A woman was assaulted on fifth street today around noon during a robbery. The suspect was apprehended with minutes by quick police action.

First i want to thank whoever it was for nominating me for the Cafritz Award .I did not win the top award but i was a Finalist out of 230 people.So want to thank you guys you are trul;y wonderful. Next i would like to bring to your attention about the recent shootings we have had. At this point the detectives are working on information about the shootings but right now we have know ideal of what started the shootings back.

We are asking if anyone have any information about the shootings to contact the Third District Detective Office on 202-673-6918 Of the CIC on 202-727-9099. This weekend is a big event for the House of Prayer so there will be some street closuer in the area.

The big guest this month was Steuart Development, who discussed their upcoming plans to build an apartment building on the site north of Safeway, across L.  Here are the notes.

Gang Tagging

Does anybody know if the city will remove gang tagging?  I live on Ridge Street and the,”5^th n O” critters are at it again. We have new markings on the side of 413 A Ridge St, 1212 4^th St and 1230 4^th St.  I thought the best way to stop future tagging is to remove the present tagging ASAP.  I may not have this correct but my neighbor tells me he called the city 311 line and was told it is the responsibility of the homeowner to have it removed.

 Hi Everyone,

This is my first time posting to the group - I've become increasingly concerned (as I'm sure many of us are) with the recent rise in muggings in the neighborhood, especially on 5th and 4th Streets between M Street. I was wondering whether the Neighborhood Watch is active in our neighborhood? I know there's a sign posted on 5th and M that a Neighborhood Watch is active in our neighborhood, but I haven't heard anything on it?

Also, I'm wondering if anyone has interest in taking some leisurely walks around the neighborhood in the evenings to try to deter some of the crime that's been going on in the neighborhood?

Thanks!

-Sarah Zubair

At 12:30 a.m. on Saturday night, there was a purse snatch on the 400 Block of M Street NW.  This apparently was at least the third such occurrence in the past two weeks in this area with the same MO. 

Two young black males were involved.  The one who grabbed the purse was about 17-18 years old, maybe 5' 6'-8'', wearing a black hoodie and jeans.   The other looked a little smaller and younger, about 15-16 years old, maybe 5' 3-4''.  They grabbed a woman's purse (believe she was walking to her car) and then ran north on the 1200 Block of 4th Street NW.

These kids are brazen.  The woman was not alone.  She was walking with her husband or boyfriend, who was not a small guy.  They were from out of town and returning from a wedding.  She was quite distraught, as her ID was in her purse and she had a flight the next morning.

911 was called as the incident was occurring, but unfortunately, the police had not arrived even 5-10 minutes later.  I was disappointed, since it seemed that foot patrols and general police presence has been way up over the past week or two, and MPD is about to begin an "all hands on deck."  I have alerted our police lieutenant.

Please be closely aware of your surroundings and report suspicious activity.

I was assaulted about an hour ago on the 400 block of M street.  I was walking up 5th Street from Safeway with a bag of groceries, and noticed three young men loitering in front of me.  They started walking towards NY Avenue, so I walked briskly up the street, and turned on M.  Looking back, I noticed that they followed me.  One started running towards me, passed me running, and punched me in the jaw as he passed.  He and the other two ran ahead of me, east on M.  

I started shouting "Help! Help!"  Immediately four good neighbors came out, someone called 911, and one of them ran after the kids--who ran faster and lost him.  The police came not 5 minutes later.  I cruised the neighborhood with them, but of course we didn't see the kids.

I don't know why the kid punched me--he didn't attempt to rob me or take my bag of groceries.  The only moral I can draw from the story is: good neighbors make safe neighborhoods.  Those kids wouldn't come back when they saw my neighbors helping me out.  And the police were a block away, and three squad cars were on the case immediately.

Want to ask if anyone else heard six rapid shots of gun fire and/or have more info?  I see the police are now in the area too. thx.

Wanted to ask if anyone hear gun fire, rapid shots of six just a couple of minutes ago.  ...I just looked out my windonw and now see police.  Crazy!

Secure Shaw Every Day!

Citizens Demand Safer Streets During Global Security Summit

For Immediate Release — Residents in the Shaw and Mount Vernon Square neighborhoods will demonstrate for increased neighborhood security on Tuesday, April 13, 2010, during the Nuclear Security Summit. Residents want local authorities to give every day security the same attention they give special events like the Summit.

“The DC Council must enact stronger anti-gang legislation including a loitering law and civil injunctions,” said attorney Cary Silverman, president of the Mt Vernon Square Neighborhood Assoc. “DC must reform our juvenile justice system and establish a system for tracking statistics on all functions of the criminal justice system. Increased police presence in the area is needed all the time.”

As the world’s top leaders gather to discuss the global threat of nuclear arms and terrorism, city leaders in Washington DC fail to effectively address the gang violence that plagues several Wards across the District of Columbia, including the communities surrounding the Walter E Washington Convention Center. The Center is named after the District’s first Mayor who ran the city during the devastating riots of the 1960’s, in the wake of Dr Martin Luther King Jr’s assassination, which neighborhoods like Shaw have yet to recover from.

The Convention Center is visited by hundreds of thousands of visitors each year, comparable to the number of visitors who visit the Capital City’s world renowned monuments; yet, unlike those sites, the Center is located in one of Ward 2’s most violent neighborhoods. Homeland Security has set up a local command center during the summit at the nearby Kennedy Recreation Center, which has been the site of many shootings — one shooting on the very night of President Barack Obama’s election — which led to the creation of a post for two on-site police officers at all times.

“Shaw will be under lock down during the summit to protect world leaders,” said Martin Moulton, president of the Convention Center Community Association. “We need the city to focus more on protecting local residents.”

The goal of the Summit is to produce a communiqué calling for a crackdown on smuggling, support for past U.N. resolutions and other global safety measures. The goal of local residents is to bring peace and calm to a community where violent gangs terrorize local families, senior citizens, and students.

The Nuclear Security Summit may be the only time this year when local residents feel safe. The Mayor, DC Council, and DC Superior Court officials should hold a local security summit to find solutions on how to keep neighborhoods free of violence.

What: Safer Streets Demonstration
Who: Shaw and Mount Vernon Square Residents,
Convention Center Community Assoc. and Mt Vernon Square Neighborhood Assoc.
Where: 11th Street & New York Avenue NW
When: Tuesday, April 13, 2010 at 12:00 - 2:00 p.m.