Photos and words by PoPville flickr user Roshani Kothari
Winter Sun
Luring me with your golden smile
Everything glowing
Bathed in your golden light
But where is your summer warmth?
…Feeling you fast fading
Numbing my fingers
Enticing me with your golden smile
Pleasing to my eyes
But freezing me inside out
Longing for your summer warmth…
Photo by PoPville flickr user mosley.brian
“Dear PoP,
This morning I was on the G8 bus on Rhode Island Avenue and got off at Florida and Rhode Island. I then proceeded to transfer to the 92 along Florida Avenue and almost had a heart attack when I realized I could not find my wallet!!!. I got off the bus two blocks into my trip and retraced my route back to RI and FL but could not find my wallet. I saw this guy walking along RI, stopped him and asked him if he had seen an orange wallet on the sidewalk. He said no and then I briefly explained what had happened. At this point I briefly saw the G8 going on 9th Street and wondered if I would be able to recover my wallet. The guy in front of me dug into his pockets and gave me the $6 he had on him and wished me good luck trying to hail a cab and getting my wallet. There was hardly any traffic and the only cab that went by did not want to pick me up but I was able to convince him when I mentioned my lost wallet. The race was on!. The cabbie went down 9th and no sign of the bus, we then hit H Street and we saw the bus on 12th St, the cabbie hit the gas and we were able to cut off the bus at 13th and H. I got off the cab (the bus driver thought we were nuts) and asked if anyone had seen my wallet, I went to the seat where I had been sitting and that was now occupied by someone else, the guy got up and there it was!!!! My wallet!
I would love to find the guy who lent me the $6 to thank him immensely for the huge favor and for his kindness, I could have been a delusional woman asking for money and he had pity on me.
You have my email and if he reads this I just want to say : THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!”
So awesome!
Photo by PoPville flickr user ianseanlivingston
“Dear PoP,
I live in a row house and its come to my attention that the owner of the house on one side of me is renting out his 3 br 2 bath home out to 12 people. I know this because several of the residents have been open about the living arraignment and I have been inside the house several times and seen the beds placed throughout the home. Those renters that I have gotten to know are truly kind, considerate people just trying to get by, but the problem is that 1) the owner is negligent and treats them like dirt (refusing to fix AC in the summer, etc), and 2) the the overcrowding has had negative consequences which affect myself and our other neighbors.
Recently myself and the neighbor on the other side of this house noticed an infestation of roaches. We remedied this (at least temporarily) by convincing the owner to spay his home, but its clear that a crowded situation w/ one kitchen for 12 people is going to lead to other pest issues. I let the owner know the rental regulations, that he should have be approved/permitted for renting and that the maximum for a single family home is 6 residents, but he refused to listen to me.
I am concerned that if I call DCRA and report the overcrowded, non-permitted rental, these people would be put out in the cold this winter. However, I know there are other risks (to the residents and to myself) such as increased odds of a fire, to having a so many people in a poorly maintained, non-approved rental home. Can anyone think of a good solution? Do you think DCRA would be willing to assist the people find housing or give them time to do so on their own?”
Wow, this is very sad. I don’t think DCRA is tasked with assisting people to find proper housing, rather that probably goes to some sorta social services agency. Anyone know who to call/contact in this situation to be sure that the situation is remedied but folks aren’t simply thrown on the streets?
“Dear PoP,
On 12th St NE, on the west side of the block between E and F, there is a house that has set up a small wooden case facing the sidewalk in which they display poetry for passersby to stop and read. I’m not sure if they change the poem every day, but it seems to change fairly often, as I’ve spent a lot of time on that block in recent months. It’s really a lovely little touch.”
Awesome!
Photo by PoPville flickr user AWard Tour
“Dear PoP,
I started @BadCabDC after a lot of discussion with friends, complaints from clients and countless near-misses with DC taxis. The goal of BadCab is to set up an easy way for people to Tweet their concerns and experiences about dangerous taxi drivers around town. Seeing taxis swerve into oncoming traffic, running red lights, taking advantage of the meter fees and blocking lanes of traffic is becoming a daily fact of life here. As a lifelong DC resident, I know we can do better.
Ideally, if I get enough feedback from people, I will put together a report at the end of each month and send it to DCTC. The complaint processes for taxis is complicated and most people don’t bother going through the appropriate channels. I’m willing to make the effort to take the information and put it into the right hands.
I know that most taxi drivers are hardworking, professional people trying to earn a living. Unfortunately, there are a few bad apples that spoil the bunch. I’m hoping DC residents like us can point out the bad apples to DCTC so appropriate action can be taken by the city to ensure that we all get safe rides.”
This seems very promising given some of the difficulties we’ve had in the past. Back in April a reader wrote about a bad experience and we made some recommendations for good companies. On a side note, I heard rumors that DC may one day get a medallion system for cabs. Anyone think that’ll work/improve service?
You can follow @BadCabDC here and me @PoPville here.
Photo by PoPville flickr user jkrehely2002
“Dear PoP,
I apologize in advance for the grossness of this letter, but I have a question about the responsiveness of DC Police. To make a long story short, last week my husband and I witnessed a homeless man, uh, go number 2, on our townhouse doorstep in the middle of the day. He became quite combative when we yelled at him and told him to clean it up. We witnessed the act and, if that was not offensive enough, he smeared it everywhere and went after my husband with his mess-covered hands. I called 911 when we saw him do this, but the police never came.
I mentioned this to our building manager and she said that DC Police respond to calls that they deem important, based on their own prioritization. Now, I don’t mean to say that our situation was as important as an assault or any other nasty crime. However, I was under the impression that police are supposed to respond, no matter what, even if it takes a long time or if it is just to follow up via a phone call or something. This homeless man is seen most days on our block and while I mentioned this to the operator, we still received no response at all from the police. I guess my question is- are they actually allowed to not respond at all if they deem your call to not be as important as others, even if a crime is being or has been committed?”
What an awful experience. It is a situation like this where I wish the city had some sort of rapid response mental health team. What do you think should be the proper response from MPD or other DC agencies in a situation like this?
Photo by PoPville flickr user Bogotron
“Dear PoP,
I recently purchased a condo on the second floor of a small building. The owner of the unit below me smokes, and I can often smell his/her second-hand smoke in my unit. I think the smoke is coming in through either the bathroom or more likely, the area where I have my HVAC system.
The smoke bothers me, and I’m wondering what I can do about it. He/She isn’t smoking in a common area; he’s/she’s in their unit. Our by-laws have a general nuisance provision, but I don’t want to invoke that because he’s/she’s in their property, he’s/she’s lived there for 30 years, and I have a nuisance of my own in the form of a dog that barks when I leave my unit.
I’m wondering whether anyone has tried to seal off cracks in the likely sources of entry, either with insulating tape or silicone. Does this work? Is this pretty easy and something I can do myself? Or do I need to hire someone? How much will this cost? Any recommendations?”
Has anyone lived in a unit where a neighbor smoked? Is there anyway to seal up the apartment. I know someone who rented an apartment that had a no smoking clause but was explicitly told that a long time resident smoked and was allowed to because they were grandfathered in. When you buy a condo, or rent a new place – should it be disclosed if a resident smokes? I can see a slippery slope argument here…
So really two questions – anyway to mitigate the initial situation sent in by a reader? And on a side note – should it be mandatory to reveal if a unit contains a smoker in a condo? In a rental?t
“Dear PoP,
I live at the corner of 14th and Fairmont in Columbia Heights. I have been having a problem with the stadium lights at Howard (I think these lights are from Howard) University being left on every single night, all night, regardless of whether there is a football game or not. The stadium lights are searing straight into my apartment. (Not to mention are a huge energy waste.) Do you know if any other readers have complained about light pollution from Howard? Has anyone else that lives on Fairmont, Euclid, or Girard Streets been able to read in their living room at midnight with no lamps on? What does one do about light pollution? Should I call the university politely? Please help!”
This is a very interesting question as I’ve been hearing folks mention light pollution lately (I wasn’t too familiar with it). But I passed the stadium recently when there was no game and indeed the lights were on at like 11:30pm (so I doubt a practice was going on). I know some folks will be disturbed with this question arguing “we have bigger fish to fry” but I really do think this is an interesting question.
Number one – why do you think the lights are left on all the time? Safety? Do you think it would be helpful to contact the university? And aside from this specific example – have you noticed other cases of egregious light pollution in other parts of the city?
Photo by PoPville flickr user ewilfong
“Dear PoP,
Friday night around 2 am there was a woman walking home alone and intoxicated who was assaulted by 2 dudes in the alley off 18th street in Mt Pleasant. She luckily was only scuffed up and fortunately she’ll physically recover, but the incident rattled the woman and the neighbors. I think there are a couple important learning points we need to take away from what happened Friday night (and what happens too often in our city). Obviously, we’re not going to stop crime but there are important measures one can take to reduce the odds of becoming a victim. If you’re going to get lit (and I enjoying having drinks as much as anyone) then be smart about how you get home. For the past four years I’ve worked in one of the busiest ER’s in town and have been keeping a mental tally of the demographics behind assault victims that I treat. Where were they? Who were they with? Intoxicated? All too often, these people have been walking home alone, deep into the night, and are intoxicated. It’s not rocket science. Don’t make yourself an easy target. Take a cab, get a ride from a friend, or walk home with a friend (I rarely see an assault when people are walking in groups), especially if you’ve been drinking.”
I know I’ve certainly made the mistake of walking home when I should’ve taken a cab. As the original poster says this is not a case of blaming the victim but sadly, walking home alone after a night drinking can be like a form of Russian roulette. This is probably the best advice that was ever given to me years ago. When in doubt, don’t hesitate, and always take a cab home late at night especially if you have been drinking. The advice can be easy to shrug off but it’ll be the smartest money you ever spent if you consistently heed the advice. And remember this advice applies to all DC neighborhoods!
From 11th St, NW in Shaw.
