Alexandria resident Franklin Hernandez Arvelo, 19, was shot and killed on November 7 near the Georgetown waterfront.

Arvelo was fatally shot in the chest and was pronounced dead on the scene. The investigation into Arvelo’s shooting is still ongoing, Kristen Metzger, deputy director of police communications, said. At this time there, is no suspect.

Second District Captain Brian Bray said the Second District has formed a special beat to the Water Street area where Arvelo was shot on all three tours of duty throughout the day.

The special beat is assigned only for this specific area. Bray said a stronger police presence is a big piece of preventing crime.

Additionally, Bray said a crime suppression team monitors activity near East Georgetown and the waterfront. This team is responsible for proactive crime prevention.

Residents complained about the nighttime criminal activities in Georgetown during the November 2nd Advisory Neighborhood Commission 2e meeting. Meeting participants named drugs, muggings, and drag racing as issues in the neighborhood. One resident called Water Street an “open-air drug market.”

Most recently, the Second District placed its Narcotics and Special Investigations Division in the area in order to deal with drug complaints from residents.

The Citizens Association of Georgetown, a non-profit resident group, has also stepped up its public safety program in response to resident concerns.

This year there have been 469 crimes within 2000 feet of the Georgetown Waterfront Park, according to police data. The killing of Arvelo was the first homicide. There have also been six assaults with dangerous weapons and six robberies.

The majority of the crimes in the area this year have been property crimes, including 408 thefts and 48 burglaries.

Though the number of incidents is significantly lower than this time last year, in which 709 crimes had occurred already, ANC 2e commissioner Lisa Palmer is working to make the number even lower going forward.

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The weekly positive test count has been increasing since October 11, with 24 new cases last week and 22 the previous week.

Nicolo Ferretti, Georgetown student body president, said the number of cases does not alarm him. He said the university “did the best they could given the circumstances” in its coronavirus response plan for the fall semester.

“I mean, given all of the unknowns at the beginning of the semester, I think Georgetown did okay,” Ferretti said.

Ferretti, a senior studying science, technology, and international affairs, applauded the school’s testing protocol. Students who live on campus or visit campus more than twice a week must be tested two times a week. All other students who visit campus occasionally or live near the campus are required to be tested once a week.

However, Ferretti said from the onset, the university did a “poor job” communicating, failing to be transparent during the planning process for the fall semester.

Looking ahead

The university announced its plans for the spring Monday, keeping this semester’s virtual structure in place and more in-person opportunities.

Currently, 500 students are living on campus. University president John DeGioia, who detailed the plan in a , said the university would invite 500 additional seniors back to campus in the spring. All classes will be offered virtually with more options for hybrid courses for seniors.

“I know that this is not the message that many in our community hoped to hear when looking ahead to next semester,” DeGioia said in the letter. “We understand the disappointment in not being able to fully return to campus and how eager our community is to be together in person.”

DeGioia also noted that the plans could change as officials track the virus’s trajectory during the winter months.

“We are a community of 26,000 people,” DeGioia wrote. “The virus impacts all of us. The actions we take have an impact on those around us. We share these plans with you at a very uncertain and challenging time. As we enter the winter months–widely anticipated as the most dangerous time for the pandemic – we face uncontrolled spread of COVID-19 in nearly all states.”

In DC, there have been 19,064 positive cases of coronavirus since March, resulting in 660 deaths. Of the positive cases, 25 percent were in individuals ages 19 to 30, .

The number of positive tests has been steadily increasing since Nov. 1. The district is currently in Phase Two of its reopening plan.

Ferretti said the university’s spring plan is what he expected. But he said he is nervous about 500 students returning to campus: “It could lead to a serious public health emergency.”

Based on a survey given by the student government, Ferretti said he believes most students understand the severity of the virus and are taking precautions.

But Ferretti said he’d heard reports of students living near campus throwing large gatherings.

“I’ve heard horror stories of 100-person parties,” Ferretti said. “Students who live next to less responsible students are suddenly surrounded by an influx of cases.”

It’s hard to see that behavior and not be disappointed in his peers, he said. “The situation we’re in really necessitates everyone take responsible steps.”

Georgetown officials did not respond to 91����’s request for additional comment.

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The results of the presidential election   as election officials count an unprecedented number of absentee ballots during the coronavirus pandemic and face legal challenges. The standoff is both anger- and anxiety-provoking for Democrats and Republicans alike, who believe there is much at stake, especially around immigration, health care and racial justice.

“I had people calling me weeping this morning, afraid that Trump was going to win,” said Carol McGinnis, president of the Maryland Counseling Association on Nov. 4. “Clients are just really struggling right now. It’s painful and it’s scary.”

Nearly 80% of American adults say the “future of our nation” is a significant source of stress, compared to 66% in 2019, according to from the American Psychological Association.

The anxiety flowed across party lines. Over 75% of Democrats and 67% of Republicans reported that the 2020 U.S. presidential election was a significant source of stress.

Counselors are working overtime to figure out the best ways to support their clients during this time. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline added more staff on Election Night because the organization saw a 140% increase from normal traffic on Election Night in 2016, .

“We want to listen and affirm,” McGinnis of the Maryland Counseling Association said. “Then we have to come up with a plan. ‘If Trump wins and he is the source of your anxiety, then what’s your five-year plan? Let’s go beyond Trump.’”

Mental health providers are encouraging clients to limit news consumption and take walks or talk with friends instead. It isn’t useful to focus on “the minute by minute activities related to the elections, over which none of us have any individual control,” said Jean Harris, the president of the D.C. Chapter of the National Alliance of Mental Illness.

Counselors have also noticed that anxiety, stress and anger can be higher in communities of color. The recent wave of Black Lives Matter protests across the country led to a widespread awareness of systemic racism, and that is on the top of clients’ minds.

“Counselors have to help clients find a way to process all of the trauma which could now be compounded by this election,” McGinnis said.

Counselors also note that living in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area is particularly taxing. The District has been for racial equity, including those held during the summer and on Election Night.

“The other things that are happening in our community all may evoke a strong, emotional response for individuals within our community,” said Barbara Bazron, the director of the D.C. Department of Behavioral Health.

It’s hard not to be angry during this time, counselors said. But anger can be positive and productive, depending on where it is directed, said McGinnis.

“If you don’t do anything with it or turn it toward yourself then you become depressed and might turn to alcohol or drugs,” McGinnis said. “But you can learn how to use your anger to move you toward action and education. Turn that coal into a fire.”

The election anxiety adds to the declining mental health Americans have experienced during the coronavirus pandemic. More than 9.3 million coronavirus cases , and more than 230,000 people have died from the virus. 

Those numbers are expected to rise as the country faces another wave this holiday season, as people thwart social distancing guidelines and localities begin to reopen. 

Counselors are expecting to see even more demand for their services, as families bring holiday transitions to virtual platforms, or struggle to put meals on the table.

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D.C., along with nine states, automatically sent voters an absentee ballot this year. In 36 states, absentee ballots could be requested by any voter,

Last week, USPS reported an “exceedingly high-volume of mail moving through the system.” The agency prioritized ballot delivery, which resulted in about 20 percent of all mail being late for the week of Oct. 19.

Felicia Lott, the communications specialists for the USPS Capital region, said Tuesday the agency implemented “extraordinary measures” to ensure ballots are processed and delivered on time.

The USPS processing plants began processing collected ballots early Monday and continued Tuesday.

Lott said USPS has been working closely with local election boards to ensure that ballots are cleared and delivered. Ballots have been accepted and processed throughout the day, while USPS carriers have been making special runs to local boards of elections.

“With a record number of people having voted by mail, the U.S. Postal Service has processed and delivered more than 126 million ballots, including both blank ballots delivered from election officials to voters and completed ballots from voters to election officials since September 4,” Lott said.

Lott said the agency would continue to “expeditiously process and prioritize the delivery of ballots this election season.”

To do that, starting Oct. 26 and continuing past the election, USPS is doing extra pick-ups and deliveries.

Other measures include:
• Starting Saturday, Oct. 31, local carriers began checking for outgoing mail at every residential mailbox, including ballots, regardless if they have mail to deliver.
• Allowing post offices to establish “ballot postmark only” lines at retail counters
• Allowing post offices to create drive-through ballot postmark and/or drop options

Lott said USPS is “deeply committed to our longstanding role in the electoral process, and we are actively working to deliver in this election season.”

Mark Dimondstein, president of the American Postal Workers’ Union, said postal workers on the frontline have “moved heaven and earth” to make sure all ballots are processed and counted on time.
Dimondstein said workers put in “extra hours, extra attention, and extra effort.”

“Every local stepped up to ensure the timely delivery and processing of ballots with hundreds of our locals involved in local task forces to ensure the job was done well and any problems were addressed,” Dimondstein said. “Over the next few days, we stand with all fair-minded people throughout our country who expect and insist that all ballots, including all mail ballots, will be counted and the results respected.”

The integrity of postal workers was constantly attacked by the “highest office of the land, “ Dimondstein said, but “the honesty and dedication of postal workers to the people of this country was once again in full display.”
The deadline for ballot receipt in D.C. is Nov. 13th. Track the status of your absentee ballot here

D.C. has until November 16 to count all ballots, and until November 24 to certify and release final election results, according to the D.C. Board of Elections.

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Because of their pungent smell, the city allows homeowners to petition to remove the female trees, which bear the contentious berries, on their blocks.

According to city-data, the Georgetown area has one of the highest counts of female Ginkgo trees in the district. A produced by the city shows there are between 52 and 89 trees in the neighborhood.

Georgetown resident, Kelly Banner, visits Rose Park, lined with several 40-foot-tall Ginkgo trees, at least twice a week. The sidewalk bordering the park is often riddled with squashed Ginkgo berries, producing that familiar spoiled odor.

Though Banner described the smell as “vomit-inducing,” she said that doesn’t keep her from visiting the park.

“It’s not the most pleasant aroma in the world,” Banner said. “But the trees are beautiful and I would think that would make up for the smell.”

Banner said she might feel differently if the trees were outside her own home: “I’m not sure I would care for my street to be lined with them,” Banner said. “I might not love it, but I’d probably learn to live with it.”

Banner said she was shocked when she learned that residents could have the trees removed.

“The reason why Georgetown is so unique for me is all of the foliage,” Banner said. “If we start chopping down trees, we will lose parts of who we are.”

A compromise

Instead of removing the smelly trees, , a citizen-led committee, is trying to save half a dozen trees on two of the neighborhood’s blocks.

Betsy Ames, chair of Trees for Georgetown, said the Ginkgo trees in Georgetown, some more than 100 years old, are all worth saving.

“You just don’t cut down a healthy tree,” Emes said. “If it’s not dead or dangerous, don’t remove it, especially not Ginkgos. These are ancient trees.”

However, Emes acknowledges that residents have the right to petition.

Residents on Avon Place and 27th Street began a petition last year requesting that the city remove the female Ginkgos on their blocks. The petition garnered 60% of the residents’ support on both blocks, but the petition was thrown out over a technicality.

That’s when Trees for Georgetown stepped in to compromise with the residents in an attempt to save the trees on Avon and 27th.

“Trees for Georgetown is not only about planting trees,” Emes said. “We’re also about saving trees and trying to educate people about the value of trees, what they do for us, and how to take care of them.”

Emes said, rather than “let the city take down the beautiful, healthy trees,” Trees for Georgetown struck a deal with the residents, agreeing to have the berries cleaned in front of their houses if they did not resubmit their petition.

The residents agreed and Trees for Georgetown hired a local landscaping and cleaning company, Clean Decisions, to clear the berries. The company began cleaning in mid-October for two hours each weekday morning. The clean-ups will continue for the remainder of the fruiting season, which usually lasts until early December.

Emes said she is hoping the fruiting season will wrap up in six weeks.

Though Trees for Georgetown could not hold its annual fundraiser this year because of the coronavirus pandemic, Emes said the group had a “little bit of money” leftover from last year.

The organization decided to invest it into the Ginkgo pilot, Emes said, because “It’s just awful to cut down healthy trees just because they become a nuisance to one or two people.”

In the past two years, Emes estimates about two Ginkgos have been removed in Georgetown, which she said is a “big loss.”

The trees “take forever to get big,” she said. Like most ancient trees, they are also resistant to disease, pollution, drought, and floods, Emes said. “To have something like that removed is just a crime.”

Depending on how well the pilot works and its final price tag, Emes said. Trees for Georgetown might expand its effort in the future.

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The stairs have become unsafe and are on the verge of deteriorating. Replacing these stairs is one piece of the church’s 250th-anniversary restoration project. The project’s goal is to make the church more accessible and “welcoming,” Charles Bushman, the congregation president, said. Bushman and his wife have been members at Georgetown Lutheran for eight years. He’s served on the church council for the past three years.

“It’s really easy to ask who cares,” Bushman said. “But we are committed to it because it’s ours, and it’s the right thing to do.”

The Advisory Neighborhood Commission 2e unanimously voted in support of the church’s plan on Sept. 29. The Old Georgetown Board, which must approve all new construction in the Georgetown Historic District, followed suit on Oct 1st.

Bushman, who is spearheading the project, said Georgetown Lutheran began the first phase of its preservation effort last year when the church celebrated its 250th anniversary.

The church launched its Capital Campaign in 2019 with the goal of raising $250,000 and logging 250 service hours toward roof repairs and other deferred maintenance, Bushman said.

Now, looking ahead toward the next phase of restoration, Bushman said the plans are “more proactive and less emergent.”

Phase two has three principal aims. The first is to restore the church’s 1914 bell tower to its original appearance and replace the two decaying staircases that connect the tower door to the sidewalk.

In 1942, a separate stone bell structure was placed in the church’s front garden that is now deteriorating and at risk of crumbling.

Bushman said there was a “considerable” discussion with the Old Georgetown Board about removing it, but the board conceded, agreeing that the structure created a safety hazard.

The second prong is addressing water build up in the church’s basement, which has caused mold. The plan is to build a stormwater management system to “get the stormwater off of the site responsibly,” Bushman said.

“Instead of just dumping it,” Bushman said the church wants to clean the stormwater to ensure there isn’t pollution going into the city sewer system.

Preserved and accessible

The last piece of the project with the most community impact is improving accessibility to the site, Bushman said.

“It pains me to this day that when I got married, one of our wedding guests in a wheelchair had to drive up the front lawn in order to join us for our celebration,” Bushman said. “Especially since we are particularly dedicated to being opening and welcoming to the public.”

The plan is to install an accessibility ramp to the front door, so anyone who uses a mobility device can “get from the sidewalk to the front door with some dignity and a proper ramp,” Bushman said. “It’s an elegant way to address the mobility issue.”

Joe Gibbons, the ANC 2e representative for Georgetown, favors the plans largely because of the accessibility piece. Gibbons described the landscape as “crumbling” and non-ADA accessible.

“Accessibility for people with disabilities shouldn’t be a hindrance, especially at a church,” Gibbons said. “I’m always in favor of making things accessible, even if it means violating historic preservation regulations.”

Historic preservation rules don’t trump a person’s ability to get around, Gibbons said. “Just because it was done like that in 1850, it doesn’t mean it should in 2020.”

Gibbons said the historic preservation guidelines are “not like ten commandments. They’re more like golf. There are rules, and we make them up as we go along and interpret them.”

“It’s important to preserve to show what we were like, but we’re a museum or Disney World,” Gibbons said. “People have to live here, so it’s always a balance.”

‘Lots of factors’

The bell tower alone will cost $100,000, but the total cost of the restoration efforts is still being calculated, Bushman said.

The project is just moving into the detailed design phase, which Bushman said: “could take a while.”

Once the technical design aspects are solidified, the church will know the total price tag. Georgetown Lutheran submitted a $50,000 grant application to the DC Preservation League at the end of September to fund a portion of the project.

If selected, that funding would become available Jan. 1. To fund the rest of the project, Bushman said the church would do a second round of the Capital Campaign.

There are “lots of factors that weigh into the timeline,” Bushman said. After the design phase wraps up, the church must take its detailed plan to the Old Georgetown Board for the second round of approval.

If OK’d, the church can then move on to the final step of applying for a DC building permit.

“Realistically,” Bushman said construction wouldn’t begin until at least spring, and the goal would be to finish by the end of 2021.

Lauren Boston, communications director for Georgetown Business Improvement District, said Georgetown Lutheran Church has always played an active role in the Georgetown community.

Georgetown BID, a non-profit that works to maintain the accessibility, attractiveness, and appeal of Georgetown’s commercial district, holds several public outreach events at the church each year.

“It’s a fixture on Wisconsin Avenue,” Boston said. “We look forward to partnering with them again in the future.”

Bushman said restoration is crucial in order for these types of events to be more accessible in the future: “Taking care of building and making it more accessible to others is taking care of this spot of Georgetown.”

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The initiative lowered the speed limit to 15 mph and restricted car entry to local traffic only on 27 streets across the city. None of the selected streets are in Georgetown, which one resident called a “failure by the city.”

Topher Matthews, who has lived in Georgetown for 17 years, questions the city’s decision to exclude the neighborhood from the initiative considering the amount of foot traffic in the neighborhood. Though Matthews said he’s heard that the city has been exploring adding Georgetown’s N and Water Streets to the initiative, nothing has been formalized.

“Again, it’s almost October,” Matthews said. “The amount of foot-dragging by the administration is truly astounding.”

Neither Bowser’s office nor the District Department of Transportation, which oversees the initiative, responded to 91����’s request for comment on the status of implementing Slow Streets in Georgetown.

The idea of the initiative is to “support neighborhood-based safe social distancing while walking, running, or cycling,” according to a May press release from Bowser’s office. The Slow Streets initiative will be in place for the duration of the coronavirus pandemic.

Matthews said when the pandemic first began, there was hardly anyone driving on the streets. “It was like a ghost town. Now, it’s the opposite of that,” Mathews told 91����. “The opportunity to make stakeouts of space while the driving wasn’t there has passed.”

It will be more difficult, “beating back the driver behavior that has already emerged again,” he said.

‘You could feel the wind’

Several restaurants throughout Georgetown have set up on-street dining in response to the coronavirus. Matthews noted that Slow Streets would also help create a better environment for on-street eating.

Erin Fastel, who had just finished a meal at Good Stuff Eatery’s on-street dining area, agreed. Fastel said the passing cars on M Street were close enough that “you could feel the wind” from them.

“It’s been a little stressful just sitting here,” Fastel said. “Drivers are being more aggressive than they should be with the amount of people out.”

Fastel said the city should consider making M Street single-laned so that cars can’t speed up to pass each other.

Meanwhile, Alena Sydnor, who was visiting Georgetown for the first time since March, wants the city to consider lowering the speed limit from 25 to 15 mph on M Street. The speed limit mandated by Slow Streets is 15 mph.

However, since M street has several bus routes, it would not be eligible for the initiative, per the department of transportation’s guidelines.

No matter what the speed limit is, Sydnor said, “drivers are still going to speed and people are still going to jaywalk. What do you do to incentivize people to slow down?”

Mayor Bowser took another step toward slowing drivers down this summer when she lowered the speed limit from 25 to 20 mph on most streets throughout the district. But this move excluded major commuting corridors, such as Wisconsin Ave.

A little more than 5% of pedestrians who are struck by a vehicle traveling 20 mph die, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The chance of death increases to 40 percent when a vehicle is traveling 30 mph.

Sydnor, who lives across the river in Arlington, said she was “overwhelmed” by the amount of car and foot traffic in Georgetown.

“Sometimes when you try to cross the street, it’s a little tricky,” Sydnor said. “You might have the right-of-way as the pedestrian, but drivers might not care.”

Sydnor said as a pedestrian, “you just have to be cautious — more cautious than I really want to be just walking across the street.”

Vision Zero

Matthews said Bowser’s administration should be doing more to enhance pedestrian safety across the entire city. The Slow Streets initiative is the “bare minimum. They should be doing more to try to slow down cars driving through neighborhoods.”

Even if the city increases the number of streets in the initiative, it would still only be a small percentage of streets in the city, Matthews said.

“It’s not super effective,” Matthews said. “It’s better than nothing, but it’s’ not that much better than nothing, and they can’t even do that.”

The DC Council passed last week aimed at decreasing the overall number of traffic injuries and fatalities in the city. So far this year, 29 people have been killed in traffic crashes compared to 16 this time last year, according to MPD.

The legislation, which still has to be signed into law by Bowser, would implement several measures for pedestrian safety, such as requiring sidewalks to be built on both sides of a street and banning right turns on red lights on streets with heavy pedestrian traffic.

Matthews said the legislation is a “move in the right direction, but at the very top is reluctance from the mayor’s office to actually move aggressively to reconfigures the streets in a way that prioritizes pedestrians and non-motorized vehicles instead of trying to get as many commuters in and out of the city as fast as possible every day.”

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