Union Station smells like urine, has a homeless problem, and is half deserted.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Panhandler gives brain bleed to 70 year old woman at Cathedral Commons.

"The documents state 33-year-old Alexander Adams approached the couple and asked them for five dollars. When the couple only gave him one dollar, he replied, "That is not enough" and proceeded to punch the man. Then, Adams grabbed the woman's wooden cane and began to strike her in the back of the head repeatedly breaking the cane into two pieces. "

Giant should ban panhandlers from their property. Why doesn't Mary Cheh propose a law for this?

I've seen them be verbally aggressive and the one with the loud music and microphone at Van Ness is annoying , but this physical attack is disturbing. The beating would have probably been worse if they didn't give the panhandler anything.

Please put these number in your phone. Use it if you see someone lying prone OR shouting aggressively. The man who attacked this woman was off his medication and I'm sure not acting normally beforehand. If a passerby had called in their concern--you don't need to supply your name, just the address where it is happening--you might have saved this elderly woman a vicious beating around the head. The passivity of DC residents is part of the problem.

If you see someone outside in need of shelter or a welfare check, call the Shelter Hotline at [phone] or dial 311

This is a laugh. People in DC are passive because they have already called these numbers and seen nothing is done. What exactly would happen if you reported an aggressive panhandler? A violence interrupter shows up and talks them into taking medication? Get out of here.

A crew does a wellness check. They try to direct them to shelter or treatment. At the very least , their behavior is noticed and interrupted for a moment. My theory is that if that happens enough times a day, maybe they will accept help or move on.

So it turns out this man had been ARRESTED a few hours earlier for assaulting a woman and taking her phone. So DC has become so lenient and cares so little about the safety of citizens that a man can physically assault three people in one day? And be arrested twice in a day for violent crimes? I probably won’t be calling 311 or 911. I will just get some mace and protect myself accordingly since the city government doesn’t give a sh** about my safety.

He's also another mentally ill person whose family tried to help him, but there is little support from the state it seems when people stop taking medication and become delusional and violent. Why is there no diversion to an involuntary hold when people with a record start acting erratic? But please do call 311, 911, and homeless wellness checks. As calls comes in the city can't TOTALLY ignore the way this impacts citizens.

[Anonymous]

We just need to get these mentally Ill homeless people the f out of the city.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We just need to get these mentally Ill homeless people the f out of the city.

Personally, I’d opt to remove people like you first.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We just need to get these mentally Ill homeless people the f out of the city.

Personally, I’d opt to remove people like you first.

If people who complain a lot just move out of the city or don’t go to union station. DC will be fine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wake up DC you’re about to lose people to flying and none is going to come downtown to eat or shop. Had to go to NYC today and the smell of urine is unbelievable. Barely anyplace to eat. I felt uncomfortable multiple times given the crappy homeless men milling about. Basically it’s a shit hole.

I live in DC but had not been by that area in a year probably. I cant beleive all the tents out front. The city, feds and private sector are investing a billion dollars to remake unions station, parking, improve train service etc...but until they deal wtih the empcampments its going to be a dump. I lived on the hill in the late 90s and it wasnt that bad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is not so new, actually. The problem is that the rest of DC has turned into Union Station. But Union Station has pretty much always been that way.

It’s been worse the last few years and has fallen off a cliff since COVID. Believe it or not but there was a time when Union Station had high end retail and fine dining.

I remember that time, but the bathrooms were urine-soaked even then.

When was that time? I worked at a restaurant in Union Station during undergrad and it was never a retail or dining destination.

2004 or so. Used to host fancy black tie parties. There was a high class restaurant on the mezzanine.

Even before that (mid 90s), there were a few good restaurants, high end shops, etc. I went to a few black tie parties and fundraisers and graduation events in the main space in the 90s, and it was beautiful

I used to go to the movie theater in the basement all the time!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is not so new, actually. The problem is that the rest of DC has turned into Union Station. But Union Station has pretty much always been that way.

It’s been worse the last few years and has fallen off a cliff since COVID. Believe it or not but there was a time when Union Station had high end retail and fine dining.

I remember that time, but the bathrooms were urine-soaked even then.

When was that time? I worked at a restaurant in Union Station during undergrad and it was never a retail or dining destination.

2004 or so. Used to host fancy black tie parties. There was a high class restaurant on the mezzanine.

Even before that (mid 90s), there were a few good restaurants, high end shops, etc. I went to a few black tie parties and fundraisers and graduation events in the main space in the 90s, and it was beautiful

First time I went was late 90s and it was definitely swanky then and certainly a destination on its own. People would just go to Union Station, just to dine and shop. I cannot imagine someone suggesting that now.

My roomate and I would treat outselves to drinks and appetizers at the bar at B Smiths at Union Station. It was such a treat for us broke 20 somethings.

[Anonymous]

So the criminal remanded to St. E's for an eval who murdered another man remanded to St. Es for an eval was apparently a homeless guy who was in custody for committing crimes at...wait for it... Union Station. this situation is unbelievable. You just can't make it up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wake up DC you’re about to lose people to flying and none is going to come downtown to eat or shop. Had to go to NYC today and the smell of urine is unbelievable. Barely anyplace to eat. I felt uncomfortable multiple times given the crappy homeless men milling about. Basically it’s a shit hole.

I live in DC but had not been by that area in a year probably. I cant beleive all the tents out front. The city, feds and private sector are investing a billion dollars to remake unions station, parking, improve train service etc...but until they deal wtih the empcampments its going to be a dump. I lived on the hill in the late 90s and it wasnt that bad.

It's unbelievable. I understand not wanting to chase away people who are down on their luck -- but allowing actual tents and encampments is crazy. Failure of government (and I say this as a pretty left-leaning person).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wake up DC you’re about to lose people to flying and none is going to come downtown to eat or shop. Had to go to NYC today and the smell of urine is unbelievable. Barely anyplace to eat. I felt uncomfortable multiple times given the crappy homeless men milling about. Basically it’s a shit hole.

I live in DC but had not been by that area in a year probably. I cant beleive all the tents out front. The city, feds and private sector are investing a billion dollars to remake unions station, parking, improve train service etc...but until they deal wtih the empcampments its going to be a dump. I lived on the hill in the late 90s and it wasnt that bad.

It's unbelievable. I understand not wanting to chase away people who are down on their luck -- but allowing actual tents and encampments is crazy. Failure of government (and I say this as a pretty left-leaning person).

Actually, the left are now cracking down on their own failed policies nation wide (see today's Post). I think the problem with Union Station might be whose jurisdiction this is? As Bowser has been proactive about clearing some encampments. The problem with the left is that while they are now roused to action clearing tent towns as they should ( ANOTHER man just died in a tent fire in DC. This is NOT benevolence), they are not passing involuntary commitment and treatment laws or mandatory shelter residency. That, or a bus ticket out of town, should be the options DC offers. Otherwise, just shuffling deck chairs on the titanic. - I say this as a center right person hoping our left leaning politicians (every municipal politician in DC basically) will shake off their myopia and complicity in a terrible state of affairs.

[Anonymous]

Given the number of people who have set up tents all around the Kennedy Center, GW and Rock Creek Parkway I find it hard to believe Bowser is cracking down. There is a man living in a tent on 23rd street over a bridge in Foggy Bottom. He literally blocks the entire sidewalk of a busy road and has for months now. No one in DC gov’t cares at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We just need to get these mentally Ill homeless people the f out of the city.

Personally, I’d opt to remove people like you first.

NP but I find that people who make these types of comments don’t interact with homeless people on a regular basis. As someone who has seen homeless both physically and verbally assault workers at stores in the past few months and parks in a garage where a woman was attacked by a homeless person I do want to see something done about this situation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We just need to get these mentally Ill homeless people the f out of the city.

Personally, I’d opt to remove people like you first.

NP but I find that people who make these types of comments don’t interact with homeless people on a regular basis. As someone who has seen homeless both physically and verbally assault workers at stores in the past few months and parks in a garage where a woman was attacked by a homeless person I do want to see something done about this situation.

This. have been horribly harrassed by a mentally ill homeless person myself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We just need to get these mentally Ill homeless people the f out of the city.

Personally, I’d opt to remove people like you first.

NP but I find that people who make these types of comments don’t interact with homeless people on a regular basis. As someone who has seen homeless both physically and verbally assault workers at stores in the past few months and parks in a garage where a woman was attacked by a homeless person I do want to see something done about this situation.

This. have been horribly harrassed by a mentally ill homeless person myself.

+1they are given a pass because they are homeless. If anyone else behaved this way, they would be arrested

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We just need to get these mentally Ill homeless people the f out of the city.

Personally, I’d opt to remove people like you first.

NP but I find that people who make these types of comments don’t interact with homeless people on a regular basis. As someone who has seen homeless both physically and verbally assault workers at stores in the past few months and parks in a garage where a woman was attacked by a homeless person I do want to see something done about this situation.

This. have been horribly harrassed by a mentally ill homeless person myself.

Unhoused. You were harassed by the unhoused.