Yesterday, April 23, at approximately 11:35 AM, an individual was robbed of a cell phone in broad daylight at the corner of 7th & G Streets SE. From the MPD listserve: “[A] citizen was robbed of their cell phone at 7th & G St., SE. Look-out is for a black male; 5’11”; 19-24 years of age; wearing a white hoodie; black pants; and has long dreds. The suspect was last seen in the area of L St., SE, between Half and South Capital St.” I understand that no weapon was involved, but that the suspect pushed the victim to the ground (causing minor injuries) and grabbed the victim’s cell phone and fled. As far as I know, the suspect has not been apprehended yet.
Its been over a month since the last robbery in ANC 6B-03, thanks in part to hard work from MPD patrolling the neighborhood. Needless to say, this type of robbery is totally unacceptable, especially when it involves injury to the victim, as it did here.
This is particularly disturbing given that the attack occurred in broad daylight. Many of the robberies in our neighborhood do occur in daylight hours — by my unofficial count, 5 of the last 11 robberies in 6B-03 occurred during the day. Please remember to be vigilant and call 911 if you see anything suspicious, even during the daytime. Do not worry about “overreacting” – better to call 911 and let MPD evaluate the situation.
Finally, please remember that if you ever have the misfortune of being the victim of a cell phone theft or robbery, you can immediately render your cell phone valueless to the robber by following the instructions here on “bricking” a cell phone. MPD has worked hard to set up this program to prevent the resale of these stolen phones, so please spread the word and take advantage of it.
Thanks!
On this Tuesday (April 23) we will be voting for an at-large city councilmember. We’re fortunate to have a few good people running this time around (which is not always the case), so please try to take a few minutes to learn about the election and the candidates. Turnout in these off-year DC city council elections can sometimes be unacceptably low. Many of you (myself included) have concerns about the leadership of our city, and these elections are an opportunity to shape that leadership! Referendum 8 — which calls for DC budget autonomy — will also be on the ballot.
To find your polling location, just visit here and plug in your address.
In the next few months, most restaurants’ Alcohol Beverage Control (ABC) licenses will be up for their 3-year renewal. ANC 6B generally enters into “Settlement Agreements” with restaurants (formerly called “Voluntary Agreements”). In these Settlement Agreements, restaurants agree to certain terms — e.g., hours of operation, noise mitigation measures – in addition to those imposed by DC law and the terms of the license.
For each restaurant seeking license renewal, ANC 6B will revisit the Settlement Agreement and will decide whether to support the renewal. If neighbors have concerns about the operations of any particular establishment, this is a good opportunity to weigh-in. Fortunately, most of our small business owners are responsible community members open to accommodating neighbor concerns. If you have any questions or concerns, either generally or about a particular restaurant, please let me know.
4/6 UPDATE: This past Thursday, ANC 6B’s ABC Committee considered over 20 license renewals. The overwhelming majority of the restaurant owners present — including the Lavagna and Fusion Grill in 6B-03 – agreed to some form of Settlement Agreement with the ANC. The Settlement Agreements include, among other things, measures to improve trash maintenance procedures and minimize noise (from patrons, mechanicals, etc.). The willingness of these restaurants to work the ANC to address reasonable neighborhood concerns speaks highly of the small business community on Capitol Hill. Many of us love that our neighborhood has quiet, family-friendly residential streets in walking distance of wonderful small restaurants and retail. But maintaining the peace and charm of our residential blocks as our commercial corridors continue to thrive can be a challenge, and it requires constant dialogue with and cooperation from small business owners. So thanks to those restaurants who continue to work with the neighborhood to preserve and improve liveability of the nearby residential streets.
For those interested, restaurants/bars in 6B-03 whose licenses will be up for renewal in the next couple of months include: Zest, Ugly Mug, Molly Malone’s, Lola’s, Lavagna, Cava, Matchbox, Ted’s Bulletin, Phase II, Ambar, Las Placitas, Chesapeake Room, DC-3, Fusion Grill, and Capitol Hill Tandoor & Grill.
