“Terrifying Petworth Incident”

via google maps

“Dear PoPville,

Last week, my family endured a terrifying incident in Petworth that I wanted to share. Early Wednesday, August 8, there were gun shots in the immediate vicinity of our house, which while less common than it used to be, is sadly not that unusual. Moments later, a man ran into our backyard from the alley and promptly kicked down our back lower basement door. I was able to get in between him and our main stairs on our ground floor and tackled him to prevent him from getting upstairs where my children and wife were hiding. The man was shot twice in the abdomen (I think) and stopped trying to get upstairs. The police were there within minutes and took the man away on a stretcher.

I can’t prove it, but I am nearly certain that this man, who I don’t know and had never seen before, is associated with a house a block away that has long been connected with the drug trade.

As other posters have mentioned on this site, the neighborhood is well aware of this house, and as I discussed the incident with long-time neighbors of mine, they were quick to confirm that the house had been seen as a drug house for many years. The police have confirmed to me that they have long been aware of the house in question, and admitted they have tried to shut it down in the past, albeit unsuccessfully. I think it is simply unacceptable that in 2018, a house that is known to be associated with the narcotics trade should be allowed to exist in Petworth, and that my family should have to be fearful that we will be impacted by the sale of narcotics in our neighborhood.

Thanks for letting me share this incident. I urge everyone in Petworth to flood Councilmember Brandon Todd’s office with phone calls, tweets and emails asking what he intends to do about this situation. Politicians will not be motivated to take action unless local residents stand up to demand they do so. I intend to do so and hope many others will join me. I am also reaching out to Kevin Donahue, the deputy mayor for public safety. You can find both of their office contacts online.

Thanks very much!

Corey Boles”