Anyone wanna take bets on the WD/Shaw Library Windows?
If you walk or ride by the corner of Rhode Island and 7th you'll see the skeleton of the Waltha Daniels Library going up. When it is all done it will be all modern looking with glass sides. But here's the thing, we've had an unfortunate spate of shootings near the Shaw/ Howard University metro entrance, including one incident yesterday. Worse yet those last few shootings occurred around rush hour. What is this? Are the shooters getting off work or school thinking, "3:30 leave. 4:00 shoot at Quay-Quay. 4:05 run over to the 7-11 and pick up a Coke and some Ding Dongs." So you mix people with questionable aim, guns and a glass library. I'm sure the library designers are putting in bullet-proof/ shatter-proof glass, but even still.Guess the problems that used to be at Kelsey Gardens have mosied on down to Lincoln-Westmoreland. Lincoln-Westmoreland had problems on its own before, but was just one of several problem spots up and down 7th Street.
Lincoln-Westmoreland was one of those church sponsored housing buildings that went up in the early 70s. It is named for the two churches involved, the Westmoreland Congregational Church (white) and the Lincoln Memorial Congregational Temple (black), both could be described as being predominately middle class. Apparently these were built to fight poverty. Though it concentrates poverty (a popular thing to do back then) it does provide housing. I should say the Feds chipped in money into the building and was completed in 1971.
Labels: crime, neighborhood history
posted by Mari @ 12.11.09
4 Comments:
Ha! Your 'to-do list of the avg. neighborhood gangster' completely cracked me up.
Unfortunately low income projects of concentrated poverty consistently attract crime and violence, making them dangerous. History bears this out. Though it provides housing, its dangerous housing for both those who have to live in it, and those who live near it. So why is it any longer worth it?
The aim should be to replace all dedicated low income projects with mixed-income ones, and strive for mixed-income buildings throughout the city - even in Georgetown! And on top of transportation hubs, we should be building dense, mixed-use containing office, retail and residential space. If only politics and unfounded fear about living next to poor people didn't get in the way...
I live just down the street from those projects, and I think the city would be a better place if they were bulldozed tomorrow. A week hasn't gone by where there weren't cops busting someone or lining a group of kids up outside of that metro exit at 8th and R. Hearing those shots yesterday in the mid afternoon was awful. Hope no one was hurt.
No worries. Another ten to fifteen years and it will all be good. Be patient.
Excellent point. Will the glass be bulletproof?
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