Anonymous
Post 03/08/2021 10:01     Subject: Dupont circle deteriorating
Stead Park has always had drug addicts
Anonymous
Post 03/08/2021 09:59     Subject: Re:Dupont circle deteriorating
Anonymous wrote:It used to be that when people were locked out of shelters during the day they'd hang in public spaces like the public libraries. I'm assuming they can't do that right now, hence more people on the street.


Yes, this. there are almost no places for people to hang out inside anymore--no libraries, no museums, no coffee shops, nothing. It's awful people are defecatng in the street, but what other options do they have?

Last spring a few weeks into the shut down, I was driving near Dupont Circle. Absolutely no one on the streets, until I turned a corner and came upon a massive number of homeless people queuing up for food. Really sad.
Anonymous
Post 03/08/2021 09:48     Subject: Dupont circle deteriorating
I hope everyone complaining here is writing the Mayor to stop half-assing assistance for these people.

The city is turning down federal money to house people at hotels during the pandemic. Social services should be flooding the area, and not only during a pandemic.

I believe we should do it because it's the right thing to do. These are our fellow humans. It's also what I hope you all would do for me if I ever ended up on the streets. If that's not enough for you, then do it because spending up front is a more efficient way to handle it than spending way more on the symptoms.
Anonymous
Post 03/08/2021 09:35     Subject: Dupont circle deteriorating
Anonymous wrote:DuPont circle has always been sketchy/dangerous. Lots of muggings. I used to hang out there a lot 20 years ago and it got really unsettling after dark really fast. Even during the day, crossing the circle with all the homeless/mentally ill people...not the greatest. A lot nicer than adams Morgan used to be but that is not saying much. I am really sad about kramerbooks closing.


This. I lived at 17 and Q from 2000 to 2007. There were always homeless people. It was never a great area for kids.
Anonymous
Post 03/08/2021 09:23     Subject: Dupont circle deteriorating
Anonymous wrote:Honestly the tent encampments sprung up at the onset of the pandemic. Fair to say the authorities don’t press them to go to shelters now that have reduced capacity due to social distancing requirements. But I feel confident that will change before next winter when the capacity issue is resolved.

I live in Mt P. and you do t see too many tents, but there are lots of nooks and crannies here. One guy was sleeping in my open garage. I left a bit of room for him at the back. Live and let live. Once somebody crapped in there that pissed me off and I let him know.

No they didn’t. The people were living outside safeway and McDonald’s for at least a year before the pandemic shutdown.
Anonymous
Post 03/08/2021 09:12     Subject: Dupont circle deteriorating
Honestly the tent encampments sprung up at the onset of the pandemic. Fair to say the authorities don’t press them to go to shelters now that have reduced capacity due to social distancing requirements. But I feel confident that will change before next winter when the capacity issue is resolved.

I live in Mt P. and you do t see too many tents, but there are lots of nooks and crannies here. One guy was sleeping in my open garage. I left a bit of room for him at the back. Live and let live. Once somebody crapped in there that pissed me off and I let him know.
Anonymous
Post 03/08/2021 08:55     Subject: Dupont circle deteriorating
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Y'all keep insisting you're not pearl clutchers. Newsflash: yes, you are.

Because I don’t want to walk my 3 year old to school past sh*t-laden alleyways and a couple that is obviously nodding out on opioids? Okay. You can have dupont then because I’m leaving.


Bye Felicia.


You mean- Bye, Karen.

I'm Asian, so nice try being racist.

It doesn't make you cooler to be okay with Dupont becoming skid row. It makes you disengaged and a bad neighbor.
Anonymous
Post 03/08/2021 08:54     Subject: Dupont circle deteriorating
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I lived there 20 years ago, and remember a naked guy running up and down the street outside Buffalo Billards. I had little nephews visiting me and they were thrilled with the excitement of the naked runner. And there were always a ton of pan handlers by the Cathedral on RI.

I didn't even realize people were raising families there now, honestly. Where is there a playground? Columbia Heights/Adams Morgan seems so much more family friendly.


Kalorama Park (playground). TBH I think of Dupont and Adams Morgan as the same thing, and then Columbia Heights is its own little scene. I've lived in DC forever (from here) and they all have nice aspects/are seedy in their own ways. I agree the itinerant homeless camp outs in DC are out of control. I didn't realize there were also drugged out people lying in the road. The city should pass news laws allowing for institutionalization and treatment and/or a bus ticket home if they were drawn here from elsewhere. Last, people should stop giving money directly to panhandlers. If you want to donate to a charity, they will be grateful to use your money thoughtfully.

OP here. No, Kalorama seems fine to me. It's Stead Park where all the equipment is broken to the point it's a bit dangerous. I'm more specifically talking about the 17th street strip which has people camping out in tents on every block. People in the neighborhood felt compassion for them (which is a good thing), but started helping them individually (which just made them set up tents and never leave). These people need treatment and help. Giving them money or food on the street does nothing for them. They'll end up like the woman who OD'ed and died out on 17th street.

Does anyone else live here? Anyone else surprised by the casual attitude about the changes? We rent an apartment so it's not like I only care about property value. I just feel like it went from being a lovely urban neighborhood to total trash in two years.


Yuck. Do you know what the homeless and addicts do on those playgrounds at night? Stead Park I would have had to kick cheap beer cans out of the way to give the kids space to play.
Anonymous
Post 03/08/2021 08:51     Subject: Dupont circle deteriorating
17th Street will survive just fine, OP. And you need to move to the suburbs where you belong. We all know that's coming.
Anonymous
Post 03/08/2021 08:50     Subject: Dupont circle deteriorating
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Y'all keep insisting you're not pearl clutchers. Newsflash: yes, you are.

Because I don’t want to walk my 3 year old to school past sh*t-laden alleyways and a couple that is obviously nodding out on opioids? Okay. You can have dupont then because I’m leaving.


If it’s troubling you, yes- it’s time to leave. If you bought a while ago (if you own), you’re looking at cha-ching!
Anonymous
Post 03/08/2021 08:48     Subject: Dupont circle deteriorating
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Y'all keep insisting you're not pearl clutchers. Newsflash: yes, you are.

Because I don’t want to walk my 3 year old to school past sh*t-laden alleyways and a couple that is obviously nodding out on opioids? Okay. You can have dupont then because I’m leaving.


Bye Felicia.


You mean- Bye, Karen.
Anonymous
Post 03/08/2021 08:38     Subject: Dupont circle deteriorating
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I lived there 20 years ago, and remember a naked guy running up and down the street outside Buffalo Billards. I had little nephews visiting me and they were thrilled with the excitement of the naked runner. And there were always a ton of pan handlers by the Cathedral on RI.

I didn't even realize people were raising families there now, honestly. Where is there a playground? Columbia Heights/Adams Morgan seems so much more family friendly.


Kalorama Park (playground). TBH I think of Dupont and Adams Morgan as the same thing, and then Columbia Heights is its own little scene. I've lived in DC forever (from here) and they all have nice aspects/are seedy in their own ways. I agree the itinerant homeless camp outs in DC are out of control. I didn't realize there were also drugged out people lying in the road. The city should pass news laws allowing for institutionalization and treatment and/or a bus ticket home if they were drawn here from elsewhere. Last, people should stop giving money directly to panhandlers. If you want to donate to a charity, they will be grateful to use your money thoughtfully.

OP here. No, Kalorama seems fine to me. It's Stead Park where all the equipment is broken to the point it's a bit dangerous. I'm more specifically talking about the 17th street strip which has people camping out in tents on every block. People in the neighborhood felt compassion for them (which is a good thing), but started helping them individually (which just made them set up tents and never leave). These people need treatment and help. Giving them money or food on the street does nothing for them. They'll end up like the woman who OD'ed and died out on 17th street.

Does anyone else live here? Anyone else surprised by the casual attitude about the changes? We rent an apartment so it's not like I only care about property value. I just feel like it went from being a lovely urban neighborhood to total trash in two years.
Anonymous
Post 03/08/2021 08:01     Subject: Dupont circle deteriorating
It requires a much more aggressive campaign from the DC government to handle this problem. Sleeping rough, crapping on the street, and taking drugs in public should not be acceptable. You need the social services to provide shelter and a reintegration into society - as much as their addictions and mental illness will allow - and at the same time "push" from the police to get them off the streets.
Anonymous
Post 03/08/2021 07:36     Subject: Re:Dupont circle deteriorating
It used to be that when people were locked out of shelters during the day they'd hang in public spaces like the public libraries. I'm assuming they can't do that right now, hence more people on the street.
Anonymous
Post 03/08/2021 07:29     Subject: Dupont circle deteriorating
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Unpopular view, but the first step would be to start calling “unhoused persons” bums, and overdosing “members of the community” addicts. You should be burning up the police call in number and the ones for the Mayor and council members. These things happen because they’re allowed to.


What do you think the police would do? Loitering isn't a crime. Trespassing is only a crime if the property owner wants the person to leave. By the time someone's overdosed they're not in possession of the drugs anymore.


Public camping is unlawful. So is littering. So is public “elimination.” So is aggressive panhandling. So is incommoding the public way. So are disorderly conduct, assault and resisting arrest, all of which are a not infrequent result of contact between police and drug addicts, particularly when as often is the case the individual in question has one or more outstanding warrants.

The police do nothing because they are not told to do something by their superiors.

Also public drunkenness/intoxication, right?
Localities make choices about whether to enforce these "quality of life" offenses (or not), with predictable results.