Keep chipping away, 'cause I think I see a dent
Watching the 400 block of Q, on the Ward 2 side has been interesting for the past year or so. More so in the past couple of months. As some of you know that block has been the domain of some fellows keeping court on the sidewalk. Drug dealing has been suspected and then there was that shooting incident.Since the shooting the police presence has been noticeable. At least a few times a week I see a cruiser being all flashy in the area where the guys hang. Sometimes it's one cop car, sometimes two. And on really special occasions they bring out the guys in the fancy bulletproof vests. There was a cruiser flashing yesterday afternoon, and some of the regulars & friends decided to go to the store and watch the excitement of the 3rd District, from the 5th.
Even when I don't see the police there is a change on that block, however it isn't a done deal. Police and residents will need to keep working on that block to make sure that trees that grow shoes and a sidewalk blocking crowd is a thing of the past. So keep chipping away friends.
Labels: crime, quality of life
posted by Mari @ 29.7.08
10 Comments:
In bloomingdale, the topic how to discourage a large group of habitual loiterers who engage in disruptive, intimidating and alleged criminal behavior is being met with charges of racism.
The Q st. problem is no different, and it is smaller than the problem in bloomingdale. Is anyone crying 'racism' with respect to Q st.?
it's called...you dont stand our culture...in these parts. you think it's ok to sit outside at a chic cafe but not hang in public space. rr446
I often engage in disruptive, intimidating and alleged criminal behavior while sitting outside chic cafes.
Some people have called the cops on me for trapping feral cats on public property. I guess Metroferals.com has a reputation.
Chic Cafe:
Disruptive- yakking loudly on cell phone about really personal matters. Please for the love of whatever you hold holy, don't have arguments with your mother on the phone in public, you look stupid.
Intidmidating- Wearing cutting edge fashion to the point you're bleeding. And obviously judging everyone who passes by.
Alleged criminal behavior- downloading copyright protected music for free using the cafe's wi-fi.
Street Corner:
Disruptive- Loudly throwing around the N word. Using it and other foul words in every other sentence, loudly. Blasting music that does the same.
Intimidating- calling well dressed men British cigarettes or most Anglos saltines. Blocking most of the sidewalk.
Alleged Criminal- Littering, drinking in public, blocking the sidewalk, encouraging double parking, and possible distribution of a controlled substance.
As usual, good read and topics of interest.
We go through the same thing in Cole/Denver--The "old timers" accustomed to sitting on the site of the street drinking, littering, cat-calling, etc., being cracked down on by the police (often because I called 'em) playing the race card--Profiling, discrimination, etc.
However, that's just an easy card to play, not the right one.
The fact that the loiterers and drinkers on my block are black is just due to the demographics of the neighborhood, and I'd just as quickly call the police if I had a sketchy looking white dude drinking a 40 on the corner--But I don't.
And comparing sketchy drunks blocking traffic, cat-calling, and drinking in public places to yuppies sipping cappucino at a "chic cafe" is ridiculous. Again, if the folks in question were being courteous and law-abiding no one would have any problem with 'em.
At least I know I wouldn't...
Keep up the great blog.
Well said Mari. Good stuff.
guys on the porch up the street were just throwing around "f%^&ing this" and "f#$%^ing that" last night when I walked home from the post office.
Not that they were talking about anyone I know, but I wanted to turn around and tell them to watch their language
bloomingdale rez and other anonymous apologists for crime, here's a non-anonymous testimonial from someone who actually lives there:
I don't mind a little fun on the street corner or in front of your address. We've had our own parties at the 420 Q and we were loud. But it was a one-time basis.
But we don't do it _every_night_.
The boys (and I say that loosely - they are business _men_) on our block deal drugs. I've seen it and smelt it, and I'm not being a paranoid whitey about my observations.
I don't mind pot use and I've done my share of drugs, but it's been behind closed doors and doesn't bother anyone else. It's been my business and not a whole block's business.
Only two of the boys are actually associated with their home address on our block. The other twenty people that show up are from elsewhere. They come to our block to get pot. They arrive early and wait until the dealers show up. during that time they're loud and they litter. Litter that I pick up for them later. So basically I'm cleaning up someone else's garbage all the time. I choose not to have children to avoid doing this, but I like a clean neighborhood, so I choose to clean this garbage up.
Anyway, when the boys show up with the goods, they all hang out and are very loud, often until 1 or 2 in the morning. Every night. And I'm not the only one on the block fed up with this.
Now imagine having to put up with that crap every single day. Not to mention they don't like to see the other taxpaying residents on the block seeing them making deals. So they glare menacing at you when you walk by with the intent to intimidate you so you don't see them dealing. It doesn't sound like much, but again, on a daily basis it wears on you. Neighbors (and yes, some of them are black) don't want to be outside because of this group's constant presence. Every day. Sorry, that crap isn't acceptable anywhere else but here where apologists can't stop playing that tired old race card in this town.
And the drinking, dealing and dice games does lead to shootings. It's been proven, the cops know that is what happens, and I've seen it before and don't want to see it again. Yes, I've seen a shooting and I know what attracts guns and violence, and I don't want to see it again.
So before you play the race card, try to stand in someone else's shoes and understand what they're dealing with and what they don't want to deal with. So cut the race baiting crap and deal with the fact that there are criminals and there are good neighbors, and it's not an issue with race.
And you bring up culture? Whose culture are you defending? So a gang of drug dealers' culture deserves to be preserved or is somehow sacrosanct? You are welcome to preserve the drug dealing culture outside your front door and see how you like it - every single day.
Jimbo, I don't think Bloomingdale Resident was making excuses. I'm on the Eckington Listserv (which includes Bloomingdale) and in the back and forth emails I read, I interpret BR post as asking how do you approach this without anyone screaming racism, which occasionally gets thrown around on the Eckington List.
Well just 'cause someone screams racism, does it mean it so? Isn't it racist to tolerate and promote an environment that expects less of black men? To excuse the selling of poison to blacks, isn't that racist?
Oops. I red BR's post again and I see BR didn't mean it that way. Sorry BR!
Most of the time (but not always) when someone screams racism in DC the consequence is that dialog shuts down. The key is trying to address the real issue amongst all the screaming. The issue on Q is good neighborly conduct - the party is always on Q and the guests are mainly from somewhere else, where the parties should be held.
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