No injuries, but residents of the block did sustain some property damage. I'm told 34 shell casings from at least two different guns were collected. Several cars, including the one in this photo that I received from a neighbor, were hit during the gun battle.
19 comments:
Damn. This woke me up (I'm on 1500 block of Trinidad), but I couldn't decide whether I'd dreamt it. I'm still not used to the way gunshots sound after being bounced around so many houses.
Hi Nate, it wasn't a dream. That's my block and I'm going to be getting as many of my neighbors as possible and heading to the
PSA meeting this Saturday.
I'm not sure if it's the economy, just random chance, or what, but seems Trinidad's experiencing more activity and my opinion is that we have to work with the police to figure out what to do.
BTW the cops who handled this crime scene were great, including one bicycle cop. He was out there riding a *bike* in sub-freezing temps at least trying to keep us safe. So kudos to them.
The PSA meeting will be held at the Youth Services Center, 1000 Mt. Olivet Road. It starts at 10am and they usually have juice and donuts.
Can't say I'm surprised. The 13 and 1400 block of Orren is SKETCHY. All those kids who hang out in front of the apartments selling their junk is gonna draw turf wars.
Glad it wasn't my car this time. May 2006 I woke up to 7 bullet holes in my car at the corner of Staples and Neal.
Thank goodness no one was hurt!
Sorry you all are experiencing this. Makes my H St neighborhood look more desirable.
The police, while great, can't do it alone. They need an active neighborhood of concerned citizens who won't stand for this kind of crime.
Like they say -- if you see something say something. On my street, I saw some gang bangers wrote graffiti all over the back of a stop sign (SW corner of L and 7th Streets) to announce their "territory." I made an online report to the city to have it cleaned off (we'll see if they do it).
In this neighborhood, I think it’s important to leave your outside lights on at night; sweat the small stuff and report broken windows, graffiti, and vacant lots; and become active with police partnerships.
Strictly for your information: the city will not operate the graffiti removal "machine" in cold weather. However they are very responsive during the spring, so be persistent!
Thanks George. I wasn't aware of that. Good to know.
The long term solution revolves around education and economic opportunity for under-privileged people. But that will take 40 years.
Near term; the douchebags need to be uprooted and forced out of DC. Bring on the inflation, escalating taxes, and rampant commercial development. Those forces *WILL* make our city safer.
...the douchebags need to be uprooted and forced out of DC. Bring on the inflation, escalating taxes, and rampant commercial development...
Those forces also displace good folks...like the minister and his family that live across the street...or the other people across the street that have been living here since the riots...or my next-door neighbor that is a computer technician for a disorganized non-profit.
People with varied professions, incomes, religions, and human experiences have thus far kept our neighborhood from becoming an aseptic locale like Clarendon or Reston. Developers infringe upon this by determining what enterprises can populate a particular area, and in turn determine what type of person patronizes them.
But maybe this area's not for you?
George Townsend;
Wow, you're surrounded by Saints, in a neighborhood with some of the highest crime rates in the Western world!
No George, no. It is likely that I move, car-less, through all of DC, including Trinidad, with less fear than most 'transplants'.
This "area" you are referring to is our nation's capital. It is a haven for crime. Sweeping changes are needed. Things change; such is life on Earth, and your Saintly friends will need to get comfortable with that fact.
Hey, it wasn't long ago that NBC 4 ran a news story about the city cracking down on unlicensed businesses; specifically car dealers and funeral homes. An employee of an illegal car dealership that was shut down was being interviewed, and she openly lamented the fact that "DC is changing". HAHAH! She seemed like a nice person, despite living a life that revolved around illegal activity.
Don't tell me, she takes tea with you each Tuesday at Noon?
I am new to NE but I researched prior to moving into the area. There was some conversation about the need to create an economic environment that would displace the criminal element until advances in education, etc. could change things. One poster remarked that this economic displacement would also affect decent hardworking people. I agree but the sad and blunt truth is that for the last forty years, since H St. was destroyed by the riots, nothing has been done. I am sure that there were a few residents that fought to change things but the bulk of people did nothing.
Now that a younger, and admittedly more afluent, group of people are entering the area conflict is predictable. I for one will be making demands of city government. So far the most success I've had is 3-1-1. No responses from my ANC Commissioner, no response from the Mayor's Hotline, no response from my council member. There is a corner up ahead for our community. I refuse to let those that sat quiet for forty years hold my neighborhood back.
I guess my thoughts can be distailled to this: 1.) If you have lived in our community since the riots and hid behind the burglar bars refusing to call 911 please leave. 2.) CALL 911!!! We cannot hold the police and city accountable for anything unless we take the time to tell them what is wrong. 3.) Get involved. I'm not just talking about attending meetings. I am talking about walking your block and getting to know your neighbors. Clean up trash. Hold your corner and block stores accountable for selling drug implements.
Munkee -
Thanks for sharing your thoughts; Nice to know that not everyone is an apologist for DC's problems.
-synonymous
Wow, you're surrounded by Saints, in a neighborhood with some of the highest crime rates in the Western world!
I had a hard time reading much further beyond your opening sentence, as it's a generalization I am yet to see someone justify with hard evidence. And if you go to the FBI's Crime in United States 2005, with 15-minutes of work you'll see that Washington DC's violent crime doesn't even compare to that of St. Louis, Memphis, Detroit, New Orleans, or even Baltimore.
This "area" you are referring to is our nation's capital. It is a haven for crime. Sweeping changes are needed.
I get the feeling you've never really lived in a city before, or migrated to H Street from some place like Mount Pleasant. Havens for crime are places like Detroit where abandoned buildings outnumber habitable buildings almost 2:1. Or places like West Philadelphia that have been suffering under decades of corrupt mayors (when I was living there the middles of streets were riddled with broken-down stolen cars).
She seemed like a nice person, despite living a life that revolved around illegal activity. Don't tell me, she takes tea with you each Tuesday at Noon?
Your example is a poor one, as it cites an employee rather than resident (which is the vein of this conversation). The "bad" element in our neighborhood is a minority. It would be difficult to entertain an opinion that suggests otherwise.
I agree but the sad and blunt truth is that for the last forty years, since H St. was destroyed by the riots, nothing has been done. I am sure that there were a few residents that fought to change things but the bulk of people did nothing.
I sometimes share your sentiments but don't know if you fully appreciate the history of the city over the past four decades.
The mayor having complete autonomy over the city and its agencies is something that began six years after the end of the riots (prior to the riots the mayor didn't even have authority over the fire or police departments and prior to that the city was administered by the Federal government). So the city was born into what arguably was one of the most economically culturally demoralizing events of the 60s era.
Compounding a already dire situation was (a) the population of the city being dirt poor, which limited the amount of revenue could gather from its citizens (b) neglect of the Federal government, as the transition after the District of Columbia Self-Rule Act was poorly managed (c) the ineptness of Mayor Washington, who lacked political libido; (d) the recession of the 1980s; (e) the corruption of Mayor Barry, who took advantage of disenfranchised blacks by making false promises and charming them with his political act; and (f) crack, which lead to the rise of street gangs who in turn retaliated against people who called the cops (the execution style killing of Jahkema Hansen in Sursum Corda is a residual example of this).
I get the feeling you've never really lived in a city before, or migrated to H Street from some place like Mount Pleasant.
LOL! Nice try;
Detroit - 18 years. NYC - 10 years.
FYI - DC had the highest per-capita murder rate in the US (and hence the Western world) for years. But don't take my word for it; look into it yourself, George.
The "bad" element in our neighborhood is a minority.
The "bad" element is complacency, George. In modern history; complacency by the majority toward the malice of the minority is, in fact, a "bad" thing. (Think: Europe circa 1932 for one example.)
You are an apologist, George.
Or places like West Philadelphia that have been suffering under decades of corrupt mayors (when I was living there the middles of streets were riddled with broken-down stolen cars).
Is that a fact? You so bad. When I was in Detroit, the streets were littered with overturned, burnt-out shells of automobiles.
George, this is for you:
This looks a lot like the house my mother grew up in; in Detroit.
I suppose the lack of home rule by the People of Detroit is to blame for this?
http://www.seedetroit.com/pictures/urbandecay/pages/deturbandecay24.htm
or
http://tinyurl.com/34d5l5
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