In Appreciation of MPD

At this time, we'd like to dedicate a post to the memory of Sgt. Robert Schoonover, and to extend our condolences, sorrow, grief, and support to the men and women of the Metropolitan Police Department, especially those in the Third District.

We cherish and appreciate your service to the community. Our hearts, thoughts, and prayers are with you.

An Officer's Prayer

God, Father, and Protector
I ask that you hear my prayer.

Guide me and protect me
As I protect the people I serve.

Only with your strength and blessing
Am I able to do my job with justice and mercy.

I pray for my family at home
As they pray for me on my beat.

Help me to walk in your footsteps
While I balance work and home.

Let me not become defeated by the tragedies I see
Instead, strengthen me to see beyond them.

Keep your spirit close to me and my fellow officers
That all of us be intstruments of your peace.

Amen.

(Written by the Metropolitan Police EAP Staff)

From the Forum

Whoever asked the question, we thank you so much!!!

"Chief Ramsey, do you read the Logan Circle News blog, and if so, do you consider it a good source of reliable information?"

To which the Chief responded:

"Yes, I do, and I think in the future, we'll see more involvement from MPD to help communicate matters of public safety and to share information."

Over 100 residents participated in last night's forum, packed with friends, neighbors, police, media, and clergy. Councilmember Mendelson was also on hand.

All three panelists have promised to return to our neighborhood in 6 months as a follow up to last night's discussion. The Councilmember also indicated that he would like to address the community.

Thanks to the Logan Circle Community Association for sponsoring such an important meeting.

Reminder: LCCA Public Safety Forum

Spread the word and tell your friends and neighbors to join you for this important discussion.

All of us have a stake in the safety of our homes, businesses, and welfare of our loved ones. Bring your good ideas, suggestions, and questions as we work with these high ranking public safety officials.

7 PM TONIGHT
The Washington Plaza Hotel
10 Thomas Circle NW

For more information, please visit the LCCA website.

Volunteer as a Tutor at a Neighborhood School

Thanks to everyone for helping coordinate our response to crime in Logan Circle. It's been very reassuring to know that our neighbors are looking out for and reporting suspicious behavior and that the police department has been communicating its results with us through this site.

I'd like to invite fellow residents to also work on some of the long term problems that cause crime, by volunteering as a tutor for an hour a week at the Maya Angelou Public Charter School (http://www.seeforever.org/MAPCS/) in our neighborhood.

The school has used a number of innovative techniques to help build futures for disadvantaged and at-risk youth in our city. They have been extraordinarily successful and were featured on The Newshour with Jim Lehrer on PBS a couple of years ago (http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/education/july-dec03/charter_12-29-03.html).

Since then, they've opened additional campuses in other neighborhoods in DC. The tutoring program is an integral part of the school's success - each evening from 6:15pm to 7:15pm each student receives individual assistance with their homework from a volunteer from the community. There are currently ~200 volunteers participating and the school is currently making a big push to add 100 more tutors to make sure each student has their own tutor each day of the week. I've been tutoring for 2 years now and can say that it is an incredibly rewarding way to help fight some of the root causes of the social problems that plague our city.

It's also very easy to contribute - you pick a day of the week and show up each week on that day for an hour. They match you up with the same student each time so that you get to know the student and are able to contribute to the long term progress they make through the semester.

The school (9th & T) is close to the Shaw Metro station so it's easy to get there on your way home from work, and it's a 10 minute walk home to Logan Circle afterwards. If you are interested, the semester is starting up next week and they are holding orientation sessions for prospective new tutors.

Contact Kelly P. Schrepfer, their Evening Program Manager ( tutors@seeforever.org / 202-939-9080 x201). If you don't have time to volunteer you can always donate to their parent foundation - http://www.seeforever.org - or attend their annual fundraiser at the school which Maya Angelou, herself, attends and is catered by the school's student-run catering company.

Feel free to email me directly if you have any questions about this.

Suresh
logancirclenews@suresh.com

Press Coverage on Parking

Thanks to the many readers who sent us this link to The Washington Times follow up story. We especially thank Sgt. Emerman for being so helpful!

Another reader sent us the following:

Thanks for providing this blog - it's nice to hear what's on people's minds.

I happened to stumble on this article about church parking in a Capitol Hill electronic neighborhood newsletter from this July 2005 and got a kick out of it - thought I'd share. Hyperlink is here.

Article starts on page 12 and the dialog between residents vs. churchgoers is remarkably similar to what's going on here in Logan Circle.

FINALLY, we have one "comment" to make: do NOT use our comment feature to spam us with your website. If you have an article of interest, send us an email.

Cops In Uniform

From a fellow resident:

This is maybe a bit off topic, but I thought it would be of interest.

As you may have noticed, there are often police officers at the CVS at 17 and Q late in the night. They are dressed in full uniform, with gun and badge present.

Last night, I went into the CVS and found a cop, in full uniform, playing on a PSP (think newfangled GameBoy), with headphones in his ears. I was shocked to see that my tax dollars were going to grown men playing videogames. I wrote a few emails, and Lt. Christian from MPD phoned me to let me know the officer was off-duty and that I should take it up with CVS.

I always thought the cops I saw were on-duty and assigned by MPD to be there, otherwise, why would they be wearing their uniforms? In reality, they are off-duty security forces who just happen to reflect very poorly on MPD, which already has somewhat of an image problem.

Anyway, it seems to me that when officers are off-duty, they should appear as such, rather than representing MPD and the uniform they wear so poorly. Maybe I am just crotchety. Any thoughts?

Keep up the great work on the blog.

Logan Circle Public Safety Forum

Public Safety Forum: Logan Circle - Are We Safe Enough?

Panelists:

• Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice Ed Reiskin
• Police Chief Charles Ramsey
• Director Michael Latessa, Office of Unified Communications (including 911 & 311 dispatch)

Moderator:

• Andrew J. Kline, Esq.

The Logan Circle Community Association is proud to sponsor a public safety forum for all concerned citizens of Logan Circle. The intent is to discuss the issues impacting our community, and to create a meaningful dialogue of solutions and concerns between the residents, business owners, working professionals, and our city officials.

Please join us for this important discussion.

Wednesday, January 18, 2006
The Washington Plaza Hotel
7 PM

NOTE: Out of respect for our membership, no political campaigning or commercial solicitation will be permitted.

For more information on the forum, or to find out more about the LCCA, please visit our website: http://www.logancircle.org/.

Vehicles in Logan Circle Park

From Lt. Phil Beck, United States Park Police:

Would you please inform the folks in the Logan Circle Community Association that we want to be called if they see any vehicles inside the Circle?

This is to include police cruisers, maintenance vehicles, etc. We are trying to crack down on the damage to the areas within the Circle and timely notification would be helpful.

Our Communications Number is: 202-619-7300 and the Central District Number is: 202-426-6710.

Thank you for your anticipated cooperation.

Juvenile Robber Caught on Sunday

From Sgt. Stuart Emerman:

On Sunday, January 8, 2006, officers from the Third District responded to a call for a robbery at 9th and N Streets NW at approximately 10:40 AM for a robbery.

In that case, a citizen was approached by a male juvenile who placed an unknown item to his back and took $100 and a cell phone. A lookout was given by the victim, and the officers canvassed the neighborhood.

At 1:15 PM, at 1300 9th Street, the same suspect struck again, this time robbing a citizen of $10. The lookout matched, and responding officers located the suspect in the area of 7th and P Streets NW. He was positively identified by both victims and placed under arrest. The suspect is a 16 year old male who resides in Northeast DC.

I will try to keep you informed as to whether he was charged as an adult or juvenile, and if so, what charges.

DC Cab System Forum

From a fellow citizen:

There is a new blog called Citizens for a better DC Taxicab System. The blog is an attempt to provide a forum for those who have issues and concerns about the city's taxicab system.


(NOTE: We saw a lot of similiarities between the taxicab blog and this blog. Glad we could inspire and encourage you to take action! The Logan Circle News Team has no idea who started the taxi blog, but we encourage you to identify yourself so that you may credibly work with the entire community. Best of luck.)

ANC Response to Meeting Report

Todd’s report of Wednesday’s ANC2F discussion concerning the parking problem contains a misunderstanding of my comments at the meeting. I did not say that “blanket enforcement of parking laws” is not possible.

My statements did not materially depart from the view I expressed in my posting on the ANC2F website on December 14:

“Sure, virtually all will agree that laws should be applied evenly throughout the City, and that even churchgoers need to obey the law. But we don't write on a clean slate, and there is a strong feeling among some churchgoers that they need to be able to double park.

Reasonable people ought to be able to come to mutually agreeable solutions that permit parishioners to practice their religion in a church many have attended for years (regardless of where they now live) and at the same time do not block residents from their homes.”

Moreover, in creating the ANC committee on the parking problem and appointing Todd to it, I was also careful to state that enforcement of parking laws must be a part of any solution.

The ANC approach is designed to proceed in a non-divisive, constructive process that will avoid wasteful and likely avoidable litigation.

Charles Reed
Chairman, ANC2F

ANC Meeting Report - Church Parking Issue

From Todd D. Lovinger, Residents for Equitable Enforcement of Parking Laws:

I just wanted to thank the many residents that attended the Advisory Neighborhood Commission meeting last night and give a brief report on what happened.

Basically, a few residents (including myself) described the issue and proposed solutions. Church representatives then gave their perspective and the commissioners then spoke. In the end, it was decided to create a committee of 2 citizen representatives, 3 church representatives and 3 ANC/LCCA representatives to work on the issue and report back at the next ANC meeting.

I understand from the many messages that I received this morning that several of you are frustrated with the process and, in particular, with remarks by the ANC members that blanket enforcement of the laws may not be possible.

I appreciate your concerns and agree that we have to stay on point that double parking is illegal -- as is parking in front of fire hydrants, cross-walks, intersections, bus stops, etc. -- and I don't plan to back down from that at all and will, if need be, file for a declaratory order to that effect from the courts.

I think, though, that at this point we need to open a dialogue and at least attempt to resolve the problem amongst ourselves ... which we took a first step toward last night. Hopefully, by offering a variety of constructive and creative solutions ... as I tried to do last night ... we will begin to steer the conversation away from the emotional, cultural issues and instead work toward finding actual solutions to the problem.

In the meantime, I encourage all of you to remain involved and continue contacting the police (311) and Mayor's call center (727-1000) to report illegally parked vehicles (they have been somewhat more responsive). As I said, if this does not work, I am prepared to file the necessary legal papers to take the next step so that we may all enjoy and feel safe in our neighborhood.

If anyone would like to discuss the matter further, please feel free to contact me. Thanks again.

Thomas Circle Restoration

From a Logan Resident:

Does anyone know when the restoration project for Thomas Circle will be finished?

The scheduled completion date was Jan. 2, 2006. I tried calling the contact person, Karyn Le Blanc, but the number given (202-298-2823) on the DC website isn't working.

Logan, Churches, and Parking Meeting

As a reminder, a public discussion on the current church/neighborhood parking situation will take place tomorrow evening, at 7 PM, at The Washington Plaza Hotel.

Slated for the discussion:

• Todd Lovinger, Logan Residents for Equitable Enforcement of Parking Laws
• Rev. Dr. Nathan A. Harris, Lincoln Congregational Temple United Church
• Rev. Dr. H. Beecher Hicks, Metropolitan Baptist Church
• Vicar Sarah/Pastor Bob, Luther Place Memorial Church
• Rev. Shannon, John Wesley Zion Church

For more information, please visit the ANC website.

Logan Circle Drug Free Zone

From Sgt. Stuart Emerman:

There will be a Drug Free Zone in PSA 307 starting 12/30/05 at 12:01 AM, and ending on 1/2/06 at 11:59 PM. The area goes from 9th to 11th Streets, and from N to P Streets NW. The declaration and rules regarding it can be found at: http://mpdc.dc.gov/mpdc/cwp/view,a,1238,q,558820.asp

Please post this so that residents can understand what is going on. In addition, there have been 50+ red signs posted in the area advising everyone. Thanks for the help.

Sgt. Emerman

In other news, Lt. Mike Smith is on vacation for two weeks. He will return in mid-January.