communit12-18

COMMUNIT-E
December 18, 2000

HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE!
This and a separate Tower Issue (see below) will probably be my last COMMUNIT-Es until
after the New Year.

IF YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT GETTING A MINI SCOOTER -- TAKE NOTE
I bought one of the Razor Scooters because I had a sore heel and the little
scooter helped me get around without putting pressure on the heel. It helped
a lot. But, I ride it VERY SLOWLY on sidewalks and WATCH CONSTANTLY for
upraised pieces of pavement. I also ride the brake when going down steep
hills, such as the sidewalk along River Road, coming down form Wisconsin
Avenue. I don't recommend it for children because the wheels are so tiny that
it jack- knifes when it hits an upraised square of sidewalk, of which there
are many. Rough surfaces can cause it to lurch. What child would go slow and
watch carefully? For kids I recommend bicycles or scooters with larger
wheels - wheels that are much more stable and forgiving when going over
broken or raised pavements.

A FEW HOLIDAY CRIME PREVENTION TIPS
Alley Crawlers know there is a lot of money on the streets and brand new
goodies in people's homes, this time of year. Therefore please take these
small but important precautions:
1.) Don't put packages in the backseat of cars. Put them in the trunk.
2.) Wear your purse in a way that it can't be slipped off your shoulder.
Don't place it over a chair in a restaurant or in a grocery cart.
3.) Have your keys in hand as you approach your car. Lock the doors as soon
as you are inside.
4.) After Christmas, hold onto the cartons from luxury items such as
televisions, computers, and other supertoys until the morning of trash day.
You don't want them to sit in the alley for a while and advertise to the
Alley Crawlers what's new inside your house.
5.) If you're gong away, set timers on your lights and arrange for a
neighbor to pick up newspapers, fliers, etc. that build up and advertise that
you're not home. Ask a neighbor to place the garbage can and recycle bin back
in place so that it looks like you are home. Ask them also to trample the
snow between the sidewalk and your door, if a storm arrives in your absence.

BEWARE OF TOW COMPANIES STEALING CARS
A certain number of tow companies are actually car thieves with tow trucks.
If you see a car being towed, jot down the date, time, location, name of the
tow company and license numbers of the tow truck and the car. E-mail that
information to PSA Lieutenant Mark Carter with a CC: to Commander Peter
Newsham, in case Lt. Carter's e-mail is not working or he's on leave. That
information can then be handed over to the 2D detective in charge of stolen
cars to see if the car you saw was later reported stolen.

If you see the following situation, call 911 and report a probable car theft
in progress. Turn over any information you are able to get to the 911
call-taker. Follow up with an e-mail to Lt. Carter and Commander Newsham:

1.) Car is towed and no one other than the tow truck driver is around. This
is especially suspicious late at night. Usually an owner is there when the
car is towed.

2.) Tow operator hitches car up quickly, without safety chains, and drives
away. Usually in these cases the driver pulls into an alley or around the
corner and finishes fastening the car to the truck. If you see a tow truck
and car in an alley, and the car is not normally parked there, call 911.

Twenty to thirty cars are towed every day in DC. Four or five of these are
stolen with tow trucks.

Lt. Carter's e-mail is MPDCPSA202@netscape.net; Commander Newsham is on
MPDC2DCMDR@aol.com.

OTHER CAR THEFT ISSUES
PSA 201 and the Chevy Chase citizens sponsored a meeting the other night on
community/police problem solving. Lt. Danny Straub of the Auto Theft Unit
was the guest speaker. Here are a few information nuggets from the meeting:

1.) Nineteen cars are stolen every day in DC. Many end up in PG County and
many PG County stolen cars end up in DC. Many of the thieves are juveniles.

2.) Most thefts from this area are foreign vehicles. (Could that be because
most cars bought in this area are foreign makes?) It's easy to steal a car
with about $10 worth of equipment that can be purchased at any auto supply
shop.

3.) An anti-theft device that will prevent your car from being moved, such
as a Club, kill switch, special key, etc. is preferred to one that allows
your car to leave the area, such as Lo-Jack. The trade off is that while the
Club can be defeated, by the time Lo-Jack locates your car (if it ever does)
your car may have been involved in a crime, accident, or end up with
disgusting debris like condoms, needles, and drugs in it. Since every second
counts to the thief, he's more likely to go after a car that's as
unencumbered as possible. Keeping it locked is the first line of defense;
making it a hassle to steal is the second.

4.) If you have a newer car with a more sophisticated anti-theft system, such
as the computer chip in the key, don't assume your car is theft proof.
Identity theft that enables someone to get a copy of your key from the
dealer is an on-going problem. For that reason, don't leave credit card
receipts, envelopes with your name and address, magazines with your address,
etc. visible in the car when it's parked in public places. I guess you could
take this further and be aware of how you dispose of your trash. The idea
here is to not easily link your car with your name and address. Get real
suspicious if you see someone looking through your windshield as though they
are trying to read the VIN Plate on your dashboard.

5.) NEVER NEVER leave your car registration card or title in the car. If the
car is stolen and the thief stopped, he has proof of ownership to show the
stopping officer.

6.) If your car is broken into, make sure they didn't steal the VIN plate.
Often this is the real purpose of the theft, not the CDs and other junk they
stole.

7.) If your car is stolen and the thief caught, work with (i.e. put pressure
on) the police and prosecutors to make sure the case is prosecuted.

A WINDOW ON OUR OWN PSA
(Or how a community meeting went haywire)

The meeting in PSA 201 (Chevy Chase and Forest Hills) was supposed to be a
joint problem solving meeting between the police and the residents. It had a
big turnout of residents, local businesses provided food, the police provided
lots of expertise. But overall, as a problem-solving meeting, it was a flop.
I'm not blaming the police or the residents of PSA 201. If it had been here,
in PSA 202, it would have probably flopped too, for exactly the same reason.

The purpose of this meeting was how to use the police, community talents, and
other DC agencies to solve a particular problem or set of problems currently
plaguing PSA 201. This was part of a major initiative called Policing For
Prevention featuring the police and US Attorney's Office.

All was going reasonably well until someone asked Lt. Josiah Eaves how many
officers patrolled Chevy Chase and Forest Hills at any one time. When he told
them about 4, the residents became completely focused on that number. Lt.
Eaves statement, that there were many more residents than police, no matter
how many officers were assigned, was completely ignored. Sgt. Ray Danieli's
efforts to get them back on track were completely ignored. The runaway issue
in the community became "Who do we call to get more police assigned?" The
police, who wanted the community to work with them on specific crime issues,
sat there, completely helpless as the meeting spun out of control in pursuit
of more officers.

Believe me, the same thing could happen in PSA 202. Reality that we can
actually take specific steps to prevent crimes, put pressure on other DC
agencies to take certain steps, and make sure that certain individuals are
prosecuted, has not yet hit most of us residents. We can actually do specific
things that will alter the crime picture, over time, in our own neighborhood.
But will we ever get many more police than we have now? I doubt it.

We and PSA 201 will need to learn to focus on developing real solutions and
exploring the resources at hand if we hope to have any impact on changes we
will try to make, in the future, in crime in the 'Hood.

HOW ONE BLOCK IS DEALING WITH A STUDENT PROBLEM
From: kenanddavida@starpower.net (Kenneth Giles & Davida Perry)

So many people in my immediate neighborhood have been upset about "our"
student house that I compiled this page for them.
Davida
---------
the student house

If you are disturbed by noise/music/car horns at all hours of the night from
the vicinity of Burlington Place and 46th Street, it is coming from the
student house. Here are several ways you can respond; it is especially
important to contact Mr. Dias, Mr. Taylor, Lt. Carter and an ANC rep.

The address of the student house is 4528 Burlington Place.

Immediately report any problem (noise, drunk behavior, trespassing, etc.) to:
--- The owner, Mr. Dias, at 244-7249. His address is 4828 46th Street. He
wants to know about all problems.
--- The police at 911; the dispatcher will send a patrol car.
--- The AU "public safety officer" at 885-2527. That office is open 24/7.

During working hours report problems to:
--- Dan Kelley, AU Coordinator of Greek Life, at 885-3390. The house is in
effect a fraternity house and AU wants us to notify Mr. Kelley of all
problems.
--- Faith Leonard, AU Dean of Students, at 885-3300. AU wants us to notify
her also.
--- David Taylor, executive assistant to AU's President (whose name is Mr.
Ladner), at 885-2121 (taylor@american.edu). Mr. Taylor is AU's liaison with
the neighborhood; it is his job to placate us so we don't cause bad publicity
for his boss.
--- Our police station at 282-0070 or 727-1010. A better idea is to call 311
and request that an officer come to your home to discuss a neighborhood
problem. Or call the Administrative office at 282-0065 or Supervisor's
office at 282-0038.

These officers handle neighborhood problems:
o   District Commander Peter Newsham at 282-0042 (mpdc2dcmdr@aol.com)
o   the "police service area" leader for PSA 202, Lt. Mark Carter, at
     282-0039 or 886-5892 (mpdcpsa202@netscape.net)
o   PSA 202 Assistant Leader Sgt. Rick Davis at 282-0050

ANC reps Chris McNamara at 237-9096 (mcnamrus@aol.com) and Leslie Quynn
(lquynn@aol.com).

Our City Council rep Kathleen Patterson at 724-8062. Her address is 441 4th
Street NW, room 709, WDC 20001 (kpatterson@dccouncil.washington.dc.us).

RESIDENTIAL PARKING ISSUE
From: Mitnick123 (Marla Mitnick)

Re: Nonresident Parking. I also have experienced increased difficulty
parking in residential spaces along the 4800 block of 41st Street and
adjacent streets. Many spaces are being taken up by commuters who have
residential parking permits and park all day, and by customers of Wisconsin
Avenue businesses who park for shorter periods of time. Both are permitted
in residential parking areas, so I believe the solution lies in converting
more parking spaces to residential parking spaces throughout the neighborhood
and frequent parking enforcement.

I represent the neighborhood in an ANC-brokered agreement with PN Hoffman.
Construction workers initially parked on Belt Road but now park in the
on-site garage. PN Hoffman has cooperated fully in trying to contain worker
parking problems throughout the construction period. The building will have
adequate parking spaces in its garage for residents, office tenants and
retail customers. Once the building is completed we will apply for
residential parking on both sides of the 4700 block of 41st Street and on
Davenport Street. I have also explored the possibility of placing 12 hour
meters along Belt Road for commuters, which is a more complicated issue
because the area is owned by the National Park Service.

Tenleytown is attracting more businesses and in turn more jobs and customers.
There is no longer adequate parking for residents (and their cleaning, day
care and repair people), commuters and business customers. I would like to
see all of the Tenleytown ANC commissioners and the Ward 3 City Counsel
member collaborate to develop a comprehensive solution for parking.

DELAYED GREEN TRAFFIC LIGHT IDEA
From: shirl.cahill@starpower.net

I wanted to tell a short story and express an idea:
I recently had a car accident where a woman ran a red light and broad
sided me while I was proceeding through an intersection on a green
light. The red light had been red for about 2 seconds because I made it
to the middle of the intersection before being hit.
I have an idea:
If the timing of the lights were adjusted so that there was a delay
between the time the light turns green, it would prevent drivers like me
from getting into the intersection in time to get hit be a red light
runner. It will not prevent individuals from running red lights, but it
may help prevent innocent drivers who are proceeding after the light
turns green from being in the intersection when someone is running a red
light.
Just a thought.
S. Cahill

COMMUNITY BULLETIN BOARD

**** From: DCGreen1
Any suggestions about getting the sidewalks around the old Hechingers
building cleaned up? It's disgusting!

**** From: LBerger728
For Sale: Sideboard from Ikea. Light brown wood veneer, 3 drawers on top of 3
cabinets, 59' wide, 16' deep, 34' high. Mint condition. Any reasonable
offer. Call Lisa at 362-5703.

**** From: Ann.Navaro@usdoj.gov (Navaro, Ann)
For Sale: High quality, extremely comfortable, spacious, gently used
queen size sleeper sofa; Green and white striped with solid green and striped
throw pillows; $500; Contact Ann Navaro at 202.305.0462 during the day.

**** From: klandfield@earthlink.net (Katharine Landfield)
We bought some firewood from Junior Bowles while he was in the neighborhood
(drive-in from Culpepper VA), but we were very disappointed with it. It was
damp-ish and has not yielded good fires (by contrast, we tested wood bought
in small bundles at Safeway and at Strosnider's, and they were great).
Although he initially told us he would come replace the wood, he has since
ignored several more phone calls. So be careful when dealing with him - be
sure your wood is really dry and light.

Have any of you had good experiences with other drive-around-the-neighborhood
firewood companies? Could you give us a number? Thanks.

**** From: jenrose1@yahoo.com (Jennifer Rose)
I have a recommendation for electrical services. He is a very honest and
hard working young man. You can contact Evan Bestland at (301)424-0130.

**** From: aodean@erols.com (andrea dean)
I, too, am looking for someone to clean out gutters and would appreciate any
leads or recommendations. Thanks, Andrea Dean.

**** From: Fds3987649 (Mr. D'silva)
As I read through the Communit-E, Could I request the web address for PSA 201
(if there is one please), I would appreciate it much. Also I am looking for a
plumber for minor (or major) repair who is reasonable and dependable & a
landscape person who does work on the side. Thanks.

COMMUNIT-E
December 18, 2000

TOWER PETITION DRIVE - PLEASE HELP!
From: CooperJM@aol.com (Jo Cooper)

Our neighbors Ann Eichenberger and Nancy Libson are organizing our petition
drive. Ann sent the following message out to folks who have already
volunteered to help. I hope you will each try to fill at least one petition
page. There are 15 signatures to a page, and if we get 11,000 signatures, we
will have a scroll as long as the Tower is proposed to be high. A
demonstration of this kind of political will is really powerful--- and we,
and the Mayor, are going to need this kind of will to get through this.

TOWER PETITION DRIVE
From: aeichenberger@mindspring.com (Ann Eichenberger):

We would like to collect over 11,000 signatures by January 17, which is just
about a month from now....

We would like to start collecting signatures this weekend, even though it is
the week before Christmas, etc. Below is a list of high foot traffic areas..
Could you let me know which one (if any) and what times you would be able
to collect signatures at one of those locations? We also need to collect
signatures from your neighborhood. So please email me with which areas you
feel you can canvas between now and January 17.

Suggested locations for collecting signatures.
- Safeway.
- Entrances to Metro at Tenleytown, weekends and afternoons.
- Tenleytown Starbucks in early morning and weekend mornings.
- All schools and churches in the area.
- CVS at Tenleytown.

We know that you know many more opportunities for collecting signatures. This
list is just a start. You will notice that Fresh Fields is missing from the
list. The store's management does not allow volunteers in the store or at
the pick-up area. Fresh Fields will post the petition on its bulletin board.

The new website tells the story about the Tower. In addition, I will send
you a fact sheet and list of tips for collecting signatures over the
weekend. The collection point for completed signatures is Jo Cooper's house
at 4101 Davenport Street, the yellow house on the corner of 41st and
Davenport--just one block north of the Tower.

I know this is a very busy week for everyone and many of you will be away for
the holidays. So we will really appreciate whatever you can do during the
coming week.

Thank you so very much!
Ann Eichenberger-202-363-7417
Nancy Libson-202-244-6271

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Stop the Tower Petition

Dear Mayor Williams,
Thank you for stopping construction of the American Tower Corporationâ€™s
horrendous broadcast tower in Tenleytown. We are grateful that you have
acknowledged the importance of communities in Washington by your courageous
step to protect ours. Our continuing goal is to see that the partial
construction is torn down. The future of Washington, DC as a living
environment depends upon the cooperation of our citizens and government in
seeking the public good.

Name Address Phone E-mail
______________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

stop the tower citizens coalition www.tenleytower.org

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TOWER WEBPAGE
From: CooperJM@aol.com (Jo Cooper)
You are cordially invited to view our official new website:
www.tenleytower.org

Our neighbor Tim Weber, a professional web person, who has been integrally
involved in this effort from its inception, has rather miraculously assembled
a comprehensive, easy to use site, with everything from press clippings to
permit applications, health links to volunteer opportunities. It's a wealth
of information in a clear, accessible format. Happy browsing!

Your comments will be appreciated. Keep in mind: the initial site is not
yet fully complete-- there is a major homepage visual element coming, and a
list of questions and answers we believe will serve many first time
visitors-- and of course it will be continuously updated.
Thank you, Tim !!!!!!!!!!