Man Stabbed to Death inside Petworth Library Evening of 3/2

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think there is serious mental illness involved and we need to go back to a time where the city and police had more leeway to institutionalize persons refusing mental care or medicine.

Why?

Becuase too many homeless have serious mental I’ll eases like schizophrenia. It’s a revolving door, so they are known in the system but can’t be institutionalized against their will until AFTER they push a women in front of a train (NY)

[Anonymous]

I use the Petworth Library frequently so this is very sad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think there is serious mental illness involved and we need to go back to a time where the city and police had more leeway to institutionalize persons refusing mental care or medicine.

Why?

Becuase too many homeless have serious mental I’ll eases like schizophrenia. It’s a revolving door, so they are known in the system but can’t be institutionalized against their will until AFTER they push a women in front of a train (NY)

I previously worked in a n urban library; most of the homeless who came in had serious mental health issues. Not all, but most. There was nothing we could do except have unruly people trespassed. One of the trespassed mentally ill homeless who harassed staff eventually killed someone, but not in the library thankfully.

I don't want most people hospitalized against their will, but there was a reason for the existence of state run mental hospitals.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A) terrible, and my sympathy to the victim, the bystanders AND the librarians
B) Why do we allow libraries to be used as day shelters? [b]At the very least, clear them for after school hours. It is so unfair to these kids!Can the city not incentivize shelters to rotate some staying open by day? or, golly, OPEN day shelters?? Why do we only have one of these:[/b]

Downtown Day Services Center
The Center offers downtown day services to individuals experiencing homelessness. The Center utilizes a Housing First method to move individuals into housing by connecting them with supportive services.

The Center is operated by the DowntownDC Business Improvement District (BID) with support from the District of Columbia Department of Human Services and services from Pathways to Housing DC and HIPS.

Hours Open: Monday through Friday from 9:00 am – 5:00 pm; Saturday from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm

Meals: Daily from 11:00 am - 1:00 pm; during weekend lunch, hygiene items, and PPE are available at Vermont Avenue, NW while supplies last.

Services Available: Showers, laundry, restrooms, phone and computers, emergency clothing, vital records, medical, harm reduction, and housing guidance. Saturday services are available: Showers, laundry, and meals.

Restrooms & Showers
Laundry & Emergency Clothing
Phone Charging & Computers
The District Department of Employment Services
District Department of Health
District Department of Motor Vehicles
Economic Security Administration
Unity Health Care
Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless
For more information, contact 202-383-8810 or e-mail: [e-mail].

Are you suggesting not allowing certain people into a public library? How exactly are you going to check? What if they are homeless but not visibly so? Using a computer to apply for jobs?

Having more and better service centers that help them with all the services at that day center would be great. Put one of those in every ward?

You could not allow them to wheel all their belongings in. You could put time limits on bathrooms and blacklights so no one can find their veins to shoot up. You could station library police who could call in 311 wellness checks on any disturbed behavior. You could ask shelters and the city to not run vans and buses to the libraries in the mornings as I've heard they have done at times. Oh, imagine this--you could create options for the homeless: how about... reading rooms for the homeless with donuts, coffees and computers. They LOVE computer banks. You could have the vans run straight from the shelters to the reading rooms. Yes, it would take imagination and $. We seem to spend plenty of the latter on social issues, and completely lack the former.

I'm with you on making attractive other options that benefit them. But I can't get behind things that would hurt us all, like black lights in a bathroom. I can't imagine my kids going into a bathroom like that.

your child should only use the bathroom attached to the children's section. no adults are allowed in without a child. at least at mlk library. this heart breaking- that is such cosy library and there are kids from Rosevelt there all the time!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's shit like this EVERY DAY that beats down those of us who live here until we just can't manage anymore. I have become a worse person during the 18 years i have lived in DC. I used to pick up litter. I used to talk to people and engage and check in with folks. I could be a bystander that intervened. At this point in my life (middle age) I am freaking OVER IT. If i see homeless people i ignore them and move on. If I see a group of teenagers I GTFO of the way. I lock my car doors incessantly. I worry every day my kids are going to be the witness of victims of a senseless act of violence perpetrated by someone "who just needs restorative justice". I would LOVE to vote for someone, anyone for public office that actually had the capacity and political motivation to DO something besides stand in front of a microphone and say the same thing over and over.

Another middle aged person here and I agree with you. For much of my life I have considered myself a liberal democrat. And I have become very cynical and beaten down by the lawlessness.

Would you consider voting for Middle ground candidates, including republicans for local government?

No.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's shit like this EVERY DAY that beats down those of us who live here until we just can't manage anymore. I have become a worse person during the 18 years i have lived in DC. I used to pick up litter. I used to talk to people and engage and check in with folks. I could be a bystander that intervened. At this point in my life (middle age) I am freaking OVER IT. If i see homeless people i ignore them and move on. If I see a group of teenagers I GTFO of the way. I lock my car doors incessantly. I worry every day my kids are going to be the witness of victims of a senseless act of violence perpetrated by someone "who just needs restorative justice". I would LOVE to vote for someone, anyone for public office that actually had the capacity and political motivation to DO something besides stand in front of a microphone and say the same thing over and over.

Is it bad enough yet to sallow your pride, and vote R? Or will you keep voting D to keep getting more of the same, and worse?

We aren’t voting R, no matter how many times you post this. The people who respond that they are “lifelong Ds, now driven to vote R” are liars on an anonymous message board, trying to convince others to join them and advance their backwards conservative agenda. Sorry. Won’t work.

[Anonymous]

Yeah, we can see your true colors at CPAC. Hard pass.

[Anonymous]

Why would any of us who are lifelong Dems vote for conservatives because of issues like this? It’s not like Rs are proposing any actual solutions to homelessness or mental illness. Reagan only closed the hospitals because of $$$, not because he cared about abuse or quality care.

I’m not saying murderers don’t belong in prison, but most people experiencing homelessness or severe mental illness aren’t murderers or even criminals. At least Dems recognize that these people need help.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why would any of us who are lifelong Dems vote for conservatives because of issues like this? It’s not like Rs are proposing any actual solutions to homelessness or mental illness. Reagan only closed the hospitals because of $$$, not because he cared about abuse or quality care.

I’m not saying murderers don’t belong in prison, but most people experiencing homelessness or severe mental illness aren’t murderers or even criminals. At least Dems recognize that these people need help.

Dems have been running DC for as long as I can remember. I'm sure they've realized all this time that the people need help. Whatever they have done, the results are not good.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's shit like this EVERY DAY that beats down those of us who live here until we just can't manage anymore. I have become a worse person during the 18 years i have lived in DC. I used to pick up litter. I used to talk to people and engage and check in with folks. I could be a bystander that intervened. At this point in my life (middle age) I am freaking OVER IT. If i see homeless people i ignore them and move on. If I see a group of teenagers I GTFO of the way. I lock my car doors incessantly. I worry every day my kids are going to be the witness of victims of a senseless act of violence perpetrated by someone "who just needs restorative justice". I would LOVE to vote for someone, anyone for public office that actually had the capacity and political motivation to DO something besides stand in front of a microphone and say the same thing over and over.

Another middle aged person here and I agree with you. For much of my life I have considered myself a liberal democrat. And I have become very cynical and beaten down by the lawlessness.

Would you consider voting for Middle ground candidates, including republicans for local government?

No.

you get what you pay for then. Enjoy your smelly, dangerous library

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why would any of us who are lifelong Dems vote for conservatives because of issues like this? It’s not like Rs are proposing any actual solutions to homelessness or mental illness. Reagan only closed the hospitals because of $$$, not because he cared about abuse or quality care.

I’m not saying murderers don’t belong in prison, but most people experiencing homelessness or severe mental illness aren’t murderers or even criminals. At least Dems recognize that these people need help.

You let them lie in the street in their faeces. That is happening all across town. If Democrats realize they need help, why aren't they helping? Last I checked, we have a Democratic Party Mayor, Council and non-voting Rep. Please don't say "because statehood". I seriously don't see any policies or bills to address mental illness or homelessness being blocked. And if they were, at least y'all tried.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think there is serious mental illness involved and we need to go back to a time where the city and police had more leeway to institutionalize persons refusing mental care or medicine.

Why?

Becuase too many homeless have serious mental I’ll eases like schizophrenia. It’s a revolving door, so they are known in the system but can’t be institutionalized against their will until AFTER they push a women in front of a train (NY)

DC law says that anyone can be involuntarily committed by any qualified medical professional. We just lack the will.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why would any of us who are lifelong Dems vote for conservatives because of issues like this? It’s not like Rs are proposing any actual solutions to homelessness or mental illness. Reagan only closed the hospitals because of $$$, not because he cared about abuse or quality care.

I’m not saying murderers don’t belong in prison, but most people experiencing homelessness or severe mental illness aren’t murderers or even criminals. At least Dems recognize that these people need help.

You let them lie in the street in their faeces. That is happening all across town. If Democrats realize they need help, why aren't they helping? Last I checked, we have a Democratic Party Mayor, Council and non-voting Rep. Please don't say "because statehood". I seriously don't see any policies or bills to address mental illness or homelessness being blocked. And if they were, at least y'all tried.

Democrats won't do what needs to be done and ignore the problem.
Republicans only whine, blame and complain, they won't do what needs to be done either.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's shit like this EVERY DAY that beats down those of us who live here until we just can't manage anymore. I have become a worse person during the 18 years i have lived in DC. I used to pick up litter. I used to talk to people and engage and check in with folks. I could be a bystander that intervened. At this point in my life (middle age) I am freaking OVER IT. If i see homeless people i ignore them and move on. If I see a group of teenagers I GTFO of the way. I lock my car doors incessantly. I worry every day my kids are going to be the witness of victims of a senseless act of violence perpetrated by someone "who just needs restorative justice". I would LOVE to vote for someone, anyone for public office that actually had the capacity and political motivation to DO something besides stand in front of a microphone and say the same thing over and over.

Is it bad enough yet to sallow your pride, and vote R? Or will you keep voting D to keep getting more of the same, and worse?

We aren’t voting R, no matter how many times you post this. The people who respond that they are “lifelong Ds, now driven to vote R” are liars on an anonymous message board, trying to convince others to join them and advance their backwards conservative agenda. Sorry. Won’t work.

I guess I’m a liar and don’t exist….
I would absolutely vote for a viable R candidate in DC. They would more likely have to present themselves as independent so as not to sweep in the social conservativism of the GOP. But an R/independent candidate who supported law enforcement, deregulation, fiscal responsibility? absolutely.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why would any of us who are lifelong Dems vote for conservatives because of issues like this? It’s not like Rs are proposing any actual solutions to homelessness or mental illness. Reagan only closed the hospitals because of $$$, not because he cared about abuse or quality care.

I’m not saying murderers don’t belong in prison, but most people experiencing homelessness or severe mental illness aren’t murderers or even criminals. At least Dems recognize that these people need help.

letting them live in tents in the park, OD, and stab each other is not helping them, or anyone.