No Pains No Gaines » 2006 » July
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July 31, 2006
We Need To Treat The Problem, Not The Symptom
  Category: Crime/Public Safety   |     Posted By: David Gaines @ 10:20 am  

Think about this: Last October when there were 12 homicides in 13 days, no one did anything. This was even after two teen-agers were killed and dumped on Suitland Parkway for ll to see. Fast forward a few months and the homicide rate in pretty much the same (roughly one a day), but coincidentally a handful of the murders (more like three out of 20+) happened in higher-income areas or to more prominent victims so all of the sudden, the entire city is crawling with law enforcement.

The Washington Post ran an article which addresses the measures taken. When you take a step back from the current issue and use that 20/20 hindsight vision, you’ll see the measures being taken are only going to be temporary, if they’re that helpful at all. Crime is not a fad. It doesn’t come and go with time.

Crime is not simply a problem that needs to be treated. Crime is just a sympton of what’s really going on in the city. When there’s crime, that just means underneath the surface, there are issues with the quality of living. Attempting to treat the crime is like attempting to cure an STD without using better safe sex practices for next time.

Instead of galvanizing residents, however, the measures have exacerbated race and class rifts. Youth advocates argue that juvenile responsibility for crime has been exaggerated because adults account for 82 percent of violent crime and more than 90 percent of arrests. Many dismiss the emergency efforts as bluster that will have little impact.
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And Where Were These Extra Cops?
  Category: Crime/Public Safety   |     Posted By: David Gaines @ 7:41 am  

Lately there has been an uptick in the number of police officers in the neighborhood. I’ve seen some officers the other day at the corner with clipboards talking to residents. I’ve seen a police van parked in the neighborhood. There has been more patrol cars driving by. I even saw a gaggle of police officers dressed as if they were going to make a raid, donning helmets and bullet proof vests, though they were just socializing for the moment.

I will admit seeing the extra uniforms do create a sense of some safety. Who’s going to commit a crime when the neighborhood feels like it’s on martial law? Why risk being seen when the police officers are around? Well, apparently all they have to do is wait until the police officers aren’t around…

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July 25, 2006
MPD Now Hiring: Earn Up To $149,232 a Year
  Category: Crime/Public Safety   |     Posted By: David Gaines @ 11:22 pm  

I have an idea to help recruit more prospects to become MPD police officers. How about placing an ad in the newspaper saying, “Earn up to $149,232 protecting your neighborhood.”

Obviously in order to get that kind of money, you have to put in massive amounts of hours. Well, for those who can’t envision themselves working themselves to death, just let potential recruits know that 72 police officers earned $50,000 in overtime alone. As a matter of fact, the average MPD employee earned more than $7,000 in extra manhours.

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July 24, 2006
Dough Rollers - Ocean City, Maryland
  Category: Eats in DC   |     Posted By: David Gaines @ 8:40 pm  

Dough RollersI recently took a weekend off and went to Ocean City, Maryland, on a whim with the lady Torrie Camp, my homeboy Desmond Carter and his son Jaylen. We spontaneously showed up in town, grabbed a room at the Sea Hawk Motel and hoped it didn’t rain.

Though the forecast called for thunderstorms throughout the weekend, we lucked out and had plenty of sunshine to enjoy a weekend at the beach. It’s been a long time since I enjoyed a few days on the beach. The waves were brutal, but I didn’t get caught up in the undertow making the days on the beach well worth the trip.

We spent Saturday night out on the boardwalk which had more to offer than I expected. Never hearing of Ocean City, I was pleasantly surprised at the atmosphere. Being only a three hour trip from Washington, DC, I’m sure I’ll be headed back out there again. The morning we left, we decided to grab some breakfast at a local favorite, Dough Rollers. And, well, the review is pretty mixed.

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July 22, 2006
It All Begins With A Smile
  Category: Crime/Public Safety   |     Posted By: David Gaines @ 2:28 pm  

I’m sure it’s obvious already that I am not sold on hiring hundreds more police officers to solve the crime issues of the city. I do agree they may help, but I disagree that it’s the best idea, and I definitely feel the money can be used more effectively to prevent crimes in the future.

But to make me feel even more strongly about my opinion is what I just read in the Examiner about the potential new recruits. Bottom line: the standards to becoming a police officer is being lowered.

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July 21, 2006
Is This Washington DC or Southern Beirut?
  Category: Crime/Public Safety   |     Posted By: David Gaines @ 1:17 pm  

So the feds are coming to town? Has the crime really skyrocketed that high? Maybe I’m just not that good at reading statistics, but it looks like the crime level has been roughly the same for years. The only difference is the victims.

WTOP has learned the Department of Justice is forming a Violent Crime Task Force to help combat the surge in robberies and violent offenses in the District. The initiative will be unveiled Friday afternoon.

Who’s coming to help DC Metro Police? The FBI, the U.S. Marshalls, the ATF, the Secret Service, the DEA as well as some help from the United States Park Police, the Metropolitan Transit Police and the United States Capitol Police.

Wow. And who’s going to be in charge?

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July 20, 2006
An Option for the Kids is Coming to Northeast
  Category: Education/Recreation   |     Posted By: David Gaines @ 3:59 pm  

For years I’ve been adamant that the way to truly reduce crime is to stop focusing on the current band of criminals and nurture tomorrow’s generation so there are fewer criminals in the making. We could go out there and arrest everyone who commits and crime and wait for more criminals to commit more crimes, but the predicament we’d be in, is, well, those crimes are still happening. Murders, robberies, burglaries, rapes and every other action that exposed the long finger to the law.

The question is how do we create an environment in which the kids today don’t grow up to be criminals. One way, obviously, is to give them something to do to keep them from being exposed to others who’ll lead them into a life of crime. Libraries, after school programs and recreation centers are a start.

Well, in the northeast part of town, it looks like an option is finally making its way to becoming a viable option. In six months from now, the Kenilworth-Parkside complex will give the community an option for the kids to be something more than nothing.

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July 19, 2006
Can You Hear Me Now, Down Here?
  Category: METRO, Business   |     Posted By: David Gaines @ 3:23 pm  

I remember when I worked for Verizon Wireless, one of the selling points of the service was the fact that Verizon Wireless phones worked in the tunnels of Metro rail. If you used any other service down there, you’d be roaming so each minute that passes, you were being charged a quarter or more a minute.

Looks like those selling point days are about to be over (but I no longer work at Verizon Wireless). The four major wireless service companies are joining forces to do some magic so anyone can use the tunnels for their wireless needs. Verizon Wireless, Sprint-Nextel, Cingular and T-Mobile are looking to land a lucrative deal with Metro for a major revamping and expansion to the system which would also include the station platforms and bus stops.

The deal could potentially bring in tens of millions of dollars in new revenue to Metro. Some of that money could be used to making sure the trains don’t catch on fire.

The $9.5 Million Band-Aid
  Category: Crime/Public Safety   |     Posted By: David Gaines @ 1:11 am  

And it doesn’t stop there. In one of the Yahoo! Groups I’m in for ANC6A, there was the following post…

At approximately 3:30 am, on Friday, June 30, 2006, a 1991 Mercury Capri was set ablaze at 1807 L Street, NE. A second vehicle, a 1999 Suzuki Vitary, was also damaged as a result of the fire.

A subsequent investigation by members of the department’s Fifth District led to the arrest of 34-year-old James D. Bell, of no fixed address. He was arrested, without incident, at 19th Street and Maryland Avenue, NE, at approximately 4:24 pm, on Saturday, July 15, 2006, and charged with Destruction of Property. At approximately 10 a.m., on Monday, July 17, 2006, Mr. Bell was being transported from the Fifth District station, located at 1805 Bladensburg Road, NE, to the department’s Central Cell Block, located at 300 Indiana Avenue, NW. While in the 1300 block of Maryland Avenue, NE, Mr. Bell apparently managed to force or kick open the back door of the transport wagon and make good his escape.

James D. Bell is described as a 34-year-old black male, 6′1″ tall, approximately 150 pounds with braided type hair. He has a tombstone-shaped tattoo with the letters “RIP” on his upper right arm and a heart-shaped tattoo with the word “TANYA” on his upper left arm. He was last seen wearing a black jump suit.

Anyone with information as to the whereabouts of James D. Bell, or who sees him, should take no direct action but should call police at (202) 727-9099 or 911.

Keep in mind that I live literally just around the corner from 19th and Maryland Avenue NE where the police arrested him. And just like that, he pulls a Keyser Soze. This happening of course just over a month after another more dramatic escape in the area.

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July 17, 2006
Well, What Happens When It’s Broke?
  Category: Crime/Public Safety   |     Posted By: David Gaines @ 3:34 am  

A topic I’ve found myself having a lot lately with different individuals, as probably everyone else in the city, is the “crime wave” that’s been going on. Specifically murder. User groups, message boards and email list-servs have been buzzing with opinions, suggestions, statistics and a lot of concern. Being fairly new to the city (which is now home for good), I’m just now wading through all the information and getting a feel of what I’m getting myself into.

And slowly but surely, I’m starting to develop my own opinions of what’s going on.

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July 15, 2006
Save Your Energy: 400 Shows To Go
  Category: Entertainment/Events   |     Posted By: David Gaines @ 2:52 pm  

Starting this Thursday and running for 11 days, Washington, DC, is hosting its first ever Fringe Festival. There will be more than 90 acts performing roughly 400 shows, some free to attend.

Everything you need to know about the event can be found at http://www.capfringe.org.

How Much Does It Cost To Fix The Crime?
  Category: Crime/Public Safety   |     Posted By: David Gaines @ 2:29 am  

Being a relative newcomer to the city, I can only make judgements of what’s going on based off my personal experiences. Initially the crime in Washington, DC, wasn’t that big of an issue, until the euphoria of living in DC wore off and I see the crime is just around the corner from where I live. I recently wrote about the council’s approval of $31 million to hire more police officers and how I felt like that won’t affect the crime rate in the city. Maybe the capture rate.

But the $31 million pales in comparison to the other number I just learned about.

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Help Is Coming For The Central Library
  Category: DC Libraries   |     Posted By: David Gaines @ 1:54 am  

I found this link from Inside the DC Bubble Blog which details the approval to the fiscal year 2007 District of Columbia spending bill from the U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations. One of the issues about Washington, DC, that I focus on is its absolute lack of a library system.

I mean, I know one exists, but my experiences with the libraries have been extremely disappointing. Specifically the landmark library in Gallery Place. I promise you stepping into the men’s bathroom is like stepping into a homeless shelter. There are men in there sleeping in the stalls with all their belongings.

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Wanting My City and Living Here Too
  Category: Real Estate/Development   |     Posted By: David Gaines @ 12:53 am  

Florida Rock rendering in Near SoutheastEver since I moved to Washington, DC, I fell in love with it. I’m still in awe whenever I’m out and about. The people. The power. The history. I have mno plans to ever move away from the city I’ve started planting roots in.

But there’s one thing about Washington, DC, that I find absolutely discouraging. Trying to find a decent place to live without sacrificing three meals a day or having to dodge bullets walking to the store.

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July 14, 2006
You Mean Dan’s Still Not The Man?
  Category: METRO   |     Posted By: David Gaines @ 4:18 pm  

He has suggested brightening the Metro stations. He’s looking to make credit cards an option (as opposed to only the SmarTrip card) to get out of Metro parking. He’s looking to bring retail to some of the stations, worked out ATMs in nearly all the stations, gets his hands dirty by meeting the employees, the riders, even riding the Metro himself to work.

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