Police spokesperson, Officer Hugh Carew, told 91茄子 the victim was conscious and breathing when MPD arrived at the scene. Medics transported him to the hospital.

听Carew said MPD received an emergency call at 1:49 p.m, but he declined to disclose the exact information relayed by a witness.听

When 91茄子 arrived at the scene, the street was illuminated with police lights coming from the four police cars present at the scene. Police officers taped the scene and lampposts in the next block. A neighbor declined to speak with 91茄子 about what they saw and heard while another potential witness, a teenager, was too young to give consent for on-record comments.听

The Twitter account for the MPD posted a description of the shooter, which was read by Carew in the interview conducted through the phone. The tweet described him as an adult Black male between the ages of 20-30, wearing black coat and hat and had medium length dreads. Aside from these descriptions, Carew said they had no update on the shooter.

Alert: Shooting Investigation in the 300 block of Ridge Rd SE. Lookout for a B/M, 20-30 years of age, black coat black hat with medium length dreads

Have info? Call (202) 727-9099/text 50411

— DC Police Department (@DCPoliceDept)

Lieutenant L. Tyler, who was at the scene, said the victim had no 鈥渓ife threatening injuries.鈥澨�

Tyler, who mentioned that she could not give out much information about the investigation, said that the MPD found out about the incident because neighbors heard a gunshot.

Tyler said that her officers and her had been in the scene for about an hour before 91茄子 arrived at the scene. Tyler was the watch commander today on the Sixth Police District; the location of the shooting belongs to this sector of the MPD.

Police officers were asking people coming into the apartment complex to identify themselves before entering. A man that arrived with two children lived in the apartment building in front of the scene of the shooting.

The illuminated police cars attracted the attention of people passing by in their cars or walking. Neighbors, walking near the scene, were curious about what happened, asking 91茄子 if they had knowledge to share.听

From the few neighbors that were outside of their house a woman was with her daughter, who were both maskless, and another male neighbor watching the scene. The woman did not want to give any comments to 91茄子 and she did not let her thirteen year old daughter, either.

Another woman, who did not identify herself, said that she was delivering a turkey to a neighbor and the police cars were there when she arrived.

The Crime Scene Science Division (CSSD) was on the scene taking pictures. The officer said she was not permitted to disclose information regarding an ongoing investigation.

When the CSSD finished taking pictures and gathering evidence, the police officers removed the crime scene tape and left the scene at 3:30 p.m.

Crime in the community

Crime has gone up in the last two years in the Police Service Area (PSA) 603. According to the , assaults with a dangerous weapon, in this case, a gun, rose 17% compared to the number of crimes of this type that occurred from 2016 or 2018.

The same showed a 19% increase in the crimes involving guns as a weapon from the beginning of this year until now, compared to that same time in 2019

Compared to this time last year, in a time period of a month, crime increased 34% according to the .

听

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Wednesday is the deadline for candidates to remove their electoral posters according to .听

鈥淢ost of ours are gone. There might be some straggler somewhere, but we鈥檝e tried to remove as many of them as possible,鈥� Chander Jayaraman, candidate for D.C. Council-At-Large, said.

D.C. code states every candidate must remove the electoral posters they place around the city within 30 days after the election.听

鈥淎 sign, advertisement, or poster related to a specific event shall be removed no later than thirty (30) days following the event to which it is related,鈥� states the Board of Elections鈥� Guidelines for Placing and Removing Political Posters on Public Spaces in the District of Columbia.

This was Jayaraman鈥檚 first time running for a city-wide position, although he had previously run for an Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner (ANC) position. Jayaraman said that although the electoral poster rules are the same for ANC and D.C. Council, he did not 鈥減ay much attention to them鈥� at that moment.

Other rules that candidates must follow: no adhesives that are difficult to remove, posters cannot be put up on trees, and must be securely placed on a lamppost to prevent them from falling because of the weather. Jayaraman told 91茄子 the city advised him posters could be displayed 100 days before the election.

鈥淚n August, we submitted our signatures to be placed on the ballot. And once you’re confirmed that you are an eligible candidate to be on the ballot, you get a notice,鈥� Jayaraman said. 鈥淲hen you submit your signature, they give you a list of items,鈥� Jayaraman said, 鈥渁mongst those is a flyer, a trifold flyer that tells you the rules about 鈥榩ostering鈥� and 鈥榖lack carding.鈥欌��

The Board of Elections does not oversee the placement and removal of posters. The District Department of Transportation oversees the process and the Department of Public Works (DPW) enforces the rules.听

91茄子 reached out to DPW but received no reply.听 The most recent information we could find was in a 2004 elections press release.听 鈥淒PW鈥檚 SWEEP (Solid Waste Education and Enforcement Program) inspectors are responsible for issuing most of the Notices of Violation for poster infractions.鈥澨�

Neighborhood removal

Jayaraman said, 鈥淚t鈥檚 always easier to just remove. Just yank 鈥榚m off.鈥� He said now that the election is over, many neighbors have taken the posters down and that some volunteers that helped him put the posters up cooperated with the removal.

Two residents of the NoMa community, interviewed by 91茄子, said that although they do not mind the electoral posters, they think it is the candidate鈥檚 job to take them down.

鈥淭hey should do it [take the posters down.] Especially if the candidate is running to be a positive element in the city, then they should take responsibility whether or not they win,鈥� said Paul Klein, a NoMa resident

Klein thought that the posters should be taken down after the election 鈥渟ometime in late November, early December.鈥� Klein said he has a Biden poster in his home and will remove it on January 20; this is the day Biden swears in as president. Klein did not display any posters of candidates running for the D.C. council.

On the other hand, Emily Jorgensen, 28, said that posters should be taken down by the end of the year. Jorgensen, who lives in an apartment complex in NoMa, said she has not taken down any posters and that it should be taken down by the candidate because 鈥渢hey are usually the ones who put them up.鈥�

Jorgensen favored Ed Lazere in the D.C. Council race and Joe Biden in the presidential election, but she did not put up any candidate posters in her home.

听

听

The post Election posters: your time is up first appeared on 91茄子.

Some have closed and others, like Wunder Garten, have found a way to continue serving customers looking for an escape from the chaos that social distancing causes.听

They hosted a Drag Night Bingo in which they 鈥渆ncouraged folks,鈥� said Cory S., one of the managers at Wunder Garten, 鈥渢o come dressed in their costumes for Halloween; obviously still wear your mask.鈥� The manager preferred his last name not be published because he works in a government office as well.

From Oktoberfest to an Election Day Watch Party, the outdoor beer garden continued receiving people in the middle of the pandemic since the reopening in June.

鈥淚f we can do it, and still do it safely,鈥� Cory said, adding that they are making things 鈥渁s normal as we can鈥� during these abnormal times.

Wunder Garten customer, Lucie Mendelson, said that she felt safe because the location was outdoors, and she was with people she knew were healthy.听

Mendelson, who is an American University student and private school teacher, said that going out the night before elections last week was her first night out in approximately two months. She said she and her friends get tested regularly because they work in the education system.

Wunder Garten is in a parking lot on NoMa. The beer garden is designed like a modern food truck park with bench tables, cabanas and seats around a fireplace.听

91茄子 visited the location one evening last week and saw the bench tables were not six feet apart from each other. We also noticed that many people in line were not following social distancing guidelines.听

Managers at the beer garden told 91茄子 they do their best to make clients follow Covid-19 guidelines. They have had instances where they have asked clients to leave because they are not following protocol, Cory said. They also said they are gathering personal information from customers to help with potential 鈥渃ontact tracing.鈥� This helps them with registering the number of people per table which they have limited to six.

Mendelson said she was 鈥渉appy鈥� when she got to Wunder Garten and saw they were doing contact tracing and would come back.听

The District of Columbia established for restaurants operating during the pandemic. Restaurants must operate to a 50% capacity with tables set six feet apart, people cannot stand in the bar, only six people are permitted per table and everyone that comes to the location must be registered.听

Cory said clients can take off their masks when they are sitting at the table, but they must use it when going to the bathroom. The D.C. guidelines require customers to wear masks when they are not eating or drinking.

Operators of The Pub and the People, a restaurant and bar located ten minutes from the NoMa metro station, told 91茄子 they try to enforce this rule.听

听They ask customers to wear their masks at the table when they are not eating. Like Wunder Garten, they permit six people per table and keep reservation information for contact tracing purposes.听

Matthew Murphy, co-owner of the location, said that they serve customers both inside and outside of their establishment, but they do not let clients sit at the bar. They have evolved from only serving food through delivery to their current operating state.

Murphy said that at the beginning of the pandemic there was a 鈥渓earning curve,鈥� but it has 鈥済otten better.鈥� He said that because city rules are changing all the time, it has taken time to educate the customers on the guidelines they need to follow while consuming. He said that it would have been helpful if the city sent a phone notification, similar to the ones sent regarding the weather, to notify of guideline change.听

Elevate Club located in the NoMa community found a way to keep entertaining guests during the pandemic. Instead of hosting inside, they created an open space where they have a DJ and tables for customers to enjoy the music and Hookahs.听

Some nightclubs, like Ultrabar located nine minutes from NoMa in Capitol Hill, haven’t been able to reopen.听

A doctor鈥檚 perspective

鈥淥ur perception of risk,鈥� Dr. Melissa Hawkins said, 鈥渋s really interesting to think about.鈥� 鈥淛ust because something is allowed,鈥� Hawkins said, 鈥渢hat doesn鈥檛 mean it’s safe.鈥� While talking about being safe outdoors, she mentioned this about indoor dining which she said is a big risk.听

Hawkins, who is the director of the American University undergraduate Public Health Scholars Program, said that eating outdoors with people that are within your circle is the best way to be social without contracting the virus.听

Hawkins said that she does not advise eating in indoor locations which is something that people might consider now that the winter cold is starting.

鈥淭his is a marathon, not a sprint,鈥� Hawkins said. She said that because people have a need to be social, they need to understand the risks and be 鈥渟trategic and informed.鈥�

The post NoMa restaurants adapting to new health guidelines but it鈥檚 not easy first appeared on 91茄子.

But Betina Cutaia Wilkinson, a political science professor at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, wasn鈥檛 surprised.

Wilkinson, who studies Latinx voters in the South, said that Cuban Americans have a history of voting for Republican candidates.

鈥淭hese last few years though, we have seen more Cubans support Democratic candidates, especially among young Cubans in the Florida area,鈥� Wilkinson said. 鈥淏ut it’s important to recognize that there are some Cubans who really were attracted to Trump because of his antisocialist messaging.鈥�

Jose Irastorza, 81, who is a Cuban American living in Atlanta, voted for Trump. 鈥淣ot as much for Trump,鈥� Irastorza said. 鈥淚 really don’t care about Trump one way or the other.鈥�

Irastorza, who is retired, voted with an absentee ballot. That鈥檚 how he鈥檚 voted for a few years; he has moved between Florida and Georgia and did not know where he would be located when voting.

He voted for Trump, he said, because he鈥檚 concerned about Biden鈥檚 health and the possibility that the people around Biden end up ruling the country.

Singers, socialists and a 鈥榗audillo鈥�

Donald Trump spent the last four years crisscrossing Florida. Trump, whose Mar-a-Lago resort is in Palm Beach, is registered to vote in the state. He won Florida in 2016 by around 113,000 votes.

Democrats鈥� outreach this year was extensive and expensive, with former Vice President Joe Biden former President Barack Obama; Biden鈥檚 running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif.; and singer Luis Fonsi, who was born in Puerto Rico, to the battleground state this week. Biden鈥檚 campaign even released Spanish-language in recent days.

But the Biden campaign鈥檚 efforts in the Sunshine State were for naught. The Trump campaign surged to victory with more than 5.6 million votes 鈥� nearly 400,000 more votes than Biden. Trump received 听and got 55% of the Cuban American vote.

Biden Miami-Dade County 鈥� the site of three-fourths of Trump鈥檚 net gains across the state 鈥� by just 7 percentage points, a disastrous performance compared to Hillary Clinton鈥檚 2016 run. Clinton carried the county by 30 percentage points.

The Biden campaign evoked Trump 鈥渁s a kind of Latin American dictator, or caudillo,鈥� which failed to resonate as much with U.S.-born Latinos who 鈥渁ren’t immigrants themselves who are more concerned about jobs or COVID,鈥� said Bernard Fraga, an associate professor of political science at Emory University.

鈥淭rump, on the other hand, tried to use the message of painting the Democrats as socialists: appealing to Cuban Americans who are heavily Republican already, compared to other Latino national origin groups,鈥� Fraga said. 鈥淭hat was more effective, coupled with his messaging about law and order.鈥�

Trump also tried to appeal to young Latino voters with glitzy music videos by bands like Los 3 de la Habana. In a for the group鈥檚 鈥淭rump Song,鈥� the band dances on a boat replete with Trump flags and a painted bald eagle. Trump used the song in a 鈥� complete with dancers, food and smiling families 鈥� that has been viewed by more than 370,000 people on YouTube.

The battle for the Grand Canyon State

While Republicans gained ground in Florida, Democrats made massive gains in Arizona, flipping a Senate seat belonging to Sen. Martha McSally, R-Ariz.

The state will likely turn blue for the first time since 1996.

Trump, who has campaigned for years to build a wall on the US-Mexico border and restrict legal and illegal immigration, is down in the Grand Canyon State by just over three percentage points, underperforming himself in 2016 when he beat Clinton by three-and-a-half percentage points.

Some 71% of Latino people in the state voted for Biden this time around, according to a report by , a Latino political opinion research firm.

鈥淎rizona’s Latino community is 90% Mexican Americans,鈥� Stephen Nu帽o-Perez, a senior analyst at the firm, said. 鈥淚n Arizona, Latinos have largely been vilified, so working within the Republican Party is just not an option鈥� for Latinos in the state.

Moreover, 鈥渋n Arizona, restrictive immigration and immigrant laws are very much more salient and present in the mind of Latino voters,鈥� Fraga, the political scientist, said.

A supporter holds a 鈥淔inish the Wall鈥� sign at a Make America Great Again campaign rally for US President Donald Trump in Mesa, Arizona on Oct. 19, 2018 (Gage Skidmore/Flickr)

That contrasts with nationwide Latino sentiment, according to Wilkinson, the political scientist, in which the top issues are 鈥渏obs and the economy, health care 鈥斕� given the fact that many were overwhelmingly impacted by the pandemic 鈥� and systemic racism against black and brown individuals.鈥�

Donovan Carr, the outreach coordinator at the Arizona Secretary of State鈥檚 office, said he interacts with Latino outreach organizations like and the through an advisory committee that meets monthly. He said the office made sure to be 鈥減repared ahead of time鈥� to stay in touch with the groups.

Outreach will be a monumental task going forward.

鈥淭he future is bright in terms of the power that the Latino community will have in shifting election results in North Carolina, Georgia, Texas and other states in the South,鈥� Wilkinson said.

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Democratic supporters, reporters, tourists, and various other organizations were some of the people that gathered to wait for the presidential candidate results next to President Donald Trump who stayed in the White House during election night.

Different reasons brought people to the concurred street during the cold November night. 鈥淚 guess, I just wanted to be here to see what was gonna happen and be where the action is,鈥� Grace Plihal, 26, said.

Plihal, who studies at the University of Maryland, voted early and in-person for the Democratic candidate Joe Biden. She said that during the day, she 鈥渟at around and panicked.鈥�

Pilhal, who was accompanied by Lauren Paniati, a 26-year-old social worker, said that she voted for Biden because her mom would 鈥渒ick me out of the house if I didn鈥檛.鈥�

Pilhal and Paniati were a few of the people sitting on the plaza’s sidewalks and watching the action. Most of the present were taking pictures with their phones, chanting choruses like 鈥淭rump your fired, Trump Trump your fired,鈥� or expressing their thoughts through banners.

Most of the night went along without discussions or fights. The only Republican in sight, a man wearing a red 鈥淢ake America Great Again鈥� t-shirt, cursed and insulted others on the Washington D.C. street.

One of the most notable things during the night was the media crews present along the Black Lives Matter plaza. News organizations like 91茄子ington Post and Univision reported from in front of the White House.

When walking between the camera equipment and people, most of them masked, plaza spectators listened to different sounds; recordings of religious messages, bands, and radios playing 80s rock music. It was impossible to feel alone among the crowd.

The BLM plaza was also host to a mini watch party sponsored by a man wearing a Biden-Harris cap. The projector was presenting an ABC coverage of election results.

was one of the organizations using the moment to bring awareness to their message. Haley Sandoval, a 21-year-old volunteer of the DC office of Sunrise Movement educated passers-by on possible election outcomes, for example, if a candidate declares victory before all the votes are counted.

Sunrise Movement is an environmental organization that has spoken out more on environmental racism since the death of George Floyd. This election will have an impact 鈥渙n the future of our climate,鈥� Sandoval said, and the future of the 鈥渞acial system here in the United States.鈥�

Although Sunrise Movement is a nonpartisan organization, Sandoval said on a personal note, she cast her first presidential vote for Biden.

A third political party

Many of the present were euphorically expressing their desire for the current President of the United States, Donald Trump and his vice president, Mike Pence, to leave the White House.听听

Yet the Movement for a People鈥檚 Party captured people鈥檚 attention by handing out hot chocolate, projecting messages on the church wall, and walking around wearing a giant Trump looking mask. They are a group of people hoping to form a third political party for future elections.听

鈥淲e’re just trying to enjoy the moment,鈥� Felipe Fernandez, 33, who was in the capital for the first time during a presidential election, said. He said the mask was not meant as a satire of the current President of the United States.

Fernandez, who came from Maryland, voted for the Green Party. He said he voted for a candidate that was not Republican or Democrat because his state is 鈥渘ot a swing state.鈥�

As the night has progressed, results have been announced, yet, there is still no winner of the presidential election.

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Cardona will vote for her first time in the presidential election next Tuesday.听

Three years ago, she moved to Texas in the wake of the hurricane鈥檚 impact. She and her husband lost their jobs, as a speech therapist and a cook, respectively.

Cardona, who as of October 30 was still undecided on her candidate of choice, said her 鈥渉omework of this weekend鈥� would be watching the recorded debates and reading about the party platforms. She said that her biggest concern is the health care system and insurance policies — expensive in the U.S. but necessary in the middle of the pandemic.

Cardona is currently trying to get her teaching certification in Euless, Texas while working in a daycare center. Her husband is working as a mechanic in a factory.听

She said that he inspired her to vote. She said voting is not only her right but also her duty.

The numbers of native Puerto Ricans in the United States have shifted from September 2017. Almost 160,000 Puerto Ricans came to the United States after the devastating events, according to the.

Jennifer Hinojosa, one of the researchers who worked on the report, published in September 2018 along with Edwin Melendez, said that the numbers had shifted again. Native Puerto Ricans coming to the United States have since decreased to pre-hurricane numbers.

The reported that 72,000 Puerto Ricans who came to the mainland United States returned four months later.

Not much weight on election results

Part of the smaller numbers is that native Puerto Ricans moved back to wait out the pandemic. A hurricane moved them to mainland U.S.; a pandemic sent many of them home.

鈥淚n terms of numbers,鈥� said professor Charles Venator of the Puerto Rican Studies Association at the University of Connecticut, the number of 鈥淧uerto Ricans that are here don鈥檛 really make that much of a difference in the United States.鈥�

Venator said that Puerto Ricans in states like Connecticut, New York, Texas or Florida do not have much weight on the presidential elections, but they do influence local candidates, for example, city council.

Venator said that the state where Puerto Ricans can have a 鈥減otential influence鈥� is in Florida. The study estimated that Puerto Ricans made up 5.9% of the voter population there.

Jeshuan Garcia, now 26, left the island a week after Hurricane Maria and after losing her job in the aftermath. Garcia, who started working for United Way in Lakeland, Florida, said she already voted for the Democratic candidate Joe Biden.

鈥淚 agree with the ideologies of both parties in a way,鈥� Garcia said. She said that voting for the Democrat candidate would 鈥渂enefit more in the moment we are living.鈥�

91茄子 鈥�60% at least, maybe more鈥� of Puerto Rican voters overall are Democrats, Venator said, based on presidential primaries and other events.

The said that in the 2016 elections, the number of Latino voters grew to 12.7 million compared to the 11.2 million who participated in the 2012 elections.

It isn’t easy to nail down specific numbers. According to Venator, many families have consolidated their households by moving in with other family members, and they do not register to vote in their new address.

The pandemic also plays a role because 鈥渁 lot of people are anxious about going to the polls,鈥� Venator said.

Garcia, who voted this year in her first presidential elections, voted in person. She stood in line for approximately 10 minutes, but since she wanted to be sure she was doing her vote correctly, she read the ballot in English and Spanish.

She recalled a lot of amendment questions in the ballots she was given. She voted in favor of the increase of minimum wage, not for her, because it does not affect her directly, but rather the people she encounters as part of her job.

President Trump and Mar铆a

Christian Ulvert, Florida鈥檚 political strategist for the presidential Democratic campaign, said Puerto Rican voters are well aware of presidential actions during the hurricane.听

Trump visited the island after the hurricane and, in a controversial public event, threw paper towels to the citizens who went to greet him and First Lady Melania Trump.

Trump tosses paper towels to hurricane survivors in Puerto Rico

— TIME (@TIME)

鈥淚t鈥檚 very well documented, the disrespect and the total absence of support,鈥� Ulvert said.

Yet the president recently gave Puerto Rico almost $13 billion in funds for the island鈥檚 recovery three years after the passing of Hurricane Maria, according to several news organizations, including .

Garcia agreed that Trump鈥檚 interaction with the island and its citizens post-hurricane influenced her vote. He should have thought more about Puerto Ricans,鈥� she said, and about 鈥渨hat they 鈥渨ere going through.鈥�

On the other hand, Cardona said that although she does not know which candidate she would vote for, the president鈥檚 behavior is not a tipping point. She said that she does not think 鈥渢he attack is with Puerto Rico; I consider it is just a part of his personality.鈥�

The post Puerto Ricans as first-time presidential voters first appeared on 91茄子.

Records show thieves have stolen 95 cars between October of 2018 and October of 2020, compared to 33 auto thefts in those same months between 2016 and 2018.

鈥淚 have insurance,鈥� one resident near the Union Market told the Wash when we asked about increased thefts in the area. 鈥淚f someone wants my car, they can take my car, not worth my life.鈥�

The vehicle owner, who asked we not use her name in this article, said she heard about the theft-from-auto-trends from her clients. She read on the Washington D. C. community sites and that 鈥渄elivery food drivers were having issues with their cars being jacked.鈥�

Even though she knows people steal from cars, she said she still feels safe leaving her vehicle parked in the street.

鈥淵ou just have to know your community,鈥� the NoMa resident said, 鈥渋f you’re desperate enough to steal a car, then we probably need to start looking听 at our community and saying 鈥榟ow can we meet the needs of the people?鈥� Rather than just allowing for opportunities for people to steal cars.鈥�

The map below pinpoints the locations where the 95 cars were stolen in the past two years. These records were downloaded from the provided by the MPD.

The same database showed a 229% increase in stolen autos from the beginning of this year until now, compared to that same time in 2019. Since January of 2020, 69 cars have been reported stolen, according to the. The map below details the locations within the NoMa Business Improvement District (BID) where the offenses occurred.

Since Sept. 19 of this year, 13 cars were reported stolen in the NoMa BID compared to the three cars stolen in the same time frame in 2019. The map below details the locations of where the 13 cars were stolen, according to the.

The NoMa resident mentioned that a car with a baby inside was recently stolen in her neighborhood. This occurred on Sept. 30, according to. The baby was 鈥渦nharmed,鈥� the resident said, 鈥渋t鈥檚 still an incredibly scary moment.鈥�

NoMa belongs to the first sector of the fifth police district.

Within this larger geographic area, show 387 cars reported stolen since January, a 40% increase for the region.

Christopher Moore, captain of the district鈥檚 second sector sent an email听 to the fifth district Google Group on Sept. 24听 regarding the spike in stolen vehicles. 鈥淭hese types of crimes are too prevalent, and it is often difficult to close these cases,鈥� he said.

Peter Sheldon, lieutenant of the district鈥檚 third sector, sent an email to the fifth district community Google Group on Sept. 30. 鈥淭he District of Columbia has recently witnessed a recent spike in Theft One Stolen Automobile to include vehicles that are running unattended and not locked,鈥� he said.听听

91茄子 did not see a message in the Google group from any commander in the first sector, that includes NoMa.听 When asked, MPD Captain Zdenek Fronek, said public service announcements like the ones sent out by Moore and Sheldon, were typically the job of the communications department of the MPD.听

In addition to the stolen car rise, 17 thefts from inside vehicles in the NoMa area have been reported since Sept. 19,听 according to the MPD.

鈥淩ight now, our number one area is in NoMa in the area of the Union Market,鈥� said听

91茄子 checked the crime database and found two theft-from-car offenses reported in the Union Market area in the last month.听 Crimes in 1200 Block of 1st street were even higher.

Fronek said that 鈥渋t鈥檚 kind of impossible to pinpoint exact times,鈥� but the police department identified afternoon and nighttime as the moment of the crime spike. Nonetheless, the theft sometimes gets noticed hours after it happened, he said.

The NoMa Business Improvement District (BID) does not have an organization in charge of watching the community. The president of the NoMa BID, Robin-Eve Jasper, said she had no knowledge of the community having a neighborhood watch.

Jasper, who recognized that the community has seen a rise in theft from auto crimes, downplayed the situation by saying that the numbers, compared to 2019, are not high. 鈥淭hose numbers just move around,鈥� she said.

Fronek, who said he does not handle the offenses reports, confirmed that the police department has heard from the communities in the district. Nonetheless, they take notice of the crimes from the victims themselves.

Fronek said that the police department community outreach team was in the process of handing pamphlets and posting flyers around the community with safety guidance and notices.听

Jasper said that they are also working on cards to remind people to be aware and safe of these crimes. They designed and handed out cards in collaboration with the MPD last year as well.

The post Number of stolen cars is on the rise in NoMa first appeared on 91茄子.

The ongoing celebrations started on Sept. 15 and have offered activities, food, and festivities related to the Latino culture for Hispanic and non-Hispanic members of the community and visitors.

鈥淟ast week we actually had our best week since the pandemic started,鈥� Giuseppe Lanzone, co-owner of the food vendor Peruvian Brothers, said about sales during the pandemic. 鈥淲e literally just saw the volume of the people coming in La Cosecha increase, we saw an increase on our online orders, we saw more families coming in,鈥� Lazone said.

Businesses in La Cosecha have seen better times during the Hispanic celebrations than in the first few months of the pandemic.

The tenants have contributed to the successful month by sponsoring activities like chocolate decorating and having alpacas outside of the market.听

鈥淚t鈥檚 been really wonderful to see all the partners [the vendors] collaborating, cross collaborating, finding ways to be creative and to work together,鈥� Sara Beckstead, EDENS鈥� director of community experience, said.

An example of this was that customers that made a purchase in the boutique Nova Bossa received a second free drink offer in the market鈥檚 bar, Serenata.听

The organizers started planning the celebration six months ago, before the pandemic, and had to make some changes to festivities.听

La Cosecha integrated activities like virtual storytime and take-home food options.听

Along with receiving Hispanic clients that came to celebrate their heritage, they have also seen non-Hispanic speaking clients that have enjoyed the food and music.

鈥淭his is my first time setting an outdoor eatery,鈥� Shahana Islam said about going outside since the pandemic started. Islam knew about the activity from a friend, Ivelina Erinina, who is a NoMa resident.

During the pandemic, Arcay Chocolates changed from selling sweets in a cart to a permanent space in the Latin market. Owner Annabel Arcay was optimistic about expanding her business, telling 91茄子, 鈥淚鈥檓 pretty sure this is gonna be a success.鈥�

According to a 2020 State of the Business Report, released by the , there was a 40 percent increase in business applications compared to last year in July and mid-August.

That鈥檚 after a report that 28 percent of Washington D.C.鈥檚 small businesses were closed by July.

鈥淲hile many businesses are closed and losing revenue, entrepreneurial activity has not decreased,鈥� said the published article in the D.C. Policy Center site.听

La Cosecha, which opened in September 2019, currently has that vary between stores and food vendors from different Latin American countries like El Salvador, Peru, Colombia, and Venezuela, among others.

The vendors and the owners of La Cosecha, have promoted the Hispanic heritage celebrations through email, social media, and engagement with the embassies of the countries that are part of the market.

鈥淯ltimately this is supporting small businesses,鈥� Beckstead said, 鈥渋t’s really just trying to get the word out and have people come and enjoy their time here.鈥�

Beckstead said that they hope to continue doing more activities for its clients and La Cosecha will have new things to offer after the Hispanic heritage celebrations end on Oct. 15.

EDENS is the developing company that owns La Cosecha and other Union Market District locals, including Union Market itself.

The post Pandemic does not stop Hispanic celebrations in La Cosecha first appeared on 91茄子.

The first phase of the campaign, which launched four weeks ago, distributed 600 posters and 100听 yard signs designed by local artists with the purpose of reminding the community to wear a mask to prevent the spread of coronavirus. The designs showed art that was directed at or featured women.听

鈥淲e did feel men were underrepresented in the designs, so we actually have one coming out soon,鈥� Robin-Eve Jasper, president of the NoMa BID staff, said.

National polling by showed that 87% of women were wearing masks compared to 83% of men while visiting businesses during the pandemic.听

The designs that came out were done by different artists:; Tenbeete Solomon, known as ; Michelle Shiyu Chen, known as ; and , made up of Hanna Moran and Lindy Swan .听

Towles, who has worked with the NoMa community in the art festival , was approached by the staff organizing the campaign, and he contacted the other artists.

The artists of the posters were not given specific requirements for the creation of the designs, the Director of Marketing and Communications Sherri Cunningham said, 鈥淲e wanted to respect their creativity.鈥澨�

The focus for the NoMa BID staff was that the message of awareness was communicated through the concepts.

Towles鈥� design shows a woman wearing a red mask in an urban wall setting. That goes along with other designs he has been working on, he said.

The poster designed by Red Swan does not contain any words and听 features a mask surrounded by flowers.

Trap Bob, who illustrated a Black woman holding three masks, said she听 鈥渁lways feature Black women in my work so I created a fun character wearing a mask and standing in a pose that creates a call to action.鈥�

The fourth design, created by Shiyuart, features a Black mother putting a mask on her Black daughter.

A NoMa resident who commented her opinion to 91茄子 said that Shiyuart鈥檚 design was her favorite because it went along with the Black Lives Matter movement.

鈥淩ight now, I feel like it鈥檚 a positive message about Black people, it鈥檚 not the way they鈥檙e usually portrayed,鈥� the resident said about the poster which she remembers the most.

The NoMa BID staff have received feedback from people outside of the community as well, Cunningham said she received an email from a person in Orlando, Florida admiring the campaign.听

鈥淚t鈥檚 been a great reminder for people to put masks on, in a cool artistic way,鈥� Elliot Howe, the director of operations and human resources of Wunder Garten, said.

is one of the establishments handing out posters, along with other food vendors and fitness business like听 and .听

The idea for communicating the message creatively came from the community鈥檚 involvement with art throughout the years.听

鈥淥ur experience with art is that it really is, in some ways, like public space, a shared public experience,鈥� Jasper said about their approach.

The NoMa BID spent $10,000 in the campaign, which was distributed into printing the first round of 600 posters and the commissions given to each artist.

A second round of 600 posters and 100 yard signs are being printed to distribute in the community in the same locations that have participated in the campaign since Aug. 26.

The NoMa BID will also hand out nondisposable masks as part of the second phase of the campaign.听

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The post NoMa amplifies artistic Wear a Mask campaign to fight COVID-19 first appeared on 91茄子.