Blog Archives
Family Housing in DC and Ward 5
Some residents attended the initial meeting about the DC plan to close DC General Family Shelter and open shelters across the city to address the needs for homeless families in DC. The location of the Ward 5 shelter was met with questions and concerns. Two other Ward 5 neighborhoods associations have scheduled a ward wide meeting to discuss the issue. Details about the meeting are included below for those that may wish to participate.
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Dear Ward 5 neighbors,
Approximately a week ago Mayor Muriel Bowser first shared details about her plans to replace DC General Family Shelter with the homeless shelters in each of Washington, DC’s eight wards, including building a facility in a heavily industrial area at 2622 25th Place NE in Ward 5. Since then many residents noted the oversaturation of homeless shelters in this neighborhood already and expressed deep concern about housing families in a facility closer to a strip club than a grocery store.
On Monday, February 22 at 6:30pm, neighborhood association leaders will host a Ward 5-wide community meeting with Council Member Kenyan McDuffie about the homeless shelter location. Residents will have an opportunity to share their concerns with the proposed location and participate in a transparent process to identify dignified and residential sites for the District’s homeless families. With this community input, we look forward to collaborating with Mayor Bowser to select a more suitable site for Ward 5.
Meeting details are below. Please join us and encourage your neighbors to come as well!
WHAT
Ward 5 Community Meeting on Homeless Shelter Locations
WHEN
Monday, February 22, 2016 from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM (EST)
WHERE
New Canaan Baptist Church – 2826 Bladensburg Rd NE Washington, DC 20018
PLEASE RSVP AT
http://bit.ly/1KrhdwW
ORGANIZERS
Langdon Park Community Association
Woodridge South Community Association
Upcoming Events in February
Trinidad Craft Salon: This first of three crafting salons will be held this evening, February 8th, at 7 pm at Capital Fringe (1358 Florida Avenue). See our previous post for additional details and come nurture your creative side.
Advisory Neighborhood Commission 5D Meeting: The next ANC5D meeting will be held on Tuesday, February 9th at 7 pm. Meetings are at the 5th District Police Station on Bladensburg Road. The agenda is posted on the ANC5D website. There are two very important items for development variances on the agenda that impact Trinidad. These are the properties at 1258 and 1264 Holbrook Terrance NE.
Trinidad Neighborhood Association Meeting: February 23rd is the next scheduled TNA meeting. Presenters include the Department of Employment Services (DOES) covering jobs and job training programs, the Metropolitan Police Department, and representatives of the Mayor’s and Councilmember’s offices. The meeting will be held at 7 pm at the Trinidad Recreation Center (1310 Childress Street NE).
Ward 5 Young Professionals Networking Mixer: This event is being held at Union Social (100 Florida Ave NE) from 6:00 to 8:00 pm on Thursday, February 25th. This event is being organized by Councilmember McDuffie’s office.
Trinidad Public Safety Summit
Do you have questions or concerns about public safety in and around Trinidad?
Ward 5 Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie will is hosting a Public Safety Summit here in our neighborhood. The event will be held on Thursday, July 30th from 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm at the New Samaritan Baptist Church, Lower Auditorium, 1100 Florida Avenue NE. Come learn what is being done for public safety in our neighborhood and how you can help protect our residents and local businesses.
Bring your questions and concerns for the panelists scheduled to attend including the Deputy Mayor for Public Safety, MPD, the Attorney General, US Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, Offices of United Communications/HSEMA, CSOSA, the Fire Department, and the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council. After dialogue with the panelists, there will be time for specific questions from the Patrol Service Areas (PSA) in attendance from the fourth and fifth districts. Trinidad falls under PSA 506.
The event is free and open to the public. There is an Eventbrite page for RSVPs to the event. Click here to register.
Councilmember McDuffie Takes on Illegal Dirt Bikes & ATVs
We’ve all seen them — dirt bikes and ATVs racing through the neighborhood, often driving the wrong way on one-way streets. Most people consider them a dangerous menace that are inappropriate in a dense urban environment. Yet police are limited in what they can do to enforce the law. Chasing the violators only increases the danger to the community. At recent community meetings, MPD has encouraged residents to report where these bikes are stored so that they can work to impound them. Now, Ward 5 Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie has introduced legislation to bolster enforcement abilities and increase the penalties for illegal dirt bikes and ATVs. Read the press release and a selection of news articles below.
Councilmember McDuffie introduces bill that dramatically increases the penalties for illegal dirt bikes and ATVs
Contact: Ronan Gulstone, 202-257-4129, rgulstone@dccouncil.us
Washington, DC – Today, Councilmember Kenyan R. McDuffie (D – Ward 5) introduced legislation to address the growing problem of illegal dirt bikes and All-Terrain Vehicles (“ATVs”) in the District.
The “Enhanced Penalties for Operation of All-Terrain Vehicles and Dirt Bikes Amendment Act of 2015” provides the Metropolitan Police Department (“MPD”) with additional “tools” to combat what many reside
nts have described as a terrifying increase in the prevalence of packs of dirt bike and ATV riders. The measure would allow MPD to tow any dirt bike or ATV parked on public property; requires registration of all ATVs and dirt bikes with the Department of Motor Vehicles so there is a record of each vehicle; and importantly, the bill creates the following enhanced penalties for offenders:
- For a first violation, the perpetrator will be fined up to 250.00 and/or imprisoned no more than 30 days.
- For a second violation, the Mayor or her designated agent shall suspend the individual’s provisional or operator’s permit for six months from the date of the conviction. The perpetrator will also be fined up to 500.00 and/or imprisoned no more than 90 days.
- For the third or subsequent violation, the Mayor or the designated agent of the Mayor shall suspend the individual’s provisional or operator’s permit for a year and the individual will be fined up to 1000.00 and/or imprisoned for no more than 180 days.
“I have heard from countless residents, and police officers about the illegal use of dirt bikes and ATVs,” said McDuffie. “Currently our laws just do not serve as a sufficient deterrent to the use of these machines. Dirt bikes and ATVs are not appropriate for use on our roads, are dangerous, and have been used completely irresponsibly on sidewalks and in packs to intimidate pedestrians and drivers.
“This bill will go a long way to serve as a warning to those who are thinking about using dirt bikes and ATVs on our streets, and also provide MPD with the ability to tow parked dirt bikes and ATVs.”
The bill was co-introduced by Councilmembers Allen and Nadeau.
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DCist: McDuffie Seeks To Increase Penalties For Illegal Dirt Bikes and ATVs
Washington City Paper: McDuffie Proposes Stricter Penalties Against ATVs and Dirt Bikes
Trinidad Neighborhood Association 