SPOTTED: DC SUMMER INTERNS

This story is breaking all over the Internets, and I'll go ahead and add my $0.02.

The suspect in the Thursday shooting at the Columbia Heights Metro is an intern in Councilmember Jim Graham's office. Yes, that's right. When I first saw this headline, I was thinking about how this just writes itself. I mean, really, it ties together so nicely Grahamstanding, the failed DC Summer Jobs program, and the gang problem. All in one nice, neat, web-ready package.

But no, it gets even better. When Graham was informed an arrest warrant had been issued for the shooter, he confronted him and drove him to the police station. Can someone check and see if Graham has installed a cage and lights and sirens in his VW Beetle.

From ABC 7:

Black, a recent graduate from Wilson High School, has been working in Graham's office making $12 an hour for about a week and showed up to work after the shooting, the sources said. Graham questioned Black about the shooting Thursday, but Black denied involvement, sources said. Black allegedly admitted his role Friday, and Graham drove him to the police station, the sources said. (Emphasis mine)

I don't know about you but I suppose what I find even more surprising than the fact that the suspect was an intern is that Graham pays his interns $12 an hour. I mean, holy shit. I've worked a lot of 'real' jobs (part and full time) that didn't pay $12 an hour. I don't know why this kid went and screwed up a pretty sweet arrangement. At that rate, he could probably have worked his way up to executive assistant to the Mayor or some such and be pulling in $102K before he knew it.

Those federal interns might be annoying when they can't operate their farecard on the Metro... but they are working for free and aren't shooting each other. At least the DC kids know how to multitask, I suppose. Though it did say he was 'absent from work' following the shooting.

I guess the "let's hire gang members and pay them more than they make hustling" plan is probably not viable.