Terrible Crime in Columbia Heights Sat. Night
15 November 2009 2:10 AM | By Prince Of Petworth in Crime, Crime - Stories, Neighborhoods - Columbia Heights 
IMG_3468, originally uploaded by Prince of Petworth.
I received numerous emails about a police presence at 14th and Columbia. Here’s the word from CM Graham:
“I have just returned from a tragic scene at 14th and Columbia. Just before 10 PM, a nine year old boy was shot dead in the presumed safety of his apartment at 1433 Columbia Road. AT this time, it appears that there was some kind of fight in the hallway, shots were fired, one of which entered the apartment and killed this boy. I have the name of the boy (who happens to be Latino) but I am not releasing it since I do not know whether the entire family has been notified.
Chief Lanier and Mayor Fenty–who were both on the scene– stated that there are persons in custody.
MDP was out in force in the neighborhood, it being an All Hands on Deck weekend. Police were on the scene immediately.”
And in other CH crime news there seems to have been a huge police presence near Wonderland at 11th and Kenyon. A reader writes:
“Passed by Wonderland Ballroom about an hour ago (around 8:30pm Sat. night) and there were 4-5 police cars (some unmarked) with a healthy amount of uniformed and plain-clothes officers.”
There is some speculation among readers that it may have been a drug bust robbery with 3 suspects arrested. A very sad night all around. More details as they become available.
Photo of scene sent in by a reader:
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15 November 2009 8:15 AM | Carsten Said:
I also saw the police presence at Wonderland, there were at least 9 police cars. I asked the bouncer of Wonderland what had happened and he told me that there was a robbery (i don’t know if it was on 11th or Kenyon, i think it was Kenyon) and the person who was robbed was able to directly inform nearby police which (i guess because of the all hands on deck weekend) swarmed the place and was actually able to catch all three robbers … when i was there all three were leaning handcuffed against the fence of Wonderland, they couldn’t have been any older than 18 years old. so at least they caught them …. now i just hope they are right away released because they are too young.
15 November 2009 9:11 AM | CH resident Said:
This is a terribly sad story. The newest development: A light tower is going up in the alley adjacent to the apartment building this morning. I guess residents are supposed to feel safer now. Perhaps some clean up of the alley might be a step in the right direction. It’s full of homeless possessions and a popular site for vagrants to congregate day and night behind the La Casa shelter. I’ve personally called 911 multiple times for incidences occurring in this alley- from gang fights to fires to drunken displays in public – yet it remains unaddressed and essentially un-policed. Out of sight out of mind I guess.
15 November 2009 9:15 AM | CH resident Said:
Forgive me. It appears the police light is now gone (at least from my view) I saw officers working on it this morning… I guess it was a one night thing and they were taking it back- not installing it. My bad.
15 November 2009 9:56 AM | Ana Non Said:
@Carsten, you hope the robbers are released right away because they are “young” ie 18 years old? Really? At what point do you think young people should be held responsible for their actions?
15 November 2009 10:48 AM | Tired Said:
At what point? Perhaps 13! Especially if guns involved. And post their identity on our new google map youth criminal registry.
15 November 2009 11:01 AM | hey now Said:
i believe Carsten was being sarcastic.
15 November 2009 12:38 PM | Anonymous Said:
Is there anywhere to go online to follow up on these types of incidents? It always seems like the city makes a big deal about them when they happen – chief of police is out right away, council members are involved, etc, etc, but then after a week or so there is no follow up. For example, what ever happened with the 10/20 Safeway shooting – did the victim survive? Did they capitalize on the “great leads” and arrest anyone? It is very hard to find information about these events after a week or so passes.
15 November 2009 1:14 PM | JodiHeights Said:
CH Resident -
we have also called 911 many time because of the activity behind La Casa. one time a cop was even overheard saying, “you guys AGAIN.” they do know there are issues back there (here), but as you said, “out of sight, out of mind.” even though it’s all RIGHT off of all this new, happening stuff.
i was hoping to see a post about what happened last night, though i’m upset that it was worse than i had suspected.
at about 10pm a helicopter was circling for at least a half an hour, with it’s light shining down in above mentioned area. i actually look right down on the back of this apartment building on Columbia. there were about 5 police officers in the back (i’m sure more out front) with a K-9. that light tower was put up at about 11pm last night, and a squad car blocked the alley at the same time. when i woke up at 8am this morning, the tower & car were STILL there. gone now, of course.
i will send POP the 2 (probably blurry-ish) pictures i did get…
15 November 2009 5:17 PM | Brandon Green Said:
How terrible!
15 November 2009 6:33 PM | Anonymous Said:
Some asked if there is somewhere to follow up on these cases.
On Wed. Night at the ANC 1A there was a presentation about a court watch program that tracks cases like this (when there is an arrest). They have a large database that tracks eveerything that is happening in each case. If you want information contact any of the ANC 1A commissioners or the Northwest Columbia Heighs Civic Association (NWCHCA) at NWCHCA.org
15 November 2009 8:41 PM | Anonymous Said:
When is the city going to finally figure out that these apartments full of concentrated poverty are a disaster. How the heck did a fight in a hallway get so out of control that a gun was fired. When I lived in a very mixed income apartment in Adam’s Morgan, someone would have dialed 911 long before it got that heated. Housing projects or section 8 buildings just create an atmosphere where residents are afraid to call (or crazy yelling in the hall is just “same-old, same-old”). The city should just rent apartments in regular buildings for these families. They’ll have nicer places to live and they’ll be safer. And I’d venture that the rest of us would also be safer if poverty was not concentrated in a few buildings and a few blocks.
NO MORE DEAD KIDS, PLEASE!!!
15 November 2009 9:12 PM | Adams Morgan resident Said:
Does anyone know exactly which building this crime occurred in??? Was it on the north side or the south side of the street?? I tutor a 9 year old latino boy (DCist is reporting that he is Latino) who lives on the south side of the street, a couple doors down from Centronia. Please help, if you can. I am beside myself with worry that it is the little boy I worked with for the last two years. Not that it would matter- a 9 year old child was killed, and surely there are others who loved him and cared for him, too.
15 November 2009 9:15 PM | Adams Morgan resident Said:
Well, actually it was this website that reported that he was Latino. My mistake.
15 November 2009 9:53 PM | WDC Said:
AM resident, the Graham report above says it was 1433 Columbia Road. I think that’s the north side, but wouldn’t swear to it.
15 November 2009 10:05 PM | Anonymous Said:
Oscar Fuentes, 9 years old.
15 November 2009 10:18 PM | Carsten Said:
i was either sarcastic, or miss wrote … i meant to say that i hope those robbers won’t be released right away. my mistake.
15 November 2009 10:22 PM | Anonymous Said:
At 1am there were still at least 20 police officers and yellow crime tape up on 14th.
My car was broken into, the police claimed a man was arrested for doing this to over 12 cars last weekend but was released, Why? We also have a police officer posted on Girard between 14 and 15th every night due to shootings that occur between people in one building to another building on Columbia. There is another police officer on Columbia every night. We now have this shooting of the boy. What is going on in this neighborhood??
15 November 2009 11:10 PM | Leo Said:
I don’t understand why this mayor always “shows up on the scene” of every issue or mishap, yet doesn’t actually DO anything to solve the problem. Even bad choices are better then not making ANY choices. These City Councilmen don’t seem to do anything either.
Yes, no more dead kids. Perhaps it means we should carry our own weapons and shoot these people ourselves. No one will miss them, as they are murdering not only each other, but innocent children.
16 November 2009 2:08 AM | JodiHeights Said:
AM Resident -
It was definitely the north side of Columbia.
16 November 2009 9:11 AM | Drewlove Said:
Fox News reported last night that all the building exit locks were broken and that the residents have been trying to get the landlord to fix them for months. CM Graham had the police guarding the building until city workers could get there to fix the doors.
16 November 2009 9:43 AM | Dirty Said:
Mr. Fenty – Tear down those buildings!
It’s a terrible story, but unfortunately all too common. I have lived here for 6 years and Columbia Rd has had problems the whole time. Now that all the investment has occurred, why not take the opportunity to get rid of the housing (and its problems) and relocate them to a different place. The government put them there, the government should be able to move them, no questions. Obviously, it’s not all the residents, but since we can’t seem to exterminate the problems, it seems that demolition is the only solution. Those properties are far too valuable to allow them to continue to be a liability to the neighborhood. At what point can we expect our politicians to start making decisions that will benefit the majority of people in this neighborhood.
16 November 2009 9:54 AM | dcmom Said:
Channel 9 news tried to talk to the landlord last night, but she refused to talk to them. The door is broken and there are known MS13 gang members living in the building. Apparently the landlord feels like if she kicks them out her life will be threatened.
It is a very sad situation, but unfortunately not all that uncommon. Likely many undocumented tenants who are afraid if they complain they will draw attention to themselves and be deported and a landlord who can extort rents from those people while essentially running a dangerous slum.
16 November 2009 10:03 AM | Anonymous Said:
The government didn’t “put them there.” 1433 is not section 8 or public housing. It’s privately owned.
16 November 2009 10:09 AM | Jimmy D Said:
Do we have word yet on which of the conflicting reports is correct? The Graham piece above says it was an argument in the hallway. Other reports are saying it was an attempted robbery that chased its way into the building.
16 November 2009 10:27 AM | WDC Said:
Is this the first time something like this has happened at 1433? Or is it part of an ongoing pattern? If the latter, then the landlord is certainly partly to blame. The broken windows theory applies here: if the locks, lights, etc are broken, it creates not only a lack of security, but also an atmosphere conducive to crime.
16 November 2009 10:44 AM | Dirty Said:
I’m not speaking directly to this incident, but rather the common theme of problems on the 1300 and 1400 blocks of Columbia/Harvard. Do you not think there is a direct correlation b/w the government housing and the ability of the privately owned apartments to secure market rents, and thereby maintain market rate properties? The government housing and it’s problems depresses the stock of housing in the immediate area. Those properties are liabilities, I’m advocating for turning them into neighborhood assets, the privately owned properties will follow.
16 November 2009 11:07 AM | Ragged Dog Said:
It’s really sad. The US justice system is broken when we can’t keep known gang members out of our neighborhoods and buildings. The police aren’t allowed to watch them or arrest them without probable cause. In this city, it means they physically have to see something go down which is impossible if they can’t monitor them. Meanwhile anyone seen talking to police is targeted for violence. There really is no viable solution anymore. You just lock your doors and try to look tough out on the street. More guns are never the answer, until your kid is being shot through the door.
I think the landlady is a slumlord, but what are her options? DC tenant laws make it virtually impossible to kick out bad apples once they get in. Also with the ability to “pass” apartments to one another, you can start with a great tenant and end up with this. The only answer is to hire 24h security on a building, but you could go bankrupt doing that since you can’t assign security “fees” retroactively to buildings.
16 November 2009 11:10 AM | Anonymous Said:
Wrong, Dirty. 1 BR condos in neighboring buildings sell for $300k+.
16 November 2009 11:24 AM | Dirty Said:
Travel over to Conn Ave… 1 BR condos sell for… more, because they don’t have to live next to housing and it’s problems. The $300k is discounted for the inconvenience of the stray bullets, constant helicopter overhead, increased chance of being the victim of a crime… These properties are far too close to the metro and other conveniences to be artificially depressed with the presence of subsidized housing. They present opportunities to generate tax revenue, rather than expend tax revenue.
16 November 2009 11:30 AM | JoeEsq 74 Said:
“The government housing and it’s problems depresses the stock of housing in the immediate area. Those properties are liabilities, I’m advocating for turning them into neighborhood assets, the privately owned properties will follow.”
There is time for this conversation but a child is dead. This is tragic. I was in the area because I read about Senor Chicken on PoP and wanted to try it out now the post above is about a murder. This is not MPDs fault. If the mayor did not show up people would ask ‘Where is the mayor.’? The mayor either showed up because he cares or wants people to think he cares. (I believe he has twin 9-year-old boys so I give him the benefit of the doubt)
If this bullet went out of the window instead of through the door could this have been you or I? Several people out there do not value their own lives so they clearly would not care about mine. Is there anything I can do? Moving people sounds good except you move criminals to a different area to victimize other people.
16 November 2009 11:33 AM | Neener Said:
JoeEsq, Is there anyone unhappy that the criminals who infested Ward 5 moved out of DC to PG County? I know at least 4 serious drug dealers who left Ward 1 and moved out. Let Maryland’s expanded tax base pay for their rehabilitation, Barry caused us so many problems that if we just focused on cleaning up half of them we’d have our hands full.
Moving people doesn’t sound good, it sounds GREAT!
16 November 2009 11:35 AM | nate Said:
A young boy killed may be what is needed. How sad does that sound? Too bad he is Hispanic though. That likely will diminish the outrage had this young boy been white or black.
16 November 2009 11:38 AM | nate Said:
“The city should just rent apartments in regular buildings for these families. ”
And then the regular people would leave. Mixed income does not work because you can not force people to live next to people they do not want to live around. Sucks I know. But that is the way it is.
16 November 2009 11:42 AM | nate Said:
# Drewlove Says:
November 16th, 2009 at 9:11 am
Fox News reported last night that all the building exit locks were broken and that the residents have been trying to get the landlord to fix them for months. CM Graham had the police guarding the building until city workers could get there to fix the doors.
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Door locks! How does this have anything to do with the kid getting shot? Did the locks shoot the kid? Better yet, how did all the locks get broken? Stop blaming it on all this BS. One of the locks in my home is broken. That does not give me the right to shoot anyone. Nor does it give anyone the right to come in my home and shoot me.
16 November 2009 11:51 AM | nate Said:
WDC Says:
November 16th, 2009 at 10:27 am
Is this the first time something like this has happened at 1433? Or is it part of an ongoing pattern? If the latter, then the landlord is certainly partly to blame. The broken windows theory applies here: if the locks, lights, etc are broken, it creates not only a lack of security, but also an atmosphere conducive to crime
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Really? The landlord is to blame for a killing on the property? Seriously? We will never solve the problem with this mode of thinking. I own an apt bldg. I have had three people shot, two killed in my apt bldg. In each case, the locks on the front door were NOT broken. So replacing the locks does you little good.
If it is part of an ongoing pattern, then it would seem to me that the Police are more to blame. How can they let an ongoing problem fester? As a landlord, if I have tenants with MS13 members there, I am taking a risk on my life confronting them. The city is squarely behind the tenants as the onus is on the landlord to prove them gangmembers before they can be evicted. Furthermore, any violation in the building will be punitive to the landlord even if the damage is willfully caused by the tenants.
For those of you blaming the landlord about the locks, ask yourself how many times you have broken the locks on your home or apartment. I have tenants that are too lazy to go downstairs to let their guests into the building. So they prop the door open, put items in the door to keep it open, or outright give other people a copy of their key.
16 November 2009 11:55 AM | JoeEsq 74 Said:
Neener
‘Let Maryland’s expanded tax base pay for their rehabilitation’
Is that the expanded tax base that includes 1/3 of the regions foreclosures?
Wholesale removal of people, not a viable, reasonable or humane option. If you want to talk about giving the tenants or some other authority the ability to remove the problems, and we know the actual tenants know who the problems are, then we can find common ground.
“I know at least 4 serious drug dealers who left Ward 1 and moved out”
I am not sure what to make of this statement
16 November 2009 11:58 AM | nate Said:
Ragged Dog Says:
November 16th, 2009 at 11:07 am
It’s really sad. The US justice system is broken when we can’t keep known gang members out of our neighborhoods and buildings. The police aren’t allowed to watch them or arrest them without probable cause.
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Sooooo you want the police to be able to arrest people without probable cause? That is your solution? Wow, we have gotten to the point where we would rather sacrifice our freedom instead of honestly addressing and solving the problem.
Oh how quickly we forget the Latino woman killed in the Liquor store on GA Ave just last week. There are no broken locks to blame in her case. Just people devoid of morals. An argument. Drugs. Robbery. A woman. Some people will kill you over anything. You won’t stop them by putting up light towers or changing the locks.
16 November 2009 12:15 PM | Drewlove Said:
@Nate- I’m simply repeating what I had heard on the news as several people had wondered why there was such a lengthy police presence. I was not assigning blame or making social commentary. Sheesh!
16 November 2009 12:33 PM | dcmom Said:
Jimmy D – my understanding from the news last night on which the boys aunt (who was there during the incident) and Jim Graham were both interviewed, there were some men (suspected gang members) harrassing the family and demanding that they give them money. The family told them that that they would not give them anything and entered the apartment. The men continued to bang on the door and shout. Then they shot through the door at close range. The suspicion is that Oscar was looking through the peephole at the time. So this was not a fight in the hallway, but a deliberate attempt to either scare or harm the family.
And to Nate – I do think that the landlords bear some responsibility for the safety and security of the buildings they own. The reality is that, based on the condition of this building, this landlord does little, if anything, to ensure that her building is at the most basic level safe either from a tenant standpoint or a building condition stand point. Are there tenants that cause issues that are hard to get rid of – yes. Are there things that you can’t control – yes. But is it your responsibility as the landlord to make attempts to make your building safe – absolutely!
If you don’t have the balls to go after tenants that intimidate other tenants, to fix your broken building (especially common areas like front doors) and generally listen to your tenants, stay out of the landlord business. The police can’t be everywhere all the time. Until landlords, tenants and all of us who know where the problems are are willing to step up and report this stuff, it will continue.
16 November 2009 12:36 PM | Ragged Dog Said:
Nate. Your statements are completely hysterical and nonsensical. Of course I wasn’t saying the police shouldn’t have to have probable cause. I said that is the limitation, and in this town, the police not only have the restriction, they at-times self restrict themselves to the hear-no-evil, see-no-evil apathy response. However, there are a lot of hardworking police who are hamstrung by the lenient court system and lenient city council. It’s the same problem as the school system: the population lacks the enforcement mechanisms from the government to keep them safe. Kids aren’t safe at school and the population isn’t safe at home or on the streets. Why? Lenient punishment for infractions that don’t result in a death. So until someone gets killed, criminals (often teenage criminals) are allowed to do anything they want. Which encourages them to ratchet up the violence.
Door locks keep people who don’t live in the building out of the building better than broken door locks. There is also a lengthy amount of research about how run down properties attract additional crime. That’s one of the major fears of the housing foreclosure in low income communities. Hiring security is a valid response that works better than door locks. We require it of bar owners with repeated problems, we certainly could require it of multi-unit apartment complexes.
I think you may actually be a 13 year old masquerading as a landlord. Otherwise you’re just a hysterical wacko. Either way please consider reading and then thinking.
16 November 2009 12:46 PM | John Galt Said:
I remember a comment here a while back that mentioned these buildings on Columbia between 13th and 14th were purchased by a private entity and had to remain unchanged for 10 years. After that, they could be knocked down and re-developped. Does anybody else remember that, or am I crazy? I for one, living at 14th and Girard, have a little countdown going in my head. If i could just get 1408 Girard knocked down, too…..
16 November 2009 12:53 PM | Bitter Elitist Said:
Yes, the landlord must make sure the doors/locks are functional, but how often does this happen? If the main door is broken once a week, how expensive does this get? Can she raise rent to cover those expenses and that of a 24/hour guard? Is there an exception to the RC laws that would allow for this.
To root out MS-13, we are going to have to spend $ to protect people (immigration status notwithstanding). They KNOW who to go for. They aren’t extorting money from us. Their victims need to be protected and know that they have the entire community support (that means D’Vines as well as tall cans) behind them. Is that a price we are willing to pay? Dirty, does it really just come down to the property value for you? If folks know that complaints will increase the chances that they will lose housing, they will.not.cooperate.
Although the cops don’t really pay “us” any mind, they seem more responsive to this set than the people in that building.
MS-13
16 November 2009 1:00 PM | Bitter Elitist Said:
[whoops, posted too soon...]
MS-13 is not the only problem in CH, but they have a disproportionate impact on the Central American community. Remember most of the folks come from places where Ofr. Friendly is really a Death Squad. That reality doesn’t just go away because you move. We have to do more than demand that they cooperate with the cops. We have to hold the city and Feds accountable for what they do and don’t do.
I saw the cops talking to some gang members at Pica Taco last weekend. Hopefully they haven’t put the squeeze on that lady.
16 November 2009 1:04 PM | Anonymous Said:
Hey, if you don’t like what’s going on, let the Mayor and City Council know they need to refund the Gang Intervention Program!!!
The GIP works with the Police, gang members and Familes to reduce violence and homicides. Between 1999 and 2003 there were 12 gang murders in this exact area. from 2003 – 2008 ZERO gang murders.
Then, the funding was pulled. Sure, we have budget problems, but we have to decide if this is the program we really want cut!?!?!?!?!
But really – contact the City and Jim Graham or stop complaining!
16 November 2009 1:12 PM | nate Said:
Ragged Dog Says:
November 16th, 2009 at 12:36 pm
Door locks keep people who don’t live in the building out of the building better than broken door locks.
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Door locks don’t keep people out if the tenants either allow the criminals in or prop the doors open. I have seen both happen. I have seen people deliberately tamper with the locks to keep them open. Just because you don’t live in a building like this does not it doesn’t happen.
From the Post, the lady had properly functioning door locks on their apartment door. As a result, the shooter shot THROUGH THE DOOR. Here is a bet that the shooter would have done ANYTHING to get in the building. You can do very little to keep people from shooting someone. Had all the locks been functioning, what would we be blaming? The availability of guns? No rec centers?
16 November 2009 1:16 PM | ballslightning Said:
@Ragged Dog: welcome to the reality of abstract liberalism actually having to implement practical policy/results. Like Communism, instilling Democracy from the top down, and other Utopian dreams: the ideal is beautiful but the attainment begs the question: if wo/men were able to maintain such a society, they’d already be living it. {If men were angels, they wouldn’t need government].
Meanwhile, from a naive and entitled vantage point, we’re vollunterily giving away our society to the lowest common denominator. Instead of setting the bar high and demanding action, like a dog walking the man, we let those without the wherewithal or values dictate how we must live. And WE actually must apologize for THEIR actions (…should have been more after school programs, Spanish should be an official language etc…)
Calling things out doesn’t make one racist/predudice/insenitve. If 99% of this crime (in Columbia Heights) is committed by illegal immigrants, then illegal immigrants need to go – leave it to a sociologist or their group leaders to address why the % is so high. Any one not supporting that position, but actually blaming the victims (us), is too buffered and priveledged to know how insane they are. No other people would give up their saftey, laguage, etc. for you – none.
Sorry for the rant, but the ideas expressed within the POP commentary represent a fundemental cause of these incidents. Encouraging victimhood, laziness and non-assimilation.
16 November 2009 1:21 PM | Dirty Said:
Bitter E – To answer your question. No. But, the taxpayer’s have invested lot’s of tax dollars in DCUSA and we should increase the return on those investments by making the neighborhood a more desirable place to live. Dislocation is a cost of not owning, regardless of race/class/ethnicity. The problem properties will remain problems regardless of how much money is thrown at them. As much as involving the community to solve the problem sounds like a great idea, getting rid of the problem by eliminating the source is a better idea. We can’t help people who don’t want to help themselves.
John Galt – I am under a similar impression. Maybe POP could do some investigative reporting.
16 November 2009 2:25 PM | dcmom Said:
I agree with whomever said that the criminal justice system in this city should take a lot of blame for the issue. Our laws are too easy to get around. Gang members give the 14 year old the gun because they will get off easy based on age. Many criminals serve below minimum sentences, juries don’t convict because “the system is just out to get ((insert group here))”, etc.
I am going to get crucified for saying this, but perhaps we need to give up some of our civil liberties so that the criminals can’t run ramshod over us. I am not talking about eliminating probable cause, I am talking about curfews for anyone 16 and under unless accompanied by a parent or guardian, any crime using a gun tried as an adult regardless of age, elimination of probation for crimes involving hand guns, etc. The fact of the matter is that even if you are caught in this city, the chances of serving real time are slim to none.
16 November 2009 2:30 PM | bogfrog Said:
@ Nate – Mixed income is alive and well on my block. Not to point fingers at any individuals, but we have a spectrum running from currently unemployed living in a rooming house to dual-career yuppies.
The big challenge on our block seems to be language, not income/education, but maybe other people see it differently and are unhappy (“Why are there so few rats in my neighbors’ yard? Why are their trash cans taken out and put back on the designated nights?”.)
16 November 2009 3:54 PM | nate Said:
dcmom Says:
November 16th, 2009 at 2:25 pm
I am going to get crucified for saying this, but perhaps we need to give up some of our civil liberties so that the criminals can’t run ramshod over us. I am not talking about eliminating probable cause, I am talking about curfews for anyone 16
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We ALREADY HAVE a curfew. And truancy police. And police jumpouts that harass primarily blacks and hispanics without probable cause. We have already given up much of our rights. Ploys like Trinidad checkpoints are one example. Once it comes down to the government to maintain the civility, the battle is already lost.
“any crime using a gun tried as an adult regardless of age”
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Any age? You sure about that? I am all for being tough on crime. But do we want to scar a child for life when as DCMOM says the gangbangers give the 14 y/o the gun to carry? Or how about knives? There have been numerous stabbings recently. I’m all for punishing people to the MAX if you harm or intend to harm someone. Now that is something I can support regardless of age. I make no distinction between gun/knives/railroad planks/bare hands.
“The fact of the matter is that even if you are caught in this city, the chances of serving real time are slim to none.”
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DC’s jails are packed to capacity. People are definitely getting sent to jail. A better question to ask is why are so many people committing crimes worthy of prison time. If people had their way, DC would end up spending a disproportionate share of their income on policing and jailing criminals. That’s synonymous with what they do in third world countries to protect dictatorships.
16 November 2009 5:16 PM | Bitter Elitist Said:
Dirty, I understand the taxpayer’s return on the investment (my pay stub).
However, I don’t think community involvement and eliminating the source are mutually exclusive. There will be friction. But you can’t eliminate the source w/o community involvement.
Dislocation can happen as a result of ownership as well (property taxes).
—-
Nate~the truancy police made me laugh. On my day off I see kids all over CH. I actually saw a truant officer taking a nap in the back of a van in front if DCUSA. Couldn’t get my phone out quick enough.
16 November 2009 5:33 PM | nate Said:
# Bitter Elitist Says:
November 16th, 2009 at 5:16 pm
Nate~the truancy police made me laugh. On my day off I see kids all over CH. I actually saw a truant officer taking a nap in the back of a van in front if DCUSA. Couldn’t get my phone out quick enough.
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I didn’t say it is effective. I just wanted to point out that this is not a problem the gov’t can solve. With AHOD, checkpoints, truancy police, a massive build-out by the city of parks/rec centers, the gangsters still will not stop killing each other.
16 November 2009 5:50 PM | Dirty Said:
My point regarding dislocation is that a common excuse to not solve the problem at the source is dislocation. Of course property tax increases can also cause dislocation, but for people who don’t improve their homes, the cap limitations result in nominal increases, especially for elderly and long-time owners. Plus, there home is increasing in value, so it’s not like they can sell and move to a more affordable location (for those on fixed incomes).
There is no amount of community involvement that can alter the predatory nature of the drug/gang trade. The community can’t intimidate these people into cooperation… I mean when society fears thugs more than the law, I think we can all agree that our societies priorities are a bit screwed up. We don’t adequately instill the notion of consequence and responsibility in people. Obviously, parents don’t, the school doesn’t, society promotes rappers and moviestars, more than honest hardworking people, because its glamorous.
16 November 2009 8:28 PM | Bitter Elitist Said:
agreed about the drug trade. Sans decriminalization and legalization it would take an all out war.
18 November 2009 4:04 PM | Anonymous Said:
Where is this google map criminal registry?