October 5, 2010 | 2:17 PM | By

“Expressing dissent through murder”

FILED UNDER: The People, Crime, Gentrification, Gun Violence, Race and Class, U Street

Kevin H.

Bryan Weaver has a powerful post up at Greater Greater Washington regarding Jamal Coates, gun violence and how such tragedy seems to replay itself on an endless loop.

Public officials will tell you that the crews have moved on to other parts of the city… so don’t believe your lying eyes. We have been here before, a high profile killing that grabs the up and coming part of the city. But then like collective amnesia we move on and forget.

The point being made in article after article is that last week’s murder happened in the rapidly gentrifying part of the city. But we can’t coffee-shop and bike-lane our way out of this tragedy. There are still numerous people in DC who have degenerated to the point of expressing dissent through murder and haven’t learned to disagree without becoming violently disagreeable, no matter where they live. But my hope is that the people who use those coffee shops and bike lanes can and will be the change — if they care enough to do so….

More:

Blanket ideas like civil injunctions and curfews, that are not well thought-out, can’t be the only solution.

The best way to stop a bullet is an education and a job.

And we must make sure their stories are told. Every young person murdered in this city has someone who loved them. A parent, a grandparent, a friend, a cousin, a mentor. None of these young lives should end up being relegated to just two column-inches buried deep in the Metro section. Their stories need to be told. They must be humanized instead of being turned into a passing sentence or two on a blog, in the paper or on TV.

We must take the time to get to know our neighbors and reach out to the young people in our community. We need to celebrate our differences instead of condemning them.

About the author

DCentric was created to examine the ways race and class interact in Washington, D.C., a city with a vibrant mix of cultures and neighborhoods. Your guides to the changing district are reporters Anna John and Elahe Izadi. View all posts by Anna →

  • Gandhi Hijacked

    “There are still numerous people in DC who have degenerated to the point of expressing dissent through murder and haven’t learned to disagree without becoming violently disagreeable, no matter where they live. But my hope is that the people who use those coffee shops and bike lanes can and will be the change — if they care enough to do so….”

    Let me see if I got this right – a murderous fiend goes on a rampage and some random people sitting peacefully are the one's who are admonished to “be the change”?!?!

    This dude either needs to brush up on Gandhian satyagraha theory OR stop misappropriating phrases he doesn't comprehend.

  • dcentric

    Interesting point, Gandhi Hijacked! I generally don't assume that people know who actually said, “Be the change you wish…” so that didn't even register with me when I read it. Glad you commented.

    I think his larger point of integrating within our communities still has merit, though (and I say this as someone who knows that it's an awkward process which can be challenging).