Dear PoPville

Anyone Else Noticing an uptick in “intense road rage incidents”?

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo by PoPville flickr user blake martin

Marie asks:

“I’ve been noticing a crazy amount of intense roadrage incidents over the last few months in the H Street area, both driver vs. driver and bicycle vs. driver.

I honked my horn at a Toyota who cut me off. Another car pulled up next to me, opened his window, and attempted to punch my car for honking at him. I think he assumed I was honking at him – he called me a “dumbass.” I laughed, he got more angry. Anyway, I’ve had more weird/aggressive interactions with drivers in the last 3 months than I have my entire memory of driving and being a passenger in DC.

Anyone else?”

“Who owns the fence?”

By Prince Of Petworth

“Dear PoPville,

I’m planning to do some landscaping work at my house come spring. Both the front and rear of my property have old, nasty chain-link fences surrounding them.

One set of neighbors have already installed privacy fencing along the back, leaving the chain-link inside the privacy fence. I’m sure if I asked them if they cared if I removed the chain-link (both in the front and back) along that property line, they’d be happy to have me do so. I do plan to ask them, but I expect the answer to be nothing short of an enthusiastic “please remove it,” no matter who actually owns the fence.

On the other side, the only thing separating the yards both in the front and back is that chain-link fence. The neighbors don’t have a fence around their front yard at all, so I’m sure they’d be fine with me pulling the existing fence out and replacing it with something nicer (I have a dog, so I do want the front yard fenced in), and, yes, I will ask before doing this anyway. But in the back, I’m not sure how to tell whose fence it is or how to go about negotiating whether to remove it or just put a privacy fence inside of it and leave it in place. (more…)

“I’m shocked that Verizon would allow them to use these tactics.”

By Prince Of Petworth

Video

“Dear PoPville,

Wondering if anyone knows if these door to door Verizon employees are legit. Two came by my door today and were extremely rude. After they first buzzed, I turned them away saying I didn’t have time to chat because I was looking after two babies. The guy then started banging hard on the glass of the front door. I came back to see what was up, and started filming with my phone just in case. He proceeded to say that it was “gay” that I was taping and then continued being rude. If these are really Verizon employees I’m shocked that Verizon would allow them to use these tactics. Or maybe they are scammers? Curious if anyone knows. Video of the second half of the incident attached. We are in Columbia Heights/Petworth.”

“he expects us to pay $200 more a month – around a 9% rent increase”

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo by PoPville flickr user John Sonderman

“Dear PoPville,

My landlord recently filed in the fall for VAT exemption to our rent-controlled apartment. 4 things allow you to qualify to no longer be a rent controlled apt which one of them is:

Owned by a natural person (i.e., not a corporation) who owns no more than four rental units in the District.

Since our lease ends and goes month to month starting in Feb., he expects us to pay $200 more a month – around a 9% rent increase. Is there anything we can do since he JUST FILED to get it exempt which makes me wonder why file now? We had been living there for 2 years how is that fair? I wanted to ask the community if they had dealt with this before – living in an apartment for 2 years when your lease is about to be up and go month to month and they just spring this increase on you and if I have any options to fight it? Any guidance would be most appreciated!”

“It’s a basketball court. Are “no parking” signs really necessary?”

By Prince Of Petworth

“Dear PoPville,

It started a few months ago. Perhaps late for work and sick of searching for a spot, one driver decided to park on the basketball court at 2nd and W street NW. Now, emboldened by this first idiot, drivers (many of whom are uniformed DC Water employees) pack their cars onto the court every day. The Department of Parks and Recreation says they no longer own the property, and DPW won’t tow or ticket absent “no parking” signs. Seriously? It’s a basketball court. Are “no parking” signs really necessary? Thoughts or suggestions appreciated.”

“Where can I get things framed nicely for a fair price in the DC area?”

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo by PoPville flickr user Leonard Jewler

“Dear PoPville,

Where can I get things framed nicely for a fair price in the DC area? I’d like a place where the person who helps me out has some investment in making it look nice, decent taste and the price doesn’t feel like a scam (eg not that place in Tenleytown where it is always 40% off so that they can give you sticker shock, resuscitate you and then calmly ask for roughly half that instead like you should be grateful).

Also, please don’t say Ikea. I had to break up with them. Meatballs. It’s complicated.”

“They are proposing a 15% rent increase”

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo by PoPville flickr user Jim Havard

“Dear PoPville,

My annual rent increase and lease renewal paperwork recently arrived. They are proposing a 15% increase, supposedly to bring our unit more in line with the market rate. However, we took over a former tenant’s lease last year and we know that they had been asked for only a 1% rent increase in the year prior. I am wondering if we have any recourse to get the building to adhere closer to that 1% (the unit is not rent controlled and never was)? The building has made no improvements so there is no other justification for the big hike.”

“I wonder if there’s any way to mitigate this 24-hour cacophony?”

By Prince Of Petworth

“Dear PoPville,

The District has installed seven traffic lights that emit a loud beeping signal at the intersection of Irving St NW and Hobart Pl NW, at the edge of Wangari Gardens and a few feet from the gate to the Washington Hospital Center. It’s a quiet corner of a quiet neighborhood, and many days and nights I can hear the beeping from my house half a mile away. I imagine dozens of households closer to the intersection are even more disturbed by this racket.

I am sympathetic and concerned for the safety of my visually impaired neighbors, but I wonder if there’s any way I can get DPW to mitigate this 24-hour cacophony. [Ed. Note: I believe this is DDOT and not DPW] Few pedestrians use that intersection, and I wonder whether one visually impaired person crosses it in a week (I have no idea). Did DPW or another responsible agency study the matter before the installation? Can they turn down the volume so it’s audible only to a few feet away?

Has anyone had any experience with this issue?”

“I saw some posters from the DC Dept. of Behavioral Health, which seem to be pretty tonedeaf and tasteless”

By Prince Of Petworth

“Dear PoPville,

Yesterday I saw some posters from the DC Dept. of Behavioral Health, which seem to be pretty tonedeaf and tasteless. The posters advertise Naloxone – the drug used to treat opiate addiction and used in nasal spray form to prevent overdoses and overdose deaths from heroin. DC has purchased over 1,000 Naloxone kits to distribute to prevent overdose deaths, and this must be part of the awareness campaign. These posters portray blaxploitation style caricatures, which seems like an inappropriate and tonedeaf way to market this anti-overdose drug (especially given the racial makeup of overdose deaths, and the blaxploitation film genre’s association with racist 1970s stereotypes of criminals.) I couldn’t find any information about these posters or the design online.”

“I am looking for a regular diner”

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo by PoPville flickr user StreetsofWashington

“Dear PoPville,

I am looking for a regular diner – I’ve been in DC for three years but I haven’t quite found what I’m looking for. Do you have any recommendations?? Back in NY, there’s a family owned Greek diner on almost every block, do we have that here? Doesn’t have to be Greek, obviously, but small and family owned is a plus. An actual diner, not whatever that boujee bag of lies is on 18th. I’m looking for a place for an omelette, breakfast potatoes, coffee in a beige ceramic cup, soup when you’re sick, and hopefully paper place mats that have ads for local lock smiths. Mt Pleasant/Columbia Heights/Petworth/16th Street Heights please!!”

Ed. Note: I wouldn’t exactly call the Diner on 18th a “boujee bag of lies” though that is a phenomenal line (maybe Unconventional Diner…) Anyone know the current deal at American City Diner? As for omelette, breakfast potatoes, coffee – how about the IHOP? It’s a chain but locally owned. I’m gonna tweet George Pelecanos to see if he has any recommendations for proper Greek Diners. Stay tuned.

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