WaPo: H Street birth to death

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can we repeal the MJ law? I am assuming that what can be passed by referendum can also be repealed?
The law has not been respected or enforced as written, so IMO its invalid.

Get real. Legal Cannabis is not a threat to law and order. Illegal black markets are. DC has an unregulated market because of anti-cannabis crusaders just like yourself. Andy Harris of MD blocked the effective implementation of DC cannabis law. Cannabis laws have not lead to more violent crime in CO which was the first state to legalize. You are just biased due to your own personal prejudices. Effective crime reduction results from fact based decisions and not your gut feelings about cannabis.

[Anonymous]

I voted to decriminalize out of sympathy and support for people personal choices..instead of following the law (no public smoking) you and your ilk are selfishly shitt* up the city, blowing pot in little kids faces. Repeal we will .

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I live near H Street and have for the last 12 years.

It is still much better than it was when I first moved here, but the trend of the last two years is very concerning. I hate seeing longtime businesses like Biergarten Haus closing, I hate all the broken windows. There is a lot of vagrancy and it has an edge to it that it didn't have pre-Covid. There are serious mental health and substance abuse issues. I do find myself uneasy in the area more than I used to a few years ago. Probably still a lot less than I did a decade ago, when a lot of the development on H Street didn't exist. I'd still rather walk past some panhandlers outside Whole Foods than walk down several blocks of shuttered businesses, the old crappy grocery store that used to be there, and a giant storage facility. It is still much better now.

I actually think something good can come from that article though. I don't think H Street has backslid so much it can't be saved, but we need to DO something about it. I'm encouraged by the people in the article organizing to start neighborhood groups and improve the situation. There are many people who own expensive homes along the corridor who have a vested interest in making it a better place to live.

I think it's a bit strange how few public officials were interviewed for that article. Most glaringly, Charles Allen doesn't make any appearance, and only one ANC rep is mentioned. It is unusual for an article like that to appear in WaPo without the council rep for the Ward interviewed. I get Allen doesn't control crime, but it is his ward and the article actually focuses on the impact all of this has on businesses and residents, which is very much within his oversight. He can also be doing liaison work with DCPD. But... crickets.

Biergarten Haus is closing? Probably a combo of rents and crime
It is more profitable in DC for large landlords to have empty property apparently. DC needs to look at this! So tired of empty store storefronts.
High rents and crime, winning combo Bowser and Council!

+1 I never understood how the Argonaut landlord dispute ended up better for the landlord to have that property just sit empty for so long (now a liquor store). So many empty store fronts, how are the owners unwilling to budge on dropping rates? Why is Sala Thai the only thing to have opened at the new development in Hill East thus far?

Empty buildings get tax breaks. They have zero incentive to lower rent. The council and mayor must look at this. WaPo would be helpful too!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Oh God, here comes the "but H St is so vibrant" crowd. "The pot smell is freedom and equality, I love it". "The urine is just authenticity." "Stop making the crime stats up, DC is safe!"

And my favorite, "shoplifting and vandalism is a victimless crime. The insurance company will replace the glass and inventory!"

Who have you heard talking about shoplifting in that way? I don’t think there’s a single DCUM commenter / resident who isn’t concerned about crime.

I’m not an urban planner but I’m interested in the topic. One definition of vibrant place from online: enthusiasm, activity, and life — in other words, healthy and alive. The presence and amount of vibrancy is a reasonable proxy for a city's general health and well-being.

Why is vibrant a dirty word, and why are you using it as proxy for lawlessness? I actually think it’s a good word but don’t understand why its use has become so twisted.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Things are bad all over the city

Yeah, the article had one throw away line about how crime upticks are actually worse in other neighborhoods, including U Street/Shaw. I have several friends who live over there and it's not good. I think the main difference is that on H, everything is concentrated on one strip, but over there the commercial areas are spread throughout the neighborhood so it's not just "another shooting on H Street." Instead it's a shooting on 11th and then one on 7th and then a smash and grab on 16th and a mugging on V Street and so on. I have friends who recently moved into a big condo building near 7th and O NW and there have been multiple shootings right in front of their building in the last month. I don't know anywhere in H Street that is that bad.

But as an H street resident, I actually don't mind the article even if it's not flattering. I don't think it's the worst crime in the city, but there's no question the area is going in the wrong direction lately and needs an intervention. More attention from DCPD, more activism from neighborhood groups and the business community? Sign me up.

I live in the neighborhood too, and I agree with this. It's hard to know how to advocate for intervention. I feel powerless because we have Charles Allen as a rep and I don't think it's even worth emailing him.

The Charles Allen haters on DCUM are pathetic. What is the point of having a representative if you don't tell him what you want represented? Just email him and see what he says!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This article reminds me... Whatever happened to the streetcar extension? Are we still building one in Anacostia?

It will be a dedicated bike lane instead.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Things are bad all over the city

Yeah, the article had one throw away line about how crime upticks are actually worse in other neighborhoods, including U Street/Shaw. I have several friends who live over there and it's not good. I think the main difference is that on H, everything is concentrated on one strip, but over there the commercial areas are spread throughout the neighborhood so it's not just "another shooting on H Street." Instead it's a shooting on 11th and then one on 7th and then a smash and grab on 16th and a mugging on V Street and so on. I have friends who recently moved into a big condo building near 7th and O NW and there have been multiple shootings right in front of their building in the last month. I don't know anywhere in H Street that is that bad.

But as an H street resident, I actually don't mind the article even if it's not flattering. I don't think it's the worst crime in the city, but there's no question the area is going in the wrong direction lately and needs an intervention. More attention from DCPD, more activism from neighborhood groups and the business community? Sign me up.

I live in the neighborhood too, and I agree with this. It's hard to know how to advocate for intervention. I feel powerless because we have Charles Allen as a rep and I don't think it's even worth emailing him.

The Charles Allen haters on DCUM are pathetic. What is the point of having a representative if you don't tell him what you want represented? Just email him and see what he says!

It's not so easy to bring up crime with a white progressive, they claim being concerned about crime is racist.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There was a young guy curled up near Blue Mercury Cathedral Commons yesterday--fetal on the sidewalk. And everyone just walkin' on by. Please call 311 people for their wellness check services. We need to get people OFF the streets. If you are calling 311 every five minutes, maybe the city will legislate longer holds, more treatment. IDK. But if you ignore it they will as well. I do it all the time and didn't this time. It's your turn.

People made a lot or noise and complained about the tent encampments downtown and the mayor’s quick solution was to put the homeless mentally ill people in apartments on CT with little supervision, making life hell for people who were living there peacefully. I do agree that people like the person you describe need help but i doubt they would get real help even if we call 311 twenty times a day

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There was a young guy curled up near Blue Mercury Cathedral Commons yesterday--fetal on the sidewalk. And everyone just walkin' on by. Please call 311 people for their wellness check services. We need to get people OFF the streets. If you are calling 311 every five minutes, maybe the city will legislate longer holds, more treatment. IDK. But if you ignore it they will as well. I do it all the time and didn't this time. It's your turn.

People made a lot or noise and complained about the tent encampments downtown and the mayor’s quick solution was to put the homeless mentally ill people in apartments on CT with little supervision, making life hell for people who were living there peacefully. I do agree that people like the person you describe need help but i doubt they would get real help even if we call 311 twenty times a day

I experienced a similar thing - dude passed out literally on someone's rowhouse front walkway not looking good, on a block near Eastern market, hot day, with people walking by, glancing at him and they kept walking. I was with my 4 year old, stayed a safe distance away, and called 911 for an ambulance. It was sad to see people just walk by. One person stopped and looked at me and gestured to ask if I called, but most just kept walking.

It doesn't hurt to call 911, just do it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can we repeal the MJ law? I am assuming that what can be passed by referendum can also be repealed?
The law has not been respected or enforced as written, so IMO its invalid.

Get real. Legal Cannabis is not a threat to law and order. Illegal black markets are. DC has an unregulated market because of anti-cannabis crusaders just like yourself. Andy Harris of MD blocked the effective implementation of DC cannabis law. Cannabis laws have not lead to more violent crime in CO which was the first state to legalize. You are just biased due to your own personal prejudices. Effective crime reduction results from fact based decisions and not your gut feelings about cannabis.

The hell it is not. You CONSTANTLY smell weed now while driving in the road because so, sooooooo many people are driving while toking. People who drive while high are dangers to everyone around them as well as pedestrians. There are numerous cases where people have been killed because someone was driving while high.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can we repeal the MJ law? I am assuming that what can be passed by referendum can also be repealed?
The law has not been respected or enforced as written, so IMO its invalid.

Get real. Legal Cannabis is not a threat to law and order. Illegal black markets are. DC has an unregulated market because of anti-cannabis crusaders just like yourself. Andy Harris of MD blocked the effective implementation of DC cannabis law. Cannabis laws have not lead to more violent crime in CO which was the first state to legalize. You are just biased due to your own personal prejudices. Effective crime reduction results from fact based decisions and not your gut feelings about cannabis.

The hell it is not. You CONSTANTLY smell weed now while driving in the road because so, sooooooo many people are driving while toking. People who drive while high are dangers to everyone around them as well as pedestrians. There are numerous cases where people have been killed because someone was driving while high.

A smell is not data. Do you have any evidence or data of accidents or other deaths caused by legal MJ in the DMV?
The PP is spot on in that the Harris rider is causing many of the issues foreseen by the Council.
"The congressional rider harms public safety in the District. I cannot be emphatic enough about this. Our inability to regulate the sale and distribution of cannabis in the District encourages the existence and expansion of illegal, so-called pop-ups where marijuana is sold illegally. These operations are not only unlawful, but they, in turn, attract violent crime, such as robberies. Robberies of the sellers. Robberies of the customers. Because the operations are illegal. And then, when the police arrest operators of the illegal pop-ups, the United States Attorney refuses to prosecute! This is like the wild west, and the Congressional rider is the reason for it," echoed D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson in a statement."
https://www.npr.org/local/305/2022/03/10/1085701595/congress-maintains-ban-on-d-c-legalizing-sales-of-recreational-marijuana

This is from March 2022. The council is aware of the issues but there's not much they can do until federal government stops meddling

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can we repeal the MJ law? I am assuming that what can be passed by referendum can also be repealed?
The law has not been respected or enforced as written, so IMO its invalid.

Get real. Legal Cannabis is not a threat to law and order. Illegal black markets are. DC has an unregulated market because of anti-cannabis crusaders just like yourself. Andy Harris of MD blocked the effective implementation of DC cannabis law. Cannabis laws have not lead to more violent crime in CO which was the first state to legalize. You are just biased due to your own personal prejudices. Effective crime reduction results from fact based decisions and not your gut feelings about cannabis.

How is legal cannabis any different than legal alcohol? Both can create public nuisances that lead people to avoid areas where public use is prevalent which leads to decline in business activity and increase in blight when then leads to decline in public order.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can we repeal the MJ law? I am assuming that what can be passed by referendum can also be repealed?
The law has not been respected or enforced as written, so IMO its invalid.

Get real. Legal Cannabis is not a threat to law and order. Illegal black markets are. DC has an unregulated market because of anti-cannabis crusaders just like yourself. Andy Harris of MD blocked the effective implementation of DC cannabis law. Cannabis laws have not lead to more violent crime in CO which was the first state to legalize. You are just biased due to your own personal prejudices. Effective crime reduction results from fact based decisions and not your gut feelings about cannabis.

How is legal cannabis any different than legal alcohol? Both can create public nuisances that lead people to avoid areas where public use is prevalent which leads to decline in business activity and increase in blight when then leads to decline in public order.

You realize it was alcohol that brought people to h street in the first place, right?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can we repeal the MJ law? I am assuming that what can be passed by referendum can also be repealed?
The law has not been respected or enforced as written, so IMO its invalid.

Get real. Legal Cannabis is not a threat to law and order. Illegal black markets are. DC has an unregulated market because of anti-cannabis crusaders just like yourself. Andy Harris of MD blocked the effective implementation of DC cannabis law. Cannabis laws have not lead to more violent crime in CO which was the first state to legalize. You are just biased due to your own personal prejudices. Effective crime reduction results from fact based decisions and not your gut feelings about cannabis.

How is legal cannabis any different than legal alcohol? Both can create public nuisances that lead people to avoid areas where public use is prevalent which leads to decline in business activity and increase in blight when then leads to decline in public order.

You realize it was alcohol that brought people to h street in the first place, right?

Someone drinking doesn’t bother me. The pot smokers affect the air that I breathe. Normal people don’t want to smell that sh&t. When you get in an elevator or walk around a retail store you stink up the place. PP was right that you can actually smell it in your car from other drivers. It’s low class and trashy.

[Anonymous]

[twitter]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can we repeal the MJ law? I am assuming that what can be passed by referendum can also be repealed?
The law has not been respected or enforced as written, so IMO its invalid.

Get real. Legal Cannabis is not a threat to law and order. Illegal black markets are. DC has an unregulated market because of anti-cannabis crusaders just like yourself. Andy Harris of MD blocked the effective implementation of DC cannabis law. Cannabis laws have not lead to more violent crime in CO which was the first state to legalize. You are just biased due to your own personal prejudices. Effective crime reduction results from fact based decisions and not your gut feelings about cannabis.

The hell it is not. You CONSTANTLY smell weed now while driving in the road because so, sooooooo many people are driving while toking. People who drive while high are dangers to everyone around them as well as pedestrians. There are numerous cases where people have been killed because someone was driving while high.

A smell is not data. Do you have any evidence or data of accidents or other deaths caused by legal MJ in the DMV?
The PP is spot on in that the Harris rider is causing many of the issues foreseen by the Council.
"The congressional rider harms public safety in the District. I cannot be emphatic enough about this. Our inability to regulate the sale and distribution of cannabis in the District encourages the existence and expansion of illegal, so-called pop-ups where marijuana is sold illegally. These operations are not only unlawful, but they, in turn, attract violent crime, such as robberies. Robberies of the sellers. Robberies of the customers. Because the operations are illegal. And then, when the police arrest operators of the illegal pop-ups, the United States Attorney refuses to prosecute! This is like the wild west, and the Congressional rider is the reason for it," echoed D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson in a statement."
https://www.npr.org/local/305/2022/03/10/1085701595/congress-maintains-ban-on-d-c-legalizing-sales-of-recreational-marijuana

This is from March 2022. The council is aware of the issues but there's not much they can do until federal government stops meddling

When Phil Mendelson is banging the law and order gavel, you know it’s just performative politics. It almost as if the Council thought legalization needed no additional planning to avoid negative consequences. I am shocked, shocked at their failure to anticipate the completely foreseeable increase in crime resulting from their actions. Surely, this is the only time it has happened.