Teen Stabbed at 13th and U; Proceeds to Board Metro Train

OK, enough already. The Post is reporting this morning that a teenager was stabbed at the 13th Street entrance to the U Street Metro station on Saturday evening, then proceeded to board the train and ride it up to Columbia Heights. Once there, he must have determined that his injury was not "merely a flesh wound", and an ambulance was called for him.

This attack comes on the heels of a fatal stabbing at 14th and Newton on Friday night, the third murder in a week that has occured in the Columbia Heights/Parkview areas.

The article quotes a Metro spokeswoman as saying that the attack was believed to be related to an ongoing feud or beef that has led to the violence we've witnessed the last few days. (Why Metro is speculating on these things and not MPD is anyone's guess.) Regardless, we've definitely got an issue here.

This reminds me of the Shaw gang wars from 2007, where you would see flare-ups every few weeks or so. Inevitably, the outcry over this violence will be tempered with the usual "you only care 'cause it's happening in an area with pricey condos". I know, because we've heard it before. And it's true that the shootings and stabbings that take place on U Street and in Columbia Heights generate more press than one that takes place in Anacostia or Barry Farms. But the persistence of youth violence on this scale is particularly troublesome for two reasons.

First, Mr. 14thandYou, his brother, and a couple of friends happened to find themselves at Ben's Chili Bowl, directly across the street from the location of the stabbing, just a little later that evening. No one likes to see assaults like this happening so close to home.

Secondly, and perhaps more disturbing, we've seen firsthand the efforts being conducted by the MPD in the neighborhood to combat violent crime: more foot patrols, increased police presence, establishing personal relationships with many in the community, and so on. We think they're doing, by and large, a great job. And yet the last week has been evidence of how quickly and easily violence like this can spiral out of control. So the answer isn't "more police" or "more development". (Or "wait for cold weather"--Saturday night was pretty darn chilly, and yet...)

So what is the "solution" here? It's likely a combination of things: continued visible police presence, a renewed focus on the juvenile court system and its penchant for releasing repeat offenders back into the population, continued focus on providing counseling and outlets for kids in the District to do everything possible to ensure that they stay out of trouble, etc.

And to all of you who moved here from Des Moines and thought U Street/Logan looked safe because it has pretty houses and expensive condos: well, it still is largely a safe neighborhood...but keep your head up and your wits about you. Violent crime happens everywhere, unfortunately.