quality of life

Dear PoP – Snow Shoveling Props and Shame

By Prince Of Petworth

“Dear PoP,

I was so proud of my neighbors on 20th St, NW for shoveling this morning, I just had to take a picture. Our entire block was clear and safe this morning. But that warm and fuzzy feeling dissipated as soon as I hit Connecticut Avenue, where few shop owners bother to shovel. Some did and some didn’t, so I had to get a picture to show the contrast. City staff were busy clearing Dupont Circle, the scene of another snowball fight last night. Roads are clear, but the medians between lanes were still treacherous for pedestrians.”

Every year we have heroes and villains. If you’d like to give props or nominate businesses for shoveling shame, you can do so here.

I have to give props to two of my neighbors who fixed a downed cable wire for me this morning.

“My mugger sent me an apology” by Philippa P.B. Hughes

By Prince Of Petworth

Philippa Hughes is the founder of the Pink Line Project and one of DC’s most influential local arts supporters. I happened to see the following note on her Facebook page, and with her permission, would like to repost it here. She writes:

Someone tried to mug me last October. It happened in the middle of the day just a few blocks from my home. It was really traumatic, though I joked about it at the time. Afterward, I constantly looked over my shoulder when walking around my own neighborhood and was spooked if anyone came up behind me suddenly. Lucky for me, the guy got caught and spent time in jail, but it still took some time for me to shake the feeling of vulnerability. Receiving this apology letter from the mugger has helped me feel hopeful again. Here’s the letter:

“I am writing this letter to let you know that I apologize for what I did. I am truly sorry, I can imagine the pain and trauma I have caused in your life. You have every reason to have negative feelings towards me and to want to see me incarcerated. I am not the type of person that does stuff like that; I am a very likable and unique person with a good heart. I was at a down point in my life when I made the mistake of mugging you but that is still no excuse. I have made myself look like something I’m not. I am very disappointed in myself and embarrassed. While I was incarcerated I thought about what I did every day and that is something I have to live with for the rest of my life. I have suffered a lot while I was in jail and I changed a lot. I know you don’t want to even hear from me but I hope you can take me into consideration and hopefully one day you can find it in your heart to forgive me. And I thank you for taking time out of your day to read this letter. God bless you.”

Do DC Bus Drivers Have a Deserved Bad Reputation?

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo by PoPville flickr user dcienne

From Monday’s random reader rant and/or revel post:

“I’m fairly new to town, do DC bus drivers have a reputation of being nasty or is it just me? I’ve not had a pleasant experience with a single one. Including a recent ride where I was unsure of specifics and entirely ignored by the driver after asking him some four times if I was going in the correct direction. Even my pleas for a simple nod went unnoticed. I might add that it was way too early in the evening and me way to sober and polite to have been misconstrued as some prank by a drunk ass****, nor was the bus at all crowded.

I’ve spent the better part of my life between New York and New Orleans and have never dealt with such s***-bag transit workers. Well, except on Boston regional rail… Different story though.

Do all DC bus drivers hate the world?”

I’m more of a metro, bike, walker. So, for the regular bus riders – what have your bus riding experiences been like? I imagine that bus drivers probably have to deal with particularly stressful/difficult situations often. Do you think bus drivers get a bad rap?

Stroga Hosting Community Meeting Sun. 4pm in Adams Morgan

By Prince Of Petworth

Back in Nov. a reader wrote in asking if Stroga was being used as a nightclub on weekends.

Stroga gym is located at 1808 Adams Mill Road, NW. Their Web site says:

“The building has a rich and romantic history, and with its fine woodwork, imported stained glass and intricate moldings STROGA is sure to take your breath away. It’s the perfect location to hold your special event!

The space is available for wedding ceremonies and receptions, corporate meetings, luncheons, and dinners, fundraisers, dances, private parties, and much more.”

For those who voiced concerns earlier, today’s meeting could be a good opportunity to let them know.  And get some light refreshments…

Winter sun images and poem by Roshani Kothari

By Prince Of Petworth


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…

Dear PoP: “random act of kindness – please help me find the person who helped me!”

By Prince Of Petworth


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!

Dear PoP – Neighbor’s House Overcrowded – Moral Dilemma

By Prince Of Petworth


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 – Poetry display on 12th St NE

By Prince Of Petworth

“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!

Have a Bad Cab Ride – You Now Have an Advocate, on Twitter @BadCabDC

By Prince Of Petworth


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.

Dear PoP: Horrible Homeowner Situation – MPD Too Slow To Respond?

By Prince Of Petworth


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?

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