CRIMES IN PSA 202, NOVEMBER 1 TO DECEMBER 3
ROBBERY
-- 5200 41st St,  f&v,  11/10,  1130,  sidewalk
-- 4500 40th St,  f&v,  11/1,  1450,  street   (closed)
-- 5300 Wisconsin,  PBS,  11/25,  1145,  sidewalk  (closed)
ASSAULT
-- 4600 Wisconsin,  11/4,  0234,  business (closed)
-- 4500 40th St,  11/29,  1940,  video store
-- 4100 Albemarle,  11/14,  1510,  school
-- 4100 Chesapeake,  11/15,  0900,  house
-- 4200 46th,  gun,  12/1,  2322,  street
BURGLARY
-- 5300 42nd St,  11/3,  1400,  porch
-- 4900 Butterworth,  11/23,  2100,  house
THEFT
There were 24 thefts. Three are listed as shoplifting. They occurred mainly
in businesses, but several were from yards.  (5 closed)
THEFT FROM AUTO -- 18
AUTO THEFT
-- 5300 Wisconsin,  11/5,  1220,  garage
-- 5300 42nd St,  11/22,  1200,  street
SIMPLE ASSAULT
-- 5000 Wisconsin,  11/16,  0750,  business
-- 5200 Wisconsin,  11/19,  0215,  restaurant
-- 4700 Wisconsin,  11/24,  1210,  business
-- 3900 Chesapeake,  12/1,  1530,  school  (closed)
DESTRUCTION OF PROPERTY
-- 4100 Livingston,  11/9,  2200,  carport
-- 4600 Verplank,  11/25,  0135  house
-- 4700 45th, 11/12,  2100,  street
-- 3900 Chesapeake,  11/18,  1300,  school
DRUGS
-- Marijuana,  3800 45th,  1121,  2308,  street  (closed)
FRAUD
-- 5300 Wisconsin,  11/1,  1836, retail store  (closed)
-- 5300 Wisconsin,  11/11,  1515,  retail store  (closed)
UTTERING
--  5300 Wisconsin,  11/6,  1245,  department store

For additional sources of crime information, check out the MPD web site at
http://www.mpdc.org.  Selected daily crime reports are listed, by PSA, in a
report submitted by: owner-d2@this-people.com. Contact that e-mail address
and ask to be placed on the list.

This is a boom time for theft from auto around retail areas. The thieves know
that people are buying presents and putting them into their cars.  If you do
this, make sure it's in the trunk and out of sight. Be careful in parking
garages where someone can lurk and watch as you make your way to your car.
Have your keys in hand as you approach your car; get in quickly and lock it
immediately.

Also, be on the alert for pickpockets.  Never leave you purse unattended in a
shopping cart or behind your chair in a restaurant.
 
 

ANOTHER TAKE ON THE TOWER AND THE CITY
From:   mlsedgewick@yahoo.com (Michelle Sedgewick)

I do not condone the tactics and invective evident in the Business Exchange
Network's ads.  It is unfair, at the very least, to conclude that race is the
sole reason for the city to revoke American Tower's permit.  To "play the
race card" suggests that these folks are hard pressed to present a valid
argument on the merits.  But let's not forget the likely consequences of the
mayor's action.

The city did issue a permit to American Tower.  It's not American Tower's
fault that city employees and officials did not follow proper procedures.  My
neighbors and I do not benefit directly from the city's revocation of the
permit.  Like it or not, my neighbors and I will pay for this benefit to
Tenleytown.  ALL District residents have to deal with the consequences of
this action --  the sizeable settlement or judgment that this lawsuit is sure
to bring.

We all should be outraged about this "race politics" nonsense.  We should
remember that, regardless of skin colors, we all pay green money in taxes.
And we should be prepared to lose several of them in a court award to
American Tower.
 
 

COMMUNITY BULLETIN BOARD

**** If you have a foot problem I highly recommend Steve Fletcher, the
Manager at Richey & Company shoe store at the small shopping center at
Wisconsin & Western. He is a Pedorthist-- someone trained to figure out what
you need in or on your shoes to help your foot problem. I went in thinking I
needed a wider shoe. He looked at my foot and put a little pad on the right
underside of my orthotic and explained that my foot was hitting the edge of
the shoe because of the way I moved. The pad worked.  A wider shoe would have
just made the problem worse. Thanks Steve. (Ask for him when you go in. I
don't know if  the other employees  have his training. Their phone # is
301-951-4945.)

**** From: Brennan.Ross@epamail.epa.gov
We're looking for someone to clean out our gutters and thought your readers
might have a recommendation.  (I don't remember seeing this in COMMUNIT-E
so far.)

****  From: NancyLeRoy@aol.com
Re:  Laura Roth's rat problems.  I called the DC rat control office and they
sent a guy out with heavy duty rat poison.  If that's a problem, call the GT
exterminating people at 338-KILL (I love it!) They can set cages with bait,
etc.  They're the ones who removed the beavers from the Tidal Basin.

**** From: jpgreene@erols.com (james greene)
I am looking for a place for a 31 year old female third year law student
to stay, January to April.  She will be doing an externship on juvenile
justice
with the American Bar Association.  She is interested in house-sitting, or
sublet, or whatever. Thank you.

**** From themail@DCwatch.com  (Gary Imhoff):
    **** From: Judie Guy, gpgazed@aol.com
To the person looking for a good auto body shop, I highly recommend
Petrovitch at 14th & Florida NW. Brothers Paul and Pedro have been
highly recommended by many sources in DC for years. Sadly, they sold
their mechanical repair biz a couple years ago, but they did retain the
body shop. They are great to deal with and do a terrific job. Their
prices may not be the lowest, but you'll get value. They've done car
body work for me twice in last three years and kept aging cars running
for me for many years before.

    **** From: Deborah C. Fort, FortsKDC@cs.com
I would like again to recommend carpenter and handyman Marcotulio
Orellana and his company 'The Home Doctor.' (301) 942-7768. Cell phone.
(240) 604-4742. Marcos has done splendid, timely work for us over a
period of several months. Marcos and his staff comes with twenty years
of local recommendations; he gives fair, firm estimates free; his work
is done quickly and well.
 
 

MORE ON TRAFFIC AND INTERSECTIONS
From:   NancyLeRoy
Re: Thomas Fine's remarks about the dangerous intersection at Fessenden,
River and 45th.  We are specifically NOT requesting a traffic light as there
is one just a few yards up River at Garrison and a few yards further at
Western.  What is needed is some way to SLOW the traffic.  We thought that
stop signs at these corners might do the trick, at least causing drivers to
tap their brakes as many do with "all way" stop signs.  So far, we have heard
NOTHING from the District.
 
 

CLEANING UP COMMERCIAL TRASH
From:   sarahbarnett@email.msn.com (Sarah Barnett)

In the November 17 issue, David Epstein brought up the CVS (and Mattress
Discounters) Trash Problem on Wisconsin, just off of Brandywine.  This is
what I learned last September, after finding excess trash on the ground in
the parking lot from both establishments:

The Trash Inspector is the government person to telephone, not the police.
Inspector Cleveland Ray (202-645-8243) is the person in charge.  When
Inspector Ray issues a fine, he fines the owners of a building, not the
store.

The CVS store and the parking lot are owned by:
Hechinger Enterprise
c/o JBG Rosenfeld
Suite 1
7101 Wisconsin Avenue
Bethesda, MD  20814

Inspector Ray told me that the land beginning with the PayLess Shoe Store
parking lot at Wisconsin & Albemarle to the end of Mattress Discounters;
Fresh Fields, the parking garage and Hollywood Video are all owned by George,
Theodore and James Pedas (202-429-9044).  Should we telephone them, we are
welcome to tell them that Inspector Ray gave us the telephone number, tell
them we are working with him to "help" Mattress Discounters (CVS) obtain a
much larger trash collector;  have more frequent collections.

The reason the alley improved after Fresh Fields moved in is because of the
Inspector's dealings with the Pedas family.  When he fined CVS last September
it was for $75 (first offense) and the bill went to Hechinger Enterprises.
Each time he has to wait 15 days for them to change things.  If they don't
shape up, and are fined again, the fine goes to $150 and so on.

Inspector Ray essentially encouraged me to write the owners.  He said that
owners of buildings/property don't like to be hassled.  So if we write to
Hechingers, we can bring up the trash, cigarette butts and gum/candy on the
side walk in front of CVS as well as the trash surrounding the trash
collector.
 
 

NONRESIDENT PARKING
From:   clyerly@odonoghuelaw.com

There has been a steady increase in nonresident/commuter parking in the
area of Belt Road/Fort Reno Park and the parallel portion of 41st Street
(4800 block).  Due to the Hoffman construction at Davenport , 41st Street &
Wisconsin Avenue, their employees take much of the "free parking" on the
Fort Reno side of Belt Road.  Commuters who have enjoyed these free
parking places before the construction now park anywhere, especially
within the Residential Parking zones, all day.   Parking Enforcement does
not appear to be patrolling this area.   I have made numerous calls to them
and requested enforcement of  the parking regulations in this area, due to
the numerous daily violations.   For example, a few months ago, a Virginia
vehicle was parked on Belt Road for nine days with no license tag in the
front and an expired inspection sticker.   I made several calls complaining
about this and no one responded.  This particular incident gave me concern
because it could cause a potential crime for car thieves, etc.   Now cars
often park  into the intersections,  making it difficult
for traffic to turn the corners.   Cars park  in "No Parking Zones" which
are clearly posted with signs.  These cars I am referring to are
nonresident: Maryland and Virginia, etc.--  especially the cars who now
take the residents' parking within the zone signs.

On my way to work this past Tuesday, I saw one commuter with Maryland tags
park on 41st Street, within the Residential Parking Zone.  That individual
went
into an office building on Wisconsin Avenue.  Parking meters were available
on Wisconsin Avenue (including directly in front of the building).  There
was no "free parking" left on Belt Road.  This situation will become worse
for the residents once Hoffman finishes construction and tenants move in.
Can you please assist us residents with getting our message out that
Enforcement needs to monitor this area several times a day?  They seem to
be more concerned with the parking meters at the Metro around the corner
than with our neighborhood.  Thanks.
 
 

MECHANIC

A mechanic who worked out of his home had a dog named Mace. Mace
had a bad habit of eating all the grass on the mechanic's lawn,
so the mechanic had to keep Mace inside. The grass eventually
became overgrown. One day the mechanic was working on a car in
the backyard and dropped his wrench, losing it in the tall
grass. He couldn't find it for the life of him, so he decided to
call it a day.

That night, Mace escaped from the house and ate all the grass in
the backyard. The next morning the mechanic went outside and
saw his wrench glinting in the sunlight.

Realizing what had happened he looked toward the heavens and
proclaimed, "A grazing Mace, how sweet the hound, that saved a
wrench for me!"