quality of life

Photo by PoPville flickr user ep_jhu

Ed. Note: Crime is a very serious issue and you can see that in our daily posts. Having streets smarts will not guarantee your safety though they are important.

Tarnishing entire neighborhoods in the so called pursuit and guise of safety is not at all helpful or fair.

Thanks to the dozens of people who alerted me to this incident.

Apparently a WUSA news van was broken into while investigating a so called Sketchy neighborhood – in this case Petworth:

Ironically, the burglary occurred while the crew was working on a story about an app that alerts people of “sketchy” neighborhoods.

The crew had locked their news van on a street in Petworth in Northwest, D.C. while they were out in the neighborhood conducting interviews. When they returned they found the lock had been popped out of the door of their news van, and that the most of the crew’s gear had been stolen.

First let me say – I’m very sorry this happened. It sucks. Second let me say that I’m not intending to blame the victim here. What happened truly does suck. What I’m upset about is the seeming implication that this incident validates Petworth being a “sketchy” neighborhood. That and that alone is the issue I have. To combat this misconception I’d like to take this opportunity to announce that the Ben and Sylvia Gardner foundation have agreed to fund the development of a yokel app. Until that happens let me say a few more things and offer some advice:

First car break ins happen all over the District. Just ask our friends in the beautiful Cleveland Park neighborhood that deal with incidents like this on what seems like a weekly if not daily basis (if you follow their listserv.) Seriously, car break ins happen all over and the one thing we are repeatedly told by MPD and others is to never leave bags with or with out valuables in your car. It’s just not a smart thing to do – ever. Anywhere. Sadly, even in the middle of the day. Even in a beautiful, tree lined neighborhood like Petworth.

So here is some other advice that will be captured in the coming yokel app that we’ve gathered over the years:

2. Don’t leave your bike unlocked whilst you stop in to Starbucks for a coffee. Best to lock up your bike everywhere. Yes that includes places like Petworth.
3. When leaving an ATM don’t stop at the corner and take out your money to count it.
4. Similarly don’t walk home with $100 bills hanging out of your pockets.
5. Speaking of walking home, don’t walk home piss drunk from the bars signing Meatloaf’s I’d Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That) this behavior almost always attracts that unsavory element stalking our city.
6. Speaking of singing, don’t have your earbuds/headphones on and text on your smart phone late at night (really even not so late at night.)
7. When pregnant you should not smoke.
8. When taking ambien you should not operate heavy machinery.
9. And most importantly if you have more than 15 items don’t use the express lanes at the grocery store. Please I’m begging you!!!

Photo by PoPville flickr user yostinator

Ed. Note: I also think it’s no stretch to say we are the most beautiful, the best lovers, the kindest, the most well read, the best at crossword puzzles and other word games, the most sensible and/or daring depending on the situation and the most compassionate people on the planet!

From the Mayor’s office:

“Mayor Vincent C. Gray hailed news that two different organizations had recently published indices ranking the District the nation’s coolest and fittest city.

Forbes magazine today released its 2014 “America’s Coolest Cities” list with the District beating out contenders such as Seattle, Austin and San Francisco for the top honors. The American College of Sports Medicine also recently released its 7^th annual American Fitness Index® (AFI) report, which named the District the nation’s fittest city ahead of such recreation-rich cities as Denver; San Francisco; and Portland, Ore.

“Once again, the District of Columbia has been independently ranked the best city in the country in two new major quality-of-life categories, and I continue to be incredibly proud of our amazing city,” said Mayor Gray. “We will add these honors to the ever-growing list of accolades the District has won in recent years in categories ranging from cultural amenities to environmental sustainability to economic growth. The nation’s capital is truly the best place in America to live – and we now have ample independent assessments in a variety of areas to prove it.”

The Forbes rankings took into account such factors as arts and cultural amenities, recreational and sports resources, ethnic and cultural diversity, dining options, population growth, and the portion of the population between the ages of 20 and 34. The AFI rankings took into account indicators of personal health as well as indicators of environmental and community health and sustainability.”

Stock photo by PoPville flickr user Ranpuba

“Dear PoPville,

My neighbor has decided that the best way to spread her business is to have a CONSTANT (read every day and night for the last two weeks) yard sale. She is selling some books and random clothing items, and taking up half of the sidewalk. Other neighbors have talked to her, but nothing has changed. How can we fix this?”

Photo by PoPville flickr user Mr.TinDC

From MPD:

“On August 1, 2014, the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) launched citywide enforcement of the District of Columbia’s anti-littering laws, expanding it from a pilot program used in the Fourth and Sixth Police Districts, and allowing officers to issue $75 Notices of Violation (NOV) to any pedestrian observed littering.

Throughout the month of August, MPD officers will issue only warnings to violators in the First, Second, Third, Fifth, and Seventh Districts, as the Department works with community partners to educate the public about littering enforcement. Officers in the Fourth and Sixth Districts will continue to issue actual tickets.

Beginning Monday, September 1, 2014, anyone in the District of Columbia violating the littering law may be issued a $75 ticket.

If an officer sees a person dropping waste material of any kind on public space, in waterways, or on someone else’s private property, the person may receive a $75 NOV for littering. Anyone issued the NOV is required to provide their accurate name and address to the officer. Those who refuse or fail to provide their accurate name and address can be arrested and, upon conviction, be fined an additional $100 to $250 by the D.C. Superior Court. Failure to respond to a littering ticket by either paying the fine or appealing the ticket to the Office of Administrative Hearings will result in a doubling of the fine.

MPD officers will continue to issue $100 traffic tickets to the driver of any vehicle where an officer observes either the driver or any passenger toss trash of any kind onto someone else’s private property or onto any public space, such as streets, alleys, or sidewalks.”