Why are so many charter schools in sketchy areas?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You obviously aren't familiar with these neighborhoods. Petworth's crime is not comparable to Trinidad or Truxton Circle.

It's a close second.

Seriously. These people are grasping at straws. I'm the past few days alone a 2 year old child was shot by a stray bullet, a group of girls face stomped and attacked with a meat cleaver another girl outside the Petworh Metro, and cops had the entire neighborhood on lock down as they chased a group of guys robbing people at gunpoint.

But yeah, your real estate agent thinks prices will only go up and the neighborhood is "really turning the corner!"

You sound angsty and jealous that Petworth housing investments have skyrocketed compared to yours! Aw, have a latte at the Starbucks in Friendship Heights and stare longingly at Bethesda.

(Nope, I don't live in Petworth. I'm just calling you out because you sound like a jealous hag.)

NP here. That's funny because I bet I'm the only one on all of dcum who owns a home in chevy chase dc near the FH metro AND I own a home in petworth on 7th st. So there's no chance I am envious of,those with equity in blechworth, if you think it through. Right? I've got the investment working for me in both 20015 and 20011.

Petworth is comparatively gross. It's physically ugly, dirty, and the streetscape is boring and monotonous. 90% of the homes look exactly like each other. There's only one street with any commerce and you know what? Save for a handful of restaurants, blechworth can't even carry the water of the FH commerce. You mock Starbucks but you know what? AutoZone. For every crane and turtle, there are 9 shitty chicken carry outs. Cheap cell phone stores. More garbage stuck to the curb.

And, child? Those of us who bought in the DC that you mock, (while you were still wearing My Little Pony pull-ups in Ohio) made a killing before you ever got to DC. That's why I own and rent out the ugly rowhouse at the end of your block today.

[Anonymous]

At the end of the day, you can't escape your own ugly personality.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanks all -- I was asking the question because I didn't for sure know the answer. It's making more sense now...

Let me guess, OP. You bought a house in Brightwood? Michigan Park? But you don't want to send your kid to the local school because it's "not an option" so you're looking at charters?

You're off, but what does that have to do with my original question anyway?

Many people who are concerned about the sketchy areas where the charters end up buy in areas of town where the housing stock is relatively affordable but the IB schools are not good.

So then why move to a sketchy area? I'm sorry, but Columbia Heights, Petworth, Brightwood and surrounding immediately environs have some of the worst crime rates in the city. They see just as much criminal activity as EoTR, sometimes worse. It boggles my mind to hear friends plunking down $700K on a row house and then kvetch about how the local schools "are not an option," how crime is so bad, why the MPD can't stop shootings before they happen, etc etc etc. You moved your young child into a crappy neighborhood - face the music.

We bought in Truxton Circle because we wanted to be able to walk to work and living in an urban area and accompanying crime rate does not bother us. We're from NYC - Manhattan. We could have bought WoP but a walkable commute was a top priority and always assumed DC would attend private school until we lucked out in the lottery. We got into YY and chose it over a private school bc the location was closer, we really wanted Mandarin, and the private school cost 30k at the time vs $0 for YY.

We bought in 2010 with cash and our rowhouse has nearly tripled in value. We are planning to leave the area in 2 yrs but plan on keeping the property as a rental for Georgetown law students. We have neighbors who rent out their rowhouses in our sketchy neighborhood to groups for ~5k+ per month.

Love our sketchy neighborhood!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You obviously aren't familiar with these neighborhoods. Petworth's crime is not comparable to Trinidad or Truxton Circle.

It's a close second.

Seriously. These people are grasping at straws. I'm the past few days alone a 2 year old child was shot by a stray bullet, a group of girls face stomped and attacked with a meat cleaver another girl outside the Petworh Metro, and cops had the entire neighborhood on lock down as they chased a group of guys robbing people at gunpoint.

But yeah, your real estate agent thinks prices will only go up and the neighborhood is "really turning the corner!"

You sound angsty and jealous that Petworth housing investments have skyrocketed compared to yours! Aw, have a latte at the Starbucks in Friendship Heights and stare longingly at Bethesda.

(Nope, I don't live in Petworth. I'm just calling you out because you sound like a jealous hag.)

NP here. That's funny because I bet I'm the only one on all of dcum who owns a home in chevy chase dc near the FH metro AND I own a home in petworth on 7th st. So there's no chance I am envious of,those with equity in blechworth, if you think it through. Right? I've got the investment working for me in both 20015 and 20011.

Petworth is comparatively gross. It's physically ugly, dirty, and the streetscape is boring and monotonous. 90% of the homes look exactly like each other. There's only one street with any commerce and you know what? Save for a handful of restaurants, blechworth can't even carry the water of the FH commerce. You mock Starbucks but you know what? AutoZone. For every crane and turtle, there are 9 shitty chicken carry outs. Cheap cell phone stores. More garbage stuck to the curb.

And, child? Those of us who bought in the DC that you mock, (while you were still wearing My Little Pony pull-ups in Ohio) made a killing before you ever got to DC. That's why I own and rent out the ugly rowhouse at the end of your block today.

Oh snap...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You obviously aren't familiar with these neighborhoods. Petworth's crime is not comparable to Trinidad or Truxton Circle.

It's a close second.

Seriously. These people are grasping at straws. I'm the past few days alone a 2 year old child was shot by a stray bullet, a group of girls face stomped and attacked with a meat cleaver another girl outside the Petworh Metro, and cops had the entire neighborhood on lock down as they chased a group of guys robbing people at gunpoint.

But yeah, your real estate agent thinks prices will only go up and the neighborhood is "really turning the corner!"

You sound angsty and jealous that Petworth housing investments have skyrocketed compared to yours! Aw, have a latte at the Starbucks in Friendship Heights and stare longingly at Bethesda.

(Nope, I don't live in Petworth. I'm just calling you out because you sound like a jealous hag.)

NP here. That's funny because I bet I'm the only one on all of dcum who owns a home in chevy chase dc near the FH metro AND I own a home in petworth on 7th st. So there's no chance I am envious of,those with equity in blechworth, if you think it through. Right? I've got the investment working for me in both 20015 and 20011.

Petworth is comparatively gross. It's physically ugly, dirty, and the streetscape is boring and monotonous. 90% of the homes look exactly like each other. There's only one street with any commerce and you know what? Save for a handful of restaurants, blechworth can't even carry the water of the FH commerce. You mock Starbucks but you know what? AutoZone. For every crane and turtle, there are 9 shitty chicken carry outs. Cheap cell phone stores. More garbage stuck to the curb.

And, child? Those of us who bought in the DC that you mock, (while you were still wearing My Little Pony pull-ups in Ohio) made a killing before you ever got to DC. That's why I own and rent out the ugly rowhouse at the end of your block today.

You've really touched on some of the things that bother me about living EoTP. It's dirty. There's very little in the way of shops and restaurants that I actually want to go to. I don't always feel totally safe. But the tone of your post epitomizes what I hate about you WoTP folks. You think that you're better because you live WoTP. You may not like it, but the growth in DC is downtown and East of the Park. I am constantly surprised by the number of families with young children in my neighborhood. We have a long way to go, but I hope that when we get there, we don't look down our noses at the people coming up behind us.

[Anonymous]

(*^&% this site with these stupid questions.

[Anonymous]

Because people of color and low-income people lack the political clout to keep these for-profit schools out of their neighborhoods. Charter schools are about making money off the backs of the poor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You obviously aren't familiar with these neighborhoods. Petworth's crime is not comparable to Trinidad or Truxton Circle.

It's a close second.

Seriously. These people are grasping at straws. I'm the past few days alone a 2 year old child was shot by a stray bullet, a group of girls face stomped and attacked with a meat cleaver another girl outside the Petworh Metro, and cops had the entire neighborhood on lock down as they chased a group of guys robbing people at gunpoint.

But yeah, your real estate agent thinks prices will only go up and the neighborhood is "really turning the corner!"

You sound angsty and jealous that Petworth housing investments have skyrocketed compared to yours! Aw, have a latte at the Starbucks in Friendship Heights and stare longingly at Bethesda.

(Nope, I don't live in Petworth. I'm just calling you out because you sound like a jealous hag.)

NP here. That's funny because I bet I'm the only one on all of dcum who owns a home in chevy chase dc near the FH metro AND I own a home in petworth on 7th st. So there's no chance I am envious of,those with equity in blechworth, if you think it through. Right? I've got the investment working for me in both 20015 and 20011.

Petworth is comparatively gross. It's physically ugly, dirty, and the streetscape is boring and monotonous. 90% of the homes look exactly like each other. There's only one street with any commerce and you know what? Save for a handful of restaurants, blechworth can't even carry the water of the FH commerce. You mock Starbucks but you know what? AutoZone. For every crane and turtle, there are 9 shitty chicken carry outs. Cheap cell phone stores. More garbage stuck to the curb.

And, child? Those of us who bought in the DC that you mock, (while you were still wearing My Little Pony pull-ups in Ohio) made a killing before you ever got to DC. That's why I own and rent out the ugly rowhouse at the end of your block today.

You've really touched on some of the things that bother me about living EoTP. It's dirty. There's very little in the way of shops and restaurants that I actually want to go to. I don't always feel totally safe. But the tone of your post epitomizes what I hate about you WoTP folks. You think that you're better because you live WoTP. You may not like it, but the growth in DC is downtown and East of the Park. I am constantly surprised by the number of families with young children in my neighborhood. We have a long way to go, but I hope that when we get there, we don't look down our noses at the people coming up behind us.

+1. Nicely said

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You obviously aren't familiar with these neighborhoods. Petworth's crime is not comparable to Trinidad or Truxton Circle.

NP, yes it is. Look at the stats.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You obviously aren't familiar with these neighborhoods. Petworth's crime is not comparable to Trinidad or Truxton Circle.

It's a close second.

Seriously. These people are grasping at straws. I'm the past few days alone a 2 year old child was shot by a stray bullet, a group of girls face stomped and attacked with a meat cleaver another girl outside the Petworh Metro, and cops had the entire neighborhood on lock down as they chased a group of guys robbing people at gunpoint.

But yeah, your real estate agent thinks prices will only go up and the neighborhood is "really turning the corner!"

You sound angsty and jealous that Petworth housing investments have skyrocketed compared to yours! Aw, have a latte at the Starbucks in Friendship Heights and stare longingly at Bethesda.

(Nope, I don't live in Petworth. I'm just calling you out because you sound like a jealous hag.)

Wow. You're nuts. Also houses are much more expensive/desirable in Truxton Circle than Petworth, fyi.

[Anonymous]

There's very little in the way of shops and restaurants that I actually want to go to.

Oh yes. Please, let's replace every ethnic restaurant EoTP with a tasteful, yet bland, farm to table place. Nothing says class more than edison lights and some reclaimed barnwood!!

I feel the same way about WoTP, unless I have a hankering to go to Staples, or Petsmart, or Chipolte, or a different Whole Foods, of the American Brew Pub place in Bethesda which is so crowded and yet astonishingly bad, that I'm pretty sure it proves that anyone within a five mile radius has no taste whatsoever.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Because people of color and low-income people lack the political clout to keep these for-profit schools out of their neighborhoods. Charter schools are about making money off the backs of the poor.

LOL is that what you think it is? Charters can have my tax money since they do better in those communities than DCPS all day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Charters are designed to be alternatives to poorly performing public schools. The poorly performing schools happen to be in low-income areas. It has nothing to do with real estate costs. You just don't get it.

If that was true, charters would extend preferences to children slated for poorly performing public schools, and they don't.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Charters are designed to be alternatives to poorly performing public schools. The poorly performing schools happen to be in low-income areas. It has nothing to do with real estate costs. You just don't get it.

If that was true, charters would extend preferences to children slated for poorly performing public schools, and they don't.

They CAN'T, even if they wanted to. The charter law doesn't allow any barriers to entry (aka preferences) aside from siblings.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanks all -- I was asking the question because I didn't for sure know the answer. It's making more sense now...

Let me guess, OP. You bought a house in Brightwood? Michigan Park? But you don't want to send your kid to the local school because it's "not an option" so you're looking at charters?

You're off, but what does that have to do with my original question anyway?

Many people who are concerned about the sketchy areas where the charters end up buy in areas of town where the housing stock is relatively affordable but the IB schools are not good.

So then why move to a sketchy area? I'm sorry, but Columbia Heights, Petworth, Brightwood and surrounding immediately environs have some of the worst crime rates in the city. They see just as much criminal activity as EoTR, sometimes worse. It boggles my mind to hear friends plunking down $700K on a row house and then kvetch about how the local schools "are not an option," how crime is so bad, why the MPD can't stop shootings before they happen, etc etc etc. You moved your young child into a crappy neighborhood - face the music.

My preschool-aged daughter goes to a charter school in Petworth, where we also live, and they walk down their "sketchy" street to the playground (which is also one we take her to on the weekends) every day to play outside.

And there's been 50 percent less crime in 2016 so far within a 1,000-foot radius of our house in Petworth than there has been in the same radius of where I used to live in Dupont Circle.

I'm not concerned about where we live or where the school is.