5.20.2009

Yeah, Hi There

OK folks, I know, I know it's been a while since we've updated. Blahblah we suck, "dead blog" so on and so forth. Whatever.

Sometimes looking for and writing about things you hate can be a bit shitty. Obviously there are plenty of hilariously terrible things going on in DC for me to hate on, but focusing on that all the time can be a bit draining. I've bookmarked countless stories and then sort of lost the motivation. Sorry, that's a "my bad."

So what have we missed lately? Well, just yesterday there was a quadruple shooting in the lovely Bloomingdale neighborhood. You know, that slice of heaven nestled between Shaw and the New York Avenue station. Lots of bloggers live in Bloomingdale, or BloMi, and have lots of love for Big Bear Cafe. I'm surprised I haven't seen more jokes involving "bears" and that coffeeshop. I'm opening that door, let's all walk through it.

Anyhow, yes, it's summertime now. That means more shootings. The police shot and killed someone over near Kalorama and Champlain, and there was a murder in Columbia Heights on 14th Street near Columbia Road. This all means it's also time for bloggers to step up and declare that "These things happen, a reminder that crime happens. Everyone should be careful but remember this doesn't mean we don't love our neighborhoods!!"

Yes, but hello, memo to everyone: DC is not a safe place. That home that sold at 14th and Fairmont for $499,999 was not a good deal. In all of these recent shootings, and Oh, I forgot about the murder outside the Mt. Vernon Square metro--the police have been close enough to hear the shots and respond immediately. Still no arrests in any of these homicides. I'm not about to criticize the officers on the scene, but clearly there is a failing at some level of administration here. Obviously. You don't need someone who rarely updates a blog to tell you that.

My speculation is that things are only going to get worse as summer drags on, with the economy still in the pisser, and gang rivalry flaring up. You can tell me that violent crime is down and all of that (and maybe it is), but we'll see how those statistics work out once it's August. I've lived here long enough (in the grand scheme of things, not very long) to know that we haven't done anything magical to put a lid on crime in DC. Anyone who thinks that Adams Morgan, Shaw, Bloomingdale, Petworth, Mt. Vernon Triangle, H St. NE, etc are safe are fooling themselves. Anyone who blogs about how these places are safe and have turned a corner and all of that are delusional. Someone really did pay almost half a million dollars for a house near 14th and Fairmont. Previously, the house had sold for something around $225,000 a few years ago, and $75,000 a decade ago.

Anyhow, enough about that. Just forget about the shootings, the helicopters flying around (with spotlight) and the sirens... and sit down with a nice juicy Five Guys burger filled with rat feces. Me worry about swine flu? I'm more worried the plague will find its way to Dupont Circle.

28 comments:

  1. Awesome. I was just about to post.... Can't let this blog "die." Then the douchebags win.

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  2. Personally, I think it's great when bad guys kill each other, and it's rare that someone innocent is caught in the crossfire. Fewer people to mug the good guys. It's just the annual early-summer thinning, Darwin at work. I suppose you'd rather pay to feed and house all these thugs at the city jail?

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  3. @Jamie, it's not like we're catching them anyways, so they never make it to the DC jail.

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  4. AnonymousMay 20, 2009

    Nice, yeah I was on my couching watching television, when I heard about 6 gunshots (I'm at 10th and M and my balcony looks out towards the Convention Center) then you saw people running down the street, but no car traffic. I couldn't believe it at first, and tore through local blogs to see if there was any information. DC is not safe at all. I was mugged and hit one summer night here last year...Not this year..no siree.

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  5. AnonymousMay 20, 2009

    couch I mean....man...it's been a day..

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  6. Yea i'm over by M street too and heard the shots but no police. they're usually up there all the time.Most likely they were at Krispy Kreme in Dupont getting free refill

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  7. AnonymousMay 21, 2009

    DCBlogs put up a link to this post so now you'll probably start getting comments about how crime in a city is natural, how the victim shouldn't have been walking on a certain block at night b/c that's just asking for trouble, and how the neighborhoods you listed are actually safe despite having multiple unsolved homicides b/c the victim probably knew his attacker (ie: the attack was gang-related).

    Yet another reason why I live in Arlington.

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  8. DC Blogs, really? Out of all the posts I write, the worst one gets picked.

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  9. I've been to Big Bear Cafe. I thought it was cute, but the decaffeinated tea selection was shitty. On the brightside, I found a Washington Post someone left behind (probably when they were running from a gun-wielding criminal) and no one had even touched the crossword. There were only a few bloodstains. Just kidding! Bloomingdale is perfectly safe. Unless you get shot.

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  10. AnonymousMay 21, 2009

    Hey, I live over in Eckington and getting shot at and having a brick thrown at your head can be fun! What else are we going to do on this side of town?

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  11. I liked it so much better when we bitched about DC, rather than bitching about having to bitch about DC. Where's Rusty? He could prolly blog DC better than from Pigs Knuckle AR or where ever the hell he is.

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  12. He's in Columbus, Ohio. I think.

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  13. Nobody's heard from him in a while though... probably, he got mugged while riding on a city bus, since there is no Metro there.

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  14. update ur twitter u lazy bammas

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  15. AnonymousMay 21, 2009

    What do you think about the new DC Police policy not to make public any narratives of crime reports, assertedly to "protect privacy rights." Really? The DC Police Department was not providing sufficient info as is. We should know what kind of crime is being committed in our neighborhoods-- with gun or without? one person or four? what did the bad guy look like? Etc. It is hard to see what privacy rights they want to protect. The victims are never identified or described in any event. Nor are the criminals (which is a problem). I suspect the real reason for this new policy is to protect the police department. Where is the outrage?

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  16. AnonymousMay 21, 2009

    "There have been no arrests..."

    This is incorrect. There are three arrests that I know of, and all the major news outlets reported on those arrests.

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  17. AnonymousMay 21, 2009

    I need some Hamlet.

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  18. Let's post like it's 2004 all over again:

    You better buy that speculative pre-construction 1 bedroom condo located at 10th St NW and Florida Ave NW now! The whole area is up-and-coming and is transforming before your very eyes. With close access to the Metro and just steps away from three liquor stores, this area is sure to attract a Whole Foods in the next few months. So act fast! Prices just keep going up and up, and you'll be priced out of the market in no time at all. Granite countertops and stainless steel appliances justify the $550 per square foot price. Parking is an extra $45,000. Don't worry, you can afford it - some bank will offer you a 1 yr ARM at 2% APR. You'll be living the "Urban Life" dream and will be the envy of your folks back in Oklahoma.

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  19. AnonymousMay 22, 2009

    you can always call Obama to do a flyover in airforce 1, this will give you something to write about

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  20. Alright Dave its time for me to straighten things up a bit here if I may.

    First, Dick. Fucking. Cheney. is. out. of. office.

    Now, I know this blog glorifies all that we hate about DC, but since the lobbyists are paying big dick.. and those in the know, really know he is bigdick cheney... thats not just a third leg growing there...

    Is it possible you could change the tagline here? How about something noble. And meaningful. Something that gives the younger generation , a real guideline to their own personal and nascently growing, trainer-bra hatred of DC. like.

    "I'm never done with a woman until I've had her three different ways. " - John F. Kennedy.


    As for everything else. Let me just say. That if this blog were like an airplane.
    And we were flying at 50,000 feet and suddenly
    the airplane met some russian Mir space station out of control space debri flying through the limb and mach three. And it met its untimely end. With rapid. Catastrophic cabin depressurization or something? Ok? Like,
    everything succked out of the plane, through a little hole the size of a quarter or so.


    I think I speak for all of us here, when I say that you would definitely be .. mist...

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  21. BTW, this was posted prior to those arrests being made known in the media.

    i've been talking about changing the tag line since obama was inaugurated, but it seemed a lot of other people still liked it.

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  22. AnonymousMay 22, 2009

    I just saw a "tall bike" heading westbound toward logan circle on Rhode Island Ave., at 4th St. NW.

    Don't know what that is? You suck. You do know what that is? Yeah? Did you know what that was three years ago? No, you didn't, did you? You suck.

    DC sucks because tall bikes have been the thing since about 2003. In other parts of the country.

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  23. AnonymousMay 22, 2009

    And no, it isn't a penny farthing, asshole.

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  24. AnonymousMay 22, 2009

    NOAA logo - Click to go to the NOAA homepage Your National Weather Service forecast NWS logo
    Washington DCSkip to Detailed 7-Day Forecast

    Enter Your "City, ST" or zip code
    NWS Baltimore, MD/Washington, D.C.
    Point Forecast: Washington DC
    38.89°N 77.02°W Mobile Weather Information | En EspaƱol
    Last Update: 3:35 pm EDT May 22, 2009
    Forecast Valid: 8pm EDT May 22, 2009-6pm EDT May 29, 2009

    Forecast at a Glance
    Tonight

    Partly Cloudy
    Partly
    Cloudy
    Lo 64 °F Saturday

    Mostly Sunny
    Mostly
    Sunny
    Hi 85 °F Saturday
    Night
    Partly Cloudy
    Partly
    Cloudy
    Lo 64 °F Sunday

    Chance Thunderstorms Chance for Measurable Precipitation 30%
    Chance
    Tstms
    Hi 85 °F Sunday
    Night
    Chance Thunderstorms Chance for Measurable Precipitation 30%
    Chance
    Tstms
    Lo 62 °F Memorial
    Day
    Chance Thunderstorms Chance for Measurable Precipitation 40%
    Chance
    Tstms
    Hi 80 °F Monday
    Night
    Chance Thunderstorms Chance for Measurable Precipitation 50%
    Chance
    Tstms
    Lo 63 °F Tuesday

    Chance Thunderstorms Chance for Measurable Precipitation 40%
    Chance
    Tstms
    Hi 74 °F Tuesday
    Night
    Chance Thunderstorms Chance for Measurable Precipitation 40%
    Chance
    Tstms
    Lo 63 °F

    Detailed text forecast
    Hazardous weather condition(s):

    Hazardous Weather Outlook

    Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 64. East wind around 7 mph becoming south.

    Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 85. Southwest wind between 7 and 11 mph.

    Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 64. South wind between 9 and 11 mph.

    Sunday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 85. Southwest wind around 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

    Sunday Night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 62. Light and variable wind. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

    Memorial Day: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 80. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

    Monday Night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 63. Chance of precipitation is 50%.

    Tuesday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Cloudy, with a high near 74. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

    Tuesday Night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Cloudy, with a low around 63. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

    Wednesday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Cloudy, with a high near 79. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

    Wednesday Night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 62. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

    Thursday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 77. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

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  25. I agree. DC is unsafe, especially those neighborhoods. I moved here from Brooklyn, NY, and looked in Adams Morgan for an apartment. I felt far less safe in Adams Morgan than I did in my nice quiet Brooklyn neighborhood, which was only a few blocks from some pretty nasty housing projects.

    The most I ever saw DC police officers was when I worked at GWU next to the GW Deli, which was essentially a front for a bookmaking operation. Cops went in the GW Deli all the time to make bets. DC's Finest.

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  26. @nutmeg96: I love Brooklyn. And I've had a gun to my head in Adams Morgan. I agree, totally.

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  27. I don't know how much love I'll get for sharing this but in the off chance a reader (or bitcher) wants to help reduce crime this summer (other than with a firearm or shank) here goes. As an Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner I've found the DC Police Alert system (http://72hours.dc.gov) to be an informative crime fighting tool. It sends electronic notices to people's emails or cell phones within 5-10 minutes of a reported crime.

    We all know as the weather heats up so will the crime. The police can't do it alone. Putting more eyes on the street and making people aware of their surroundings will go a long way to reducing crime! Sign up for the DC Police Alert system @ http://72hours.dc.gov. That is all. Now back to your regularly scheduled bitching.

    SBrown, ANC7C04

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  28. AnonymousMay 27, 2009

    Ugh fucking assholes and their fucking tall bikes. I swear to god. Why take a perfectly good bike and make it fucking retarded? you are a fucking clown.

    DC 4 LIFE NIGGAZ.

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