Washington, DC Shootings

In Washington, DC moments after city leaders addressed a violent city crime spike a 16 year old male was shot in the stomach at the Fort Chaplin Park apartments in Northeast Washington, DC. That was the ninth shooting in D.C. since late Friday in a wave of crime that has left four people dead and seven injured.

Mayor Adrian Fenty called the crime spree "beyond intolerable" and he said, "We are frustrated, but we're redoubling our efforts to make sure we not only catch people who do this, and prevent further shootings, but bring tranquility to these neighborhoods.

The mayor said the police strategy is to flood the affected neighborhoods, particularly in the 5th District with 1,200 police officers, three times the normal number of officers on patrol in the city.

The rash of shootings has police struggling to keep up. A task force of community leaders has met to discuss ways to curb the violence. David Bowers founder of a group called No More Murders D.C., said "It's going to take more than hard working police and social service, it will take all facets of our community."

Police Lt. Judith Anderson said the police are doing the best they can, but they need the public's help, they need information from partners in the community to help solve these shootings.

Washington, D.C. police have offered rewards up to $25,000 for information that leads to arrest and conviction in any homicide case.


Soap Box Ravings points out that Mayor Fenty, when a federal appeals court ruled the District's longtime ban on keeping handguns in homes is unconstitutional, said city officials will "do everything in our power to work to get the decision overturned, and we will vigorously enforce our handgun laws during that time." Mayor Fenty believes that if law abiding citizens are allowed firearms in their homes that shootings in the District will increase.

Soap Box Ravings also points out that when 1,200 police out of a 3800 sworn officer force are used to flood affected neighborhoods service somewhere must fall off. If these officers are in the neighborhood on 8 hour shifts that will use 3600 officers in a 40 hour, 3 shift work week and that does not include weekends. This plan leaves no one doing any other Department tasks.

If officers are on duty for 12 hour shifts for five days (60 hour week) it still doesn't include weekends, and there is only 1400 officers left to handle all other department tasks and cover weekends. Who pays the overtime?

The liberal line that the masses are to illiterate or stupid to live without the government taking care of them from cradle to grave is taking a lot of strain here.

Then we get to the part where the police need people to help them. Someone must report nefarious activities to the police before they can react,

Soap Box ravings can't help but think this sounds like we could be talking about Baghdad, Iraq. They have imported and local trouble makers setting ambushes and IEDs all over the city. They have also offered large rewards for the "Bad Guys" just like the District.

Politicians need to educate themselves on the purpose of the Second Amendment. It is NOT for deer hunting.

Although it may be some of those anti-gun politicians DO actually understand the purpose of the Second Amendment and that is really scary.