Public Safety, Meeting with Residents -- Ward 1 Update - Office of Councilmember Brianne K. Nadeau
Following recent shootings in Park View and Shaw, and drug activity in Columbia Heights, police have stepped up their presence and are continuing their investigations including an arrest of one suspect in Shaw. Additional MPD steps include light towers, mobile crime cameras, and discussions with local businesses about increased lighting and cameras on their property.
These actions will help in the short term, but we also have work to do to get to the root causes. I’m working with the community on the longer-term work that involves connecting MPD and other city agencies with residents to address chronic public safety issues, supporting neighborhood efforts, backing tough but fair public safety laws and ensuring MPD has the resources they need to keep residents safe.
Part of these long-term efforts are the four Public Safety Walks I’ve held in the last month to get MPD and District government resources to areas in the ward with public safety issues. They’ve happened at Georgia and Lamont, 11th and Lamont, 14th and Girard, and 14th and Perry. More are planned. Just last night, my staff attended a midnight roll call with MPD at Park Morton to discuss public safety issues.
Everyone deserves to live in a community where they feel safe.
How you can help on public safety
Remember: if you see something happening that looks illegal, call 911 to report it to MPD. In addition to their regular patrols, they rely on the community to report suspicious or illegal behavior. It’s very helpful to MPD if you leave contact information for follow-up later, though it’s not required.
Ward 1 is divided between MPD’s 3rd District and 4th District. Stay up-to-date on MPD activity and your local Police Service Area (PSA) meetings by joining the 3rd District email group or 4th District email group.
Engage with your local ANC and attend their regular public safety meetings. Find your ANC district here, learn more about Ward 1 ANCs here.
And keep us informed about issues in your neighborhood. I regularly hold Brianne on Your Block community office hours and will have more Public Safety Walks in the near future. We announce these events on community email lists, on our Facebook and Twitter feed, and at ANC and civic association meetings.
Out in the ward
Over the last month, I’ve been out in all corners of the ward meeting with seniors, social service providers, small business owners, students, and parents and attending community meetings and hosting Public Safety Walks. I speak with residents and organizations about their work in the ward and how District government resources could help strengthen their communities.
Filling the gaps in bike lanes
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Since my time as an ANC I have been a strong advocate for safe bicycling infrastructure. Recently, I sent a letter to DDOT about my bike lane priorities for Ward 1, including closing gaps in the network and the need for more protected bike lanes, like the ones on 15th St.
Hosting SYEP students this summer
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This summer, my office hosted DCPS students Isaiah and Blondell for 6 weeks of work experience as part of the Marion Barry Summer Youth Employment Program. They got an inside look at how the Council works, and helped us keep the office running smoothly. They also worked with our star summer intern Iain to write a Ward 1 Youth Newsletter with information about the ward and the people who live there.