how the shopkeeper was known for encouraging a friendly atmosphere, and that it was not unusual to see a few people in there chatting with one another and passing the time. I’ve never been there personally, but as it was described it’s hardly the type of liquor store I’d be inclined to drive out of the city.

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09 November 2009 12:40 PM | intractable Said:

VoR: This is not the fault of “all of us” or any such rot. And yes, you are blaming the victim because she was one of the “all of us” that you’re blaming.

It’s not the liquor store’s fault for existing either. It’s the fault of the two people who did it, no matter how many excuses you make for them.

Nothing in anyone’s socio-economic situation forces them to murder someone in cold blood. On the other hand, their choices to be thugs and murder people will prevent businesses and jobs from moving to and serving to areas like Brightwood and Petworth.

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09 November 2009 1:06 PM | Take5 Said:

” respectfully disagree. what happens in our communities is a result of action or inaction on the part of every single person in that community”

VoR – you provide cover for horrible people. What they do has nothing at all to do with me. We all choose our own path, and I refuse to let people like you get away with placingblame anywhere other than where it belongs.

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09 November 2009 1:13 PM | K Said:

Wow, a Black dude and a Hispanic working together. Quite rare in DC.

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09 November 2009 1:44 PM | Petworth Newbie Said:

Suspect #1 is described as a medium complexioned black male, 30 – 40 years of age, 5’8” tall, weighing 160 –200 pounds, wearing a flannel shirt, armed with a black handgun.

Suspect #2 is described as a dark complexioned Hispanic male, 30 – 40 years of age, 6’0” in height with a thin build, wearing a black hooded sweatshirt.

Suspect #2 sounds like of distinctive, bet he hangs out with #1 all day long, and I’m also sure I don’t know him personally.

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09 November 2009 1:51 PM | voiceofreason Said:

“what they do has nothing at all to do with me.”

this attitude will all but guarantee that violent crime will continue in prevalence in DC and elsewhere.

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09 November 2009 2:03 PM | Jim Said:

Ludicrous reasoning, VOR.

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09 November 2009 2:12 PM | Neener Said:

Dr. Neener – what a blatant and reckless generalization.
——–

I don’t think those words mean what you think they mean.

“And yes, you are blaming the victim because she was one of the “all of us” that you’re blaming. ”

wow, that rationalization failed.

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09 November 2009 2:59 PM | Dirty Said:

Dr. Neener – completely obvious and irresponsible vague statement? Claiming current Petworth residents (of all career backgrounds) won’t be able to maintain middle class status in 2025, without attaining a PhD (of any kind) will be living in poverty is every bit blatant and reckless, especially coming from a PhD who professes his success and intelligence on a neighborhood blog. Please do enlighten me, doc!

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09 November 2009 3:49 PM | a strange Said:

@Memphis
I am from Memphis & that is simply not true. Memphis has been ranked #1 or 2 for several years now for the most dangerous cities in the country. DC & Memphis have a lot of the same problems, but I would say Memphis is way scarier. People are leaving in droves because things are so bad. The last thing Memphis or DC needs is people with more guns!

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09 November 2009 4:46 PM | Petworth Teacher Said:

From what I heard from people I know who’d frequent the market or liquor store, Rufina was from the Philippines She was the widow of a Spaniard who had owned the store and had at least two kids. My source says her children are now orphans. This is such an awful crime, not that all crimes aren’t awful, but she was a widow, a mother. And to think that the killers probably had been customers at the store, which may be why they killed her, as she could have recognized them.

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09 November 2009 4:56 PM | Neener Said:

Dirty, None of what you said makes any sense. I cannot argue against it. I stand by my original comment and the follow-up, so live with that.

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09 November 2009 5:01 PM | David Said:

All, there is also an terrific book about what is happeing with Harlem Children’s Zone. It is called Whatever It Takes by Paul Tough. I found it inspiring. We need to find leaders in our neighborhood who can lead a similar effort.

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09 November 2009 5:06 PM | voiceofreason Said:

David, maybe you could be that leader.

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09 November 2009 5:13 PM | Dirty Said:

Dr. Neener – is an attorney, engineer, or CPA going to require a PhD to stay out of poverty in 2025? If they are required to get a PhD, is getting a PhD in social work going to keep them in the middle class? This is where blatant generalizations become reckless.

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09 November 2009 5:17 PM | It takes a village Said:

How American of us to say the blame lies ONLY with the criminals. Social Darwinism is practically the national religion here.

What are the odds those two guys would be murderers if they lived in a community with predominantly intact families, good schools, and a strong social safety net? We KNOW the answer to this.

But we maintain the fiction: “oh, they were bad people, and that’s the only reason.” They weren’t BORN bad people; we created the conditions that made them criminals.

And yeah, I’m a huge fan of the Geoffrey Canada’s HCZ already mentioned above. There’s no excuse for not taking that program nationwide; I literally cannot imagine a better use of our national resources.

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09 November 2009 5:27 PM | Anonymous Said:

it takes a village,

so, if a murder is caught, tried, and found guilty, what then? say “i’m sorry we turned you into this?”
prevention is great, but what do you do when people are out killing others?

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09 November 2009 6:03 PM | It takes a village Said:

Anon: It’s not an either/or. You can work to make a community less criminogenic while also continuing to incarcerate criminals for the usual deterrent, protective, and rehabilitative reasons.

The argument isn’t “ignore the criminals because it’s not their fault”, far from it. Rather, the argument is “invest some effort to keep kids from becoming criminals, and you eventually won’t have to deal with so many criminals.”

But our society is so wrapped up in making sure every Evildoer gets his rightful Biblical Retribution that we ignore our role in making sure that today’s cute baby doesn’t become tomorrow’s thug.

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09 November 2009 6:26 PM | JTH Said:

Men in their 30s who steal from and kill innocent people are not misguided youth who need their hands held. They don’t need guidance. They don’t need moral support. They don’t need role models. They don’t need skills training. They need jail cells to hold them….forever.

I’m all for investing in underprivileged children to make sure they have many of the same opportunities that children from good families have. But once those kids get to a certain age, they are fully formed. And if they are formed badly, they are beyond hope. Sure, maybe we as a “society” have failed them. Our mistake. But at some point, it becomes too late to correct certain mistakes, and blaming ourselves for the misfortune or bad behavior of others is ridiculous. I have enough trouble keeping my own life under control, so why should I be my brother’s keeper, especially after he is an adult? You can’t go back and change those guys’ lives; you have to deal with the here and now, and the here and now says those guys are killers who are beyond repair.

I don’t understand these anguished, hand-wringing wimps who don’t believe we should be tough on crime.

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09 November 2009 6:46 PM | It takes a village Said:

In the unlikely event you’re even TRYING to understand my “anguished hand-wringing”, try these facts on for size:

1. America already has the largest prison population of any country. One percent of all American males are in jail tonight.

2. American politicians are STILL campaigning on a platform of “we need to put EVEN MORE people in jail.”

3. The above politicians are actually getting elected.

What is wrong with this picture? Isn’t this good for at least a little “anguished hand-wringing”?

The countries of Europe, in general, have much less crime, and less than a fifth of our prison population. What is their society doing right? What is our society doing wrong? Because I refuse to believe that Americans are just genetically more evil.

I’d say a little “anguished hand-wringing” is in order. The experience of the WHOLE REST OF THE CIVILIZED WORLD tells us that we’re doing it wrong.

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09 November 2009 9:43 PM | Anonymous Said:

It takes village is a creed of deceit and sloth that tolerates every errant behavior under the sun, except those that work more than 40 hours a week that better provides for his/her family and a better future for him/herself; then you’re selfish.

It is a culture that does not believe in punishment or jails; a collective culture that neither recognizes nor rewards the law-abiding and is not civilized nor urbane at all, but relishes in lawlessness and disorder where individual choices in life are made for you by the collective because you are not capable of making them for yourself.

It takes a village raises these criminals.

It doesn’t take a village. It takes good parents; two of them.

No matter how good life is or can be, that mindset sees unfairness and injustice in everything.

They defend the scofflaws, the criminals, and these barbarians. For them, their sympathy is endless.

Lost in their guilt, passing judgement on everyone else, and seeking what makes them feel good, the collective and the rights of the accused are more important to them than the woman that was shot in the face and killed at her place of work; and more important than her family left behind.

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09 November 2009 10:59 PM | voiceofreason Said:

Anon at 9:43 you are way out of line. Advocating for a more effective way to deal with crime over the long term is NOT anywhere near valuing the accused more than the victims. Your interpretation is completely off the mark.

You should re-read what It Takes a Village wrote and you will not find one word that even comes close the idea of valuing the rights of the accused over the victims of violent crime.

What you will find is a well reasoned plea for a system of justice that works from both ends, building community and nurturing lives early so crime can be prevented, and also dealing appropriately with criminals on the other end.

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10 November 2009 11:19 AM | Neener Said:

The countries of Europe, in general, have much less crime, and less than a fifth of our prison population. What is their society doing right? What is our society doing wrong? Because I refuse to believe that Americans are just genetically more evil.
———–

why do you think we’re culturally closer to Europe than, let’s say, Mexico or Australia? I fail to see almost any cultural similarities between let’s say, Amsterdam and Atlanta that would be reason to compare the two cities. How is Miami, FL like Moscow? How is Dallas, TX like Paris? I don’t buy the argument that we can be like the Europeans because our culture is not European. In many cities we are still “pioneers on the frontier.”

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10 November 2009 8:56 PM | Anonymous Said:

This is just a horrible event all around. Makes me sad

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13 November 2009 11:36 PM | R Kaula Said:

I was one of Mamma’s customers. She was a kind and decent lady, always with a smile and yes — her’s was a convivial liquor store the likes of which are rare to find in any DC ‘hood. I saw her two days before her death and though she was tired at the end of her long day, she brightened right up when I complimented her son for helping me with my purchases even though I was standing at the back of the line. She was so proud of her young man! This is a sickening tragedy and I will do my part to keep pressure on law enforcement to actively find these murderers.

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20 November 2009 12:04 AM | fritzi Said:

For many years I would stop by the store when in DC and buy beer at the best price (I would tell her) around. I always thanked Mama and her son for being a “breath of fresh air” to life. They always responded with gratitude and encouragement. When I came by for my $5 Budweisers and discovered the makeshift shrine out front, I was devastated. I didn’t cry as much at the loss of my daughter who also went to be with God untimely. She died peacefully of a heart ailment. To think of Rufina being shot in her beautiful face with her beloved son standing nearby is too unbearable for words to describe. The peace of God be with us all.

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20 November 2009 1:25 AM | Jeeze Said:

Who sold him the bullets?

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