“I heard what sounded like pops; I thought it was a tire,” he said. “But I guess in this country, we can assume that it’s probably a gunshot.”

On Thursday, Nov. 7th, two men were shot on the corner of M and First streets NE. According to the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), both were taken to the hospital and are expected to survive.

Following the shooting, tenants of the two apartment buildings on the block, The Iris and 2M Street Apartments, were told they couldn’t cross the police tape to access the entrance to their building. They were instead sent around the block to use another entrance.

Those renters who were forced to detour were outwardly frustrated and began to yell at the officers, questioning how yet another shooting could’ve happened despite a police car being parked on the street all day, every day.

“If you’re going to have a police presence and over-police a community, and people are still getting shot right in front of the police, then the police aren’t the answer to the problem,” said Lucas.

According to gun violence mapping done by the , the number of shootings that have occurred on Lucas’ block increased between 2020-2023 when compared to 2016-2019.

In addition, the number of residents who lived near at least one fatal shooting increased by 17% during that same time frame.

Lulu, who didn’t share her last name because of rules set forth by her employer, lives a few blocks away near the Mt. Vernon Triangle neighborhood. Her neighborhood has similar statistics to Lucas’ in terms of gun homicides.

“I mean, just last night, we heard automatic guns just going off back and forth,” she said. “It was like some kind of war going on outside.”

While the District tries to find a solution to the issues, Lulu said the current strategy of increased police presence hasn’t worked, leaving her frustrated.

“There’s a lot of cops stationed on a lot of corners and shit still happens,” she said. “For example, on O Street, there’s always shootings, there’s always robberies, and there’s always a cop car sitting there.”

Pointing fingers

Another woman in her early 30s has lived in the NoMa neighborhood for four years, bearing witness to the spikes in crime and other shifts in the area. She agreed to speak to 91���� on the condition of anonymity due to press policies at her job.

Over those four years, new luxury buildings have been popping up on seemingly every corner. She shared that much of the construction over the last two years has happened on streets perpendicular to North Capitol Street, like M Street NE, where the shooting occurred.

“It is displacing people,” she said. “Now, people that used to spend time on the street in those areas aren’t necessarily welcome there, whether it’s for the construction or because of the new residents.”

Lulu agreed that the uptick in violence could be related to gentrification, citing the jarring juxtaposition of communities that have lived in the area for years being forced to share the space with newcomers.

“A lot of people are having issues, like, adapting to that,” she said. “Some of the new buildings go for [$3,200 to $3,800] right across the street from like, rent controlled apartments where people have been there for years and stuff like that, so it is an even mix between, like, townies and newbies.”

Lucas, on the other hand, while acknowledging the role gentrification plays in igniting community anger, blamed the accessibility of guns.

“I think blaming the community is probably not the way to go,” he said. “Shootings are happening everywhere, no matter where in the city you live or are.”

District issues public safety grants

In late October, the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice (DMPSJ) announced 12 community organizations that will receive $2.1 million in grant funding through the Fiscal Year 25 Safe Commercial Corridors Grant Program.

This is the second round of funding announcements, which, according to a DMPSJ , “is designed to promote public safety and public health through evidence-based activities for residents, workers, and visitors.”

Lulu’s neighborhood of Mt. Vernon Triangle and Lucas’ of NoMa are two areas of the District that have organizations receiving grants in this year’s allocations. Funding from the grants can be used for a few different purposes, including to hire personnel and increase security presence in corridors.

Isaiah Cromer, spokesperson for the DMPSJ, said in an email that “highlights of the FY24 Safe Commercial Corridors grant include the installation of approximately 90 security cameras in commercial corridors across the District and safety ambassadors working a total of nearly 15,000 hours from March 1 through Sept. 30, 2024.”

He added that the District’s whole-of-government approach has led to an overall reduction in crime across the city.

The NoMa Business Improvement District (NoMa BID) is one of the organizations receiving $2.1 million, and according to Cromer, it plans to use it to install security cameras and necessary equipment as opposed to hiring personnel.

The NoMa BID did not respond to a request for comment.

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While many air their grievances on the internet or march in the streets in protest, artists such as Ramsey have turned to art as an outlet to not only process, but to express their feelings about living in modern day America.

Many of these emotions were on display at an open house over the weekend, just down the street from the U.S. Capitol.

Ramsey is one of over 50 artists that rent spaces in the in the NoMa neighborhood.

The four-story building was converted into studios in 1978 to address the shortage of affordable spaces for Washington-based artists. This past Saturday, the building welcomed the community into the space for an open house event.

Ramsey greeted eventgoers in a custom t-shirt featuring one of his D.C. Rats. This rat wears a D.C. flag shirt, holding a sign that says “VOTE,” in one hand and carrying a jumbo slice of pizza in the other. Other iterations of the rat were strewn about in sticker form on the table in front of him.

Ramsey’s upcoming exhibition focuses on life in D.C., telling stories through the lens of the D.C. Rat.

“It talks a little bit about gentrification and survivability and opinions of people from the outside looking in,” he said. “These things are life forms, and they’re just trying to live and survive, and that kind of is a stand in for certain dispossessed or disenfranchised people in the city.”

Ramsey said he uses his cartoonish, poppy, and surrealist imagery to draw people into the art, which depicts his experiences as a Black man in America. Whether they have been positive or negative, the pieces show his reactions to changes in the world around him over the last couple of decades.

Down the hall, artist and organizer hosts glass-making classes in a studio covered in glass cranes. While folding an origami paper crane, Julianna told the story of her close friend Ian, a trans person who passed away in 2016.

Julianna explained that in the Shinto tradition, whenever someone folds a thousand cranes, that person is granted a wish. When she found out Ian was getting married, she planned to make a thousand cranes for the wedding to grantthem a wish. But after Ian passed away, her goal changed.

“Instead of stopping at a thousand, I fold towards infinity because I see it as aTrojan horse to talk to folks about trans inclusion,” Julianna said. She now hosts “fold-ins,” where people come together to make paper cranes and learn about the trans experience.

For her, art is not only a way to bring people in and create a shared safe space, but a means by which she can share thestories of others and spread awareness around causes she feels strongly about.

Artist has occupied a studio at 52 O St. for five years, using paper and pencil as his preferred medium to tell deep, psychological stories that show internal selves responding to the outside world.

His exhibition currently on display is titled “Unrest,” and it investigates how humans respond to trauma, internal unrest, and discontent.

“I like the work to show the protagonist or the hero of the story, the narrator of the story, feeling his internal emotions and experiencing the external,” Berg said. “A lot of art these days is decorative, and it’s just not me. I can’t imagine doing art that wasn’t a reaction to the outside world.”

Ramsey’s exhibition launches on Nov. 2, opening to the public just three days before the 2024 presidential election.

Berg’s “Unrest” is on display now at 52 O St., and Julianna’s classes are available for sign-up through her Instagram .

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By showtime at Songbyrd Music House, the venue was empty. Despite this, the performers at , a monthly sign-up-based drag showcase at Songbyrd, seemed to be in good spirits, waiting for a few dozen spectators to drift in before they started nearly an hour late.

DC Drag Lab is one of only three regularly scheduled open sign-up drag shows in D.C., the others being Screen Test (hosted on Wednesday nights at Shakers, on hiatus until November) and Slay Them (hosted on first Fridays at Red Bear Brewery). At open sign-up shows, any performer can contact the host and perform, regardless of their experience level. Host Brooke N. Hymen posted the sign up in July.

“I started producing DC’s Drag Lab because we were missing an open stage, non-competition format drag show in the city. Open stages are where I really got my start and was able to work on my craft and try out new numbers, so it felt important to bring that platform back for newer artists,” Brooke said.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Outside the walls of Songbyrd, a 220-capacity venue in Union Market, these new performers have a much tougher time booking performances without connections and a history of shows. Here, though, they have up to five minutes to perform whatever they so choose: usually a mix of lip sync, dance, and comedy numbers. All the while, each performer sashays into the audience to collect cash tips to fund their drag.

Inclusivity is the basis of an open stage show, and this month’s Drag Lab cast made a point of letting the audience know that these values don’t stop at the stage door. During numbers, queens supported one another by filming for social media and cheering with all their might. The performers of Drag Lab, many of whom are rarely able to show their skills, took the stage with a passion for both performance and their community.

Jazz What and Vettick What traveled to DC from suburban Maryland to perform, and relied on the community that they built with one another to propel them into drag performance.

“I started doing drag almost two years ago already, in November 2022,” Jazz What said. They started performing on their partner Vettick What’s birthday, at Vettick’s encouragement. “They were the one who pushed me and told me ‘Hey. Are you going to talk? Or are you going to do something about it?’” Jazz said. At Drag Lab, they wore a leather outfit and performed a comedic routine beginning with Queen’s “I Want to Break Free” and ending with a dance break. They were followed by Vettick What, who, adorned in white face paint, covered themself in fake blood as they danced to Paramore’s “Misery Business.”

“I came to life… like a week after my birthday.” Vettick said. Though their initial birth was as the feminine drag queen Betty What, they changed their name to Vettick What in December 2023 to represent their desire to gender-bend in performances.

“The best thing about open stages like tonight is that you can let go, and you can do anything you want… It went great! And all of the performers were so great to be watching,” they said.

As the two headed to their car at the end of the night, they were stopped by multiple audience members that they knew, exchanging hugs.

Jazz and Vettick were not the only ones in the room encouraging each other. Though groups entered the audience separately, it became clear by the end of the night that many already knew one another. Ballroom performer Bombshell Monroe climbed onto the stage halfway through the night to celebrate her birthday and the performance of her drag daughter (a younger performer that she is mentoring) Jade Monroe. Silver Ware, the host of T4T 2000, a monthly transgender social hour at Trade Bar, was invited to the stage as a surprise guest host to cheers from the crowd. By the time the show ended just after 1:00 a.m., groups that entered the audience together had separated and blended together into a small sea of queer faces.

The cast of this month’s Drag Lab included hosts Brooke N. Hymen and Andromeda and featured performances by Anya Olympia, Miss Gorgeous Michael, Archer Back, Jazz What, Vettick What, Donnicka Reddy Alexander, Jade Monroe, and Dream.

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The intersection that has been informally long referred to as “Dave Thomas Circle” by the locals will now be known as Mamie “Peanut” Johnson Plaza, following a community-driven initiative in naming the public space.

“I love the new name,” expressed Natalie Meyer, a Black NoMa resident, with enthusiasm. “It’s a homage to my culture, and (Mamie Johnson) has been an inspiring female figure for Black women in sports.”

Mamie “Peanut” Johnson was the first woman to pitch in the Negro League. A longtime resident of Northeast D.C., she graduated from Long Branch High School and was a dedicated advocate for youth sports.��

The renaming of this iconic intersection was not a swift decision. The NoMa Business Improvement District (NoMa BID) received a staggering 1,200 name suggestions from the community throughout the summer following the reconstruction project announcement in April.

“We’re excited about the name,” said NoMa BID President Maura Brophy. “We’re also really excited about the overwhelming response that we got from the community when we invited them to submit names and then to cast the final vote.”

With no official name before this initiative, the intersection had long carried the theme of confusion, mirroring the complexities of the space. Brophy said it was also consistent with the lack of clarity around the space’s identity.��

The renaming process aimed to eliminate this ambiguity and formally identify the space. In collaboration with the District Department of Transportation (DDOT), the NoMa BID of the NoMa community in April, to propose a name for the evolving intersection, set to include protected bicycle lanes and create three new public park spaces.

These public spaces will be situated at the circle where a famous Wendy’s restaurant was before it shut down in 2021, often having residents refer to the intersection as “Wendy’s Circle” as well.

Following the suggestions from the community, a diverse panel of community stakeholders, encompassing residents and local business owners from NoMa, carefully reviewed all submissions and narrowed the selection down to five choices.��

After DDOT’s approval, these name options were put up for voting in , allowing the public to vote on their favorite name until late August.

Out of more than 4,300 votes cast, 40% of respondents chose to honor Mamie “Peanut” Johnson, making it the winning name.

The other names up for voting included “Douglass Crossing,” referring to social reformer and abolitionist Frederick Douglass; “Three Stars Plaza,” denoting the three stars in the DC flag and reflecting the three green public spaces in the project; “Tiber Gateway” representing Tiber Creek that ran near First Street NE and was important to the early development of D.C.; and “People’s Plaza.”

“We’ve undergone several community gaming processes in the past,” Brophy said, referring to Alethia Tanner Park and other parks in NoMa. “And one thing that we’ve learned from them is that people really do see these as an opportunity to tell stories to reflect history.”

With the community vote determined, the next step is to introduce formal legislation before the DC Council to officially recognize the name for the new trio of public spaces.

Mayor Muriel Bowser expressed her excitement and gratitude for the community’s involvement in the renaming process in a statement last week.

“Our community is ready to start a new chapter at this intersection, and we are off to a strong start by naming it after such an iconic woman,” she said. “Mamie ‘Peanut’ Johnson was a pioneer. Now, it is fitting that her name will represent these new spaces where residents and visitors can rest and play.”

The intersection, notorious for its complexity and confusion, has posed challenges for both drivers and pedestrians over the years. The new $41 million infrastructure project launched by Mayor Bowser in July aims to enhance safety for all road users. It involves realigning and adding two-way traffic to First Street NE and restoring two-way traffic on Florida Avenue NE.

“One thing about this particular intersection is it really does serve as a point of connection between neighborhoods, a point of connection to D.C., it is very heavily traversed,” Brophy said. “So a lot of people interact with it and experience it. And because of its former configuration, despite the fact that it sat at the crossroads of neighborhoods, it could and it did serve as somewhat of a barrier between them.”

Having lived in NoMa for over a year, William Baker said the intersection has always frightened local and visiting drivers alike.

“It’s exhausting when you’re in a rush,” he said. “Usually, I would drive the opposite way to avoid the intersection.”

However, the new design and the changing traffic pattern have given him “new hopes”, he said, adding that he voted for the new name of Mamie “Peanut” Johnson Plaza.

Another NoMa resident, Jonathan Spiers said while he initially voted for Douglas Crossing, the winning name was his second choice and he is excited to explore the park spaces.

“We expected that we would get a lot of attention and a lot of responses from the community, given the high-profile nature of this space, and that definitely proved to be true,” Brophy said, describing the naming process. “We really had fun with this.”

The construction phase for the infrastructure project began in July. The estimated completion of the project is set to be in December 2024. According to NoMA BID, the signage indicating the new name is expected to be installed close to the delivery of the project. It will be designed by an award-winning landscape architecture firm, SWA Balsley.

The post D.C.’s Dave Thomas Circle Renamed Mamie ‘Peanut’ Johnson Plaza: A Community Tribute first appeared on 91����.

“It’s awesome,” said NoMa resident William Foster, pointing out the Doberman. “Of all the murals here, I think one of the most beautiful ones is that dog with that chain. I see it and I feel there’s more to it than just a dog.”����

Painted by local artist Gentry Pack, the mural is one of 16 new artworks unveiled by the NoMa Business Improvement District (BID) last month as part of the “NoMa in Color” event, running from September to mid-October.��

The inspiration behind the mural, according to Pack, was to reflect on the stigma of the Doberman breed’s intimidating and aggressive appearance despite their friendly, loving and goofy nature.

“As a minority male, sometimes, depending on how I’m dressed or whatever neighborhood I’m in, people might think I’m on a certain type of time, but in reality, I’m smiling, I’m assuming, I’m laughing and I’m just trying to spread love, inspiring people,” Pack said.��

The eighth Annual Mural Festival featured both established and emerging muralists with diverse backgrounds, adding to the neighborhood’s history and spirit. These newly released murals are an addition to the colorful 900-foot-long concrete wall owned by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) serving Metro’s Red Line.��

Residents can find the mural wall behind Alethia Tanner Park. The wall hosts a range of artworks, from abstract pieces to depictions of human portraits. One such portrait by Maryland artist Yewande K. Davis titled “Joy Reverie” features a Black woman basking in a nature-inspired setting. Another vibrant mural spelling out “DC” in American Sign Language painted by artist Yiqiao Wang represents the Deaf community in NoMa.

Toward the end of this expansive mural wall, residents can discover Pack’s striking Doberman painting.

Pack, originally from Baltimore, has found his artistic home in the DMV. With an arts degree from the University of Maryland, Pack has been painting for the past 10 years, often featuring animals and humans.

“I started off with animals because I was scared to paint people,” Pack said. “Animals are a lot more forgiving. But I do think naturally, as a subject, (dogs) can carry just as much emotion as a human; they can carry just as much symbolism. And last but not least, like most people just love dogs.”

While this was his first mural— and it took him nine days to finish the piece— Pack is no stranger to incorporating dogs into his art. He previously showcased a series of canvas paintings titled “Demon Dogs” at Eckington Hall earlier this year.

Pack’s choice to paint the Doberman is also rooted in the breed’s common practice of cosmetic alterations, including ear cropping and tail docking, for both aesthetic and working purposes. As a Black artist, he draws a meaningful link to the historical mistreatment of his race, akin to the way these dogs have been altered, reflecting a shared history of cruelty and resilience.

“I always see them wearing like gold chains; I always wear gold chains,” Pack said. “And I was like, man, all these things that I think are so cool about this dog are low-key kind of cruelly done. I think just as a black man and the history of black culture in this country, for some reason or another, I just really resonated with those things, and aesthetically, I was already drawn to it.”

Many residents and pedestrians, especially from the Black community, marveled over Pack’s artwork and were able to recognize its cultural inspiration. One such resident was Neena B., who saw Pack working on the piece last month during her regular strolls.

“Looking at it, it felt very much inspired by the Black culture,” she said. “I really love it, and I feel like the additional context makes a lot of sense.”

Another resident, Colby, appreciated the muted colors and the attempt to soften Doberman’s majestic pose with the addition of flowers to the piece. Colby said that knowing the story behind the artwork made her feel more connected to the artist.

As NoMa’s mural display has become a highly anticipated cultural and community event, NoMa BID President and CEO Maura Brophy said the organization recognized the vast talent pool in the DMV and wanted to support local artists like Pack.

“We love it when people have a chance to reflect on the pieces and kind of see their own personal lived experience through them,” Brophy said. “Everyone brings something unique to a piece of art when they interact with it. … I love that G. Pack was able to bring us a piece that is reflective of the community.”

��

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The wall art, entirely at home in a neighborhood with murals galore, was the winner of a held by the NoMa Business Improvement District (BID) earlier this year.

The artist behind it is , an art professor at Gallaudet University for the past 15 years. Deaf since birth, McAuliffe said that when she heard about the opportunity, she knew that she wanted her design to be “a mural that represents the Deaf community” and familiarized ASL to people passing by.

“The day the mural was installed, I witnessed a man teaching his boy the alphabet in ASL. That melted my heart!” she said in an email interview.

The District has over deaf and hard-of-hearing residents and is widely considered a “Deaf-friendly city.” But most of that reputation can be attributed to the presence of Gallaudet University, established in 1864.

While Gallaudet University and its immediate community lie outside the NoMa Business Improvement District’s geographic boundaries, BID President Maura Brophy said that the BID views them as key stakeholders in the greater NoMa area. “The fact that the Red Line Metro stop in this neighborhood is named “NoMa-Gallaudet U” shows how inextricably linked we are to each other,” she said in an email interview.

The name of the Metro station was changed to its current form in 2012 and is indicative of the many changes the neighborhood has undergone in the last decade. However, even as NoMa develops into an urban, young neighborhood, issues such as public unfamiliarity with ASL, lack of translators, and rising rents are making life harder for its longtime Deaf community.

McAuliffe first visited Gallaudet University in 1994 and has lived a few minutes away from NoMa for the past decade. She said that often she gets flashbacks to how the neighborhood was in the 1990s and early 2000s.

“Whenever I’m at Union Market, I look at hearing customers and think: Where were they 20 years ago?” she said.

The growth for the Deaf community has been in Union Market, said Phyllis Brooks, a longtime former NoMa resident who now lives in neighboring Trinidad. She said that the presence of deaf workers and businesses in the area made it a popular hangout for the Gallaudet University community.

Brooks remembers NoMa back when it was “still full of nothing.” But the changes have come swiftly and fast.

“I told Edward that D.C. will look like NYC,” she said, referring to her son.

Her son, Edward Maloney, is 23, a repairman studying civil engineering, and a CODA – Child of Deaf Adults. Born to parents who both attended Gallaudet University, he grew up behind the school’s walls before moving to Trinidad. In a way, he grew up alongside NoMa.

“NoMa now has its own mini skyline of really modern buildings, which is really crazy to see,” he said. “Its center of gravity has really expanded over my lifetime.”

Maloney’s straddled both the hearing and deaf worlds, earning him a unique perspective and role in each community. He said it shaped his worldview as a child and gave him a front-row seat to how society treats its disabled population.

“It also was an education early on and just how unjust the world can be,” said Maloney. “I saw my parents face a lot of injustice, and they had to work harder and advocate for themselves more than a hearing person would.”

He recalled instances where finding interpreters for his parents to even attend public meetings or doctor’s appointments were tough. Maloney also noted the lack of access to education for deaf students and their entry into the workforce.

The result is that “they miss out on a lot of talent and a lot of intelligence that is held within the Deaf community,” said Maloney.

The District in 2021 finally established the ‘’ and joined a list of approximately 38 state agencies for the deaf and hard of hearing in the country. Robb Dooling, an Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner (ANC) for the H Street Corridor, is one of the few deaf commissioners in the District.

His first response to the announcement of the new office was cautious relief.

“Disability representation still has a long way to go,” Dooling said in an email. “Despite our local victories, I know of no ward-level or citywide-level elected officials with a disability. This lack of representation leads to misguided decisions such as the D.C. government’s executive branch disagreeing with the idea of an Office of Deaf, DeafBlind, and Hard of Hearing throughout the full history of advocacy for the office.”

Dooling called the efforts made towards marginalized populations in rapidly developing northeast D.C. “a token approach,” with small gestures like “DeafSpace design principles and murals of people from marginalized populations on the exterior walls of luxury condos.”

Instead, he called for a more holistic approach encompassing disability, race, religion, and human diversity.

“We need deeply affordable housing and significant government support of minority-owned small businesses,” he said.

McAuliffe and Brooks also highlighted the lack of affordable housing and rising rents in NoMa as a big concern for students and faculty at the university and the surrounding Deaf community. But even beyond that, foundational issues like society’s unfamiliarity with ASL, leaves the Deaf community meeting the hearing world where they’re at and nowhere close to even halfway.

“People are more familiar with deaf people around today than the past,” Brooks said. “Still, we face some problems because they don’t know how to sign.”

“They know of us, so why don’t they learn how to sign?”

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The letter was born out of heated complaints from residents at an October online meeting of ANC 6C over crime spilling over into the neighborhood from H Street NE. The jurisdiction of the neighborhood committee in Ward 6 stretches from East Capitol Street NE on Capitol Hill to the intersection of Florida and New York avenues NE in NoMa.

“It’s great to have parks and other things that we’re talking about like transportation,” said one of the residents on the call. “But if we don’t get the crime fixed, none of that really matters, in my opinion.”

All incidents of crime in NoMa went up by 75 since last year, according to from the Metropolitan Police Department. Some of the biggest increases were due to higher motor vehicle and auto theft in the neighborhood.

NoMa, a residential neighborhood, borders the H Street corridor, a one-and-a-half-mile road peppered with stores and restaurants. Most residents on the call questioned whether the increase in crime near their houses has been due to a spillover effect from the more commercial street.

Joel Kelty, a commissioner with ANC 6C, has also been a resident of the H Street quarter for about 22 years. He recalled the evolution of the street from a not-so-vibrant place known for drugs to a lively, racially integrated neighborhood.

“We used to joke back in the old days that H was for heroin,” he said.

But according to Kelty, the District hasn’t done enough to maintain its investment into H Street.

“A lot of the cobblestones are loose or missing. A lot of the trees are dead. The tree boxes are just dirt,” he said.

While the District might have had a “great vision” for H Street, Kelty said that it’s become increasingly unclear and “there’s no follow through on maintaining it.”

“I think the lack of vision allows things like high crime to flourish,” he said.

Crime on the commercial corridor made headlines in August when Washington Commanders rookie running back Brian Robinson Jr. was shot on 1000 block of H Street NE during an attempted robbery. The suspects arrested by the MPD were juveniles aged 16 and 14.

But while this renewed attention to crime on the street might be new for some, for shop owners and workers on the corridor, it’s become normal.

“I’ve just grown so used to it,” said Nicolle Lettau, the general manager at Atlas Doghouse. “When the sirens go by I’m like, ‘Oh, look, something else is happening.’ So, I’ve definitely noticed more frequency in the sirens and things going on out there.”

Lettau said that she doesn’t see an easy fix for the safety on the street but recommended investing in more resources for the community who live there.

“Everything that pops up these days is like luxury condos and super fancy restaurants. And I feel like it’s at odds with the rest of the people around here,” she said.

Archie Twyman, who works at a store that “gifts” marijuana, agreed that more should be done by the District for youth in the area. While some might blame the crime on the ‘marijuana gifting’ in the area, Twyman disagreed.

“I don’t think the gifting or the marijuana is making crime go up. Crime has been going up in this city year after year since I was born,” he said.

Twyman argued that the ‘marijuana gifting’ in fact ought to be lowering the crime rate in the area.

“As a Black man that has been charged with misdemeanors for possession and felonies just for marijuana, and to see that as legalized, I felt like why I think we’re moving in a good direction as a nation,” he said.

Blaming the entirety of the neighborhood’s problems with crime on marijuana is “low hanging fruit” and “easy to blame” said Ralph McLean, commander of the Metropolitan Police Department’s fifth district.

McLean said that the District’s problems with crime go far beyond just one or two factors. As a 40-year-veteran of the MPD, he said he has been a first-line observer to the crime in the District and all the initiatives taken against it.

But as the police evolve, so do the criminals.

“We jokingly referred to this kind of crimefighting as ‘Whack-a-Mole,” he said. “Because you can press it down in one place, it can generally pop up in another place. They adjust to us as much as we adjust to them.”

The newest crime trend in NoMa is automobile theft, said McLean. It’s an observation that Kelty made too.

“You have to a little bit admire the entrepreneurial creativity of some of these people. The latest thing is stealing wheels off of Hondas,” he said.

As solutions to the problem, residents and ANC 6C commissioners in the letter to the Mayor specifically outline the need for upgraded MPD-monitored security cameras and as well as new installations of more cameras in high-crime areas on the street.

Since, Kelty said that they have received a response from the Mayor’s office but described it as unsatisfying.

“I’m not sure that the mayor and the council fully understand the scope of the problem,” Kelty stressed.

The post Ward 6 commissioners pen letter to mayor over H Street crime first appeared on 91����.

Swampoodle Terrace–a snug park replete with chess tables, small rolling hills, and a repurposed shipping container as an entertainment area–opened its gates to the community this month.

A public vote on the name of the park was held in March this year, and ever since, the opening has been a long-anticipated tease.

‘Swampoodle Terrace,’ a name paying tribute to the neighborhood’s Irish immigrant past, was the final selection.

The newly opened park is also one of the final pieces of the long-term plan that the NoMa Parks Foundation (NPF) launched nearly eight years ago.

“The NoMa Parks Foundation addressed a big question, which was how can we bring a green space and recreation space to a location that’s considered landlocked by concrete,” said Tiffany Moore, deputy director of Capital Construction Services, at the opening of the park Oct. 19. “Well, the vision was cast, and the answer is right here.”

Robin-Eve Jasper was one of the leading architects behind the neighborhood’s push for more green spaces.

Jasper has worn several hats in leadership in the neighborhood. She was the former president of the NoMa Business Improvement District (BID) and the current president of the NoMa Parks Foundation. She has held that position since 2012.

Jasper’s seen it all when it comes to the evolution of the neighborhood.

“I’ve seen it go from empty lots with no sidewalks and a scattering of, you know, old, mostly unused warehouses to what it is today,” she said.

But early on, Jasper noted the void left by the absence of civic spaces where the community could come together, hang out and be active in NoMa. The NPF struck a public-private partnership with the District of Columbia governments, and in 2013, former Mayor Gray included $50 million for NoMa parks and public spaces in the District’s capital budget in the fiscal year 2014.

In May 2013, the D.C. Council unanimously approved that funding, per the NPF website.

Jasper said the guiding question all these years as they’ve approached planning has been, “How do we build community?”

To this end, the NPF held community meetings pre-pandemic, with regular turnouts of 60 to 100 members. The discussions ensured public participation in the projects, from naming to design.

“It’s been a lot of fun to see how that plays out; in everything from park design and involving the community and people kind of forging bonds through that,” said Jasper.

While the success of the new Terrace is yet to be seen, if its name twin across the street is any indicator, it is sure to be a community favorite. Opposite Swampoodle Terrace is another of the NPF’s projects, Swampoodle Park which opened in 2018.

And a sunny fall day is the perfect time to capture the success of that community space. A pack of excited dogs runs around the manicured grass as their owners huddle around, chatting.

Chris DiLullo, the owner of five-year-old poodle mix Sparky and two-year-old bernedoodle Bo, is a daily visitor to the park.

“I like the green space inside the city to like to hang out in. It makes you feel a little less closed in on,” he said.

Wall-halla, a vertical obstacle course for children, flanked one side of the park. It’s the perfect after-school activity for the two boys Belle Evans babysits.

“They don’t have a backyard because it’s (their home) in the city. So, it’s really nice for them to be able to run around,” she said.

While Joe McCann’s one-year-old daughter, Claudia, is not old enough for the wall-halla yet, she’s sat smiling, across the street, on the soft grass mounds of Swampoodle Terrace.

“I expect we’ll be here a few times a week,” said McCann.

McCann, a resident of NoMa, is also a member of the ANC 6C Environment, Parks and Recreation Committee.

With the opening of the Terrace wrapped up, both Jasper and McCann are already looking forward to planning more community spaces in the neighborhood. But first, a thorough analysis of all that’s been accomplished over the past few years.

“We’re doing it (a report) to actually document the experience over the last ten years and what lessons were learned,” said Jasper.

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But lately, the marbled halls of the station have been but a dreary backdrop to empty stores and hallways, amidst safety issues and a slowly returning crowd.

Jamia Grinage has worked in the Blue Mercury store at the station for nearly a year.

“It’s kind of hard for the tourists to walk through the (station’s) hallway because it’s a little dark,” she said.

Since the pandemic, the station’s hallways, which were peppered with lively retail outlets and restaurants, are now just empty storefronts with no replacements.

“Me personally? I wouldn’t want to go into a dark hallway. So, me not seeing the H&M and the Victoria’s Secret at the end of the hall is kind of like…ugh,” she added.

But hallways dulled by absent stores aren’t the only problem at the station.

A recent shooting in the station’s west hall left one injured and has restarted the conversation around safety issues at the station.

“Like it’s kind of just the thing. You just know that Union Station is sketch,” said Hannah Reeter, a regular rider of the Metro.

Earlier this year, Starbucks announced the closure of 16 stores nationally, citing safety concerns. The store at Union Station was one of them.

Safety at the station was the recent topic of discussion at the September Advisory Neighborhood Committee meeting for Ward 6C, with newly appointed CEO and President of the Union Station Redevelopment Corporation (USRC) Doug Carr in attendance.

According to the of the meeting, the conversation was “regarding the need for law enforcement at the station, loitering and food waste in the front portico, homeless persons and people with mental health problems, and issues contributing to an unwelcoming atmosphere at the station.”

Some disagree.

“I know there’s homeless people here, but I’ve never felt unsafe,” said Sahar Curtis, a commuter at the station.

Others don’t.

“It is a matter of safety concern because you have some of the homeless population, and they can be a bit uneasy, and they can be a bit rowdy, you never know if they’re going to snap. We deal with that a lot,” said Marissa Wood, a longtime worker at the station’s The Body Shop.

Wood said she’s dealt with people wandering into stores yelling and screaming, but explained that it usually doesn’t escalate due to the heavy police presence at the station.

The police jurisdiction of Union Station is split among multiple law enforcement agencies, including the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), the Amtrak Police Department, United States Park Police, Metro Transit Police Department, and the United States Capitol Police.

“The MPD is constantly connecting with the community so that we’re constantly aware of safety issues around the station,” said an MPD spokesperson about its jurisdiction. “There has been no upward trend in crime around Union Station.”

According to, the incidents around the station have only slightly increased as compared to last year. There have been 36 incidents around the station this year.

from Metro Transit Police’s jurisdiction paints a similar picture. This year, it shows only 14 incidents in the District’s Metro facilities, with only one so far in October.

The Park Police have also been involved in maintaining safety in some areas of the station and just recently cleared a homeless encampment at Columbus Circle.

When asked if it has improved safety conditions around the station, most are conflicted.

“They’re not trying to solve the problem, just trying to get it out of our rear view,” said Grinage.

Wood was glad they finally moved it, calling it a “very unattractive sight.”

But for others, the concern around the station is no different than safety concerns over crime in the entire district.

D.C. Real Time news, a twitter account covering police, fire and emergency medical services news in the District, out a resigned “UNBELIEVABLE” on Sunday after three separate shootings involving teenagers happened across the city.����

UNBELIEVABLE, a horrible Sunday with 3 teens shot in 3 separate shootings in D.C. today.

— DC REALTIME NEWS (@RealTimeNews10)

“I don’t know if it’s any better or worse,” said Karl Fitzke. “Not necessarily right here, no more than other spots in D.C. I’m not overly concerned. I mean, you hear about shootings all the time.”

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A D.C. Fire and EMS spokesperson confirmed that the injured person was a young male with a minor gunshot injury to the foot. ��The victim was taken to the hospital in a private vehicle.

The U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) released a confirming the arrest of the two shooting suspects. They were found near North Capitol Street and H Street by USCP officers, who also confiscated a handgun.

The west side of the main level of the station––which houses the restaurants Pot Belly, Shake Shack, and more––was cordoned off with tape for a few hours.

A Metropolitan Police officer at the scene said that it was an active crime investigation, while the Amtrak police officers at the station declined to comment.

The Amtrak Police Department is the lead on the investigation of the shooting, with the Metropolitan Police Department assisting.

The general manager at the eatery Chopt, also in the west hall, was a witness at the scene. She declined to give her name.

The manager said she noticed a group of five teenagers––four boys and a girl––sitting in a corner table of the store.

Soon, a fight broke out among them, she said, which eventually spilled out onto the front of the store.

“I was very scared,” she said, still shaken from the experience.����

Having been in the back of the store attending a meeting at the moment the gun went off, she recalled watching the customers run towards the back in fear.����

Despite having worked in the station restaurant for eight years, this was her first time dealing with a shooting near the store, she said.

Another witness on scene was Michelle Goldchain, a journalist with WTOP.

She took to saying, “Crazy to think I was right next to a shooting today.”

Goldchain heard the shot go off at around 3:50 p.m.

According to the released by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, there was only one crime at a Metro facility in August and 13 so far this year.

The issue of safety at Union Station was a recent topic of discussion in Advisory Neighborhood Commission 6C’s virtual on Sept. 15.

The newly appointed Doug Carr, president and chief executive officer of the Union Station Redevelopment Corporation (USRC), attended that ANC meeting to address the concerns of the commissioners and their constituents.

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