The District’s police chief stood Friday on one of the corners most emblematic of D.C.’s recent development boom, surrounded by a circle of more than 40 people with dozens of concerned questions.
A day after a gunman opened fire outside a restaurant on 14th Street NW, leaving two people injured and forcing dozens to duck for cover, residents and business owners on the tony corridor wanted to know: What are District leaders doing about the rising tide of gun violence? Chief Robert J. Contee III spoke to the group bluntly: “It’s getting the attention that it’s getting now because it happened where it happened.”
Where it happened is one of the city’s trendiest neighborhoods, a potent symbol of the city’s renaissance over the past 20 years, with condos and restaurants replacing auto shops and quality-of-life crimes in the area. D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) had rushed to the scene the night before, telling reporters she was “outraged” after yet another act of gun violence. But amid a surge in shootings and recent high-profile incidents across the city — such as last week’s gunfire outside of Nationals Park and the killing of a 6-year-old girl in Southeast earlier this month. There is pressure on the two-term mayor and her administration to do something. I got together with my brothers and business partners of T.Y.P.E. INC. to talk about the DMV’s gun violence problem. I thought it was a great way for us to start sharing with the public who we are and what we want to do. I appreciate the men we are today and I hope we can provide programs and services that will impact our community in a positive way. #therealtalkpodcast