As The Informer reported, a mass shooting on 7th and P streets in Northwest left two men dead and five people injured on Sunday morning.
Two days later, Advisory Neighborhood Commission 2G03 discussed the circumstances of the deadly event during a community meeting at Watha T. Daniel/Shaw Library.
That’s where residents vented about their local government’s apparent lack of follow-through throughout the years.
For one, Play DC, the nightclub that the shooting victims were alleged to be leaving, has long been the subject of noise complaints. In January, the establishment entered a settlement agreement with ANC 2G that mandates its owner to secure Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officers to provide surveillance over the immediate area after the club closes for the night.
However, MPD’s staffing shortage has precluded the agency from meeting Play DC’s needs, much to residents’ chagrin.
Other complaints on Tuesday night centered on what residents described as the nighttime ruckus on the soccer field at KIPP DC Shaw Campus in Northwest that spilled over into the surrounding community.
One resident bemoaned what she called numerous attempts to hold those accountable who repeatedly damage her fence and urinate in her alley at night. Dialogue with a KIPP DC representative infuriated her further once she learned that D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation, not KIPP nor MPD, has control over the park.
Given the complexity of D.C. government affairs, it remains unlikely that there will be an immediate solution to these constituents’ issues.
These challenges beg a serious question about addressing issues across District neighborhoods.
If the individuals in the supposedly influential, up-and-coming parts of the District can’t even get the government’s attention, can less affluent, more racially homogenous communities imagine a paradigm shift?