The Week Ahead….And Residents Organize to Address Crime on Capitol Hill

Citizens for a Safe Capitol Hill met this afternoon at Bayou Bakery. 

The Week Ahead… And Residents Organize to Address Crime on Capitol Hill

by Larry Janezich

More than fifty Capitol Hill residents met Sunday afternoon at Bayou Bakery to discuss what they could do independent of government to address crime in the neighborhood.  The organizing effort came after a weeklong thread of discussion of crime on the newhilleast listserv and growing alarm by residents at a string of robberies and shootings.  Related to these concerns, MPD believes that earlier this week they apprehended a group responsible for many of the robberies.

The organization – called “Citizens for a Safe Capitol Hill – was the brainchild of Hill resident Sarah Stumbergs, who said that 200 people had responded to a solicitation to assess the interest in signing on to the initiative.

At the initial meeting, which was attended by Ward 6 representative from the Mayor’s office Seth Shapiro as well as ANC Commissioners Chander Jayaraman and Daniel Chao, residents discussed the various problems, brainstormed ideas for action, and were asked to commit to teams organized to take specific actions.   One of the group’s top priorities is to facilitate communication among members of the group and target venues where the group can voice its concerns.  One attendee spoke of the importance of making sure the group was representative of the neighborhood and stressed the effectiveness of a diversity of perspective.  Following is the link for signing up with Citizens for a Safe Capitol Hill:  http://goo.gl/forms/1p7xTXpCrJ

The Week Ahead….

Monday, October 26

ANC 6A Community Outreach Committee meets at 7:00pm, Maury Elementary School, Multi-Purpose Room, 1250 Constitution Avenue, NE (Enter from 13th Street).

Among items on the agenda:

ANC 6A Grant Application and Instructions – Review for Community and Organizations

Grant Outreach

Tuesday, October 27

1. ANC 6B’s Executive Committee meets at 6:30pm at Hill Center to set the agenda for the November meeting of ANC6B.
2. Community Meeting on Public Safety, hosted by CM Charles Allen at 7:00pm, Friendship/Chamberlain Public Charter School, 1345 Potomac Avenue, SE. Deputy Mayor of Public Safety Kevin Donahue and Chief of Police Cathy Lanier will attend.

Wednesday, October 28

1. ANC6B Hill East Task Force meets at 7:00pm at St. Coletta of Greater Washington (1901 Independence Ave SE). The task force will discuss the future of the RFK Stadium site and hear a presentation from Ed Lazere, executive director of the DC Fiscal Policy Institute.
2. ANC6B will hold a Special Call Meeting at c. 8:30pm at St. Coletta of Greater Washington, immediately following the Hill East Task Force Meeting above to discuss the commission’s response to the Freedom of Information Act request submitted by the Hine Coalition .

The agenda includes:

Overview of the Hine Coalition Freedom of Information Act Request

Discussion of ANC 6B Response Plan

Funding for Technical Assistance

Friday, October 30

The Corner Store at 900 South Carolina will host the opening of an exhibit by French artist Beatrice de Chevron Villette from 6:00pm – 8:00pm.