Remembering

Ridiculously Awesome Album Cover of the Week

By Prince Of Petworth

And Neal from Som Records, 14th St, NW just south of T, reminds me that Saturday is Record Store Day:

“Record Store Day is the third Saturday of April every year, meaning this Saturday. It was started 4-5 years ago by some independent record stores as a way to celebrate music and brick and mortar record stores. It has grown in size over the last few years and is now the busiest day on the calendar (by far) for most record shops.

This year there are over 250 special (and mostly limited) Record Store Day releases, mostly on vinyl. Som will have over 95 different titles available on Saturday including releases from Phish, Dr John, Esperanza Spaulding, Devo, Common, Luna and many more. Crooked Beat in Adams Morgan will probably have the most titles but Red Onion, Smash and Joint Custody will all be participating as well and are all worth a visit.”

Dear PoPville – What has this Tree Consumed?

By Prince Of Petworth


5th and Harvard St, NW on the Reservoir side

“Dear PoPville,

I noticed this a while back while running around the McMillan Reservoir.

Do you have any clue what I presume this memorial in a tree is about? So odd!”

The reader then answered their own question finding this 2005 post from DCist:

There stands a tree — the middlemost tree, in the photo above, sans leaves — and to it is nailed or otherwise affixed a small bronze plaque dedicated to the memory of … well, in the time since it was placed there, the tree has grown around it. “UIS ALBERTO VASQUEZ,” to be sure. And whatever it was happened in mid-1997.

Sometime during the early morning hours of the May 9, an intoxicated 26-year-old Maryland man, Alberto Vasquez, lost control of his Volvo on Harvard Street NW and struck a tree. With him in the car was Louis Alberto Vasquez, his 27-year-old cousin, who died on the scene.

Today you can see the plaque is almost completely swallowed up by the tree.

Remembering – Master Patrol Officer Brian Gibson

By Prince Of Petworth

From MPD:

Date of Death: February 5, 1997
Rank: Officer
Age: 28
Years of Service: Seven
Marital Status: Married
Children: Two
Location of Death: Georgia and Missouri Avenue, NW

On Feb. 5, 1997, at 3 am, Officer Brian T. Gibson, 27 was ambushed and shot to death while in full uniform sitting in his marked patrol car at a traffic light outside the IBEX Nightclub at Georgia and Missouri Avenues, NW. Within three minutes after the shots were fired, members of the Fourth District apprehended Marthell Nathaniel Dean, who had been escorted from the IBEX club by an off-duty officer just prior to the shooting. Dean was found guilty of First Degree Murder and is currently serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole.

And from the 4D Listserv:

We have spoken to the family of Master Patrol Officer Brian T. Gibson. They would love to have as many of you as possible join Sunday morning’s Candlelight Vigil to remember the life of their loved one and our law enforcement brother, former Fourth District officer, MPO Brian Gibson, who was tragically killed in the line of duty 15 years ago, just blocks from the station.

You are also welcomed to visit the station over the next few days to send uplifting messages to his family by signing the memorial book.

Here are the details:
Memorial: 15th Anniversary Candlelight Vigil (In Memory of MPO Gibson)
Time: 3am (gathering 20 mins early)
Date: (Sunday Morning- Feb 5th)

Location: Family, friends & colleagues will meet at 2:40am at the Fourth District Station and will walk a couple of blocks to the spot to share memories. Light reception to follow at the station, sponsored by the Fraternal Order of Police.

Those who are able, please set your clocks for 2am, Sunday morning for this special event.

Tree Box Memorial Marker in Mt. Pleasant

By Prince Of Petworth

A friend of mine had been telling me about a “grave marker” in Mt. Pleasant for a couple of weeks but I was finally able to check it out on Sunday. It is located on the 1700 block of Kilbourne Street, NW. I was able to speak to some neighbors who said that it was just a memorial. It is very small and very easy to walk by without noticing it. I think it is a touching tribute, though definitely the first memorial like this I’ve ever seen on a residential street.

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