COMMUNIT-E
October 29, 2003
 
 

CITIZEN SUMMIT III - RESCHEDULED - NEW DATE - NOVEMBER 15
From: Floto, Mary Ann (EOM) <maryann.floto@dc.gov>
Due to the passing of Mayor Walter Washington, Citizen Summit III has been
rescheduled to November 15, 2003. The program will be held at the
Washington Convention Center, 801 Mt. Vernon Place, NW (Hall A) from 8:00
a.m. to 4:00 p.m. For additional information, please contact the Executive
Office of Neighborhood Action at 202-727-2822 or visit
www.citizensummit.dc.gov
Mary Ann Floto - Office of Community Outreach - 202-727-9820

[Note: The time has been listed as both 8:00 and 8:30 on notices I have
received. It’s 8:00 on the website, but you might want to check before
going – KS.]
 
 
 

EVENT NOTICES AND REMINDERS

**** SECOND DISTRICT HALLOWEEN PARTY
From: Jeffrey Moore <JAMOORE@mpdc.org>
Each year, the Second District provides a small Halloween party in the
Second District Community Room. Once again this year, we will have candy
and decorations and face painting and games and ghosts and goblins. We
will be ready to trick or treat the kids beginning at about 6 p.m.,
until about 8 p.m.
I hope you will put us on your list of places to visit. It will be
wonderful to see all the kids and their families.
Jeff Moore
Commander
Second District

**** BOOK SALE AT PALISADES LIBRARY
From: Elinor Tucker <elinor_tucker@yahoo.com>
November 1, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

**** FALL CLEANUP – WISCONSIN AVENUE BEAUTIFICATION PROJECT
From: <KColombant@aol.com>
Saturday November 8 1 pm - 6 pm

**** TENLEYTOWN AGAINST GRAFFITI (T.A.G.)
From: Torrey Androski <androskit@yahoo.com>
Meet at the Tenleytown Metro 11 am on Sunday Nov 2nd.

**** PANCAKE BREAKFAST TO BENEFIT ANIMAL RESCUE LEAGUE
From: Carolyn.Donnelly@mail.house.gov
Pancake breakfast to benefit the Washington Animal Rescue League
Tickets: $15 each or $50 for Family 4-pack Saturday, November 15,
8:30–11:30 am
Metropolitan Memorial United Methodist Church
3401 Nebraska Avenue, NW (across from American University)
Tickets available at the door. Pets will be available for adoption.
Donations of pet food and toys are welcome.
Pancakes for Pets
“You’ll Flip for This Breakfast!”
Sponsored by Friendship Hospital for Animals
Fetch more info. about the League @ www.warl.org
4105 Brandywine Street, NW • Washington, DC 20016
www.friendshiphospital.com

**** BENEFIT FOR FRIENDSHIP PLACE FOR HOMELESS
From: <Elizindc@aol.com>
Liz Siegel, Exec. Dir. of Comm. Council for the Homeless at Friendship
Place
THRIFT MARKET
Nov. 7 (9-6:00) & Nov. 8 (9-4:00)
Arabic Church of the Redeemer Presbyterian Church
4420 River Rd. NW (at Fessenden)
Fabulous antiques, art, collectibles, clothing, toys, household
and kitchenware, sports equipment, holiday items, books
and furniture (delivery available)
All proceeds to benefit the homeless of Ward 3
(Community Council for the Homeless at Friendship Place)
 
 
 
 
 

MORE ON NEW SCAM
From: Ejberlow@aol.com
Re the flat tire scam - the same thing happened to me at the Mall
downtown. I
was visiting the museums with my grandchildren and parked my car on
Constitution Ave. When I returned, I found a flat tire. A black male was
standing
nearby and offered to change the tire. He said he was a student in the
area. I
thanked him profusely and gave him a tip. Later on I found out that
there was
nothing wrong with my tire.
 
 
 
 

BOLOS IN THE ‘HOOD
From: Carolyn Long <carolynlong@earthlink.net>
MAGAZINE VENDORS
On September 25 I was working in my garden when I heard someone knocking
at my front door. Thinking it was a friend, I called out "come around
here." It was a white, teenaged boy, seemingly personable and polite,
who introduced himself as Dustin Boi, said he was from Wisconsin, and
that he was participating in some program whereby he had to go around
and talk to people in the community about their career choices, etc.,
for which he would receive "points" toward some sort of award. This
seemed harmless enough, so I talked to him while I continued to work. He
pointed out his partner, a young black man, working the houses across
the street. Then he introduced his real purpose, selling magazine
subscriptions. Of course I told him I didn't want any magazines and
chided him for falsely representing his purpose. He seemed so
crestfallen and begged so hard that I finally agreed to subscribe to a
children's magazine to be donated to Children's Hospital. I went inside,
got my check book (latching the door behind me!) and came out to write
the check. Meanwhile, he'd written out a bill for $122! I protested, by
then really wanting to get rid of him, and ended up writing a check for
$32 for two years of Nickelodeon magazine donated to Children's
Hospital. The receipt he gave me is from Magazines Inc., 29029 Upper
Bear Creek Rd., Suite 202, Evergreen, Colorado, 80439. He wrote in a
website address, www.mfsa.com, which turns out to be the Maritime Fire
Safety Association! I have not yet gotten my September statement to see
who cashed the check. Are these guys crooks, or just kids selling
magazines? Did Children's Hospital actually get the donation? I'd very
much like to know.
 
 
 
 
 

CRIMES OF INTEREST

**** From: Crimereports.com <reports@crimereports.com>
Reports are considered preliminary and are not intended as final data
until verified
For details on obtaining a complete
report, go to http://mpdc.dc.gov/serv/reports/accincdent.shtm

PSA 202
10/14/2003 000 hours theft from auto - 2 4500 block 48th st nw
C1 reports that unknown person(s) stole the front and rear tag off the
vehicle.
--------------
10/23/2003 100 Hours
Sex abuse - adult 1st 5200 block wisconsin ave nw
R1 reports for c1 that r1 opened a bathroom stall & saw c1 slumped over
the toilet & s1 standing over c1, trying to zip up his pants. S1 shoved
r1 and fled. S1 had struck c1's head against the
Wall knocking her out.

[This occurred at Chadwicks and is being investigated by Sex Squad
detectives from Violent Crimes Branch – KS.]
---------------
10/23/2003 1600 hours theft - 1 4500 block wisconsin ave nw
R1 reports for hudson trail outfitters that s1 entered the store,
selected various property, passed the registers and employees, exited
the store and entered the listed suspect vehicle and
Fled the scene.
------------------
PSA 202 10/26/2003 1100 Hours
Theft - 2 4500 block 40th st nw
C1 reports various property was stolen from her shopping cart by unknown
person(s) when it was left unattended. C1 found her purse in another
isle, but property was missing.
 
 
 
 
 

MPD HANDBOOK AVAILABLE FOR STALKING VICTIMS
This was published in 2001 but it just came to my attention recently. It
gives some good advice and additional resources. To obtain a copy, call
the 2D Desk at 282-0070 and arrange to stop by and pick up a copy. Call
first to make sure they will have it when you arrive. If you are having
a stalking problem, contact one of the following for further guidance:
Lt. Aiello - 282-0038 <MPDCPSA202@netscape.net>"
Sgt. John Rucker <jrucker@mpdc.org>
2D Captain's Office - 282-0032
 
 
 
 
 

BILLS PROPOSED TO STRENGTHEN LAW RE: JUVENILES
The Mayor is proposing much needed new legislation to deal with the
increasing problem of serious crimes committed in the city by
youngsters. In addition, several councilmembers have also introduced new
legislation related to juveniles. Hearings will be scheduled on these.
If you have a keen interest in this area, you might want to watch this
carefully. None of it’s a done deed and there are plenty of folks who
won’t want the laws strengthened in this area.
Following is the text from Saturday’s Washington Post on the bills.
 

BILL WOULD TOUGHEN JUVENILE LAW IN D.C.
More Teens Could Be Charged as Adults
By Sewell Chan
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, October 25, 2003; Page B01

Public concern over juvenile crime has prompted Mayor Anthony A.
Williams (D) to propose some of the most significant revisions of the
District's juvenile code since it was enacted in 1963.

Williams's bill would make it easier to charge 15-year-olds as adults
for violent offenses, a goal prosecutors have advocated for years. It
would grant crime victims and police limited access to juvenile records,
make it a crime for juveniles to fail to appear in court and allow
involuntary hospitalization of children not competent to stand trial.

In addition, D.C. Council member Kevin P. Chavous (D-Ward 7) has
introduced a bill that would punish parents of delinquents by allowing
the government to suspend their driver's licenses, evict them from
public housing and fine them as much as $500. A proposal being drafted
by council member Phil Mendelson (D-At Large) would instruct judges to
weigh public safety in sentencing decisions -- an important shift in the
law, which now gives primary consideration to "care and rehabilitation."

At stake are the competing goals of juvenile justice: protecting the
public and holding offenders accountable, while trying to help and
reform children who often are poor, neglected, emotionally disturbed or
addicted to drugs or alcohol.

"There's always a tension . . . between rehabilitation and retribution,"
said Barry C. Feld, a law professor at the University of Minnesota.

Franklin E. Zimring, a law professor at the University of California at
Berkeley, said the city's proposal would not shift the District's
traditionally liberal approach to juvenile justice and is more of "a
catch-up" to laws that many states started to pass 15 years ago.

"It is grossly easy to overestimate these changes," said Zimring, who
added that the proposal's main significance might be symbolic. "It's a
way of making a stand and a political point without having a lot of
operational significance."

The council's Judiciary Committee plans to hold hearings on the
proposals as early as January. The mayor's bill has not been finalized,
but it has created a stir within the Williams administration and among
judges, public defenders and advocates for children.

Some say it takes a punitive approach while doing little to address
dysfunction in the Youth Services Administration, the city agency
responsible for providing housing, therapy and other services to
delinquents.

"It ignores the heart of the issue: the failure or unwillingness to
commit the time and resources to rehabilitation," said Kristin N.
Henning, deputy director of the juvenile justice clinic at Georgetown
University Law Center.

Eugene N. Hamilton, a D.C. Superior Court senior judge, said the city's
juvenile prosecutors drafted the bill without adequate input. In a
letter to the mayor last week, Hamilton, who chaired a city juvenile
justice commission that completed its work in November 2001, said
proposals "should be comprehensively discussed in a broad-based forum."

Hamilton said the issue should be discussed within the interagency youth
investment collaborative that Williams created in February 2002, which
has met only once. He also urged the mayor to make it harder, not
easier, to try juveniles as adults.

Corporation Counsel Robert J. Spagnoletti, whose office prosecutes
juveniles and drafted the proposal, said through a spokesman that he
would wait until the bill was introduced before commenting on it.

The youngest age at which juveniles in the District can be tried as
adults is 15, compared with 14 in most states, including Virginia and
Maryland. But prosecutors must overcome legal hurdles to do so.

Federal law allows the U.S. attorney's office for the District to charge
16- and 17-year-olds as adults for the most serious crimes without a
judicial hearing. The District allows the city to petition judges to
transfer juveniles to adult court for certain felonies, a law that
applies mostly to 15-year-olds.

Eight 15-year-olds have been transferred to adult court in the past
decade, according to city figures. The most recent was David R. Johnson,
who was convicted in September 2002 of murdering a 16-year-old girl in
July 1996, when he was 15.

For serious violent crimes, the mayor's bill would require defense
lawyers to prove that a 15-year-old is not a danger to the public and
can be rehabilitated to keep him from being transferred to adult court.
Feld and Henning criticized this provision, citing research by
developmental psychologists showing that children 15 and younger are
less capable of understanding long-term consequences, more impulsive and
more susceptible to peers than older teenagers.

The bill also seeks to enhance the rights of victims by allowing them to
attend juvenile hearings; obtain restitution and the return of stolen
property; submit a victim-impact statement; and learn whether a juvenile
might be infected with HIV.

Currently, judges can dismiss a juvenile case "in the interests of
justice and the welfare of the child," an option often exercised when
the juvenile is already under court orders in another case. The bill
would remove that option and require that the judge find that the child
does not need care or rehabilitation before dismissing the case.

Half of the states have at least partly opened juvenile proceedings,
Feld said. The city is not contemplating such a change.

The bill would let the corporation counsel give limited information on
juveniles to police and victims. Victims now can be told whether a
juvenile matter was brought but not the outcome nor the juvenile's record.

Feld said confidentiality provisions were aimed to protect juveniles
from stigma, but they often end up shielding courts and public agencies
from scrutiny. "There's a public right to know what's going on," he said.

© 2003 The Washington Post Company
 
 
 
 
 

COMMUNITY BULLETIN BOARD

**** From: Michael Calingaert <MCALINGAERT@brookings.edu>
OPERA TICKETS FOR SALE
I have one, or possibly two (adjacent), tickets for the Monday,
November 17, Washington Opera production (6:30 p.m.) of Die Walkure,
starring Placido Domingo. The seats cost $135 each, and they are
located in the Prime Tier, Section R, Row E. Tel. 202-797-6135 day or
202-537-0116 evenings, or e-mail mcalingaert@brookings.edu.

**** From: Barbara R. Bergmann <bbergman@wam.umd.edu>
EXCELLENT FLOOR REFINISHER
I just had a terrific job on my wood floors done by Larry Jackson of
myfloors.com, who was recommended by a real estate agent. He came just
when he promised, was very careful with the furniture, and finished
promptly. His estimate was the lowest I received. His number is
202-801-8314.

**** From: <LRol@aol.com>
FREE GRAVEL AVAILABLE
also available in Dec
cargo bookcase solid wood $20
queen anne sofa $20
queen size futon and frame $20
color TV $50
stereo equipt
white IKEA bookcase $10
Italian ceramic dish set $40

**** From: Vladimir Pcholkin <pcholkin@yahoo.com>
PHOTOGRAPHER AVAILABLE
Professional photographer with 20-plus years international experience
available for portraits, events, weddings, as well as corporate and
advertising photography. Based in AU Park area. To see my commercial
work, visit http://www.vladimirpcholkin.com. For wedding work, visit
http://www.artimage1.com. Contact: Vladimir Pcholkin, 202-966-2911,
pcholkin@yahoo.com.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

DEBRIS FROM HURRICANE ISABEL AND OTHER WORK TO BE DONE

**** From: Shari Lawrence Pfleeger <spfleeger@earthlink.net>
To: ppagano@dccouncil.us
RE your request to know where there is still debris from Hurricane
Isabel: There has been no pickup of debris on the 4500 block of
Davenport St. NW. From what I can tell from walks around the
neighborhood, there are many blocks that still have had no pickup.
Anything you and councilwoman Patterson can do to get the debris removed
would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks. Shari Lawrence Pfleeger

**** A huge stump was placed back on the tree box at the corner of 46th
and Davenport, on 46th,
after the tree had been removed from blocking the street. – KS

**** From: Carolyn Long <carolynlong@earthlink.net>
I sent the following to Penny Pagano in Kathy Patterson's office: A crew
came and removed the fallen tree in front of our house in timely
fashion, for which I am grateful. But they left a gaping hole caused by
the removal of the roots, and other deep depressions caused by the tires
of their machinery. Such holes in the grassy strip along the sidewalk
are evident all over the neighborhood. These are dangerous to people
getting out of their parked cars, and will be even more dangerous when
covered with snow. Is it the responsibility of the homeowners to fill
these in, or is a city crew coming back to do this?

**** From: <dnielsen@worldbank.org>
Last month the city repaved the stretch of Wisconsin Ave. that goes
through Tenleytown and Friendship Heights but so far has not finished
the job: there are still big rough spots around manhole covers, the
paving at cross streets is often rough, and crosswalk lines have not
been repainted -- for example, the ones near my home going across
Wisconsin at
Ingomar. Could someone explain whether the city plans to finish this job
and
when?

EXTENDED DEBRIS PICKUP
From: Pagano, Penny (COUNCIL) <ppagano@dccouncil.us>
The Department of Public Works has advised Councilmember Patterson's office
that they have extended the time for the contractor they have hired to pick
up debris from Hurricane Isabel. DDOT and DPW inspectors are driving
through
areas of the city to compile a punch list for the contractor. They
expect to
have the final cleanup done by Friday, Nov. 7.
Penny Pagano
 
 
 
 

GORGEOUS NORTHER LIGHTS PHOTO – SOLAR SUPERSTORM
From: edw3qc@att.net
FULL STORY at:
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2003/23oct_superstorm.htm?list151871
 
 
 
 
 

A SHEPHERD
edw3qc@att.net
A shepherd was herding his flock in a remote pasture when suddenly a
brand-new BMW advanced out of a dust cloud towards him. The driver, a
young man in a Brioni suit, Gucci shoes, Ray Ban sunglasses and YSL tie,
leans out the window and asks the shepherd:
"If I tell you exactly how many sheep you have in your flock, will you
give me one?"

The shepherd looks at the man, obviously a yuppie, then looks at his
peacefully grazing flock and calmly answers: "Sure. Why not?"
The yuppie parks his car, whips out his Dell notebook computer, connects it
to his AT&T cell phone, surfs to a NASA page on the Internet, where he
calls up a GPS satellite navigation system to get an exact fix on his
location which he then feeds to another NASA satellite that scans the area
in an ultra-high-resolution photo. Then the young man opens the digital
photo in Adobe Photoshop and exports it to an image processing facility
in Hamburg, Germany. Within seconds, he receives an email on his Palm Pilot
that the image has been processed and the data stored. He then accesses a
MS-SQL database through an ODBC connected Excel spreadsheet with
hundreds of complex formulas. He uploads all of this data via an email
on his
Blackberry and, after a few minutes, receives response. Finally, he prints
out a full-color, 150-page report on his hi-tech, miniaturized HP LaserJet
printer and finally turns to the shepherd and says: "You have exactly
1586 sheep."

"That's right. Well, I guess you can take one of my sheep," says the
shepherd.
He watches the young man select one of the animals and looks on amused as
the young man stuffs it into the trunk of his car.

Then the shepherd says to the young man: "Hey, if I can tell you exactly
what your business is, will you give me back my sheep?"

The young man thinks about it for a second and then says, "Okay, why not?"
"You're a consultant," says the shepherd.
"Wow! That's correct," says the yuppie, "but how did you guess that?"
"No guessing required." answered the shepherd. "You showed up here even
though nobody called you; you want to get paid for an answer I already
knew; to a question I never asked; and you don't know crap about my
business.

Now give me back my dog."
 
 

– END –