Anonymous wrote:I live within close vicinity of today’s shooting and plan to write to Frumin. More residents need to speak up about the decline in safety on our streets. My personal belief is that Bowser has ruined this city.

She don't care about you
Write til your hand falls off, you aren't changing nothing

Someone on ND posted this:

From Councilmember Frumin:

I was in communication with Commander Branch yesterday to learn what I could. I was tied up last night and this morning and fully intended to respond today.

I am deeply concerned about the shooting and state of public safety. We had a community meeting about public safety late last week and plan for more going forward.

We do not yet know who the shooter(s) and victim were and whether they are tenants or visitors of tenants in one or more of the buildings. And, if they were tenants or visitors whether they or people they visited benefited from vouchers. We do know there have been significant issues relating to some number of people benefiting from vouchers. It is important to note that many of our voucher residents are doing well, thriving and adding to pour community. Often those tenants are as concerned about the tenants who create serious issues as longer standing residents. Meanwhile, the legal and operational framework around the voucher program has very serious flaws. It is very difficult to evict tenants who have behavioral issues, landlords often do not invest in security in the way that is required and while residents are supposed to receive services, they often do not receive the services they need and some are not equipped to live independently at the level of services that can realistically be provided and need another answer.

Our office is working and has been working with tenant leaders, landlords, the Office of the Attorney General and others to explore legislation to address these issues. It is a high priority for us. In candor, it will be tricky to get serious reforms through the Council and with the Mayor on side but it is a major area of effort for us.

In terms of the response to yesterday, as the Commander pointed out, the CCTV cameras that he requested and I endorsed are coming. We need more police with a presnce on the streets. I will continue to press landlords to take security more seriously and we will be working on things that can be done legislatively.

I suspect we have had more gun shots in Ward 3 in the last year than in the last 10 combined. This is a serious issue. If ytou think it would be useful for me to come to your building and hear from people, I am happy to including tonight.

---
Matt Frumin
Ward 3 Councilmember
(202) 724-8062 | mfrumin@dccouncil.gov


I live around the same block as the Brandywine and Saratoga. We moved out of our last apt. building (the infamous Sedgwick Gardens) because the voucher recipients had started filling the majority of the units and it was too unsafe to live there anymore, especially with a baby on the way. We specifically chose to move north up Connecticut to try to avoid another building being overrun with voucher recipients. I fear we may need to move again if this continues to get worse.

Anonymous wrote:The voucher holders do not have to accept services is a big piece of the issue. And conditions cannot be put on them under federal HUD Housing First rules.

So we need to go to Congress. This affects NoVa and MD as well.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Frumin is useless. It’s actually pretty incredible. Drives me insane seeing him peddling around the neighborhood on his bike with an aloof smile on his face.

He was at a Nats game when the shooting happened. Have not seen a response from him since.

So many families use that playground at Forest Hills park, it's really concerning. I think the Montessori preschool uses it too.

It was Ward 3 day at Nats Park, so what do you expect him to do? He had hundreds of constiuents there.

Free baseball tickets and free food at all the local restaurants. It’s the best (only?) job he’s ever had!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Frumin is useless. It’s actually pretty incredible. Drives me insane seeing him peddling around the neighborhood on his bike with an aloof smile on his face.

He was at a Nats game when the shooting happened. Have not seen a response from him since.

So many families use that playground at Forest Hills park, it's really concerning. I think the Montessori preschool uses it too.

It was Ward 3 day at Nats Park, so what do you expect him to do? He had hundreds of constiuents there.

Hint: Have not seen a response from him since.

Sundays are for pickleball.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Frumin is useless. It’s actually pretty incredible. Drives me insane seeing him peddling around the neighborhood on his bike with an aloof smile on his face.

He was at a Nats game when the shooting happened. Have not seen a response from him since.

So many families use that playground at Forest Hills park, it's really concerning. I think the Montessori preschool uses it too.

It was Ward 3 day at Nats Park, so what do you expect him to do? He had hundreds of constiuents there.

Hint: Have not seen a response from him since.

Prosecution is certainly an issue, since 2017 the USAO no paper rate has risen to 67%. That is under 3 different presidents and their appointed USAOs. DC is an outlier among major cities with a dramatically lower prosecution rate.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2023/03/29/us-attorneys-office-charges-declined-dc-police/

When USAO Graves ran a pilot project in Chinatown, removing all prosecutorial discretion, prosecution or "paper' rates rose sharply for that small area, but, overall for that month, dropped 4% from June to July, so an overall net drop. The rate increased when discretion was removed, despite same MPD, forensic lab issues and things Graves typically cites as obstacles to prosecution. Yet, due to resources, slowdown, ???, overall net drop with that geographic increase.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2023/08/05/chinatown-crime-dc-police/

This was tried to bring more gun cases but blocked

https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/04/politics/black-prosecutors-dc-gun-cases/index.html

The Council has passed a series of laws changing penalties, changing juvenile prosecution, changing bases for holding pre-trial, etc, and judges at DC Superior Court apply those laws.

Many interrelated issues, but walking to Politics & Prose or Breadfurst seems riskier today.

Please stop derailing the thread or using language that is likely to get it locked.

Anonymous wrote:It sounds like the police are well-funded, so what's the issue? Prosecutors failing to prosecute? Police failing to arrest? Lenient sentencing? Lenient bonds?

Charles Allen, Brianne Nadeau, et al. froze police hiring in 2020. Following the riots and Insurrection, retirement eligible veterans left the force. The Council took a strong anti-law enforcement stance and passed legislation prohibiting pursuits and making police personnel records public. Meanwhile, the USAO and Superior Court judges stayed home for 2 years, meaning arrests for gun and other violent crimes went unprosecuted. Racine and Schwalb were and are unapologetic in their stance that there should not be any consequences for juvenile crime. In this environment, MPD staffing shrunk to its lowest levels in 50 years, and even if applicants wanted to go to DC with a hostile Council and prosecutors who don’t prosecute, with a year-long background/training cycle, it will be years before staffing returns to its pre-pandemic level.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Frumin is useless. It’s actually pretty incredible. Drives me insane seeing him peddling around the neighborhood on his bike with an aloof smile on his face.

He was at a Nats game when the shooting happened. Have not seen a response from him since.

So many families use that playground at Forest Hills park, it's really concerning. I think the Montessori preschool uses it too.

It was Ward 3 day at Nats Park, so what do you expect him to do? He had hundreds of constiuents there.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I cannot say “Oh Well.” I am a homeowner near the apartment buildings with voucher holders in abundance. My family walks to school, stores and Metro and these trips once taken without a thought are now risky. I do feel powerless but will start with contacting Frumin’s office since that is the logical place to start. I encourage fellow DC residents to do the same or something to show their concern. Three years is too long to wait until Bowser leaves office.

Just be prepared that CM Frumin loves him some voucher program. Last week he offered several glowing and detailed anecdotes of “success” stories. On the other hand he was unable to offer any anecdotes of crime victims and was completely oblivious to a mentally ill woman who has been terrorizing Cleveland Park for months, despite multiple arrests.

He understands pretty clearly that the program needs to be reformed and articulated it during the campaign and has proposed some changes that hopefully will be taken up by the Council this fall. But sure, rant on.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
So why aren't there more moderate Democrats willing to be tough on crime in DC?

Surely they can see that this is what the population wants, no?

The folks who run the Ward 3 party are not moderate. They are young socialists and aging hippies. The realization that the defund the police movement has brought the city to the brink and led to the deaths of thousands of black and brown people around the country is too much for them to fathom and threatens their entire understanding of the world and their role in it.

Uhm.. the MPD wasn't defunded.. their capital budget is still half a *billion* dollars per year..

Yes, of course. But the rank and file have gotten the message not to arrest criminals.

Okay, but you said it was as a result of "defunding the police", which it obviously wasn't because that didn't happen here. Also the whole point of defunding the police is apparently lost on you, since you are wanting to use a BLM talking point against the ... same people who are part of BLM. Defunding the police is to sharply reduce their budget so that they no longer are buying military grade hardware and riding around in quasi tanks shooting around with sirens on from crime scene to crime scene, and instead go back to being beat cops walking the neighborhood and talking to people. And then take all that money that would have been spent on M4's and tweaked out SUV's and instead invest that in community support / social service mechanisms which are *always* underfunded.

That’s not true.

Anonymous wrote:Frumin is useless. It’s actually pretty incredible. Drives me insane seeing him peddling around the neighborhood on his bike with an aloof smile on his face.

Triggered by a bike. Naturally.

It sounds like the police are well-funded, so what's the issue? Prosecutors failing to prosecute? Police failing to arrest? Lenient sentencing? Lenient bonds?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
So why aren't there more moderate Democrats willing to be tough on crime in DC?

Surely they can see that this is what the population wants, no?

The folks who run the Ward 3 party are not moderate. They are young socialists and aging hippies. The realization that the defund the police movement has brought the city to the brink and led to the deaths of thousands of black and brown people around the country is too much for them to fathom and threatens their entire understanding of the world and their role in it.

Uhm.. the MPD wasn't defunded.. their capital budget is still half a *billion* dollars per year..

Yes, of course. But the rank and file have gotten the message not to arrest criminals.

Okay, but you said it was as a result of "defunding the police", which it obviously wasn't because that didn't happen here. Also the whole point of defunding the police is apparently lost on you, since you are wanting to use a BLM talking point against the ... same people who are part of BLM. Defunding the police is to sharply reduce their budget so that they no longer are buying military grade hardware and riding around in quasi tanks shooting around with sirens on from crime scene to crime scene, and instead go back to being beat cops walking the neighborhood and talking to people. And then take all that money that would have been spent on M4's and tweaked out SUV's and instead invest that in community support / social service mechanisms which are *always* underfunded.

I did not make those previous comments in this thread. I know all of the defund talking points but thanks for another wiki version.

I have commented on the cops retreat to the donut shop, which is a response to clear incentives from elected leaders to arrest fewer criminals.