Neighborhood Crime: Violent Crime Down Overall, but Gun Crimes Increase

Matt over at Borderstan has the latest crime stats from our immediate area. Overall, it's a mixed bag: there are a couple of nuggets of good information, and some bad. Some highlights:

Violent crime in May was terrible (16 violent crimes were reported, of which 14 were robberies), but that number dropped to only 4 in June. Likewise, there were 5 gun crimes reported in May, and only 1 in June.

However, for the first six months of the year, two items are up markedly: gun crime and property crime. While overall violent crime has remained virtually unchanged over the last three years, there have been 14 reported gun crime incidents through the first six months of the year, versus 6 in 2008. Property crimes are up in the neighborhood by 24% versus 2008, a significant increase.

More details and information can be found at Borderstan. Many, many thanks to Matt for taking the time to wade through all of this information.

One Dead, One Wounded in Shooting Near 14th & T

Courtesy of Borderstan:

Two individuals were shot in the back of the apartment building located at 1433 T St. NW yesterday afternoon. One individual drove himself to the hospital and is alive, although his condition wasn't reported. The second individual was taken from the scene by ambulance and has died.

No suspects or motives have yet been given regarding the shooting because the MPD are still interviewing witnesses to the shooting. It is not known whether either of the victims lived in or near the vicinity of the apartment building.

This shooting is particularly disturbing largely due to the fact that it occurred in the middle of a weekend afternoon in an area one block south of a street with large numbers of pedestrians. Although we can only speculate as to the motive of the shootings (Drug transaction gone awry? A beef? A parking space?) it's further evidence that violent crime is indeed on the rise along the northern section of the 14th Street corridor headed towards U St. From the period of July 30 - September 29, violent crime is up 33% in that area versus 2006, and up 15% since 2007. A majority of the increase is attributable to muggings and assaults committed with firearms.

This all leads to a point we've made many times before: strolling around the Logan/U St. area, it's easy to become complacent with your surroundings. Luxury condos, cafes and boutique shops have a way of doing that to you. Yet while violent crime may not be as pervasive in Logan as it is in other parts of the city, it is by no means an unusual occurrence. So stay aware, be vigilant about contacting the police when you witness suspicious behavior, and communicate with one another. Also, pay attention to the platforms of local elected officials with regards to issues like the prevention of gang-related violence, after-school youth programs, parenting programs, housing assistance and other programs aimed at improving the lives of the less well-off in this city. Increased vigilance and police presence are short-term aids in the response to violent crime (which unfortunately will never be completely eradicated), but taking aim at poverty and its inextricable link to crime will help address this problem in the long term.

More on Area Homelessness: The Importance of Being Vigilant

Yesterday evening, the missus and I were walking home north along 14th St. around 9:45 PM. We had just crossed Corcoran St., when a man walking briskly down the street caught our attention and said "If I were you guys, I'd cross over the street to the other side...there's a guy behind me who just chased me down the block."

We looked up to see a man about 100 feet away, shouting incoherently and seemingly coming towards us. We thanked the man for his warning, and quickly made the decision to cross over to the other side of the street. As we were crossing, Shouting Man began screaming at us in some incoherent tirade that was impossible to decipher--there was clearly something off with the guy. After crossing, we turned back around to watch the man proceed on down the street. There was another individual who had been walking behind us; as Shouting Man passed this individual he reached out and shoved him, all the while continuing his tirade.

Figuring that nothing can come of these situations if they aren't reported, I placed a call to the police from my cell phone to describe the situation. I made it clear to the dispatcher that the man appeared to be mentally unstable. The police responded within minutes, and followed up with me a short while later regarding an interview.

What became of the man we have no idea, but we're posting this here as a reminder to everyone of the importance of calling the police when you witness this type of behavior. It was quite evident that the man was either high on some sort of narcotics or was suffering from some kind of mental dementia--or perhaps a combination of both. Individuals such as he are among the most dangerous to encounter on the street, because they're so unpredictable and potentially dangerous.

This also highlights the critical necessity of the proper funding of drug treatment programs and mental health care for the homeless and indigent in DC--something that ties in with my wife's homelessness post below. Drug dependancy and mental illness among the homeless population are crippling, and it will require a concerted effort on the part of both the city government and private agencies to step up and address these problems. If you're looking for an agency to support that deals with these issues, we'd recommend starting with the Community of Hope, located at 14th and Girard St. They offer comprehensive services to the poor and homeless, including a wealth of health and social service programs. Agencies such as CoH are frequently the only hope offered to individuals such as the one we encountered last night.

Have Car, Will Get Towed

Around 11 AM yesterday, it dawned on my that my car--the motorized thing that we drive out to Trader Joe's once every couple of weeks--was on the Tuesday street sweeping side of R St. D'oh. I kicked myself for not remembering to move the car that morning, then resigned myself to paying the $30 fine and moving on with life.

That was, until I got home and found that my car wasn't there. We strolled up and down the block several times, just making sure we weren't going blind. Nope, no car. So I called the number posted on the street sweeping signs, and got directed to another number that one could call to get information on whether or not your vehicle had been towed. Mind you, the idea that my car might have been stolen--quite ludicrous considering the car, but you never know--and I was actually *hoping* that DC had taken it. An operator picked up, and my call wen something like this:

Me: I want to see if you have my car.
Operator: What's your license number?
Me: XX-XXXX
Operator: It's on the 2300 block of Sherman.
Me: Beg pardon?
Operator: It's on the 2300 block of Sherman.
Me: How did it get there?
(At this moment, the thought that had entered my mind was that my car had, in fact, been stolen, and that the thieves were joy riding kids who had crashed it somewhere up on Sherman Ave.)
Operator: It was towed there.

So there you go. I should point out that this is far from the first time one of the 14thandYous had forgotten to move a car on street sweeping day, but this is the FIRST time the car had not been there when we returned.

So, has anyone else experienced this? Is the towing of cars to random DC streets a new SOP for the city government, or had we just been lucky this hadn't happened before?

And for those of you wondering: no, I didn't get charged for having my vehicle towed away.