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UPDATE 11:32am
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More info from the comments (I think this is from the 1-D list?):
"First Districts Units responded to 9-1-1 calls for shots fired in the vicinity of 12th and G Street NE. Units observed a blue/gray Hyundai Sonata bearing Virginia registration fleeing the scene. The suspect vehicle struck a construction area with a jersey barrier and had full air bag deployment. Three suspects attempted to bail out and two were apprehended in close proximity to the suspect vehicle. The third suspect was apprehended a block or so away. Recovered from the Hyundai was a 9MM semi-automatic handgun and a TEC style assault weapon. Both weapons have extended magazines. There were no individuals struck by the gunfire. "
This happened around 2am.
71 comments:
Thank goodness the police officers were not hurt and the punks were arrested. Lock them up and throw away the key.
David
I thought this neighborhood albatross had closed? This place has been nothing but trouble from the beginning. And for all the back and forth on here with those who supported and defended XII, I have one thing to say, I told you so. Defend them now. They cater to this thug mentality and we don't need it in our improving neighborhood. Good riddance.
Lol. And out the woodwork they come. You know what would be better in that location? a Cluck-U.
trouble at XII? who'd have guessed...
i love cluck u and miss it very much.
Be careful what you ask for. You argue for Cluck U to close and get XII in return. Don't worry, it'll close once enough people get shot coming from there. Of course if a young mother with her baby in the stroller are shot in the crossfire, this will speed the process up.
What I found frustrating was how the dozen or so patrons who had just witnessed the shooting all quickly left the scene and didn't make any effort to help the police, who were there immediately. At one point there were so cars scrambling to leave the area that they nearly ran over a policeman attempting to secure the crime scene at 12th and G.
I guess nobody wanted to finger the person that had just tried to kill them. Go figure.
How lucky we are to have someone with the foresight of Anonymous @10:18a. How exactly does XII "cater to [a] thug mentality"?
Please list their actions in as much detail as possible.
Thanks.
A bit more info:
"First Districts Units responded to 9-1-1 calls for shots fired in the vicinity of 12th and G Street NE. Units observed a blue/gray Hyundai Sonata bearing Virginia registration fleeing the scene. The suspect vehicle struck a construction area with a jersey barrier and had full air bag deployment. Three suspects attempted to bail out and two were apprehended in close proximity to the suspect vehicle. The third suspect was apprehended a block or so away. Recovered from the Hyundai was a 9MM semi-automatic handgun and a TEC style assault weapon. Both weapons have extended magazines. There were no individuals struck by the gunfire. "
And I miss Cluck-U.
Jamie, for one example see JohnnyInDC comments just above yours. Enough said.
What time did this occur?
Post all the "oh it could have happened anywhere" nonsense you want, bleeding hearts. This type of crap only happens at joints like XII. You NEVER hear this stuff out of ANY other bars on H Street.
And this is the second shooting that we know of involving XII patrons. Then there was the stabbing at Martini Lounge (which is now, coincidentally, closed)
It's just a sad fact of life. Cater to a predominately youger, black, male population, and violence will likely follow.
I hope this place follows in the footsteps of Martini Lounge. The space itself is nice and would be ideal for a new, better venture. The less of these types of places around here, the better for all of us, there's just no getting around it.
So basically if you cater to a young black audience, then you necessarily "cater to [a] thug mentality." Oh, and apparently the scattering of would-be witness/patrons is proof of some kind of action on the proprietor.
Be honest, this is an act, isn't it? There's no way you're really that ignorant.
Anon 11:23, I agree with you to an extent, but I'm afraid you left out one of the most common characteristics here: uneducated. I guarantee none of this is happening with a "youger, black, male population," who graduated from college.
The shooting happening right at 2:00am, right as XII was closing. It's usually very noisy on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights at that time. Because there have been numerous fights among XII patrons over the past year, the police often have a few policecars in the area to keep things orderly, as they had did last night. A policecar was even sitting at the corner of 12th and H at the time of the shooting with it's lights flashing.
What's still unclear to me is who the shooter was firing at, since there were policemen in plain sight.
Jamie, you defend this? Be honest, this is an act isn't it? There is no way you're really that ignorant.
I defend, what? People who fight? No, I don't. Similarly, I don't defend the kind of racist stereotyping that you're engaging in. Not that I believe you're being sincere--it's easy to get your rocks off by trolling an internet message board. There are no consequences to your actions, you make yourself feel important, and you momentarily take yourself away from the involuntary celibacy that fuels your frustration. It ain't for me, but if it makes you happy, there are far greater societal ills to concern myself with.
To the person asking about the time: it was just a few minutes after 2AM when I heard a rapid series of gunshots. Within just a minute or so there were two police vans out on 12th and more cruisers showed up right away. Good times.
This converstaion is sickening. I moved to Trinidad 9 months ago as with hopes of living in a decent and diversified area that had room for growth. So far my experience has been ok. But i must admit the classist and racist banter that often occurs on this blog and others makes my stomach churn. I am a young African American woman that enjoys a professional career and a decent social life so I frequent XII and H street country club alike. Enjoying the diversity and atmosphere at both. I am offended by the suggestion that places like XII cater to the "thug element" it's ridiculous. XII isn't anymore responsible for the conduct of it's patrons after they leave their establishment (especially if it is not an alcohol related crime) than any other estblishment on H street. XII doesn't and shouldn't leave the neighborhood. They provide a good entertainment experience. If it is not your scene don't go. If you want to live in a neighborhood where everyone looks, acts and thinks like you why did you move here! This is a diverse neighborhood with poor and well off, educated and un-eductaed. If you want a homogenous living experience move to Bethesda!
jamie is a moron who is clearly not from this neighborhood as he would have a different opinion if he were.
Forma, I actually live in the 700 block of 11th Street. Contrary to your ignorance, people who live here are not generally as dumb and racist as one might assume from this thread.
jamie is still a moron.
Anon 11:23 is right. It's not that people don't want there to be young black men in the neighborhood-- it's just that when a place caters to young uneducated black men, this is what you tend to end up with. Stereotypes are based in truth...
Let's see... Studio 400, Martini Lounge, XII... can Jamie provide an example of a place popular with young black men that has been sucessful and not resulted in violence?
It's kind of crazy when the fear of being labeled a racist causes people to deny the obvious. I live right by XII, and while we don't have gun shots once a month, there are fights at least once a month that generally involve the police. This does not include the drunk shouting matches that occur every week or two.
Obviously most young, back, urban, uneducated men are fine citizens, but the 'thug mentality' is an ugly aspect of the culture, and one only needs to look at crime statistics for DC over the past 30 years to see the facts.
I'm not moving any time soon, and I probably can't get rid of XII, but I can sure work at it.
Anon, referring to yourself as if you were someone else is plainly transparent. It's also abundantly clear that you're the same anonymous who was making the ridiculous comments about tipping in the Argo thread.
I get it: you're bored, and you couldn't get laid in prison, so you're frustrated too, and this is an easy outlet for you. You're not the first troll, and you won't be the last. But for those of us who actually live here and work to make it a better community, you really serve no purpose. Perhaps getting a job, a significant other, or a hobby would make your life better. I'm quite certain it would do so for those of us who read this blog regularly.
This kind of thing happens outside the Cosmos Club all the time...
Anon 12:29, it is obvious that no one on this blog is fearful of being labelled racist as they spout their ignorant opinions here regularly. Has the ANC attempted to talk to XII or any other bar for that matter about the spill over effect the bar is having on the neighborhood?
@ anon 12:26 sterotypes aren't based in truth they are based in laziness. I bet a million dollars you don't know one single young black man personally educated or uneducated. If you call truth watching cops or listening to the local police radio you are mistaken!
All i'm concerned about is not having a shoot out on my street. I dont care who the shooter is or the ethnicity. Shootings are not ok. If it takes getting rid of an establishment that draws that element to help solve the problem, then i am all for getting rid of it.
Everyone in our community deserves a safe environment to live in.
-J
Every weekend, since the biergarten opened I've seen a young white people fight on the street. Since it happens during the day, does that make them big time "thugs"???
Listen, defend it all you want, but there is a problem at Club XII. With all due respect to the young woman who attends both Club XII and the cheesy Country Club, there is a distinct difference in the rowdiness and violence of the patrons coming out of XII. As a young mother who lives on the very corner where those shots were fired, I could have easily been that woman with the stroller who got caught in the crossfire. We get woken up EVERY thursday, friday and saturday by horribly obscene fights and disgusting commentary as people who are completely intoxicated holler at eachother as they get in their cars and drive to the suburbs. Why are they even here? Apparently Club XII offers them something they cannot get elsewhere, and its clear that will be coming to an end. Last night I went out in my robe and was sexually harrassed by guys coming out of XII after the shooting. I am all for a diverse neighborhood, and young black entrepreneurs, but this place is causing too many problems. Please name another bar on H Street that has patrons discharging automatic weapons? Where is TOMMY WELLS?! Look, there is no way around it, the crowd at Club XII is a bunch of thugs. They will be forced to close at some point, this is simply not going to work. This neighborhood is going to do something about it.
Poor sad people all defensive because they think someone has attacked their race only serving to perpetuate the steryotypes about their race. But I do have one question, how come we've never had this discussion about problems at the Rock-n-Roll Hotel?
I say we work to git rid of XII and the problems associated with it. 1305trani, if you're as smart as you seem, I'm sure you can find a classier establishment. Please do the neigborhood a service by not supporting this place.
i don't expect things to be quiet in the city; i don't expect every bar patron to remember that there are people sleeping in the houses they pass by on the way to their cars; i don't expect drunk people to be totally peaceful. a bar fight comes outside; a girl screaming at her unappreciative boyfriend, some late night rowdiness are normal. that is what you get when you live off of H Street.
however, there is a line. automatic weapons, deadly knife fights? rock and and roll hotel wishes it could bring that kind of drama to the scene. let's face it H street is tame, with the exception of Club XII.
this a place that has consistently produced serious, chronic violence, and traumatized our neighborhood.
pull all the race cards you want, its not going to work. the proof is in the crime stats. Club XII will be shut down.
Anon. young mother 1:15. I'm sorry for what you experienced last night and I pray that it gets better for our neighborhood. I'm also sorry you have to be subjected to the fools on here who try to defend this establishment and the thugs who patronize this place as some of these blog posters are also part of the problem and not the solution. It sadly comes across as trying to defend the race or class of a people at the expense of the safety and well-being of others.
Wow, this blog really helps the "pro gentrification" argument...NOT! You all bring so much comedy to this hot Friday work day as well as help me learn new terms...."thug mentality". I’m using that one this weekend! side note: I hope that proposed Aldi's is built ASAP! LOL!
I don't think you've attacked my race because, well, like you almost assuredly are, I'm white. But you don't have to be black to see your deep-seated racism and loathing of blacks. Perhaps you should have found a different city to live in, because this one really isn't for you. I hear Des Moines and Bismarck might be more your speed. Check 'em out...
A couple of comments: First, people need to lay off the bigotry. It's offensive and counterproductive, especially when we're trying to work with our neighbors to solve a problem. I've spent a lot of time in black neighborhoods but the one time I got jumped it was outside a bar that caters to whites, by a white guy. Alcohol makes people of all races irrational and violent.
Also, if there's a problem with XII's patrons spilling into the street at closing time, let's deal with that and not tar an entire demographic as ignorant, uneducated, thug or whatever. I'm sure young blacks of all types go there and enjoy the music. 1305Trini, for example, is not a thug.
On another note, why isn't anyone talking about the busts that took place in Trinidad Thursday morning? The drug dealers are a greater threat to neighborhood safety than a dance club. Chief Lanier said on the Kojo Nnamdi show yesterday they arrested 12 or 13 people in Trinidad and seized three guns. The press release is here http://newsroom.dc.gov/show.aspx/agency/mpdc/section/2/release/20209
Jamie, I don't really give a crap about your race, it's only relvant to you in this argument not me. I'd rather be around an understanding and patient black than a guilty-conscioused white any day.
That's fine. I'd rather be around a non-bigot than you. We all have our preferences.
To all the anonymous that posted after my 12;52 post: I did not pull the race card, but was just noting the obvious racist and classist tones of the conversation. The conversation immediately turned from the safety and security of our streets to the presence of uneducated black men! If you want to talk safety and noise lets. But don't go propagating stereotypes because it is easy and convenient. If you want to work to improve the safety of the neighborhood good. But the use of euphemisims like "thug mentality" are ridiculous only serve to inflame.
@ anonymous 1:20 your're juvenile!
SO, if thug, and thug mentality etc are not "appropriate" words, exactly what words should be used?
seriously, who cares what we call these low-lifes? they're not even worth a second thought. i'm glad these three are in custody, and i look forward to their rowdy friends ending up there too. rotting with vd's in jail.
@ anon 12:26 sterotypes aren't based in truth they are based in laziness.
99.99% of the violent crime in our neighborhood is committed by young black men. Now say they make up .005% of the total number of young black men.
Add to that that there is a style of dress that's extremely popular among the young black demographic that's easily identifiable, universally popular among the sub-population, and intimately associated with crime (urban fashion & violent music).
Is it stereotyping for the larger population to be suspicious of *all* young black men? Of course. Would it be lazy? No.
What if all street crime in our neighborhood was committed by young white men who dressed like, say, pirates? Now what if, say, 90% of all young white men dressed up like pirates, because the style was popular, due to violent, crime-oriented music.
If we lived in that kind of an environment, would you give these kids a wider berth than you would a middle-aged woman? Or a Hispanic man in slacks? Would you understand why a police officer might give them more scrutiny than anyone else?
I think it's a disgrace, and is incredibly socially corrosive that young black men are subjected to stereotyping, but that's due to the combination of the complete *assholes* who are shitting all over our community, and the subculture, which embraces and appropriates that style of "gangsta" dress.
For whatever it's worth, I think we should be providing poor kids with many, many more wraparound services. But I also think that we pay far, far too much attention to redeeming the very small percentage of bad kids, who've pretty much demonstrated the capacity for sociopathic violence, and who undermine the greater community's support for those programs. rather than the vast majority of good kids, who are often the most frequent victims of the bad kids.
The good kids should get more support; the bad kids should be walled up in a grotto somewhere.
But madam, 1305trini, you say " The conversation immediately turned from the safety and security of our streets to the presence of uneducated black men!" If these were NOT uneducated black men involved in these heinous acts, please please please, tell me who they were - educated white men, pregnate Chinese women, deaf Hispanic transexuals? How do we know who to target for help if we don't identify who the perpatrators are. I don't see how this is racist.
Anon. 2:13, Thank you. I couldn't have said it better myself. You have summed it up perfectly. It will be interesting to see someone try to dispute you. Somebody will.
I went to see "She & Him" at the 9:30 club and at least half of those single women in sun dresses were packin' heat.
Well, I just moved into the neighborhood and I hate to say this but its not like I didn't predict it. Honestly I thought it would have happened earlier. This is the ghetto. Not up and coming. Too bad these guys didn't have better aim. Or on second thought, too bad there is no legal carry so that someone with better aim could take care of this problem.
I don't really care what demographic a particular bar caters to; if their customers are prone to endangering me, I have a problem with them. XII needs to take measures aimed at deterring the type of customers that are likely to cause trouble, and put in place measures for ensuring that those of us who live around their business are not endangered by their clientele. If they don't take those types of measures, it suggests to me that they are trying capitalize off of providing the type of environment where these events are common. It's really that simple.
I'm guessing that many who are defending XII in this thread are quick to identify Autozone as being a "bad neighbor." This seems like a double standard to me. Both businesses allow, or at least facilitate, their patrons to act in ways that are harmful to our community.
Could everyone please chill out a bit? This conversation is a bit intense for a Friday afternoon. I also think it's headed down a not very helpful path.
We know that:
1. Three suspects in a car bearing VA plates were apprehended after a police chase.
2. The police pursued the vehicle after they saw it fleeing the scene after a report of gunfire.
3. The suspects fired shots at the police car.
4. No one was shot.
That's all we know. I'm assuming the suspects in this case are probably black males, but that's a demographic guess on my part.
I'm eager to get more info on the incident.
Please think before you type. Some of what I'm seeing here is quite troubling to me (if the writers actually believe it), and I don't think I'm the only one.
".005%"
I'm guessing you just tossed this # out there...
A lot of the alarmist stuff I've seen says 1/6 black males are or have been incarcerated, so the real number is about 4 orders of magnitude higher. Of course, depending on where you get the numbers, what time frame they apply to, and what the supplier is trying to prove, the stats are all over the map. Really; for stuff like this, any stat is suspect, and cherry picked stats aren't worth s---. Even HRW throws out this little gem: "One in three black men between the ages of 20 and 29 was either in jail or prison, or on parole or probation in 1995"
"http://www.hrw.org/reports/2000/usa/Rcedrg00-01.htm"
Frankly, that seems downright unreal...
I'm not one to confuse cause and correlation, but when the numbers are this skewed, and you actively choose to ignore or deny the correlation - you're pretty much guaranteed to miss something important to plot, and any solutions that come out of such blind thinking are going to be poor... Perhaps that's why the problem has been so persistent?
I just hope something, ANYTHING, constructive can come from this close call. I am just glad bullets didn't enter a home. I know DC is crime ridden, and particularly this neighborhood, but I hope this doesn't get swept under the rug. Yes there needs to be MORE POLICE ACTIVITY not just a presence.
I see too many public intox bums walking around.
Too many hookers, pimps, drug dealers.
Why even bother arresting these polite nice racially ambigious boys from the suburbs? The lawyers downtown will decline to paper them anyway. Besides, they shouldn't be punished for shooting at people! That would be mean! We need to affirm them, give them a time out and then hand them back their guns and let them take aim at someone else.
Inked, your blog provides a valuble service to this community and when you post a "Shots and a Chase" topic, I think a serious dialog should be expected and encouraged. I also think the racial/racist undercurrents are just as meaningful, if not more so, to that serious dialog in trying to solve the underlying problems. I think getting it all out there, trolling or no trolling, is part of what makes this blog work. But what do I know?
Isn't the really scary part that these brothas are brave enough to open fire when the cops are right down the street. Not sure police can do anything in these types of situations. REMOVAL from the neighborhood is the only way
I am glad i will be going out in Arlington tonight. The odds of getting shot in cross fire there is much less than H St.
Great news on the drug busts in Trinidad. Three guns out of our neighborhood and more thugs off the street (for a little while at least). Trinidad will always be crappy place to live in unless we have a mindset that this behavior (guns, drugs, pimping, stealing, cursing, littering, killing) is not f'ing acceptable!
BL
Some (not all) "go go" bands have a following among specific gangs, like from a certain neighborhood. The cops keep track of the affiliations in case a band from one neighborhood goes to perform on another gang's turf, bringing its gang followers into rival territory. That might be one reason the cops were ready for trouble.
We're not against rap.
We're not against rappers.
But we are against those thugs (thugs, thugs)
BL, here's an Arlington flashback to 2006:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/05/AR2006070501537.html
This was across the street from the River House apartment I lived in before moving to Trinidad.
Hate on the "uneducated thug mentality" all you want but the "snobby douche bag prep" mentality of some of these d*ckheads on H Street is just as annoying. I actually remember a co-worker telling me about a gathering of African American lawyers at XII; I can sort of understand the "thug mentality" holding some water in that instance...because they were lawyers, not because they were black.
BL wrote: "Trinidad will always be crappy place to live in unless we have a mindset that this behavior (guns, drugs, pimping, stealing, cursing, littering, killing) is not f'ing acceptable!"
Amen. The most intelligent thing we've seen on this post yet. There is far too much tolerance of bad behavior, and many of us, our neighbors and police are colluding by not getting in people's faces when it occurs. I know, some of the reason is fear, but we have to man up and do it or nothing's going to change.
If a club owner cannot change the bad influence he's having on a neighborhood then he has to face the music, so to speak. But the rest of us have to do our part too by going outside and speaking up. AND we need more support from police when we complain about the small stuff, to make it clear that there is no tolerance for bad behavior.
What trinidaddad just said goes back to what I was saying earlier about how disappointed I was that all these witnesses to this shooting just up and left. There were police already there to tell them who did the shooting, what did they look like and which way did they go. Sadly, they didn't want to get involved, despite the fact that bullets had just wizzed by their heads.
The old saying is that "bad things are allowed to happen, when good people look the other way" really DOES seem to be the norm. I just hope we all remember that we ALL have the power to creat the kind of community we ALL want more than we think we do. We just need to try.
JohnnyInDC
One more thing: there are some idiots posting here who might suggest otherwise, but the intentions of the owner here are irrelevant. He's just trying to run a business. But, unfair as it may be, if that business is unintentionally drawing assholes with guns, the community has a right and an obligation to scrutinize it.
If there were, say, Irish gangs who regularly shot up DC, and after Star and Shamrock opened, we suddenly started drawing drive-bys from Irish dirtbags, it's absolutely legitimate to question whether that business should be allowed to keep its liquor license.
What was the name of the joint on 14th and U that had like 5 shootings in 3 years? It took until a 13-year-old girl was shot dead in the crossfire to get it closed down.
Nothing racial there; sometimes the scumbags won't let us have nice stuff.
I saw the police stopping two guys at the corner of Linden and 12th Sts. I don't believe they were arrested. They were "fleeing" the area pretty quickly, so I assume that is why they were stopped by the police. By "fleeing" I saw one guy driving away and the passenger run up and hop in the moving car.
This episode is more than scary.
Concerned mother
And yes Eliot, the police were there within seconds. I went to the window right after the shots woke me up.
Concerned mother
The question is, what is the next step? Should this be brought up at the ANC 6A meeting? When does their alcohol license come up for renewal? I for one don't want to wait until things get worse or someone is shot.
The entitled racist yuppie mentality of this neighborhood with its metastasizing cancer of overrated, overpriced bridge-n-tunnel bars and restaurants (Pug excepted) is awful and makes me want to move. It's becoming a microcosm of why Washington sucks. May your home values go to shit and may you each find a Burger King wrapper in your lawn!
amen, anon 9:58.
Seriously guys. I'm currently feeling like Mel Gibson and his I hate anyone who hasn't lived here forever counterpart have hijacked the site a bit today. One thing to consider, some of the people leaving comments today clearly don't live here. Another thing that's clear: some of us have forgotten that we're all neighbors and in this together. I'm seeing too many down right nasty and mean comments. That is not ok. I want this to be a place where everyone (crazies who conform to White Storm and any group that is so extreme on any end excepted). Frozen Tropics is a blog for those who live, work, play, or visit, the H Street Corridor, or its northern neighbor Trinidad. I also offer some coverage of surrounding areas north of Capitol Hill. It is not a place to voice hate, or to be hostile to other people. Rational and respectful discussion is welcome here, regardless of your viewpoint (exceptions mentioned above).
Yeah, DC's so lame. In Brooklyn, no one gets upset about gunfire on their block. It's so much better being a hipster there.
While Anon.9:58 's comment is pretty annoying and actually quite elitist (in a cooler than thou sort of way), I do agree with one part of his statement. While I like most of the bars, Der Biergarten Haus has sort of changed the game. It is over-hyped, over-priced, and it has brought a new crowd (maybe along with the H St. CC) of yuppy pricks.
I don't think it's racist or elitist to care about your property value, fear shootings, or even be concerned about trash; home owners in NYC can be hyper-activists.
call me crazy, but i blame the guys shootings guns. not their culture or where they hang out.
have there really been guys fighting outside of biergarden haus?
This conversation is exactly why I like reading this blog for news, but almost always skip the comments. Too many people posting nasty anonymous comments, calling people morons, saying they "couldn't get laid in prison." I can just picture all of you typing madly away in the anonymous safety of your home or office. You're all probably way too insecure to have this conversation identifiably in person.
Don't say anything you wouldn't say to someone's face. And get a life.
and thanks to Trinidaddad, anon 2:13, and a few other for providing rationale, constructive comments. wish it was just you on this blog.
A lot of the nastiness would be gone if anonymous posting was gone.
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