Formerly known as Burma, Myanmar is now ruled by a notorious dictatorship that apparently has a flourishing art scene. Who knew? But you can check it out at a small gallery on 14th Street near Q.
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The Urban Institute came out with the District of Columbia Housing Monitor: Winter 2007. Ward 4 represents in this passage:
“Of the 2,258 acres of residential property in Ward 4, 83 percent is owned by persons who live in their own homes. Two clusters in Ward 4, cluster 10 (Hawthorne/ Barnaby Woods) and cluster 16 (Colonial Village/Shepherd Park), have the highest shares of owner-occupied residential property, at 91 and 92 percent, respectively.”
DCist has a good post on the Shaw neighborhood and its dealings with vacant run down properties owned by Shiloh Baptist church. You can read the post here.
Washington Post reports on Taylor Street shooting and tragic death of 17 year old Brittany Hall.
Have you noticed all the rose bushes blooming around Petworth? I have never seen so many in my life. There are a lot of green thumbs in this town. Speaking of which, I am happy to report that my first tomato is growing! Also on my walk to the metro this morning a section of NH Ave that is usually filthy was spotless. A pleasant surprise. Got to appreciate the small things!
I spoke with a neighbor yesterday and our conversation crushed me. The crushing words were “I’ve had enough I’m moving”. She felt this way because of the recent murder on the 800 block of Taylor Street. I was devastated. This is not someone who hides in her house. This is a pillar of our community, someone who is involved in local politics and someone who contributes to the great quality of life we have here in Petworth. And she wants to move now. She is fed up and I am devastated. If people like her feel the need to move we are doomed as a community. She is the gold standard of what a neighbor should be. Now I’m not going to say I haven’t felt the same way at times. As a matter of fact last Summer I saw someone shot in front of my very eyes and I was shaken to the core. I too felt like leaving town immediately. But I didn’t. And why not? Because I see where this community is headed. We have so much to look forward to. I love the people of Petworth. When I walk home from work I smile at all of the familiar faces and wonderful people I see. Plus, we have restaurants, and grocery stores, and bars and lots more coming soon. But that is not all. We also have a wonderful unique community. We as a community will unite against the senseless violence we see. We are on the rise and although there will inevitably be descents, make no mistake we are a community on the rise.
So the Friday question of the day is: Have you ever been so frustrated you have thought about moving out of Petworth?
Check out this awesome map of Petworth at the turn of last century. Thanks to Susan for sending it. Any predictions of what Petworth will look like in 2053?
So on my flight home this evening I was reading ‘Soul Circus’ by George Pelecanos. He often features Petworth prominently in his books. So I came across this passage about Petworth by the protagonist named Strange:
“The school year had not quite ended, and night had fallen, but there were plenty of kids out, hanging on corners and walking the streets…Strange wondered, as he always did, what these kids were doing out so late, and he wondered about the adults who were responsible for them, why they had let them out of their sight.”
Still true today? I see this all the time. It frustrates the hell out of me. Some of the kids are great but some are so out of control I don’t know who can be accountable for them. It makes me very angry because I can see these kids ruining their lives. Now, I was no angel as a youth but lines were drawn and there was certainly no boozing and loitering at one in the morning on a school night. Where is the balance between normal adolescent behavior and “out of control” behavior? Who is ultimately responsible for these kids behavior?
I know this is not Petworth related but I’ve been out of town and this photo cracked me up. This is a real promotional photo for an afternoon dj. One day I will have a mustache that sweet.
Petworth has many positive attributes as I have recited many a time. However, for those who are new to the neighborhood let me offer you a warning. In about 4 to 6 weeks you are about to be introduced to the most annoying creature on earth. No I am not talking about the PoP. At the end of June beginning of July the mosquitoes shall descend. I’ve never quite understood why, but they are particularly fierce in Petworth. So trust me, buy some bug spray. And I am not talking about any organic bug spray, I’m talking about the kind that melts your clothes if it gets in contact. Learn about Deet. Deet will become your best friend over July and August. Trust me. And don’t waste your money on citronella candles, these mosquitoes simply fly around the little flame and sometimes you can actually hear them laughing at you. I’ve just learned Yahoo offers a mosquito forecast here. It is worthless, remember only one thing – Deet is your friend.