Mount Pleasant DC Forum

[bailey]

I have seen on several occasions two black men using needle drugs in the alley directly behind the garage/mechanic shop on Mt Pleasant. One has a graying moustache and usually wears a blue sweatshirt and a black wool hat. The other is younger and was wearing a pink button down shirt the last time I saw him. I called the cops, then walked out and found some (from the
traffic blockage on 16th) but despite telling me they would confront them, they did not. These guys hung around for nearly an hour, (I pointed them out and followed them from the laundromat on Mt Pleasant to rat park) and the police could not be bothered. Has anyone else seen these guys? They're regulars and I want them out of our alley.

[bailey]

I just wanted to let folks know about another option for getting rid of drug users from our alleys. Police Lt. Vines (who covers Mt. P) told me if I got a picture of them shooting up in the alley and emailed it to him, he would be able to distribute it to his men and get these guys out of here. I'm planning on keeping my camera handy and snapping one from the second floor, and I would encourage others to do so as well. His email is [email address removed - log in to view].

[jamie]

Why should citizens be expected to do police work? If you have seen this guy on several occasions just on your walks around the neighborhood, shouldn't the beat cops - who presumably spend their entire working shifts cruising around the hood - be fully aware of anyone who's that ubiquitous?

Further, taking pictures of drug users (and especially drug dealers) sounds like a great way to get your ass kicked or shot.

[jack]

[jamie]

I'm all in favor of helping the police, but this is exactly what Bailey described in his first message:

I called the cops, then walked out and found some (from the traffic blockage on 16th) but despite telling me they would confront them, they did not. These guys hung around for nearly an hour, (I pointed them out and followed them from the laundromat on Mt Pleasant to rat park) and the police could not be bothered.

Realistically, do you think the appropriate response from the cops should become "please take some pictures"? They already saw, but chose not to confront the perps themselves. Sure, it's a two way street. Sounds like Bailey is doing more than his fair share already, though... without the police doing their part when provided with this kind of information, this community/police system doesn't seem to do much good.

Suggesting that we take pictures when the cops have been not only told directly, but actually witnessed the scene themselves, seems more than a little disingenuous. What good are these pictures going to do? Why didn't these cops take pictures themselves, if they wanted them? It seems clear that the cops are quite aware of what's going on but have decided it's not worth doing anything about.

I will believe there are reasons why the cops don't deal in these situations - such as, bigger fish to fry, little chance of a conviction, whatever - but it bothers me that the police will brush this off by asking people to do (potentially risky things) such as take pictures or whatever that seems, to me, to have little chance of solving the problem.

[ClancyMac]

What blows my mind about Bailey's entire experience with the policemen is that they didn't have to arrest the guys in order to so some effective community policing----all they had to do was to walk up to the guys involved, tell them that it had been reported to the police that the guys were shooting up in a public alley, and remind them that behavior was unacceptable and (if such allegation was in fact true), they needed to cut it out or the next conversation they'd be having with the police on this issue would not be as pleasant. That would have gotten the message across that the alley was being scrutinized and my guess is the guys would have taken their shooting gallery elsewhere in order to avoid potential hassle.

That's the type of community policing that maintains order. It lets the perpetrators of offensive behavior (whether it's public drunkenness, littering, cat-calling to women, or shooting up) know that the behavior is offensive to the community and not to be tolerated. When the cops sit back and won't even issue the mildest of verbal reprimands---it creates an atmosphere which encourages such behavior.

[bailey]

I'm not prepared to throw up my hands in frustration because one cop didn't intervene when I pointed out a drug user. Just like in any profession, there are those that prefer to sit back and let others bear the responsibility of getting the job done. For that same reason, some homeowners will get fed up with watching crimes--both relatively petty such as getting high and drunk, and more serious violent crimes--occur in the alley and they'll do something about it, while others will not. These are personal choices, but the Lt. told me he would act on it if I could get him a picture, so that's what I'll try and do. Obviously, that should be done discretely from the safety of your own home. But we should all recognize that without effort on both our part and the police, nothing will change.

[admin]

check out what they are doing in ANC2C. This video tape was taken by a resident during a drug bust. The drug dealers chanted "PD 99" which is police brutality which wasn't the case.

http://anc2c02.com/shaw/20070807crimebustSME01.html