Crime

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December 2, 2010 | 10:13 AM | By

Ivan has been found!

Washington Humane Society

Ivan the puppy.

Great news! The four-month old pit bull puppy who was stolen from the Washington Humane Society’s New York Avenue shelter has been found. Here’s more, from The Washington Times:

Scott Giacoppo, a spokesman for the humane society, confirmed for The Washington Times that they have located the 4-month-old pit bull, named Ivan.

And here’s something I didn’t see reported elsewhere:

Sources told The Times that three youths thought to be involved in the highly publicized theft of the dog were wards of the city’s Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services. The sources, who talked The Times on condition anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on the subject, said the three juveniles were at the agency’s headquarters on Wednesday.

I’m so relieved that this puppy is safe.

FILED UNDER: Around the City, Animals, Crime
December 1, 2010 | 4:36 PM | By

Tis the Season…to be Careful

DCentric

Hey, holiday shoppers-- be careful out there!

Worrisome, but predictable (via TBD):

D.C. police second district commander Matt Klein sent out an email saying a woman was robbed last night shortly after leaving the Georgetown Apple Store on Wisconsin Avenue NW near M Street.  As she was headed to the 3300 block of N Street, a pair of thieves threw her to the ground and fled with the two laptops she’d just bought.

According to Klein, it appears the woman was tailed from the store. “The suspects may have been waiting for someone to leave the store with large bags or other obvious indications of a large purchase,” Klein wrote.

Last Christmas (I gave you my heart), I was still living in Georgetown and I was always a little paranoid about exactly this happening– not that I was dropping a few thousand dollars for anything as spiffy as a new Mac, but still. There were plenty of logo-covered bags bearing loot, hundreds of shoppers carrying too much stuff and nowhere near enough vigilance. Several times a day, I saw people on M street put down their shopping bags and turn around to use the PNC Bank ATM which is next to Old Glory, blithely assuming their packages were safe.

I think some people are lulled in to a warm, fuzzy sense of complacency because it IS Georgetown, but that’s the wrong attitude to have. It may be an expensive neighborhood to live and shop in, but that’s exactly what would make it attractive to people coveting shiny white and silver toys.

FILED UNDER: Around the City, Crime, Georgetown
December 1, 2010 | 1:10 PM | By

Have you seen this puppy?

Washington Humane Society

Ivan is a four-month old pit bull puppy; he was stolen on Monday.

Last February, I adopted a little black and white puppy who was surrendered with her litter at the Washington Humane Society’s New York Avenue shelter, so I am extra-sad about this:

Four month old Ivan was snatched from his kennel at the New York Avenue shelter early on Monday afternoon. Three suspects were caught on surveillance video taking the dog from the shelter. The individuals entered the shelter on 1201 New York Avenue, NE posing as potential adopters. Once inside the shelter the suspects took Ivan from his cage and escaped by breaking through a wooden fence behind the building.

On the news, I saw a WHS official describe the crime by saying that the suspects entered a restricted area and then kicked down a wooden fence to exit with the puppy.  As commenters on other news sites and blogs have pointed out, the dog-nappers look young, and it’s possible that a local teacher or school employee might recognize them. I hope that’s exactly what happens and that the story is picked up by other outlets, so more people can see the suspects.
Continue reading →

FILED UNDER: Around the City, Animals, Crime
November 30, 2010 | 2:23 PM | By

Update on Body Found in Columbia Heights

The Washington Post has updates about the body of a teenager which was found in a Columbia Heights alley, after a resident saw tennis shoes sticking out of a trash can:

D.C. Police identified the woman whose body was found in a trash receptacle in Northwest Washington on Monday as an 18-year-old Prince George’s County woman.

The woman, who had been stabbed repeatedly, was identified Tuesday as Ebony Franklin, of the 4600 block of Pistachio Lane in Capitol Heights.

Franklin’s death was ruled a homicide by the D.C. medical examiner’s office.

One local blogger tweeted this information regarding the case:

CM Graham says the victim found in Columbia Heights Alley yesterday was “reported missing from her home in suburban Maryland.”

FILED UNDER: Around the City, Columbia Heights, Crime
November 30, 2010 | 1:31 PM | By

Beware, North Face-Wearers

Taekwonweirdo

One more reason to wear EMS, Marmot, L.L Bean, Old Navy, anything but…North Face. You don’t want to be a target, as you’re distractedly playing with your mesmerizing iPhone:

The DC MPD’s community outreach department has a release out stating that in the last day there’s been two separate robberies where North Face items were stolen. You might consider replacing your North Face items with stuff from the satirical South Butt company. [WeLoveDC]

If it makes you feel any better (or more likely to retire your gear), I saw entrepreneurial types selling knock-off North Face fleeces near DCUSA last week.

FILED UNDER: Around the City, Crime
November 29, 2010 | 7:11 PM | By

Murdered Girl Found in Columbia Heights Trash Can

Terribly sad news in my neighborhood, this afternoon:

D.C. police say they have found “what appears to be a human body” in a trash receptacle in Columbia Heights.

The apparent female human remains were found Monday in an alley in the 1000 block of Fairmont Street NW.

D.C. police say the body appears to be that of a teenage girl, and that she appears to have been murdered.

Sources said the victim appeared to be 16 or 17 years old.

I was scouring local blogs and news sites for additional information, which I did not find…what I did find were comments attempting to link this with the fact that Gray won instead of Fenty:

Is it just me or has the shootings / bodies gone CRAZY since Vince won the primary? I swear I have heard more in that short time than I have in the 3 years I have lived in DC.

This situation is unfortunate enough, there’s no need.

FILED UNDER: Around the City, Columbia Heights, Crime
November 29, 2010 | 1:58 PM | By

Stabbing at Petworth Metro Station on Sunday

Wayan Vota

This is so disturbing (via WAMU):

Metro Transit police are investigating the stabbing of a man at the Georgia Avenue-Petworth station. A Metro spokeswoman says a man was stabbed while exiting the station around 4:15 p.m. on Sunday.

The victim had passed through the fare gate when he was approached by another man who stabbed him in the neck.

The Georgia Avenue-Petworth station, located in Northwest D.C., services the Yellow and Green lines.

Metro says the victim was taken to an area hospital. His condition is unknown.

I hope the victim makes a full recovery, and that they catch whoever did this.

FILED UNDER: Public Transportation, Crime, Metro, WMATA
November 18, 2010 | 1:40 PM | By

“Before we do anything though, lets help DC9 re-open”

thisisbossi

Memorial in front of DC9.

I can’t figure out why, exactly, but seeing this at the top of Brightest Young Things‘ weekly roundup of events and things to do-email made me a little queasy:

This week’s BEST WEEKEND BETS is, as always, hand selected from BYT ALL CITY and calibrated for maximum fun and minimum stress, and will be punctuated by images from random tumblrs we spent to much time on this week because, well, we can.

Before we do anything though, lets help DC9 re-open.It’s as easy as sending an email with:

Subject: I feel safe at DC9
Send to ABC board and council members
http://aboutdcgov.dc.gov/DC/About+DC.Gov/Feedback
Email: abra@dc.gov , jim@grahamwone.com

OK-OFF WE GO NOW.

Lets all just have a super weekend

It’s as easy as sending an email? But then what? Someone who lives in a different neighborhood, who may have a different complexion sends an email advocating for DC9 to remain closed? I get that the charges have been dropped, and if we believe in the presumption of innocence then my head tells me that it’s only fair to allow this business to reopen…for now. The squishy red thing in my chest disagrees with my head, violently.

Continue reading →

FILED UNDER: Around the City, ABC Board, Crime, DC9, Ethiopian Community, Racial Divide
November 16, 2010 | 2:04 PM | By

Race and Class on R Street

I can’t stop thinking about my last post, where I highlighted the powerful piece Amanda Hess wrote for TBD, about an anomalous block in Logan Circle which is struggling with the exact issues this blog was created to address: race and class. One block in a desirable neighborhood, where gentrification coexists with an affordable housing development was home to at least two victims of appalling, violent assaults, because of their race and sexual orientation– and in one case, the perpetrators did not live where they committed their crime. They were just hanging out there.

It’s depressing to consider, because when I usually talk to people in this city about gentrification, the most optimistic types hope for an arrangement which sounds…exactly like the 1400 block of R Street, where the affordable R Street Apartments sit next to more expensive homes, creating a neighborhood full of ethnic and economic diversity. Unfortunately, Amanda’s investigation uncovered intimidation and what sound like hate crimes at R Street Apartments, which leads me to wonder if affordable housing can coexist with market-rate real estate? If off-duty cops are afraid to walk on a certain block of R Street, why isn’t more being done to make it safe?

Continue reading →

FILED UNDER: Around the City, Crime, Gentrification, LGBT, Logan Circle, Race and Class
November 11, 2010 | 6:35 PM | By

The “D” in D.C. isn’t for “Dangerous”

DCist looked at a map from The District of Columbia Crime Policy Institute and learned some interesting information (I sure didn’t know what a “Census block” was, before their post):

But there are also some surprising spots where high amounts of crime are reported, like a blip on upper Connecticut Avenue in Chevy Chase.

The figures represent reported Part I crimes (homicide, sexual assault, aggravated assault, robbery, burglary, larceny, motor vehicle theft, and theft from a motor vehicle) and map by Census blocks, not typical city blocks. A Census block is the smallest unit measured by the U.S. Census Bureau — and occasionally they can be rather large, which helps explains why certain areas, like the larger blocks around American University and some of the blocks in the Seventh Police District, are designated as high-crime areas. DCPI researchers also confirmed with us that the presence of college campuses also plays a role in the designation of high-crime areas, like ones located around Georgetown University.

Sometimes, these reports about crime in the city leave me feeling paranoid and worried, but DCist helpfully notes that a majority of all census blocks have experienced only a few crimes per year (and almost a quarter had NO crime in the last ten years!).

FILED UNDER: Around the City, Crime